T100G's Anne Kennedy Hosts Regent Mariner Cruise from Athens to Istanbul

On September 24th, 2013 Stan and I hosted the Signature Travel Network Group aboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner from Athens to Istanbul.  We stopped in Santorini, Crete, and Haifa, Israel, and overnight in Ashdod, Israel, Cyprus, Rhodes, Antalya, Turkey, Kusadasi to visit Ephesus, and ended overnight in Istanbul.

Beautiful building in Greece

We arrived in Athens two days early to rest and visit the new museum at the Parthenon. Don't miss this excellent museum!  Architecturally, it's sensational.  You will understand perfectly the purpose and layout of the Parthenon.  Plan to have lunch on the patio of the restaurant where you will have delicious food and a magnificent view of the buildings of the Parthenon.

We visited Santorini and toured to charming Oira and Fira.  Too many cruise ships in port that day caused crowds in the narrow streets and a two-hour wait for the funicular down to the port.  Spoils the experience!

On Crete our ship was small enough to dock at the port in Agios Nikolaos and we skipped the trip to Heraklion to visit the Palace of Knossos.  We had been before and decided to wander in this charming town.  It was a delight.  We actually witnessed two weddings and a funeral!





Intrepid travelers in Old Jerusalem

In Israel we visited the Golan Heights and were 25 miles from Damascus. We had hired a private guide for four of us for our time in Israel.  It was a great thing to do. We saw so much more this way. I highly recommend spending one night off of the ship in Jerusalem to see more of Israel and avoid the long drive back and forth to port.  I hadn't been to Israel for about 25 years and was astounded at the prosperity and growth all over the country.  There are many new highways and lots of traffic!  Jerusalem has really grown, as has Tel Aviv.  We loved our time in Jerusalem and the artistic old port city of Haifa.  My nervous companions were amazed by their first visit to Israel. Our guide was a Sabra and had a deep understanding of the complexity of this part of the world.

 

We really enjoyed the island of Cyprus, the Ancient Theater, and the beautiful Roman mosaics found on the island.  We sailed to many places visited by Ulysses on his Odyssey.

The spot on Cyprus where they say Andromeda was chained and rescued by Perseus

All throughout this part of the world, you will walk and climb without handrails to visit many wonderful ancient sites.  The Ancient Gods were worshipped at the highest points in the landscape to be close to heaven! 

Next stop was in the southwest of Antalya to visit a newly constructed seaside resort.  It's a lovely clean town.

Roman Mosaic in Cyprus

On to Rhodes where we visited the Acropolis of Lindos which is an amazingly beautiful site.  It's a serious hike over very uneven ground to get to the top of the Acropolis. A cold front had moved in and the winds were quite frightening without any handrails.  A few people had their sunglasses blow off and they were lost forever!!  In the afternoon, we visited the Old City of Rhodes where in January of 1523 the last of the Christian Knights of St. John were allowed to leave when Rhodes came under the Ottoman Empire.  This part of the world has known many conquerors and it keeps happening. Don't miss the Palace of the Grand Master, an enormous castle with relics from the medieval period as well as ancient sculptures and 1st century floor mosaics brought from the island of Kos.

 

Ruins of the Acropolis at Lindos

Then on to Kusadasi to visit Ephesus, an amazing site.  Cleopatra visited in her barge when Ephesus was in its glory.  The harbor silted in and the city lost its ancient world glory.  The city was home to the Temple of Artemis, one of The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  The well-restored Library of Celsus is a highlight.  Be sure to visit the newly restored Terrace Houses.  They are reminiscent of visiting Pompeii but much more complete.  Very beautiful.  Kusadasi has grown hugely since our last visit.  There are wonderful shops full of glorious Turkish treasures.

We ended the trip in Istanbul.  This is one of my most favorite cities in the world.  It is so exotic.  We stayed in the old town Sultanahmet Four Seasons Hotel which is one of my favorite hotels.  It is small and intimate with excellent service and delicious food.  You would never know it was a former prison.   All the exotic treasures of old Istanbul are close by. 

The Turks are among the most hospitable people in the world.  We had our own private guide who took us on ferries to the Asian part of Istanbul and updated us on the changes in politics and culture in Turkey. The day we left, headscarves became legal for women

Tile decoration at Four Seasons
Hotel Sulahamet Istanbul

to wear in Parliament.  After Ataturk made the whole country secular, this is a large symbolic shift in the opposite direction.  Traffic in Istanbul is horrific.  One way to circumvent this is to take a private water taxi across the Bosphorus which cost about $50 for four of us.  Well worth the money to avoid the aggravation of being stuck in horrible traffic. 

One interesting tip!  When you arrive to check in at the Istanbul Airport, you have to put all of your luggage on a conveyor belt to be screened before you even check in at your airline.  We encountered long lines for an early afternoon flight.  We went through three levels of security.  It's well worth it to hire a porter outside the airport to help you.  If you use a tour operator, assistance through security can also be included.

Next April, Stan and I will host the Regent Seven Seas Voyager from Bangkok to Dubai with stops in Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phuket, Sri Lanka, Cochin, India, Goa, India and Mumbai, India.  Stay tuned. 

