Mediterranean, Ionian and Aegean Seas

Been a while since I've updated my little blog. I've been seeing some wonderful places but many of them don't hold universal appeal like Rome, Pisa, etc. I don't mean to imply that they're not amazing, wonderful ports, but only that these cruises are more for enjoying the wonderful scenery with a touch of their ancient history.

Most of the ports on these last two cruises of this contract take us to the Greek Islands and Turkey. We sailed from Athens to Istanbul and now have reversed the itinerary for this final cruise. Some of the ports are one's we've visited before, which is fun for me as I can either take a different excursion to see different sights, or more usually, visit the port city to take in some local food, shopping, or just sight seeing

Rather than lots of historical commentary as I've been giving, here's a collection of photos from several recent ports. The weather's been almost universally fantastic, which you'll see in the photos.

Santorini, Greece

I decided to be adventuresome and walk the 600+ stairs from the top of the cliffs down to the port... watch out for the donkies!

Mykonos, Greece

Made famous by the jet-setting couple Jackie and Aristotle Onasis, the village of Mykonos is certainly delightful.

Sorry I have to dash... I just spent an hour tweaking these photos w/ captions, etc. only to find out that my time had expired at this internet cafe and I lost all the work... err! I hope to have another post soon; tomorrow we return for our 3rd visit to Santorini and there are 9 ships scheduled to be in port... ya don't wanna be there then!

I'm going on an excursion in which they'll pick us up at the ship and take us to the island where the volcano is located. We'll hike up the volcano and then go swimming in the caldera where there are some hot springs in the sea. Should be fun!

Yiassou! from Athens, Greece

Thanks to everyone for following my travels; I really appreciate the emails!


This tour continues to amaze me; I think I'm going to have to start a new "Bucket List" of places I gotta see because I'm hitting almost my entire list in this one tour!


Remember, to please click on any of the photos to see in full size.


We docked in Piraeus, Greece; sort of a surburbs of Athens proper. It was a short trip by motorcoach thru the very congested Athenian traffic to the mountain where the Acropolis is situated.

It's such an odd feeling to visit these world renowned venues; we see them all our lives in films or on TV and to be there in person and get a feeling of the surroundings is a strange sensation.

We climbed a series of stairs through a lovely grove of olive trees to the entrance of the Parthenon. From there, it was another 10 min walk up all sorts of terrain until we reached the ancient entrance of the site. The Greek government has been working on a preserving these ruins for decades; they made it clear that the plan is only to preserve, not restore the ruins.

Here you can see the columned entrance thru which you walk to approach the more famous Parthenon itself.

In both of these photos you can see the whiter marble where the workers have replaced unstable original stonework with new marble, quarried from the same site as the original thousands of years ago.

The whiter marble will eventually age to match the yellow-ish hue of the original. We saw one sample of an earlier repair done only 8 years ago that was already aging nicely. This is the "restored" Temple to Athena:

There's really not much to say but, Wow!  Our tour guide had a very detailed talk about how the previous Parthenon was destroyed by the Persians. It was rebuilt and then taken over by the Ottomans who used it as a storehouse for gunpowder. In 1687 the gunpowder (and a lot of the building!) was blown up during a battle with the Venetians.

If you'd really like to know more about it, here's a link that might be of interest:

http://www.answers.com/topic/parthenon

After descending the hill of the Acropolis, we took a short walk to the fantastic and brand new Acropolis Museum. This is an astonishing, world class museum that beautifully and artistically showcases historical items from the area of the Acropolis.

I encourage you to check out their website:

www.theacropolismuseum.gr

Apparently when construction began, new ruins were discovered on the site of the future museum. The designers made huge sections of the floors completely out of glass so that as you enter the museum and lobby you can look down over the wonderful historical site.

Inside, the displays are gorgeous, with descriptions of each item in both Greek and English. Even those with little interest in archeology will find this a fascinating and beautiful attraction.

The building is modern and very formidable in size to hold the very extensive collection. Here you can see some of the glass flooring I mentioned:

Unfortunately, it's prohibited to take photos inside the museum, except at the very top level. You work your way slowly up 3-4 stories of exhibits, original statuary and vases, etc. until you arrive at the top level of the facility which is dedicated to the presentation of the frieze which originally surrounded the entire Parthenon, just above the tops of the columns. This frieze is almost a movie-like story book for citizens of the day, describing battles and the glories of their gods and civilization.

Over years the frieze has been destroyed, stolen and generally misplaced until pieces can be found in many places; esp. the British Museum. In creating this museum, the remaining original pieces have been matched with casts from other original pieces from around the world or created wholly from drawings of artists over the centuries.

