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As I walked into the main dining room of the Emerald Princes during a recent trans-Atlantic cruise, I was amazed to find 10 empty scooters parked just inside the doors. At that point, it suddenly dawned on me just how popular cruising had become for people with disabilities.

While cruise lines have not always built ships to be disability friendly, they have made significant improvements over the past 10 years. In fact, just about every ship built in the last five years by a major cruise line now comes with a good selection of special features for the physically challenged.

So if you or someone you know has a physical disability, there’s no need to stay in dry dock. But there are some things you should know in order to make the most of your vacation at sea. For example:

Cabins: Most ships have a small selection of cabins designed for people with mobility issues. These cabins are roomier, have wider doorways for wheelchair access and can come equipped with features like grab bars, raised toiled seats and wheel-in shower stalls. If you need one of these cabins, make sure you request it, and enquire about its various features.

Hearing impairments: Many new ships have a variety of aids for the hearing impaired including in-cabin alert kits and special headsets in the main theatre. The alert kits provide visual and physical notification of things like someone knocking at the door, the smoke alarm, alarm clock and phone. And the in-theatre headsets provide direct sound from the show at various volume levels.

Service dogs: Dogs that have been certified to provide assistance for a variety of physical impairments (sight, hearing, mobility, etc.) are allowed on every ship. However, some ships have a limit on how many service dogs can be on board during the same voyage, and some foreign ports do not allow the dogs to go ashore. The cruise line will provide helpful items like a “porta pottie” for the dog (usually a 4 by 4 ft box with absorbent filler) that you can use in the cabin. Some will also place a pottie box on the deck in an obscure area of the ship for outdoor use. But you must advise the cruise line in advance before bringing a service dog aboard.

Shore Excursions: There are usually a number of shore excursions in every port that are less strenuous and more suitable for people who can’t do a lot of walking or are in wheelchairs. The ship’s shore excursion brochure will usually have symbols next to each excursion that ranks the level of activity it requires and explains the type of terrain to be covered (e.g. uneven surfaces, steps, steep terrain, etc.). The excursions and their degree of difficulty will also be explained during the port talks on board the ship. If uncertain about an excursion, find a member of the shore excursion staff, tell them about your physical limitations, and ask if they think it would be appropriate for you.      

Dock or tender: A few ports are too small or too busy for every ship to tie up at the dock. When this occurs, ships have to tender people ashore on small boats that can be difficult to board, especially for people in wheelchairs. The crew will gladly help disabled people board the tender, and they will place wheelchairs or walkers on the boat with them. But it’s much safer and easier just to roll off the gangplank onto a dock. So if that’s an issue for you, choose a cruise itinerary with few or no tender calls. One of the few exceptions to this rule is Holland America Line, which has made its tenders accessible to the disabled with a special boarding ramp and scissor lift.

Wheelchair/scooters: If you need a wheelchair, bring it with you as ships have a limited supply for emergencies. You can also rent an electric scooter from an onshore provider who will deliver to the ship on your departure date. Given the size of some mega-ships, electric scooters have become a popular option. On the newer ships, you’ll find lots of dedicated positions to park your wheelchair or scooter at venues like the theatre and show lounge. And most (if not all) of the elevators will have wide enough doors to accommodate your chair or scooter.  

Pool access: Many ships built or refitted in the last five years now have an electric pool access lift so that disabled people can more easily enter and leave the swimming pool. Ask about it in advance, especially if you’ll be on a warm-weather cruise where cooling off in the pool is more important.

Medical care: All but the smallest vessels have a doctor and some kind of medical facility. The newer and bigger ships tend to have better facilities and more equipment. Some even have helicopter landing pads for emergency medical evacuation. But if you have special medical needs, it’s worth enquiring to see if they have what you may require (e.g. defibrillators, dialysis, etc.). If you take prescription medicines, remember to bring them with you as the ship cannot fill prescriptions.

For more information about cruising with disabilities, please check with your cruise line. Most have information about their policies and services posted on their websites, and some have personnel assigned to deal with the needs of disabled passengers.

Hopping aboard a beautiful cruise liner and sailing off into the sunset is a great way to get away from it all. In fact, a cruise ship may be one of the few vacation destinations left where your Blackberry won’t keep buzzing during dinner!

