Arrival in Venice on Thursday

Thursday and we are getting off the boat and heading into Venice. The exit off the boat went very smoothly and we were soon hooked up with the other 2 couples and on our way to our water taxi. The ride was quite exciting, (kind of like water bumper cars) but not as interesting as our entrance into our bed and breakfast. We were on the Grand Canal and then proceeded down some narrow canals until we reached the bed and breakfast. Our bags were shoved through the window from our water taxi into the Locanda Orseolo, our bed and breakfast. It is located on the Orseolo canal. We “climbed through the window” from the water taxi into a very nice reception area. The place is owned and run by a local family. Father, son and daughters work here. Since we are the oldest people here they naturally put us on the third floor. Actually the forth, but the European’s count ground floor, 1,2,3 etc. The building was built 1200 years ago, so no elevator.

We have a large room by any standards, huge by European standards. There are two windows overlooking the canal. We can open them and lean out to watch the gondolas sail past. Some have the singer and accordion playing and others just silently sail by. The gondoliers are all handsome with their black and white or red and white shirts, black slacks and a straw hat.


Everything in Venice is delivered by boat. They tie their small freight boat up to the area of the canal, where they want to unload. Then one man gets up on the sidewalk and the picks up the crates and thrown them up to him. We are talking about crates of 1 liter bottles of water, cases of beer and other merchandise. We did not see one go in the canal. They probably do not go home and go to the gym to work out.

We got settled and I took a nap, actually we both did. Around 2:00 PM we headed out to see what we could see. Judi stopped and got some money exchanged and then we walked into St. Mark’s Square. We walked around the square just trying to take it all in. The Square is enormous, and beautiful. The basilica of St. Marks is at one end of the square and is very impressive. The square was very crowded with lots of tour groups. Guides talking away and the tour groups trying to hear what they were saying and still look at everything. A note: now would be a good time to visit Japan as all their citizens are here. We left the square and headed for the Grand Canal. This is the canal we came up last night that was so breathtaking with the full moon.

As we are walking toward it, someone called” hey Don.” In the square not 5 feet from me was Dr. Chuck. For those not in my Rotary club, Chuck is a member of the club. They are headed for the Crown Princess and are doing Venice to Rome. Judi meets a man from Mankato, MN in the middle of the ocean and I meet Chuck in the middle of St. Marks Square. I think it must really be a small world after all.

At sea on our way to Venice

Today was a normal sea day, except for packing to get off the ship. The bags that we are shipping home were picked up this evening and we will not see them until we get home, next Thursday. We had our other bags outside our cabin by 8:00 PM as requested.



We had some drinks and good conversation with friends this afternoon, for the last time out on our deck, and then met them and other friends for supper.


The normal sea day came to an end around 9:30 tonight. We entered the canal into Venice, heading for our docking. There was a full moon out and the view was beautiful. Judi’s response was OMG. I agree with her. We sailed past St. Marks Square and other beautiful sites. We cannot wait to get off the boat and see the sites up close.

Temple of Zeus

Katakolon, Greece. Where in the h/?? is that, and why are we stopping here. Katakolon is on the western side of Greece on the Ionian Sea coast. It also is the gateway to the village of Olympia and the site of the ancient Olympic Games.



We met with our tour group, there were 20 of us, and boarded our van for the 45 minute ride to the Olympic site. There we met up with our guide, a charming young lady who spoke very good English. She was very well prepared and provided us with all kinds of stories about the site.

Another view of the Temple of Zeus

The area known as Altis (a variation of Alsos, meaning “sacred grove”) is located between the river Alpheios and the river Kladeos. Olympia was a most important sanctuary and oracle of Zeus. The area owes it fame to the games that took place here. People started visiting this site in the early 8th century B.C. Building began appearing in the 7th century B.C. Building continued to be added until the early 3rd century A.D. The first games began in 776 A.D. and continued for many years.

 The temple of Zeus was built between 470 and 457 B.C. The statue of Zeus, which has been destroyed, was one of the 7 wonders of the world. It stood inside the great colonnade. He was seated on a throne with Nike in his right hand and a scepter in his left. He was seated on an ebony throne decorated with mythological figures.

