Trip and Event Reports
MLSC Trip to Athens, the Islands and Istanbul
Trip Report by Jack Behrle
After almost two years of anticipation, 33 MLSC members boarded planes for Athens on September 23, 2009, and after an uneventful 10 hour-flight, landed in Athens. Included in the trip were 2 nights in Athens, a 7-day/night cruise on the Windstar Cruise Line’s Wind Spirit and four nights in Istanbul.
Note: The photos that accompanied this article did not travel well to this page, but can be found in the Group email PDF file that was sent to members October 12, 2009. Additional photos and larger ones can be seen in the Photo Galleries tab on the horizontal bar at the top of the window.
Our tour started in Athens where we were met by Wulfie, our Tour Guide for the entire trip. Athens was warm, busy and surprisingly walk-able. We toured the Acropolis, saw the Parthenon and the new Acropolis museum, and enjoyed more than a few tavernas. Our dinner on the last night in Athens was a marathon with way too much food, but heck, we are tough and can take it!
On Saturday morning, we assembled, boarded our bus and went to the Port of Athens, Piraeus. Our ship, the Wind Spirit, awaited us, gorgeous and gleaming - with the Captain and First Mate personally welcoming us onboard. After a quick check-in, most of us reported directly to the Pool Bar for libations in preparation for our sail away! Marion, Maddy, Judy and Jean always seemed to find time to report here!
We sailed away at dusk and began one of the most pleasant weeks most of us have ever had. The service was amazing, the food, even better.
The winds were fresh and we headed to Mykinos but due to the strength and direction, we diverted instead to Milos, famous for the Venus de Milo found in the Louvre. We explored the capital, Plaka, a lovely place for most of the day before returning to the Wind Spirit and our next destination, Santorini. That night, we enjoyed the relaxed and delightful dining in the dining room, preceded by cocktails in the lounges, etc. We were all quickly getting used to this life!
Santorini was stunning, with clear skies, warm temps and spectacular scenery. An extinct volcano, the slopes on the harbor are steep so some of us rented a donkey to take us to the top of the cone. Chase and Sue rented two spectacularly odiferous beasts and managed to reach the top with little damage to either them or said beasts! (I did not interview the donkeys but they appeared unfazed by the whole trek.)
Following a colorful sail away from Santorini, we headed for Rhodes and a ferry ride to Symi. This island was about 45 minutes from Rhodes, but all agreed, a stunningly beautiful little town with one of the most beautiful harbors in Greece. On either side of the steep-sided fjord rise tier upon tier of houses, some painted white but many in pastels, all with neo-classical pediments, a reminder that 100 years ago, this town was one of Greece’s most prosperous islands. Used by the Nazis as a sub base in WWII, many of the houses were destroyed but rebuilt beautifully following the war.
Our next port was Bodrum, in Turkey where we toured ruins of the towns of Didyma, Miletus and Priene. Stunning when we realized we were looking back over 3000 years with some of these towns! Miletus is now surrounded by arid plains but once was a prosperous sea port before the rivers silted up and the port simply fell into disuse since it no longer connected to the Adriatic.
Next day found us in Kusadasi, Turkey and a tour of Ephesus, including the Library (photo) one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. This city once had 250,000 inhabitants making it the third largest city in the world at that time. Following our tours, we had lunch at a local buffet restaurant and managed to get back to our ship in time for dinner! (This is not easy duty!)
Our sixth day was at sea, threading our way thru the Dardanelles, past the Gallipoli battlefields of WWI and into the sea of Marmora and ultimately arriving in Istanbul on Saturday morning.
Istanbul was universally loved by all! What a fascinating city with some 14 million plus inhabitants, sitting at the juncture of Asia and Europe on the Bosporus. We had a full-day tour upon arrival where we visited the Blue Mosque, Topkapi palace, Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar plus much more. Most of us visited the Harem, but found none of the original inhabitants available. By dinner, we were all worn out! Our hotel, the Blue House, was located directly across from the Blue Mosque and we all enjoyed the five daily calls to worship from the Mosque!
We shopped ‘til we dropped and managed to dent Turkey’s almost inexhaustible supply of fine leather clothing and incredibly detailed woven rugs. The Grand Bazaar was suitably named and unbelievable, a city under roof with almost 4000 shop keepers, all vying for our business. Ann, Sue and Maddy managed to make a positive contribution to Turkey’s balance of payments!
On Sunday, Wulfie arranged a tour of the Bosporus for us all and we almost made it into the Black Sea. We all had lunch in Asia before returning to our hotel and more shopping. On Monday and Tuesday, the touring and shopping continued until we either ran out of credit, legs or just plain endurance.
We departed early on Wednesday morning and made it back to Philly by late afternoon. All agreed this was one of the most spectacular trips ever. I am worried how we will top this one however.
Any ideas ???
Jack Behrle
Note: The photos that accompanied this article did not travel well to this page, but can be found in the Group email PDF file that was sent to members October 12, 2009. Additional photos and larger ones can be seen in the Photo Galleries tab on the horizontal bar at the top of the window.
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