Princess - Ship Food - Volume 1

May 2012 - This is volume one of the food review.

This is what we ate, in addition to the buffet food. And in addition to the little cafe with coffee and pastries.  I neglected to take the piles of food that we enjoyed when we went to the buffet.  Most of these meals we had at the any time dining at the Michelangelo Restaurant.

These little delights went along with the wine tasting that was a special event.

Venice, Italy - Grand Sail-In

We had stopped at many ports prior to coming to Venice, but nothing compares to the beauty of the sail-in here.  Passengers were lining every outside rail for a chance to see Venice from a unique and high perspective.  I was on the 15th deck at the front of the ship.  Italian opera was playing on the loud speakers and it was beautiful.

This map should give you a good idea on our path as we made our way to our berth. (google maps)

Day at Sea - Relaxation day

5/22/2012 - Day at sea.  Finally a chance to sleep in, rest, and chat about all that we had seen.

Athens, Greece

We pulled in to Athens on an overcast day with mild temperatures. Perfect for touring!  The port of Piraeus is a very short distance from Athens.

The port not only holds the cruise ships but the smaller fishing boats as well.

This is my first view of the Acropolis after we entered Athens.  

The Athens temple.

The marble Olympic Stadium was built in 1895.  Totally made from local marble, a relatively inexpensive building material!

Syntagma or Constitution Square is an elegant space in front of the Parliament.  This is the gathering place of protesters.  It was originally built as a home for the Greek kings, and also hosts the monument to the Uknown Soldier.

We stopped for a coffee break at a palace-now-hotel.  We liked the coffee and snacks, especially the pistachio cookies.

A typical street in Athens.  You used to be able to see the Acropolis from every where in the city until the housing boom set in and multiple storied apartments were built.

A good view of the (under renovation) Acropolis.

This is a store on the low budget market street. It looks like they sell everything that you would need.

We stopped at an official store approved by the cruise lines.  Many nice things at a reasonable price such as jewelry, reproductions of statues, ceramics.  I would recommend going to Athens; we felt safe and the city was clean.

Athens - Panathenaic Stadium

In honor of the Olympics, I am posting my photos from the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. The remains of the ancient Greek stadium, it was refurbished in time for the 1896 Olympics and hosted the first of the modern day Olympic games.

Kusadasi, Turkey

Kusadasi (coo sha daa see) is now the port city for this area of Turkey.  They have improved the port to encourage tourism and cruise ships to visit Ephesus.  The tour guide was very friendly, said that he was a Roman History teacher for high school aged students, and had three daughters.  The country is about 98% Muslim, and he said that he was in the minority as a Christian.  He carried “worry beads” that are supposed to relieve stress and calm you down. They were always in his hand.

The ruins at Ephesus are at about a 15% renovations, so this site will improve with time as more and more buildings are uncovered.  It used to be the port, but the entrance has been filled with silt over the decades and it is now 5 miles from the sea. 

The gold statue is of Mary, and a gift from the people of Lima, Ohio.

The round domes are the ruins of a Turkish bath. The holes in the ceiling let in light.

Two well preserved and interesting statues found at Ephesus are in the small museum in the town. This little museum is well done and I took a lot of photos so I will write more about this in a later post.

We also stopped at a rug making school.  The girl is demonstrating how silk is removed from cocoons.  She gets four or five pods unraveled, then hooks them to a spinner that combines the individual threads into a thicker one which is then put on a spinning wheel.

The presenter at the rug school, aka rug shop, was explaining/justifying the cost of the rugs based upon the materials used (wool, cotton, silk) and the number of knots per square inch.  The size of the rug is also to be taken in to consideration.  We were told that the first quality rugs were kept here so that we are getting a chance to buy the best.  I’m not in the process in my home renewal to be able to select rugs.  The 3’x4’ ones were about $400, shipping was included. (We had 15-20 minutes to tour at each site and an hour at the rug store. Our group revolted, and we ended up on the bus and leaving 20 minutes early!!)

The countryside was filled with farmland, fruit and nut trees. (later)

The last photo shows some seaside condos with the Crown Princess in the background. (later)

Istanbul - City Celebrates National Holiday

5/19/2012 Istanbul was decorated and very clean in preparation of "Commemoration of Ataturk".  This was a very big point of pride for our tour guide.  The full name is "Commemoration of Ataturk, Youth and Sports Day". Read more about the celebration here.  May 19 is regarded as the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence. Mustafa Kemal Amaturk was the first President of Turkey and established modern Turkey.  Turkey's flag was on display throughout the city.

