Turkey is situated right between Europe and Asia… And Kusadasi is a resort town of Turkey along the Aegean coast.. Too bad that we cannot visit Istanbul as it is too far out of the way, some day we will…our guide told us Turkey is a very inclusive country with the believe that all men belongs to the same God, belongs to the same tribe, that is why they took in a total of 12 million refugees
Welcome dance at the Port, a lot of peach trees with full bloom flowers on way to Ephesus
This towns main attraction is Ephesus, an important city during classical Greece and Roman empire established around 2000 years ago, later got hit by a Richter scale earth quake of 9 around 1700 years ago that distroys most building
Again, cats guarding ruins!!
Library of Celsus, 3rd largest library in Greco roman world, situated right in the center of Ephesus… Kind of like the time square of Ephesus….
This library is incredibly grand
We also visited the place that they believed Virgin Mary spent her last remaining years and had became a shrine
Virgin Marys house is small, and the surrounding area is very green and cool, lots of fig trees and mulberry trees around Again, cats guarding the place 😆
Turks are nomadic tribes from mongolian, and Weaving is their cultural heritage, we were brought to see a silk carpet Weaving demo
We were invited to step on the beautifully weaved silk carpets and offer us drinks… We picked Raki, a traditional Turkish liquor that tastes exactly like Greek ouzo… That is how close Greek and turkey culture were woven together Baklava, traditional Turkish dessert…. So good Turkish coffee that leaves sandy grounds behind, just like Greek coffee….. That WC sign is hilarious Famous turkish delights Wonderful good energy kebabs meal!!! We heard Turkish barbers are good, but did not realized they are that good!! P is super happy with his hair cut…Sea side promenade stroll before returning to ship Thanks for showing us great hospitality Kusadasi 🥰3 big cruise ships parked here today! Bye Turkiye!! (our tour guide said they preferred to be called Turkiye instead of Turkey)
ZA, South Africa, was a surprise route change of this trip, and a surprise mind change of our expectations. Cap Town is a vibrant, harmonious, and prosper city. It’s really, “if you don’t go, you don’t know.” It’s certainly true to us.
Athens was named after goddess Athena, Mykonos was named after the hero Mykonos, son of Anios, King of Delos, who was born to god Apollo and the nymph Reo. (Again, Greece is kind of romantic this way, steeped in mythology) It’s an island in the heart of cyclades group (total 200 island group in the Aegean sea that belongs to Greece)
Iconic Windmills of Mykonos, also called the island of the winds Little Venice of Mykonos
A very special town with distinct idiosyncracies… White bordered cobbled paved floor against white walls with different color window trims (mainly blue) and winding roads…. They said the reason the town was built this way was to confuse invaders who can’t figure out which way to go when they were in one of those zig zagging winding roads….
We have to board a water shuttle to get to the old port where Chora (town build around a bay) is… The return shuttle has glass bottom A small Greek orthodox church right by the pier Soooo many interesting shops and bars and restaurants… They said its a bona fide party town The iconic Mykonos cobbled streets were constantly refreshed with white paintsMany narrow alleys Windmills of Mykonos are post card ready P taking a dip in the cold Aegean sea Intricate pebble paved door way that looks like rugs Cats everywhere. Enjoyed Greek coffee against the back drop of the sea and windmills… The cute attendant told us people do fortune telling with the coffee grounds that’s left in the cupThe little Venice part of the Chora is very photogenic Enjoyed a gyro /souvlaki combo plater for two, actually, It’s for three, a cutie kitty won’t leave me alone until I start feeding her… Look at those eyes, how can you resist… They said it’s name is Dorv A final beer stop by the pier.. Even the local beer brand has mythical connection…
After roaming the town aimlessly for hours, by 2 pm we thought we were ready to leave and actually got on a water shuttle when we changed our mind, jumped off the shuttle and then roamed for couple more hours…. Every where you turn you saw a new shape, a new color, a new silhouette, a new shop….. Our destination expert Jessica told us the best thing you can do in Mykonos is get lost!!…. We laughed about it at that time during her presentation, but now we understand…. Getting lost has never been so sweet before..
Cheers Mykonos!! P is trying Greek liquor Ouzo…. And its powerful
Finally we come to the land of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle…cradle of western civilization….and not to forget, ground zero for all those Greek mythologies with temples and monuments dedicated to Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Poseidon… Etc
Kalimera Athens!!
