Travelog: Mediterranean Cruise Pt. 1

My original plan was to separate this trip into three posts – Mediterranean cruise, Greek Isles cruise, and Venice – but when our trip got off to a rocky start, there was no way that Mediterranean post would be less than a mile long. I know all our attention spans have been reduced to a mere six seconds, thanks to the instant gratification of the internet, so I’m going to save you the torture of having to sit through a 6,000 word blog post and break this Mediterranean cruise into two parts (not that this one's gonna feel any shorter). These travelogs will be coming at you for the next couple Sundays so keep your eyes peeled to read more about my Mediterranean adventures! 

7/10/15 Seattle/Travel Day

It’s hard to get excited for a trip when everything that could possibly go wrong does. Our original connection to Venice was scheduled for 6am and we were to leave the house at 3am, but at around midnight we found out the flight was cancelled. We went through the whole rebooking process and settled on a flight to Frankfurt which would connect us to Venice. In the morning, we woke up to discover that our flight had been cancelled yet again so we were rerouted to San Francisco, where we would then fly to Frankfurt and connect to Venice. As luck would have it, San Francisco was shrouded by a thick layer of fog, delaying all United flights to San Fran for two hours. United sent us over to Delta but when that flight was also delayed for an hour, there was no way we would be able to make our Frankfurt connection. We accepted our fate and decided to work things out when we got to California.

As we explained our situation to a United agent for the fifth time, we came to the conclusion that there was no way we would be making it to Venice in time to catch our ship. This knowledge was freeing. A great deal of stress had been lifted off our shoulders now that we weren’t racing against time and this bump in the road allow us to spend some time in Santorini while we waited for ship to arrive. Having sorted out all our flights for the next day, we headed down to baggage claim to find our luggage. We sat there for hours before realizing we had to give the description of our suitcases to the baggage services desk so they could pull them out for us. When our baggage finally did arrive, we were short one and had to go search for the fourth one, which happened to be mine. When we found it at the Delta desk, things were finally looking up. We’d experienced the worst so our trip could only get better.

Even though we weren’t even a day into our vacation, it was already a trip of firsts. I have spent a good amount of time in San Francisco but I have never stayed in a hotel. We always stay with my grandpa but since it was so sudden and hectic, we decided we would stay at a hotel instead. Another first, which is probably insignificant to the typical American, was our ordering pizza. In all my years as a citizen of the United States of America, I hadn’t ever had a pizza delivered to me before. (This was the first of many-ish pizzas on this trip.) It was the most stressful and anxious day of our trip and we ended up having a rough night’s sleep but we knew everything was going to work out.

7/11/15 Venice, Italy  San Francisco/Travel Day

Today’s the day we board the ship! Or we would have been if we were actually in Europe. Our flight to Frankfurt was in the afternoon so we had time to have a proper breakfast and refuel for the long travel day ahead. Thankfully, everything went without a hitch and we even got to check out the United lounge in the international terminal. That’s really all that happened today. The day changed while we were in the air on our way to Germany and I spent a lot of the trip watching movies with a subpar pair of airline-provided headphones. It’s always interesting seeing which new releases have already make their debut in the air. The most noteworthy event of the day, I think, was when Gordon and I managed to sync Avengers: Age of Ultron on our screens (which is no small feat) so we could watch together.

7/12/15 At Sea Travel Day

Another day, another flight (or two). It was Sunday by the time we landed in Frankfurt (the plane had cameras installed on the outside so I got to see my own plane land for the first time) and other than a little hiccup from a sleep deprived Yvette at security, everything went smoothly. So smoothly, in fact, that it was uneventful. Our connection was on pretty much the other side of the (ridiculously large) airport so we had to walk for at least twenty minutes to get to our gate. We passed by a cart that sold German sausages and legit pretzels but I couldn’t get a picture because it was in the part of the airport with the highest traffic and also surrounded by a mob of people. Frankfurt does, however, have a solid wifi connection that keeps you connected for 24 hours. It’s fantastic if any of your friends are actually awake to talk to you.

A gyro sandwich where the meat is in the form of a patty.

After a few hours in Frankfurt, we were whisked away to Athens. The flight was a little bumpy but the landing was surprisingly painless (although there was a scream towards the front of the plane that was a little too dramatic for my taste). Since our flight to Santorini wasn’t until almost midnight, we arrived too early to even check in. We secured ourselves a bench, finalized the hotel situation, and explored the airport. We wandered around (and briefly napped) for three hours until Ryanair was ready to check us in. For dinner, we headed for McDonald’s. Now I know what you’re thinking. I’m in Greece and I wanted to eat McDonald’s?! I’m not usually one for McDonald’s (I cannot for the life of me remember when was the last time I went to one in America) but due to a phenomenon called glocalization, international McDonald’s often have products tailored to the locals’ taste. In Greece, we have the Greek Mac.