However, if you do want to stay in touch during your vacation at sea, there are lots of easy ways to do so, and many of them are free or reasonably priced. For example:

Daily newsletters

Just about every cruise ship offers a free daily newsletter that is compiled from various wire services. The newsletter is usually two-to-four pages long and contains brief stories from the world of news, sports, business and entertainment.  On larger ships with international clientele, several editions of these newsletters are produced in different languages and with information aimed specifically at passengers from various countries including the U.S., Canada, England, France, Spain and Germany.

Some ships deliver the newsletter directly to your cabin, while others leave them at various points around the vessel for pick up. The only downside is that the news can be a few days old by the time the newsletter is printed and distributed.

Satellite Television News

Modern cruise ships come equipped with televisions in every cabin that carry a small selection of specialty channels via satellite including all-news stations like CNN and the BBC. While satellite service can be unreliable depending on weather and the ship’s position, it’s usually good enough to keep passengers up to date on breaking news at no cost.

Internet Service

Most cruise lines now offer online connections via satellite in an Internet café or at Wi-Fi hot points throughout the ship (including in some of the most expensive cabins). The service costs anywhere from 40 to 65 cents per minute depending on the type of Internet package purchased (the more time you buy in a package, the lower the per minute cost). The service can be very slow, and at times unreliable (with frequent broken connections) depending on the location of the ship.

If you want to send and receive email (including photos), make sure you already have an email account with a reliable supplier (e.g. Hotmail, AOL, etc.) as most ships will not provide you with one. If you do want to send photos of your trip back to loved ones, it’s a lot faster and cheaper if they’ve been taken (or are resized) in a smaller format like web or email.

Beware that the Internet service on most cruise ships requires you to log in to your account before you can draft an email. Also, make sure you log out of your account when finished to avoid unnecessary charges.

Media Aggregation Sites

One of the best sources at sea for up-to-date news and information is a media aggregation site. These sites scan all the breaking news and business information throughout the day and night and then provide online links to the best stories, columns, blogs, and photos. This allows you to quickly find information that is relevant to you without wasting lots of time and money. You can also print selected information if you use the computers in the ship’s Internet Café.

Two of the best media aggregation sites in North America are: www.bourque.com which specializes in Canadian news, and www.drudgereport.com which specializes in American news. Both also carry a wide variety of international news and opinions.

Telephone

Almost every ship has in-cabin telephones that can be used to access the maritime satellite network to call anywhere in the world. They also allow incoming calls if you provide the necessary contact information with friends and family (this information is usually in your cruise documents). But beware that satellite telephone service is expensive – usually costing anywhere from US$6 to $15 per minute.

Skype

I never thought of this until my daughter Lindsay tried it on our last cruise. Using the Skype service on her computer and time from her Internet package, she was able to see and talk to people on their computer back home for no added cost. And for a flat fee of just US$10 per call, she was able to contact people on their telephones from her computer. The line clarity wasn’t great and she had several broken connections, but Skype proved to be much more cost effective than using the ship’s telephone service.

Cell Phones

Over the past few years, a number of ships have added cell phone service via satellite connection and external providers onshore. The cost of this service is about US$2 to $5 per minute and is billed to your cell phone account. Make sure you have the right type of phone (check your cruise line’s website) and don’t forget to bring your charger.  If you plan to do a lot of calling, my advice is to use a pay phone onshore.

After spending 11 days on the Celebrity Solstice cruising from Rome to the Greek islands and Turkey, I can’t wait to sail on her again.

Like most new ships (the Solstice was launched in November of 2008), she’s beautifully designed and comes with all the latest features including a solarium pool, a gorgeous two-storey dining room, a real grass lawn on the top deck with a putting green and bocce court, and a live glass blowing show. However, as you’d expect with a new ship in its first year of operation, there are also some things that need to be tweaked.

So while the Celebrity Solstice is a fantastic ship, how can it be improved? Based on one recent cruise in the Mediterranean, here’s my opinion:

Public space: At 122,000 tons for 2,850 people, the Solstice has lots of room and we never felt crowded anywhere on the ship. She also has an innovative design where bars and restaurants are grouped into zones so that passengers can easily find them. One of the many benefits of a ship this size is that there are enough people to fill the theatre, lounges and disco to a reasonable capacity each night so that the venues don’t feel dead. We had more fun on the Solstice at night than any ship we’ve been on in the past five years.

