2010 FYI Update

I have not yet added the rest of the days of this trip, although in actuality, I have only our post cruise days in Milan & Zurich that would add anything new. Cruise Day 22 of the trip was another stop at Katakolon - who knows why, except that those going for only the second half of the cruise might want to see Olympia. Been there, saw it, done. Day 23 was a sea day, and day 24 was disembarking at Venice. So not much happened worth writing about - although I do have my journal, & I'll add it at some point. I'm currently uploading photos of the trip to my Picasa web album pages. Don't know how to select, so I'm just uploading the whole thing. I can delete some later, if I want. There are sections of photos that were taken to be made into panoramas, so they are very similar & overlapping.

DAY 21 – Santorini

Our ship was to arrive in Santorini at 8am. But due to an accident the night before involving 2 crewmembers, one seriously injured in a fall, the captain turned the ship around, and headed back to Kusadasi at full speed (23 knots). Arriving there at 2:30am, we were consequently (but only 2 hours) late in getting to Santorini, where we were to have docked by 8am. Tour directors worked all night rearranging tours (but that did not affect us). We were supposed to leave Santorini at 5 pm, and the captain said that could not be changed because we had to be in Katakolon before 9am the next morning.

We headed to the Lido at 10am. Those on tours would leave first, being tendered to another place where buses came down to pick them up. Tender tickets for the rest of the passengers would be available beginning at about 11am. Some people were not happy, but most handled it well.

We were planning on renting a scooter here, and perhaps heading to a beach, so we took the swimsuits and left the Family Dolls.

Tender tickets were given out earlier than announced, and those present were the first to get the tickets, although there were several tenders going close together, each holding 40-60 people. When you got your tickets, you could get as many as you needed for your group. They would say that everyone had to be present, but knew that wasn’t possible. We got 2 more tickets for a couple who were going with us. Although the ship’s lifeboats were sometimes used as tenders, we had to use the ones from Santorini.

We got off the tender below Fira and walked to the cable car platform (4 € each = 8€). Went quickly, not much waiting. Up at Fira, we rented ATVs at “Ancient Thira Tours” for 20 € each (one per couple), put on our helmets (required), and headed out. (To rent the vehicle, we only needed a driver’s license for identification, as it was in Corfu, and in Poland pre-cruise). The ATV’s weren’t very powerful (could have rented ones with bigger engines, I think), so they didn’t go fast, but it was fun! We drove about 12km to Oia & parked the scooters.

Walked up some steps – quite a few, actually – past lots of shops, to the top. Found a restaurant on the main street with a nice view. I don’t have the receipt, only a napkin with a map of Santorini on it, so I don’t know the name. We had a bowl of bread with garlic & olive oil paste for it, & an order of moussaka to share. DH had a lemon drink. It was plenty of food for us, and our friends kindly shared their tomato/cucumber salad with us as well. We paid 19,50 €.

It was another sweltering day, but riding the ATVs made it seem cooler, as long as we kept moving! We drove around a while, and then headed back. Our friends wanted to do some shopping, so we parted ways and decided to explore some more.

We passed a pretty blue-domed church, so we drove up to it to check it out. It seemed to be a hotel, also. I took some photos – a lovely contrast with the white walls, blue dome and shutters, bright sky, and red bougainvilleas.

Took another road down to a beach. We decided we’d go swimming the next day. There was a café at the end of the road by the waterfront, so we stopped to have Greek coffees (Total: 5 €)

We then got back on the bikes to try to find our way back. We did not have a good map of the island – the ones provided were not detailed, and the Greek letters make signs nearly impossible to read, unless you know Greek (my review of Nafplion talks about this culture shock).

As we made our back along the coast, we turned and went up one hill that was too steep for the ATV and us combined. We slowly backed down and turned around. There were a few minutes when we weren’t sure if we were heading back the right way. No familiar landmarks. But all was well, and in a few more minutes we found the rental place.

