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:

[davedove]

Monday was our third and final day at sea. Tuesday we stopped at Livorno. From there I took the tour of Florence and Pisa. Florence was an interesting city, with all the renaissance style buildings. The Duomo (cathedral) is pictured here:



Pisa wasn't much. I'm glad I went, but aside from the few buildings in the Piazza, there is nothing to see, unless you like all the African immigrants trying to sell you junk.

A picture of the famous tower:


On the way back to the ship we drove past Camp Darby, a big US military base. On the opposite side of the road were several ladies, dressed in skimpy clothing, "waiting for the bus". Many of the guys on our bus got a big kick out of that.

[Dirk Skene]

Sunday we stopped at Katakolon. .....the gateway to Olympia, the site of the original Olympic games and home to yet another of the ancient wonders, the Temple of Zeus.

That is the one place you went to that I have been to as well. I've been through that same arch. Did you have time to visit the museum? How did it feel to walk there?

[davedove]

Wednesday we returned to Civitavecchia, but we didn't disembark until Thursday. I used the opportunity to tour Rome and the Vatican. Rome is absolutely fascinating, and I would gladly go back there to see more. everytime you turn a corner, there are more ruins. Sometimes they are Roman, sometimes medieval, sometimes Renaissance, and sometimes a building will have layers of all three.

The Coloseum:



That afternoon was a trip to the Vatican. I enjoyed everything in the museum, but it was way too crowded. And although the guide had great things to say about all the art, I soon went on information overload. The analysis of the Sistine Chapel was great, as was St. Peters.

A picture of St. Peters:


In all, it was a great trip. The weather was perfect and the ride was the smoothest I've ever been on. I picked the right time of year for the weather. If it had been during the summer, the heat would have been miserable.

[Livingston]

Great piccies, Dave. I envy your chance to make that trip.