Chris' Blog of Venice, Italy

Hey guys,

Today was our last day in Italy and our last stop was Venice, Italy. It was kind of funny to sail into port because there were a lot of little boats and ships moving past us. Most of the people on our ship were out on their balconies waiving to the people on the other boats. No one in Venice port had seen a ship that was as big as the Royal Princess.

Next to our ship, the Royal Princess

 

It was funny to see all their faces when they were looking at the ship. :) Here are some pics that we took from our balcony...

Entering The Grand Canal in Venice

Chris gazes out at the parade of small boats that followed us

Water taxis were everywhere!

When we actually went into Venice, it was very pretty to see all the boats on the water in the canal. They call it the "the sinking city" and it is rightfully named.

And now for a little history lesson about that... Venice was built in the 13-14th century and they built it on a marsh (basically), so the people had to build around the water. Over the years the water has risen a lot. That then creates a soft foundation for the buildings. The weight of the city then pushes the ground down. The water used to be 3 1/2-4 ft lower than it is today. This means more flooding, which used to happen a couple times a year... now it happens every other day. When it does, there is siren that goes off around the city which means they have to put on water boots. Luckily, this did not happen when we were there. :) Here are pictures of the water height and some of the canals we saw.

Venice and rising water levels

Steps to get into small boats

We saw canal after canal..

...just like these.

Here is a picture of one of many dry (luckily) places we walked through. Venice was a very nice place to walk through.

These streets are only for pedestrians

Enjoying some in the sun in a plaza

On one of the many canal bridges in Venice

Later, we went to formal night and ate dinner. The food was AMAZING (as always) and Ruslan had an interesting experience. He tried snails for the first time, but I said heck no to trying them. Now, I know I sound like a wuss, but they really did not look appetizing. Here is a pic of Ruslan trying them and us at formal night. He said they tasted great!

Ruslan accepts the challenge of escargot!

 

Chris & Ruslan at formal night

As I'm writing this, we're on a plane heading home and hope all is well with everyone!

Chris/Topher :)

 

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Chris' post about the Bizarre Bazaar and Nutella

This post is about the two best things on the planet: HUGE Nutella and the biggest place on the planet to spend all your money...(well the second one isn't that great...)

Anyway, we wrote about the Grand Bazaar before, but it is HUGE!!! We had extra photos we thought you might like to see. It had 4,000 shops and 69 different alleys that lead to places. If you want something, it is easily found in one of these shops. This place is located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was like being in a modern-day Labyrinth! Luckily Ruslan had a good memory and we found our way out. Below are some extra pics taken from just one spot!

Looking all four directions...

..from one aisle...

..to the next...

...and another!

We also found some big Nutella containers in Rome... the best thing on the planet.. besides me of course. :) Here is the pic of the huge containers.

A year's supply of Nutella! Yum!

Later 'yall!

Chris

 

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Chris' Blog of Athens

Hey all! This is Chris...yet again! :)

 

Pop asked me if I wanted to do another blog for today and I accepted. Athens, Greece was one of the places I had wanted to visit ever since I was younger... due to 2 things: 1. It was one of the 7 Wonders of the World, and 2. I love ancient history and Roman architecture was a big thing during that time. Here is a picture of a stadium that was built in the 4th century B.C. It is on the same site that they hosted the 1896 and 2004 Olympic Games. Also in the picture are our friends that we met during the cruise and tours. Here is the pic...

Olympic Stadium - Athens, Greece

Here is another one of us. Notice how handsome the one on the far right is. :)

Ruslan, Pop & Chris at the Olympic Stadium

The next place we went was the government house where we saw the changing of the guards. This was not an ancient site, but people wanted to see how the military acted. The two guards were replaced with 3 others. The men had to stand perfectly still for an hour at a time, then they would switch out again. When we took the pictures with them (which we will show at home), it didn't feel like we were standing next to a person. Go to the mall and stand next to one of the mannequins and then you'll see what I mean. :) Here is a pic of them switching out...

Changing of the Guards Ceremony

On our way up to the Parthenon at the Acropolis, we stopped and our guide told us about the theatre (which is right behind us in the pic). This "theatre" was actually used as a place where people would go and listen to musicians. The sound is so perfectly balanced that there was no need for speakers. Yanni played there a few years back. Now many musicians go and perform there. You can seat around 7,000-8,000 people in this theatre. Here is the picture.

Next to the theatre at the Acropolis in Athens

(Announcer Voice...) Now, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all that are reading this, we now introduce our main attraction. Chris Morf... never mind.

