“Pity the nation that knows no other language but its own
and no other culture but its own.”
― Lawrence Ferlinghetti
MYKONOS
CAROL writes: The island of Mykonos is located right in the hub of the wheel-shaped Cyclades archipelago in the Aegean Sea. At Mykonos our port of call was scheduled for only 5 hours. In addition, this was another tender port,
making our schedule on land even more crunched. So we were faced with a tough choice on our part.
We decided to forgo the Mykonos beaches, lighthouse, and historic churches in favor of a 4-hour excursion to Delos, one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece. The island of Delos was a short 30-minute ferry ride away.
For millennia, in Greek mythology Delos had been considered the birthplace of twins Apollo and Artemis, children of Zeus, the chief Greek deity. As such, Delos was regarded as a very holy sanctuary in ancient Greek civilization.
Human habitation on Delos dates back the third millennium BC. Two thousand years ago Delos was a thriving center of Greek civilization and trade with a population of over 30,000. Today, Delos is an archaeological treasure trove of well-preserved ruins featuring houses, theaters, temples, and statues. Before the ferry even docked, we could appreciate the immense scope and variety of the ruins we were about to explore.
Although Delos is always a very popular tourist destination, the tour worked well because we were given headphones to hear the tour guide’s narration. The vastness and excellent preservation of the ruins did not disappoint us at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Terrace of Lions dates back to the sixth century BC and is the most iconic ruin on Delos. I found out later that the lion statues we saw were replicas, as the originals have been relocated to a nearby museum where they are protected from thievery and the elements. Only 5 lion statues remain of what was once believed to be possibly 12-16 lions that guarded an ancient monumental avenue. The Terrace made for a popular photo op, and so we waited patiently for our turn.
At the end of a very interesting day, we felt like the excursion to Delos had been the right decision, considering our time constraints on Mykonos.
SOUDA (CHANIA), CRETE
On the island of Crete, our ship docked at the Port of Souda, a short 20-minute bus ride to the eye-catching town of Chania. In Chania we elected for a day of leisurely strolls along the city’s picturesque streets and 14th century Venetian harbor. From the outset, Chania’s ambience was outstanding.
On our self-guided walk, we navigated through the colorful Venetian quarter, then stopped for a leisurely snack,
where we had the most perfect view of the entrance to the harbor.
We decided to navigate the seawall along the lovely crescent-shaped harbor out to the lighthouse. The crystal clear waters of the Sea of Crete were superb!
For us, Chania oozed charm and was just about the most relaxing, picturesque harbor town we could imagine in this part of the world. We certainly left with wanting more…
MESSINA, ITALY (SICILY)
The next day we had a welcome respite at sea, relaxing in all our favorite spots.
We woke up the following morning in Messina, Italy, on the island of Sicily. At its closest point Sicily is only 2 miles from the Italian mainland at the toe of the “boot,” with the two separated by the Strait of Messina.
The island of Sicily was the site of a major campaign in WW II. The conquest of Sicily by the Allies was a key element that led to the collapse of the government of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. The subsequent surrender of the Italian government helped secure the Mediterranean Sea for Allied shipping and paved the way for the Italian mainland assault, which began at the Strait of Messina.
By this cruise, our third with Holland America, we have learned that an excursion at every port is not really essential to appreciate a port of call. So once again, we passed on taking any ship excursions and decided we could see the best of Messina on our own.
Our first destination was the Norman Messina Cathedral and clock tower in Piazza del Duomo.
Inside, the architecture, statuary and tile floors were just as impressive as the outside, although photography was challenging in the massive interior.
This church was built by the Normans in the 12th century. During its turbulent history it was destroyed and rebuilt on the same site several times.
Our plan-ahead research had told us that for the very best views of Messina we needed to head uphill. At the high point was the beautiful Baroque-style Shrine of Christ the King. This facility functions as a tomb to house the remains of those who died in the two world wars.
The climb to the high point of the city was worth it for the view of the Strait of Messina.
And there was our ship below conveniently docked very close to town.
As we closed out our self-guided walking tour of Messina, we stopped for a light lunch before getting back on board the ship. We didn't even mind a sudden torrential downpour since we were undercover at the restaurant.
Local rainy conditions made for a very special departure from Messina… as we sailed straight into a rainbow.
SALERNO, ITALY
Our original itinerary had us scheduled to stop next in Naples, Italy, but a ship’s itinerary can change at any time, and that is what happened to us. However, Salerno was a very satisfactory trade-off for us. Al’s father had participated in the WW II Allied invasion of Salerno in 1943 when he served with the US Navy. We did not see any obvious signs along the waterfront that this event ever occurred; nevertheless, the emotional connection with his father was there for Al.
Salerno certainly was picturesque, and the port provided great views of the Italian Autostrada,
which I clearly remember driving on back in 2014 during our year abroad. I remember it well because we got off onto secondary roads very quickly after becoming intimidated by crazy Italian drivers on the Autostrada!
The port of Salerno was relatively small and conveniently close to the city.
By way of history, Pompeii was an ancient Roman city with an estimated population of 12,000 when the nearby volcano of Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD and buried the city under a thick carpet of volcanic ash. The city slumbered preserved for centuries until its ruins were discovered in the late 16th century.
We had been to Pompeii in 2014, so this time we decided to focus our efforts on seeing the restored villas that had not been available to the public on our previous visit. It was fun to be back…
On the way to the villas, we lingered once again at some of the iconic venues at Pompeii like the Forum, the hub of public life,
the basilica,
and one of many ancient fast food eateries.
The restored villas illustrated the extravagant lifestyle of the wealthy residents who lived in Pompeii,
with their grandiose colorfully stuccoed walls and spacious courtyards and interior rooms. The display of corpses who perished in the eruption was a little ghoulish, but oddly fascinating in its own way.
Frustratingly, for most of the day Mt Vesuvius played hard to get… but the mountain finally relented in spectacular fashion as we were exiting the ruins.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I have been convinced that cruising in Europe provides a whole lot more for the money than cruising in the Caribbean like we did on our two previous Holland America cruises. This 14-day cruise to Turkey and the Greek Isles, plus the extra 6 days we tacked on in Athens before departure day, was everything we hoped for.
We disembarked from the Nieuw Statendam in Civitavecchia (seaport for Rome) and spent that night at the Hilton Rome Airport Hotel at Fiumicino Airport
in preparation for a very long multi-stop flight back to Jacksonville.
As we sailed out of Salerno up the coast of Italy to Civitavecchia for our final night at sea, we thought the full moon over the Isle of Capri was just about the most perfect ending to what was a marvelous vacation in every way.
“I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” —Mary Anne Radmacher
Carol Galus
Photo-Blogger