We got in line for the cable car back to the dock at about 3:30-3:45pm. There was already a LONG line. The last tender would be leaving at 4:30pm. When we finally got to the bottom (8€), there was an equally long line. For a while we noticed about 5 Santorini tenders doing nothing – and the line, quite naturally, wasn’t moving.
Passengers in line speculated as to what the problem was. Well, at about 4:35 or so, the tenders began filling up & leaving. (Some thought that there was a contract between the ship & Santorini tender company, and that more money would be paid for overtime – after 4:30pm, and that was why the boats did nothing until after 4:30.) Never found out what the story was.

It was very hot in the full sun waiting with the couple hundred people for the tenders, so I bought a couple of ice cream bars (3€).

Total price for the day = 63,50 €, or $88.19. Only walked 2.3 miles today!

DAY 20–Ephesus

Sunday, July 26 DAY 20–Kusadasi, Turkey
7am - 7pm Ephesus
Our 40th Anniversary

We had arranged a tour with Hello Ephesus for the day.

Got up at 8am because our guide wouldn’t be here until 9am. I finished writing yesterday’s journal, as I knew I would not have time today.

After breakfast, we left and met our guide, Eylem, and proceeded to our vehicle, a black VW van with a driver. It was great that our day was arranged so well – we couldn’t have planned it quite like this. We were the only ones on a tour that usually is reserved for more people. We had a separate driver. Our personal tour guide Eylem Kurnaz, who usually does groups, is a Bible scholar who has studied all the historic places in Turkey. He recently spent 17 days as the guide with a Christian group touring throughout the country. I was not aware, until Eylem told me, that every church from the book of Revelation: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, is situated in modern-day Turkey.

Our driver’s name was Selçuk, the same name as the town to which we were driving from Kusadasi. DH bought a hat for protection from the sun (8€) and a bottle of water (1€). We then drove on to the ruins.

Ephesus was once a harbor town, but when the harbor filled with silt, everyone moved to Selçuk. The ruins were great! Only a small percentage, probably not more than 25%, has been excavated. They are being rebuilt and have been since the 60’s – earthquakes had leveled the city – and there are numerous renovations going on. We took photos of the row of structures: the parliament buildings, followed by a temple dedicated to the current ruler at the time, and next to that, the city hall. Our guide would always show us the best spots for picture taking.

The Latrina is a bathroom area that could seat 48 men at once – with no partitions between them. In the center was an uncovered pool. The columns around it held up the wooden ceiling. The toilets were lined up along the outer edges, and had a drainage system, flushing the debris. Musicians would play there to drown out the noise.

The Terrace Houses, “houses of the rich” were next. There is a lot of work going on in there. It was the Beverly Hills of the area. The houses had hot & cold running water, intricate mosaic floors and frescoed walls. Each had an open courtyard surrounded by rooms. The three-story homes were heated with underground clay pipes that carried the hot air through the structures.

The Celsus Library, with its imposing two-story façade could hold more than 12,000 scrolls. The side columns are shorter than the center columns, an optical trick that makes the building look bigger. The builders constructed double-walled bookcases to prevent the scrolls from being damaged by heat or humidity. It was a tomb named for the provincial governor by his son. Celsus is buried in a grave below the floor. If you look closely, you can see which are original pieces of the columns and which are restorations.

We saw a couple from the ship and stopped to chat with them. They live not too far from us.

On our way out of Ephesus, I bought a camel bag purse (9€), and a coin purse for 2€.

It was now time for lunch, so we were driven to the Yüksel Hale carpet co-op / training center / restaurant. We were seated at a beautifully set table on a lawn in a lovely area, and a waiter started bringing out the food. It started with a lot of appetizers: eggplant marinade (freshly made & very good, nothing like the stuff in a jar that I tried once), fresh tomato sauce with eggplant & squash, cucumbers with yogurt, green beans, fried cheese rolls, and a salad consisting of parsley, cucumber, tomato, & dill. We chose peach & lemon teas for drinks.

