Turkey and Greece
Turkey Day 6: Ephesus/Kusadasi
This was our last full day in Turkey. We had an early start to get to Ephesus, which is one of Turkey's most important archeological sights....it was definitely the most impressive we saw.
A good portion of the city is still in tack, including the theatre, the library, a number of streets and bath houses. I think the most interesting for me was the public bathroom which was still standing. The oldschool toilets were beside one another along a bench. The whole thing was fairly well designed as the room included an open water pipe (in front of the bench toilets) which was used for cleaning ones bum off. Apparently the latrines were social places; even if you had a toilet at home, you might have a membership to the public toilets as well....I guess so that you could 'shoot the shit' with your friends....literally.
After Ephesus we did a stop at a leather factory and store. Once again I was not enthused, but I ended up buying a fairly expensive leather jacket. I just couldn't help it; I tried it on and it was like it was made for me specifically. It was also such a good deal and I figured I will not have another chance to buy something like that for the price. I won't disclose how much, but it was hundreds of dollars cheaper than my aritiza leather, so that's good. Also, it's lamb skin instead of goats skin, so better quality too. Finally, this particular company makes their jackets for designers (since labour in Turkey is about 1/5 that of Italy) so the jacket is made for Dolce and Gabbana, just without the tags. The retail price at D&G was stated at 1,700 euro, so I'm pretty happy with the deal.
Next we did a Turkish bath. This consisted of being put in a big sauna and then one by one being scrubbed down and then soaped down. I really liked it. There was a lot of contrast between hot and cold (hot sauna and then they dump cold water on you) and the scrub down was nice. My only beef was that because there were about 25 of us who did it, the scrub down portion was shorter than it would have normally been. There was also a lot of waiting. It would have been cheaper and better to do by myself in Istanbul, but of course I was too sick, so I didn't have the opportunity.
Our hotel was nice again, with a nice pool and dinner was actually ok. There were pancakes (randomly), which I had been craving, so that was good. After dinner we went out partying in the town. We went to an irish pub (of course every town in the world has an Irish pub) and danced. This Irish pub was missing one key element though; Guinness!! I guess they can't import it to Turkey or something. Anyway, it was fun, but I found it was a bit too forced for some people; like rather than just go out and see where the night takes you, people were determined to make it a 'crazy' night. Also, the number of photos being taken was insane....it was like a bunch of people had never seen a camera before and found it necessary to take pictures of themselves doing every hilarious party thing they could think of. But I still enjoyed myself drinking and dancing.
Greece Day 1: Boat/Patmos
Ok, so when I signed up for this tour it was called "Turkey and Greece Odyssey" and included 6 days in Turkey and 4 days cruising the Greek islands. I had presumed, that since there would be approximately 40-50 people on the tour, that it would be our own boat, or something of that nature. There was nothing in the tour description which said it was going to be a fucking cruise ship (and a ghetto one at that). In the morning we were dropped off at a huge ship, which I was not happy about. It got worse when it turned out that we had to purchase an expensive drink package for our 3 nights. Also annoying was the fact that seemingly nothing is included in the tour, and everything is an "optional extra" for 50 euros per activity.
The cruise itself is definitely not luxury, but it's ok. The boat is old and everything seems very low budget. The pool is about the size of an inflatable Canadian Tire special, and everything is quite worn out. As I write this on the cruise deck, there is currently some low budget entertainment going on.... Some woman with questionable English speaking abilities is singing "what's love got to do" on the stage in front of the "pool." Maybe I'm being too critical; lots of people I'm the tour with love this.....it's just not my thing. If I wanted to do an all inclusive, I would go to Mexico....while in Greece I would rather be sleeping in a hostel on one of the islands than spending my time on a cruise ship.
The good news, is that the distances between the islands is not great, so each day, we have all day to get off this boat and explore the islands. We docked in Patmos this afternoon and I spent my time exploring. It's not a big place, so I felt that my time there was more than adequate. I originally planned on walking around with a few of the girls, but ended up having a much more enjoyable time on my own. I looked at the shops, had some wine at a cafe, wandered the beautiful side streets looking at the white washed houses, ate a delicious spinach pie and then stopped for gelato and read my book. The island was beautiful and it was nice being away from the group for a bit.
