Pics from Mediterranean Cruise

[davedove]

Okay, here's some highlights from my cruise.

We left Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) on Saturday the 7th. I didn't get any pictures that day because I was TIRED! After an overnight flight with next to no sleep, all I could think about was getting a nap once I got on the ship.

Sunday we had a stop in Naples. I took a tour of Old Town, including a walk through some of the old Greek cisterns beneath the city. He stopped and had some traditional pizza since Napoli is the birthplace of that world favorite.

Here's a shot of the keep overlooking the port:

[davedove]

The next day was a day at sea. On Tuesday we stopped at Rhodes, a Greek island off the coast of Turkey. Rhodes was the site of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Colossus of Rhodes.

These are the gates to the Palace of the Grand Masters, who ruled Rhodes from the time of the crusades until the Ottomans forced them out.



This is not the original castle, but a reproduction created during the time of Mussolini, when Italy ruled the island. It was going to be used as a summer palace by him, but never was.

[davedove]

The next day we pulled into Izmir, which in and of itself is only a modern city, without much to see. The real attraction here were the ruins at Ephesus:



Ephesus held another of the seven ancient wonders, the Temple of Artemis. Ephesus is also important from the Bible. St. Paul preached here and was imprisoned, before being freed by angels. It's amazing to think I actually walked the same streets as Paul.

[davedove]

On Thursday, we stopped at Istanbul. On the cruise, we were told that in Greece and Italy, only euros would be accepted. In Turkey, EVERYTHING is accepted: dollars, euros, first born children, whatever. That's not too surprising, since the city has been at the crossroads of continents for over 2000 years. They must be natural born merchants.

Here is one of the main buildings in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque:


I also went through the Hagia Sophia. It was built in the 6th century and was the largest church until St. Peters was built.

[davedove]

Friday was another day at sea. On Saturday we stopped at Piraeus, the port for Athens. This was the port I wanted to see the most, since I have always wanted to visit the Acropolis there. Although it was high on the hill, I was a bit disappointed as I thought it would be bigger. The best view of the Parthenon was from the bottom of the hill. Once you went up top, there was a lot of scaffolding around the structure.

[davedove]

Sunday we stopped at Katakolon. This little town wasn't much on it's own. I think the ship was almost as big as the village. However, it serves as the gateway to Olympia, the site of the original Olympic games and home to yet another of the ancient wonders, the Temple of Zeus.

The is what remains of the tunnel to enter the arena:

[cessna152towser]

Great pictures and wonderful that you were able to see all these sites - but all these days at sea - didn't that feel like being imprisoned on the ship for a big chunk of your precious holiday time?

[davedove]

Great pictures and wonderful that you were able to see all these sites - but all these days at sea - didn't that feel like being imprisoned on the ship for a big chunk of your precious holiday time?

Actually, the days at sea were well spaced. Because there was so much to see, and long bus rides and busy days at the stops (as well as late nights), we needed those few days to rest. They were a welcome break. I'm glad I had a few days at home before I returned to work, so I could rest from my vacation.

[brandycr]

Great pictures .Lucky you!

[Ayin McFye]

Awesome pictures, I've never been over seas, and I am extremely jealous. Cheers!