Finally in Santorini, we get to our hotel and take a long awaited shower. We stayed at the Grande Murano and had a beautiful view of the sea. 

7/13/15 At Sea Santorini, Greece

Treacherous donkey path.

We had one full day in Santorini before our ship arrived and we were going to make the most of it. Before I had even woken up, my parents had gone out to reception to pay for our room and checked out some tours for us. We decided on an itinerary that would take us to a volcano island (Nea Kameni), another island in the caldera called Therasia, and back to Santorini at Oia/Ia. We got up bright and early (well it was bright, maybe not so early) and walked into town to find the cable cars, stopping by a 24hr bakery along the way. The thing about Santorini is that it’s pretty much a cliff. Fira, the town we were staying in (and where the cruise ships let off) had the only cable cars on the island. The only other ways to get up or down this cliff was either walking or by donkey. Either way, it’s grueling, hot, a little bit terrifying, and not a lot of fun. To make it to our tour on time, we rode the cable cars down to the port and met up with the boat. The first stop was to the volcano just across the way. There were a couple sites along the way but for the most part there wasn’t much change in the scenery. Also, the hike up was exhausting. The gravel was loosely packed and it felt like running on a beach only you’re hiking on a volcano and everything is dust. We stopped multiple times along the way for pictures but we turned around when it was no longer worth it to keep going. Better to head back and reserve a shady seat on the boat.

The view on the way down Nea "New" Kameni.

The next stop on this tour was to some hot springs but since I am not at all a fan of being wet, I didn’t go. The boats stopped just outside of the hot springs area and you had to jump in and swim over. Everybody came back wet and dirty. Who’s the real winner here?

At last! Time for lunch! They brought us to Therasia with a bunch of little restaurants on the port/pier. We went straight for the most charming one called the Windmill. The seafood was fresh and delicious and the cats seemed to like us (or the food we were giving them). 

This one ate all the fish bones.

The Windmill

It wasn’t long before we were on our way to what I considered the main attraction. Oia is what most people picture when people think of Santorini and I was not about to miss out on a photo op. As I mentioned earlier, the only way to get up on the island is via foot or donkey. We didn’t want to put the poor donkeys through that so we decided to trek up ourselves. My legs still haven’t forgiven me. There are about three instances as you are hiking up the stairs that you think, “Yes! We’ve made it! This is the top!” only to turn the corner and find another countless number of steps looming above you. With nowhere else to go, you trudge on. By the time I made it to the top, I was in no mood for pictures. Red and sweaty is not a good look. Instead, we spent time exploring the town and scoping out some picturesque places because we knew we’d be returning. It was a chill day and we got a bit of shopping done before looking for a nice place for dinner.

Eggplant of Santorini (I think)

Eggplant "Little Shoes"

We decided on Blue Sky Tavern, close to the cathedral and bus stop, where I ordered eggplant dishes to try. The original plan was to find a place where we could watch the sun set while we had dinner and I think it was fate that we had chosen Blue Sky Tavern because the view from that restaurant was nothing short of perfection. Following our fantastic meal, we headed back to Fira by bus and made a beeline for our beds to hit the hay before the early start we had the next morning. Mission: get on that ship. 

Spectacular Santorini Sunset #alliteration 

Blue Sky Tavern

7/14/15 Santorini, Greece

Our first look at the Norwegian Jade.

The Norwegian Jade. What a sight to behold. We were pretty much the first people awake on the island as we dragged our large suitcases up the (blessedly) empty cobblestone streets. We caught glimpses of the ship between buildings as we made our way to the cable cars. We actually made it on to the first set of cars going down. There were a handful of locals eyeing us wondering where we could possibly be going with our baggage so early in the morning. They probably thought we were lost. It wasn’t long before the first tender coming from the ship had arrived with ship security ready to welcome us on board. This being the first time we missed the start of a cruise, we were worried that the check in process would be long and painful but it was surprisingly quick and they made it as easy for us as possible. After checking in, we headed straight for our cabin to freshen up in a shower that actually had some water pressure. Once we were ready for the day, we headed back to the island. Remember the locations we scoped out yesterday? That was our goal. We took the cable cars up and hopped on a bus to Oia. Santorini buses are an experience. You pay on the bus and if there are no seats, you stand. It helps that the local buses are actually charter buses so they aren’t nasty like most public transportation. When we got to Oia, we bought a couple roasted sweet corn that had caught our eye yesterday and it was definitely worth the wait. 

