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Dominican
Monastery 1437
and
Parish Church 1954
Houses
on the Hillside |
Dubrovnik
[Gruž]
Dubrovnik
is
the capital of South Dalmazia & reputedly one of the most
beautiful places in the world, probably founded by the Greek Kadmos.
In C7, the invading Slavs began to capture Epidauro, forcing the
Greek & Roman inhabitants to flee to a new place they called
La-usa, where they built a town on a rocky island now known as Dubrovnik.
Gruž,
is the area of Dubrovnik where the cruise ships berth, and its
Marina. An exceedingly pretty town with orange/red roofed buildings
[The walled 'Old Town' is 10-15mins away by taxi.]
With
only a few hours in port & never having visited before, we
walked the delightful streets of Gruž. It is a 15 - 20 minute
pleasant walk along the quay, past a few souvenir stalls, into town.
The locals were very friendly.
 View
My Photos of Gruž |
Franjo
Tudjman Bridge |
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New
Venetian Fortress |
Corfu
Corfu
[Kerkyra] is the 2nd largest of the Ionian Islands and is where the
legendary Ulysses was shipwrecked on his way back to Ithaca after the
Trojan War
It
is a fair walk along the quay to the port entrance, but a free
shuttle bus was provided, dropping you off at a "Duty Free"
shop, which was more expensive than the shops in town for some items,
but not others.
We
walked up the hill to the town and just 'explored' all the streets,
shops & alleyways. It is easy to get about & the bus station
is not far from the port entrance. Visit the Old & New Fortresses.
View
More Photos of Corfu |
Sp.
Vlaikou towards the Port |
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Old
Venetian Fortress with St George's Church
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The
Souk
Kusadasi |
Kusadasi
Kusadasi
is one of Turkey's main holiday resorts, situated on the west coast
and close to the historical sites of Ephesus, Didyma & others.
Forget Cozumel, this is a shoppers' Paradise with endless streets of
covered souks/bazaars/kasbahs selling all one can imagine. Just
ensure you know your fakes from the originals.
"Kusadasi"
means Bird Island; the name coming from the island [now called
Pigeon Island] which was a popular resting place for birds during
their annual migration.
The
port entrance is not far; there are bicycle rickshaws that carry 2
people for hire. A short walk to the souks where we spent all
afternoon, bartering for football shirts amongst other items! We had
an ice cream and made our way slowly back to the port exploring the
winding streets. A great place with friendly locals; don't part with
your money until you've haggled yourself out, the next place may be
cheaper still.
View
More Photos of Kusadasi |
Rickshaw
for 2 Old Ladies:)
Beverley
& Katie |
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![Ippokrátous [Hippocrates'] Square](images/rhodes3.jpg)
Ippokrátous
[Hippocrates'] Square |
Rhodes
The
largest of the Dodecanese, Rhodes [the Sun God, Helios, own
island] is a delightful town divided into the Old and New by 4km of
defensive walls, 12m thick in places, with 10 gates, built by the
Knights of St John in Mediaeval Times.
We
walked around the bay to Mandraki Harbour with the Mediaeval stone
windmills & Fortress of St Nicholas [1460s]. Then found a beach,
where the children went swimming & snorkelling for a few hours.
We
walked back through the Old Town, within the outer wall with its
bastions, towers & battlements. Tiny narrow bustling streets full
of shops, cafes, restaurants and piazzas, you can easily lose your way.
View
More Photos of Rhodes |
Along
Akti Sachtouri
Gate
near the Museum Square |
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Katakolon
Quay
Katakolon
Which
bit goes where?
Temple
of Zeus |
Katakolon
[For
Olympia]
Katakolon
is a small friendly town with many restaurants, bars & jewellery
shops. One can see it all in an hour. There are a number of beaches a
short taxi ride away, but it's mainly a port of call for those
wishing to visit the Sanctuary of Olympia, 40 minutes away.
Olympia,
where dwellings date back to 1900-1600 B.C., was a sacred site
before the ancient Olympic Games began in the year 776 BC, when
Koroibos, a cook from the nearby city of Elis, won the stadion race,
a foot race 600 feet long. For a plan of the layout of Olympia click
here.
We
took the organised tour to Olympia, along with most of the ship's
passengers, divided into coachloads of same language speakers. Our
guide was most knowledgeable. She outlined the general history of
Olympia and then went through various buildings in detail. We had a
good hour at the end to wander about the rest of the site alone. A
very interesting day, and well worth a visit. Olympia is not however
akin to Pompeii. Many buildings are 'rubble', with huge excavated
rocks just lying on the ground and one needs a guide to explain what
some of the various parts belong to.
More
Photos of Katakolon |
The
Olympic Torch is Lit Here
Howard
Many
Photos
of Olympia
Layout
of Olympia |
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Bell
Tower of San Marco
Early
Morning in Venice
St
Mark's Square |
Venice
Much
has been written about Venice.
A beautiful city one can spend a week in and not see everything.
What can one do in slightly more than half a day?
We
deposited our luggage in the cruise terminal and took the free
shuttle to Piazzale Roma, from where we embarked on a HOT walk to the
Rialto Bridge. Here we purchased a day ticket for the Vaporetti
[Water Buses].
We
travelled through the canals stopping at various places before
viewing the Bridge of Sighs & spending a while in St Mark's
Square & having lunch. Sadly we finally had to make our way back
to the cruise terminal to collect our luggage for the transfer to the airport.
View
More Photos of Venice |
Rialto
Bridge
Gondolas |
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During
the cruise we covered 2269 Nautical Miles. Passengers join and leave
the cruise at many ports en route. Either just cruising for a few
days, or doing the 7 night itinerary from a different port of embarkation.
The
call at Bari was purely to enable some passengers to embark &
disembark; everyone else remained aboard.
1
NM = 1.852m or 0676ft |
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