Cruising the Mediterranean: Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Croatia

There's something so magical about the Mediterranean.  For me, it was more than the gorgeous blue waters and coastline, fantastic weather and food, but also the history of the countries on the Med and diversity of cultures in one small(ish) area.  I set off on a Mediterranean adventure with a friend from work, Cristin, for nine nights in the Spring of 2014.  We wanted the opportunity to see many countries in a small amount of time, so we decided to cruise.  There are many different cruising options in this area, but I wanted to be sure to hit two main spots, Santorini and Istanbul, which settled the general route for our cruise and also whittled our cruise line options down.  Our nine night adventure began in Venice Italy, and sailed to Ancona, Italy, Greece (Santorini and Kefalonia), Split, Croatia, and Izmir and Istanbul in Turkey, onboard the MSC Armonia.

You would be shocked at the deal we got for this trip.  Planning a vacation of this sorts, with flights and hotels, could cost well over $5k, but because we decided to cruise - on a ship that offered an all-inclusive drink plan - we skipped all that expensive airfare, time AT the airport, baggage fees, LOST baggage, etc but also did not have to plan where and what to eat, what exact cities to stop in, or how long we spent in each location, all for under $2k.  Cruising really does take the stress out of planning a whirlwind trip like this, plus gives you a little taste of each city and gives you ideas of what to do and where to stay if you decide to go back!  Also, I don't always require the fanciest of accommodations or restaurants, for me a trip like this is solely focused on the destination, so choosing a more budget-friendly cruise line is a great option.

Because we traveled in Spring it was still a bit cool out at sea but was the perfect temperature for exploring our destinations.

 

Venice, Italy
We flew through Vienna and landed in Venice, Italy after an overnight flight.  Our cruise began that afternoon, with boarding time at 4:00 PM, so we planned our flight to land early in the morning to have a half day to explore Venice.  I had been once before, during Christmas of 2004, and was excited to get back during the Spring so that I could dine al fresco and enjoy strolling the streets without having to bundle up.

Upon arrival at the airport I had one little mishap - my suitcase was wrapped in duct tape and missing two wheels!  Cobblestone walkways are not friendly to suitcases in general, so although this was extremely annoying I was still able to manage getting my suitcase to the ship.  We purchased a bus ticket (no expensive taxi for us!) at the airport in Venice and hopped onboard for the 20 minute ride to the heart of the city, ending at the Piazzale Roma square, which is the main bus station for Venice. We had to wheel our suitcases up a rather large hill to get to the cruise terminal (that was fun!), but once there we checked our bags and then headed out to explore the city.  The cruise terminal is walking distance from the bus stop and all the major sights of the city, so it was a wonderful spot to begin our adventure.

From Piazzale Rome, you enter the heart of Venice on the Calatrava Bridge.

From here Cristin and I decided to just enjoy ourselves, strolling towards Piazza San Marco.  We window shopped, stopped to purchase Venetian glass pieces, and took back alleys and small bridges throughout town.

 

 

 

 

At about noon we dined at a wonderful Italian restaurant within a gorgeous square and enjoyed our first glass of wine while on vacation with some amazing pasta on the patio.  The sun was shining, the day couldn't have been more perfect.

We made it to the Piazza at about two, and enjoyed people watching for a short time before we had to head back to the ship.

 

We arrived back at the ship at what we thought was the right time, but it turned out we were some of the last people on the boat!  Thank goodness we didn't miss our departure.  As soon as we got settled we enjoyed our first sparkling wine on the pool deck, and ended up meeting a family that we spent a lot of time with on our cruise - the Blom's from Australia - Chris, Jo, and their adorable little six month old Parker. 

Ancona, Italy
The next day we arrived in Ancona, which is slightly south of Venice on the "calf" of Italy's boot.

Ancona is a fairly new cruise ship port, and it was apparent that the townspeople were not yet accustomed to the huge crowds that the ships brought in.  Most baristas and waiters did not seem to know English, which I found out the hard way when I attempted to order a coffee with milk and got poured just warm milk!  The town is quaint, and we did quite a bit of wandering around.  There wasn't anything in particular we wanted to see here, so we just went with the flow and enjoyed our day.

Santorini, Greece
SANTORINI!  This is the destination I was the most excited about.  Who hasn't seen the gorgeous photos of the white washed houses with blue tile roofs cascading down the side of a mountain (usually with an amazing sunset in the background)?  Like this!

 

Santorini is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, and is essentially what remains after an enormous volcanic eruption that destroyed the earliest settlements on a formerly single island, and created the current geological caldera.

Our ship anchored in the sea close to Fira, and we took small boats in.  The town of Fira is on top of the mountains of Santorini, and you can either walk up, take a donkey ride, or ride the cable car up the steep incline to town.

We opted for the cable car, because it was the quickest option and pretty inexpensive at 5 Euro (each way).  We wanted to make the most use of our time, as our plan was to hike to Oia, at the far end of the island so that we could view the island from different perspectives.  A hike from Fira to Oia should take about 3 hours if you push it.  We tried our best, but made it to the center between the two towns before turning back.  We stopped too often to enjoy our scenery!  I probably hiked/walked more on this day than any in my life, because the town of Fira is one stairway to the next, along windy roads.

