CLICK ON PICTURES FOR LARGER VERSIONS!
KUSADASI (EPHESUS), TURKEY
The ship came into port beside a picturesque fort on what is known as “Pigeon Island.” Two of our table-mates, Steve and Sunshine, joined us for our private tour of the ancient city of Ephesus. Dennis, our guide, had our driver take us to the top of the city, and from there, we gradually descended various colonnades of pillars, one decorated with a unique lion's head protruding from an Ionic top. We saw the large public latrine that tourists wanted their spouses to photograph them sitting on. One of the most interesting sights was the newly excavated, two-story town houses of wealthy citizens of the city with their mosaic floors, marble and painted walls, and elaborate systems of using water for toilets, baths, and heating. The most famous ruin is the two-story facade of the Library of Celsus, which one held around 12,000 scrolls, and the theatre that could hold at least 25,000 people. On the way back, we stopped at a shop where we had a demonstration of how silk is extracted from cocoons, washed, dried, dyed, and eventually woven into amazing rugs. We managed, barely, to avoid taking a mortgage on the house to buy one of them despite the “great price” they'd give us for their end-of-season sale.
 |
| OUR GUIDE - DENIS |
 |
| LATRINE FOR 44! |
 |
| THE TERRACE HOUSES EXCAVATION |
 |
| THEATER - FOR 25K PEOPLE! |
RHODES, GREECE We had not expected much of this small, walled city, but were pleasantly surprised by its low-key atmosphere. We passed the port area where the Colossus may once have stood, and wandered the streets in ideal mid-70s weather, snapping occasional photos of a mosque and the ancient walls. Bob bought a pair of black-topped sandals, and we also bought a handsome hand-cast plate to commemorate our trip to Greece.
 |
| THE HARBOR |
 |
| OUR BEAUTIFUL NEW PLATE |
 |
| LUNCH & FREE WI-FI |
 |
| TYPICAL STREET SCENE |
 |
| WE REALLY WERE THERE! |
SANTORINI, GREECE
People estimate that a volcano under the island erupted around 3600 years ago, sending a tsunami that destroyed the Minoan civilization on Crete. The core of the volcano or caldera flooded with sea water, and now ships have difficulty anchoring there because it's so deep and the edges of the island rise almost straight up a thousand feet or so. There were two cruise ships there, however, ours and the Brilliance of the Seas (Royal Caribbean). In high season, there can be four or more, and all have to use tenders to transport people to the tiny docking station at the foot of the cliffs.
From shipboard, the villages of white-washed houses on the tops of the cliffs look like melting glaciers. To get up to the nearest town, Thira, you can walk, ride a donkey, or take a funicular. We opted for the last of these, and caught a bus to Oia, a slightly less-touristy village at the end of the island. This and later Thira provided lots of photo ops, since the day was sunny and warm (mid-70s). To return to the ship, we opted for the winding path down past herds of donkeys and such an underlay of donkey poop that Bob dubbed the island “Scatorini.”
 |
| SANTORINI...LOOKS SNOWCAPPED |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| OIA |
 |
| OIA |
 |
| PORT - FUNNICULA - WALKWAY |
 |
| COASTLINE |
 |
| LOOKING DOWN ON WALKWAY TO PORT | | | | | | | |
|
|
