Saturday, 5/7 (and conclusion). Departing was an ordeal. At the cruise terminal our passports were given an entry stamp, which was silly since we’d already entered the country. The very modern airport required three x-ray checks, including two physical inspections of my backpack. Our passports were checked three times at the ticket counter line. Overall, passports were inspected at least eight times. They even performed an old-fashioned Q&A to make sure we had our stories straight. 

14 hour flight was fairly straight forward. Wonderful to not have a layover!

The high points of the cruise were, as usual, the excursion destinations and the face-to-face interactions with the crew. The food was a high/low point. It was superb, but it became clear that the menus have a decidedly vegetarian tilt. pasta sauces and pizzas with meat were very rare. Why they couldn’t serve naked pasta and offer a variety of sauce options escaped me. And the complexity of the choices seemed made to be complex. There’s a reason why “chocolate chip cookies” are America’s favorite, without added incredients. However, the sushi bar was extraordinary. 

The wine by-the-glass selections were all $6 and all very pedestrian. Yes, a wine snob observation.

The inevitable cattle-call routine of the excursions was tiring. Slow people (kudos for their desire to travel), dense people (guides explaining for the fifth time when we’ll regroup), number of people (about 30) all took a toll on the enjoyment aspect. To be fair, I’m used to small-group tours of 15 or fewer people. So I had unreasonable expectations.

I suspect that one aspect that prevented a really positive experience was that the crew still wore masks. Besides my having trouble understanding them, the mask created a superior/subordinate relationship that I found uncomfortable.

Good plus bad equaled mediocre. We have one more Ocean cruise booked in Scandinavia. An Alaska cruise is on my bucket list. Other than those, I don’t see us getting aboard a ship again.

Friday, 5/6. The Port Terminal is very, very new. But it is a very long walk to get out of. The bus stations are underground and seemingly underwater. Above ground it’s a beautiful shopping mall.

We did the Included tour. We rode along the ancient city walls, stopping once for yes-we-were-there photos. Then we disembarked on the edge of the famous bazaar and had a very short walk through it. Our mosque visit was to the Rustem Pasha Mosque, famous for its gorgeous blue tile work. We ran into mulitple Viking groups doing the same tour.

Afterwards we boarded a boat filled with the other groups. We found a nice spot along the side, only to learn that the entire cruise favored the other side. The speaker system was incomprehensable from where we sat. Added to that, we didn’t actually cruise past the Hagia Sophia. In spite of these issues, it was an interesting cruise. We were dropped off at the cruise terminal when it was over. It was certainly an entertaining time, but there were so many missed oppurtunities.

We had the typical far-too-leasurely European lunch, then took a taxi back into the old city with the intention see the Hagia Sophia. Big mistake. It was Friday, their version of Sunday. Massive crowds. The taxi was in a parking lot of traffic. We got out with the intention of walking the rest of the way, but the sidewalks were also jammed. We finally quit the quest, both due the crowds and the fact my foot was aching and the pain was moving up my leg. So we didn’t see the Hagia Sophia. Big diasppointment. 

Our last dinner was fine, though for the first time I choose the always available Angus steak option. Nothing else appealed to me.

Thursday, 5/5. Troy. I expected to be underwhelmed by the experience and I was spot on. It’s so confusing. There are eight (or nine?) layers of Troy, meaning that to research Troy #1, one has to desecrate the remaining Troys. Touchy work. A smart guy did realize how confusing it can be and placed signs on a slope, labeling several ages of Troys. But there isn’t really much “there” there. Also, there’s a lot of reconstruction, so I wasn’t sure that what we saw was what it was, or what archeologists think it was.

But, hey, I’ve been to Troy. Check that off the list. Other than one bus that took people across the Dardanelles to visit the battlefields of Gallipoli, Troy was where everyone went.

Afterwards we spent some time in the port city of Canakkale. The Trojan Horse used in the recent movie is on display. The waterfront was busy but no one was trying to sell us anything, so it was a nice stroll. The actual port used by the ship is butt-ugly.

In the evening we passed under the “1915” Canakkale Bridge, which, in spite of its name, opened just a few months ago. It’s now the longest suspension bridge in the world. The center span is 6,600 feet long, 2,400 feet longer than the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s quite a sight.

Surf and turf again for dinner. Had seconds of surf. Yum.

Wednesday, 5/4. (May the Fourth be with you.) Arrived in Kusadasi for a short visit to the ruins at Ephesus. Full of history. There were several tour options but we choose the Included one. My foot is hurting a lot, so it’s just as well.

The guide was excellent. Lots of humor and anxious to answer questions. I particularly liked how he’d stop talking for a few heartbeats once in a while to allow me to process what he was saying. The reconstructed library facade was the high point. Many pieces of Ephesus are in Europe’s finer museums, some legally, some not. The theater was also very impressive. However, I think what struck me most was that Roman engineers dug a canal from the ocean to the city to improve commercial activity. The canal is no longer visible, but that they both thought of it and then did it is remarkable.