The next course was the meats: skewered chicken, meatballs (oval), and bulgur. Lastly, a fruit plate with honeydew melon and watermelon. The owner also brought us a bottle of wine when he learned that it was our anniversary.

After the large fabulous lunch, we went into the carpet school. We saw a few girls working at the different areas. They are trained for 3-4 months out of the year, for 3 years. Then they return to their villages to make the carpets. They are provided with a loom and their carpets are then purchased by the factory/school. The young women are paid privately to enable them to keep the amount secret from their parents, who if they knew, might take it from them.

The carpets were really beautiful. The owner showed us a couple of award-winning ones. He was justly proud that his peers had judged his carpets as the best of the year.

We saw the silk-making process, also. The silk cocoons float in the water. The girl stirs them & lifts them up by their silk threads to determine the beginning thread. Then she spins many threads to make one stronger thread used for weaving. Even a very small rug here costs close to $1000. But they are lovely, & I can see why they are popular.

We then drove to Sirince village. Very cute, lots of small streets lined with family run shops, selling crocheted socks, table linens, oils, spices, soaps, teas, & clothing. DH bought a fake Polo shirt (5€) and 3 naturally made olive oil soaps ($5) (better than the others I bought for 1€ elsewhere).

I bought a small but lovely lace embroidered tablecloth from a peasant woman who kindly gave me a serviette/napkin as well. She charged me only 8€, when usually it was 10€. I think she spoke correctly – it was very nice workmanship with pieces of lining fabric covering the embroidery threads underneath. I also bought some natural apple tea for 3€ (a small bulk pack – better value than the bags).

Then we had coffee in a café. DH was going to pay for it for all of us, but Eylem insisted that he pay. I also bought a long-sleeved black shirt embroidered with silver thread for 10€. Bought a bottle of water for 1€.

As we still had time, we drove to St. John’s Basilica in Selçuk, where John is buried. This was not part of original paid tour, so we paid 5€ entrance fee for the two of us. The baptistry at the Basilica is in the shape of a cross with steps leading down. John’s tomb is marked with a plaque. This church is located in a very pretty area, and it was not at all crowded when we were there, which was nice. We were almost the only ones there, until a tour group showed up a while later. Made for better photos, also.

We then ended the tour with a trip to Ephesus ceramic factory. Eylem asked if we’d rather see ceramics or leather, and we chose ceramics, since I love that stuff, and was a ceramic hobbyist/addict years ago. They have a beautiful showroom. We saw an artist making a sugar bowl and lid. It’s amazing to me how someone can use a pottery wheel to make a bowl, and then make a lid that fits exactly on the bowl. (I never did any of that stuff. Just cleaned & painted greenware that came from molds.) I oohed & aahed my way around the shop. I found a beautiful teacup & saucer that I bought for 40L (credit card). It was a perfect reminder of my memorable tour and our wonderful anniversary in Ephesus. It was so hard to just pick one! (Aside: We used mostly euros for cash in the shops, having used our Turkish lire in Istanbul. Could have, but never used an ATM except for our last day in Europe, when we needed to.) Aside: The factory tours are such a snapshot of Turkish culture and are so important to them! The Turkish people love to show their crafts and skills, and are rightly proud of their accomplishments. I enjoyed these forays into their world, even though we didn’t spend much.

We finally headed back to the ship. We enjoyed our day immensely. Our most memorable day of the trip!. Eylem is a sweet guy who absolutely loves being a tour guide. I still chat with him now and then on Facebook. We did some walking today, about 4.5 miles. We spent $180 for our 7 hour tour, plus $30 &10€ in tips for guide and driver.

DAY 19– Mykonos

Saturday, July 25 DAY 19– Mykonos, Greece
1pm - 11pm

When it was time to go ashore, we got a large bottle of cold water ($2.95) for our ship’s bottle holder with strap that we bought at the exit on another day. We lined up for the port shuttle into town. It took about 20 minutes to get on, as it did not appear to be well organized.