As I said, I felt my time at Patmos was sufficient, and there wasn't really much else to do, so I got back on the boat around 7:30. That night we had cocktail hour and then went to karaoke. I lovvvve karaoke! I rocked Bryan Adams (gotta represent) 'summer of '69' in front of about 100 people. Fun! I wish I could sing properly and do it for a living. So fun!
Greece Day 2: Rhodes
This day was one of my favourite days of the tour. When I woke up we were already docked in Rhodes, so after sleeping in a bit and having breakfast, I headed out for a full day on the island. I walked around with two of the girls; Naomi and Jo. The island is great. There are two parts to the town, the old town and the new town.
The old town is gorgeous, surrounded by an old city wall. There are cobbled streets and old stone buildings. There is also an old stone palace right in the centre of town. It was quite touristy (lots of souvenir shops) but still quite beautiful. Then there is the new town, which has more modern white washed buildings and major shops (Saphora, Zara, etc). Finally there is the beach. It was a bit pebbly where I went but the water was lovely and turquoise.
We did a lot of walking around the town. We then stopped for a yummy Greek lunch before I headed off on my own for a bit. I walked back to the beach and went for a swim. The water was so nice and I stayed in for about 30 minutes. After laying on the beach and playing on the random unlocked wifi that was available on the beach, I headed back to the old town for a gelato and then back to the boat.
I've had a bit of drama with my room, however it's ended up all working out for the best. I was supposed to be with a very eager girl from Ottawa....but she wanted to be with one of the other girls, so she wanted me to move (into a room with the girl I hate). So I said "no, I've been assigned this room and I don't want to trade" (which I think was completely reasonable) and she got all bitchy with me. Told me that just because I'm not thrilled about being on a cruise, doesn't mean I have to ruin her vacation (and blah blah blah). She then tried to convince me that she's a terrible roommate. Finally she worked something else out; she didn't want to stay with me because she "can't handle negativity".....so instead I think she ended up with the girl I find overwhelmingly negative and I ended up with my own room. It's all a bit high school for me..... She went off on this big thing about how she needs positive energy, but she was the one who created 100% of the problem; there was no issue until she created one. Anyway, I don't care for her much, so as I say, it all worked out.
Before dinner I went and played Bingo. I now know what retirement must be like; being on a cruise and playing Bingo, I felt like I was 75. Bingo was entertaining though. People didn't know/understand how to play. It's bloody Bingo. One guy called out a Bingo only to be told that he only had 3 of 5 numbers and that was NOT a Bingo. Moron. The prizes were decent enough....110euro and 50euro for the two games respectively. I did not win...i was just one number off the 50euro prize though.
After dinner there was more high quality entertainment as it was meet the captain night. People showed up, in fancy dress, and they hustled you through 8 different photo stations, including a photo op with the captain himself. Of course they next day they tried to charge an exorbitant price for the photos. I only went because my group was meeting there. We had a fun enough night though which involved margaritas, good conversation, a shitty magician, karaoke and then dancing. I gave up at the dancing part and went to bed...crappy music on a cruise ship dance floor, with people I don't really know that well, is not worth being extremely hung over all day the next day for. In fact, a cruise ship disco is sort of my idea of hell.
Greece Day 3: Crete and Santorini
We docked in Heraklion, Crete at 7am and had until 11am to do whatever. I decided against the optional tour (for 60euro) to a wine tasting and traditional Greek dancing. Sounds like I made the right decision as the consensus amongst those that went was that it was not good value for money and that the wine was pretty average. The only good part, apparently, was seeing a bit of the Crete countryside.
I didn't get myself off the boat until 9:30, which gave me 1.5 hours to see the town. That was too much time; Heraklion was a hole. Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and apparently parts are quite beautiful. The trick is that you need a car and a couple of days. Having only an hour and a half meant we were confined to the port town. We did a big walking loop which took about an hour and there was absolutely nothing to see. A few of the girls took a picture of a fountain with a really fat pigeon in it....that was the highlight.
So back on the boat at 11. I discovered there was a gym and went for a run. It took me a horrifying 30 minutes and 13 seconds to run a 5k. That's depressing....two weeks without exercise and I've turned into a blob. Was nice to get some exercise in though....wish I had gone yesterday and Tuesday as well.
