This group is ready to sail and explore all that the Greek Islands have to offer!
Welcome to the Azamara Quest
This was our first ever cruise, something we were both a little skeptical about starting out but decided to try. In part, we wanted to get a taste for Greece as we know we want to spend time here at some point; and it was also a great a opportunity to meet up with and travel with friends in a way that is easy to manage.
Heather set up this cruise on the Azamara Quest, part of a cruise line that she and Scott have traveled with before and enjoyed. It was a delightful experience. These are more ”mid-size” ships (holding just under 700 guests), with a great reputation for service. We certainly experienced that, the crew was fantastic! It was easy to meet up for meals, drinks and nighttime activities and pick excursions that appealed to each of us. We had some great excursions that I’ll share more about as I take you through our journey. And we loved being “unpacked” for 7 nights!
Gary and Scott as we toasted our departure. Heather’s travel business afforded us all some nice treats in our rooms!Along with this lovely private wine tasting!Nights 1 and 2 were met with some pretty turbulent seas. On the 2nd evening, we came out from our dinner (during which we had to hold our wine glasses in place each time the ship heavily rocked) to find these little items strategically placed around the ship. We heard that about ½ the crew had to call in sick as they weren’t used to this level of turbulence, but surprisingly we held up pretty well. It did mean we could not dock in Syros or Tinos (ports where it would have been impossible for a pilot to board) so we spent 2 nights in Mykonos instead. A few shots from the “white night party”. I will spare you the dancing videos!
Mykonos, Greece
Departing to explore our first stop. Hold onto your hat, a little windy on this island! The iconic cobbled streets of Mykonos, Loved that many of the island’s trees were still in full bloom! Such a pretty sight with all of the white stucco. The rocky beach in the town of Mykonos. Love the color of the water in Greece!We took a little excursion more inland to visit the village of Ano Mira.In this village is a 16 C. Monastery and Greek Orthodox church.With some stunning interiors. The “iconostasis” or wall between the nave and the sanctuary (where only priests can enter). A beautiful feature in these Greek Orthodox churches. Everywhere you look on this island…cats! Even in the church. One of the famous sandy beaches this island is known for. Sans sunbathers in mid October, but we hear it is covered with beach chairs and umbrellas in summer.
Ephesus, Turkey
We landed in the port town of Kusadasi for our time in Turkey.
Nearby is the open-air museum of Ephesus, a really phenomenal and still very active archeological site. Ephesus originated in 10,000 BC and rose to it’s peak in the Roman Era. This area also includes the venerated site known as the home of the Virgin Mary, believed to be her final home in her last years. The site is huge, and includes many excavated significant structures with many more to be unearthed. It is also a site where they have unearthed numerous skeletal remains of gladiators which have been extensively studied…leading to an understanding that gladiators primarily followed a plant based diet! Our tour ended at the Arcadian Way, the road leading from the coast where Mark Anthony and Cleopatra rode in procession into the city. This site is fascinating, don’t miss it if you’re in the neighborhood (or better yet, plan a trip here)! Here’s just a few snaps.
The famous marble road that starts from the Grand Theatre and ends at the Celsus Library (structure at the end). A marking the early Christians would use to identify themselves to each other.Our guide demonstrating the communal men’s toilet facilities in the area of the baths. Their slaves would sit on them first to warm them up! A little close for comfort for me. Oh and of course a stray cat. As well as many stray dogs. Standing in front of the Library of Celsius. Off in the distance, the Grand Theatre of Ephesus that could seat 24,000 people! They occasionally do concerts here, wouldn’t that be spectacular?!Gary got snagged in this tourist trap, and yes he bought a picture (the goal of the ruse). We ended our visit to Turkey in a Turkish rug factory and let’s just say we needed some new rugs for the new home anyway. At least that’s how I convinced Gary to buy these! This is a high pressure sales event (we experienced it previously while rug shopping in Morocco). But the rugs are beautiful and I can’t wait to see them in our new space (rug #1 – living room couch area OR bedroom, whichever works best; rug #2 – entryway).
Rhodes, Greece
Next stop, the beautiful island of Rhodes and its incredible medieval old town in the city of Rhodes. We loved wandering the streets here… shopping, eating and just enjoying the atmosphere. We decided Rhodes is definitely a spot we would re-visit.
Lovely spending time with old friends!
We also took a tour out to two beautiful spots on the island. First, more ruins…Ancient Kamiros. This was followed by a stop at Filerimos, a plateau 1000 feet above see level that houses the Church of Our Lady.
Rhodes is a beautiful arid landscape set next to the deep blue Aegean Sea. Getting ready to explore Kamiros, one of three large Doric cities that united in the 5th C BC to create the city – state of Rhodes. Originally it was a terraced agricultural city looking over the coast whose inhabitants produced oil, wine and figs. A lovely spot to live and eat!Looking over the ruins from the top. There is still much to be uncovered and studied here. Some ancient trees still live here! Next stop, Filerimos and its ancient monastery attached to the Church of Our Lady. This monastery was destroyed during the Ottoman (Turkish) period and rebuilt by Italians who had Capuchin monks established on the premises. They left the monastery during WWII to return to Italy. Somebody want to come remodel this place? Could be beautiful.The Italians added some lovely elements! These monks also contrived a famous liquor recipe, based on a mixture of seven locally-found herbs, said to be good for the tummy. We have a bottle if anyone wants to try some! Inside the Church of Our Lady, a small church that at one time functioned as a basilica. Originally it housed an icon of the Blessed Virgin said to be painted by the Apostle Luke (now housed in the National Museum of Montenegro). Replica of the icon. The Italians added this pathway to a plateau with stunning views. Along the path, altars were built depicting scenes of the Passion of Jesus. At the top of the hill stands this cross to mark the end of Jesus’s journey. It is visible from all over the island.
