If not for the route change, our Captain do not need to make this 3 day mad dash across the Mediterranean Sea….. So we are almost out of the Mediterranean but not quite…. Gibraltar tomorrow and then Malaga Spain the day after
We attended the nightly trivial game (first time) and then catched the theater show… Thus did a proper night that most enjoyed on the ship.. We normally just attended the performance and return to our cabin… But we noticed a lot of our ship mates actually had an active night life and go from bars to theaters and back to bars again😜…. I guess that is why they have a drink package that allows them up to 15 drinks per day…
Explosive sunrise today.. But its actually very windy and cold…
We had a toga party today in celebration of the Greek ports…. Super fun and managed to burn a lot of calories!!
P’s T shirt bought in Greece is super Greek and coolRafa, one of the amazing talented entertainment staff onboardSome people use real bed sheets to create the toga!! Our friend told us they watched u tube videos for it
Cant believe it’s already day 83….not even a month left and we are home..also one more week I will moved to elite status on Princess (completed total of 150 days through various cruises) and get to enjoy free laundry…. Really looking forward to it…
This afternoon, while I was learning Greek dancing P was playing ping pong.. Like we said before, if you are bored on the ship it’s on you since there are so many activities presented onboard…
Sunset on the left Tonight’s production singing and dancing the mo town music Last night’s comedian was hilarious. Everyone laugh until they cry
Lava black + white paint = timeless chic. Cesar Manrique gave us a glimpse of volcanic high-bohemian lifestyle in his home design.
* Not sure why there is a watermark on every photo. The originals don’t have it. Probably the web hosting server added when I uploaded the photo. Sorry for the spoiled aesthetics.
The Tenerife Opera House and their Central Library were ideal for BW photos in that sunny afternoon. The clouds were cooperative too.
* Not sure why there is a watermark on every photo. The originals don’t have it. Probably the web hosting server added when I uploaded the photo. Sorry for the spoiled aesthetics.
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands. According to mythology, God Zeus was born in a cave in Crete
We decided to forgo the ship excursion today and try to explore on our own
Venetian walls and fortresses all over the Port city of Heraklion
Knossos Palace, Center of Bronze age Minoan civilization since 2700 BC is the must see here… In order to reach here we need to take the hop on and hop off bus from the Port. This almost 5 thousand year old palace ruin was kind of fixed up a little and doesn’t look too ruin like 😆
For this one, cats and peacocks share responsibilities guarding the knossos Palace
The Heraklion archeological museum is the crown jewel of the stop with amazing display of artifacts from the Minoan age (late bronze age) plus cretan art, sculptures, archeological finds
The Workmanship of these more than 4000 year old artifacts are incredibleP spent long time at the sculpture section taking lots of pics
After the museum, we do lunch and then shopping
Gyros and souvlaki again 😜Dessert run Ice cream truck, fish stall and monuments Morosini fountain without waterChurch of Agios Titus, a Greek orthodox church, a friend explained to us that Greek orthodox is exactly like catholic, the only difference is they do not believe in the PopeOld city hall LoggiaShopping on 25th August st
Well this is our 3rd stop of Greek city and also the last… So long…. Next time we are back, we need to brush up on our Greek mythology, this way we can tune in more to the culture…
Never thought we would come to Namibia, but we have now. The natural resources are rich. Flamingos are by the flocks. Sand dunes are never ending. We got a glimpse of African desert scene like in the movies…
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
