October 2, 2014

We were up on Deck 10 having breakfast by 6 a.m. to be sure we ate before the buffet restaurant was too busy.  Since we were not taking a Celebrity airport transfer, we did not have to leave our luggage in the hall last night for pickup to be taken to the warehouse on the pier and then as each bus was to be escorted, going to the warehouse and picking up our luggage to take to the bus.  Our transfer was arranged for 7:30 this morning, but we needed to be off the ship by 7, when the bus transfer passengers stated to disembark. Since there were still Internet minutes from the ship that we could use on the dock we emailed our Istanbul contact, Murat, to tell him that we and Pam & Paul would be waiting at the arranged spot at 7:30 and he replied that the driver was en route.  It was a mild morning about 18 C, a bit of dark cloud but also blue sky and very little wind.  It was interesting watching the big buses maneuvering into place.  By 7:25 all our bags were loaded into the minivan and it was less than 30 minutes to get to the airport. The driver handed his cell phone to Paul who spoke to Murat that we were on our way to the airport. There was a slight sprinkling of rain as we approached the departure drop off zone.  The traffic heading into the Istanbul city center was almost bumper to bumper.  Once inside Araturk International Airport we immediately had to go through a security check, then had to find the Air Canada counter way down to the left near the Atlas Air area.  Check in went smoothly, there were only a few people ahead of us, we even had our Toronto boarding pass. Next, it was back in line for passport control.  We have four stamps for Turkey in our passports. Finally we went through another security check and were in the departure area, 35 minutes since we were dropped off and more than two hours to await the plane.  We had to watch the departure board since a gate had not been assigned to our plane when we checked in.  We walked around the departure halls and found the Food Court which had a Burger King. We checked the departure board and saw that the gate was posted and went there to wait.  The process is different at Araturk airport.  As you enter the gate lounge your passport is checked and the boarding pass is torn leaving you just the stub, then you wait for boarding.  There was a 20 minute delay to balance the cargo hold and then we were advised that due to a strong jet stream, the plane would be taking a route a bit further north over the North Sea and Iceland then over Greenland and Labrador.  This holdup caused further delay in arrival to Toronto. Within an hour of taking off, a hot meal was served (just after noon Istanbul time or 5 a.m. in Toronto), then some passengers tried to sleep.  About mid-flight a snack of a small cheese or turkey bun with pretzels and juices, or water was served, then about 2 hours before landing in Toronto (about 8 p.m. in Istanbul or 1 p.m. in Toronto) another hot meal was served.  As the plane descended to Toronto, it was announced that passengers on certain flights had been rescheduled to later flights, since there was not enough time to go through Customs or to make their connecting flights. We were approaching the gate in Toronto at 3:40 p.m. (or 10:40 p.m. in Istanbul) then we went to Customs, collected our luggage, turned in our declaration, walked for 10 minutes to get the area where we could drop off our baggage for our connecting flight. It took one hour since we had got off the plane to this point. Our original flight had already taken off and we were given boarding passwes for the new flight to Winnipeg. However, we came to a complete standstill in a security line of 20 people for 10 minutes, and another 20 minutes to get through the line. The staff was just painfully slow. But we finally made into the departure gates area just after 5 and stopped at the Tim Hortons kiosk for Iced Cappuccinos, then went to the departure gate and composed some of the blog before our rearranged flight left.  At 9:30 we were home to a light rain, some wind and a temperature of 11C.

Our journey has ended.

.

October 1, 2014

Today the sky is clear, temperature about18 C, wind about 15 km/hr and no swells on the Sea of Marmara.  We took the 167 stairs, up to deck 11, for a few laps around the decks 11 & 12 before breakfast.  Then we went for breakfast to the Dining Room and sat with Sophia and Norm and two other Americans. After breakfast we returned to deck 11 for a few laps around the decks to be sure that we had a good start for our daily walking goal. At 6,467, we decided to take a break and go to the Al Bacio café on deck 5 for the Iglu frozen drink.  Then it was back to deck 11 and the Reflections lounge to collect our passports.  We were disappointed that the Greek border Security had not stamped the passports.  We have stamps for Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania.