In the afternoon we docked in Santorini. I did a bus tour to the town of Oia, which is the town which you see on the postcards. The bus ride up was harrowing....windy switchbacks with a cliff face on one side. Thankfully the view made the death defying trip worth while and it only lasted about 5 minutes. Once in Oia we had a few hours to walk around. I fell in love with the place. I've travelled a lot in my life and been to some amazing places, but I have to say that Oia may be one of the most breath taking places I have ever been. The gorgeous white washed pumice buildings, the blue roofed churches and the soft pastel colours, offset by a spectacular view of the water was unreal. I spent the time walking, taking pictures and doing some shopping. I also stopped for a cheese and tomato crepe at a libttle place with a view.
While I felt that my time at all the other islands wad sufficient, I did not feel that I had enough time in Santorini. I could have spent days there. I would have liked to have a proper dinner on a patio, with a bottle of the local wine (which is one of the only 3 or 4 things that can be produced on the island because it does not have a fresh water supply), and watched the sun set. But alas, we had to go back to the stupid cruise ship. The properties in Santorini are apparently the most expensive in all of Greece....Brad and Angelina have a place there (850 sq feet) and they paid 5m Euro for it. Must be nice to have that kind of money.
So after Oia, we were dropped off in the island's capital town. We didnt have much time there, unfortunately, but I did buy a pair of unique sandals and a gelato. The towns are all very high on the cliff side, so to get back down to the dock there were 3 options; a cable car, walking down 600 steps, or a donkey ride. Some people were interested in the donkey (I was not because I did it in Egypt), but a lot of them were deterred when we were told that the donkey ride was not very safe because the donkeys have (on occasion) run off the cliffs.
I chose the cable car option and it was very nice. It was like the Whistler gondolas...6-8 people per car. The view (as the sun was setting) was spectacular. I think Santorini has been my favorite stop on my trip thus far. This cruise has just given me a taste of the islands....I'm going to need to come back and spend more time. I would love a few nights on Santorini, time to party at Eos, and time to explore the other islands. It would be a nice honeymoon spot, as it's a good mix of romance, culture and party. First I need a boyfriend though....
I had a quiet night as we had an early start the next morning. I sat, drinking wine by the window, writing this blog.
Greece Day 4: Athens/Airport
We were up and off the boat by 7:30am. Yuck!! Since my flight to Croatia was not until 3:30pm, I decided to do an optional sight seeing tour of Athens....the timing was perfect for my flight as it ended at 11:30ish.
The tour made a few stops. First the Olympic stadium used in the first games of the modern Olympics in 1896. Although we couldn't go in to the stadium, it was pretty cool. So different than the modern stadiums and It was only 115 years ago.
After we went to the Acropolis and Parthenon. I think the most impressive part was the views from the Acropolis. It is up on a hill, so there are 360 degree views of the entire city. Athens is huge; it's stretches out forever. The Parthenon was nice, but restoration is still underway, so there was scaffolding on half of it. It's also just the columns (nothing remains inside) so it wasn't as impressive as many of the other sights in Turkey and Egypt which you could actually walk around in.
After that we made a quick stop at parliament and got lucky as we were there in time to see the changing of the guard. Their guards are like in England where then stand perfectly still for hours at a time. What made this more interesting, though, was the outfits that they had to wear. It was pleated tan skirts, white tights and oversized clog like shoes which had a tapper on the bottom and made a clicking sound as they walked. Not a very becoming (or manly) get up. The walked around in these stupid costumes with high legs and exaggerated arm movements. Pretty funny.
I did not care for what I saw of Athens (at all) and am glad I'm heading straight to Croatia and not spending the night. I don't think there is a single building in the city which did not have graffiti on it. Literally. Even the road signs were all marked up. We had a local guide for the tour and someone asked her if she lived in Athens. Her response was "unfortunately yes." Apparently the city's grandeur was lost about 10 years ago. Too bad.
We were then dropped off in a central square. There were a few people on the day tour on the same flight as me, so we all took the metro to the airport together. It was very easy and we ended up arriving much too early. My flight to Croatia is quite annoying. There are no direct flights from Greece to Croatia (even though they are so close) so I have to fly over Croatia to Munich and then double back down to Split. It also cost me a small fortune...c'est la vie.
