Yesterday in Ephesus was amazing.  Our trip has been so wonderful.  And now we are off to another ancient place-Athens, Greece.

We pick up our private coach and driver at the port of Piraeus   This is where you would catch ferries to the multitude of islands off the coast of Greece.  The month is October and the weather is warm but not hot.  This is the best time to come here because the crowds, smog and heat are gone.  If you come between Nov. 1 and May 1, the island are closed.  It gets cold here.  They even ski not far from the city.

The streets of Athens…

Passing through the streets of Athens we are quickly made aware of the changes that Greece has gone through in recent months.  Refugees from all parts of Africa and beyond are coming here in droves.  There is definitely a major problem here.

Our first stop is the Ancient Theatre.  This is still used today for all kinds of events.  Seems most ancient cities have the same designs.  Next we arrive at the

National Archaeological Museum.  Greece loves her antiquities so much that modern improvements are often delayed for long periods of time while the findings are studied.  We spent considerable time here as our guide was very knowledgeable in this history.  But there is a lot more to see and our time is rushing by.  Traffic is horrible and a motor coach has problems navigating.

Now we arrive at the base of the hill that holds the ruins of the Parthenon.  There are nice paths to climb the hill so off we go.  This area is always under reconstruction and change.  Much of the ruins have been rebuilt.  The views of Athens are vast and amazing.  We spend time here because this is the main focus of Ancient Greece.  At night the area is lighted and looks like their shrine on the hill.

Shopping and dining are high on the list in Athens.  The Plaka is a huge area covering many blocks.  You could spend days just poking into all of it.  Great for people watching.  In the evenings the taverns crank up the music, food and drink and it is party time.  Love the Greek food.  Amazing how the Greeks can stay up so late and still work all day.

Now we are back in traffic and heading for the port and our beautiful ship

Brilliance of the Seas.

Many interesting place in and out of Athens.

This is a “must see” city whether for a day or more,  I can help you.

The air of expectancy is rising as we are now disembarking our Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas as ship is now in Kusadasi, Turkey.

This is a group from church so the thought of touring ancient Ephesus has special meaning.   This city was the end of the Silk Road and a very prosperous city in Ancient times.

 A day in Ephesus…

Port of Kusadasi

We are met at the pier by my friend and tour operator Atinc Gur from Meander Travel.  He has given us the best archeologist in Ephesus for our guide for the day.  So off we go.

For tourists of both Protestant and Catholic faiths, this site holds much interest.

It is said that Mary, Jesus’ mother, stayed in a house close by Ephesus.

Tradition says Jesus' mother lived here

This is a stop on the tour, if wanted.  Otherwise we go straight to the city.  This city is one of the best reconstructed sites in the world.  From the classic theater, the library, and temples are well done.  Now they have uncovered several of the houses with their beautiful mosaics.

Our group had many questions and we were able to take our time at the site.  Then we were off to aTurkish rug making school.

Handmade Turkish Rugs

This is not a usual tourist stop and we were thrilled to be able to see from the worms to the finished rugs.

The theatrics of showing the rugs is worth the stop. It’s also a good education to learn about how to tell if a Turkish rug is genuine wool, silk or a combination. I couldn’t resist, and now a small silk one is at home in my living room!!!

The library at Ephesus

Everyone loved Turkey.  What a surprise at how clean, friendly and interesting this country was.  We would go back.  This was a day of memories and dreams come true.

Beautiful uncovered houses at Ephesus

Call me to send you on this tour, either by land or on a cruise ship

After 2 restful days at sea on Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas, we are now ready to disembark on the beautiful Greek Island of Santorini.  There are several different island groups off the coast of Greece.  Some are more touristy than others.  Santorini is in the Cyclades group.  Many of these islands can be reached by ferries from Pireus – the port of Athens.

Living in the Pacific NW with all our beautiful green islands, it was a shock to see these Greek Islands as rocks in the blue Mediterranean Sea.

From a distance we thought there was salt on top of the rock.  But as we got closer, we realized it was the charming village of Thira with it’s white-washed buildings.  Just like pictures we had seen.

There are 3 ways to get from the water to the top…

Donkeys walking, and a cable car.

Our group tried several of them.

Everyone is on their own today.  There are tours around the island or you just stay in Thira.  Grab a chair atop the hill and have a drink watching the beautiful water.

