European Vacation Day 6-11

“Travel is most rewarding when you are young, before a career takes hold—with all the mistakes and unintended consequences; or when you are old, and enough is behind you so that acceptance of what has happened becomes a simple necessity, and you have the freedom once again to think about nothing except the immediate landscape.” (Kaplan, 128)

Mediterranean Winter by Robert Kaplan

Monday May 17, 2010- Athens, Greece

Athens is the capital of Greece and is one of the world’s oldest cities. Its recorded history spans at least 3,000 years. The goddess Athena gave the city the olive tree as a token of her protection of the city. Classical Athens was a powerful city state; a center for the arts, learning and philosophy. Athens was the birthplace of Socrates, Pericles, Sophocles and many other prominent philosophers and politicians of the ancient world. It is widely referred to as the “Cradle of Western Civilization” largely due to the impact of its cultural and political achievements during the 5th and 4th centuries BC on the rest of the European continent. From three hundred houses in 1834 AD—the year it became Greece’s capital—Athens has swelled to several million inhabitants.

Highlights of our day:
We took a bus from our port, Pireaus, to Athens. Piraeus is Athen’s main port, the biggest in Greece, and one of the most important in the Mediterranean. While it is technically seven miles from Athens the whole area has the feeling of a massive megalopolis of modern, sprawling, concrete construction. Athens is home to nearly 4.5 million people (out of a country of 11 million). It’s rapid expansion as a city was mostly unplanned and it is obvious. The historical sites are charming and give you a flavor for the Athens that was, but the drive in, replete with traffic congestions, gives you the experience of what Athens has become. Our first visit was the Acropolis and its crown jewel: the Parthenon. The Acropolis (Greek for high city) was a religious center from the Mycean era until the end of the Bzantine period. Referred to by Athenians as “the holy rock” the site dates back to the 5th century B.C. The Acropolis features monuments like the Popylaea Gate, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Parthenon. The view of Athens from the top is amazing and is a sufficient reward for the challenging climb up the hill. Adjacent and just below the Acropolis is Mars Hill- a place of public forum in ancient time where Paul first preached Christ to the Athenians.
Our tour group included a couple of New Yorkers who came straight of central casting. They were loud, unimpressed by nearly everything, and got into a friendly—if not passive aggressive—fight with some Red Sox fans on our bus (we don’t know ANYONE like that). Following our time at the Acropolis we reboarded our bus for a city tour. We saw Panathinaikon Stadium where the first modern-day Olympics took place in 1896 and were, after 108 years, the games returned in 2004. We also drove by the Parliament Building (where the recent riots took place). Luckily the Greeks had returned to the more lazy ways of sitting in traffic rather than lighting things on fire. We then went to the old town of Plaka for some shopping. It is the oldest and more picturesque part of Athens, stretching around the base of the Acropolis, featuring narrow streets and alleys, neoclassical villas, taverns, and tourist shops. We met a wonderfully helpful shopkeeper and bought some souvenirs. We, of course, had Gyros for lunch and then rested, as we waited for our bus, underneath Hadrian’s Arch—built by the Roman emperor to demark the entrance to ancient Athens.
Needless to say we were exhausted when we returned to the ship! I relaxed in the Persian Gardens while Ricky took a nap in the room. We then ordered room service for dinner, watched TV (lots of Sex and the City, 30 Rock, Friends, etc.), and had a late night snack of ice cream and coffee in the café before heading to bed. We dreamt of gods, democracy, and baklava!

Tuesday May 18, 2010- Mykonos, Greece

In the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean lies one of the most inviting places in all of Greece—Mykonos. The island is part of the Cyclades. It’s countless bays and beaches and its quant cobblestone streets offer beautiful landscapes, picturesque white painted villages, hundreds of blue domed churches, and windmills for wine pressing. When you close your eyes and think of Greece, Mykonos is what you see. The narrow alleys and confusing streets of Mykonos were built to prevent further pirates from easily raiding the city. This design foiled would be attackers by confounding them and enabling villagers to maneuver them into an ambush. When the Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821, Mykonos was one of the first islands to raise the revolutionary flag. Today Mykonos is a mass tourist destination renowned for its cosmopolitan character and its intense nightlife. It has just 5,000 inhabitants but yearly welcomes 900,000 visitors.