Anyway, I finally got to the Parthenon! It was built with marble that was in a mountain miles away from the place that this fantastic building was being built. It took them a whole week to bring a piece of marble from the mountain. Now, when I say piece, I am meaning 3 1/2 - 4 foot tall, 8 foot wide piece of marble that weighed at least a couple tons. Lastly, to make things worse, they were using wood carts over horrible terrain. This huge, magnificent, one of the 7 Wonders of the World building took a total of 30 years of continuous labor. Now, you're probably wondering what was inside this huge temple. Well, I'll tell you. There was a statue of the Goddess Athena that was made out of ivory and pure gold plates. This statue was over 40 feet tall and had around 1,000 kg of gold on it.

I want to tell you now why the city is called Athens. The Greek people had such a strong belief in the Goddess Athena that they named the city after her. This is a picture of what is left of the Parthenon.

Chris admires the Parthenon

Here is another one of us in front of the Parthenon.

Three guys are finally at the Acropolis!

The last place we went was a HUGE market place. We were thankful for the nice drinks we got there after such a long hot day. :)

Yet another shopping experience

Well, that wraps it up for today's adventure and hope everything is well back in the blessed USA. :) See you all Thurs!

Chris

 

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Chris' Blog of Ephesus

Hey all!

I decided to do a blog post for once and tell you guys how the day went today. We went to Ephesus where Paul and other prophets that were important during that time preached after Christ died. Below are a couple of pics of the stadium where Paul spoke to the Ephesians. It could fit over 24,000 spectators and is HUGE!! It wasn't like the coliseum huge, but it was still big. The sound system in the stadium was amazing... now what I mean by sound system was the sound coming from the person who spoke to the people. The stadium was semi-circular and had a wall/rectangular shape building right in front of the opening in the circle. You can kind of see it in the picture...

The Theatre at Ephesus

Chris & Ruslan stand in the Theatre

Our tour guide told us that only 20% of the whole site had been excavated... by the way, right now I'm listening to Josh Groban sing while I'm writing this. :) Anyway, she took us to the Temple of Hadrian and there was a statue of Medusa on the very front. Our guide told us why: Medusa was not a bad person/creature that everyone thought she was. She actually was a person that brought the bad out of people and scared the bad spirits away. Later, people didn't like the look of the scary lady with snakes for hair, so they took the eyes from the statue and made duplicates. Ever since that time, her eyes have been a symbol of good luck, that you may have a life full and filled with good. Even now days they have charms that look like eye balls that are on necklaces and bracelets for good luck. Below is a picture of the temple and Medusa statue...

The Hadrian Temple at Ephesus

 

Medussa in Stone (above The Hadrian Temple)

The next place we visited was a library that had been destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt. It was amazing to see the detail up close. Our guide told us that the people at Ephesus did not like having to import papyrus so they decided to make their own kind of paper... not only that but also their own ink. The records of the past had lived in this library (as you see below, only a wall) until the Greeks had taken over. After that happened, the Ephesians took these records and hid them away in Italy and different parts of Turkey. They were translated later and now we can understand what happened early in that age of Ephesus.

Pop, Chris & Ruslan at the Celsus Library

Later, we visited the home of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This was the place believed to be where Mary had hidden after the Jews had been run out of Jerusalem. Christians of that time believed that this is a sacred place, that Mary was actually a Goddess, according to our guide. She hid in the mountains because of all the persecution the Christians were getting in that part of Turkey. Below is the pic of the house. You can see the house in the background...

Chris & Ruslan at the House of the Virgin Mary

After the house was a wall of wishes that people hope that Mary will grant to them. This is the only thing the guide told us about this wall. Here is the pic...

Looking at the thousands of wishes left by visitors

Hope everything is going well there at home!!! Be back Thurs!! :)

Chris

 

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Experiencing Present-day Istanbul

After a visit to the museums of Topkapi Palace where we saw treasures of gold and the famous Spoonmaker's Diamond (sorry, we couldn't take photos), we got a lunch break. All of us were up for the adventure of taking in some Turkish cuisine. Street cafes like the one we chose are so common and there's a hustle and bustle that only adds to the enjoyment. You can tell by the looks on their faces that Chris & Ruslan enjoyed their meal.

We went to a carpet factory where we were given a demonstration of carpet-making and then a display of their finest carpets. Of course, they were all for sale...but not ON sale. Prices were very high, but we had to admit that these Turkish carpets were almost works of art. Chris took them up on the offer to remove his shoes and walk around on them. He said they felt great!