Acropolis is the name of the hill where Parthenon sits… together with Erectheion, and the Temple of Athena Nike (before I kept referring to the Parthenon as Acropolis, not knowing that Parthenon is the building, and Acropolis is the Hill) .. These iconic buildings dominates the Athenian sky and you can see it from afar and in most places of the city….. It closely intertwined with modern Athens daily life, just like their mythology
Parthenon was a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena built during the fifth century BC
The back side of Parthenon is undergoing a facelift
Temple of Athena Nike
Erectheion, the most ornamental of the 3 buildings
One side of Erectheion has 6 columns, one of them is not original (that’s the furthest one on the right), the original 6th column is in the British Museum and they are trying to get it back without any success 😆The ascending path towards the Monuments are pathed with marbles… Those that were not pathed were uneven rocky grounds… We saw incidences of people falling or even on gurney within an hourGreat views all around from top of Acropolis It seems cats are everywhere guarding these iconic ruins from Rome to Pompeii and now here at Acropolis… There’s one that is so docile it let anyone who’s interested pet it
Athens is one of the cities that claims to be built on 7 hills (the others includes Rome, Jerusalem… Etc) , our guide told us that we are already speaking Greek or Greek origin words every day : politics, democracy, aristocracy, museum, theater, micro… Very interesting…
There are bitter orange trees all over Athens city, they were made into marmalades or liquor
After descending from the Acropolis, we make a quick stop at the Olympics stadium made entirely of marbles
The 2004 Olympics games brought Athens a lot of prosperity Random street scene… Many new classical buildings Orthodox Greek church
Next stop is their famous Plaka shopping district, beautiful relax place full of interesting shops and restaurants where you can roam for hours… But we only have two including lunch
Greek blue (like the blue on their flag) and bougainvilleas abound Greek food lunch: souvlaki and gyros
Princess also invited locals to come onboard and do a Greek folkloric song and dance presentation which adds so much more texture to this trip
Opah!!
Athens Greece is full of characters, colors and flavors…. A phenomenal port stop!!
Yamas Athens!! Thanks for birthing the western civilizationOur first Sunset over the Aegean sea and it is gorgeous!! Good night Athens!!
Woke up to this beautiful horizon….suns out but new moon refused to leave
This lone sea day is precious as we get to rest and recenter a bit after 8 consecutive port days….. Zuma, painting, enrichment class, ukelele!!! Sea days are fun!! Will have 4 port days right after, stopping at ports in Greece and Turkey…. Never been to these two countries before, so we are excited…
Forgot to pose the pictures of us enjoying Cannoli in Naples, the birth place of it yesterday….
Besides Cannolis, the big round/oval thing is Arancino(rice ball with different ingredients, great to try it at least once ) …. Also a local delicacy…
Tonight’s show is an encore of the production show called Encore… And this time a proper soprano joined the show and its even more amazing
Last night’s show was by an instrumentalist name Michael Bacala who plays classical, pop and even animal sounds with his violin… He was from Poland and he is really good!!
Good morning Sicily and Mount Etna!! .. Look at it, still spewing smoke
Woke up to the beautiful Sicilian coast line… Guess we were right between the boot and the ball… From one volcanic mountain to another… From Wiki “Mount Etna is the highest Mediterranean island mountain and the most active stratovolcano in the world.”…
Guess it’s a playful trouble maker…P captured these smoke rings too
The guide told us Mt Edna did not get any rain or snow this whole winter which is very rare… Maybe that’s why it’s fuming…
First town we stopped was the hilltop town of Castelmola.. Our big bus went through narrow zig zagging mountain winding roads to get there… And we understand why they went through the trouble… The view from up there is stunning
We stopped for a drink at a little restaurant with an incredible view
View of Mt Etna
Lunch is in a restaurant at Castelmoro…. Forgot to took pics of food because we were with a group, but they really wined and dined us and it’s a restaurant with a fabulous view.. Again
Only remembered to take pics of desserts..
The second and final stop is the scenic and famous Taormina ( we never heard of it before)…. The tour guide told us the second season of HBO’s White Lotus was shot here
The houses on the mountains rose up amphitheater style overlooking half moon bays Lemons and tiny cars are a constant theme in this part of Sicily
Sicily is a Land of Greek mythical, lores of cyclops, Dionysius,.. Demeter and Persephone all took place in Sicily …Sicilians speaks 3 languages, in the following order of preference :body language, Sicilian and then Italian… Our guide jokes that the driver likes to talk with his hands, so he cannot talk while he is driving…. Lol..