They came with adorable Greek flag toothpicks.

This door is my favorite.

Let the photography begin. One of the things I was most looking forward to when I heard we would be visiting Santorini was the fact that I could finally update my profile pictures. I was not about to pass up the opportunity. Oia is gorgeous and literally anywhere is great for photos but find a secluded area away from the crowds and your pictures are guaranteed to be stunning. 

Choosing from all the photos is really difficult.

Having taken photos, we got back on the bus and rode back to Fira. Now that we weren’t in too much of a rush and didn’t have our luggage with us, we were free to try out the donkey path. The line for the cable cars were bound to be long, especially with four cruise ships docked at once, and riding the cable cars was starting to be expensive. We’d experienced walking up in Oia and there was no way walking down could be worse, right? Well… I’m not going to say it was worse but it was by far more dangerous. While these paths are made of uneven stones, the edge of each step is marble and the donkeys’ hooves have worn the stones smooth. You could slip and fall (into donkey poop, dried or otherwise) with every step. Going down was probably more exhausting than going up. Fira’s steps were also so much busier due to the aforementioned four cruise ships. In Oia, there was only one batch of donkeys we had to step aside for but in Fira these beasts came in waves. Not only did you have to avoid getting trampled, you also had to avoid trampling their excrement. Even if you weren’t riding a donkey, you certainly smelled like one by the time you got to the bottom.

Look at the steps winding down the cliff. Then try slipping on said steps.

After getting back on the ship for good and taking another shower, we were ready for our first cruise dinner of the trip. I had a delicious Cajun mac n’ cheese but I won’t be including photos because if I include pictures of every single cruise food, these travelogs would be ten miles long and they’re already pretty lengthy as it is. Let me know if you’d be interested in seeing a cruise food post. The talking would be minimal and you’d get a (figurative) taste of the cuisine out at sea.

Sailing away from Santorini.

When we got back to our cabin, we discovered that some wine and fruit had been left for us along with a note congratulating us on making it on to the ship. Maybe we should miss embarkation more often… Following our discovery, we headed right back out to explore the ship a little and catch the sunset. This one could still be considered a Santorini sunset and made for a beautiful backdrop for an impromptu photoshoot. There was also a bit of a mishap with the key cards. For whatever reason, my and my brother’s key cards wouldn’t open our door and after taking them to Guest Services to get it fixed, they still didn’t work. We had to reset everybody’s cards on the first night of our cruise. Thankfully we caught it when we did so we didn’t have to deal with all that in the morning when we had a tour to catch. The night ended with entertainment at the theater. Tonight’s show was a Beatles tribute band called the Backbeat Beatles playing the later Beatles hits. It was a great show and right up my dad’s alley. 

7/15/15 Ephesus, Turkey

This is the Cleopatra street. (Library of Celsus in the back.)

This isn’t my first time going to Ephesus but it was my first time in Kusadasi. Technically, we’ve been on this cruise before so a good handful of these destinations will be repeats for me. I’m glad we had another chance to experience Ephesus because once (maybe even twice) really isn’t enough to take it all in. Ephesus, if you don’t know, is an ancient Greco-Roman city and was the capital of some empire at one point (if I remember correctly). So much of the city has been restored and is still intact – it’s truly awesome. Awesome in the purest sense of the word. The streets are original. Original as in I-have-walked-on-the-same-streets-as-Cleopatra original. I don’t know if I can even put into words how amazing Ephesus is. It encapsulates everything I love about history.

If I could lounge in the shade I would, too.

Our tour guide was great at explaining and even taught me some things I didn’t learn the first time around. This time, we had a chance to visit the Terrace Houses right next to the Library of Celsus. You really have to see these houses for yourself. They are so grand and to think that these houses are ancient. I can hardly wrap my mind around it. They had indoor plumbing and their walls and floors were covered in art… It blows my mind just thinking about it. Ephesus was such an advanced city for its time and for a lot of time following its decline. We didn’t even start to get a proper sewage system until 1890. I think I could go on and on about Ephesus for an entire blog post if I wanted to but it’d just be me losing my mind over history. There’s so many interesting tidbits and the whole place is so complex. They also have an abundance of cats and they are adorable.

