Istanbul, Turkey June 21

A windy day here in Istanbul. We are overnight on the ship here. Our last day. Lunch by the pool and games. We saw hundreds of small ships or boats crossing beside us all day. Some were tours and some were ferries I think. We planned to organize the packing but instead we napped! I am still under the weather and some days even seem like a set back.

We had our last dinner at Tastes and then headed to the room to pack. Bags had to be out by 11p and we made it by 10p. While it has been a lovely and very luxurious cruise, I feel I have not fully appreciated it due to my feeling sick. 

We cruised 2,025 nautical miles. We are docked at Galatport here in Istanbul.

Tomorrow we fly to Bordeaux, France via Amsterdam, Netherlands. We arrive late so we have a hotel at the airport and we will check into our Airbnb the next day. Here is a link to the Bordeaux Blog if you are interested:  Bordeaux Blog

At Sea June 20

Today was a busy day at sea. Stuart spoke in the morning and then again from the bridge when going through the Dardanelles. In between his lecture and that we also attended the lectures of the two other speakers. Nice men, Bob and Michael. Bob joined Stuart on the bridge for additional information on the Dardanells Strait. It was brodcast live from the bridge to all open areas of the ship and also on the bridge cam on TV. There is quite a history. On 19 February 1915, British and French ships began a naval assault on the Dardanelles. The fighting culminated in a heavy setback for the Allies on 18 March due to large losses from Turkish mines. Military landings on the Gallipoli peninsula followed on 25 April. If you want to read about check out this LINK.

At 6p there was a Captain's Reception that we attended in the Starlight Club. After that it was dinner and the show. A lovely but very busy day on board, especially for Stuart. 

Kusadasi, Turkey June 19

What a gorgeous day! We went into town and found a restaurant for a nice cold drink and late morning snack. We have both been to Ephesus before. I was here just last year with June for a full day tour. I'm glad we did that then. I could not do it today! 

There are two other ships docked near us. One is the Ovation of the Seas by Royal Caribbean. We seem dwarfed in comparison, carrying more than 4K passengers! On the other side of us is SeaDream Yachet Club, luxury, exclusive...with a maximum of 112 passengers!

A lovely afternoon by the pool playing games, until the heat just became too oppressive. Another lovely evening onboard, Dinner and show.

Bodrum, Turkey June 18

We had a busy day onboard. Stuart is speaking today so he did a little prep for that. We lounged around the pool and talked about other visits here. The inviting beaches with colorful umbrellas are very inviting. Stuart walked to the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus on his last visit. I am not up to doing much as I am still under the weather. "The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus or Tomb of Mausolus was a tomb built between 353 and 350 BC in Halicarnassus for Mausolus, an Anatolian from Caria and a satrap in the Achaemenid Empire, and his sister-wife Artemisia II of Caria. The structure was designed by the Greek architects Satyros and Pythius of Priene." This is where we get the word mausoleum! 

In the afternoon Stuart spoke on Ephesus. It was well attended and everyone seemed to enjoy it. After that we went to the lounge and ended up chatting for some time with one of Stuart's fellow speakers, Michael. 

Dinner was in the Waterside Restaurant (main restaurant) and very nice. We started off with Turkish Tomato Salad, Split Pea Soup, and Australian Wagyu flank steak. All were very tasty!

Then it was a beautiful Sunset! We also went to the show at 9:45p and to the Jade night club for a little while. 

Rhodes, Greece June 17

It was a short walk into town, the Medival Town of Rhodes, and it was good to get out though I am still very fatigued. We walked along the shore into the walled city. After checking a few shops and making a few selections, we stopped in a small cafe called Mare d'Estate for a cool drink. Since I had no breakfast, dolmas were my choice for a snack! It was nice sitting under big umbrellas, fan blowing pleasant air, enjoying cool beverages, being serenaded by accordian and tambourinel in Rhodes, Greece.

In the evening it was The White Party. We went and observed from the deck above because we didn't have white outfits to wear. Lots of music, fun, drinks, appetizers.

Santorini, Greece June 16

This is a tendered port for us. In addition, the way to make it from the caldera, where we are anchored, to the city above is a time consuming process. One first takes the tender, then the tramway up, then a little walk into town. To return you have the choice of the tramway or donkies to ride down the hill to be able to tender back. 

I think Santorini is one of the most beautiful places I have been. Stuart has been here before as well. We opted to stay onboard, enjoy games in the pool area, and get some sun. It was very pleasant most of the day. Mid afternoon became pretty warm and we came back in to get ready for our Speciality Italian dinner at Osterio d'Ovidio. Previous to dinner we went to the Crystal Cove Lounge and after dinner we went to Starlight Club.

Our dinner was fantastic, very filling even though we asked for smaller portions. We had a lovely seat by the window to futher enjoy the various boats coming and going, along with a beautiful sunset!

Piraeus (Athens), Greece June 15

 Again, we have both been to Athens a few times so we are staying onboard for most of the time. Stuart did laundry (there are no cost, self service appliances) and worked on trying to get his email working. Mine has worked fine but he has a special domain or something for his email so he has not received it since being on the ship. 

We planned to get off in the afternoon but changed our minds. We had a nice dinner and listened to music. Neither of us is 100%!

Here are a few photos of the port in Piraeus, food, and a blurry sunset!

Chania (Crete) Greece June 14

Today's high is predicted at 99F - NO I am not getting off the ship. For one reason we were both here on our circumnavication of Africa just last year. We have both been here 3 times (maybe 4 for Stuart?) We enjoyed some time around the pool where we could dip in and get refreshed. It is a salt water pool, I believe chemical free. It didn't seem that hot with a little bit of breeze as well. We stayed by the pool after having a margarita pizza for lunch at the Trident Grill. Along with sunbathing we also played Rummikub. I will need to have a winning streak here pretty soon or Stuart will have beat me at each choice of games. 

We had dinner with one of Stuart's fellow speakers, Bob Smolet and his wife Suzanner. it was an enjoyble dinner. 

Then it was on to the Starlight Club. I might not have mentioned they have 4 men onboard to dance will women who have no dance parteners. I have not seen that for a long time on a cruise. They are called Ambassador Hosts. There was some nice, relaxing music by Heart Beat Duo. From there we stopped in at Jade, we were the only ones there!!! We didn't stay as late as usual. We have become sort of friends with the DJ Viv and the bartenders were very attentive since there were only 2 of us! Stuart tried a London Spritz and liked it. Sort of like an Aperol Spritz but with a shot of gin! I had a Bellini Tini, it was good too. 

Off to bed to hopefully get a good night's sleep and wake at a decent hour in the moring!

Argostoli (Cephalonia) Greece June 13

Having toured Greece many times, Stuart has also been here several times, we opted for a quick walk into town for a cold beer. It is a lovely little port but not much available right by the ship. The weather is really warming up! This first photo is a WWII memorial for both foreign and domestic who perished in the city. I am always touched when I see memorials all over Europe. 

The biggest event of the day was the fabulous dinner at Umi Uma. This is a specality restaurant that we received 1 complementary dinner. The regular price is $50pp.

We did dance the night away in Jade Night Club, well Stuart did. I danced a few dances but still trying to get my energy back. Another enjoyable day aboard the Crystal Symphony!