So after last summer’s fun cruise we decided to do another one this summer, but instead explore the East Mediterranean. We researched many of the different cruise lines and the perfect one happened to be on the same boat we were on last year. We figured a year later they should have different shows/entertainment and why not go again. One of the places I have always wanted to visit is Pompeii, Italy and with the cruise leaving from Rome we were able to arrange to spend a day in Pompeii, which was amazing. We flew to Naples and made our way to Pompeii. Of course it was rush hour and we found ourselves on a commuter train with no A/C on a hot day, but it was worth it. We picked a hotel across the street from the excavation site as we were going to be there on the Sabbath. On Saturday we spent about 4 hours just walking around the site, which is something interesting to see. We took many mental pictures because couldn’t use our cameras on the Sabbath. We bought a guide book, so we would have pictures of the things we saw. It is really just an excavation site and every day they are excavating more ruins. I was a bit disappointed because as Scott says I was looking for a “Disney” experience. I thought would have been nice to have some introductory videos or museums with artifacts around the ruins, but that is not the case. But in reality that is what makes the site so interesting that what you see is what was around thousands of years ago. You can also see Mount Vesuvius from which the lava and ash flowed which destroyed Pompeii. Saturday night we walked around and were followed by stray dogs as they roamed the streets. I obviously was terrified, so that didn’t make for a fun experience, but what can you do. I am so happy was able to see one of the places on my travel wish list.
On Sunday we took a train from Pompeii to the port in Rome to leave on our cruise. On last year’s cruise we were so exhausted the first day because we had an early flight that morning, but this year as we arrived from Italy we were awake and were able to experience all the boat offered on the first day. We started with some fruity drinks and watched as the ship sailed off into the Mediterranean. On Monday we stopped in Sicily, Italy and made our way with one of the shore excursion to Taormina, Italy. This is right near Mount Etna, which is an active volcano and you can see it steaming from the stop. It actually had a mild eruption a few days before we arrived. It was an interesting site with some old Greek/Roman ruins and we even saw a building with a Jewish star on it, which may have been an old synagogue, and now is the local police precinct. Scott bought me an interesting bracelet made from volcanic rock. It was a lovely site high in the mountains, which I recommend. Then Tuesday was a sailing day, so we got to enjoy all that the boat had to offer. We sat by the pool and heard a lecture on the history of art from ancient to modern. You may not know but Scott is very into art and is trying to make me more of an art lover. Then we played some bingo and just relaxed. Wednesday was the highlight of the trip, Athens, Greece. We got off the boat very early and made our way to the Acropolis. Thankfully we got there before all the tour groups, so got some amazing pictures. The Parthenon was an incredible site. The scope and beauty of it was fascinating. Afterwards we made our way to the New Acropolis Museum, which was set up to hold the artifacts taken from the Acropolis. Many are in the British Museum and Greece hopes they will get the items back now that they have a brand new museum to exhibit them. Then we headed to see some more ruins and then made our way to the Jewish Museum of Athens. It was so sad to see how most of the Jewish community was decimated during WWII. Many communities that were vibrant for thousands of years, no longer exist. Finally we made our way to the local Hard Rock Café, because Scott collects pins from all over the world, so always try and stop in them during our travels. Would you believe that they ran out of guitar pins, so we bought a random one to remember our travels there. Then we just walked around, got some Starbucks and enjoyed the lovely atmosphere of Athens. The only time we could see some remnants of the riots was we went to the main post office to send out postcards and the whole place was boarded up because it is across from the Parliament, where many of the protests take place. We saw this and quickly went in the opposite direction. Was a great day in Athens and I think this was one of our favorite places on the trip. Thursday was our day in Turkey. We took one of the boat excursions to Ephesus, which is one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. It is a site of old ruins. Very fascinating to see what remains. We also learned all about Turkey from our tour guide, how it is one of the most modern Muslim countries. We also had a carpet/rug demonstration because Turkey is famous for its hand woven rugs. We explored the streets by the port, which were filled with shops selling counterfeit products. There are no laws against this, so all luxurious brands are copied. Was a fun day and afterwards we played some miniature golf on the boat. Friday we were back in Greece on the Island of Crete. Here we visited an old Maritime Museum, which was interesting but it had no A/C which is hard when it is over 90 degrees outside. The island also has a Synagogue. We made sure to visit and were sad to see that only last year there were two arson attacks on the Synagogue. This was a lovely island and was lots of fun. Saturday again we just relaxed on the boat. Sat by the pool, read and watched the day’s activities go by. Who would think it would be fun to watch a male belly flop contest!!! We met very interesting people on the boat from all over the world and our luggage came home filled with boxes of Fruit Loops, packets of mayo and hot chocolate packets. Hard to walk away from free kosher food that can’t get in Holland. Sunday we got off the boat and made our way to Rome. We decided to take a shuttle from the airport to the site we wanted to see and it turns out we were the last stop, so actually got a driving tour to see all the famous sites. We decided to go to the Castel St Angelo as we had both been to Rome a few times and seen most of the famous places. This castle was actually very interesting and from the top you got to see sweeping views of Rome from the Vatican side. Afterwards we walked over to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona and then made our way to our favorite kosher restaurant, BaGhetto Kosher. Here you can order a meat platter for two, which for us after a year of living away from the US is heavenly. Beef, Lamb and chicken on one plate with French fries, how can you go wrong!! This was a great way to end our trip. We had an amazing vacation. One of our best, maybe besides Australia. We recommend this cruise to anyone wanting to see these places in Europe. Now we need to figure out our next adventure. I know I am off to Cologne, Germany with a friend in the next few weeks . . .
Pics next posting.
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