Temple of Artemis (storks atop column)

When we finished our tour of Ephesus, our next stop was the Temple of Artemis. I had visited this site the last time we were here but it had been rainy and muddy and there wasn’t much to see. This time, it was a clear day and we could actually see what was left of the temple. Our tour guide emphasized the fact that Artemis was the goddess of fertility. He pointed out the family of storks that return every year to nest on the final remaining column and the lush vegetation surrounding the temple. This might be a little TMI, but at this point in the trip, I had been anticipating my period for quite some time and I was starting to wonder if it would ever come. As we were leaving the temple, my abdomen started feeling uncomfortable and lo and behold, my time of the month had come. Now I’m not saying that Greek gods are real, but I wouldn’t do anything to spite them. I, for one, am that much closer to seeing how the ancient Greeks could believe in them so completely. It could’ve been coincidence but it also could’ve been Artemis’s power. Is there really a way to know for sure?

The Temple of Artemis was the last stop in our tour but we still had plenty of time left at the port. We decided to grab some Turkish food for lunch (which was pretty similar to Greek food) and, of course, we couldn’t pass up the chance for Turkish ice cream in Turkey. We finally had time to shop and one of the souvenirs I get at every port-of-call are postcards. Finding them in Kusadasi was a challenge. The clock was ticking and we still hadn’t found any shops selling postcards that didn’t come in a pack of twenty. Resigned, we started headed back towards the ship when we bumped into a little kiosk selling postcards. The old men there were so nice they even gave us a handful of free charms to go with our purchase.

Once we were back on the ship, it was time to leave and we were ready for dinner. The show that evening was a circus variety show performed by the “Queen of the Rings” and a strongman. It was quite impressive and something I wouldn’t typically see. 

7/16/15 Athens, Greece

The only thing we had planned for Athens was a hop on-hop off bus. The website with the map with very vague so we didn’t have a game plan going in. Not really sure what to do or where to go, we rode to the Temple of Zeus before changing our minds and walking over to the Plaka instead. Plaka is a shopping district of sorts and we definitely bought our fair share of souvenirs, including a necklace that says my name in Greek. I also sent out the first postcard of the trip to Mikaela!

The Parthenon from the ground.

Hop on-hop off provides a couple guided historic walking tours free of charge so we headed back to the Acropolis to join one of those. We visited the top of the Acropolis the last time we came so that wasn’t a priority and it was hotter than Hephaestus’s forges so thank goodness we didn’t have to make that climb. I’m also assuming (since I don’t recall) that the steps are probably similar to the steps in Santorini where they are worn down from the years and the travelers. The walking tour we went on was actually very informative and took us places where I never would have explored without somebody to take me. I learned a lot of new things that many other guided tours would glance over or not even mention, including bits of mythology that I hadn’t heard before.

The Acropolis from the Areopagus Hill.

That was pretty much our entire day in Athens. It wasn’t much, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and I still thought it was a very fulfilling day. I didn’t feel like I missed out, but I’d love to visit again for a longer period of time. Actually going into the Acropolis Museum would be wonderful but knowing me, even an entire day in any museum is not enough so there’s no way I would be satisfied on a cruise time budget. That’ll have to wait for when I am able to visit Greece and take my time.

Having had nothing to eat in Athens, we got a table at the Blue Lagoon, the 24hr restaurant on board, and had a late lunch. After eating and melting the sweat off our bodies, we watched the Men of Motown in the Stardust Theater. They were absolutely fantastic. Their show was also a lot of fun and the crowd was loving them. The combination of my late lunch and busy day, I got back to the room and crashed on a still-full stomach and slept in my (unwrinkle-able) clothes ‘til morning.

7/17/15 At Sea

Finally a day to sleep in! A chill day was so desperately needed. There really are not enough hours in the day. Someone should invent something where time moves slower as you nap. I could use that. The day started late and we skipped breakfast, just hanging out until the dining rooms opened for lunch. We got to briefly check out the upper decks before heading down to get ready to eat. Not much got done today, which is fine by me. It was relaxing and I got to catch up on this blog post (aka write the entire thing). At dinner I finally got to have my soufflé (a cruise staple) and there was finally a musical at the Stardust Theater. I believe it was a Norwegian show with lots of sixties music. I was all about it.

I would like to know if anybody actually read every single word of this post. It was a lot to get through but I hope I didn't bore you too much. If you want to know anything else or you want me to expand on something I've written about, let me know! I'd be glad to discuss my travels with you! ALSO sidenote: all the pictures are taken by me unless I'm in them, in which case it was taken by my mom. This is true for all travelogs.

Next week we’re spending a good chunk of time in Italy with some other destinations thrown in there so keep your eyes peeled for that! It'll be just as long as this one if not longer. ;)

Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette