Saying Goodbye to Venice

After our cruise, we still had one full day to spend in Venice before returning to Utrecht. We disembarked, dropped our luggage off at the hotel (this time using a taxi to avoid any more bus disasters), and made it back into the city before 11:00.

In our few days in Venice before the cruise, we'd already crossed off the museums and sites on our must see list, so for our final day we focused on relaxing and enjoying the Venetian culture instead of jam packing our itinerary.

We decided to start off at the Biennale Gardens and just meander from there. The public park at the opening to the gardens was pretty, but we opted not to go into the area which required an entry fee (and contained most of the art displays).

Statue in the Biennale Gardens

Instead, we stopped for lunch, beginning a day full of food and drinks, which after all seems to be what Venice is all about. I enjoyed one last pizza, while Mr. Traveler chose a local fish, served whole with potatoes. As we ate, we watched as both locals and fellow tourists went about their business, stopping to pick up groceries or inquiring about menus in a mix of English and Italian. Some of my favorite moments in Venice involved seeing the local culture -- children playing ball in narrow passageways and adults and their dogs meeting up with human and canine pals. Realizing that Venice was not only a tourist destination, but also a home, seemed to bring the City of Bridges to life.

After lunch, Mr. Traveler concocted a plan and programmed an address into his phone. We meandered through alleys, across bridges, and stopped in some of the open plazas to enjoy the architecture. I would have assumed we had no particular destination in mind, except that Mr. Traveler kept peeking at his phone to see that we were on track.

At one point, we stopped in a little bookstore with a sign that proclaimed, "Welcome to the Most Beautiful Bookshop in the World". I'm not sure I would have even put it on the top 10 list of most beautiful bookshops I've visited, but the books piled in a seemingly disorganized fashion in boats, on shelves, and even on the floor, did have a certain charm. 

Bookstore in Venice

Many photo opportunities later, we arrived at Mr. Traveler's destination.

Wine Store/Bar/Cafe

Mr. Traveler had spotted a bottle of wine he wanted to try on our last visit to the small wine shop. We'd asked for the same bottle later the same day, and another shop wanted to charge us an additional 20 euros. So, now that we were back in Venice at the same shop, Mr. Traveler decided it was now or never.

The bartender/shopkeeper opened the bottle for us and gave us a couple of plastic cups (classy, right?) so we could enjoy our wine and chichetti (bar snacks) across the street in a little grassy square. (By the way, drinking in public is totally acceptable in Europe, so we weren't being complete weirdos.)

After our wine, I was a little sleepy, but we continued our walk around the city. Even though I'd already taken hundreds of pictures, I felt like I still hadn't captured the uniqueness of the peeling stucco, the varying colors, and the contrast of small passageways and magnificent buildings. There was something so magical and romantic about Venice. (I felt like this the whole time. So it wasn't just the wine talking.)

I love the charm of these old doors.

At times, even the graffiti brought a smile to my face.

Venetian Graffiti

After a while, Mr. Traveler suggested we stop for some coffee. I immediately agreed as I needed something to pep me up. We both ordered a double espresso, which did the trick. Energized, we explored the area a little more.

Cute Dog in Venice

Soon, it was time for dinner. I wasn't extremely hungry, so I opted for a salad. Mr. Traveler ordered a sliced steak dish that our waiter recommended. Our food was good, but after seeing the food preparation at other tables, we both had ordering regret. We watched as the waiter gutted and skinned a raw fish, cut it into extremely thin slices, and added olive oil, salt and garlic, creating an Italian style sushi. At another table, he brought out a grilled fish and chopped it up with potatoes, garlic, and olive oil. Even though fish isn't normally my first choice, these dishes looked amazing. (I wish I had photos to share with you, but I'm sure even if I did, they wouldn't do the food justice.)

Even though we hadn't visited any museums or consulted our guidebook, our final day in Venice ended up being one of my favorite memories from the vacation. I felt like we really saw Venice that day, between our long walk and the moments we just sat and watched the people around us, enjoying each other's company.

The next morning, we woke up, wished each other a "Happy Anniversary" and started our journey back to Utrecht.

Walking in Venice

This brings me to the end of our travels along the Eastern Mediterranean. If you missed any part of our trip, you can catch up below:
Bus Misadventures
Culture on the Canals
Friday in Venice
All Aboard
Biking in Croatia
Enough of Athens
A Few Hours in Izmir
A Split Second in Split

A Week at a Time: June 18-24, 2011

Now that I've finished my posts about the cruise in general and our stops in Dubrovnik, Athens, Izmir, and Split, I'll leave you with the pictures for that week. I'm not including too much in the way of summaries, since the places should be familiar from my recent posts.

