Rhodes, Greece

Today we are in Rhodes.

We didn't have anything planned apart from a walk around the Rhodes Old Town. We started early to beat the heat. The Old Town is inside a wall, the entrance right on the waters edge a mere 10 minute walk from our ship. The Old Town is very touristy, full of restaurants and stores selling clothing, jewellery and souvenirs none of which interested us (or so we thought, read on...).

We arrived in town a little early and watched all the shops opening up, carrying their wares outside, taking early deliveries from the many delivery vans and scooters. The day was already hot, so much for leaving early. We had no a map so followed our nose. We were told it's hard to get lost, yeah right! Inside the town we turned right and walked uphill the whole way and as luck would have it, we found a clock tower which for 5 euro each, we could enter and climb to the top. Bundled with this, a free drink in the cafe and free internet. Score! As we were early, we had the clock tower to ourselves, which is a good thing as there isn't much room inside and the staircase is very narrow. The climb was worth it as the views of the city were incredible. After that we had a juice each and Helen made use of the internet.

I liked wandering through the quiet streets away from the main tourist routes, where ordinary people still live in this incredibly old town. Here's a few pictures of the pretty lanes although some houses are in fact derelict.

We meandered back downhill via a different route, finding the Road Of The Knights.

At the bottom I located the Archaeological Museum which is apparently architecturally very interesting inside also. I went inside for a look around while Helen rested in the shade inside the entrance. I didn't spend long but indeed it is an interesting building especially the arches which hold the upper floor up.

Next we sat in the square and people watched. Some restaurants had noisy birds outside (as a way of attracting customers) which were most entertaining. The heat was building fast so we retired back to the ship, a 10-15 minute walk.

We enjoyed lunch on the ship (free and air conditioned) then decided to venture back into town. I had been storing up photos and copy for the blog, so we wanted to find WiFi to get them posted. You may have noticed I posted many at once, this is how it was done. We pretty much found the first comfortable restaurant with shade and WiFi and sat down. We ordered a drink each, mine being a Alfa beer. This restaurant serves beers in glass boots. I didn't fancy a 2 litre boot full of beer, so asked for a "pint". Instead I got a smaller boot, easily still over 1 litre worth. It was ice cold so suffice to say, I enjoyed my blogging session very much! Helen had a girly cocktail with fruit and umbrellas.

Straight across the road was a dress hanging in a shop that caught Helen's eye. So while I blogged, she went and purchased. She got a good deal.

Mission accomplished, we returned to the ship for a swim and generally relaxing for the evening. Later we took in a more formal meal and a music show to pass the evening.

Breaking News, Change of Itinerary

Due to rising tension in Syria, our itinerary has been changed and there will be no visit to Israel for us. Instead of a day at sea and then two days in Israel, we will instead visit two new ports in Turkey and one new port in Greece. Details to follow.

A Tour of Our Cabin

People have been asking us what our cabin is like so here's some info.

We have a wardrobe each, plus another cupboard for extra storage and lifejackets. There is a bathroom which is actually quite roomy containing a toilet, bath/shower and vanity. The bed is the equivalent of a New Zealand super-king size, and has room underneath for suitcases and shoes. We have a two-seater couch, TV, fridge and desk. Outside, a nice size deck with two chairs and a table. Although so far, we seem to be unlucky and the most interesting views are on the other side of the ship while tied up in ports. We're third from the front, below the bridge, so it's easy to lean out and see where the ship is heading.

Here's some photos for you.

Kusadasi & Ephesus, Turkey

We had another smooth sailing overnight and were awoken early by the shudder of the ship as it slowed to arrive at port. We pulled straight in to port without tug assistance and parked up alongside another cruise ship of equal size. Goodbye view!

Today we had a private excursion booked to Ephesus. We were outside the terminal by 8:15am and our guide was already waiting along with many others. We were escorted to a nearly street where we were picked up in a nice air conditioned minivan. Our guide spoke with us the entire way, pointing out various landmarks and telling us about the local area and economy.

