Cruise - Part 2

Day four of our cruise we were in Athens, Greece. Last minute, we booked a tour through the cruise. We didn’t want a repeat of the Naples fiasco with all the trouble we had getting around the city. They didn’t have many tour options left, so we booked one that was designed for a “leisurely” Athen’s experience. This meant the average age on our tour was about 102. From the comfort of our cruise bus we saw a few of Athen’s sights, including the Acropolis, the remains of the Temple of Zeus, and the Olympic stadium. The picture shows Em and I at the base of the Acropolis, an ancient temple to the goddess Athena. We also stopped in an area of Athen’s called Plaka for about an hour. Here we walked around, bought some souvenirs for back home, ate a very delicious gyro and also got some more gelato. It was a nice day, so it was fun walking around Athen’s for a bit.

Once back in the boat we settled into our usual rhythm. Em went to the gym while I read. We then headed to dinner, the piano bar, the disco, and called it a night.

Day five of our cruise we were in Rhodes, an island that is part of Greece. Rhodes is a beautiful island. It is clean and the people are very friendly. The picture shows the island of Rhodes. Notice the large wall that surrounds a large section of the island. For Rhodes, we had booked a tour excursion through the ship that would allow us to use the beach facilities at a local luxury hotel. However, it rained for 10 minutes right before we were suppose to leave, so they cancelled the excursion. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The sun came back out within 20 to 30 minutes and Em and I found our way to a public beach. So, we got to the beach anyways and saved a hundred bucks or so. At the beach we met another couple from the cruise ship, Kevin and Victoria, who were on their honeymoon. Em and Victoria spent the time talking about planning a wedding. It was awesome. Also, I am officially on vacation now because at the beach I got a sun burn on my nose. For dinner, Em and I decided to try out one of the specialty restaurants they had onboard. We went to Portofino’s an Italian restaurant. It was very good and the service was top notch. I had a veal dish and Em had lamb chops. Baaaaa.

Day six of our cruise we were in Kusadasi, Turkey. The area that we docked was very beautiful. The streets were clean and had these great mountain vistas. We had good weather again, so it was also pretty warm – in the high 70s or so. We had booked an excursion to see the ancient city of Ephesus. Ephsesus is a short 20 minute ride or so from the cruise port terminal. We went via coach bus. Our tour guide dispensed some interesting information about the history of Ephesus and about Turkey in general as we drove there. You can tell the Turkish government is doing a lot to promote tourism in their country. They license all of the tour guides. They also give little gift packages and a bottle of water to everyone who booked a tour. Overall, I think their efforts have paid off. I would recommend taking a beach vacation to the city of Kusadasi.

The site of Ephesus itself was interesting, but Em and I enjoyed it more just for a chance to see the Turkish countryside than the ruins themselves, which have lost their luster at this point. One interesting part about the ruins is that it had some really well preserved frescos. The picture of Em and I has a backdrop of the theatre of Kusadasi. The tour was only about 3 and a half hours long and left early in the morning, so we were back on the boat in time for lunch and to sun bathe for a few hours.

Before dinner we played a game of name that nineties tune, which we didn’t do so well in. After dinner we went to a lounge to watch a “Finish that Lyric” game, which was fun.