We docked at Corfu (Kerkyra) on Thursday; it is one of the Greek islands in the Ionian Sea. According to Thucydides, in the 5th century BC, it was one of the 3 great naval powers of Greece (along with Athens and Corinth). But because Corfu was in such a strategic position, sovereignty over the island […]
Read More »Today we stopped at Katakolon in Greece. We had the opportunity to visit a vineyard and an olive grove (and the processing plants for their products) near Olympia, Greece. It was a beautiful day to be outdoors and meet the owners of these family businesses – and to taste some very good olive oils […]
Read More »We did a short (2 ½ hour) walking tour in the small but relentlessly cute town of Nafplion. Greece. It is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece. Additionally, it is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important tourist destination. First stop: we visited Kapodistrias Square. On the top […]
Read More »Easter in Athens We started out the day (OK it was closer to noon) by going to a Mass in St Paul’s church in Athens. The Mass was concelebrated by Fr Patrick, the chaplain of the ship. Then at 6:00 PM Crystal Cruises sponsored an event for world cruisers. The event was held at the […]
Read More »Mykonos is a small windy island that is part of the Cyclades Islands, in the Aegean Sea. It is difficult to grow things on the rocky, steep hills of Mykonos. However, in the past the wind made it a great place for farmers from other islands to come and use the Mykonos windmills (for grinding […]
Read More »We are back in Greece now, where we had a nice walking tour of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city (after Athens). Again, tons of history in this city, some reflected in its archeology museum, and much in the monuments all over the city (including Alexander the Great ). We spent a good deal […]
Read More »Our next stop was 2 full days in Istanbul. Approximately 30% of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) is in Europe (measured by land mass) and 70% is in Asia. The two sides are separated by the Bosphorus Strait. About 16 million people live in the city, and many commute between the two continents for work. The […]
Read More »After two days in Greece, we moved on to Türkiye (Turkey), a country with a unique geographic position and an incredible history. It is partly in Europe and partly in Asia. A ferry shuttles between the two; it’s about a half hour ride. Most of the land mass is in Asia but most of the […]
Read More »Our next stop was the island of Rhodes. With a population of 56,000 in the city proper and 90,000 counting the outskirts, Rhodes is the principal city of the island of Rhodes. Built by the Hospitalliers, it is one of the best-preserved medieval cities of Europe, and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. […]
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