Hello blog-land! Once again, I have been amiss in my blogging duties, but it's the summertime! A few weeks ago I returned from an amazing cruise of the Mediterranean. My family and I spent a few days starting in Istanbul, Turkey, then boarded our SEABOURN ODYSSEY cruise ship (perhaps the epitome of classiness and luxury - more of that to come in a later blogpost), for a 10 day cruise of the Mediterranean that concluded in Athens, Greece. I'll fill you in on just SOME of the highlights!
We stayed in the old city of Istanbul. Our hotel was a minute walk to all of the big tourist must sees (Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque) Below is a stunning picture of the Hagia Sofia... One of the most amazing centers of art history in Europe - in my opinion, at least.
Inside the Blue Mosque!
Below is my second favorite place we visited in Istanbul (After the Hagia Sofia of course). This is called in Turkish terms, the Yerebatan Sarayi, or the Sunken Palace. Essentially this is one of the many cisterns located under the city of Istanbul. I think this picture explains its beauty!
The same day we visited the Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, Topkapi Palace (not pictured), and the Yerebatan Sarayi, we also walked through the Spice Market, a 10 minute tram ride away from our hotel. The following day we spent at the Grand Bazaar. I cannot even begin to explain how huge, and almost overwhelming the Grand Bazaar was! So many amazing smells, colors, everything! We bought plenty of Pashmina scarves, jewelry, turkish delight, and hand made crafts. Good thing we had a whole day to spend in the Bazaar, as we literally got lost, and found ourselves roaming far, far, away from where we had started. Below are pictures of the Grand Bazaar!
From Istanbul we boarded our Seabourn Odyssey yacht (more to come on this amazing boat!!) to begin our 10 day cruise through Turkey and the Greek Isles. Having exited the Marmara Sea, and going through the very narrow Bosphorous Strait, we found ourselves at our first stop in Mytlini, Greece (pictured below). I was too busy having such a great time onboard the ship that I didn't go on shore, but luckily my sister snapped this great shot.
Our following stop was in Kusadasi, Turkey. Upon docking, we took a drive to Ephesus. There we visited the amazing ruins of the Temple of Hadrian, the Celus Library, and the amazing ruins of the terrace houses. A lot of restoration work was being done in the terrace houses, but the ruins were really amazing, and beautifully intact!
Following our stop in Ephesus, we found ourselves anchored at the lovely island of Mykonos! Definitely my favorite Greek island! Although it was quite overcast that day, the island's white washed buildings and colorful (mostly blue) accents still shone through! So pretty!
Another great place we visited along the way to Athens was Patmos, Greece. Tons of religious (Christian) significance, but it was also gorgeous! The picture below is a view from the highest point of the island!
Donkeys available for the trip up to the Acropolis of Lindos!
Another view of Patmos and surrounding islands from the Acropolis of Lindos.
Sadly, our amazing cruise had to come to an end :( We disembarked at Athens Greece. To be honest, Athens was probably my least favorite part of our trip (but that's just me being spoiled). However, the historical ruins like the Parthenon pictured below, were absolutely fantastic! Luckily we left Athens right before the real rioting in the city began!!!
Overall, this was an absolutely amazing trip! The sights and destinations were only half of the absolute perfection of the trip - the cruise itself was another story (hopefully to be blogged about later)! So until then...
stay classy,
madeleine
This year I've been doing TONS of traveling. Flying from school in Philly, to back home in SF alone racks up the miles. Add in a flight to Istanbul, with a layover in Munich, and a flight back home from Athens, with a layover in Zurich, as well as a weekend trip to LA. I absolutely love traveling! I am very thankful that I have the opportunity to travel to such amazing places. The thing I find ridiculously intriguing is the fact that you can simply get on a plane and end up in a completely other place!! I love it! So this thursday I am thankful for airplanes, and the amazing technology we have to make traveling possible. And of course, I am superbly thankful for the great top notch airlines, like Virgin America and JetBlue, who make traveling not only convenient and comfy, but also quite stylish. Who doesn't like traveling with class?
