A relaxing day in Civitavecchia, It.

I didn’t have enough time to go back into Rome today. There was a crew drill so I had to cover for Paul in the morning. It’s okay because Nikki and I went to the beach. A shuttle took us from the ship to the main city center of Civitavecchia. The beach was nothing special, but nice enough, and the sun was super hot! I also did a little bit of shopping and bought some really cute Italia red polka dot shoes. I had a Panini, and suntanned all afternoon then had the night off at work, so I went to the spa for a facial, which was amazing and so relaxing, and then met the tour girls for dinner in the Lido. At night, went to the White Star party-bbq which was a blast once again!!

Taormina, Sicily

From the port of Messina I took a tour that took us one hour away to Taormina, perched high above the sea on the slopes of Mt. Tauro, a town that has entertained celebrities and artists since the days of the Caesars. It was gorgeous! The view is amazing, you can see the ocean, beaches, and coastline below, and the active volcano Mt. Etna is close by. Our tour took us to the 3rd century Greco-Roman theatre with picturesque views of the blue Ionian Sea below. You could see the smoke coming from the volcano in the distance. Later I grabbed a Pistachio Gelato and wandered the streets lined with little shops and a few cafes. Taormina was a really nice place, and a great place to enjoy a holiday!

Ephesus

This was the most amazing ruins/archaeological sight I have ever seen! Ephesus was a port city for all ancient civilizations over 2000 years old. Only a small portion has been uncovered, but was has is fascinating and you can really envision life back then and how it used to be. It was so hot out it was almost unbearable, but our tour was great! We saw the great theatre (where St. John preached), the Temple of Artemis, The library of Celsus and so much more! I’m not so much for ruins but Ephesus really exceeded my expectations. Later back in Kusadasi, I shopped around their Bazaar and took in the scenery. There was a really nice beach close by. So far I am very impressed with Turkey.

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul is a great city! When we sailed into the harbor I could see the skyline lined with many Mosques. They are beautiful! I did a full day tour and was very lucky because Irene (tour staff) came with me. Istanbul is very interesting, especially because its spread over two countries, half is in Europe, the other half in Asia. We toured the Blue Mosque where we had to cover our shoulders, legs and remove our shoes. We visited St. Sophia, one of the oldest cathedrals in Europe, and Topkeki Palace which was amazing and sat high on a mountain. We saw the underground Cistern palace, which was so incredible, all built underground with waterways, and pillars, it was cool! We enjoyed a traditional Turkish lunch served in a beautiful outdoor courtyard like restaurant. Later we had free time in the Grand Bazaar (2nd biggest in the world). It was a never ending marketplace full of all the clothes, leather, ceramics, souvenirs, and Turkish delight you could ever want! I got some amazing bargains and we had a lot of fun!

The Greek island Mykonos

If there was ever a place on this journey that I had to miss the ship, and get left behind, this would be it! Mykonos was definitely one of my favorites by far. Unfortunately we only had from 7am to 12 at port, so we were forced to wake up at the crack of dawn, and be among the first people off. I grabbed my English breakfast tea, and an orange and we hiked up this hill to this wonderful viewpoint. All the homes and buildings in Mykonos are white, and the harbor is beautiful. This was the Greece I had been waiting for, little windy streets, with white houses, blue windows, and pots filled with red and yellow flowers. There were little old ladies hanging their clothes to dry and little cars and scooters racing by. This little town is amazing, and I really wish I could have stayed a week. There was a group of us, who shopped along the narrow streets, walked along the seaside, and then had an incredible lunch. Probably the best Greek food I have ever tasted. We shared tsatziki, hummus, pita, calamari, Greek salad, and baked feta, it was so fresh, and the best part was the café looked out onto the ocean. Mykonos also has these nice windmills sitting on the cliff, and beautiful big white pelicans, that you can get really close to! The beach was beautiful too, and I could have wandered around all day if I had more time! Also saw where they filmed the Borne Identity!! I love Greece!

Olympia, Greece

Yesterday I went to Olympia, Greece today from the port of Katakolon. I went on a tour that took us to the ruins and archaeological sight of the first Olympic Games. It was so hot (42 degrees), and very dusty, but I still had a good time. We saw where they lit the torch, the first running track, chariot races, swimming pools, and learned all about Zeus and the historical making behind the Olympics. Sounds really exciting, but was really just a bunch of ancient ruins (that looked like rocks) lying in the dust, that I walked through in the sweltering heat. Later we went to visit the museum and shopped around the town a little bit. I bought a couple souvenirs and had a Greek pita, which was definitely better than any I have ever had back home! The Tzatziki was amazing! Yum!