Posted by So it’s off we go down The Bosphorus across the Marmara sea to the Dardanelles past Gallipoli and the War Memorials and out into the Azure coloured Aegean Sea.
The WW1 war memorials
Our first night was at sea making our way down the Turkish Coast and the next day was a beauty for cruising enjoying the beautiful until a late storm came in during our outdoor dinner ! We woke as we approached Kusudasi Harbour and watched a line of big Cruise ships coming in behind us.
After breakfast it was off for our first shore excursion to Ephesus, the Ancient Greek, Persian and Roman town dating back to 2,000 BC. The stunning restoration of the Library was a sight to behold as were the sophisticated Terrace houses running up the side of the hill like modern day condominiums.
The reconstructed Ancient Greek library at Ephesus
This way to the doctor
The main street in Ephesus
We were taken to a hilltop village “Sirince” for lunch and through a tourist trap set of streets and found this little treasure of a lady off the beaten track selling her knitted cats, had to buy one.
Our next stop was Bodrum and a day out on a Gulet boat in the local waters after a visit to the Knights of St John’s castle and maritime museum.
The next stop was the Greek island of Rhodes and its historic relevance to The Greeks Persians and Romans
Santorini was beckoning and the view cruising in was spectacular and after a bus trip around the island we were dropped off in Oia for the day to take it all in. We visited a great museum talking us back to 3,000Bc and enjoyed a fab lunch overlooking the caldera.
These amazing frescos were from the pre-minyan period of around 2,500BC
Our next port of call was Mykonos and it was straight off the the ancient city of Delos.
Our last night on Windstar was good fun and if course we had a little dance.
After a very rough night at sea we arrived in Athens and spent the day touring the sights on The Parthenon and other well know temples of Jupiter and Zeus.