Walk the narrow windy streets and poke in the many shops.  Or visit some of the historical churches in the village.   The weather is perfect and so is the view.

This island is very popular with all sizes of cruise ships.  We counted over 10 the day we were there.  All the way from very small to Windstar and the Queen Victoria.

The Santorini sunset is magical.

Grab a partner and call me to book you to enchantment.

]]> http://besttripplanner.org/santorini/feed/ 0 http://besttripplanner.org/online-travel-booking/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=online-travel-booking http://besttripplanner.org/online-travel-booking/#comments Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:35:24 +0000 Sharon Emerson http://besttripplanner.org/?p=564 Continue reading →]]> Do You Want to Book Your Travel Online? Why?

Mason & Granny on the Go

Meet my new assistant, Mason.  He is a lot like what you would get if you book your travel online:

• He has never been on an airplane.  He might send you to SAN instead of SNA.
• He has never seen a cruise ship.  Has no idea where the best cabin location is or the dress code.  He would really rather be in his birthday suit.
• He doesn’t know one ocean from another or any other body of water-except for his bath tub
• He has never been to a hotel and doesn’t know good, safe locations from bad ones.
• He hasn’t been to a resort and has no idea what an EP or AI means.  Just feed him when he is hungry.
• His computer skills are lacking.  If the screen is red, you will go there because that is his favorite color
• As far as seasons go, one day is the same as all the rest.

So, if you want personal service, call Mason’s Granny on the Go.  She knows all of the above and more and will be happy to help you see the world before you leave it.

We had a good rest on the Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas and are anxious to see Rome, Italy.  It is about an hour drive from the Port to the city.  We booked a private tour for this city.

We had a little hiccup finding our tour guide as the port of Civitavecchia had banned tour companies from coming to the ship.  Finally, we connected and we are off.

The Majestic Vatican City

Our first stop is the Vatican/Sistine Chapel where we had a private tour guide waiting for us at the curb.  The week before we sailed we had received  information that for the first time in history, the Pope was allowing anyone to come into the Vatican for free and tour guides were not allowed.  But because we had “connections”, another way was found.

Seeing the lines around 3 sides of this city gave us a bit of concern until our guide took us to the front of the line and right into the Vatican.  How glad we were for having this private company.  Many people from the ship were trying to go on their own and never did get in.  The value of a travel agent!!

Words cannot describe this majestic place.  We have stepped back in history.  We had plenty of time and the guide was very knowledgeable.  It was hard to know where to look – ceiling, statues, floor, paintings and tapestries were splendid.

Then we stood in St. Peter’s Square.  After seeing crowds there for various occasions, we were surprised at how small it was.  I guess the people really jam in here.

More Unbelievable Sites

Now we are off to other sites.  The Coliseum is next.  A very moving experience as we remember the killing of the Christians and what they sacrificed.

In  a motor coach it is hard to navigate the streets, so we gave up a couple of sites, but did get to see the main ones.  Now we know what we can come back to.

Land Ho!!! Our first port of call, Villefranche.

Our Royal Caribbean cruise to the Mediterranean has landed at Villefranche for our tour to the French Riviera.  This is very exciting.

Having watched travel logs for years, we are anxious to put “reality” with pictures.

A Beautiful Coastline

Stretching from St. Tropez to Menton on the Italian border this beautiful coast includes the cosmopolitan town of Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo.

Our port is in the middle of the Riviera, also known as Cote d’Azur.

Nice

Beautiful beaches, pleasant climate and wonderful charm are all in these small towns.

We chose to do a ship tour to get a good narrated overview of the coast line.  Then, if we want, we know where to return to spend more time.

Villefranche is very close to Nice, which is the capital of the Riviera.  Monte Carlo in the Principality of Monaco is the play ground of the rich a famous.  Such a small spot, only 2 square kilometers but a beautiful harbor with luxury yachts.  That could take days just watching those.

Great Shopping

Cannes with its designer boutiques and beautiful hotels is like a painting.  There are other small towns, but our time is limited.

Shopping in small boutiques with beautiful clothes is always on the agenda.  But the coach awaits and we have more to see.

Now we have a better understanding of this beautiful coast and can decide where to return should the sea call us.

Until then, you can call us to book you here or anywhere.