--Anne Kennedy, Travel 100 Group

Crystal Serenity from Istanbul to Venice

I sailed on the award-winning Crystal Serenity this fall from Istanbul to Venice. The ship holds 1080 passengers but our sailing was small with only 700 passengers. We were met in Istanbul by Berna Uzer with Nurdan’s United Travel Service (our on site in Turkey.) She was great and before we knew it we were checking in at the harbor after a great drive from the airport. She met us again the next day for a private tour of Istanbul.

I also visited the newly opened Park Hyatt Istanbul which is a wonderful small hotel in the tradition of Park Hyatt’s format of using existing historical buildings to reflect a taste of the city. The rooms were very contemporary and comfortable with great baths. The roof offered great views of the city and the Bosporus. I had stayed at the Kempinski Cirigan Palace and Ritz Carlton on a previous trip and had visited the Four Seasons Istanbul. All offer a different feeling of Istanbul.

It was great to stay overnight in Istanbul on board the ship. We were able to unpack for the whole cruise and relax knowing that the next day we would not have to worry about checking out of a hotel and getting to the ship on time.

The highlights of the trip for me were Kusadasi which I had not visited before. We had another guide from Nurdan who was very engaging and knowledgeable about the local history and stories. He came with us to visit the historic home of Mary (mother of Jesus) and then on to Ephesus, an ancient Roman and Greek city on the west coast of Anatolia near Selçuk, one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek period.

This city was famous as the site of the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World before it was destroyed in 401 AD by a mob led by St. John Chrysostom. It is also the site of a large gladiators' graveyard. The restoration of Ephesus has been undertaken since 1885 by the Austrian Archaeological Institute and continues to this day.

In Athens, we visited the newly opened (June 2009) Acropolis Museum. It was designed by Bernard Tschum. It has an on site archaeological dig which is covered by flooring which allows you to view the excavation as you walk over it. Inside are all these wonderful artifacts from the Acropolis and the Parthenon which are very accessible to the public. The staff is friendly and eager to answer questions. The rooftop restaurant looks over the Acropolis and is a wonderful place to relax in a peaceful environment. The museum entrance fee is only 1 Euro through next spring.

The cruise ended with a mid day sail into Venice. Belinis were abundant, the decks were packed and we saw Venice unfold before us as we entered the city. We spent the night in Venice which gave everyone an opportunity to visit when the crowds were gone.We choose to have a private small group tour of St. Marks Basilica after it was closed for the day to the public and visited the rooms under the Nave where intimate weddings are sometimes performed. From its opulent design based on the Greek cross to the gilded Byzantine mosaic domes, it has surely earned its 11th century nickname Chiesa d'Oro (Church of gold).

After two languid days at sea, it was time to say goodbye to our table mates from England and Canada. The group tours ashore were wonderful and informative but the ship itself was also its own destination. The lectures, movies, spa and pool were more than enough to keep our attention while aboard, not to mention the fabulous meals in the main restaurant and the two optional restaurants, NOBU and Prego.

Our cruise ended with British Airways flights to London and on to Chicago with a stop-over at the wonderful First Class lounge in Terminal Five and last minute shopping at the myriad of shops below. All in all, it was a wonderful end to a fascinating and relaxed cruise. Call me at extension 210 and I would be glad to set you up on a similar cruise.

Judy Pusch - Travel Consultant

Splendors Of Greece and Turkey

I was recently a part of an industry group that traveled for 8 glorious days to Greece and Turkey. Our odyssey began in the beautiful and historic city of Athens, at the Hotel Grande Bretagne. On the first night of our adventure, we enjoyed a sumptuous meal and breathtaking views of the Acropolis and Parthenon from our hotel’s beautiful rooftop restaurant. We spent the next 2 days exploring the capital city of Greece, which included a sunset visit to the Athenian Riviera.

The next stop on our journey was at the Blue Palace Resort and Spa on the beautiful island of Crete. Crete is a magical island, and the Blue Palace offers the best in style and quality. One of the highlights of our visit was a trip to an authentic Cretan Olive Oil Farm, where we enjoyed a traditional Greek lunch and sampled (and purchased) many of the authentic blends of olive oils.

The following morning, we sailed by Hydrofoil from the port of Heraklion to the spectacular island of Santorini. We stayed at the Vedema Resort, which overlooks the beautiful Aegean Sea and is situated in the medieval village of Megalohori. The warm and beautiful tones of blue and white greet you upon arrival at this traditional Greek resort. Every portrait I painted in my mind of Santorini was magnified a million times over as we explored every part of this breathtaking island.

We ended our magical adventure in very ''cool'' Istanbul, Turkey, a fascinating and exotic destination. Istanbul was everything I had imagined and so much more, both culturally and aesthetically. Old and new traditions mingle on the streets everyday in this bustling and ever mystifying city. The new W Hotel, the first W in Europe, was our home away from home for our unforgettable stay in this extraordinary city. The highlight of our visit was a boat cruise on the Bosphorus River, under the enormous bridges spanning the 2 continents of Europe and Asia, connecting east and west, past and present.
- Rosemarie McGuire, T100G Vice President & Travel Consultant