Santorini, Greece

This was my favorite port by far. Amazing weather, amazing scenery, amazing wind, amazing EVERYTHING. I loved this place. Once again, we took the advice of our friend who had been here previously and did something different. He suggested a hike that goes from the tender-port of Thira to the end of the island and the town of La. A one way trip of 7 miles along the edge of an island formed by a volcanic eruption. 

The hike was a little difficult to find, but once we found our first guide dog things got a little bit easier. You start off winding your way through a city all the while being greeted by dogs and a few of them come with you, always leading the way. Finally, you end up right outside the city on an open path covered in lava rocks following a dog. A cute, clean, sweet as can be dog. And then, after about 4 miles, he trades places with another dog who takes you the rest of the way. 

I love dogs. almost all dogs. Ok, all big dogs. I don't do yappy small dogs. period. But the dogs on this island were incredible. They knew the paths like the... back of their paw.. If we went the wrong way *cough* John's fault*cough*, this dog came back and found us and made sure we were behind him. If we stopped for a drink or to tie our shoes, he stopped and waited for us to catch up. He would have came home with us only I didn't think he would take to apartment life very much. 

The views from this hike along the ridge will take your breath away. The wind will too. We slid down a lava rock hill, hiked back up the other side, saw more Greek Orthodox churches than we ever will again, and loved every minute. ("It is an honor to be baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church." Name that movie line! Hint- Someone in the movie loves windex) La was a fantastic little town full of little white buildings and little blue domed churches and big tall windmills. Just thinking about it makes me wish I was back there. 

Finding the trail in Thira.. Around 8 in the morning

We hiked to the white that you see waaay over on the left. 

It only looks like we are closer.. still about 2 hours away.

 Our 2nd sweet doggie guide. I didn't get a picture of the 1st.

Changing of the guard. 2nd guide going to the left, new guide going to the right. 

  

 Maybe he could become an inside dog.. Who thinks I should go back for him??

La

More of La

This sweet girl is a blog all by herself. Next week!

The end! Sorry, this would have been up yesterday but the photo upload-er wasn't working.

Wish you all a wonderful weekend! 

And, Happy Birthday Roxanne!

Ephesus, Turkey

Evidently it is now winter in Nice. The winters here are pretty mild but it rains alllll the time. Today is our 4th day of rain this week. That's 4 out of 5. The good news is that the mountains are going to have plenty of snow after this! 

In honor of our rainy day today, I thought I would share the next port from our cruise- Kusadasi,also known as the ancient city of Ephesus. It was also the rainiest port. We had arranged for a private tour guide and, once again, we were the first people off the boat. In the pouring rain. All four of us were soaked by the time we reached the tour van. Ugh. My excitement was beginning to dwindle. Fortunately the day was still fantastic. We saw the purported house of the Virgin Mary, the ruins of the ancient city(in the time of Saint Paul), the basilica where the remains of Saint John the gospel writer were entombed, and had an amazing traditional Turkish lunch. 

Like I said in the previous post- research what you want to see and plan accordingly. Don't just go where the cruise offers. 

The history that we saw in each of these places was beyond words. When you see homes from the first century, a library that held 150,000 scrolls (SCROLLS! not books, scrolls. wow.), and an amphitheater where Paul spoke to the Ephesians, it can kind of blow your mind. 

After our historic sites, we went to lunch at Turkish farm. It is a pet project of a wealthy man who loves to keep local traditions alive. If he hears of something that is a local tradition or local food- anything- it will be researched and then introduced on the farm. They hire locals, teach them the processes to make whatever the new idea is and in that way, preserve the history of the region. An very good use of wealth don't you think? And, they are pretty good cooks too. I think I have heard my mom, dad, and John all say at some point since we came home that they would love to have a lunch like that again. 

 Inside the city. This area was reserved for the senators and aristocrats.

Nike. Just do it. Can you find the symbol??

 

Front of the library. At that time, it was the 3rd largest library in the world. 

The amphitheater where Paul spoke to the Ephesians. 

 

 This was at the farm. They make their own silk thread for rugs. 

 

 Rugs like this. Amazing! And they let us walk all over them!

 

It's Thursday! Have a wonderful day! And, if you would want to see more pictures, here are the links again. I'm off to bake. I think I'll make some muffins.

