Holy Cats! Ancient Libraries! Scenic Views!

On Tuesday the Ms. Rotterdam made her first port of call. The stop was Kusadsi, Turkey, the gateway to Ephesus. Visitors are attracted to Ephesus because it is one the best preserved ancient cities. It is believed that Saint John brought the Virgin Mary here in the final years of her life. Archeologists have excavated about 20% of the third city of Ephesus. Parts of cities one, two and four can still be seen in the area although they are mostly lost… perhaps forever.

At this stop, we decided to take a ship tour that visited the Virgin Mary House and the ruins at Ephesus. Our bus was not completely full and was well air conditioned… a necessity on this near 90 degree day. It was about a 15-20 minute drive from the port in Kusadasi up the mountain to the Virgin Mary House. The site itself is very tiny. It was once visited by Pope John Paul II who acknowledged that it could be the place that the Virgin Mary came to live. These days it is visited by Christians from all over the world as a place of worship.

Inside the house you can light a candle for loved ones. Outside there is a whishing wall that people leave wishes on. There is also a spring that is said to have water that has been blessed by the Pope himself.

Perhaps the sweetest thing I saw at the Virgin Mary’s House, however, was this scene right here.

Eventually we boarded the bus and headed back down to the Ephesus. The top of the mountain had been cool and shady… Ephesus was not. I had read that it would be very crowded, and I was not misinformed. Most people were in tour groups from the cruise ships in Kusadasi and from land tours of Turkey. Our guide did a good job of finding the shady spots where available.

To me, Ephesus was not as impressive as the ruins at the Acropolis in Athens. It was interesting and it was historically important but it wasn’t as breathtaking as the Parthenon etc. By far the coolest part of Ephesus was the Celsius Library (see picture below). The Library is the best preserved building on the Ephesus site. It really did make you feel like you were in an ancient city.


Upon leaving Ephesus, the bus headed back to Kusadasi and an optional Turkish carpet demonstration. Dennis, Jennifer and I opted out of the carpet demo and headed back to the ship for lunch. Grace stuck around and did some shopping in the bazaars of Kusadasi.

Kusadasi is a very touristy town. In many aspects, it reminded me of Chinatown in New York City… only there were Turkish men trying to chase you down to buy things instead of Chinese men. It was very hot out and I really had no desire to go back and be harassed by the shop keepers. You are expected the bargain in Turkey, something that I am not good at and do not enjoy. Jennifer also decided to skip going back into town and after lunch we went to the theatre on the ship to see the movie 27 Dresses. It was fabulous of course.

Tuesday night was our first formal night on the ship. This surprised me as I thought for sure it would be on Thursday (our first sea day). We got all gussied up and enjoyed a scrumptious prime rib dinner. After dinner the four of us went for a drink in the Crows Nest bar. Jennifer and I stayed for a bit in the bar while Grace and Dennis went to the stage show. Eventually we (J and I) moved down to the sea view pool bar and made friends with a Pilipino bartender named Johnson (we were the only one’s there). It was very interesting to learn about his life on the boat (this is his fourth year on a HAL ship) and about his background. It was a beautiful night and nice to sit outside and chat under the stars.

Wednesday, May 28

We docked this morning in Santorini, Greece around 6:30 AM. Originally our plan was to get off the ship right at 8:00 AM to beat the crowd to the island but we found out last night that only people on ships tours could leave that early… the rest of us couldn’t go until 9:00 AM.

Santorini is one of the best known, and most aesthetically pleasing, Greek Islands. It is well known for its tiny villages with white houses and blue roofs (if you’ve ever seen an advertisement for Greece, you’ve probably seen a picture of Santorini). The interesting thing about Santorini is how you get ashore. The island (and therefore port) is very small. Cruise ships tender in the bay near the city of Fira (or Thira, depending on who you ask).

Santorini came about from the leftover lava of a nearby volcano thousands of years ago. The island, therefore, is really a mountaintop… and Fira sits atop the mountain. How do you get from ship to shore? First you take a small boat (or tender) to the base of the mountain. Then you have three options, take the cable car (funicular), ride a donkey up a path, or hike the path with the donkey crap.

The reason we wanted to get off the boat so early was to jump in the cable car line before it got too crowded. We were traveling today with some friends (Mark and Leslie) that I met on a Website called Cruise Critic. We will be sharing a tour with them in Naples, Italy and since we had pretty much the same plan for Santorini we decided to travel up the mountain and to a town called Oia (Eee-ah) together.