Saturday, we boarded the ship.

June 18 - Time to Set Sail

Sunday, we arrived in Dubrovnik and took a bike ride through the countryside.

June 19 - Memories

On Monday, we spent the day at sea, exploring the ship and swimming in the pool.

June 20 - A Closet to Sleep In

Tuesday, we arrived in Athens, and took an excursion to the Acropolis.

June 21 - Athens

On Wednesday, we spent the day exploring Izmir, Turkey.

June 22 - In Izmir

Thursday, we spent the day at sea again.

June 23 - Day at Sea

And, finally Friday, we stopped in Split and went for a hike around the waterfalls.

June 24 - Split

A Split Second in Split... (And off to the Waterfalls)

Our final stop on the cruise before returning to Venice was Split, Croatia. We scheduled an excursion for Krka National Park to hike along the waterfalls, so we didn't get to see more than a glimpse of the city, itself. I would have loved to wonder into the city walls, however, and get a taste of what city life is like in Dalmatia (the Southern part of Croatia).

Split, Croatia

Immediately after getting off the tender boats, which took us from the cruise ship to land, we boarded the bus for a long ride to Krka.

Tender Boat

Our journey was made more pleasant, however, by our excellent tour guide, Anita. Not only did she share facts about the area, but she brought them to life with her clever stories and good sense of humor. We learned some silly trivia, such as Dalmatians (the people, not the dogs) tend to be tall and thin, whereas people from the continental area of Croatia tend to be "short and plump". We also learned that neckties originated from the area.

She also discussed more historically important facts and pointed out sites, including the location of major shipbuilding enterprises during communist control, an ancient Roman aqueduct, and the fortress of Klis.

Roman Aqueduct, as seen from the bus

The Klis Fortress has played a role in the history of the area for many generations. Beginning in the 3rd century, the fortress (in a less sophisticated state) served as an important stronghold of the Illyrian tribe. Since that time, the fortress has undergone numerous changes in control and has served as an important strategic location for those attempting to conquer the area. At different points in history, the fortress was held by the Romans, Byzantines, Slavs, Croats, Ottomans, Venetians, and Serbs. Anita shared with us a local Romeo and Juliet-style tale about the fortress. Supposedly, when the Ottomans took over the area, the daughter of the Sultan fell in love with a local man, a Christian. Since marriage, or even love, between the two was forbidden, the lovers killed themselves as they could not imagine living without each other. 

Klis Fortress

After our pleasant ride, filled with anecdotes and beautiful scenery, we arrived at Krka National Park. Anita offered us the choice of tagging along for a bit of guided tour or heading off on our own to explore. Regardless, we would have some free time before re-boarding the bus. We opted to stick with the group for the guided portion, which consisted of walking through a living museum, where workers demonstrated their trades.

We stopped at the mill, the weaver's, and the blacksmith's. At each, the Krka employee gave us a short demonstration of the traditional trades and explained the cultural significance of the work. In the rooms, Anita added details to the employees' explanations; it was clear that she took pride in her history, as she seemed very well informed about various aspects of the culture and was excited to share her knowledge.

Weaving Room

After we made it through the small living museum, Anita dropped us off at the bottom of the waterfalls, where we had the option of grabbing a bite to eat, taking a swim, buying souvenirs, or doing a bit of hiking on our own.

Me at the Waterfalls

After snapping several pictures, we decided to sit down and relax with a local Croatian beer before heading back up to the tour bus.

Croatian Beer

After we finished our beers, we still had a few more minutes before we needed to start walking, so I opted to take a quick dip in the water at the bottom of the falls.

People Swimming at the Fallsd

The water was cool and refreshing, but it was a little difficult to navigate as large rocks sat just below the surface of the water.

On the way back to the bus, we walked on the opposite side of the waterfalls. Much of the path was made of wooden walkways, spanning streams and ponds further up river from the falls.

Walkway

The whole area was so beautiful, and I wish we could have spent more time exploring the park, but as is the way of cruise excursions, it was soon time to go. After a quiet bus ride back (many of our fellow cruisers took the chance to nap), we got to Split just moments before we were required to board the tender and return to the ship.

Line to Get Back on the Tender

During both of our stops in Croatia (Dubrovnik and Split), we were greeted by amazing scenery and friendly people. I'm definitely looking forward to returning one day and seeing more of the country which left such an amazing impression on us.