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John's Pics

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Our first port of call on the cruise was Dubrovnik, Croatia. One of the secrets to a good cruise, in my opinion, is to do your own thing. Use the boat as your ride and your place to stay but don't do their excursions. We only took one excursion from the boat and really wasn't that great. Research where you are going, find out what you are interested in seeing, book a private guide (often the same price as a huge group tour on the ship), or just have a basic plan and figure out the details once you land! Doing this makes it feel much more like an exploration than being part of a herd of cattle. 

The four of us really lucked out because a friend had taken a cruise similar to ours the year before with many of the same port cities. He told us what he had done, recommended some things to see and what not to see. The city walls were the "must-see" in Dubrovnik so after we disembarked and converted some money, we were off to the Old City. (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) I must say, the city inside the walls is not so interesting from the ground but once on the walls the stucco, tile roofs, steeples, and turrets all stand out. It's amazing the difference it makes to be in a different vantage point.

The walls of Dubrovnik are anywhere from 4 to 6 yards thick and completely surround the city.  They were, of course, built to protect this seaside town from invaders starting in about the 7th century (They have had major additions, reconstructions, etc since this time.) and were never breached. The highest wall is about 82 feet and the walls are around a mile and a half long. It is always so amazing to me to walk in places with this much history. Being an American, we really don't have anything that old to see. "Old" in the US is 300 years and in Europe I am constantly surrounded by things that are over 500 years old. As the French would say, "C'est incroyable!" 

Coming into the port at Dubrovnik. The old city is over the hill on the left.

 Don't you love this bridge? 

Oh, when we arrived a rally car race was going on the road to the left side of this shot. I thought Dad was going to stay on the boat to watch it for a while.. 

The port of the old city. It was very very windy the day we were there and right after I took this picture we went around a corner. I thought we would end up in the sea because the wind was blowing so hard. 

First shots of from the wall. The water was amazing blue. 

Loved this lady. I took a lot of pictures of her..

Beautiful day.

 

Next port of call- Kusadasi, Turkey!

Catch-up!

Ok! I have so much to tell and no idea where to start! I have been cooking up a storm and I still have to tell you about our cruise! Today- cruise. Tomorrow.... We'll see how I feel. 

After our lovely experience on the train in France and Italy, we had a wonderful couple of days in Venice. The weather was nice, it wasn't crowded, and it didn't stink. I found a simple hotel for us on the island, Hotel Dalla Mora. Cheap, really clean, in a great location, and breakfast included! (If you are going on a romantic vacation...I would probably splurge for something nicer. If you are going for functionality... this place is awesome.)

John and I had been to Venice last year but it was Mom and Dad's first trip. I think they liked it. How can you not love Venice? Unless you need a restroom. 1.50euro for a "public toilette" and I saw exactly 2. Actually searched for one for about an hour. Ugh. ( I think I have said that this is my biggest problem in Europe. I will continue to say it until we leave. European Union- I hope you are listening! More toilets! And while you're at it, make them free!) Anyways! The four of us wandered around the city, shopped for some souvenirs, walked in many churches, visited St. Mark's, and got lost a couple of times. All of the things that have to happen when you visit there. The next morning we checked out of our hotel, hopped onto the "People Mover" and checked into our ship. 

First, let me say that this was one of the best trips we've been on. It was a relatively small ship, around 2300 guests, and the staff were fantastic. No, we didn't have a movie theater or a shopping center or a few after dinner shows to choose from but it was just so easy. The food was fantastic (but not over-indulgent), every thing was planned in advance for the ports, and we didn't have to drive ourselves anywhere. What could be better? I wouldn't want to go on a Caribbean cruise because everyone goes on them but a small ship that is going to unusual locales- oh yeh. Our ship took us to Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kusadasi, Turkey; Santorini, Greece; and Corfu, also in Greece.

Now, individual posts on each port of call! Otherwise, this could be a really extra long post.

The view from the patio at our hotel.

This didn't turn out like I wanted it to.. but I still like the idea. 

Two days after our 3rd Anniversary. Our best anniversary trip so far. Wonder what we'll do next year??

Better yet... I wonder where we will be living next year. ha!

Italian pastry shop. I love the people in this one. So much going on. 

The Splendor of the Seas!