Walked around Old Town Mykonos. A boat in front of a taverna with squid hanging from the sail lines. Narrow streets, cars going up and down the little roads of the city, vying for space among the throngs of tourists. White, boxy buildings, churches, some red domes. Doors & shutters painted dark blue, light blue, red, green, yellow, purple. Greek bell towers and stray cats. The town pelican, Petros, waddles boldly across the street into a restaurant, taking his fame for granted. (Apparently, the original Petros was hit by a car a few years ago – this one is his replacement.)
The windmills – 4 in one spot – sit upon a hill overlooking the town. A few others are located elsewhere on the island.

We stopped at a coffee café for an iced mocha and a Fanta lemonade (4.70 €). More walking. Lots of shops selling jewelry, souvenirs, Byzantine icons, and liquor bottles in shapes of questionable taste.

Many beachgoers. The famed nude partying beaches are on another shore.

We bought 2 bus tickets for the Monastery town of Ano Mera (2.80€) and located the correct bus stop. Got of in Ano Mera about 4:15pm. Stopped at Fisherman’s Café in the center plaza – there’s a large eucalyptus tree growing inside it, and a caged finch that sang prettily. Monica was our waitress. We ordered Amstel beer & another iced mocha. Had a dish of fried zucchini balls (shredded zucchini & cheese) with a cucumber dipping sauce. They brought a plate of bread, a staple of the eastern Mediterranean countries. No butter is served with bread in Greece and Turkey. Total: 16.95€.

They had Wi-Fi in the restaurant, so we asked about Internet access & the password. The owner, seeing our phone, brought over his Acer notebook and generously let us use it! So for about 45 minutes we checked our emails and sent a photo back home to the family.

After paying our bill, they asked us to wait and brought over a plate with chunks of sweet honeydew melon.

We walked to the monastery a few yards away and walked inside the pretty church.
A ship’s tour was there. I took a couple of photos before the tour guide said, “No photos!” There was no sign to that effect anywhere inside the church, but I stopped anyway. An outside sign also had no mention of camera rules.

Saw a robed Orthodox priest in the outer courtyard. I wanted to take his photo, but didn’t have the nerve to ask him, so I didn’t.

We then decided we were done here and went to the bus stop, but weren’t sure exactly when the bus was coming. We had arrived at 4:15 and the driver said the next bus leaving would be at 5:20 or 5:30, I didn’t remember which. It was already later than that. DH said he saw a bus pass at about 5:45. Well now it was almost 6pm so we just waited (hoping that there was another!). We were just about to phone for a taxi, when the bus came by at 6:40pm. It was crowded, standing room only – the beachgoers were returning. The last bus, we heard would be in one more hour. Paid 2.80€ again for the return trip.

We rode back to Old Town standing on the front stairs near the door. We walked to a waterfront café we had passed on our way into Mykonos. Dh had a snack of Greek coffee and ham & cheese toast – a pressed and grilled sandwich (7€).

We saw a passenger from the ship who sat with us for a while and chatted over a beer.

Got on a returning shuttle and went back to the ship, as there was not much else to do here. It was another very sticky hot day. We felt that 10 hours was long time for this extremely picturesque, but very small island.

