Our Cruise to the Mediterranean (Part 1)

This year Dave and I took a 10 day cruise in the Mediterranean. We left Salt Lake on Wednesday May 25th, (traveling with friends of ours Neil & Karen), and flew to Rome, Italy, (the 'Eternal City') - were we spent Thursday and Friday. We took a Segway tour around Rome seeing all the sights. It was truly magnificent seeing all the arches, ruins, the fountains, the Pantheon, the Cathedrals, and of course the magnificent Colosseum. I was amazed at how crowed the city was. And at how crazy the people drive. Everyone drives scooters and little Smart Cars, and they drive very, very fast. We enjoyed the up close and personal tour around the city and afterwards stopped by a little restaurant to enjoy a delightful un-rushed meal and a walk back to the hotel shuttle bus pick up point where we watched people dodge traffic as they try to cross the street. The next day we boarded a bus to tour around Rome in comfort to once again see the sights. This time we also got to stop at Vatican City. But the line to St. Peter's front door was 2 hours, (just to get in), and our tour did not allow us enough time. Over at The Vatican the same thing another 2 hour wait just to get to the front door. So, we visited the square, and bought some souvenirs to bring home.

Then it was on to the pier and time to board our ship for 10 days at sea around the Mediterranean with stops at Messina, Athens, Kusadasi, Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini, and finally Naples. We had our passports in hand, plenty of Euros, and our excursions planned out and were looking forwarded to 10 days of trying out new and exciting foods, customs, and seeing all the sights that we had heard about in school and from our friends. Arrivederci Rome, see you in 10 days when we dock.


MESSINA, SICILY

First stop - Saturday, (May 28th), Messina, Sicily the southern part of Italy. We had arrived at 10:00 am and were in port until 6:30 pm. Our first stop was at the Cathedral in the center of town to see the "Treasures of Messina". Inside was a wedding, but we were allowed to view the lovely Cathedral and the gold artifacts. We also got to see the hand carved clock tower which moved when it struck noon. The whole process took about 15 minutes as each section of the clock moved and turn in process. Our tour guide explained each section and it moved and turned, twirled and played music and chimes.

Next we drove down to the beach and saw the fishing boats. Most of the town makes their living fishing and farming.

The residential area of town is very crowded, much like Rome. But, the buildings are very old and the streets are very narrow. A few souvenirs to bring home, then back to the ship. Tomorrow we have a full day at sea as we head out to Athens, Greece. It will be a good day to just relax and take it easy.



ATHENS, GREECE
On Monday, May 30th, We pulled into port at Piraeus, (Athens), Greece. The largest city in Greece, and one of the most important in the Mediterranean. The capital of Greece and considered to be a gift of the Gods to the mortals. Our tour of ancient Athens, Plaka, and ancient Acropolis was wonderful. We saw the ruins of ancient and modern Olympic sites and the marina which is actually right in downtown Athens. Unfortunately, downtown Athens is very crowded with lots of high rise apartments, and very dirty with litter and graffiti. People just park their cars anywhere and any which way on the street. Parking is so scarce in Athens, that our guide told that after living in her apartment for 2 years - when she finally got a parking space in front of her apartment building, when she had to go to the pharmacy that afternoon she took a taxi so she wouldn't lose her parking space. When you get out into the countryside it is so lovely, and very lush and green. Every where you go, if the house has any land, the people plant small gardens and flowers. They try their best to beautify their home. The apartment decks all have pots of flowers sitting on them. We went to a wonderful little jewelry shop and picked up some more souvenirs to take home.

EPHESUS, (KUSADASI), TURKEY
On Tuesday, May 31st, we docked at Ephesus, (Kusadasi), Turkey, where a group of local entertainers greeted up as we departed the ship. Our day long tour with Yoseph, (Joseph in English), took us to the rural Aegean region, which was settle in the 10th century BC. Where everything is VERY, very green and lush. Turkey grows every thing you can image - all kinds of fruits and vegetables. Orchards as far as you can see. We stopped at the ancient city of Ephesus to visit the ruin and walked the narrow streets where the disciple Paul walked and preached to the people, over 2000 years ago. Then on to the center of town for some bartering on some souvenirs, purchasing some spices, and sampling of the local specialties of the merchants. Our tour then took us past the hill where the disciple Paul was buried and on to a Muslim mosque, where we were allowed to enter and learn about the religious customs. Their temples are very plain, no paintings or photos. But a large beautiful chandelier does hang in the middle of the room and that's all. Women are still separated from men during religious services. Then on to the government school where Turkish carpets are still hand woven the same as they have been for centuries, and a private showing of dozens of samples of many sizes of rugs available for purchase at a fraction of what we pay in the US. Our next stop was "Cherry Village" and into the home of a local villager, where we were served local Turkish household dishes - YUMMY. We dined like royalty. We arrived back at the ship late in the day, (just 15 minutes before departure), exhausted but totally in love with the region. We really enjoyed our time in Turkey and came home with many pleasant memories.

RHODES, GREECE
On Wednesday, June 1st, we landed on the island of Rhodes, Greece. This is the largest of the Greek islands, first settled in 4000 BC. The beaches are spectacular, with their white sands and colorful umbrellas. The city is a medieval walled city, built by the Knights of Ioannites in the 1300s. Our tour took us through the area where the knights lived, worked, and served the not only the king but also the people of the island. We were able to also visit the site of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the 7 wonders of the world. Imagine walking among the ruins that have been here before the time of Christ! Rhodes was a wonderful island to visit.