We had been in Istanbul for a couple
of days at the end of our last cruise, and my wife fell in love with
it. We spent the time checking out things we didn't see on the last
trip, and shopping for underwear, pantyhose, shoes, and other things
Kathy needed after the lost luggage fiasco. There we were, at the Grand
Bazaar, Kathy in a pair of my boxer shorts and a T shirt the ship gave
her. But we found some great bargains on knock-offs.
The Millennium sets sail for Kusadasi (Ephesus) Turkey
The Millennium set sail for Kusadasi (Ephesus) Turkey in the early
afternoon. The next day we arrived in Kusadasi, known for its very extensive
ruins at Ephesus. These are the most impressive ruins we have ever seen, be
sure not to miss them when you are in Kusadasi. Cleopatra and Mark Anthony were
tourists at Ephesus!
We toured a rug factory which was actually a rug store. However, they gave a
very interesting presentation on how Turkish rugs are woven and how to determine
the quality ofrugs. We saw a demonstration of a young girl weaving a rug.
While in Kusadasi we spotted an internet cafe sign and so we went on in.
They were quite excited that we had come in; they uncovered their single
computer, taped some cardboard to the window to reduce the glare on the screen,
and brought us some cokes to drink. After we finished surfing the net we asked
how much we owed. They said "nothing!" and they wouldn't let us pay for
anything. Odd but interesting and nice.
The next day was a day at sea with no stops at any ports. We consider days
at sea as our lazy kick-back and relax part of our cruises. So we "bagged some
rays" by the pool and checked out the drink of the day.
A visit to Limasol, Cyprus
The next day we arrived in Limasol, Cyprus. Originally we were supposed to
go to Haifa Israel, but due to some Middle East unrest, the destination was
changed to Limasol. There was an interesting castle that we toured, and then we
went looking for an internet cafe. We found one and did a little updating of
our website while we were there. Internet cafe's can be found in most cities and
it is truly amazing to see the differences. There isn't really much in Limasol.
Alxandria and Cairo Egypt - a visit to the ancient Egyptian Pyramids
Our next port of call was Alexandria Egypt. The port was HUGE! There were
quite a few sunken ships poking up out of the water as we entered the
port...wonder what that was about? Our ship was greeted with a giant red carpet
and a large band playing music.
We took the shore excursion to the Pyramids, about a three hour bus trip. The
busses traveled in convoys with police escorts. I presume it's an anti terrorist
thing. The Pyramids were awesome! We got to actually climb up on one of the
pyramids. There were also cool tombs that we toured, and of course, shopping for
jewelry and papyrus art.
A stop in Athens Greece
Our next port of call was Athens Greece. Since we had been to Athens
recently we opted not to take any of the excursions and just went to the Plaka.
We found yet another Internet cafe where we could update our web site. Although
it was about 3 flights of stairs to get to the cafe, were given the "Computer
with a view" .. Just out the window was a spectacular view of the Acropolis. And
we found another fabulous open air cafe.
Naples, Pompeii, Capri, and Sorrento...playground for the rich
We arrive next at Naples, Italy. The day was kind of a whirl wind of a day
as we took a hydrofoil to the island of Capri where we toured the island, an
interesting and beautiful island and playground for the rich. Then on to
Sorrento where we had lunch and wandered around the scenic town, and finally we
toured the amazing ruins at Pompeii. There are enough ruins at Pompeii to spend
weeks there and still not see everything. Thousands of years ago and they had
plumbing fixtures...running water in their homes, taverns, saunas, and all sorts
of surprising things. A very busy day!
Rome, the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica
Next stop, Rome and the Vatican City including St. Peter's Basilica, and the
Vatican museum. At the Vatican, we visited the Sistine chapel which was mind
blowing. Following that we visited the Coliseum. The Coliseum was another
amazing place. Kathy was really impressed with the Trevi Fountain in Rome (she
threw in the required 3 coins so we could come back to Rome).
Nice, Monaco and Roquefort cheese
Our next port was Nice, France. We visited a famous flower market, had coffee at
a little side walk cafe, and we took a shore excursion to Monaco. Monaco isn't
very big! We could stand in one spot and see the whole country. There are lots
of shops on the tiny narrow winding streets. We had lunch (at an open air cafe)
and Kathy liked the Roquefort cheese so much she asked the waiter where should
could get some, and he directed her to a market. We bought some and brought it
home with us.
The following morning we disembarked in Barcelona and within hours we were on
our way home! Another fantastic cruise ship adventure under our belts!