Walked 5 miles & spent $50 today

DAY 18– Second Day in Istanbul

Friday, July 24 DAY 18– Istanbul, Turkey

Got up late as DH’s legs were aching, & I awoke with some muscle pain. Taking it easy today.
At 11:15am we left out of the “special exit” – when I asked a crew member outside if there was an exit to the left, by the Museum of Modern Art, and yes, there was! It’s an exit that has a couple of grocery shops and an Internet café. It was a LOT shorter than walking all the way down to the port entrance and then a couple of blocks to the tram. There is also a tram stop close to the other entrance. We paid 12L for several tram tickets & got off the tram to walk to Topkapi Palace.
We walked through a beautiful park; a Turkish family indicated that Topkapi was ahead – but they were just being “polite” as we discovered when we came to a dead end. We met a couple of Cruise Critic members there (who we had met at dinner one evening).
Outside the park area, we were directed to the road next to it, where we walked until we came to the outer wall/gate. Took photos of it – nice shots, but decided we didn’t want to spend 40-80L on it. Back outside the Palace gate we bought 3 sets of Istanbul postcards for 5L.
Somewhere along the way we lost our Rick Steves’ Istanbul book, but since it was our last day here, we didn’t really need it. Hope whoever found it enjoyed it. The ship map we got is poor, and the tourist map we got here has listings in Turkish, so it’s useless, also.
As I took more pictures, some with the Family Dolls, a couple of Muslim women were very interested. When I showed them to the women, and explained that they were my family, they wanted their photo taken with them. So they took a picture with their camera & I took one of them with my camera. Very sweet ladies. They blessed us, & we blessed them back.
Then we walked outside the grounds and raced for a tram. As it left without us, there was 5 minutes before the next tram, so I shopped! Found some cute dishes at a store right there – how convenient.
The smallest bowls were decorated in bright colors and designs. (The ship’s store had a few for $6 each, and I saw them at a store outside the Palace for 12L = $8). There was a ship’s tour meeting there; the store probably gets the ship’s business.
I checked this store out. There was a large selection inside, although the place wasn’t that big. The small bowls were only 5L! So I bought 4 of them – 20L – wanted to buy more, one of every color. I’d love a set of dishes & plates in every color – but no place to store it – oh, well, buy another hutch!
Got on the next tram to go to the Grand Bazaar. Walked down a couple of streets until DH saw it. Very old gate entrance.
Inside there was a crazy guy – really, just the sight of him was enough to warn you – I guess every city has them. He was cursing and yelling – at us – very creepy. He left, and I assured the nice shopkeepers watching that I knew it was not representative of Istanbul! They were a little concerned, but felt better after I smiled at them & told them I understood.
At the grand Bazaar, many places were selling things at prices 2-3x normal. Bargaining is expected. I asked at one store about their inexpensive pashminas (some can be very pricey – about $50-60) The seller said that all the pashminas were different prices – not true at other places. He wouldn’t list a price, but said he’d make a deal and sell the one I was looking at for a sale price – 30L! Right. I just laughed and walked away, saying that I bought several like that yesterday for 10L each! As I was walking, he shouted out, “20!” Finally, “Okay, 10L!” I didn’t want to bother at this point. I heard that the last price you are quoted as you walk away is usually the best price. There’s a whole system to bargaining, but you have to be in the mood, and I wasn’t.