Staterooms: The verandah-class cabins have slightly larger staterooms, balconies and bathrooms than most premium priced cruise ships. The cabins are also beautifully designed with granite counter tops, flat-screen TVs, and blonde woods and soft colours. Outside of the ultra-deluxe lines like Regent, Seabourn or Silversea, these are the nicest verandah cabins I’ve seen. And they are extra spacious – 15% larger than on other Celebrity ships.

Food: The Solstice has a wide variety of cuisine and dining options, and the food is better than on similarly priced cruise lines. In addition to the main dining room, the ship has a buffet-style cafeteria, a creperie, a spa-style café in the Solarium, and Blu (exclusively for AquaClass cabin passengers). There are also three alternative restaurants – the Asian-style Silk Harvest, the French-style Murano, and the Italian Steakhouse style Tuscan Grill – that charge an extra tariff ranging from $20 to $30. I’m not a fan of extra-tariff restaurants (they usually aren’t worth the added cost), but these were all excellent and provide good value – particularly Murano. We also loved the Grand Epernay main dining room – a beautiful designed area with good food and service at no extra cost.

The Lawn Club: I originally thought having real grass on a cruise ship with a mini-putt, croquet and bocce course was just a gimmick.  But it was amazing just how relaxing it was to sit by the grass court and watch people play while sipping a gin and tonic! It felt like we were a member of an exclusive country club. We also enjoyed the glass-blowing show, although it’s not the kind of event most people would go back for a second time.

Entertainment:  The guest entertainers aboard ship during our cruise were excellent, particularly an A capella group called Oceans Four, a string quartet called Four Seasons, and a vocalist named Karen Grainger who impersonated famous singers.  But the ship’s company of dancers lacked energy and looked tired – perhaps they’d been on the ship too long. However, the overall quality of entertainment on board was excellent. And there was plenty of it — starting at mid-day and going past midnight. We particularly enjoyed the piano bar, the Sky Lounge and the disco.

AquaClass Cabins: This much ballyhooed new class of cabin was supposed to be a real perk for passengers interested in the spa experience, but it’s a disappointment, especially considering the premium price it commands. Besides a spa-style shower head and premium toiletries, this cabin essentially is the same as other verandah cabins that sell for much less. However, it does come with its own private restaurant called “Blu” where AquaClass cabin passengers dine instead of in the Main Dining Room (my wife and two daughters preferred the Main Dining Room). 

Blu Restaurant: This is a great idea in search of a mission. Since it’s reserved for passengers in the spa-oriented Aqua-class cabins, you’d expect it would serve a light, healthy style of spa cuisine. Instead, it serves a hearty continental-style cuisine, albeit it in more delicate portions than the Main Dining Room. However, the person who wrote the menu must have been taking hallucinogens at the time. With nightly selections like Parsnip Soup made of Caramelized Apples with Duck Confit and Fried Shallots, and Lemongrass Infused Seafood Nage, the promise of the menu was far greater than the kitchen could deliver. In addition, getting dishes cooked to order seemed to be a real challenge for the chef – we had to send back two steaks, two veal chops and one fillet of salmon because they were all over-cooked. At other times, however, the food was superb and cooked perfectly. If they simplify the menu and add more staff, this could be a real gem of a restaurant.

Service: The staff aboard the Solstice were one of the happiest and most talented I’ve have seen at sea for many years. They were a pleasure to deal with.

Concierge: Our last concierge on the Radiance of the Seas was incredibly helpful and helped save us lots of money with his advice. In contrast, when we asked the concierge on the Solstice to arrange a van for us to travel from the port of Civitavecchia to Rome airport, the best price he could come up with was US$630. He told us if we could get a better price on our own we should take it – so we did. I booked a van over the Internet and it cost just 120 Euros (about US$160). There were several other limousine companies that quoted prices between 160 to 200 Euros.

The bottom line is that sailing on the Solstice is a fantastic experience, and with just a little tweaking, it could easily become one of the very best ships and values in cruising.

The early morning sunlight cast a bright yellow hue across the Bay of Naples as we walked down the gangplank and made our way along the busy pier past the 13^th-century Castel Nuovo.  