We had lunch in the Dining Room where we sat with two English women and a man originally from Hungary.  At 2 p.m. the announcement was made that passengers could go off the ship. The wind was still 20 km/hr on the ship and temperature was about 23 C, under a sunny sky. There was a Turkish band in full costume playing on the dock as passengers left the ship.  We decided to wander through the streets from the port to find the Takisum area and after 30 minutes of following signs and winding through narrow streets, we found Takisum Gazi Park at the top of a hill and a large square, where no cars, trucks or buses were allowed. It was the start of an avenue for a pedestrian only, probably 2 kilometers long, of shops (some American and international names) and cafés.  There was even a 7 or 8 storey shopping center called Demiroren with stores such as Gap and Sephora. There were tracks in the center of the street for the occasional tram. There were carts with people selling roasted chestnuts or cooked corn on the cob. After 7 or 8 long blocks, we decided to go back toward the water down a side street. It was narrow and only small cars and trucks could squeeze along the street where sometimes there were cars parked on the sidewalk, which is quite common in Turkey.  There were hair salons, barber shops, cafés, tattoo parlours, clothing stores, small fruit stores, flower shops, meat stores, and bakeries.  Some shops were no larger than 200 square feet.  When we could see the MSC and Celebrity cruise ships by the water, our pedometer count was 19,902 (We had walked almost 14 kilometres today.)  We walked past the university housed on a campus several hundred years old before getting to the security entrance to the port where we swiped are ship cards for the Turkish passport control and then swiped them again as we boarded our ship.  We dropped of our hats, sunglasses and cameras in the stateroom and headed up the 143 stairs to deck 10 for ice cream, which we ate by the outdoor pool watching the ferry and ship traffic on the Bosphorus Strait.  Then, we went back down the stateroom for one of the cameras and back to deck 12 to take final photos of the palaces along the strait that we could see form the ship. Before dinner we danced to the music of the Ocean Band.  Our table of 8 was all present for our last dinner together.  Norm and Sophia had taken a taxi to the Blue Mosque and had no trouble seeing it.  The interior blue tiles give it its name.

Our choices for dinner were Lobster Ravioli for the appetizer, then Panzanella Salad, followed by the entrée choice of Osso Buco (veal) or Beef Bourguinon.  The dessert choices were cheesecake with caramel sauce or chocolate lava cake. We all thanked Angel and Eda for their attentive service of our table for the cruise, then said good-bye to each other.  After dinner, we went back to the stateroom, to pack for departure on Thursday.  We missed the final show which featured multi-instrumentalist Oli Nez.