Istanbul – Sampling of the day

I’ll write in greater detail on each of the things that I saw in a later post but I wanted to give you a sampling of what we saw as we toured Istanbul.

First off, I don’t know what I expected but I was certainly more than pleased with what I saw.  The city is very clean and offers a lot of modern transportation options. 

Today was a national holiday and the national flag was shown on a lot of buildings and hanging as banners.  The flags are the red banners with a star and a moon.  The guide explained the story of the flag, but I need to do some independent research to report the details.  All in all, it was a holiday for the country and the flag was proudly displayed everywhere.

We started off on the European side, and then crossed the bridge to the Asian side. I was thrilled to add a new continent to my list of visited ones.  The Asian side is mostly residential, looks clean and well kept.  The second photo shows the hotels and restaurants along the water.

We saw many beautiful mosques in the city.  We also stopped at Hagia Sophia and were able to tour inside as it is now a museum.  The street vendors were persistent, although not as aggressive as in Cairo. I practiced my negotiating skills and selected some scarves and bracelets.  The tour guide said to negotiate and be happy with your deal and DO NOT come back to the ship and compare bargains.  I can see why because I think that I made the best deal that any one could make and I would be crushed to meet the person who did better than I!!!

After the tour of the museum, we headed towards the Grand Bazaar.  We started at the intersection of Babiali Street and Nuruosmaniye Street.  Nuruosmaniye Street is a pedestrian walkway lined with shops and restaurants.  At the end of the street is the entrance to the Grand Bazaar through Gate 1.  I think that I was expecting a wild place, but the Grand Bazaar is a shopping mecca.  We walked past jewelry stores and earrings called out to me.  As we were looking at a shop with very colorful ceramics, Mom asked where we could find spices.  The shopkeeper walked us a little was to a spice shop and I was able to get the spices that I was looking for.  (Note to self: stop by the Spice Bazaar on my next visit!!!)

We returned to the ship, and with my Istanbul inspired shopping frenzy, I had to stop to buy Turkish tea and coffee at the duty free shop. 

We depart Istanbul at about 5:00 tonight and my film director (Mom) said that there were many beautiful sites of mosques and palaces on the way to the port.  I will be on deck filming!

Delos, Greece

Delos is a full island archeology site.  The ship docked at Mykonos and we took a half hour ferry to the island of Delos.  The island is inhabited now by those working the site and supporting the facilities.  The walk was easy and the guide provided a lot of information about the many groups who took over the island.

The photos show the stormy sky as rain approached the area. The shot off the back of the ship (with the blue flag) is looking back at Mykonos.  The rocky mountain is the mountain of Zeus, and the stairs led to the top. The four columns are a temple of Isis.   The four jugs are wine bottles.  Sanitation was always available on the island and the covered trench is an ancient sewer.  Several photos show the ruins over the area, a piece of a tiled floor that has been found.  The yellow house with the red windows is an example of the archeologist residence.  The houses on Delos were all painted this color. 

We stopped in the little restaurant for some Greek coffee.  Nice and strong with sediment in the bottom.

This was a delightful trip, and although the clouds were menacing and the thunder getting closer, we did not get rain until we returned to the ship.  Jane and Eliz went in to Mykonos and had rain during the day.

Cairo to Alexandria, Egypt - Highway Fun

5/16/2012 By this time we had spent two days in Egypt and were becoming accustomed to the sights and activity.  The return trip to Alexandria did not disappoint.

Cairo - Cairo Alex Desert Road Scenes

5/15/2012 We are on the last third of the three hour drive from Alexandria to Cairo.
This is another roadside cafe.  Three people were sitting inside the cafe to keep out of the sun.

Egypt - Life Along the Cairo-Alex Desert Road

5/15/2012 The three hour drive from Alexandria to Cairo continues through suburbs, farmland, and new road construction.

Giza, Egypt - Mycerinus Pyramid

5/16/2012 There was plenty of action at the Mycerinus Pyramid.  It is one of the three pyramids that remain in the area of the Sphinx in Giza.

Giza, Egypt – The Pyramids and the Sphinx

Breathtaking to view these great wonders of the world. It was hot and dusty. The street vendors were very persistent.  “No, thank you.” appeared to be encouraging words.