While Naples rarely gets the accolades that befall more glamorous Italian cities like Rome, Florence and Venice, it’s a great port of call – not only as a city filled with Renaissance architecture and historic treasures, but also as a jumping off point for many wonderful nearby venues. For example, it’s just a short bus or taxi ride from the pier to the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the beautiful seaside town of Sorrento, the sensational Amalfi coast, and the magnificent Isle of Capri.   

Founded by the ancient Greeks in the 6^th- century BC and called Neopolis, the “new city” was eventually captured by the Romans in 326 BC. The Romans loved the natural beauty and mild climate of Naples, and quickly turned it into a vacation retreat area. In fact, they designed and built Herculaneum as an exclusive resort town with large villas overlooking the beautiful bay, lots of nice shops, and water access for boating.

With the fall of the Roman Empire in 475 AD, Naples fell under the control of various invaders including the Goths, Byzantines, and Spaniards before becoming an independent kingdom in 1734, and finally part of the newly formed Kingdom of Italy in 1860. As a result, the city’s historic center, which is blessed with many medieval buildings and an abundance of Renaissance architecture, has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Gail and I were tempted to spend the day walking around the city, but since our daughters (Lindsay and Samantha) had never seen Capri, we decided to catch a hydrofoil at the nearby ferry dock for the 50-minute voyage across the Gulf of Naples to this romantic island. At 32 Euros per person (about US$46) for a return trip, it was a much better bargain than the ship’s shore excursion to Capri (including lunch) which was priced at US$150 per person!

Capri is sometimes called the “Island of Dreams,” and as soon as we walked off the ferry at Marina Grande we could see why. High above us were spectacular cliffs with brightly colored villas and a narrow road that wound its way up to the top.  

While there’s a funicular that whisks its passengers half way up the cliff face to the town of Capri, it had a long line-up. So we hailed one of Capri’s pretty convertible taxi cabs and made the slow journey up the winding road to the village of Anacapri (30 Euros) at the very top of the island.

For centuries, the only path between Capri and Anacapri was the Scala Fenicia – the tiny, criss-crossing footpath originally cut into the side of the mountain by the Phoenicians.  However, today there is a wider (but still narrow) road that ascends the steep slope and provides breathtaking views of the water and coastline below.

Once we reached Anacapri, we stopped for coffees on a small patio and then boarded a chair lift (La Seggiovia) up to Monte Solaro, which at 1,950 ft (595m) is the highest point on the island. There’s an old stone building at the top with a pretty terrace, a small restaurant, and stunning 360 degree views of the entire island and surrounding bays. On a nice day, this is a “must do” trip for anyone who wants to get great photos – in fact, the girls took lots of each other in various poses with the island and bays below them.

After taking the chair lift back to Anacapri, we jumped in a taxi for the short ride (15 Euros) to the town of Capri where we had lunch at a pretty sidewalk café – a wonderful repast of Caprese Salad (buffalo mozzarella cheese with ripe tomatoes), followed by ink squid pasta with monkfish. After lunch, we strolled through the narrow streets of Capri, which are filled with charming villas, trailing blooms and designer boutiques. There are also some delightful cafes in the Piazza Umberto, which is right next to the clock tower and the funicular.  

It was now close to 3:00 pm and time for us to travel back along the winding road to the waterfront to catch a return hydrofoil to Naples. As we boarded our ferry and took a final glance back at the spectacular cliffs and brightly colored villas of Capri, we understood why it had become the “Island of Dreams” for so many people.