Crete, Greece
Crete was another favorite on this journey, we will definitely make it back here someday! During our stay here, we had a fabulous time on a Range Rover adventure with a great guide native to the island. What a fun way to see this amazing island.
We started our day with a tour of a family run olive oil business…the number of bottles of olive oil Gary is now carrying in his suitcase is increasing! I am going to have to do a comparison once we return home…who produces the best olive oil…the Italians…the Greeks…or the Spanish? They all lay claim so I am just going to have to figure it out for myself. Who wants to help me judge?A centuries old olive tree with a less than a century old couple. Maybe combined we meet that criteria?The views on this drive were AMAZING. Crete is a place of outstanding beauty. Some ancient windmills on Crete. During WWII they were mistakingly thought to be gun turrets and subsequently many were bombed by the Germans. On a hike up this mountain trail (from the village below!). About 2/3rds of the way to the top at this point. The path was paved, but very steep. We passed on the option to hire a donkey 1/2 way up! We were on our way to the “Cave of Zeus”. According to legend, this is the place where Zeus was born. We took the more scenic path heading down…a little more rugged trail and hard not to trip. Wouldn’t advise it if you take this hike.About here is where I decided NOT to go down into the cave. Not my cup of tea (or coffee). Instead, I waited it out and took in the views with a cup of coffee!Gary continued on.Gary enjoying the depths. Our guide was not only a great driver over the rugged terrain, but a good storyteller! Here he’s regaling us with the tale of his trip to Rome at age 18 and some crazy adventures. He also told us about his Crete wedding, with 3,000 guests held over 6 days. Total cost…about $60,000…a steal. That is a TYPICAL Crete wedding. We climbed a lot of incredible elevations in the Range Rover, for some outstanding views. Thinking I should have dressed a little more warmly for this excursion! Did not know about the elevations we would be climbing!A friendly little mountain goat. Had to stop to watch this sheep dog doing his thing! (Finally) stopped at a little family run tavern on the mountain top for some of the best Greek food we experienced (maybe we were just famished)? Everything is grown and raised here in this remote village. That creamy chickpea and rice salad was the best…going to have to figure out how to make it. The hummus was made with split peas and is called fava, and it was also delicious. We all had several plates of these starters with that homemade bread. Followed by this roasted chicken with potatoes. Yummo! Dessert was apples with a sweetened grated beet topping, sounds weird but it was really good!Heading back to the port in Agios Nikolaos. You can see our ship from way up here. It was the perfect day.
Santorino, Greece
Final stop, Santorini! A narrow island with most of the town on the hilltop. Don’t worry, we won’t have to navigate that pathway…there is a tram that goes up and down to the town of Thera. After ferrying over to the port, we went by bus (rather scary on the small, winding twisting roads) to a local winery perched on the hilltop for a little Santorini wine tasting. It was really windy up here and we even lost a couple of glasses in a gust! Had to hold on tight to all your glasses while drinking, a little bit challenging. Gary loved the Santorini sweet wine, Liastos. Their grape vines are very unusual for this windy and arid climate, growing very low to the ground. Does not look at all hospitable to wine growing, but somehow it works!Spent a few hours wandering through the lovely town of Oia with it’s famous blue domes. Stopped for a little coffee and couldn’t resist a little snack as well. A beautiful view at every turn. I’ll just share a few! Did pop in for a quick peek at (another) amazing Greek Orthodox Church. That silver chandelier…!Spent the rest of the day in the capital town of Thera. You can see our ship from up here! Wrapped up with a few more yummy Greek appetizers, here’s some more delicious fava.Accompanied by a lovely grilled (white) eggplant with some herbed cheese on the side! Followed by a STEEP descent down the tram! Goodbye Santorini. You were lovely.
Would we do it again?
The answer is yes! This was a great way to explore the islands. We know some of the places we’d like to come back to (Rhodes and Crete for sure; I can also see a day or two relaxing in Santorini). I am sure we will add a few more stops to our next Greece trip as well that we didn’t get to see on this cruise.
It was also an awesome way to spend some great time with friends! I am not sure that Gary and I would become solo cruisers, but it is a fun way to travel with friends.
Nothing like watching a sunset at sea. And that’s a wrap for the Greek Islands; waiting for our transport back to the hotel in Athens so we could finish touring this amazing city.
5 responses to “Bon Voyage…time to explore the Greek Islands!”
Vanessa
Looks like so much fun getting some good company on your trip! We loved our time in Greece and Turkey – miss those classic Turkish breakfasts. SO yummy. We also saw a million stray cats and dogs in those countries. Someone needs to call Bob Barker!
This post takes me back to the adventure, the beauty, the history, the deliciousness, and the ‘high seas’ fun we enjoyed on our Greek Islands cruise. We knew we would have fun traveling with you two and enjoyed it even more than we imagined. Here’s to amazing memories and another adventure together on the horizon.
Stin Yeia Mas (I had to google that;)!
Hugs, Heather
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