The trip in pictures (slideshow)...

Click here to see a slideshow of the trip.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

The view from the city walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia, and the Dalmatian Coast...

A little of the Greek culture ...

The tour group had lunch in a Greek restaurant.  In addition to a sampling of Greek cuisine, Ouzo was served.  Ouzo turns white when water is added.  They call it "tigers milk" because you roar when you drink enough.  Here's a little of lunch show while visiting at Katakolan.

Palm Sunday in Bari, Italy

Palm Sunday was spent in Bari, Italy.  The tour group made a visit to the local cathedral to see the services.  It seems unusual that tourists walk in on church services to observe.  I guess the people of Bari are used to it.

The Video: Leaving Venice for Bari

The internet connection was too slow on the ship to post a video.  Here's one when I departed from Venice on the MSC Magnifica on March 31, 2012.

Visting Dubrovnik, Croatia ...

Well, there was only one day on the cruise that was foggy and drizzled rain.  I still think the city of Dubrovnik is beautiful.  It was encircled by walls to protect it from the seafaringVenetians of long ago. I climbed all those steps and made it around the entire city ... I did better than some of the young ones on the tour!

Here are a few of my pictures...

The view looking down on Dubrovnik from the mountainside.

The main street of Old Dubrovnik looking down from the city wall.

The city was fortified against attack.  I climbed all those steps to view the city!

A fort on the bluff outside of Dubrovnik.

The old harbor ... too small for today's ships which use a newer port outside the city.

Next stop is Dubrovnik, Croatia

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A few observations…

 Vegas style abounds all around and a little glitz never hurt anyone.

I am really enjoying this trip.  It's my first cruise experience, and I didn’t know what to expect.

According MSC (an Italian cruise company), most of the their cruises in Europe have only about 5-10 percent from the USA.  I’ve come in contact with a few.  I met two ladies from Chicago (a speech-language pathologist and her friend who is the wife of a pediatrician.  I was also on a tour with one other American couple from New Hampshire.

I ate with an Italian family the first few nights (friendly but tough communicating).  I’m now assigned to a table with a couple (Spanish and English) with a 10 year old who live in London.  It has been great talking with them … one is a party planner for major international events and the other is employed by EMI records.  I also bonded a little with a family from Norway (dad is a math teacher, mom is a special education teacher, and their two kids are in their 20s with perfect English).  The Norwegian dad wanted to share lots of history with me when he learned of my interest. 

The ship operates in an amazing fashion.  You leave your room and it is instantly cleaned.  This seems to happen two or three times each day.  Everyone is working hard on the staff, and they like to engage you in conversation (I guess they’re practicing their language skills). 

The restaurants are great.  There are multiple ones, but I’ve eaten dinner in my assigned room each night.  I think I will skip it tonight because I don’t want to dress again for the gala event.  I might just eat in the cafeteria that has an ocean view (where most folks eat breakfast and lunch).

I would say the décor of the ship is Las Vegas chic: lots of bold colors, plenty of lights, razzle/dazzle shows and themed locations.  I’ve really enjoyed going to the bars.  Bars seem to be family affairs during the early part of the evening with kids dancing to the music.  Of course, bars open at 7AM (kind of like New Orleans) and have entertainment with live bands beginning around 4 PM. 

So, I am enjoying this vacation.  There is only one more excursion day in Croatia tomorrow and then it is back to Venice. 

Touring Istanbul...

The ship docked on the European side of the Bosphorus.   

I am short on time today (actually I'm tired and ready to close the door on the day), so here are few photos of my adventures in a Muslim country.  

Hagia Sophia was once a church then a mosque.  It is now a museum.  

Christian symbols are still present (Mary and Jesus above) in Hagia Sophia.  

The Grand Bazaar has so many Turkish products (rugs, leather items, ceramics, and gold).

A boat ride in the harbor to see both sides (Europe and Asia) of the city.

Built in 1609, the Blue Mosque welcomes all (but no shoes allowed).

Turkish rug-making ... double knots only. I also saw a "flying carpet."

Lunch was at Ciragan Palace (now a hotel) on the Bosphorus ... beautiful site and great food.

Topkapi Palance ... The home for the Ottoman Empire.  Turkish jewels are on view.

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Day 4: Visiting Ephesus

The excursion to Ephesus was great.  I learned a little more about the history of the region (part of Asia Minor) and its connection to Christianity.

Over 90% of the folks in Turkey are Muslims; however, our guide is quick to point out that they are not like the folks in the Middle East.  Girls cannot wear coverings when they attend college.  It is illegal in some areas to wear them.

Christians, Jews and Muslims are buried in separate cemeteries.  We saw a Muslim and a Christian graveyard during the excursion.  

Muslims in Turkey do not eat pork, but they have no objections to alcoholic beverages.  That was shared with the group by the tour guide.  