A Few Hours in Izmir

The third stop on our cruise was Izmir, Turkey. (If you've missed out on stops one and two, check out my posts, Biking in Croatia and Enough of Athens.) For this stop, we agreed to forgo the planned excursions, since they either didn't peak our interest or involved a lot of time riding on a bus. Instead, we took the opportunity to explore the city of Izmir on our own.

Famous Clock Tower in Izmir

We didn't do any planning for our day of exploration before leaving home, so our first stop upon exiting the ship was the port's tourist information desk. We picked up a map with major sites pinpointed (in Spanish, since the English maps were all taken), and headed towards the center of town.

Plaza in Izmir

Outside the terminal, the parking lot was full of TAKSis (taxis). As we passed, the drivers each presented us with a binder full of photographs and tried to get us to agree on a taxi tour of the city. It took a while to navigate through the entrepreneurial drivers, but eventually we reached an area where we could walk along without too much interruption.

Soon after, we saw the Ataturk Museum. I knew that the road on which the museum sat carried the same name and I knew that the map highlighted the museum, but other than that, I didn't know anything about Ataturk before entering. The small, two story museum with no entry fee, offered a good introduction to Turkish history and the role that Ataturk played in founding the Republic. The majority of the exhibit was on the second floor, so after we entered the employee pointed us to the stairs and followed us (presumably to make sure we didn't try to touch or take any of the items in the exhibit). The museum, located in a previous residence of Ataturk, consisted of several rooms displaying the former president's furnishings and possessions.  One room, which contained timelines of Ataturk's life and Turkish history, alongside quotations by and about Ataturk, (all in Turkish and English) helped put the rest of the rooms into context. While the content of the museum was interesting, the lack of air conditioning was not too pleasant, and soon we were ready to move to the next stop.

City View - Izmir

After the museum, we talked about what we wanted to see, and I suggested a visit to the Archaeology and Ethnographic museum. When we got to the museum (after a few accidental detours), we figured out that there were actually two separate museums for ethnography and archaeology. We opted for the Archaeological Museum, mostly just out of the desire to make a quick choice in the unbearable heat. (After living in the Netherlands, our ability to handle temperatures over about 85F has been severely diminished.) Unfortunately, inside, it wasn't much cooler, since, once again, the air conditioner wasn't running. We wandered through the rooms of stone statues, bronze works, and ceramics from various periods in history. As we approached each exhibit, we heard a loud click as the lights for that section snapped on; the sensors were a little off, however, so often the lights snapped on and off and on and off before we could finish reading the descriptions of the items behind the glass. One thing I found particularly interesting was that items from several different time periods had all been discovered during a dam rescue project, in which archaeologists were allowed to excavate a particular area before it was flooded to create a source of tap water for the city. Even now, under the flooded area created by the dam, graves and other reminders of ancient civilizations, sit, lost forever.

The Ethnographic and Archaeological Museums sat atop this hill.

Once we made it through our second non-air-conditioned museum, we decided we were finished visiting museums for the day. I suggested we walk back towards the ship along the palm-lined promenade, where a breeze made the heat slightly more bearable. Along the coast, we saw men fishing using only coils of fishing line (no rods). Others capitalized on this style of fishing, selling the coils of line, along with lures or bait. In addition, some men rode by on their electric scooters selling sunflower seeds and some carted around printers and a camera, offering to take a photo and print it right there for 1 Lira.

Along the Promenade

Our last stop before returning to the ship was a restaurant called Sara's, where we ate lunch. When we sat down, I was disappointed because the menu didn't seem very authentic with a club sandwich, fajitas, spaghetti, etc. We'd already passed most of the other eating establishments, however, and the majority seemed to be done serving lunch for the day, so we decided to just give it a try. I ordered a cheese plate and grilled chicken. Mr. Traveler ordered the club sandwich. When the food came out, Mr. Traveler's sandwich was more like a salami tosti (i.e. grilled cheese), but it was accompanied by heirloom tomatoes. My chicken was actually grilled on a fire, and the presentation was amazing -- mashed potatoes served in a round squash, a stack of grilled veggies including eggplant, carrot, and another type of squash, and grilled tomatoes.