Entrance to Olympic Field

The Olympia site is quite large as are some of the structures. There are a couple of stories as to how the site was destroyed. The first is by a great earthquake, which occurs with some regularity around here. The second has to do with religion. Remember that this was a religious site for the worship of Zeus. Priest was the only permanent residences. When Christianity came into being in the Roman Empire, Rome had conquered Greece; the site was not in their best interest. They torched the area and then later an earthquake finished knocking down the site. There was wood used in the construction as well as stone, if you are wondering how they could burn the site.

Starting Blocks and Olympic Field

Judi and I took several pictures and I took some in the museum. Judi and I do not spend a lot of time looking at statues with pieces missing for very long. The rubble of one site starts to blend with the rubble of another site. Don’t get us wrong, the sites and stories are interesting but rubble is rubble.

After leaving the Olympia site we went back into the town of Olympia and had lunch at a quaint little Greek restaurant. The lady that owned the place had gone to the market this morning and purchased fresh ingredients for our meal. We of course started with wine, some fried cheese, Greek olives and a Greek salad. We had Mousaka for the main course. She then brought out a desert that the early Greeks had prepared for their guest. It was a phyllo crust around a cheese mixture. It was good, but not chocolate.


We walked around town for a short time. This was easy because the town consist of 3 streets about ¼ mile long. Then it was back to the ship and head out for the island of Corfu.

Zeus and Boy Friend Ganymedes

Sunday In Athens

We arrived in Athens this morning to very nice weather. After grabbing a pastry at the International café, we joined out small tour group and headed out for the day. Our tour guide and driver had all the ladies in a twitter. He was tall, dark blue eyes, and Judi says “really blue eyes,”-- she repeated this several times. I guess you would have to say he was the epitome of the Greek man. He spoke very good English and we were driven in a brand new Mercedes van. What more could the ladies want? We arrived at the Acropolis early and Judi and I were the first ones through the gate. As I said the weather was clear and warm, not hot and on top of the Acropolis, there was just no one else around. What a great way to experience this magnificent piece of history.

We strolled around the Acropolis taking pictures and enjoying the views of Athens from the high hill. The first temple was built by Erechtheus on the reputed site of Athena’s contest with Poseidon. He later became deified and worshipped as well. The Parthenon, the temple of the Virgin Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom was erected by the Olympian Pericles. The temple was completed in 438 B.C. The temple is 228 feet long, 101 feet wide and 66 feet high at its highest point. It is surrounded by 46 columns, the diameter of which are 6 feet 1 inch and are 34 feet high. This is not a small place.

The Erechtheion is the most sacred of all the temples in Athens. It consists of three separate parts. The first is the Temple of Athena Polias, which takes up almost half the space of the Erechtheion. The second is the Temple of Erechtheion and the third is the Temple of the Nymph of Maiden Pandrosus. She was one of the daughters of Cecrops.


The Theatre of Dionysus was opened in 534 B.C and 13,000 people crowded into the theatre to listen to the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, Three tragic and five comic poets each year.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is on the southern slope of the Acropolis. Emperor Hadrian had the 5,000-seat Odeon carved into the rock cliff in 161 A.D. It is used today for summer concerts.

After leaving the Acropolis, we visited the site of the Temple of Zeus. In front of the Temple is the Arch of Hadrian. It separated the city of Hadrian and the city of Theseus in ancient times. Just past the arch is the Temple of Zeus. Hadrian built the Temple of Zeus, using 104 marble columns. It was 354 feet long and 135 feet wide.

After leaving the Temple of Zeus we drove to the highest point in the city. The view give us an opportunity to see just how big Athens is. Greece has 11 million people and 5 million live in Athens. Leaving the hill we drove past the Olympic stadium where the Olympic Games were reintroduced 1896. From there we went to the 19th century shopping district called Plaka. The crowds were thick and after grabbing a Gyro we headed back to the ship. We relaxed and got ready for Katakolon, Greece.

Mykonos, what can I say. It is an island and it rains hard here or at least on the island of Delos, where we spent the morning.

We got off the sip to get on a boat to ride out to the island of Delos. Thank goodness we brought our umbrellas. Delos is the birthplace of Apollo. It is located in an island group called the Cyclades. Cyclades means they form a rough circle around the sacred island of Delos. Delos was one of the religious centers of ancient Greece. More on this later. We have found out that Mykonos has a party reputation and is also an area for gays to gather.