The pictures below tell part of the story to my excursion in Ephesus and learning about the Ephesians during the time of Roman control…

When you gotta go ... public toilets (only the rich could have them in their homes

The small theatre

The library

Marble paved streets of Ephesus... The harbor street (sea doesn't extend to this area now).

The amphitheater.  Merchants did not allow St. Paul to speak fearing financial ruin (no more selling of icons).  Paul lived in Ephesus for about 3 years and wrote much of his books (letters) in the Bible during this time.

Returning to the ship for the next leg of the journey (Istanbul)

Today's excursion is to Izmir, Turkey

Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

Leaving Katakolon for Izmir, Turkey

We left right on time (1 PM).  Here are a few photos from the MSC dock and the deck of the MSC Magnifica.  Tonight is the gala event, and I sat with folks (mom, dad, son and all four grandparents from Italy) who spoke no English.  Their son tried to translate, but I think my souther dialect confused him.

This ship is gigantic (Note the size of folks walking beside the bus).

A tugboat and a passenger boat ... Someone missed the time for return.

Removing the rope and getting underway.

The weather is perfect, and many are enjoying the sun on the upper decks.

Katakolan and the Ancient Olympic Games

The ancient Olympic stadium and the temple dedicated to Zeus.

I had to get up earlier this money.  The crew reminded everyone in the “daily activities guide) that there is 7 hours difference in US and local time. 

So, as I write this, it is about 2 PM back home, but we are the midst of a beautiful day on Katakolon.

Here are few the pictures today.  I’ve turned each day into a slide show, but it is too large of a file to transmit or post.

After touring the ancient Olympic stadium, we went to a local Greek restaurant. I’ m not sure what I ate … I believe the meat was lamb.  The next thing you know there’s singing and dancing.  Four dancers did some interesting and traditional dancing.

Ouzo may have helped in encouraging the folks on the tour to join the group for some dancing.

The traditional Greek dances were demonstrated.    

The temple to Zeus ... One the wonders of the ancient world.

                               

Entry into the ruins of the original Olympic stadium.

The source of the fire for Olympic Games. 

The competition for sports and track events  during the Ancient Olympics .

The sports arena for many of the track and field sports.

The starting gate (stone) for many of the track and field events.

A lone column to the building dedicated to Zeus.

I have cool videos of my trip that I’m collecting via iPhoto application.  The internet is just too slow for uploading them to the Blogger server at this point. 

P.S. The diagram of the grounds of the Ancient Olympics is pretty accurate.  The mountain (which is really a large hill can be seen.  

Wonders of the Ancient World (with clickable links):

Great Pyramid of GizaHanging 

Gardens of Babylon

Statue of Zeus at Olympia

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus

Colossus of Rhodes

Lighthouse of Alexandria

A little advance homework for Day 3…

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Katakolon port lies on the Greek coast and serves as the gateway to Olympia, the ancient site where the Olympics were originally staged.

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The ship must be getting to the port pretty early because my excursion leaves at 7:45 AM.

Day 2 - Bari, Italy

St. Nicholas

Bari is a beautiful Italian City on the sea. The guide said that it has the largest coastline in Italy (only smaller than Trieste is bigger.

 

The old port only used by fishermen and small sailing vessels.  The ship docked at the new port, which is very impressive. 

Bari is known for olive oil and seafood.  It is also the site where St. Nicholas is buried.

The tradition of Saint Nicholas Day, usually on 6 December is a festival for children in many countries in Europe related to surviving legends of the saint, and particularly his reputation as a bringer of gifts. Santa Clause has its origins with St. Nicholas.

Today is Palm Sunday and folks had branches as a part of the celebration as they left church.  I went to both the Basilica and the Cathedra.  The music and choir sounded great, and I have a video of it (just can't post because of limitation here at sea).

I also had a chance to see the making of pasta by a lady in the street. It was amazing how fast she could form the pasta. You’ll notice in the photo below that she had it in the sun to dry.

Here are few shots of my visit.

Click on a picture to make it larger for viewing.

The view of MSC Magnifica ... It's huge!

The short drive from the port to the historic city of Bari, Italy.

Several elderly ladies were making homemade past to sell to local restaurants.  It sits in the sun to dry.

Returning to MSC Magnifica.

My next stop tomorrow will be in Greece. Katakolon is the place we’ll dock, and ancient Olympia (the Olympics) will be a ruin that will be toured.

Bari, Italy (Day 2)

Bari, Italy is our first port of call.  After breakfast, I took a few shots of the Apulia coast as the ship sailed this morning.

View of the Italian Coast as the ship makes its way to Bari, Italy.

I will be taking a city tour at 10 AM.  I’ll try to post a few pictures later today.

Leaving Venice...

The MSC Magnifica set sail from Venice a little before 5 PM.  The Church bells were ringing as we made the trip through the Grand Canal.

Evacuation Drill @ 4:30 PM

Leaving the pier

The view of San Marco Square from the ship.

Final shots of the city.