Lunch

Before arriving in Izmir, I had very few expectations. I wasn't familiar with the area, and as I mentioned before, we didn't arrive with a plan. During the day, I made a few general observations. First of all, there were stray dogs everywhere. Most of them were tagged, and I suspect that the city has a program of fixing and releasing the strays (although I'm definitely not certain). It was just very sad to see them laying everywhere, in the heat, seemingly at death's door. Second, outside of the dogs laying around, the areas of the city in which we walked were very clean. It seems like the city has taken pride in itself and the potential interest of tourists. Finally, everywhere we walked, it seemed like someone had come up with a new inventive way to make money (whether by selling taxi tours or photos by the seaside). Over all, I got the impression that people were willing to work hard and be creative to support themselves and their families. Of course all of these observations were made during only a few hours in a small area of the city, so you can probably take them with a grain of salt.

Next up, our final stop on the cruise - Split and Krka National Park in Croatia.

Enough of Athens

After biking in Croatia and spending a day at sea, we arrived at our second of four ports, Athens, Greece. Once again, we had pre-booked an excursion, this time for a trip to the Acropolis. Prior to our arrival in port, some fellow passengers expressed concerns about the current events in Athens. While we did see the square in which most of the protests were taking place, the scene didn't seem particularly frighting.

Protests

The combination of banners, activists passing around petitions, and people sleeping in tents was reminiscent of demonstrations I've seen in Austin, Texas. Unfortunately, a few days after we left, the protests did turn violent. Even with this turn of events, however, I don't think tourists would be in any danger, as the demonstrations seemed pretty localized.

One effect of these protests was that we had to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from the bus, as the area in which to observe the ceremony was fenced off.

Changing of the Guard - Athens

This small change in plans didn't seem to affect the tour too much, though, since we saw all of the sites on the way to the Acropolis from the comfort of the tour bus. These included the Arch of Hadrian, the Temple of Zeus, and the first modern Olympic stadium. 

Arch of Hadrian

Temple of Zeus

Stadium from the 1896 Olympics

During the bus ride, our guide, Calliope, not only pointed out the above sites, but also told us a little about the Acropolis, itself. In Greek, the word acropolis actually means "high city", and so there are actually several "acropolises" around Greece. However, the most famous one, often just referred to as "the Acropolis", is the one in Athens.

When we arrived at the parking lot for the Acropolis, we climbed about halfway up the hill before we saw that we had to wait in an enormous line to get inside the gates. During this time, people shoved and cut in line, as Calliope tried to keep our group together. Once inside the gates, we still had a bit of a climb, once again through a crowd of not-so-polite people, before we could finally see the buildings of the Acropolis.

Of course the most famous temple located at the Acropolis is the Parthenon. 

Parthenon

The scaffolding, on the building as part of the reconstruction efforts, prevented us from seeing some of the main reliefs at the top of the temple, but with high winds and a pushy crowd, the scaffolding seemed like the least in a series of annoyances. (I was a little surprised the government was still shelling out money for reconstruction efforts. I guess that when tourism is your only thriving industry, you better work to preserve tourist destinations at all costs.)

While several other temples occupy the top of the hill, each with their unique architectural characteristics, I had trouble appreciating the differences. It was also hard to focus very much on anything with the dirt blowing into my eyes, the heat, and the endless crowds of people.

As a side note, we noticed that the city seemed to have a large stray dog problem as several strays made themselves comfortable around the Acropolis. (I wonder if tourists are more generous with handouts than locals who are used to the problem.)

Strays

On the way back to the ship, I commented to Mr. Traveler that I was glad we had chosen to visit the Acropolis on the bus tour. We saw the main sites of the city without having to navigate on our own. In addition, between the traffic (and motorcycles zooming between cars), the general big city grime, and the deteriorating buildings, Athens didn't seem to have much to offer outside of our brief sightseeing tour. More than anything, it just seemed like a huge city without a huge amount of money, which shouldn't have been much of a surprise after the news reports of the last few months.

Traffic from the Bus

Biking in Croatia

About a month before leaving for the cruise, we booked excursions for three out of four of our destinations. The first of these excursions was a bike tour through the hillsides near Dubrovnik, followed by a wine tasting at a local winery.

On the way to Gruda, where we picked up the bikes, our guide pointed out sites of interest, including the town of Dubrovnik (where many of our fellow cruisers spent the day). As we passed the city, she said, "You'll notice two types of roofs -- ones with yellow tiles and ones with red. The yellow tiles are traditional. The red ones are replacement tiles for roofs rebuilt after the war." Almost all of the roofs were red, a sobering reminder of the recent conflicts in the area.