Ciao Sicily!! Thanks for the beautiful weather today 😎
That’s Mount Vesuvius, the trouble maker that erupted on Pompeii on the leftObsolutely beautiful sunrise hue behind the trouble maker
It’s Naples, so of course our first place to go is Pompeii…. I was here 35 years ago and it had changed a lot.. It looked like real ruins back then, now it has been enforced and fixed up quite a bit which makes it easier to imagine what the city was like more than 2000 years ago
Pompeii!! Lots of green grasses and red poppy Our guide is wonderful!! And a lone cat Just to show one of the packed parking lots with tour buses, and the crowds everywhere
The tour also took us to a cammeo factory in Torre del Greco, a city famous for cammeo making.. I have no idea what it was until today
Lots of umbrella pine in Italy… They said Pinocchio was made with umbrella pine 😆
After we were backed from Pompeii, we check out old town Napoli which is right by the port
Napoli is the 3rd largest city of Italy… The old town area is definitely not as glamorous as Rome, a bit messy actually but kind of homey with congested traffic, illegal crossing of streets , litters everywhere , fake goods stalls interspersed with brand name shops.. Back alleyways with small restaurants and shops and laundry’s flying overhead
We were hungry so we found a pizzaria that looks authentic, as soon as we stepped in, it feels authentic with local families packed the restaurant with babies…ordered Pizza and spaghetti… Two local specialties.. And they are sooo good… For some reason, Italians were able to make their pizza crust and spaghetti more “bouncy” (can’t find a better word to describe) with more texture.. And the sauces have more flavor in it…. Pizza and spaghetti are such common food but the Italians find a way to perfect it
Restaurants was founded in 1963, Rs birth year!!
Restaurant is right by the shopping district, one of the major one is Galleria Umberto. Looks very much like the one in Milan next to the Duomo: Galleria Victoria Immanuel ii… Very pretty
We also venture towards their alleyways where locals shop and eat.
They made cakes out of spaghetti Cheers Napoli! For maintaining it’s characteristic and flavor!Ciao Napoli!!
Haha, not quite…. But need to woke up pinching ourselves that we are in Rome. No more rain today and the Sun is out…. What a difference..
Hotel included breakfast is at a nice little restaurant at a nearby squareBeautiful pantheon view from last night Starting our morning walk when the Pantheon is not too crazy packed, too bad it’s not open yet. Random sceneries during morning walkPlace known for stray cats… Used to be a temple of sacrifice Roman forum… The forum of Caesar… That was P in 1998 at the upper right cornerThe colosseum… That was P in 1998Campidoglio square, built by Michaelangelo.. The square housed a beautiful museum, the only museum we have time to quickly scanned through Piazza Venezia Walk back to train station…happened to stop by trevi Fountain again. This were the crowds we are navigating almost every where we go in Rome Train ride back to Civitavecchia, beautiful sceneries abound After all this big rush since this morning, we finally sat down for an authentic Italian pasta at Civitavecchia before going back to the ship.. P requested to have a selfie with the patron since he liked his pasta so wwllSceneries in Civitavecchia on way back to ship
We were really happy to have the chance to stay one night at Rome and check out familar places and new places… Even with the longer stay, we still wasn’t able to decently touch Rome’s surface… Luckily we were able to tour the inside of colosseum, Roman forum, pantheon, Vatican city, st Peter’s square before, so we do not need to bother with the Disney land like lines this time….P said Rome wasn’t built in a day and should not be tour in a day 😆
Will surely be back again… We kept seeing the phrase “Roma caput Mundi” everywhere, it’s Latin for: Roman capital of the world…. It really feels like it, so grand, so Majestic….
Cheers Rome… We definitely will be back…. (we have to… We make that wish at the Trevi Fountain)
One again, when life gives you lemons you made lemonade out of it…. We were supposed to be at Livorno /Florence today but port of call got canceled due to weather…. So we arrived at Civitavecchia /Rome one day early and get to stay overnight here…. Rome is 1.5 hours away from Port via train so we booked a hotel and get to over night in the beautiful historic center of Rome and make it a trip within a trip..