It ended up that they made tenders available to those of us going “on our own” about 8:45. We met with Mark and Leslie at the pre-arranged time and took the tender to the base of the mountain. The line for the cable car was about a half an hour long but was moving pretty well. The ride up the mountain was kind of scary and kind of fun all wrapped into one. It kind of felt like the old sky ride at Cedar Point only it was going up (instead of at one height) and there were huge cliffs under you and the sea behind you.

Once in Fira we made our way to the bus station and pushed our way onto the next bus to Oia. The bus was only 1.40 (Euro) which was a bargain but was very crowded. We had to stand the entire way. It was a very windy with steep drop offs to the right and rocky hills to the left. We all felt a bit woozy when we finally exited the bus.

If you are wondering if all the trouble of getting to Oia was worth it, take a look at this picture…



I have never seen water (and sky) so blue. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Along with the spectacular views, Oia (and Fira) are known for great shopping. After taking tons of pictures the six of us started to wander the narrow, windy streets of Oia. Eventually Mark and Leslie went one way and we went another as we set off to find little shops in the little town.

After a while, we Ferreters were tired and hungry so we hopped a bus back to Fira (the bus wasn’t crowded this time and we got to sit down making the trip way more enjoyable). Dennis went back to the ship for lunch and to relax while us girls tried the local Gyros from a corner stand (yummy) and did some more shopping. When we were shopping, we ran into our new bartender friend Johnson who was ashore enjoying the sites… such a small world! By 2:30 we were ready to go home. Jennifer decided to walk down the path (ahead of the donkeys, when possible) and Grace and I waited the 30 minutes for the cable car.

As it turned out, our timing was great today. At dinner our tablemates said there was a 1 1/2 to 2 hour wait for the cable car to go up the mountain around 10:00 AM and at least 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour wait to come down later in the day.

This afternoon, we all went our separate ways and enjoyed the ship. I came up here to the 3rd deck promenade (same place I’m at now) to begin writing. Jen went to the pool. Dennis took a nap somewhere and Grace did some reading at the Lido deck. We had another good dinner (you seriously can’t eat enough on a cruise ship) and then settled in for a relaxing evening.

Right now Jen and I are on the promenade on the 3rd deck sitting on lounge chairs and writing away. The sunset was unbelievable this evening and the water is incredibly blue. We have a sea day tomorrow. I’m looking forward to having no plans other than to relax.

Greece is the Word

And finally the trip begins. Here I am on the beautiful Ms. Rotterdam finally able to connect with the Internet and begin (in earnest) writing about my travels.

It has been a whirlwind weekend. On Friday morning MPF drove Grace, Dennis and I too the airport for our first flight (Chicago to Newark). We left a bit late, and it was a bit of a bumpy ride, but we had plenty of time on the back end in Newark before our flight to Greece.

Once in Newark we met Jennifer who had traveled via NJ Transit to EWR from Manhattan. Our flight to Athens was full with an interesting mixture of college students, families, and couples of many nationalities. Athens is eight hours ahead of Chicago so we tried our best to sleep on the plane. We had a good flight (overall it was very smooth) and landed right on time.

We landed in Athens around 10:20 AM local time on Saturday morning. After clearing customs and collecting our luggage, we met with a Holland America representative who directed us (and others) to the HAL bus that was headed for our hotel. It is about a 30-45 minute drive from the Athens airport to the Marriot (depending on traffic) and there was another HAL representative on the bus to answer questions about the hotel as well as Athens.

As we drove through town, we passed the Temple of Zeus and the original Olympic Stadium. It was a bright, bright sunny day and very warm (probably upper 70’s or low 80’s) that felt even warmer because of the intense sunshine.

Upon arrival at the Ledra Marriot we were surprised to learn that we had two rooms instead of one. Jennifer and I stayed in a room with two double beds and Dennis and Grace were right next door. The Ledra Marriot is a pretty nice hotel (not much different than other Marriot’s but that is a compliment, not a complaint). We had a very nice sized room with a large closet, TV, desk and extra chairs.

After settling in we decided our first course of action was food. One of the drawbacks of the Ledra Marriot is that is not in the “city center” of Athens. The location, just off a busy highway leading to the port of Piraeus, is a residential neighborhood and there are not many dining options nearby. You can’t stop four hungry Americans, though, and we ended up at an Italian café a few minutes walk from the hotel … ironically, right next to a Starbucks (they really are taking over the world).