Chris examines the quality of these Turkish carpets

Our final adventure was going to the Grand Bazaar. This place was huge! Our guide even warned us to take a picture of the entrance we were going in (there are several) so we could show someone inside the picture when we got lost (!) and they could direct us to the correct exit. There are hundreds and hundreds of shops, all under one gigantic roof, aisles branching off this way and that...all beginning to look the same after a while. You really CAN get lost. But we had Ruslan and his good sense of direction to get us back to our meeting point so we could take the bus back to our ship.

We're smiling, but we're not yet lost in the Grand Bazaar!

Chris & Ruslan examine an array of exotic spices

 

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Istanbul, Turkey - the Mosques

To be in a predominantly Muslim country was a big change for us on this trip. We'd been to Spain, France, Italy and the little Greek Island of Mykonos, all of which have Jesus Christ as the central focus of religion. This was the land of mosques and minarets, prayer calls over loudspeakers and women wearing burkas. Chris, Ruslan and Pop had to wear long pants today so we'd be appropriately attired for entrance into the Blue Mosque. This is one of the most famous and often-visited because of its beautiful tiles on the massive domes inside. It gets it's "Blue" name from the hue it seems to have from it being the often-used color in so many of the tiles. Our guide gave us a pretty thorough general understanding of the religion of Islam and we found it very interesting and different from our culture and church.

The Blue Mosque in Istanbul

The blue hue inside is very subtlle..not much in this photo

Across a large, open courtyard stands the equally-impressive St. Sofia (Church of Holy Wisdom) which was originally a cathedral created by Emperor Constantine in 325 and then converted to a mosque when the city was conquered by the Sultan Mehmet in 1453. The Islamic faith doesn't allow graphic images in a place of worship, so all the beautiful mosaics originally a part of the Hagia Sofia were plastered over. They are just now beginning to remove the coverings to reveal all the original images.

Hagia Sofia in the background behind Chris & Ruslan

Original Christian mosaics are being found under plaster

The persecution of Christians during parts of the history of Istanbul necessitated them having an almost secret society and they had to practice their religion behind closed doors. Chris listens to the guide explaining how emblems in some of the artwork of Hagia Sofia directs Christians who are new to the city to find other believers.

Emblems hidden in artwork are clues to Christians

 

 

 

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Island of Mykonos

..(pronounced "MEE-koh-nos") is the Greek island that is the one seen on so many travel posters of the Mediterranean. Bright white buildings with a sunny climate...it's where lots of celebrities come to play. Our short day was the perfect example of why this little island is such a sought-after destination.

As we started a walk through the old Mykonos town, we came upon what was obviously a religious building and it was explained to us that we were actually looking at five (5?) churches! The building didn't seem to be big enough for even one "church" in our way of thinking, but we found out that there were hundreds of churches throughout the island, all privately owned and associated with the Greek Orthodox Church. These small, one-room churches were often attached to homes and were used for weddings, baptisms, and small ceremonies where an officiator from the Greek Orthodox Church would attend. Once inside one of them, you had barely had enough room to move around, and there wasn't enough room for more than a few people inside.

Royal Princess anchored on the right

Few crops are grown on this rocky island, but until about 40 years ago, these windmills were used to grind grain from nearby islands with more fertile soil. The wind here on Mykonos was a reliable power source.

There's a portion at the waterfront of the old town of Mykonos that's called, "Little Venice." Like its bigger namesake, the foundations of the buildings actually go directly down into the water and you can enter and leave the building directly from a boat. These buildings date back to pirate days and their design to be waterfront friendly was to thwart (or maybe aid?) the pirates in their nefarious activities.

The island has its issues. One is that it is a "dry" island. The word Mykonos actually means, "dry earth," and until just about 50 years ago, residents had to get their drinking water from one of just 4 or 5 wells in the town. This one was left here on display so we could see what they looked like. Now water is brought in through a system of pipes and reservoirs.

The design of nearly every single building is exactly the same throughout the island. No more than two floors, concrete framing, masonry exterior, then the obligatory (yes, it's a law!) bright white paint and deep blue shutters and doors. Interestingly, because there is a relatively constant breeze, the houses' upper edges are curved to keep the wind from making noise as it blows past the building.

Some swam, some sat on the sand, but everyone had a beach break on the shore of the Aegean Sea. The water was about 75 degrees, clear and clean. No wonder this island is a mecca for vacationers.

 

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