As the bright Mediterranean sun began its slow accession over the pretty Saronic Gulf in the south of Greece, the Celebrity Solstice eased its way into the bustling port of Pireaus, some seven miles south of the historic city of Athens.
One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Athens reached its zenith as the artistic centre of Greece during the 5th century BC. During this “Golden Age” of classical Greek culture, the Athenians laid the foundations of western civilization and produced some of the world’s most celebrated buildings, literature, science and philosophy.
While today’s overcrowded Athens is not quite as splendid as its “Golden” ancestor was, the city of Socrates and Plato still offers some of the most inspiring sights in the western world. These include the Acropolis with its beautiful monuments, the city’s central square called the Syntagma, the Temple of Hephaestus, and the old scenic quarter known as the Plaka. And while Athens can still be overcrowded at times, there have been many improvements made to public transportation, buildings, museums and air quality as a result of the massive spending for the 2004 Greek Olympic Games.
Since the Solstice would be in port until 6:00 pm, we (Lindsay, Samantha, Gail and I) decided to forgo the ship’s easy but expensive excursion to Athens (US$75) and take the electric tram (1 Euro each way) on our own from Pireaus into the city’s centre. We reached Monastiraki Station about one hour later, which empties onto a beautiful square that sits right in the shadow of the stunning Acropolis high above it.
We eventually made our way up to the Acropolis, where we met our private tour guide - Sam’s Greek-Canadian boyfriend John, who happened to be spending a few weeks in Athens visiting relatives. According to John, the Acropolis consists of four main buildings that were constructed under the direction of Pericles from 460-430 BC. Those buildings are the Parthenon, the Erechtheum with its porch of the caryatids (maidens), the Temple of Athena Nike, and the Proplyaea, which is the marble-columned entrance that leads to the top of the Acropolis. The Acropolis also overlooks two magnificent theatres - the Dionysos and the Odeion Herod Atticus.
As we walked up the Propylaea’s steps and through its monumental gate, we were struck by the amazing beauty of the Parthenon as it stood high above the city on a glorious canvas of solid blue sky. The first structure built on the Acropolis, the beautiful Doric-style temple dedicated to the goddess Athena is the most enduring symbol of classical Greece, and one of the world’s greatest cultural monuments (even though it seems to be continuously embraced by scaffolding). Consequently, there are always huge crowds on the Acropolis during the tourist season (May to September), so it pays to arrive early or late in the day to get the best views.
After admiring the beautiful buildings of the Acropolis and the amazing vista it provides of the theatres and city below, we made our way back down to Monastiraki Square where we had a delicious lunch of souvlaki and kebobs on the patio of an old taverna. We then strolled through the local flea market in search of tablecloths, linens, pottery and souvenirs before heading off to the nearby districts of the Plaka and Thission.
Athens’ oldest and most scenic neighborhood, the Plaka is filled with a labyrinth of narrow streets, small churches and lots of interesting shops and cafes. It’s also home to the Ancient Greek and Old Roman agoras, the open-air markets where residents once traded and sold their goods.
Just west of the Plaka, we discovered the ancient Temple of Hephaestus, which sits atop a small hill at the northwest side of the Ancient Agora. Completed in 415 BC, the Doric-style temple with its 21 marble columns is the best preserved in Athens. And since its construction was supervised by the same person who helped build the Parthenon (Ictinus), it’s nearly as beautiful.
It was now 3:30 p.m., and time to make our way back to Piraeus to catch our ship. While we had experienced just a fraction of what the city has to offer, we had seen enough to know that we should be eternally grateful to the people of Athens. Grateful for the cultural, scientific and artistic treasures passed on to western civilization by the ancient Greeks. And grateful that inspiring monuments like the Parthenon, the Erechtheum and the Temple of Hephaestus from the Golden Age of Athens had been preserved for future generations like us.

 

 

After sailing overnight from Istanbul through the Dardanelles and south along the coast of Asia Minor, we arrived in the ancient Turkish seaside resort of Kusadasi.

A popular holiday spot on the eastern shores of the Aegean Sea, Kusadasi was once a small fishing village and gateway to some of the most important cultures on earth. In fact, this part of Asia Minor dates back more than 10 centuries B.C., and boasts  links to many civilizations including the Lelegians, Carians, Dorians, Greeks and Romans.  

Named for the old fortified “Bird Island” just off its coast, Kusadasi is today a large town with a bustling bazaar, a pretty waterfront dotted with cafes, and lots of hotels overlooking beautiful beaches. But as tempting as life in Kusadasi can be, most visitors come to see the region’s amazing history, which includes one of the best preserved classical ruins in the eastern Mediterranean just a 20-km drive from town.

The Amazons, Lydians, Greeks, and Persians all ruled Ephesus at various points, but it was the Romans who made the city into the “first and greatest metropolis of Asia” in 27 AD. At the time, the city had outdoor lights, public toilets and a population approaching 250,000. It also had world’s first outdoor advertisement - a footprint and heart carved into the pavement on Marble Street pointing the way to the local brothel!
Today, there is a wonderful museum in Ephesus with many beautiful works, including the Statue of Artemis. In addition, there are nearly 50 structures in the old city including the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre, and the Corinthian-style Temple of Hadrian.