Next post from Croatia.
This was our last full day in Turkey. We had an early start to get to Ephesus, which is one of Turkey's most important archeological sights....it was definitely the most impressive we saw.
A good portion of the city is still in tack, including the theatre, the library, a number of streets and bath houses. I think the most interesting for me was the public bathroom which was still standing. The oldschool toilets were beside one another along a bench. The whole thing was fairly well designed as the room included an open water pipe (in front of the bench toilets) which was used for cleaning ones bum off. Apparently the latrines were social places; even if you had a toilet at home, you might have a membership to the public toilets as well....I guess so that you could 'shoot the shit' with your friends....literally.
After Ephesus we did a stop at a leather factory and store. Once again I was not enthused, but I ended up buying a fairly expensive leather jacket. I just couldn't help it; I tried it on and it was like it was made for me specifically. It was also such a good deal and I figured I will not have another chance to buy something like that for the price. I won't disclose how much, but it was hundreds of dollars cheaper than my aritiza leather, so that's good. Also, it's lamb skin instead of goats skin, so better quality too. Finally, this particular company makes their jackets for designers (since labour in Turkey is about 1/5 that of Italy) so the jacket is made for Dolce and Gabbana, just without the tags. The retail price at D&G was stated at 1,700 euro, so I'm pretty happy with the deal.
Next we did a Turkish bath. This consisted of being put in a big sauna and then one by one being scrubbed down and then soaped down. I really liked it. There was a lot of contrast between hot and cold (hot sauna and then they dump cold water on you) and the scrub down was nice. My only beef was that because there were about 25 of us who did it, the scrub down portion was shorter than it would have normally been. There was also a lot of waiting. It would have been cheaper and better to do by myself in Istanbul, but of course I was too sick, so I didn't have the opportunity.
Our hotel was nice again, with a nice pool and dinner was actually ok. There were pancakes (randomly), which I had been craving, so that was good. After dinner we went out partying in the town. We went to an irish pub (of course every town in the world has an Irish pub) and danced. This Irish pub was missing one key element though; Guinness!! I guess they can't import it to Turkey or something. Anyway, it was fun, but I found it was a bit too forced for some people; like rather than just go out and see where the night takes you, people were determined to make it a 'crazy' night. Also, the number of photos being taken was insane....it was like a bunch of people had never seen a camera before and found it necessary to take pictures of themselves doing every hilarious party thing they could think of. But I still enjoyed myself drinking and dancing.
Greece Day 1: Boat/Patmos
Ok, so when I signed up for this tour it was called "Turkey and Greece Odyssey" and included 6 days in Turkey and 4 days cruising the Greek islands. I had presumed, that since there would be approximately 40-50 people on the tour, that it would be our own boat, or something of that nature. There was nothing in the tour description which said it was going to be a fucking cruise ship (and a ghetto one at that). In the morning we were dropped off at a huge ship, which I was not happy about. It got worse when it turned out that we had to purchase an expensive drink package for our 3 nights. Also annoying was the fact that seemingly nothing is included in the tour, and everything is an "optional extra" for 50 euros per activity.
The cruise itself is definitely not luxury, but it's ok. The boat is old and everything seems very low budget. The pool is about the size of an inflatable Canadian Tire special, and everything is quite worn out. As I write this on the cruise deck, there is currently some low budget entertainment going on.... Some woman with questionable English speaking abilities is singing "what's love got to do" on the stage in front of the "pool." Maybe I'm being too critical; lots of people I'm the tour with love this.....it's just not my thing. If I wanted to do an all inclusive, I would go to Mexico....while in Greece I would rather be sleeping in a hostel on one of the islands than spending my time on a cruise ship.
The good news, is that the distances between the islands is not great, so each day, we have all day to get off this boat and explore the islands. We docked in Patmos this afternoon and I spent my time exploring. It's not a big place, so I felt that my time there was more than adequate. I originally planned on walking around with a few of the girls, but ended up having a much more enjoyable time on my own. I looked at the shops, had some wine at a cafe, wandered the beautiful side streets looking at the white washed houses, ate a delicious spinach pie and then stopped for gelato and read my book. The island was beautiful and it was nice being away from the group for a bit.