We walked by places selling tea and coffee sets. Tea sets had 6 glasses and 6 saucers starting at 20-25L. Very pretty.
We decided to buy a coffee set to make Turkish/Greek coffee, and settled on a blue flowered one. The cups are copper bottom holders with handles, and ceramic insets. There are copper saucers to match. The pot is a long-handled copper bottom with a pouring spout. A copper tray holds the set. We stopped at La Tienda Gift Shop (Kazazlar Sokak No. 12-14) and Edip showed us a nice one that we got for 180L. We love it, but DH thought we might have paid too much. It was marked at 200L, but I saw the little bowls I like, which were marked 5L each, which told me that this place was not overpriced. They also sell tea sets, wine glasses, & waterpipes. (No, different than the one DH had in the 60’s!). We paid at another place (like a mall office) and they recommended a nice restaurant for lunch, showing us exactly where it was. Havuzlu, a 50-year-old Ottoman Turkish Restaurant in the Grand Bazaar. First you pick out the food in the front area, then they prepare & serve it.
We shared a stuffed chicken breast and a small salad – cucumber, tomato, parsley, & sweet chilies. They brought bottled water and a basket of bread slices. Everyone in Istanbul eats a LOT of bread. We paid 31L for lunch.
A few minutes later, a couple was seated near us at the end of the long table. The woman’s father is Turkish, so they spend a lot of vacations here with family. I asked how to pronounce Kusadasi (heard several ways – Koosh-u-da’-sə, and how to drink Turkish coffee – wait until the grounds settle and drink the 2 sips. No swirling, leave the mud at the bottom (Rick was wrong, on both counts.)
We left Havuzlu Restaurant and took the tram to the Spice Market/Egyptian Bazaar. In the underground station by the Spice Market were crowded stalls with really cheap clothing. The place for it. No bargaining here.
In the Market, DH bought a lemon granita (3L) & I picket out a pillow cover (12L). The stalls were filled with all kinds of spices and teas. A sign said 25L – for a kilogram! Everything from apple tea to saffron. They’d scoop up the teas and let you smell them: spice, cinnamon, apple, etc. Bought a set of spices, already packed – just for fun – for a few Lire, don’t remember how much, as this was the only thing we forgot to write down.
I went into Kocaoglu, a store, No. 35, to buy a couple more pashminas. I had bought most of them for gifts, but I liked them so much that I wanted more. (The first store - Sirin Giyim – had the nicest selection for the best deal, I think.) There were some very expensive ones, but I asked for ones that were 10L or less – to match my earlier purchase. The shop worker showed me the small section, and I found 3 that I liked. He was a funny guy who said he loved his job. I also bought 3 eggcups and 2 small plates (to go with the bowls I bought earlier). One eggcup was of a different but lovely design from the others. The salesman, Serkan, gave me a good price on the lot (60L), we had some black tea & I walked out happy. The whole downstairs floor is filled with ceramics! They also sell textiles & caviar. Serkan is now a facebook friend.
I asked there about small spoons for our coffee set, and a woman in the shop – a frequent tourist – directed me to a store where they were sold. I paid 5€ for 6 of them, heavyweight and very nice.
We headed back toward the ship on the tram, going through the exit by the Museum of Modern Art. We wanted to use the Internet, but no one was there. We’d have to do it tomorrow. Bought 2 large bottles of lemonade at the mini-market- 2.95L, and went to the ship. Sailed at 5pm.
Spent 326L and 5€ today, about $228, most on shopping! Only spent 12L on transportation, and 37L on food and drink. Walked another 5 miles.