September 30, 2014

The ship was docked in the New Port of Mykonos, Greece, when we got up.  Originally, we were scheduled to visit the island two days ago, but the forecast was for rain and very strong winds so the itinerary changed. It was also to have been a stop where we were to be tendered from the ship to the dock, but that changed too.  There was still a strong wind (Mykonos is known for its wind.) and everyone was happy that we are docked.  A look out the porthole revealed a clear sky, just as the sun was rising. Temperature this morning is 16 C with winds 25 km per hour. The forecast is for sun and a high of 23 C. We joined Norm and Sophia at breakfast in the dining room and after breakfast we met them at the Celebrity Theater to get the stickers for our sightseeing excursion of the island of Mykonos. Our tour group met on the pier before a short walk to the bus. Our guide was Thelia who spoke very good English. We were on the way for the scenic island drive before 9 a.m. toward the old port in the main town, Chora. We passed through the country side where there are many low stone walls dividing property.  We saw goats and sheep as well as a man riding a donkey along the side of the road. The buildings have whitewashed walls and coloured window frames and doors, with blue being the dominate colour. The first stop for photos was at Ag Ioannis beach for a view of Delos island. It is an uninhabited island where there are archeological ruins. Next stop was Kalafats beach, where the beach was ready for guests to claim the lounges under the umbrellas on the sandy beach. After that, we headed inland to the village of Ano Mera to visit the 16th century Panagia Tourliani Monastery with its marble fascade and marble bell tower. Marble is common building material in Greece. The Greek Orthodox church courtyard is entered where a second storey balcony houses the accommodation for the monks.  There is the main door to enter the church, which is ornately adorned with beautiful post-Byzantine icons. The dome has a stunning fresco representing Jesus Christ. It was a short walk to a restaurant near the town square for a Greek appetizer – olives, cucumber and yogurt spread with tomato and bread - and a taste of ouzo, the anise-flavored aperitif. Then it was back through the countryside to the main town, Chora. Along the way it was explained that many of the older homes had pigeon houses for the pigeons to roost.  The islanders in times past used the droppings of the pigeons as fertilizer and the birds as a source of food before sheep and goats were introduced.  At the 11:30 a.m. stop at Chora, most of the group elected to remain in the town for exploring and then later catching one of the ship arranged shuttle buses for a five minute ride along the coastal road back to the ship.

Here we wandered the town’s quaint narrow streets which gently rose and fell and wound around the old port harbour.  There were many shops and restaurants to capture your attention.  We headed for the five wind mills at the edge of town and, after several misdirections, they appeared in front of us on the southwest end of the town. After photos we strolled along the winding streets again toward the Old Port to find a restaurant with Wi-Fi and enjoyed Greek coffee and Greek baklava at Rouvera.  The baklava was delicious with its golden flaky layers with nuts and honey.  Refreshed, we found more streets and shops to explore, finding a narrow residential street with steps that led up a hill, where we found ourselves well above the windmills by the shore near the Old Port the view was wonderful, although we had the full force of the wind.  We found a different route back down to the Old Port for the shuttle ride and were back to the ship by 2:30 p.m.

After dropping off sunglasses, hats, etc., we went to have gelato on deck 5 followed by specialty coffees, before returning to the stateroom for composing the blog and a rest.  We were even able to dance just one dance in the Rendez-vous Lounge before dinner, since the Nightcaps beat was more for listening than dancing.  Tonight’s themed dinner is Top Chef at Sea, featuring some of the dishes prepared in previous seasons of the Top Chef TV show.  Our choices for dinner were Braised Beef Short Ribs for the appetizer, then Mustard Greens Salad or Minestrone soup, followed by the entrée choice of Veal chop & Choperlea or Flank Steak with cheddar, bacon potato and asparagus salad.  The dessert choices were strawberry in a creamy custard or Vanilla Tres Leches cake. After dinner we decided to shop in the Emporium shops to use up most of our credit balance.  Then we went to the evening show which was the final production with the singers and dancers, Celebrate the World, included an Irish river dance.  There were many ornate costumes and a different set for each chosen country.  Back at the stateroom, we listed all of the purchases for the trip and combined have less than half of one person’s customs declaration amount.

September 29, 2014

The ship was docked when we got up, looking out the porthole we were in the passenger ship harbour which had six ferries and more than eight passenger ships; among the names - Hellenic Seaways, Louis Cruises, Minoan Lines, Ventouris Sea Lines, Korais, and Cunard.  After breakfast in the dining room, we went to the Celebrity Theater to wait for our excursion of sightseeing Athens and visiting the Acropolis. The group was shuttled to the passenger terminal which we walked through to the parking lot full of buses. Our guide was Katarina, who spoke very good English, dispensed radios with earplugs to each passenger so that we could follow her commentary when we arrived at the Acropolis. 