As I said, I felt my time at Patmos was sufficient, and there wasn't really much else to do, so I got back on the boat around 7:30. That night we had cocktail hour and then went to karaoke. I lovvvve karaoke! I rocked Bryan Adams (gotta represent) 'summer of '69' in front of about 100 people. Fun! I wish I could sing properly and do it for a living. So fun!
Greece Day 2: Rhodes
This day was one of my favourite days of the tour. When I woke up we were already docked in Rhodes, so after sleeping in a bit and having breakfast, I headed out for a full day on the island. I walked around with two of the girls; Naomi and Jo. The island is great. There are two parts to the town, the old town and the new town.
The old town is gorgeous, surrounded by an old city wall. There are cobbled streets and old stone buildings. There is also an old stone palace right in the centre of town. It was quite touristy (lots of souvenir shops) but still quite beautiful. Then there is the new town, which has more modern white washed buildings and major shops (Saphora, Zara, etc). Finally there is the beach. It was a bit pebbly where I went but the water was lovely and turquoise.
We did a lot of walking around the town. We then stopped for a yummy Greek lunch before I headed off on my own for a bit. I walked back to the beach and went for a swim. The water was so nice and I stayed in for about 30 minutes. After laying on the beach and playing on the random unlocked wifi that was available on the beach, I headed back to the old town for a gelato and then back to the boat.
I've had a bit of drama with my room, however it's ended up all working out for the best. I was supposed to be with a very eager girl from Ottawa....but she wanted to be with one of the other girls, so she wanted me to move (into a room with the girl I hate). So I said "no, I've been assigned this room and I don't want to trade" (which I think was completely reasonable) and she got all bitchy with me. Told me that just because I'm not thrilled about being on a cruise, doesn't mean I have to ruin her vacation (and blah blah blah). She then tried to convince me that she's a terrible roommate. Finally she worked something else out; she didn't want to stay with me because she "can't handle negativity".....so instead I think she ended up with the girl I find overwhelmingly negative and I ended up with my own room. It's all a bit high school for me..... She went off on this big thing about how she needs positive energy, but she was the one who created 100% of the problem; there was no issue until she created one. Anyway, I don't care for her much, so as I say, it all worked out.
Before dinner I went and played Bingo. I now know what retirement must be like; being on a cruise and playing Bingo, I felt like I was 75. Bingo was entertaining though. People didn't know/understand how to play. It's bloody Bingo. One guy called out a Bingo only to be told that he only had 3 of 5 numbers and that was NOT a Bingo. Moron. The prizes were decent enough....110euro and 50euro for the two games respectively. I did not win...i was just one number off the 50euro prize though.
After dinner there was more high quality entertainment as it was meet the captain night. People showed up, in fancy dress, and they hustled you through 8 different photo stations, including a photo op with the captain himself. Of course they next day they tried to charge an exorbitant price for the photos. I only went because my group was meeting there. We had a fun enough night though which involved margaritas, good conversation, a shitty magician, karaoke and then dancing. I gave up at the dancing part and went to bed...crappy music on a cruise ship dance floor, with people I don't really know that well, is not worth being extremely hung over all day the next day for. In fact, a cruise ship disco is sort of my idea of hell.
Greece Day 3: Crete and Santorini
We docked in Heraklion, Crete at 7am and had until 11am to do whatever. I decided against the optional tour (for 60euro) to a wine tasting and traditional Greek dancing. Sounds like I made the right decision as the consensus amongst those that went was that it was not good value for money and that the wine was pretty average. The only good part, apparently, was seeing a bit of the Crete countryside.
I didn't get myself off the boat until 9:30, which gave me 1.5 hours to see the town. That was too much time; Heraklion was a hole. Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and apparently parts are quite beautiful. The trick is that you need a car and a couple of days. Having only an hour and a half meant we were confined to the port town. We did a big walking loop which took about an hour and there was absolutely nothing to see. A few of the girls took a picture of a fountain with a really fat pigeon in it....that was the highlight.
So back on the boat at 11. I discovered there was a gym and went for a run. It took me a horrifying 30 minutes and 13 seconds to run a 5k. That's depressing....two weeks without exercise and I've turned into a blob. Was nice to get some exercise in though....wish I had gone yesterday and Tuesday as well.