On returning to Kusadasi we expected to be shown the various shops near the ship. But the guide took us to his favorite local carpet store, where we got a briefing on how silk is produced and how carpets are made. Then, after being offered drinks and a snack, they rolled out many demonstration carpets. Then the sales pitch began. Interestingly, the Turkish government reimburses carpet showrooms 100% of shipping fees, so there are no added costs to the buyer. We had no interest in carpets, so we left.

On the return walk to the ship we were treated to the traditional hard sales efforts. A glance at anything resulted in an immediate salesman talking into your ear. For once there’s an advantage to being deaf in one ear. But I wonder if they’d ever been advised that their enthusiasm discouraged visitors. We very likely would have spent more time in town if we weren’t barraged by their noise.

Went to Manfredi’s again. Excellent food.

Tuesday, 5/3. Heraklion, Crete, Greece. First impression was of bad air. Visibility was poor in an unusual way. Later we were told that dust storms from Africa is not uncommon. 

Our Excursion was for the palace of Minos, which is the origin of so many myths. The site is full of reconstructions done by the original archeologist, which is illuminating on one hand, but confusing on the other. We couldn’t tell what was fact or fancy. They did show us what’s likely the first “road” in Europe. That it had no traffic, I had some doubt that it was an actual Grecian road. (Haha.)

Our guide’s audio transmitter failed off and on, so many in the group choose to adjust their audio boxes to receive another guide’s lecture. We did that. But our guide was devastated by the failure, in tears. I felt very sorry for her.

To be truthful, we’re a little tired of ruins. I’m very likely to Google the places we’ve visited. But the visuals are beginning to run together.

The next stop was a village museum. Beautiful flowers and some excellent displays of historic homes and professions. Tried some local liquor. It wasn’t Ouzo, thank goodness. 

My feet were really bothering me, so upon returning to the ship I spent a lot of time in the various hot tubs. That helped a lot!

Dinner was at “The Chef’s Table.” A set menu and wine pairing. I felt the pairing suffered from having a limited selection of choices for the ship to choose from. “Sweet Potato Chips” was two exceedingly small mouthfuls of a chip loaded with sour cream (tasted like blue cheese). Crab Cakes on a bed of avocado was fantastic. To calm the palate we had frozen Moscow Mules, which was interesting. The seared halibut was marvelous. Desert was some kind of mandarin orange cream sorbet.

The Explorer’s “Thank you” party was interrupted by technical problems, so they relocated to the night club, my normal hangout. I had to relocate.

I had to go online to get a $50 visa for Turkey. Yoriko, holding a Japanese passport, didn’t need a visa. We both need to have our temps checked today (and tomorrow) to gain the authority to go ashore tomorrow. The ship’s facial recognition system is disturbingly accurate and fast.

Monday, 5/2. Rhodes, Greece. Arrival wasn’t scheduled until about noon, so I mostly slept in. We had a light lunch as our excursion was to show us how to cook Greek-style food, then serve it to us. Originally schedule for 10AM, the actual start time was 2PM. Our “lunch” was at about 4:30. 

First we had a little drive to the favorite viewing point, which was sadly not so good. Low, dense clouds. We stopped to look at the coliseum, which was reportedly the longest in Greek times due to the fact that the constructed distance was measured by the best runner. The Rhodes runner was apparently the tallest man in Greece used to determine the distance.

We then did a walk. The fort and its defenses were very well preserved. For once I was impressed by the fortifications. Triple walls and double moats. The guide told some great stories about its history.

Dinner could have been disappointing if we had not taken seats immediately in front of the cooking station. The two tables were 12 seats deep perpendicular to the cook, so those sitting farthest away probably weren’t as satisfied as the two of us. It was a fast demonstration, but the passenger-cooks in attendance seemed to get the gist. Two complex sauces for bread, a form of lasagna, and a salad. After the meal each couple was given a sheet with the recipes. There were nice shops in the town and getting back to the ship was only a 10 minute walk.

We planned to have a light dinner on board, but we discovered that on the side opposite from the sushi station was a king crab/shrimp station. Heaven.

Sunday, 5/1. Athens again. May Day. Without an excursion, we decided to take the shuttle into the city and ride the HopOn-HopOff Bus, largely for the commentary. Big mistake. Because it’s May Day, there were demonstrations scheduled at various locations throughout the city, with some of the most consequential streets closed. The bus almost immediately had to take alternate routes, skipping several landmarks. The audio feature would be talking about places that we weren’t passing. After an hour of seeing just about nothing, we got off to walk through the shopping district on our way back to the shuttle bus. The Flea Market was as advertiwsed. Junk, just on the edge of being antiques. We stopped at a wine tasting shop and had an entertaining time tasting five Greek wines. Much better than I expected.

