Mediterranean Cruise Redux

Path of Ancient Cultures

Jun 17          Athens (Piraeus), Greece    
Jun 18          Agios Nikolaos, Crete        
Jun 19          At Sea 
Jun 20          Haifa, Israel    
Jun 21          Haifa, Israel    
Jun 22          Ashdod, Israel    
Jun 23          Ashdod, Israel    
Jun 24          Limassol, Cyprus    
Jun 25          Antalya, Turkey    
Jun 26          Rhodes, Greece    
Jun 27          Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey        
Jun 28          Istanbul, Turkey    
Jun 29          Istanbul, Turkey       

Last October we embarked on our ill fated "cruise to nowhere"; in addition to a full refund we were given substantial incentives to book a "re-do" with Regent. Many of the passengers we knew took them up on the June 17th sailing on the Mariner from Athens to Istanbul - The Path of Ancient Cultures. Originally scheduled to make two stops in Egypt, the itinerary was altered last spring to eliminate Cairo and Alexandria and call on Crete and an additional night in Israel instead. As we plan to do a dedicated trip to Egypt, hopefully next year, we were happy with the itinerary changes.

Our trip did not start very auspiciously when our flight to Chicago was canceled, but all worked out fairly quickly when we were re-booked to Dallas and then on British Air t London, arriving with plenty of time to make our connection to Athens. A general strike was called for Greece the day we departed, and since we were scheduled to arrive in Athens around 5:30 PM, we decided to book a night at the Sofitel at the Athens airport and a transfer to the ship the following day. All worked out well; it was great to just walk less than a hundred yards over to the Sofitel and settle in for a nice dinner at their top floor restaurant and a comfortable night's sleep rather than fight the traffic and perhaps leftover protesters in central Athens. 

The Upgrade Fairy graced us about a week prior to departure and we moved up to a 739 sq. ft. Mariner Suite complete with separate bedroom and living room, large balcony, 1 1/2 baths, plus use of an iPad and other perks for the cruise.  We could definitely get used to this!

Mariner suite

the ship pulls away from the dock this time

This was our 6th cruise on Regent, having sailed on the Voyager to the Baltic, Norway and the British Isles and on the Navigator to the Black Sea and Alaska. This was our first time on the Mariner and I decided it is my favorite of the three due to the layout of the public spaces. Of course that Mariner suite probably had something to do with it... We qualified for "gold" status this cruise and enjoyed increased loyalty benefits including a lovely caviar party on the front deck as we sailed into Istanbul. It was a terrific cruise with consistently good weather and interesting ports; subsequent posts will chronicle our days.

plenty of shopping opportunities for evil eyes on this cruise - photo by Ray Schuette

the Mariner docked in Rhodes

Regent's Caviar Party as we sail in to Istanbul

On this cruise, crossing the 75 night level, we qualified for the Gold tier of Regent's Seven Seas Society frequent guest plan. Regent bumps you into the next level for the whole cruise if you cross a milestone any time during that voyage. A new perk for us was an invitation to their exclusive event for those in the Gold, Platinum and Titanium members. On this sailing the event was a private caviar and mimosa party on a forward deck as we cruised into Istanbul around 11:00 AM. Membership has its privileges...

photos by Ray Schuette

Istanbul - Dolmabahçe Palace

Imperial Gate

patrolling the Bosphorus

We have been to Istanbul twice before and have seen all the major sights, so we decided to take a quick afternoon tour to the Dolmabahçe Palace and then walk back to the ship.

Dolmabahçe was built in the mid 19th century when evidently the Sultans were looking for an upgrade from their digs at Topkapi Palace. It was inhabited by six sultans and the last caliph up to 1924 when ownership was transferred to the new Turkish Republic. Atatürk, founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey, used the palace as a presidential residence during the summers. It opened as a palace-museum with ts original furnishings in 1984. One is free to enjoy the park along the Bosphorus but the only way to see the interior of Dolmabahçe is on a guided tour wearing plastic booties on your feet.

Architecturally designed as a traditional Turkish house with a hall in the middle surrounded by many rooms, it shows its Western influence with Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical elements. The Palace and grounds stretch over 11 acres and 650 yards along the European shore of the Bosphorus. It contains 285 rooms, 46 halls, 6 baths and 68 toilets!

Photos were not allowed inside, but some of the more over the top elements include the world's largest Bohemian crystal chandelier weighing 4 1/2 tons and the Crystal Staircase built of Baccarat crystal, brass and mahogany. There are many large and incredibly valuable Turkish carpets along with 150-year-old bearskin rugs presented to the Sultan as a gift by the Czar of Russia.

enjoying the park

Ephesus with an Expert

Celsus Library

ongoing restoration at the Terrace Houses

our guide

This was our second visit to Ephesus. In 2000 we stopped here on a Sea Goddess cruise and toured the site during the day, returning at night for a private concert at the Celsus Library. For our return visit we booked Regent's "Ephesus with an Expert" tour.

Photos from our day posted here.