Dubrovnik

She also showed us a milk factory which had been bombed during the war and never rebuilt. Even in the stories of war and atrocities, however, I felt that there was a common theme of Croatian resilience. While some buildings were left in shambles and many farms abandoned, the people in the area had refocused their energies on the tourist industry, which now supports much of the economy. The area in itself was so beautiful, it is not surprising that the tourist industry has bounced back so well after the war.

Soon, we finished our ride to the town of Gruda, and arrived at a rather suspect looking building, surrounded by a high fence and built out of gray cinder blocks. Whispers circulated around the bus about how the building looked like a prison.

Our Destination

However, when we walked inside, we found a beautiful winery, with stone walls and large, sturdy tables.

Inside ... It's a Winery!

After a quick restroom break, the guides for the bicycle portion of our tour passed out the bikes, asked us to check the seat levels and brakes, and we were off. Even though I've been riding a bike for months, I suddenly realized I wasn't really sure what to do with the two sets of gears. (I have a traditional Dutch bike, which means there are no gears to switch.) Fortunately, (with a little help from Mr. Traveler), I figured it out pretty quickly. Unfortunately, my bicycle seemed to have a problem where the chain didn't stick properly when I changed gears, so I spent a lot of time going back and forth between gears trying to get the bike into gear.

We rode uphill past vineyards, olive trees, and streams. On the way we passed one house, which our guides told us had been left as-is after the war as a reminder to never forget what had happened.

Small House Attacked During War

The furthest point on our bike tour was a monastery at the top of a steep hill. Once we made it to the top, the 30 minute break to walk around, take pictures, and enjoy a snack was certainly welcome.

Monastery Courtyard

Bikes Lines Up During the Break

Across from the monastery was a small chapel that was used by enemy forces to store weapons during the war.

Chapel Across from Monastery

In this peaceful location in the mountains, it was hard to imagine how this beautiful place was plagued by war only a couple decades ago.

Beautiful Scenery with Grape Vines and Olive Trees

On the way down, we stopped at an old waterwheel and mill. We weren't able to spend to much time looking around, but we did get a quick demonstration about how the mill operated.

Mill Demonstration

Finally, we returned the the winery, where the owner provided us with tastes of several of the local wines. I was pretty thirsty and hot, so it was hard for me to truly appreciate the flavors in the wine. For each sip of wine, I had about 3 sips of water.

At the end of the day, we were tired and sweaty, but I definitely thought the excursion was worth it. We saw amazing scenery, both from our bikes and from the bus, and sampled local Croatian wines. On the bus ride back to the ship, Mr. Traveler and I agreed that we would put the area on our list of places to visit again.

Taken from Bus

All Aboard

On Saturday morning, after spending a few days in Venice, it was finally time to start our cruise. After filling out our health forms, checking in, and handing over our passports*, we boarded the Norwegian Jade. We couldn't get into our rooms just yet, so we were glad we'd chosen to drop off our backpacks with the suitcase in the checked luggage area. We grabbed lunch and then started our exploration of the ship. We found the main dining hall, the formal dining hall, several bars, specialty restaurants, the two pools, the sports court and the theater. Around 4:00, we attended the mandatory safety meeting and watched as the staff pulled life-jackets over their clothes, while the cruise director gave instructions in four different languages. Finally, we settled on the deck, where we could watch as the ship left Venice.

*Turkish authorities required that the ship present all non-European passports upon arrival in Izmir. Since we had another set of government issued identification (i.e. our Dutch residence permits), the cruise staff went ahead and collected our passports on the first day. It was a little disconcerting to let go of such an important document, but we got it back on Thursday, after our day in Izmir, without a problem. 

Silly Chairs

Sports Court

Pool Area

During the actual on-ship portion of our cruise, I think some of my fondest memories are those where Mr. Traveler and I sat (or stood) outside, admiring the passing scenery. One evening, as we stood on the top deck, I even saw a shooting star in the sky.

Throughout the week, we enjoyed swimming in the pool, relaxing in the hot tub, trying the various restaurants, and just relaxing. We even saw a couple of shows in the theater; one night, we listened to a duo who had reached the finals on X-Factor, and on another evening, we watched a performance combining dance, acrobatics, and magic.

Stardust Theater

After making several trips over the past year which required either renting a car or using public transportation, booking hotel rooms, and making constant decisions, it was nice to have an environment where we could just enjoy being on vacation.

Relaxed on the Ship

However, the trip wasn't just about chilling on a ship. We had specifically selected the Eastern Mediterranean cruise because we were really excited about exploring that area of the world. Next, I'll tell you about our first stop in Dubrovnik, Croatia.