Spa Pool was great. Taught some of the first timers about activating the spa feature of the pool. Always fun to watch them realize it has jets.

Had Beef Wellington again. Should have had scallops and lobster. Decisions, decisions.

Overall, a slow, mildly disappointing day.

Saturday, 4/30. Athens. Excursion’s first stop was the Acropolis. Though it was crowded, the guide described it as much less than it could have been. We were the only cruise ship in port. She had experienced the crowds with six ships. The guide was intensely interested in teaching us all about Greece, past through present. This was very bad, as it distracted from actually looking at the site. Many, like us, simply wandered away from her lecture. As it was, we didn’t have as much time as I’d have liked. I’ve since concluded that guides act as though it’s the 20th century, before the internet. She delved into subject matter that we can now easily find. We wanted to see stuff. We can learn about it at home. She took at least 30 minutes of our time away from looking.

However, the Acropolis was one of those places that, despite all the hype, exceeds expectations. I had not realized how large it is. Its position on the hilltop is impressive. Distractions aside, I had an exciting visit. In some ways it was the purpose of the entire cruise. Well worth it.

Our shopping stroll resulted in some purchases. Lunch was fun. The server lost our order and the delay resulted in some light joking. I had essentially Mac and cheese, Greek-style. 

This was a changeover day, when hundreds of passengers leave and an equal number come on board. Per routine, they all had to wear masks on day one. A little odd to see.

Sushi for dinner. Almost exclusively. We canceled our Delphi trip for tomorrow. We weren’t able to handle a nine and a half hour excursion, involving mostly a bus ride. I suppose the Oracle of Delphi prophesied our decision.

In keeping with the subject matter, most photos are adjusted the”noir” style.

Friday, 4/29. This stop is all about the original site of the Olympic Games. There were a few passengers who went elsewhere, doubtlessly because they’d been here before.

It’s ruins. There’s no better way to say it. The site was destroyed by command of religious zealots, then by an earthquake. The French discovered the site in the 19th century, but after they appropriated items they found (I.e., stole), Greece kicked them out. Germany, more ethical (or more closely watched), was called in to continue. But all the effors to reconstruct the site hasn’t really yielded a clear image of what it had been. Our tour guide, an archeologist, explained that much of what stands is “fake”. Fortunately for the reconstruction effort there is extensive written testimony of the Games. It’s a fascinating trip back in history, but there really isn’t much to photograph. It tickles the imagination more than the eye.

We returned to the ship and encountered a surprise. The approach to the gangway was lined with hundreds of crew members cheering our return, with wine and music. Our bus was apparently the first one back, so the effect was momentous.

The afternoon at sea was a little cool, leaving me alone in the infinity pool. Its spa didn’t work.

Dinner was preceded by a trip to the sushi bar. I had lamb as my entree. All delicious.

Tomorrow in Athens people leave and others come aboard. I’m told the total number on board will be unchanged (720).

Thursday, 4/28. My 52nd country. A lot to see from the ship. Two large forts fill the eye. Albania is visible in the distance.

Our excursion was to the opposite side of the island, about 40 minutes away. From there we boarded small boats. The area is famous for small caves that the boats enter. They aren’t deep caves, but it’s still an event. The famous one is the “Blue Cave”, where sunlight reflects up through the water under a section of the cave. That was very cool. The driver threw food in the water and suddenly hundreds of fish appeared. I wouldn’t call this a wonder of the world, but it was a good time.

We then took a tour of downtown Corfu. The guide, who impressed me with her ability to put me to sleep during her talk on the bus, was unimpressive during the walk. Her lack of comfortable English was a problem. So too was her willingness to let one or two passengers dominate her with their life stories. Rude. The high point of the city tour was (I suppose) visiting an Orthodox Church that allowed photography. But since it’s general policy that photos not be taken inside Orthodox Churches, I declined on principle.

A lot of well made wooden products. A guitarist playing for Euros. Poorly maintained buildings next to nicely refurbished ones. Orange cocktails. Gelato! Crowds.

A bit of family connection. On Orthodox Easter (last Sunday), it’s a tradition to fling pottery out the upper story windows. Broken chips are collected and dated as mementos. There were still many small chips scattered around today. My mom’s travel log details that in 1986 they were in Corfu on Easter and saw it happen!

We returned to the ship in a shuttle bus. Jammed. Some people standing. So much for Viking’s pledge to maintain social distancing.

Made full use of the spa pool area. Large hot tub, cold water bucket dump, steam room, snow room. Repeat.

Dinner was sensational. Surf and turf. Baked potato. I went up to the World Cafe to find apple pie (found later on the room service menu), but instead Yoriko discovered the sushi bar. Vastly better than what they had seven years ago. We’ll probably make that a stop before the Restaurant tomorrow. 

I’d felt tired all day, so rather than prowl the ship at night, I turned in early.