The result is a huge, 4 walled display within the room and the frieze recreated in its entirety. You walk around the carved reliefs, the museum walls completely glass from floor to ceiling at this point. Rounding a corner, you're presented with an awesome view of the Acropolis and the Parthenon itself and you realize that you've walked the distance of the parameter of the actual building on the hill. 

We were allowed to photograph to the outside, thru the glass, just not inward, toward the frieze or sculptures.

Then, back to the motorcoach for a brief tour of downtown Athens, including a quick stop at the Panathenaic stadium which was the site of the first modern Olympic games in 1896:

We were all getting peckish after all this effort, and fortunately our tour included lunch at a lovely little garden restaurant, tucked behind some buildings in the crowded city center.

The rest of my tour will consist of visiting a variety of Greek islands, both large and small. I'm sure there will be some surprises in store for me, but I think I've been so fortunate to hit dozens of World Wonders in such a short tour.

Please keep in touch and safe travels!

a little note...

Just a reminder that all of the photos posted on my blog are "clickable"; that is, you can click on them to view the photos in full size.


Also, if you don't mind signing up for the blog (just click the "follow" link in the blue bar at the top of the page... it's free and easy), you should receive a little notification whenever the blog has been updated. You'll also be able to post comments if you'd like.


Of course, feel free just to send me regular ol' emails anytime too! Love hearing from everyone!


Safe travels,
JOHN

Odessa, Ukraine

I took a day off from organized tours and just enjoyed a leisurely walk and some lunch with a couple of friends (The Doctor and a bartender... I like to cover my bases!) thru the beautiful city of Odessa. Sorry I don't have much "back story" for you, just a few photos and observations.

The first major feature you run across is this hillside of steps that lead from the port up to the level of the main city.

They're sort of famous because when you view them from the bottom towards the top (as seen here with my friend, Dr. Ian), one sees only stairs, no landings:

But, seen from the top down, one sees only landings and no stairs; kooky, huh?

It was Sunday and the locals enjoyed gathering under the tree lined boulevards:

The Opera House was spectacular and a very popular spot for taking wedding photos. We saw dozens of weddings going on in both Yalta and Odessa:

Literally a dozen or more luxury cars and stretch limos would be lined up, waiting as bridal parties take turns with the photographers memorializing their special day of nuptials. Check out the oversized plastic wedding rings and floral tributes that most of the vehicles sported:

More impressive yet, were the bridal fashions... check out the post-soviet era threads:

I was more impressed with the lovely croissants and pastries at a sidewalk coffee shop!

So we're off to Bosnia tomorrow (I think!). I've got my second big show tonite for this cruise so no tours booked for a bit. Might have to see Mary's House in Kusadasi at the end of this voyage in a couple of days... we'll see how it goes!

Keep in touch and safe travels!!

Yalta & Sevastopol, Ukraine

Hey everyone!


Thanks for the emails; it's always great hearing from you.


Well, I'm a bit behind in my blogging; apologies to those who've been patiently waiting for the next installment. I'm writing up two days on one entry: Yalta and Sevastopol (prounounced: SevasTOpol locally).


Yalta was really tremendous; I took a tour called Palaces of Yalta. Our first stop was to Livadia Palace, the summer palace of Czar Nicholas II, the last czar of Russia. Built on a rise overlooking the Black Sea it was truly spectacular.

Of course, when you say Yalta, most people remember the famous Crimean Conference of the "Big 3" from Feb 4-11, 1945. Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill met to decide the fate of Europe at the close of WWII and this was where the conference was actually held.

How breathtaking to be standing right at the same spot where such renowned history took place. The photos taken in 1945 and placed around the palace confirmed that the Great Ones actually stood at such and such a spot... in the photo below you'll see 3 armchairs; one to the right where Winston Churchill sat, one to the left for Joseph Stalin, and one with it's back to the fireplace which was reserved for FDR. The history was palpable and permeated every inch of the place.

You can see little corners where surely FDR and Churchill must have quietly collaborated between sessions with the Russian leader.

The view was certainly spectacular; as befitted Russian nobility:

We also toured the upstairs, private apartments of the Romanoff family. This was the study and desk of Nicholas II:

We then drove a short distance, followed by a lovely walk, to the Vornontsov Palace. Built by another of the Russian elite, this was where Winston Churchill called home for the length of the Crimean Conference. Churchill's room was under the balcony you can see to the right of this panoramic shot:

Now a sitting room, this room was used as a bedroom by Mr. Churchill (you'll remember he was not re-elected.... imagine!) during the Crimean Conference. It was easy to imagine the specter of the naked statesman strolling thru the french windows onto the lovely verandah, accompanied by his ever present companions of a cigar and perhaps a drop of whiskey to enjoy the view while planning his next day's conference with Stalin and FDR.


I really enjoyed seeing these glimpses into history with which I was more familiar.