Partway to Oia (In the Background)

See how far we went!?  (Fira is past the last hill you can view in this picture)

There really are no words to describe how gorgeous Santorini was.  It is definitely in my top three favorite places in the world.

There are steeples everywhere you look!

 

 

On the way back we hiked down a gazillion stairs to this gorgeous church on the other side of a small peninsula on the island.

 

 

 

See how cute it is!?  On the edge of the cliff!

When we were close to the cable car again towards the end of the day we stopped for a cold Greek beer, called Mythos, along with spanikopita which is one of my favorite Greek dishes in the world.  Our day couldn't have been more perfect!

 

 

 

Izmir, Turkey
Overnight we sailed towards Turkey, and docked in Izmir for the day which is the third most populous city in the country.  I didn't know much about this location before I researched our trip, so we decided to take a scheduled tour to see the house of the Virgin Mary and the ancient city of Ephesus.  This is the one tour we booked through the cruise line.  I usually don't utilize this option because I prefer to research and book through independent tour companies prior to a trip because the cruise lines always add their fee to the total cost. 

 

The first stop on this excursion was at the home believed by many to be the Virgin Mary's.  I am not sure exactly what to think about this, but it was clear that many people considered it a holy site.  The reason I am not 100% convinced is because the location was identified by a Roman Catholic nun (1774–1824) who was bed ridden and said to have hallucinations and dreams that told her where the house was located.  It's a very interesting story, but even the Catholic Church has never pronounced in favor or against the authenticity of the house.  It nevertheless maintains a steady flow of pilgrimage since its discovery and was an interesting stop.

 

 

Next we headed for the ancient town of Ephesus, an ancient Greek city built in the 10th century BC.  The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia cited in the Book of Revelation.  The entire site was extremely well preserved and very interesting - it was great to have a tour guide here to explain what each building was built for, and to give us the history of the location.

 

 

 

 

Istanbul, Turkey
The next day we sailed from the Aegean Sea through the Dardanelles into the Sea of Marmara, which separates the continents of Europe and Asia.  Istanbul, which used to be Constantinople, is fascinating because you can cross over a bridge from Europe to Asia!  Istanbul is the 5th largest city in the world, home to over 14 million people.  Our ship docked here for two nights, and there is plenty to see!

It was POURING when we ventured out into the city for the first day, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise because the usually insanely crowded Blue Mosque was slightly less busy.  This was the most crowded city I've ever explored and a taxi drive was quite the experience!  Our taxi driver hit a traffic jam and then reversed the wrong way down a one way street to the next intersection!  And, there were no seat belts in the car.....

Our first stop was the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (or Blue Mosque) which was built from 1609-1616 (below, an amazing view we found on the rooftop of a hotel!).

As you enter, the devout are washing their feet before prayer.

It was absolutely stunning inside, but my camera wasn't cooperating!  Fortunately I still got some decent shots. (You're not supposed to take photos inside so we had to be sneaky!)

 

We also saw the Hagia Sophia, which was first a church, then mosque, then museum, but did not enter the grounds.  This building started construction in 537 and didn't end until 1453!  They are within walking distance to one another.

Next we explored some underground areas of the city and saw a few of the other many monuments.  The obelisk below was built around 1490 BC by the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III to commemorate the victories of his forces in Mesopotamia. The obelisks were made of rare pink granite, which a Roman emperor brought to Istanbul in the 4th century AD.  I truly enjoyed hearing the Call to Prayer throughout the city.

 

After exploring the city we went back onboard for a nap before heading back out that evening for a bite to eat.  We ended up having a snack with olives and fresh fruits at a hookah bar, which are extremely popular here and on every single corner.  I am not a tobacco fan so I did not smoke, but rather people-watched and enjoyed the scenery.  Normally I would enjoy a beer or glass of wine, but because Turkey is mostly Muslim, you cannot purchase alcohol at most restaurants. 

We were a bit exhausted so we called it an early night, as we were looking forward to our next destination - Croatia!

Split, Croatia
We arrived in Split, Croatia on the perfect day to explore the city.  It was St. Domnius Day / Feast of St. Duje, which occurs in early May.  Split Dat, as it is also called, honors the patron saint with a huge procession, many games and a number of ceremonies, together with singing and dancing.  There were bands set up throughout the town, tons of little shops selling trinkets and gifts, and every single restaurant was packed to the brim.

We wanted to explore the beaches, but the weather wasn't warm enough to swim so we decided to enjoy the city instead.   The church itself was closed due to the festival, which was kind of a bummer, but the lively atmosphere made up for this small disappointment.  We visited Diocletian's Palace, built by the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD, that today forms the center of the city of Split.

 

After our drink and a little shopping we returned back to the boat, ready for our day at sea before returning to Venice.  We took the last day to unwind and were ready to get back home after nine nights away.

I enjoyed these destinations so much that I hope to return back to the Med on a more luxurious ship  some day, and would also like to visit Montenegro, the French and Italian coast, and Israel.  This trip also has me longing for a week-long stay in Santorini - there's just so much to see and explore there!  Cruises are such a wonderful way to 'taste' each destination for just a day!