We traveled out to Delos early this morning, before the rain. Our guide was excellent and gave more information than I could retain, but I will try and hi the highlights. Delos is a small, rocky island, no more than 5 miles long and ¾ of a mile wide. Around the beginning of the 1st century there were estimated to be 30 to 40,000 people living on the island. Because the high hill on the island is believed to be where Zeus ruled from and the scared lake on the island with a palm tree where Apollo and Artemis were born, the island became a destination for pilgrims. The city grew and became the financial center of the Greek empire. Because the Romans and Greeks have never been too friendly, the Romans being jealous attacked and killed ½ the citizens and took the other ½ as slaves. They then sacked and burned the town. Greece never recovered after the finical center was lost and the city was abandoned.

Delos is not a pretty island, but it is very historical. The island was almost completely covered with homes, shops, theaters, a race track and a stock market, along with temples. As we walked around we could see the remains of the structures and learn a little as to how they lived. The areas we saw were inhabited by the rich. I would have had to just visit this place. I probably would not have been able to afford one of the houses. They had inlaid floors, made of semi precious stones. The walls had frescos on them and they had a sewer system inside the houses. The water was collected in cisterns under the house and they use a bucket and pulley to bring the up when. We saw a fish mongers place of business and a barber shop.

 It rained so hard, that we skipped out on part of the tour. Getting soaked and punched by an umbrella was not our idea of fun. It stopped raining just before we got back on the boat to head back to the ship. Chilled the rest of the day.


Tomorrow is Athens.

Friday in Kusadasi ( Ephesus)

It is Friday and we are now in the port city of Kusadasi, Turkey, the gateway to Ephesus. We have a private tour set up this morning.

The group down on deck 5 and we left the ship together, meeting our guide on the pier. She is about 60, speaks very good English and is very personable. She studied English in England and taught English in Turkey and is very proud of her country.

St. John's Tomb

We first drove to St. John’s Church. St. John, is the youngest and the most beloved of the apostles. He was educated by John the Baptist and became one of the first disciples. He was called “the Son of Thunder” by Jesus. On the cross, Jesus saw his mother and John standing side by side and he said” Woman, here is you son.” (John 19: 26-27) John left Jerusalem, taking Mary with him. John came to Ephesus between 37 and 40 AD. It is believed that he brought Mary with him. Her house is located in the hills above Ephesus. St. John’s tomb is located here and the church was built on top of it. You can still see the tomb in the ruins of the church. It is believed that St. John established the first Christian community in Ephesus. John lived here from 54 AD, and died here. He wrote his Gospel, while living in Ephesus, between 95 and 100 BC. Scholars say that John’s Gospel differs on several points from the others. First, John tells about a different time period. Secondly, John uses solid narration instead of using symbolic narration. Thirdly, the events are told in chronological order and details are emphasized and commented on in a theological and systemic way. The church is in ruins of course, but you can still see where different parts of the church were located. The baptistery is still there, his grave is there and the general outline of the church is still visible.

From St. Johns church we went up into the hills to Mary’s house. There is nothing unusual about the house, except that it is quite subdued. It is quite there, even with crowds around. There is an altar inside, but the whole house is very small. There are two rooms about 8X12 each.
Leaving Mary’s house we drove to Ephesus. At one time Ephesus replaced Smyrna as the commercial capital of Asia Minor. The port silted up in the 3rd century and that ended its rule. Ephesus had a huge temple to house the statue of the multi-breasted goddess, called Artemis, a popular and powerful symbol of fertility. When Paul came to Ephesus to preach, a local silversmith caused quite a stir in the market place tailing against the new religion. Crying that Artemis was the true goddess and Christianity will ruin us. Stirring up the people, he had 20,000 of them shouting this in the great theater. He was not so much a religious fanatic as he was a business man. The people made pilgrimages to Ephesus to worship the goddess Artemis. The silversmiths made small statues, the merchants sold trinkets and food and lodging. If this new religion happened, they would lose the Artemis trade.

Paul built on the work of John and established the Ephesian church. The church was led by St. John until his death. He is the only apostle to die a natural death. With St. John’s leadership Ephesus became the third most important city of Christianity after Jerusalem and Antioch. When Paul arrived the Bible says that he went to the Jewish synagogue to preach first. The location of the Jewish synagogue is still not known.

