Lazy Day at Sea

November 21, 2011

In between Turkey and Egypt, we enjoyed an idyllic day at sea to relax and savor a quiet day cruising on the Mediterranean. Besides the obvious eating, we enjoyed some Bingo, musical and magic shows in the theatre, reading on deck, towel animals, and plenty of live music in the Aloha lounge. And more food.

One dining area even put on Death By Chocolate one night, with an entire buffet of chocolate sculptures and treats.

Turkey - Izmir/Ephesus

November 20, 2011

We arrived at dawn in the Turkish port of Izmir, a city of 3.5 million on the western coast of the larger portion of Turkey situated in Asia Minor (versus Istanbul and the small portion located in Europe). Unlike our other destinations and their well-known history, we had few pre-conceived notions of what to expect from Turkey.

In the end, Turkey was the highlight of the trip by all accounts. Clean, beautiful, friendly and interesting....not to mention the best tour guide we have had of any tour, EVER!

Izmir was the jumping off point for a relatively short bus ride through the scenic agricultural countryside to the fabled ruins at Ephesus. Having toured Pompeii two years ago, these ruins were equally fascinating. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Our day also included a visit to a carpet-maker, located on an idyllic Turkish farm surrounded by rugged hills. We watched silk and cotton Turkish rugs being made by hand, before they plied us with wine and an impressive carpet demo that resulted in more than a few purchases amongst the group. In order to preserve their industry, the Turkish government actually subsidizes the effort, including covering all shipping, duty and taxes, and insurance for rugs to be shipped direct to your home, using a rebate program.

Yes, we brought home a SMALL Turkish rug, more of a "runner" that we can hang on the wall, n light of the cats and all. It helps the bargaining situation to be one of the last cruise ships of the season. :)

Izmir itself was also quite lovely, especially the waterfront promenade on the Mediterranean. We took the opportunity before boarding the ship to enjoy authentic local cuisine, beer and Turkish coffee at a seaside eatery.

Greece - Athens

November 19, 2011

The next morning saw us docked in Piraeus, the port of Athens, for a day in the historic capital city. Our particular tour focused mainly on the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

Athens is a city of many hills, and the Acropolis hill dominates the centre of this large city (5 million), where roughly half of the entire population of Greece resides. The Parthenon (currently undergoing restorative efforts) is the focal point of the Acropolis, though other ancient structures share the hilltop as well.

Lots of worn stairs and climbing....and obviously lots of history.

The view of the top, and from the top, is simply stunning. Athens was otherwise busy and covered in graffiti, though in fairness we were there during economic and political turmoil, and our opinion is formed by the fairly narrow scope of the tour we chose.

We spent the remainder of the day on the top decks of the ship, enjoying the 360 degree view of the harbour and city and hills beyond, before sailing off into the sunset....

Greece - Katakolon/Olympia

November 18, 2011

We awoke the next morning already docked in the small Greek fishing village of Katakolon, in the western Peloponnese region. This quaint hamlet was the jumping off point for the relatively short bus ride through mountainous terrain strewn with orange and olive groves, to the ancient site of Olympia where the earliest Olympic games were held over two thousand years ago.

Among the ruins of stadiums and gymnasiums stands the one remaining pillar of the former Temple of Zeus, which housed a statue in his honour that was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Also still legible at the entrance to the arena, were the stones where those caught cheating in the Games had to etch their names for eternity, along with what they did to earn their shame.

After touring the ruins and running a length of the ancient arena, we returned via coach to Katakolon and enjoyed some shopping and a nice lunch on the waterfront. After all, what is a trip to Greece without a real Greek salad and a jug of red wine at seaside? I had never seen a brick of feta so large on one salad....the waiter kept apologizing that it had broken under it's own weight before he could get it to the table! Parakolo!

1. Remaining pillar of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia

2. Greek ruins

3. Ancient arena

4. Real Greek salad!

5. Norwegian Jade docked at Katakolon

Day at Sea - Italian Coast

November 17, 2011

Leaving Civitavecchia behind, we spent a relaxing day cruising southeast along the Italian coastline. With no specific itinerary, we further explored the ship and enjoyed some quiet time on the sea.

For our viewing pleasure, we passed alongside two of Ialty's three active volcanoes along the way, having seen the third (Vesuvius) at Pompeii on our previous trip to Italy. First we passed the volcanic isle of Stromboli on the starboard (west) side, literally a volcano in the sea with a small village at the base.

Shortly thereafter we passed through the Straits of Messina, where Sicily and mainland Italy are separated by a narrow gap, site of the world's most infamous bridge likely to never be built. An Italian pilot had to come aboard via speedboat to guide the Jade through the treacherous passage.

We also passed volcano Mount Etna on the far end of Sicily as we cleared the Straits, though on this day she was obscured by clouds.

1. Stromboli

2. Mainland Italy

3. Sicily - city of Messina

4. Time for lunch

All Aboard!

November 16, 2011

Upon arrival at Civitavecchia, we boarded the Jade and hooked up with the rest of the Coxes. Early arrival meant we all had to hang out on deck and while away a few hours with beer and buffet while waiting for our staterooms to be ready, before late afternoon departure from port.

We also explored our confines, some 14 long decks holding 2400 passengers and over 1000 crew. Amenities included many pools, spas, a basketball court, bars, lounges, restaurants, casinos, etc.

Eventually we got our room assignments and settled in for the journey, including a memorable welcome aboard production in the ship's Stardust Theatre, as the massive vessel glided slowly out to sea....

Off to the Mediterranean!

November 14-16, 2011

Started our fabulous Mediterranean odyssey with a flight out of Toronto, direct to Rome, courtesy of the fine folks at Alitalia. Free wine and emergency exit legroom translates roughly to "heaven" in Italian.

Eight hours and six time zones later, we touched down at Fiumicino (aka Leonard Da Vinci) airport, and relatively promptly boarded the express train to downtown Rome. After dumping our rather large and heavy backpacks at Hotel Montreal, near central Termini Station, we set off to explore Rome on foot and mainly force ourselves to stay awake as long as possible to stave off jetlag.

Large and frequent groups of police, Carabinieri (military police) and media helped us stay alert, as Italy ushered out reviled Prime Minister Berlusconi and ushered in a new era amidst economic turmoil in the Eurozone. Having said that, the country has none less than 38 political parties jockeying for leverage, and the average federal government last 8 months.

Having seen the sights, including the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona, we finally succumbed to body clocks and crashed. The next morning we caught another train bound for Civitavecchia, the port of Rome over an hour west to the coast. It was here that we would catch the cruise ship Norwegian Jade, and hook up with the rest of Jane's family for a ten day voyage around the cradle of civilization.