European Cruise: Vol. 2

One of the other reasons we decided to take a cruise in the middle of the trip was because we figured we could see more remote places that we wouldn't necessarily had been able to get to given our budget and time constraints. This proved to be true as we would have never been able to see a place like Ephesus otherwise. So, our list of stops included: Sicily, Athens, Ephesus (in Turkey) and the island of Crete.

Of course we decided that we would "go it alone" and not book any tours of which there were plenty. Too expensive and it's more fun to figure it out on your own, right? Well, most of the time...

The first stop was a city in Sicily called Messina. We had a half-day there and just stayed close around the town. Having visited at least a few cities in Italy by that time, it was interesting to see how the style of the churches changed from region to region. Being so far south, we definitely noticed a more African/Middle-eastern style to the buildings. We took it pretty easy here but saw some beautiful little churches, quaint piazzas and good views.
We sailed through the night and got to Athens early the next morning. If Messina was small and quaint Athens was the opposite. After walking a good ways out of the port we were finally able to find the metro and made our way to the famous Acropolis. When you see it for the first time, it's pretty dramatic, sitting on top of the hill as it has been for thousands of years. We paid our money and slowly made our way up the hill, walking through ruins of columns and buildings that had been there for millenia. Even with scaffolding and cranes (for restoration), the parthenon (the main building still standing) was stunning. There is a sense of awe when you realize that this was built thousands of years ago with no modern technology and it was designed in such a way as to be the most beautiful from every angle. And that holds true, even as it is in ruins. We spent most of the day wandering around the Acropolis and the Agora.
Hadrian was the man...
And, a clock tower from the 1st century.
After that, we made our way into the Plaka (the old town) where there was a huge marketplace selling everything from tools to rugs to clothes to antiques. We finished our day eating true-blue Greek pitas...one of the best things we had ever tasted.

Again, we sailed through the night and woke up in Turkey. Amazing how that happens! We came into the port city of Kusadasi on the western coast. Our plan was to get to the ancient city of Ephesus (yes, the one in the Bible!) since it was rumored to be a short drive from town. Upon disembarkation we inquired of a taxi service what the rate would be. 85 euros??!! Pfshhh...let's keep looking.

We had heard of minibuses you could take but the problem was finding where to take said minibus. After wandering around the town (which wasn't unpleasant as there was a huge bazaar to browse through), asking two or three different people and almost giving up we finally met a man who with one simple word, saved the day. "Across," he said. We looked across the street and there was a sign with a minibus next to it, advertising that it was going to Ephesus. Joyfully, we ran across the street and hopped on, thankful to find more brave tourists on their way to Ephesus. The bus took us as far as a nearby village and then we walked another kilometer through the Turkish countryside, surrounded by more and more ruins as we got closer.

Back in the day, Ephesus was a bustling city of 250,000 complete with library, public toilets, fountains and amphitheatres. The city is so well-preserved that you can walk down the main thoroughfares and get an idea of what it was like. We had a great time exploring, seeing where Paul preached to the Ephesians and were especially taken aback by the library of Celcus, one of the most beautiful things we had ever seen, even with it in ruins.
Public bathrooms!
Sorry, guy...
And, drinking Turkish coffee...

Looks good...
Tastes bad...
The next day we woke up and were in Crete. This was going to be our stop for sunning and beach-laying but unfortunately it ended up raining that day. Not to be put off, we decided on a change in our agenda and made our way to the ruins of the palace of Knossos. Having been built in 1900 B.C., this was by far the oldest thing that we had seen yet. The rain came down heavily and we were soaked but still managed to see the palace and snap some quick pictures. There are a few areas that are well-preserved and the rest was mostly foundations. After a while we decided to head back to the ship for a hot shower and a soak in the hot tub. Yes, a rough life, I know.
The king's throne room...
Too soon the cruise was over and it was on with the backpacks again. Not knowing what to expect, the cruise pretty much exceeded our expectations and we left feeling like we might do one again in the future.