We took one of the ship’s shore excursions to Ephesus because it was reasonably priced (US$65), and it really helps to have a guide who can explain the history and significance of the various statues, arches, facilities and buildings.

Our tour began at the top of Kurets Street, a stone pathway that starts at the Odeion concert hall and runs past the ruins of several beautiful buildings including Domitian Square, Trajan’s Fountain, Hadrian’s Temple and the Skolastikia Bath. The latter was originally a two-storey building with hot (Tepidarium) and cold (Frigidarium) water baths, a massage parlour, and public toilets with running water.

At the end of Kurets Street, we arrived at the city’s main square and the ruins of the magnificent Library of Celsus which was built in the 2^nd century A.D. Constructed over the tomb of the Roman Senator who governed Ephesus, the two-storey façade of the library is supported by eight columns, and features three recessed statues representing the virtues of Celsus.

After touring the library, we walked along a beautiful section of street known as “The Marble Street” because it is totally covered with white marble. The street goes from Hadrian’s Gate to the Great Theatre, where St. Paul once preached to 25,000 spectators during a visit. Built into the side of a hill, the present shape of the theatre dates back to the rein of the Roman Emperor Domitian, and represents one of the finest outdoor theatres of its kind.

Our tour concluded with a show by a local theatre company that featured the types of acts that would have entertained the local citizenry some two centuries ago – dancers, jugglers, musicians and jesters. As we watched them perform in period costumes with the Great Theatre as their backdrop, it felt for a moment like we had gone back in time. Back to the days when great civilizations thrived on the eastern shores of the Aegean, and built magnificent cities filled with great beauty.

The mid-day call to prayer drifted through the streets of Istanbul as the Celebrity Solstice sailed past the soaring minarets of the Blue Mosque on its way to the cruise ship terminal in the Strait of Bosphorus.

A bustling and intriguing city of some 12 million people, Istanbul has at various times been the capital of three empires and 13 civilizations spanning a breathtaking 10,000 years. It is also the only city in the world that spans two continents (Europe and Asia), which are linked by a series of bridges over the busy Bosphorus. In fact, many who live here reside on the more suburban Asian side, but work in the crowded downtown European section. 

Since our ship was only in town for an afternoon and morning, we (Gail, Lindsay, Samantha and I) decided to take a tour that spanned both days in order to get the most from our visit. Luckily, many of the major sights of interest are situated close together in the Old City, as this part of Istanbul is almost permanently mired in traffic gridlock.

Our first tour stop was the Topkapi Palace, which for hundreds of years was the centre of Ottoman power and in its heyday was home to up to 5,000 people, including the harem, all serving the needs of one man - the Sultan. There are some magnificent collections housed here, including 4^th and 5^th century celadon porcelain (favoured by the sultans as the pigments are purported to react to poisons by changing colour), and samples from the priceless treasury collections, including the richly bejeweled Topkapi dagger made famous by the movie in which Peter Ustinov attempts to steal it, elaborate gold and jewel-encrusted thrones and furniture, and the egg-sized 86-carat Spoonmaker’s diamond.

After ogling some of the biggest and rarest jewels the world has to offer, we took a brief walk to the nearby Blue Mosque.  Considered one of the finest examples of Ottoman architecture, it was commissioned in the early fifteenth century by Sultan Ahmet I.  At the time, the design of the Mosque was so grand that it was considered impossible to build. 

Today, its domes and gold minarets still dominate the skyline, and it is the only mosque in the world to have as many minarets (six) as the mosque in Mecca.  There is nothing blue about the exterior of the Mosque, however, which takes on various hues depending on the mood of the sun and time of day. But once inside, we were struck by the beauty of its 21,000 blue and white Iznik tiles which create a calm and graceful interior.

Early the next morning we began our tour with a trip to the Asian side of the continent for a photo op of the city’s European skyline, and then returned across the Bosphorus to a carpet store in the Old City. Plied with local drinks ranging from Turkish coffee, apple tea, or, for the adventurous, raki (an anise flavoured spirit similar to Greek ouzo) we were given a short talk about the history of Turkish carpet making and the variety of types and price ranges.