Highlights of our day
We took 5-minute ride on the shuttle bus into Mykonos town (also known as Hora—the Greek word for capital city). It is full of churches, tavernas, boutiques, souvenir shops and plenty of white cubic houses. We walked around the old city, down winding streets and alleys. The whole city is like a watercolor painting of beautiful blues, whites, and reds. It is easy to get lost but easy to get found. One particular part of the town is called Little Venice because of its high Venetian houses with their multicolored porches and wooden balconies, built in the water with the waves breaking underneath them. We had an amazing lunch of Greek Salad, Hummus, and wine at a seaside taverna- perfect location, delicious food, and fantstic and people watching. We then put our feet in the Mediterranean and returned via shuttle to the boat. We spent the afternoon relaxing and napping as the ship pulled slowly away from Mykonos.

Wednesday May 19th 2010- Kusadasi, Turkey

Kusadasi (a name which means “Bird Island”) is one of the most attractive cities on the Aegean Sea. Situated on Turkey’s west coast, it is one of the country’s main holiday destinations with a population of approximately 50,000. This resort town has grown from a small fishing village into a large community dedicated to serving tourists who are in the area to visit, among other things, the Ephesus ruins. Since the 8th millennium BC Turkey was home to the oldest human settlements on earth.

Highlights of our Day
We celebrated our third wedding anniversary by boarding our tour bus and headed through the lovely port town of Kusadasi. Our first visit was the religious shrine of The Virgin Mary. The shrine is now a church built on the site believed to be the home of Mary after she journeyed to the Ephesus area with the Apostle John. It is also where tradition holds she died. It is in a beautiful location on top of a mountain. Whether it is truly the location of Mary’s last days make it no less a significant place considering its proximity to Ephesus and the fact that millions of faithful have stopped on the top of this mountain to offer prayers. We gathered some holy water from a spring near the shrine and left our prayers for the brothers and sisters who take care of the church.
Our next stop was the ancient city of Ephesus. While only 20 percent of the site has been uncovered, it is easy to imagine the interactions of the 250,000 people who used to live here. This area grew to be the second-largest city in the Roman Empire. We walked down the Arcadian Way, saw the remains of the Temple of Hadrian, the Celsus Library and the highlight: the 24,000 seat theatre where Paul preached to the Ephesians (I just figured out that Ephesians=Paul’s letter to the people of Ephesus. Duh. Got to love that Catholic education!). After our visit, we headed back into Kusadasi and to the Bazaar. We saw a demonstration of hand woven carpet making, had a drink of Turkish apple tea and a snack of Turkish pastry.
A low key afternoon was definitely needed after our early morning excursion! We spent the afternoon lounging by the pool and sipping some refreshing margaritas. Since it was our anniversary, we took our “3 year” picture on the veranda of our stateroom (thanks to the camera’s self-timer). We then opened a bottle of champagne, traded our journals that we’ve been writing to each other the past year, and toasted to three wonderful years. We headed to the theatre to catch a Turkish cultural show complete with authentic musicians and dancers. After the show, we had a martini and then headed to dinner. The food never disappoints. After dinner we went to the Broadway show. Plenty of favorites (and of course a Mamma Mia medley!)


Thursday May 20, 2010- Rhodes, Greece

Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese Islands and averages three hundred days of sunshine. In ancient times the people of Rhodes chose Helios, the Sun god, as their divine patron.