DAY 17– Istanbul

Thursday, July 23 DAY 17– Istanbul, Turkey

Left the ship soon after docking at 4:30pm. Walked all the way out of the pier and to the tram stop. Bought 9L ($6) worth of tokens for 3 trips each (1.5 Lire each person, each trip) – (1L = 67 cents, so 3L = $2) and took the tram to Sultanahmet.
The taxi drivers at the port entrance were very pushy. The ship passed out landing cards for each of us – required for everyone. The stench was bad – once along the road by the pier entrance, and then getting on the tram. I had to hold my nose – smelled like dog poop or sewage. First impressions for me were not good.
Hagia Sophia was 20L each to get in, 2 for 40L – twice what it was a couple of years ago. It was huge, but nearly empty. I was expecting more, I think. It’s a museum with no displays, a few photographs hanging, and a small gift area. The building is so large that Notre Dame can fit inside it, and the Statue of Liberty - minus the torch. The ceilings are painted and chandeliers hang down. Quite beautiful. The walls have frescos. Much of it is under construction or repair.
After Hagia Sophia, we debated going to the Basilica Cistern, then crossed the street to photograph the Blue Mosque from the park & fountain in front of it. There was a couple standing right in front, where the best photos would be taken & the man was talking into a cell phone. DH noticed them and that when we moved, they also moved. As we were standing there, the woman asked us if we wanted our picture taken. We said no. As we continued walking around the walled park area, they followed, the man appearing to be talking in another language, probably Turkish, to someone on the phone, not directly looking at us, but always right there. When we stopped again, and they stopped, DH got irritated, declaring loudly that they were following us & lifting the camera to take their picture. The woman hid her face with a water bottle. They walked on, then stopped and turned around to look at us, then walked back. DH wasn’t intimidated and told them to stop following us, which they, of course, denied it, saying they were American (He had a North Carolina T-shirt). “Then go on”, said DH. “Just keep walking”, and he took their picture. As they slowly left, another man came up to us, saying that he knew the other man, and he wasn’t following us. Obviously part of the group. This was in a major tourist area, lots of people, all of them tourists – except for these types. They looked Turkish, in their mid-thirties, well-dressed.
I was not at all crazy about Istanbul at this point.
We then took the funicular subway from the eastern end of Tersane Avenue up the hill and arrived at Taksim Square at the end of Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Street) in the New Istanbul area. Much more pleasant looking and very modern. There were masses of people walking all along the wide pedestrian street that was lined with stores and cafés. As we left the station, we saw a grassy, park-like area with a large sculpture in the center, Ataturk Statue. It was then that we noticed a policeman armed with a submachine gun! Then we saw the police barriers around the area. Apparently this area is guarded heavily. It was the scene of a terrorist attack in 2003, and is still a place where protest demonstrations are held.
We bought a roasted ear of corn from one of the many carts (1.50L). They’re every block or so all down Istiklal Caddesi. The heated but non-roasted ones were 1L, while the browned ones were 1.5L. After we ate it, we thought that the cheaper ears might be better, as the roasted ones were dry and chewy – although hot.
We also noticed a lot of lottery ticket sellers at tables up and down the road. 7 or 9 Trillion was the sign, but I don’t know exactly what that meant! There were Burger Kings and Starbucks along the avenue – saw 2 of each.
I stopped to buy some pashminas – Sirin Giyim (Sweet Clothing), Istiklal #73 (7) at 10L each – 70L (really nice, I thought, different kinds on the rack – but all the same price), and then we walked to see where to eat. In Istanbul they eat late, so if we wanted dinner with music, it would begin at 9 pm. It was not yet 7pm. We stopped for a snack of 6 meatball sausages with mashed potatoes, 3 honey-soaked cakes, and a tomato/cucumber/cilantro salad. Also a can of peach nectar for me, and apple tea for DH. Total = 14L. Everyone at the cafeteria-style café would pick up the large chunks of bread at the end of the line. Lots of bread!
The streets were packed – mostly locals, it looked like. On one corner, a group of young people was crowding around, & there were posters on the ground. Looked like a rally of some sort. We were having a pleasant walk, and Istanbul was looking better.

I stopped at another grocery-type store, Ozsoy at Istiklal No. 238 and bought a small box of Turkish delight for 2.50L, and a small packet of Turkish coffee for 2L. The receipts all show what the tax would be if we were locals, but they never charge tourists.
Then we had ice cream at Mado Dondurma– teeny scoops for about a dollar each. It was probably the kid size. DH had 2 small for 3L; I had one for 1.75L. I Googled it and found that this ice cream is extraordinary – made from salep powder - powdered orchid bulbs (you can get something similar to this at the Spice Market), high fiber, low calorie, very creamy. The chocolate tastes like fudge and is stretchy. Because of this, we thought at the time that it was made with honey.
The street is really long. We had walked more than halfway down it, past the beautiful gilt and wrought-iron gates of Galatasaray Lisesi (Galata Palace School), which is a high school dating from 1481. Now we walked all the way back to the funicular station at Taksim Square (We could have gone all the way to Tünel Station). There we saw the ferry and bought 9L worth of tokens again, wanting to cross into Asia (thought it would be interesting to go to another continent), but then realized we would not be able to get back, as the last ferry was returning shortly. So we lost 3L on the planned trip (we had deposited it into the turnstile).
Found an elevator in each station for disabled travelers. Lots of people were using it, so we did, too, which made it easier than navigating all those steps.
Walked back from the tram stop to the ship. Always feels so cool as we walk in – A/C – awesome! It was sweaty hot today, even though it was evening.
Spent almost 83L = $53 (other than pashminas) and walked 5 miles today!