While at lunch we decided that we would try and go to the National Archeological Museum that afternoon. We were determined to do things during the day to stay awake until at least 8:00 PM local time – therefore beating the jetlag (hopefully). We soon discovered, however, that the museum closed early so we settled on visiting the Plaka area of Athens.

The Plaka is at the base of the Acropolis and is known for its little souvenir shops and street side café’s. To get to the Plaka, we had to walk about fifteen minutes to the closest Metro station and then just hopped a train to the center of Athens (only two stops away, a quick ten minute ride). The Athens metro is very impressive. The city refurbished most of the stations in preparation from the 2004 Summer Olympic Games and I have to say that they were some of the nicest subway stations (and subway cars) that I have ever ridden in. The signs were in Greek and in English and were very easy to follow, all in all, a pleasant experience.

Needless to say, we girls really enjoyed the Plaka. We spent the afternoon wandering the old winding streets, shopping for souvenirs for others and for ourselves. Dennis brought a book with him and ended up sitting in Syntgma Square under a shade tree while we traversed the Plaka. That night we went to a greek restaurant in the Plaka area for some dinner and tasty Greek beer (Mythos).

The Plaka (below).

By the time we got back to the hotel on Saturday night (around 7:00 PM local time) we were really tired. It never felt so good to shower and climb into bed.

Sunday, May 25th

We woke up early on Sunday (around 6:30 AM for Jennifer and I) in preparation for the big day ahead. For the most part, I think our plan to beat the jetlag worked. We were so tired by the time that we went to bed on Saturday night that we were able to pretty much sleep through the night… I know I did at least.

After a quick stop at Starbucks for breakfast food (all the traditional cafes were closed because it was Sunday and the hotel breakfast was outrageously expensive) we made the trek back to the Metro and headed for the Acropolis. We had read that it was best to see the Ancient Greek site in the morning before the sun got too hot and before the site became too crowded.

I have never been a great scholar of classic Greek literature. The only Greek Gods I know are the ones most often mentioned in crossword puzzles. But I have to say, the Acropolis was simply amazing. In climbing up the huge hill that leads to the main attraction (The Parthenon) you get amazing view of the city of Athens and of the sea. But it is what you find at the top that is most worthwhile. A breathtaking view of ancient Greek architecture and history all rolled into one.

It was a good thing that we followed everyone’s advice and did the Acropolis early. Even at 8:30 AM the sun was blazing hot. There was some shade at the top, though, and when you stood in the shade of one of the amazing marble structures and felt the slight breeze it was actually very pleasant outside.

We stayed at the Acropolis until around 10:30 AM when we headed back down the mountain, jumped on the metro up to Syntagma Square and caught the end of the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Greek Parliament building. By that time we were hot and dusty from hiking up to the Acropolis and hungry for lunch. We decided to head back to the Metro at Syntagma and then went to the northern part of Athens for lunch and a visit to the National Archeological Museum.

In retrospect, it was a good thing we did the Acropolis before the museum. It had many treasures that have been rescued from the Acropolis over the years and it was fascinating to read about the different statues and building facades that had once been part of the ruins we had just seen but were now in the museum. The museum was also a nice respite from the heat of the afternoon and allowed us to slow down a bit.

We spent about a few hours at the museum and then re-grouped to figure out our next steps. Dennis decided to head back to the hotel for an afternoon rest but Jen, Grace and I decided to see some of the other ruin sites that were included in our Acropolis ticket. So we headed back toward the Acropolis to see the Theatre of Dineneasus. This is where the Greek arts really began and flourished. After the theatre we headed to the Temple of Zeus. We had seen it from outside from the bus on Saturday but the view of the site from the actual grounds was amazing. The same can be said for the original Olympic Stadium.

The Parthenon (1st) followed by the temple of Zeus.

We headed back to the hotel after this. Jennifer and I had a drink at the rooftop pool bar at the hotel. The beer was expensive but the view of the Acropolis was worth the price. We had dinner on Sunday night at a restaurant near the hotel and then settled in to pack our bags and get ready for the big day on Monday.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Today we boarded the Ms. Rotterdam at the Port of Piraeus. The embarkation processes went off well and we were on deck eating lunch at the Lido buffet by 1:00 PM. Our cabin is tiny but doable. The ship itself is beautiful. Right now I am sitting in the internet café/lounge on my laptop looking out at the sea. It is finally dark outside (it is almost 9:00 PM) as we head for Kusadasi, Turkey.

Happy Memorial Day to all those at home!