Our Final Trip

Our final trip before moving back to the states ended up being perfect! After 2 years of traveling to so many countries, small towns, cities, churches and fortresses we were having a difficult time trying to pinpoint exactly what we were looking to do. We settled on a cruise, a bit apprehensive being that our first one ever was less than a year ago, a very small ship, and a unique experience. This time we went a little larger with Silversea’s Silver Spirit Ship because of the destinations, size, and quality of the cruise line.  

Sunsets in the evening were awesome!

A benefit to cruising in October is there are not many ships still in the European waters as they head to warmer places for the winter leaving the ports pretty empty here. Our ship was only about half full with fewer than 250 guests, so I think there was more crew than guests. Pretty nice for us!!! It is a first class operation so we spent our 8 days feeling like kings and relaxing in luxury.

Sunrise was spectacular too!

     Our destinations were Greece, Turkey, Montenegro, Croatia, and ending in Venice. The negative to a cruise tends to be not having enough time in each destination, but after two years of so much traveling we loved unpacking once, and the elimination of decisions about where to stop, where to eat, and navigating how to get places. It left us focusing our efforts on exactly what we wanted to see and do when we arrived in port. You can accomplish a lot when you eliminate so many decisions in your day!

     The destinations in Greece and Turkey were excellent for exploring ancient ruins that dated back to 500 BC. We thought sights we had seen in Europe we so old compared to the US, and now we were in Athens and Ephesus and we were predating the birth of Christ! Absolutely amazing and humbling.

Steeped sloped amphitheater located below the Acropolis

 Parthenon

Poseidon Temple outside of Athens

Athens, Greece

We flew into Athens three days before the cruise left so we could take our time and visit the Parthenon and surrounding ruins. The Acropolis is so striking because it sits up on a flat top rock in the city of Athens. The view from our hotel at night was just awesome, but even during the day it could be seen from all around the city. We were so fortunate to have a guide who tried to educate us on the empires that occupied the area – Byzantine, Frankish, and Ottoman. Words we hadn’t heard since maybe high school and even then I don’t think I understood what we were being taught. We would hear about these empires many times in the next week of traveling. We were shown examples of differences in types and styles of architecture in the temples, theatres, and palaces. Truly amazing places to see. Without a knowledgeable guide we would have been lost and not known the significance of so many of the sights we were walking by.

Ruins of the ancient Greek city of Ephesus

In front of the Library of Celsus

Theatre in Ephesus

    

 In Turkey we had the privilege to tour Ephesus, a city that at one time had a population of 50,000; where the Gospel of John was written and spoken to the people who lived there by the apostle himself; and it is thought that this is where Mary spent the last years of her life.  We were walking on ‘streets’ made of stone worn down from thousands of years of foot traffic. All around us were stone fragments and architectural building pieces casually stacked and piled near pathways and structures that were vibrant markets, buildings, and temples in another time. The restoration continues using modern technology that is a marvel in itself.

Olympia, Greece

     

   

The destinations in Greece were so very different than the Greek islands we had visited back in May. Along the Ionian Sea, Greece has green hills and so much more vegetation - definitely not as arid and dry as the islands in the Aegean. Corfu, Greece was so very green and such a pretty island with olive trees and beautiful buildings where you could see Venetian influence as well. In Katakolon we rode out to Olympia, another destination to explore ruins. Ancient Olympia had played host to the original athletic games and inspired what we celebrate today. The torch was lit here just weeks ago and it is now on its way to Sochi for the Winter Games. A pleasant side trip in Katakolon was to an old family winery perched up on the Ionian Sea. It was a surprising gem, even though Greece is not well known for wine making we met the wine maker, walk around the beautiful grounds of his winery with him, and sampled wine, olives, and cheese from the region. 

Mercouri Estate and Winery

The perfect setting for wine tasting

Montenegro, Dubrovnik, and Hvar all offered beautiful small port destinations with history not as ancient as Greece and Turkey, but beautiful, serene, and striking. Kotor, Montenegro presented the most dramatic entrance to a harbor on the trip. You travel up a fjord for over an hour with steep rugged mountains all around to the Old City of Kotor that in the Middle Ages was Serbia’s chief port becoming an important economic and cultural center in the country. Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful fortified cities. It has a massive wall around the Old Town that you climb up to and spend hours walking on. The views from the wall were awesome. You look down on the orange-tiled roofs, copper colored domes, and tall bell towers. The day we were there the sun was shining and glistening off the sea, just a beautiful day! Our only disappointment was a War Photo Museum that displays world renowned photojournalists’ work from the Balkans War in the 90’s was closed on Monday, our only day in port. The gallery sounded like it would provide a powerful view of a very recent war that there is no evidence of in this picturesque city. Hvar was a spot we had already been to in June and spent a day sailing around the neighboring islands with our children. We said then it was a place we would like to come back to. Wish granted! This day we spent riding motor scooters up into the hills of the island, which offered very pretty views of the surrounding sea.

Corfu, Greece

Kotor, Montenegro

Silver Spirit in Kotor Harbor

Dubrovnik

Wall surrounding the city of Dubrovnik

 Before heading back to Koln and moving onto New Jersey, our last stop was Venice. Again it was a very interesting entrance into the Port of Venice. A much less stressful way to enter than when we arrived by car earlier in the year! Unfortunately, it was not as clear this day. There was a travel guide on the ship that narrated the entire ride in explaining history, points of interest, and the situation of floods and rising waters in Venice. A bit overcast, but still a remarkable and amazing place to visit. It is just such a unique city, precariously situated on lagoons that rise and fall depending on the weather conditions. The architecture is just awesome and it is one of the best cities to wander in without a map and just see where you end up!

Entering Venice

A wonderful end to a two-year adventure that we never imagined would be as grand as it was! We were so very, very fortunate to have this opportunity to travel, live in Europe, and have so many friends and family come and explore with us!!!