Highlights of our Day
We did not schedule a shore excursion for this port, opting for a more leisurely day. After another morning work out, we ate breakfast overlooking the medieval walls of Old Town. We then decided to disembark for a little stroll through the town. The Old Town is an eclectic collection of historic influences where the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem lived and worked. The Old Town houses churches, Inns of the Knights, Mosques, a Jewish Quarter, the Palace of the Grand Masters and the Hospital of the Knights all contained within the walls of medieval fortified city. The whole city looks like Fantasyland—but real.

After a bit of shopping and taking in the wonderful sights of the Old Town, we returned to the ship. We headed to the pool to lounge around and read. We had lunch at the Mast Grill and then I headed to the spa for a facial. When they asked me to rank how stressed I was from 1-10, I put down 1!! When has that EVER happened?! While I was at the spa, Ricky headed to the Sunset deck to enjoy his Cuban cigar. He returned equally relaxed. Life is great!

Friday May 21, 2010- Santorini, Greece

Santorini is a small, circular archipelago of volcanic islands located in the southern Aegean sea, about 125 miles southeast from the Greek mainland. It the southern most member of the Cyclades and is essentially what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion. Santorini is one of several ancient volcanoes lying in the southern Aegean arc. In approximately 1450 BC the volcano erupted changing the geography forever. The center of the island sunk into the sea and Santorini went from a circular volcano to the shape of the crescent formed islands that we see today. The explosion exterminated all life on the island and produced a tidal wave so immense, 820 feet high, that it claimed the lives of the entire island of Crete, about 75 miles south of Santorini. The island is widely considered to be a candidate for the lost kingdom of Atlantis.

Highlights of our Day
We slept in a bit and woke to the wonderful sight of the island of Santorini and the town of Fira perched high above us on the cliff. We booked an afternoon excursion so we took the morning to work out and spend some relaxing time in the Persian Gardes. We met our group and headed down to the gangway to board our tender. This was a first for our cruise. As soon as we boarded the tender it started to rain and by the time we were on our way the seas became quite rough. We made it to the port and had a “fun” climb out of the tender. We learned that Santorini averages only 20 days of rain a year (just our luck!). We then took a bus up to the top of Santorini Island. Our first stop was a winery to sample some local wines. One in particular is called Vinsanto or holy wine which is used for the Greek Orthodox communion services. After the winery, we drove to the opposite side of the island to the village of Oia (pronounced EE-AH). There is only one windy road with sheer cliff drops to the side of the road. Thanks to the expert bus driver we made it safely and then walked through the small, windy roads of the village. There were wonderful views of the caldera below and picturesque whitewashed houses clinging to the sides of the cliffs. After some touring, pictures, and shopping we returned to the bus and drove to Fira town. It’s the capital of Santorini and is the center of activity for the island. We visited the beautiful Orthodox Cathedral. There are also over 400 churches on the island that were actually small sailor’s chapels built to honor St. Nicholas, that patron saint of sailors. Fira town itself is at the top of sheer cliffs 1,000 feet high that go down to Fira port where we were to meet out tender ship. There are three ways to get up and down on this side of the island: a windy path of 600 steps, a donkey ride down that same path, or a cable car that takes two minutes. We chose the cable car (although it was probably the scariest ride Ricky’s ever been on). We met out tender at Fira port and sailed away from Santorini. Our tour guide shared with us a local saying that sums up the island: In Santorini there are more churches than houses, more wine than water, and more donkeys than people. We enjoyed another dinner in the Silhouette Restaurant. Our wine sommelier, Adrian, helped us pronounced the wine, Voinyerer. Megan still has issues saying that word! Hopefully he won’t test us tomorrow. The evening activities included a trip to the Martini bar while watching Celebrity Dance Off (the Equinox version of Dancing with the Stars). The show tonight was LiveWire, a Cecltic music duo. They were incredible! We finished the evening by attending Celebrity’s 20th year anniversary party in the Sky Observation Lounge.

Only 5 more days until we head back to the States! Today is our last day at sea and then we’ll dock in Naples to visit Pompeii on Sunday. We visit Venice Monday and Tuesday and fly out of Rome Wednesday morning.