In the afternoon we docked in Santorini. I did a bus tour to the town of Oia, which is the town which you see on the postcards. The bus ride up was harrowing....windy switchbacks with a cliff face on one side. Thankfully the view made the death defying trip worth while and it only lasted about 5 minutes. Once in Oia we had a few hours to walk around. I fell in love with the place. I've travelled a lot in my life and been to some amazing places, but I have to say that Oia may be one of the most breath taking places I have ever been. The gorgeous white washed pumice buildings, the blue roofed churches and the soft pastel colours, offset by a spectacular view of the water was unreal. I spent the time walking, taking pictures and doing some shopping. I also stopped for a cheese and tomato crepe at a libttle place with a view.
While I felt that my time at all the other islands wad sufficient, I did not feel that I had enough time in Santorini. I could have spent days there. I would have liked to have a proper dinner on a patio, with a bottle of the local wine (which is one of the only 3 or 4 things that can be produced on the island because it does not have a fresh water supply), and watched the sun set. But alas, we had to go back to the stupid cruise ship. The properties in Santorini are apparently the most expensive in all of Greece....Brad and Angelina have a place there (850 sq feet) and they paid 5m Euro for it. Must be nice to have that kind of money.
So after Oia, we were dropped off in the island's capital town. We didnt have much time there, unfortunately, but I did buy a pair of unique sandals and a gelato. The towns are all very high on the cliff side, so to get back down to the dock there were 3 options; a cable car, walking down 600 steps, or a donkey ride. Some people were interested in the donkey (I was not because I did it in Egypt), but a lot of them were deterred when we were told that the donkey ride was not very safe because the donkeys have (on occasion) run off the cliffs.
I chose the cable car option and it was very nice. It was like the Whistler gondolas...6-8 people per car. The view (as the sun was setting) was spectacular. I think Santorini has been my favorite stop on my trip thus far. This cruise has just given me a taste of the islands....I'm going to need to come back and spend more time. I would love a few nights on Santorini, time to party at Eos, and time to explore the other islands. It would be a nice honeymoon spot, as it's a good mix of romance, culture and party. First I need a boyfriend though....
I had a quiet night as we had an early start the next morning. I sat, drinking wine by the window, writing this blog.
Greece Day 4: Athens/Airport
We were up and off the boat by 7:30am. Yuck!! Since my flight to Croatia was not until 3:30pm, I decided to do an optional sight seeing tour of Athens....the timing was perfect for my flight as it ended at 11:30ish.
The tour made a few stops. First the Olympic stadium used in the first games of the modern Olympics in 1896. Although we couldn't go in to the stadium, it was pretty cool. So different than the modern stadiums and It was only 115 years ago.
After we went to the Acropolis and Parthenon. I think the most impressive part was the views from the Acropolis. It is up on a hill, so there are 360 degree views of the entire city. Athens is huge; it's stretches out forever. The Parthenon was nice, but restoration is still underway, so there was scaffolding on half of it. It's also just the columns (nothing remains inside) so it wasn't as impressive as many of the other sights in Turkey and Egypt which you could actually walk around in.
After that we made a quick stop at parliament and got lucky as we were there in time to see the changing of the guard. Their guards are like in England where then stand perfectly still for hours at a time. What made this more interesting, though, was the outfits that they had to wear. It was pleated tan skirts, white tights and oversized clog like shoes which had a tapper on the bottom and made a clicking sound as they walked. Not a very becoming (or manly) get up. The walked around in these stupid costumes with high legs and exaggerated arm movements. Pretty funny.
I did not care for what I saw of Athens (at all) and am glad I'm heading straight to Croatia and not spending the night. I don't think there is a single building in the city which did not have graffiti on it. Literally. Even the road signs were all marked up. We had a local guide for the tour and someone asked her if she lived in Athens. Her response was "unfortunately yes." Apparently the city's grandeur was lost about 10 years ago. Too bad.
We were then dropped off in a central square. There were a few people on the day tour on the same flight as me, so we all took the metro to the airport together. It was very easy and we ended up arriving much too early. My flight to Croatia is quite annoying. There are no direct flights from Greece to Croatia (even though they are so close) so I have to fly over Croatia to Munich and then double back down to Split. It also cost me a small fortune...c'est la vie.
Next post from Croatia.
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