We arrived at Ephesus nice and early and beat the crowds, yet already it was hot. We were warned there is little shelter from the sun and yet with so few people we could take shelter under trees while our guide shared with us stories and history.

Ephesus is incredibly large and it is estimated in its day the population was 250,000. Only a small area has been excavated for display and much is still buried.

The walk was all downhill until we reached the Terraced Houses. This is a relatively new excavation still underway. In 1999 it was given a roof to preserve the work in progress but under here was incredibly hot. It was not busy either, people are only allowed in with a registered guide which we had. It gave us a great insight into how rich people lived back in the day. Running water, central heating and views across the harbour! Not much has changed.

We were in here maybe 45 minutes and when we emerged, many coaches of tourists had arrived the Ephesus was packed! We continued along the road to the main theatre which can hold 25,000 people (nearly as much as the Wellington stadium).

Eventually our tour was over and once outside the gates, there was a huge parking area mostly full of coaches, and pushy sales people trying to sell us souvenirs and rugs. We escaped this and found tranquillity in our private van again.

Next we visited Artemis of which there is little to see, and hardly anybody visits. It is nothing more than a column and a few stones.

Our guide tells us what used to be and points a lot. Then we leave. We return to the ship, and cool off in the air conditioning and grab lunch.

After lunch, we head out on foot back into Kusadasi. It is not as busy here and shopkeepers are not so pushy and the streets less crowded. We sat in a cafe and for the cost of a drink each, got some free internet to check emails etc. I was keen to offload our remaining Turkish Lira and convert into US dollars as this is our last day in Turkey. Easily accomplished and no identification required which is very surprising.

We returned to the ship and Helen had a snooze while I went for a swim.

Tonight we were booked in on the ship for special dinner, called "An Evening at Le Cirque" it features the menu, china, and some decor from the New York restaurant Le Cirque. We had a nice window seat looking at the ship next door, and once it departed we had a beautiful view across the bay. This was short lived, half an hour later we departed port also and the ship turned 180 degrees to head out. So over the course of dinner we had three different views.

Mykonos, Greece

Today we arrived at sunrise next to Mykonos. One of my most anticipated visits of the tour.

There is no port so we anchored alongside the town. To get ashore, the crew lower tender boats (which double as lifeboats should the need arise) and taxi people to and from the shore. Each boat can hold over 100 people and only takes minutes to get from ship to shore.

Mykonos is the perfect example of a Greek island town. Almost every building and paved path is painted in white and and town is bathed in sun. Mykonos is a windy town and has a feature of many antique windmills around the town. These are a major tourist drawcard and a photographers dream (well, they would be if not surrounded by people taking photos!).

We walked around in the morning and it was pretty warm. We went back to the ship, the tendor ride being fun and quick. After a relaxing swim and some lunch, I went back along on a photographic expedition while Helen stayed behind to relax. I took so many photos as every street is a postcard photo, especially once I found my way away from the shops and got "lost".

In the evening, the ship put on a special Greek buffet by the pool so we could sit and enjoy dinner and watch the sun go down on Mykonos. What a beautiful way to end the day.

Cruising the Dardenelle Strait

Today was a day at sea, the only highlight being a daytime tour through the Dardenelles. Especially interesting being we cruise right alongside the Gallipoli Peninsula. As an extra bonus, the water was flat and smooth and no wind, so they allowed passengers out on the ship's bow. We were up bright and early for breakfast to get on the bow from opening time of 8am. The ship ran a commentary and was very sympathetic to Australians and New Zealanders even placing our flags on the ship's bow. We didn't actually get to see ANZAC Cove as it's around the other side of the peninsula but got a good impression of terrain and the area. Here's a selection of photos from this tour.

The rest of the day was a combination of eating and lazing around. We did go to watch an ice carving being done by the pool, only took 15 minutes from start to finish. This guy has definitely done this before!

Also we passed a Turkish navy patrol on dusk which I spotted and confirmed through binoculars.