Ephesus dates back to the 3rd century BC, and has always played a significant role in science, culture and the arts. In 1989, Ephesus Museum archaeologists focused on the ruins of Ephesus' earliest settlement. The enclosure for archaeological remains at Ephesus elegantly reconciles historic conservation with accessibility for visitors.

Upon arrival, you will be met by an expert archaeologist and together, you will discuss and explore the finds collected from Ephesus and the terrace houses.

Next, a visit will be made to the Ephesus Museum's Hall of Artemis to view exhibits of works, statues and architectonic fragments found during the excavations of the Temple of Artemis and other locations in Ephesus. From here, you will continue on to see the ruins, including the grand amphitheater; one of Ephesus' most impressive buildings. You will then visit the 2nd-century Library of Celsus before exploring the ruins of the Scholastic Baths, Odeon, Lower Agora and State Agora.

Your tour will conclude with a visit to the terrace houses located on the slopes of Bulbul Mountain, and opposite the Hadrian Temple. Built for wealthy citizens, the homes' interiors were constructed with the highest standards of their day, and featured mosaics, frescoes and interior courtyards with open ceilings.

amphtheater

Nike from Hercules Gate

Temple of Hadrian

what a Terrace house may have looked like

artifacts in the museum

Terrace house interior walls

restorer at work

mosaic floor

seems our guide arranged a but of music too

Rhodes

Rhodes harbor - top photo by Ray Schuette

Suleiman Mosque

14th century Palace of the Grand Masters

We took a break from ancient archaeology today and spent the morning wandering around the Old Town of Rhodes, still enclosed by its medieval wall and one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe, declared a UNESCO  World Heritage Site. Though quite touristy and full of souvenir selling shops, the town was still very picturesque with evidence of its Crusader and Turkish past.

Rhodes has been inhabited since the Stone Age. After the Trojan war the rapid progress and development of the ancient civilization of Rhodes began, examples of which can be seen in the archaeological sites of Lindos, Ialyssos and Kamiros. Rhodes was famous for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which was completed in 280 BC, but destroyed by an earthquake in 224 BC. It would have been quite something to see the huge statue stretching across the harbor.

 The Knights left imposing evidence of their presence in Rhodes,  building impregnable walls, gates, churches, hospitals, Inns and palaces. Their stay in Rhodes lasted 213 years, until 1522, when the Turks took over. They remained in power until 1912, when the island taken over by the Italians.  After the end World War II  Rhodes, along with the other islands of the Dodecanese, was incorporated within Greece. 

15th century hospital of the Knights - now the archaeological museum 

Antalya - Ancient Ruins of Perge and Aspendos

Perge

Today the Mariner made its inaugural call in Antalya on the southwestern coast of Turkey. I imagine it will become a regular stop as there was a wide variety of sites to see and things to do here. Most of the excursions offered were archaeological in nature; we chose the excursion to Perge and Aspendos. I'm sorry in hindsight that we did not visit the archaeology museum as well.

relief of Artemis on column

Perge was founded in around 1000 BC and was sited 12 miles inland as a defensive measure. During the Hellenistic period it was one of the richest and most beautiful cities in the ancient world, famous for its temple of Artemis. It was an important city for Christians during the Byzantine period because the apostle Paul visited in 46 AD and preached a sermon here.

Roman gate

You enter the site through the Roman Gate built around 200 AD. To the right was the agora or marketplace. The center courtyard and shops were surrounded by a wide stoa, a covered walkway. The floor of the stoa and shops was made of colored mosaics.  The next building is the imposing Hellenistic city gate, dating to the 3rd century BC, that was designed to protect the city with its twin towers and a horseshoe-shaped courtyard at the back. In 121 AD, the horseshoe-shaped courtyard was redesigned as a courtyard of honor. Behind the courtyard stood a triple arch.

Hellenistic gate

butcher shop sign in the agora

After passing through the Hellenistic Gate there was a broad marble paved double colonnaded street that ran 300 meters long leading to the acropolis. The street was divided by a water channel running down the middle. At the end of the street is the the Nymphaeum, a large fountain from which the water flowed down to the channel.

 the Nymphaeum or fountain

Baths

The excavated Roman baths lie southwest of the agora. Different rooms were set side by side serving different functions such as a dressing room, cold bath, warm bath, hot bath and exercise area. The heating system can still be seen beneath some of the rooms.

Greco-Roman theater at Aspendos

Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival in residence

After several hours at Perge we moved on and visited the Greco-Roman theater at Aspendos, one of the best-preserved theaters of antiquity. Built in 155 by the Greek architect Zenon, the theater provided seating for 7,000. It is used today for opera and dance performances, although it is hard to imagine the liability issues raised by the incredibly steep and uneven steps. I climbed to the top but many tourists were content to view it from below.


You can see a virtual reality view of this magnificent site here.

upper gallery

During our entire trip we had very good guides, with one exception - our guide today. He accompanied us for a brief time to the agora at Perge and then set us free to explore on our own. All the other tours we saw were being guided through the entire site. Likewise when we got to Aspendos he gave us a bit of background and then let us loose for unguided exploration. And on the 45 minute or so bus ride back to the ship he remained largely silent.