Next up for us were three Greek islands - Mykonos, Rhodes and Santorini.
Mykonos has the white buildings and narrow streets that people associate with the Greek islands.
Delos is an island that's a short boat ride from Mykonos. It was a major centre for the worship of Greek gods and the ruins on Delos are extensive.
Like most Greek islands, Mykonos is home to lots of cats. We took a bunch of photos that will show up in our "Cute Cats of the World" album. Order your copy today - enjoy tons of cute cat photos and help us pay for our trip :-)
The cruise stop in Rhodes was our second visit to the island. It was very rainy so we did a short walk through the old town and then Vanessa and her mom went shopping and Blake went for a nap.
The last Greek island we visited was Santorini and it was the best. It's easily the most picturesque and is featured in most postcards and calendars of the Greek islands.
The island is what remains of a volcano that exploded about 3,600 years ago. The volcano is still active today but it's limited to small releases of steam and sulphur. Communities are built on the rim of the volcano, the middle crater has filled in with water to form a lagoon and the nose of the volcano sticks up in the middle of the lagoon.
Here are a few photos from Oia which is probably the most photographed town in the Greek islands.
After the Greek islands, we returned to Turkey for one day. No carpet or pottery purchases this time, just really good sightseeing. Our first stop was Ephesus which was a large city in the Greek and Roman times. There are tons of ruins to look at and only 15% of the city has been excavated.
Another stop was at the house where it is believed the Virgin Mary spent her final days.
Our last two days on the cruise weren't memorable in a good way. We had a day at sea (boring!) and then our stop in Naples, Italy was cancelled due to high winds and rough seas. To make it even worse, there was an outbreak of Norovirus on the ship. We didn't get sick but the virus did kill our desire to venture out of our room.
We got off the ship with very mixed feelings. We were happy to be off the virus-infected boat but we had to say good-bye to Cecile and Shirley. We had a ton of fun together.
Vanessa and Blake
Mykonos has the white buildings and narrow streets that people associate with the Greek islands.
Delos is an island that's a short boat ride from Mykonos. It was a major centre for the worship of Greek gods and the ruins on Delos are extensive.
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| Only part of the site |
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| Terrace of the Lions - dedicated to the god Apollo |
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| Flooring of a house's central courtyard is still intact |
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| Like a puzzle trying to put all the pieces together |
Like most Greek islands, Mykonos is home to lots of cats. We took a bunch of photos that will show up in our "Cute Cats of the World" album. Order your copy today - enjoy tons of cute cat photos and help us pay for our trip :-)
The cruise stop in Rhodes was our second visit to the island. It was very rainy so we did a short walk through the old town and then Vanessa and her mom went shopping and Blake went for a nap.
The last Greek island we visited was Santorini and it was the best. It's easily the most picturesque and is featured in most postcards and calendars of the Greek islands.
The island is what remains of a volcano that exploded about 3,600 years ago. The volcano is still active today but it's limited to small releases of steam and sulphur. Communities are built on the rim of the volcano, the middle crater has filled in with water to form a lagoon and the nose of the volcano sticks up in the middle of the lagoon.
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| Standing on the nose of the volcano looking at lagoon and crater rim |
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| Our ship in the lagoon |
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| Vanessa on the volcano |
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| Blake on the volcano |
Here are a few photos from Oia which is probably the most photographed town in the Greek islands.
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| A great lunch with an unbelievable view |
After the Greek islands, we returned to Turkey for one day. No carpet or pottery purchases this time, just really good sightseeing. Our first stop was Ephesus which was a large city in the Greek and Roman times. There are tons of ruins to look at and only 15% of the city has been excavated.
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| Just part of the site |
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| Another part |
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| Temple for the Roman Emperor Hadrian |
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| Theatre - seating for over 40,000 |
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| Under the theatre |
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| Library of Celsus |
Another stop was at the house where it is believed the Virgin Mary spent her final days.
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| House of the Virgin Mary |
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| It's believed that wishes left on the wall will be granted |
Our last two days on the cruise weren't memorable in a good way. We had a day at sea (boring!) and then our stop in Naples, Italy was cancelled due to high winds and rough seas. To make it even worse, there was an outbreak of Norovirus on the ship. We didn't get sick but the virus did kill our desire to venture out of our room.
We got off the ship with very mixed feelings. We were happy to be off the virus-infected boat but we had to say good-bye to Cecile and Shirley. We had a ton of fun together.
Vanessa and Blake
