”It’s better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.” Asian proverb
CAROL writes: As Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam slowly sailed out of the port of Piraeus into the clear blue waters of the Aegean Sea, it didn't take us any time at all to slip back into the familiar pleasures of shipboard life during a restful day at sea. We visited our favorite hangouts and dining venues:
on the Lido deck,
in the main dining room,
and at specialty dining in Tamarind.
SANTORINI
The ship arrived in the dark and anchored offshore at Santorini, our first port of call. It certainly was impressive to see the city lights of Fira up above and the 588-step zigzag trail down the cliff face. Little did we know that by the end of the day we would become very familiar with this trail of steps 750 ft down from Fira above…
We signed up for a Holland America bus excursion called “The Best of Santorini.” In hindsight, I think we would have enjoyed Santorini more on our own by hiring a private taxi for less than the cost of the excursion; we’re learning…
Nevertheless, we were able to appreciate the incredibly picturesque iconic white buildings with touches of blue for which Santorini is so well known.
The city of Oia was made for picture taking!
It didn’t take long to realize that Santorini was way too well loved by the cruise industry. The enormous number of cruise passengers cramming in by tender boats to see all the same sites was practically unmanageable. This reality led to an enormous traffic jam at the end of the day at the top when simultaneously too many people needed to get down from the cliff back to sea level to catch tenders back to the ships. There were only two ways to do this—wait in an hours-long line in the hot sun for a ride down in the cable cars… or hike the steps.
Rather than wait in the enormously long line at the cable cars, we decided to dodge the donkeys sharing the steps
and hike the nearly 600 stairs down.
Back at sea level, my quads were screaming, but I must admit it was a unique experience, and we survived the donkeys…
NAFPLION
Our only stop on the Grecian Peloponnese peninsula was at Nafplion, a quiet, lovely, photogenic city with a perfect walking path along the shore. Nafplion was also a tender port,
but we didn't mind so much since we had planned our own day with no schedules to keep. The short walk along the port into the city gave us a feeling of relaxation.
After being reassured by a local that we wouldn't get into any trouble, we skirted the gate just like he did and went on our way with no thought of those signs that said “Pedestrians Prohibited.”
Not surprisingly, this seaside walk was pretty much deserted except for a few joggers, leaving us all to ourselves to appreciate calm beauty all around.
Back in the city, our wanderings led us through lovely public squares and narrow picturesque streets. I think we managed to appreciate scenic Nafplion just the right way…
That evening for dinner we met up with a dear high school friend of mine who works seasonally in Alaska for Holland America. I had discovered on Facebook that she would be on this cruise with her sister, so we made plans for a mini high school reunion. We had not seen each other in over 50 years. That evening amid much laughter, we shared rousing tales of our cruise excursions in between interesting stories about each of our lives over the past half century.
KUSADASI, TURKEY
We took a taxi to the archeological site and arrived bright and early before the crowds built up. We used a Rick Steves audio tour to navigate the Roman ruins along the fascinating streets of Ephesus.
The audio tour pointed out highlights:
the marble Baths of Varius,
houses of the elite with well-preserved mosaic floors,
the Temple of Hadrian,
the elegant two-story façade of the Library of Celsus—once the third largest library in the ancient world,
which rated individual selfies,
and, on a less serious side—ancient community toilets.
The best view of the Great Theater was looking back on exiting the site.
ISTANBUL
After four days of constantly being on the go, we welcomed a day at sea as we headed north to Istanbul through some mighty interesting waters. The Nieuw Statendam maneuvered through the narrow Dardanelles Strait into the Sea of Marmara, then into the narrow Bosporus Strait to our next port of call in Istanbul.
One of our most anticipated ports of call on this cruise was the most unique city of Istanbul, the only city in the world located on two different continents (Europe and Asia). Istanbul has a population of 15 million and is overwhelmingly Muslim, with over 3000 mosques,
so we anticipated some unique cultural experiences. We set out early across the Galata Bridge
into the heart of the so-called historic area of Istanbul called the Golden Horn.
We visited the Grand Bazaar, the oldest and largest covered market in the world. Turkish pride in the form of their flag was on full display.
At the world-famous Spice Market, I made a few additions to the spice drawer in my kitchen.
The foremost attraction in Istanbul is Hagia Sophia, and long lines were there to prove it.
Mindful of being respectful of Islamic religious custom, we both removed our shoes. I donned a scarf along with all the other women.
Men had no such cover-up rules.
The immense scale and design of the architectural features beneath the giant dome of Hagia Sophia were somewhat overwhelming to the eyes. Many oversize brightly lit chandeliers contributed to the aura.
Throughout centuries of its history, Hagia Sophia has functioned as both a Christian and an Islamic house of worship. Christian stone elements were there if you looked closely…
We arrived at the nearby 17th century Blue Mosque just as prayers had started, so we had plenty of time in the courtyard to appreciate just how lovely the blue color scheme was. This symbol of Islamic faith was lovelier both inside and out than Hagia Sophia, just not as large, famous or crowded.
Back outside in the city streets, endless crowds made for dicey navigation through very narrow side streets.
Throughout the city, periodic singsong Arabic calls to prayer by the muezzin over a loudspeaker added to a unique cultural experience. In the streets of Istanbul, we put 9 challenging miles on our trackers! In the end, we were exhausted but happy with all we had accomplished on a very demanding day in Istanbul.
As we sailed out of the port of Istanbul, poor air quality created eerie silhouettes of Istanbul's most recognizable landmarks.
We were so fortunate to have been able to experience our Turkish ports of call in Ephesus and Istanbul. Sadly, just two weeks prior, war had broken out between the Israelis and the Palestinians. In the coming days, several cruise lines would cancel all ports of call to Istanbul.
The next day for us it was once again back out into the waters of the Cyclades Islands of the Aegean Sea. This time our destination was the tiny island of Mykonos.
To be continued…
“Every voyage is divided into stages. It is best to sail them one at a time.” Peter F. Hamilton, The Neutronium Alchemist
Carol Galus
Photo-Blogger
