9/23/10 A day at sea

A day at sea, relaxing by the pool, working out at the gym, and sleeping in very late, of course, with breakfast in bed. Formal night tonight, lobster is on the menu...ummmm.

Tips When Visiting Istanbul

-If coming by ship, skip the hop on-hop off bus. Too much traffic to make the trip in a timely manner and the sites in Istanbul can be walked easily. Save your money on this one.

-Visit the blue mosque. Preferably when sunny to get the feel for the "blue air".

-Hagia Sophia museum, 20 Turkish lira, must be paid in local currency only. One of the few place they won't take foreign currency.

-Don't miss the cisterns of Istanbul, my most "OH WOW" moment.

-Enjoy a Turkish massage at a hamam. Get the full service, and treat yourself.

-Rugs are beautiful, so is the tile work. Bargain and get a reputable dealer. Use ship or Fodor's/Frommer guidebook recommended shops.

9/21/10 Istanbul 2nd day

Took a walk today to the bazaar. A fascinating display of color, the tiles, the rugs the spices. The rugs here seem to be so much better quality and more beautiful design than anything I have ever seen in the United States stores. I brought a colorful tile framed art piece which I bargained for. We spoke Spanish and told the guy we were from Spain, so we bargained in Euros, but payed with a credit card, which was drawn on a US bank, so we actually pulled off paying in US $, saving us $$$.

WOW MOMENT-The cisterns of Istanbul are amazing. Six euro entrance gets you into the cisterns where the James Bond movie "For Your Eyes Only" was filmed. Two Medusa heads of unknown origin lie in the water, making the scene even more mysterious. This was the highlight of the tour through Istanbul.

Istanbul, a dirty, yet not unclean city. Women in various stages of religious cover (the city is 98% Muslim) mixed with girls and women in Western dress. Mosques dot the skyline, with the smells of fish, meat and chicken filling the air from the sidewalk vendors and open air restaurants. Men careful not to mix with the women, walk sometimes, arm in arm. A city unlike any I have ever seen.

A trip to the Haghia Sophia, built in the 6th century, built as a church and later changed to a mosque, was interesting from the outside but we never went in. After standing in line for a good 1/2 hour, you arrive at the window to buy tickets only to find out that they only take Turkish Lira for payment, no credit cards, no Euros. After talking to the people on the ship later, we found out that we didn't really miss anything, and that they had made the same mistake.

Arriving into Istanbul

First day mostly at sea. Our schedule was set for 4PM which gave a very needed day at sea until afternoon. Pulling into Istanbul was quite a site. Off in the distance the view of so many mosques was quite interesting. We had taken in a tour lecture on board earlier in the day, and learned a bit about the city and culture. The port is easy walking distance to the old city. No need for a taxi here unless you cannot really walk the distance. The cruise ship was offering a shuttle bus at 8 euro each ($10), but this is a wast as the walk takes 15-20 minutes at most, though a little up hill. The blue mosque is easily seen from the port and our walk took us to the Gulhare park in front of the Greca Topaki palace, built in 1459. We worked our way over to the blue mosque, so named because of the 21,000 blue tiles that line the inside walls, giving the air a blue tint. Shoes are removed by the door and placed in a plastic bag, provided at the entrance. Prayers are don't 5x a day and the call to prayer can be heard over the loud speakers throughout the city. After a lot of picture taking we made our way over tot he Cagaloglu Hamam, a Turkish bathhouse. 50 euro for a full service massage. You go into a cabin room and remove all your clothes except for a small towel they give you. Then you lock your belongings in the room and don a pair of "slipper", which are actually the most uncomfortable wooden clogs. They will prevent you from slipping on the wet marble floors. You are guided into a steam room to heat up for 10 minutes, then the massage begins. More like being pummelled and beaten. This is followed by turning over for more of it on your back. This all takes place on a marble slab in the middle of a room while everyone else is either watching or having a massage of their own. You are rinsed with warm water and then taken to another corner for a loofah sponge scrubbing, all over. This is followed by another rinse. Next comes a complete body wash with soap, while lying down, soap going in every crevice. You are then rinsed with cold water, a welcome relief. Upon exiting, you are wrapped up in dry towels and offered tea. I tipped 10 euro although they will insist on more. Give what you feel comfortable with. I felt 20% was fair for the hard work. Men's and women's quarters are separate, but in the old days, the penalty for a man being caught in the women's side was death.

Holland America Line Westerdam

From the hotel, Intercontinental, to the ship, by free shuttle that is provided by the hotel to Syntagma square. Subway from the square to Pireaus is 1 euro and we walked about 1 mile to the ship. Saved ourselves about 20 euro on a taxi but again, a long hot walk in the Athens sun.

Nice inside stateroom, good for sleeping with no windows, but some prefer a balcony. We are in stateroom J7116 on the Westerdam by Holland America Lines. I love the food on this ship and the first place I always head is the Lido deck for lunch. After unpacking and exploring the ship, we found a bar-b-que on the pool deck with bar-b-que lobster. First time I have had that, fantastic...mmmm! A nice dinner, met our table mates, as we [prefer the fixed seating, to make new friends and have a couple nice people at our table. The daughter of one couple is the lead singer of the band 10,000 maniacs. Both couples from NY. Dinner was followed by an early bed time. Arriving in Istanbul tomorrow.

Athens Tour By Hop on Hop Off Bus

Touring Athens by hop on-hop off bus runs 18 euro each. Normally I would say this is a great way to tour any city, however, traffic in Athens made this uncomfortable and hot. More time was spent in traffic, and due to an extreme amount of graffiti on almost every surface, it is not such a scenic ride around town. This may be the one exception to the hop on-hop off tour bus recommendation. Here in Athens, I think that a subway pass serves better. You won't miss much and get around faster. The Acropolis is breath taking up close. (15 euros to get in the park) The tickets give you access to 5 other ruins in the Athens area. Bring water, there is no shade and it is hot even in September. For dinner we took the luxury of going to the hotel roof top restaurant, call "Hit The Roof", a Michelin rated restaurant. 118 euro for 2 with wine, the food was excellent and the open air dining was accompanied by a spectacular view of the Acropolis lit up at night.

Santorini to Athens

Check out of the hotel was by 12 noon and our flight was not until 11pm. We had to find a way to waste away the day so we went to the ski lift and rode it down the side of the mountain. Four euro per person to go down. We spent some time sitting on the dock under at tree watching the boats go in and out of the harbor. A meal at a restaurant by the pier and then a donkey ride up the hill. Girls screaming all the way up. A ride is only 5 euro. A flight back to Athens was 30 minutes on Olympic Airways, ATR-400. A drink and snack sandwich on the short flight made it enjoyable. We took the bus (95X) into the city from the airport for 3.60 euro, which left us at Syntagma Square, followed by a 2 stop subway ride to the Intercontinental hotel. Room 5467 with a great view of the Acropolis from our window.