We had been to Florence before so not too much anguish here except we already pre-booked to see David at the l’academia museum online…. Anyways, here are the pics we took back in 1998 of our trip in Florence
See you next time David 😘Botticelli’s the birth of Venus… Besides David, my other most favorite art…. These were took when digital camera first came out and before smart phone
Now back to Rome
The 1.5 hour train ride to Rome is cheap and pleasant, only 9 euro one way per personBeautiful country side scenery view from train
But the walk from the train station to hotel right by Pantheon took 1.5 hours as well.. As we stopped and gawked at every historic building and monuments that we saw on the way and there were plenty..
As we arrived at the hotel we were shocked to find out that it’s right in front of the Pantheon… The junior suite they gave us has one window facing the Pantheon, the other facing piazza de la Rotonda… we were so happy about this hotel choice and took tons of pics and spend quite a long time just people watching from the two windows… Rome is packed with tourist and locals as well since the Easter holiday spilled over to Monday.
A room with a Pantheon view
We then hit the pavement and heads towards piazza Navona…..
Later it’s Spanish Steps
This was picture we took of Spanish Steps from year 1998, at that time there’s no prohibition about sitting on the steps… So people sit every where and there’s barely any room to walkSpanish Steps now… Very wet steps today
And then Dinner at one of the restaurant by the side walk that looks really cozy and warm, irresistible in this cold rainy day… The restaurant gave us complimentary prosecco and lemoncello…and that’s enough to get a 5 star Google review from me….. Not to mention that their spaghettis are also delicious… We are in 7th heaven
Outside it’s raining, inside it’s cozy and happy
Walked to Trevi Fountain after Dinner
Of course we had to throw a coin…we threw one 26 years ago and we are back.. . They said every day the trevi Fountain collect around $3000 euros
That’s it for today… More to come tomorrow
Say goodnight to our neighbor the Pantheon…. Still plenty of buzzling outside…. Hopefully I will dream of Romans centuries agoCheers Rome!! Trevi Fountain works!! … We are happy to be back…
Arriving on Easter Sunday, Genoa the 6th biggest city in Italy.
Buon giorno Genoa!! Arriving in darkness and in rain
Today we are going to join a full day excursion of the and explore three cities, Santa Margherita, Rapallo (was Portofino but changed to Rapallo at last minute due to bad weather… Portofino needs to access through ferry) and Genoa… the towns that helps define the Italian riviera
First stop is Santa Margherita, little seaside town lined with little bars, cafes and shops that opens even on Easter Sunday and in this awful weather….unlike the French rivieras which are on flater land and with deeper beaches, the Italian rivieras are hilly right by the beach…. The guide told us the reason Mediterranean diets mainly has vegis and fish is because meat is hard to get due to their hilly landscape… Interesting….
Santa Margherita beach scene Chiesa de Santa Margherita… A baroque style church Columbus statue by the sea, he originates from Genoa Cute dogs every where, some in rain ware Bakeries, little cafes..at every alley waySome windows trims and windows were drawn on, not real…. Green windows on top left are totally fake… They said actual windows required a lot more taxes, 😉
Second stop is Rapallo, another small town by the beach just next to Santa Margherita … There is much excitement in the air with kids running around trying to score Easter eggs..
Easter frenzy is in the airWe need a quick stop to get away from the rain, ordered a beer and they also gave us a plate of fococcia… We love Italian services… They are so humanistic and kind Speaking of humanistic, I wasn’t able to get amoxyllin anywhere to treat tooth pain, tried, Portugal, Spain and France with no luck they all said need prescription… But a pharmacy in Rapallo sell it to me saying although it needs prescription but since I need it, they will sell it to me for only 3.2 euro for a weeks dose…. Look how happy I was
Back to Genoa, lunch at Zeffirino, the chef show us secrets of making a authentic pesto sauce (pesto alla Genovese)… This restaurant is famous for their pesto source and according to the guide, one of the favorite restaurants of Sinatra… We had a wonderful meal there with the group, very festive and happy…
Pesto sauce originated from Genoa and the flavor here is really wonderful and textured
City walk tour of Genova after lunch reaffirms our love of Italy as our favorite country to visit… Their architecture is big scale astounding, the weather also clears up a bit with light drizzle only instead of actual rain earlier
Cathedral of San Lorenzo outsideCathedral inside…. A bomb was dropped on it during WWII and miraculously it did not detonatePiazza de Ferrari…. The kids are better at posing
Cant wait to visit the other 4 cities of Italy in the next 4 days…..
Cheers Genoa, Santa Margherita, Rapallo… We already seen so much in this bad weather, imagine how much more we can see if it’s sunny… Sorry forgot to do a Pic with wine, so expressos instead