This amazing dining room ceiling was made mostly of paper maché and faux painted to look wood:

After our tour, we had some extra time in the afternoon so I walked around a beautiful promenade and over to the Alexander Nevsky church in Yalta:

The exterior of this Greek Orthodox church was much more impressive than the interior. I understand that during the years of the Soviet Union, the building was used to store potatoes. Perhaps they're restoring it, starting from the outside, in?

On to Sevastopol

After Yalta we sailed to the port of Sevastopol. I took a tour named, "Military Secrets of the Crimea".

We started with some fascinating history; made me want to go back and take some history classes because I obviously missed a LOT.

Here is the site of the infamous "Charge of the Light Brigade"; the Crimean war mainly between Russia and the allies of England, France, Turkey and Genoa. Immortalized in Tennyson's poem of the same name, this is where it all took place in the 1850's. Our local guide was terrific and talked us through the entire conflict and ended by reciting the poem which brought it all so much to life. Really emotional and astounding. If, like me, you missed out on your Tennyson, you might like to check out this link:

Charge of the Light Brigade

I know this just looks like a big valley, but history was written here. Ever hear of "The thin red line" or "theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die"?

Our bus then conveyed us to the harbor port of Balaclava, home of the British forces during the Crimean war, but now a lovely little seaside town..... you would THINK!

One of the monuments is an underground, formerly classified submarine base that was operational until 1993. The base was said to be virtually indestructible and designed to survive a direct atomic impact. During that period, Balaclava was one of the most secret residential areas in the Soviet Union. Almost the entire population of Balaclava at one time worked at the base; even family members could not visit the town of Balaklava without a good reason and proper identification. The base remained operational after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 until 1993 when the decommissioning process started. This process saw the removal of the warheads and low-yield torpedoes. In 1996, the last Russian submarine left the base, which is now open to the public for guided tours around the canal system, the base, and a small museum, which is now housed in the old ammunition warehouse deep inside the hillside.

I suppose one would have been shot, or at least severely detained, for even taking a photograph like this one, which shows the entrance to the top secret submarine facility:

We not only approached the entrance, but enjoyed a fully guided tour of the most intimate and top secret parts of this facility:

This side tunnel ran parallel to the channel and was used to maintain the torpedos and mines; the facility ran several thousand meters thru the hillside and over to the open sea at the other end:

Here's the actual channel which was built to service small to medium size sub's. Another reason for abandoning the facility is that modern sub's are too large to be accommodated:

These are the actual blast doors designed to defend against atomic attack. This super secret area led to the facility where nuclear weapons were stored and maintained:

I'm told this sign says something to the effect of, "Know what you're talking about and don't say anything!"

Only officers worked in the highly sensitive nuclear weapons area. They used this cart to move the materials along tracks in the floor from one area to another. All was done by hand for safety reasons and the wheels of the cart made of soft metal to prevent sparks:

Now a display for disarmed mines and torpedos, this is where actual nuclear weapons where stored "in the day":

Well, hope this brings me a bit more up to speed. I had a nice day in Odessa yesterday and will try to take advantage of the free internet here in the port of Constantza today to create one more update.

Take care and safe travels!

Trabzon, Turkey- The Sumela Monastery

After a short day in the rather unremarkable port of Sinop, Turkey yesterday, we docked in the Turkish city of Trabzon this morning. Most of the city consists of rather drab 1960's era apartment block style architecture, but the countryside was totally beautiful and more than worth the visit.

We drove about 30-45 minutes through small villages, subtly climbing higher each mile, until we reached the base of a mountain where we had to transfer to smaller, 10 person passenger club vans which took us to the beginning of our little hike up to the spectacular Sumela Monastery.

This monastery was begun in the fourth century, AD and more recently completed sometime in the mid-twelfth century. No longer in operation, the Turkish government maintains it as a sort of national park and tries to protect it.

We had a hike of about 20 minutes or so over some relatively rough terrain which was challenging for some of the guests. Even when we reached the stone stairs to enter the monastery, they made for quite a climb. The mountain views around us were really impressive; one of the guests commented how much the lush green forest of mixed varieties of trees reminded one of British Columbia. Really beautiful and gave me a new perspective of my take on Turkey.

The monastery is carved right into the side of the mountain, not unlike the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde in Colorado. How in the world they got workers and building materials up there is a real wonder.

Many of the buildings have wonderful frescos both inside and out which survive, altho just barely, due to lots of graffiti destruction over the years.

After our time at the monastery, we drove to an ancient church in the city of Trabzon and visited a local mosque for an educational visit. We also visited the Trabzon home Attaturk, the founder of modern, democratic Turkey who is much revered to this day.

A nice full day with a wide variety of sights. Definitely a highlight of this voyage!