Skip to content

Santorini, Day 8

Our visit to Santorini was not one of an ancient site. Although Santorini (once called Thera) was a very important island stronghold in both Classical and Renaissance times, it is best known these days for its stunning beauty and cycladian architecture. Per government regulation, almost all new construction must be in the style, because it is what they are so well known for. Santorini itself is an island formed by the caldera of a volcano. The edges of the volcanic basin are the islands of Santorini. Because of this, Santorini forms a near perfect natural harbor. The walls of the caldera, however, are steep, so almost all of the construction is on the outside slopes, creeping up and peering over the rim. While in Santorini, we took the time to see the village of Ia, a popular wedding and honeymoon destination, an ancient Byzantine church (13th century, IIRC), and a local winery that produces some of the local vinsanto wine, a wine made from grapes left to dry in the sun until they are almost raisins.

From Santorini
2008 10 23 Comments (0) Permalink

Ephesus and Kusadasi, day 7

Day seven, after a day at sea, we arrive at the second country on our tour, Turkey. We docked at Kusadasi and took a tour to see Ephesus, an excellently preserved and restored site. Our tickets also included access to the still-under-excavation Terrace Houses, which are carefully being preserved inside a well roofed area, and with glass walkways so that as little of the site is disturbed by tourism as possible. They offer limited admission to this area for an additional fee, the proceeds of which fund the archaeological work. We took a lot of pictures here as well, because there was a lot to see. By the way, the Library of Celsius is a stunning piece of work that any city public library should consider emulating. Afterward, we returned to Kusadasi proper, and were treated to a carpet weaving demonstration and sales pitch. The afternoon was characterized by an overpriced lunch and souvenir shopping.

Pictures up at Picasa.

From Kusadasi and Ephesus
2008 10 20 Comments (0) Permalink

Castelmola and Taormina, Day 5

The next day we docked in the Port of Messina, on the Sicilian coast. Our tour guide was Australian, and although he’d been a tour guide for decades, he had no sense of pacing. He rambled on all the time about things that were not necessarily relevant, or that he had already said three or four times. You’d think he was being paid by the word. It did make it difficult to actually stop and look at what we were seeing and take pictures, because the only time he stopped talking was when we had to move on to the next spot. Regardless, we really enjoyed the area, and would be happy to go back. We also did some shopping. Next time you come over, remind me to show you the tablecloth.

From Castelmola and Taormina
2008 10 17 Comments (0) Permalink

Herculaneum, Day 4

Our first port of call was Naples. There were shore excursions to the area beaches, and of course to Pompeii, but we decided on the tour to Herculaneum. Why? Everyone goes to Pompeii. Any time you travel to that region you can easily pick up a guided tour of Pompeii. Herculaneum was a smaller seaside resort for the wealthy that was also destroyed by the 79 C.E. explosion of Vesuvius. The site is smaller, having been excavated less, and having the modern day town of Ercolano still on top of it (literally - they can’t excavate some areas because they go under people’s houses), but it does have some things to recommend it. Primarily, it was buried by mud, not ash, so is much better preserved, including original timbers that charred and fossilized, but did not burn away. Having a classics minor, and knowing an expert on the area (she was in a PBS special narrated by Leonard Nimoy!), we took more pictures here than at any other spot, I think. I’ve posted the gallery up at picasaweb.google.com… of course.

From Herculaneum
2008 10 17 Comments (0) Permalink

When in Rome: Day 2

Before boarding our cruise ship, we had a day and a half in Rome. Airline hassles, hotel rearrangements, and camera battery outages kept us from seeing or doing as much as we’d planned, and raised our frustration levels. Not the best way to start travels, but the good outweighed the bad, including good food, good tour guides, and actually getting to see some amazing sites.

I’ve posted most of the pictures we did get, but as I mentioned, the camera battery ran out halfway through our tours (my fault!), so we didn’t get that many pictures. Again, posted at picasaweb.google.com…

From Rome
2008 10 15 Comments (0) Permalink