Continuing with Ephesus we wandered all over the place. The picture most associated with Ephesus is of the Library of Celsus. It was built around 117 AD as a monumental tomb for Julius Celsus Polemeanus by his son. The tomb is in front of the Library. It was the third largest library in the old world after Alexander and (darn if I can remember the other one). We saw the Latrina, the House of Love, and advertisements for it. We saw the Odeion, which is a small theatre were the Senate also met. The Senate was an advisory council of 34. They made recommendations and the Demos (sp) voted on it. They met at the Theatre, which could hold 24,000 people, to vote on the recommendations. From the group called Demos (sp) we get our term Democracy. I mentioned the Latrina earlier. It was a 16 holer that was for public use. No stalls.
 We toured the Terrace Houses. These were like our condominiums. They were for the well off folks. They had sewers, hot and cold running water, atriums for sunlight and nice tile floors, frescos on the walls and lots of room. One we saw had a cauldron for heating water that ran under the floor and down the inside of the walls of a bathroom to heat it.

There is so much history here that I cannot do it justice in this short space. We had lunch at a rug factoryand sat through a presentation of how the rugs are made. They are beautiful, but out of my price range. They take 3 to 8 months to weave. It is a dying art that they are trying to bring back.


Returned to the ship after a long day looking at history. We both were not very hungry, so we had a pizza, relaxed, and called it a night.


Tomorrow is Mykonos Hope it does not rain.

Thursday in Santorini, Greece

It is Thursday so we must be in Santorini, Greece. The houses are white washed and they are hanging on the cliffs that plunge to a very pretty turquoise sea. One theory is that the catastrophic volcanic eruption in the 1600 BC may have doomed Atlantis; of course it has been doomed in several places around the world. Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of Bronze Age city of around 30,000 people here.

The island is shaped like a fishhook. For centuries it was called Thera and was shaped like a neat, round cone. However that cone was formed by a volcano, and sometime around 1600 BC Thera erupted. The Scientists believe that the center exploded out of the island and the resulting tidal wave may have sent a wall of water crashing over Minoan cities along the northern coast of Crete. They believe that this weakened the Minoans so badly that their civilization never recovered and their influence in the Mediterranean Sea died out.

The current name of the Island, Santorini, comes from its patroness, Saint Irene of Thessalonika, who died in 304 AD. The Venetians called her Saint’Irini and the name stuck. Whatever it is a pretty island.


We rose early and had breakfast in our room and went down stairs to meet up with our tour group. We then tendered in to the dock at the base of the cliff that the town sits on. We were to meet our driver at the top.

Before we got to the van, we had our choice of how to get up the cliff, for the town is way up on top. We could walk up, ride the donkeys up, or take a cable car. Duh! We took the cable car. Riding a donkey trying to brush you off up steps was not our idea of fun. The cable car ride is something else and we had to use it to get back down to the ship. We thought about walking down, but trying to miss all the presents left by the donkeys on the steps did not appeal to us.

There is not a lot to tell, we drove around in a van and saw lots of churches. We found out that they were private churches, owned by a family in the area. They are only used on Son’s day, when they invite friends and neighbors to the church and have a priest come in and preside. The family provides food and drink for the occasion.

We had lunch at a local restaurant down on a black beach by the sea. The ladies got the only thrill, when a 70 year old man came by in aSpeedo. You can use your own imagination to picture this. Judi had a Greek salad, with a slice of Feta cheese on it. The slice was about ½ inch thick and 2X4 inches. I cannot manage what it would cost in the states. I shared a Sea Bass with another guy. It was wonderful. They brought it out, golden brown, and opened it up at the table and removed the bones. From here we came back to the town and headed for the cable car. The ride down was just as exciting as the ride up. We had such a big lunch that we passed on dinner and just had something in the cabin.

Santorini looked like the pictures that we have all seen. White washed houses, with blue doors and window frames. White churches with blue domes and steep cliffs. The Island is beautiful and unique, but it is sitting on a volcano and they are just waiting for it to go. Since 1600 AD there have been no deaths due to a volcanic eruption on the island.


Tomorrow we are in Turkey.