While some stayed to purchase, we made our way to the nearby Grand Bazaar, a rabbit warren of over 4,000 shops and stalls spanning more than 60 streets and 20 stone gates.  Although there is evidence that a marketplace of some kind existed at this location for many centuries, the present design only dates back to the 19^th century, when the bazaar was restored following the 1894 earthquake. The energy is high as locals and tourists alike haggle over everything from antiques to Turkish delight, to clothing and jewelry.

After leaving the bazaar, we strolled through the ancient Hippodrome, home to the omnipresent Egyptian obelisk carved from a single piece of granite around 1500 B.C.  The Hippodrome is located right next to the magnificent Hagia Sofia, which was originally constructed by the Emperor Justinian as a church in 537 AD.  Although the building maintained its status as the largest Christian church until the 15^th century when it was converted to a mosque by the conquering Ottomans, it was turned into to a museum in 1935 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern-day Turkish Republic. 

The Sophia features many beautiful frescoes and mosaics, and has a magnificent dome that at 56 metres (about 15 storeys) high is spacious enough to house the Statue of Liberty with room to spare.  In spite of having been extensively modified over the ages, it remains an inspiring architectural marvel and, like Istanbul itself, a fitting monument to the incredible civilizations that have lived and thrived in this part of the world for so many millennia.

(This post was co-written by my fabulous travel partner and wife, Gail.)

The cool “meltemi” winds gently buffeted our ship as she glided through the warm waters of the Aegean Sea on her way to the beguiling Greek island paradise of Mykonos.  
Surrounded by azure waters and blessed with pristine beaches, pretty towns and the best night life in the Cycladic Islands, “the Saint-Tropez of the Greek Islands” was once the favorite retreat of the late Jackie and Aristotle Onassis.  Today, the island’s spectacular coastline, picturesque windmills, great restaurants and ritzy shops still draw jet setters from across Europe, especially during the peak vacation months of July and August.

Our ship docked near the island’s picture-perfect capital of Hora, a traditional Greek fishing village of whitewashed houses, hundreds of little churches, and lots of small shops built in a labyrinth of narrow, cobblestone alleys. The maze-like layout of the town is no coincidence – it was purposely built this way many centuries ago to confuse marauding pirates. As the buccaneers became confused and disoriented in the labyrinth, the villagers were able to easily outmaneuver and ambush them.

We spent most of the morning wandering through the maze of small shops and visiting some of the town’s main attractions. They include the remains of a small fortress (Venetian Kastro), the pretty Panagia Paraportiani church made up of four small chapels, the Maritime Museum of the Aegean, and the island’s trademark five stone and thatched windmills that overlook Hora.

After touring the town, we returned to the dock and boarded a small boat for a short ferry ride across the channel to the tiny island of Delos, the mythical birthplace of Apollo, which became a great religious and trading centre in the first millennium BC.
Archaeological excavations began on Delos in 1872, and ruins of temples, grand houses, statues, and a theatre now cover most of the island’s four square kilometres. The houses of Dionysos, the Dolphins and the Tritons feature beautiful mosaic floors, and the Delos Museum has an impressive collection of ancient Greek sculpture.

Delos was a large city, and some of the ruins are not well preserved or easy to decipher. Therefore, it’s best to take a tour of the island with a guide or purchase a guide book that explains what you will be seeing.
By the time we finished touring Delos it was mid-afternoon, so we returned to Hora where we found a pretty waterfront tavern in the “Little Venice” quarter of town. This section is named for its Venetian-style houses with their multi-coloured porches and wooden balconies that are built on the edge of the water overlooking the bay.

Little Venice is also home to the town mascot, the big, pink pelican Petros, who can usually be found waddling past diners hoping for a few scraps of food. He’s quite a local celebrity, and is used to being photographed with everyone from the local Mayor to cruise passengers – although don’t get too close because he does occasionally bite!
As we sat at our waterfront taverna sampling the local retsina, calamari and mezes (a plate of traditional Greek appetizers), the bright Mediterranean sun began its slow descent into the cobalt blue waters of the Aegean Sea.

“Life doesn’t get much better than this,” we thought.

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