The bus was on the road by 8:30 a.m. for a drive through Piraeus and its three harbours on the way to the Athens City Center.  Along the way, we passed three of the 2004 Olympics stadiums for soccer, basketball and wrestling and a Greek Orthodox Church as well as many bustling streets.  We learned that the Greek city states have been invaded by other Greek city states and other civilizations over the centuries - Roman, Persian and the Turks of the Ottoman times and more recently by Nazi Germany.

The bus was unloading at Acropolis before 9.  We had an 80 minute walk with commentary from Katarina as we walked up the Acropolis hill within the walled fortress, to the Parthenon. Acropolis comes from Greek words: Acro = heights and polis = the city.  The first temple of Athena built on Acropolis hill was destroyed by Persians in 480 B.C.   Parthenon means House of the Virgin.  Athena was a virgin goddess.  The Parthenon was also the Athens treasury.

At the Acropolis, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, we climbed the winding pathway including approximately100 steps that lead to the top of the Propylaea Entrance, on the west side. It was erected between 437 and 432 B.C.  Looking to the east on the south side is an area of rock where is ancient times democracy arrived with the Athenians voting on issued there.  Those people that did not vote were given the name, “idiot”.  Facing the Propylaea Entrance again, on the left, is the small Temple of Athena Nike built in 420 B.C. with its columns in the Ionic style. The wind was very strong, blowing dust into your eyes and making it hard to stand still to take a photo.  You really had to hold on to your hat. Through the entrance, the scaffolding on the Parthenon can be seen and other temple ruins including the agora central open area, the Erechtheum which housed the statue of Athena that was made of wood and had the fabric gown replaced at the Athenian annual festivals as well as other female statues.  The Parthenon is a Doric peristyle white marble structure which was constructed between 447 and 439 BC then decorated between 439 and 432 BC with marble sculptures and also paintings high on the friezes. The statue of Athena in the Parthenon was 40 feet high and made of gold and ivory.  The Parthenon was badly damaged in 1687 when the Turks were using it as a storehouse for gunpowder and it was attached, by Venetians whose cannons shot at the building and the gunpowder exploded inside the building, making restoration efforts very difficult over the past 30 or so years.  Also Lord Elgin’s looting of many Parthenon sculptures and columns caused more damage in the early 1800s.

The new Acropolis Museum is now open, but there was no time in our schedule for a look inside.

Leaving the Parthenon, after two hours of taking in its history, we had a short stop at a reasonably priced souvenir store, then drove past other Athenian landmarks including Hadrian's Arch; the Temple of Olympian Zeus; Panathenaic Stadium, the white marble 58,000 seat site of the first modern Olympic Games held in 1896, which was reconstructed from the remains of the ancient Greek stadium; as well as the former and present parliament buildings.  Stadium comes from the Greek word, Stade = meaning a measure of 600 feet. Then we drove back to the Piraeus dock and passed the Theater of Piraeus. There were no line ups to pass through the terminal to get to the shuttle buses that took a 5 minute route to take us back to the ship.

We went to the Oceanview café on deck 10, after dropping off our hats and backpack in the stateroom (another 143 stairs), then went up to desks 11 and 12 for a few laps around the decks and to take some photos from the ship.  Then taking a break to read and write the blog for a few hours before getting changed for dinner then going for an Iglu cold drink at the Café Al Bacio on deck 5.  We were even able to dance a few dances in the Rendez-vous Lounge before dinner.

Our choices for dinner tonight were Shrimp and Scallops Creviche with lime & avocado for the appetizer, then a Caesar Salad or Wild Mushroom & Barley soup, followed by the entrée choice of Red Snapper or Seafood platter of mussels, clams and scallops.  The dessert choices were a Blueberry Pavlova or Ricotta Cheesecake.   After dinner we danced in the Rendez-vous Lounge and the band even ended the set with a Tango and there were four couples on the dance floor, some evening there have been up to 15 couples when a waltz has been played. The evening show singer is Peter Grant, billed as Britain’s Michael Bublé. Even a visit to the Casino was fit in.