DAY 14 - Leave Venice, DAY 15 - At sea, DAY 16 – Athens

Monday, July 20, 10:00am DAY 14 – Leaving Venice, Italy & at Sea

Beautiful sailaway from Venice, Pinnacle Grill for lunch, read, journaled, internet, nap, formal night dinner.

Tuesday, July 21 DAY 15 – At Sea

Breakfast in Dining Room, tour of ship's galley - huge! - Microsoft Digital workshop, with blogging as the topic, to Lido for bread pudding & got recipe, journaled, Ship's talk on Athens & Mykonos - took lots of notes, Royal Dutch High Tea, Digital workshop "lab", ship stores, show with singer Cheryl Sinclair, Internet, dinner, DH did poker & I took some photos of ship.


Wednesday, July 22 DAY 16 – Piraeus, Greece
8am-5pm Athens

We got up at 7:15 am and left the ship at 8:30am. Took our ship’s free shuttle to the port entrance, then a taxi (5 €) to the Metro Station at Piraeus. Took the Green Line up and got off at the Omonia station after Monastiraki, then took the Red Line down to the Acropolis. The Metro (1 € each = 2 €) took 25 minutes and we got to the Acropolis about 9:30am. Unlike Barcelona, there are escalators in the subway station. People do follow usual procedure of standing to the right on the escalators except to pass, but few pass. No one seems to be in a hurry.
When we arrived at the entrance to the Acropolis, we paid 12 € each = 24 €. The only discounts to attractions in Italy and Greece that we saw were available only to Europeans – those in the EU. It was a climb to the top, mostly inclines with some stairs. It was slippery marble and very uneven. There were crowds – most of them at the top. Only one way in and out, so it’s slow going, with occasional stops as tour guides lecture their group.
It was quite windy, also, with dust storms at the top. The wind kept it from feeling unbearably hot, but glasses were needed to keep dust out of the eyes.
We took a lot of photos of course, being sure that DD’s “doll” was photographed in proxy, since she had returned home. We saw the Parthenon and the Erechtheum/ Erechtheion “Porch of the Maidens” with the replicas of the six caryatids. One of the originals is in the British Museum, and the other five are in the New Acropolis Museum.
We walked back down and over to the Agora. Along with the ruins was modern graffiti. Went inside the Church of the Holy Apostles, which dates to the late 10th century. Then we went over to the Roman Forum of Athens. We found our way out to the Plaka. We stopped at a café: Carte Postale Cafe-Restaurant at the most famous street of Plaka, in Andrianou Street. We shared a pork souvlaki @ € 8, two Greek coffees @ € 3 each = € 14,50 + € 2 tip. Seating was free and water was free (unbottled). Very nice waiter.
Bought a medium statue of Athena at the kiosk across the street for € 6 and a bottle of water for € 1. Walked around the shops. We needed a camera chip, since we had used up almost 8GB so far. A 4 GB chip cost € 14,50 at a camera store nearby. I bought a few souvenirs: 3 olive oil soaps at 80 cents each, a tiny bottle of ouzo & of Greek brandy, and a small box of Greek Turkish Delight (averaged € 2 each). Took the Metro back to Piraeus (2 €), and a taxi to the port (4 €). Walked about 2 ½ miles today. Total cost of our day for two in Athens (not counting the gifts or the camera chip): € 54,50 = $80.18.

NOTES: The previous day I went to the ship’s talk about this port. Here are a few things I jotted down:
*Unlicensed cab drivers will try to cheat you. Be sure there’s a meter and a photo ID visible. Negotiate HARD for cab fare.
*There may be two different fares: #1 for day, and #2 for night, so be sure the meter is on the correct mode.
*It is a 20 minute walk to the Metro station from the port entrance, or a € 5 taxi ride – about ½ mile.
*The ride from Piraeus to Athens takes 30 minutes.
* The Metro ride costs € 1, but a day bus pass is € 3.