Ancient Treasures Cruise

The highlight of  of April, and May, we booked a 2 week Eastern Mediterranean / Italy cruise and visit. Ken liked the cruise as it had 6 ports in 7 days. A very busy week of touring, walking, learning about these new countries for us to visit. Italy-(Venice & Bari), Greece-(Katakolon), Turkey-(Izmir and Istanbul), Croatia-(Dubrovnik).

VENICE: DAY 1:    We cruised on a Italian made ship made only 4 years ago, called the COSTA SERINA.  We had some time before the ship left from the port of Venice so we spent our first day visiting Venice's  Piazza San Marco where most tourist end up wither they walk along the canal streets (a 45 min walk) or take a water taxi which is very scenic and fun.  (best way to see going there, and then walking back) While there in the square, we paid to go to the top of the bell tower and viewed an awesome sight of the whole of Venice. It was worth the wait in line and the 10 euros each to go up. From there we got a good look at the magnificent structure of the Church of St. George Major. built in 1610.

After a 5 hour look at Venice, and  bad vibes from the Gypsies at the boat dock when they distracted me and pilfered my credit cards out of my fanny pack, we hopped on the free shuttle and walked onto our cruise ship for our 7 day cruise. We are also saving our last day in Italy to re-visit Venice again and do some Geocaching and walk more of the paths through this ancient and lovely town. The cruise ship maneuvered it's way through the main outer canal into the sea The view at sunset was so awesome. with everyone standing on the one side of the ship to watch Venice flow past, I wondered if it could cause the ship to tip! I know all 3,000 and some people were hanging over the rails for this beautiful site JUST LIKE I WAS!.

 
BARI-ITALY: Day 2 The second biggest city in Southern Italy. Its origins are strictly designed on a Roman design and later the Byzantines. The Romans turned Bari into a very rich port able to host dozens of ships transporting wine and wheat.
Discover Bari's many hidden treasures. The Basilica of San Nicola, built during the period of Norman Rule. 1087. Visit the famous castle of Svevo, the ancient bastion of the Old Town. Amble down the beautiful seaside and See the fishermen diving for sea urchins that they sell by the kilos and are considered a delicacy.   We walked for blocks searching for an internet cafe so we could cancel the credit cards that I had stolen, but we were told that their side of town didn't have any computer for "rent". So we ambled back by the shore, and enjoyed the view of the harbor.

KATAKOLON - GREECE: Day 3 Some passengers paid to be taken to Olympia and the Archaeological Museum about an hour away from port. But Ken and I walked the 3 long streets  and enjoyed the sights in the small port town.  We enjoyed  looking at all the quaint homes built into the hill this city is built on. We got a whiff of the fresh baked breads and we also got a half hour on the internet in their only cafe. We didn't buy any thing, but did enjoy a beer at a table on the corner while we watched tourist pass by. Sue walked down the souvenir street looking for that special memory, but didn't find it here. We did try on some cute hats but thought we wouldn't be recognized in them.

 The Olympic Games originated in Katakolon, Greece and their origin is in honour of Pelope, a legendary character after whom the Peloponnese was named. No women except for Hera priestesses were allowed in. All competitors had to be Greek. The Olympic games were stopped in 393.AD and started again in Athens in 1896. Olympia was discovered in 1776, but more recently there have been many important excavations. 


 IZMIR TURKEY: DAY 4  Capital of a province, with nearly 3 million inhabitants. Izmir is Turkey's second city after Istanbul thanks to its busy port and intense industrial activity. This is a large bay, surrounded by lovely hills, a modern metropolis with urbanistic structure and new residential areas. We took a Cruise Tour in this town as the sights were far from the city and we couldn't walk. We visited St. John and the House of the Virgin Mary in the Fortress of Selcuk. We saw St. Johns church, an important Byzantine building in Ephesus built in the 6th century A.D.  on the tomb of John who died there in 100 A.D.  The tour continued to the House of the Virgin Mary, declared a pilgrimage place in 1892. Visitors write prayers and messages and leave them on the "prayer wall".  Made famous by Pope Paul VI, John II and Benedict XVI.
From there we explored Ephesus, one of the world's seven wonders. A large city in the Roman Empire. We walked on the marble streets that once the Romans walked on. Quite a site to see so much of this huge city still standing. You will see Ken admiring the largest Theatre of the ancient world, that could pack in over 25,0000 spectators.

 ISTANBUL-TURKEY: Day 5  One of 4 cities having a history of over 3,000 years of flourishing commerce between east and west. With Rome and Athens, Istanbul has written the most ancient and important history in the Mediterranean and signs of its power are evident in all monuments and remains. Now Istanbul is a very modern city with over 6 million inhabitants maintaining its traditions and ties to its roots. Istanbul is the only city that sits on two continents, Europe and Asia. The sides are linked by two suspension bridges. Bridge over the Bosporus, and The Bridge of Mohammed. Ken and I had it all scoped out and decided to do our own tour of this city. We exited the ship and found the Hop on Hop off Bus to tour the cities perimeter. After circling the outskirts, we hopped off and visited by foot the famous Blue Mosque with its 6 minarets and its domes. second largest mosque after Mecca. It is one of the core places of public life. We took off our shoes and walked in to view the praying room. it is vast and beautiful. From there we walked to the ancient bazaar, The Grand Bazaar and the Spice market. Over 4000 vendors in the small alleys and stalls in this commercial center. A mecca of goods to look at an enjoy or buy. Ken was in his glory with all the hustle and bustle of the local people shopping for their weekly goods. We sat out by the water and watched the people meander by. Ken had a great chat with a young Kurd boy. They come here to shop, eat, drink tea, and visit their friends. Soon we had to move along, walk over the vast bridge of two continents and back to the ship. It was a wonderful day in a fascinating city. We will have to come back here sometime and spend more time as there is much more to see and do. A day just doesn't do it. 

 

 Sue walking across 2 continents!  this city of Istanbul definitely has the draw for us to  return and continue where we left off. 

 DAY 6:  SEA DAY  No Port today:  Today we got to sleep in, rest, lay by the pool and catch our breath. It has been a busy week so far. 
 
DUBROVNIK- CROATIA: Day 7  A charming port and a town built on a picturesque hillside. The most attractive stop on the trip. Not the biggest by far, but the most romantic, relaxing and quaint. Our ship was too large to enter the port so they tendered us to the dock and that was fun. We had some geocaching to do here, so we planned our walking tour around the caches. We found 2 out of 3 and saw lots of the town and overlooks out to the beautiful Adriatic sea. There is a city wall that people pay to walk up to the top and walk the perimeter. There are many Franciscan and Dominican convents and churches in this little town which reflects its importance of religion. I ate my 4th Gelatto here as it has become my favorite treat. 

BACK TO VENICE: We finished out out tour by spending another day walking around Venice. We had our GPS and programmed in some geocaches, but we did more walking than caching. It was cold and rainy this last day, and we were glad we had toured here last Monday when it was warm and sunny.  By 5pm we picked up our luggage (note we went with 1 carry on bag each) and we headed for the airport to spend the night there waiting for a 6am flight to Madrid, to New York, to LA and drive home.  By time we got home on Monday night, Sue was sick and had to stay in bed all week. But it was worth the trip. Hope you enjoyed our pictures and description of our trip.