Trip Report Our 19-Day Mediterranean Adventure – Greece, Turkey and the Search for Free Wifi

Finally, right? It seems like I’ve been waiting forever to start this, but really we’ve only been back three weeks! And in that time I’ve lived in a hotel for two weeks and driven across the country from Washington DC to our new home in...wait for it...Las Vegas! For some reason I have chosen now, surrounded by boxes that need to be unpacked, as the time to start my trip report. Stalling maybe? So here it goes!

What: A massive 19 day (13 days on the cruise with 6 more including travel time and extra days in Europe) trip extravaganza. A 12 night Mediterranean cruise with a day in London beforehand and a few days in London and Barcelona afterwards. So yes. This is going to be a long stinking trip report. Oh, and I took 5239 pictures. On my camera! That doesn’t even count the Instagram/iphone photos you’ll see scattered throughout the report.

Great day in the morning.

Why: Because cruises are awesome mostly. But also because I was able to do a last-minute 11 night Med cruise back in April of 2010 with my daughter and some other family and friends, so this was a makeup cruise for my son and husband. It worked nicely as a graduation trip/present.

When: June 13-July 1, 2013

I booked this cruise the day it came out, back in January of 2012.

As time got closer we realized it was going to get crazy. My daughter was going to have to miss the last day of school, my son was graduating from high school the Saturday before the trip, we had a house full of family that whole weekend and a big graduation party on Sunday, he then left and was coming home one day early from his senior trip to make it on time, and we were moving across the country to Las Vegas so our household goods were all moved the day before we left. Then the kids were traveling with their youth group to Scotland 3 days after the cruise ended, so it really didn’t make sense for us to come all the way back home and we needed to stay in Europe for three more days before we dropped them off in London Heathrow. Got all that? Yes. Like I said, a little crazy.

Totally worth it though.

Who: Us! Here we are a few days before we left! This picture is a celebration of the whole Whiting family – but mostly Chase. The high school graduate. Also appearing in this photo are myself-Tammy, hubby-Stephen, and daughter – Ally.



My parents! My parents were on our last Med cruise, and have been in several of my trip reports. They had quite the trip in store for them. Here they are in Monaco:



My in-laws! My in-laws were also on my last Med cruise, as well as a few other cruises with us, so they may look familiar if you've ever read one of my reports. Here they are in Palo:



My brother-in-law! Scott has appeared in a few trip cruise trip reports as well. He’s the oldest of three boys with my hubby falling in the middle. Here he is in Mykonos:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Okay. I got thru the pics of the Acropolis and Athens. I wonder do you go to these places and geek-out over actually being there like touching it??? I mean, this is stuff we only ever see in pics on tv or in books. But you were THERE. You touched it. Is that part of what it's like to go to those places??? So amazing. And your pics just make it so incredible to see thru your eyes. Love it!

So, you're on your way back on the train and there's this picture:

That's the creepiest photo bomb in the history of the world. Hands down. Tracey had me zoom in on the creepy guy. He was dying laughing. LOL!

Okay...continuing to read now...

 

[AlaskaDude]

Since I'm the lucky guy who Tammy normally takes with her on her vacations (normally, but not always), let me add a little more color to Turkey.

Ephesus was one of the largest and most important cities in the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago (it was the capital of Roman Asia). There were probably almost five hundred thousand people who lived there, and it played a prominent role in early Christian history. As Tammy mentioned, the apostle Paul lived there for a few years and wrote extensively while there. Tradition also says the apostle John wrote his gospel there. Finally, tradition also says Mary the mother of Jesus lived out the final years of her life outside Ephesus. It was very interesting hearing all this explained by a self-proclaimed Muslim tour guide who also took the time to tell us about the reverence Muslims have for these same figures.

Eventually, Ephesus was abandoned for a host of reasons including that the harbor silted up, repeated earthquakes, sackings, and malaria. The ruins from the Roman period were buried over time by natural forces, leading to the current excavation effort which began in 1895 by the University of Vienna. After almost 120 years of work, only 15% of the city has been excavated according to estimates.

Among the really cool things we learned among the ruins of Ephesus were that they had indoor plumbing 2,000 years ago, as well as central heating and incredible acoustics at the amphitheater.

When we left the ruins and exited the historical park, we walked through a small retail section. The merchants were VERY aggressive by our standards in trying to get us to buy something from their stores or eat in their restaurants. At other locations in Turkey, some of the shops had signs that said things like, "We will leave you alone and let you shop in peace." Neither approach is right or wrong, it's just a different culture--certainly different. Since this part of Turkey is a big tourist destination for Europeans (particularly Germans apparently), it was interesting to see the ways some Turks accommodated Western cultural sensibilities while others stuck to their traditional cultural norms.

Sirince (the beautiful little village we ate lunch in) was historically a Greek village, but after WWI, the governments of Greece and Turkey agreed to "exchange" their populations that were living in each other's territory. I don't know much about this history, but it must have been wrenching for families from both sides who had lived in their villages for hundreds of years to be moved far away to the country of their ethnicity. To this day, Sirince is known for its fruit wines which apparently comes from the village's Greek history.

The evening show that Tammy mentioned had a sweet quality to it, but as Tammy said, it wasn't up to Disney standards. It was too long, and shouldn't have been in the Walt Disney Theater. But, overall, Turkey was awesome and one of the most interesting places we visited. It was more culturally "different" than other places we visited, but the people were very nice and they were certainly glad to see the Disney Magic in port.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Oh wow! Okay! So the people in the ampitheater singing "How Great Thou Art" woulda totally held me captive. I may have sung with them and cried. I love love love that hymn. Such amazing experiences y'all had. Just amazing.

The rugs. I mean, they're nice to look at and all but I wouldn't have been tempted because they all looked too busy. I like stuff more simple with clean lines. No busy-ness. Then again, I'm no design expert either. LOL!

Speaking of the rugs, seeing the woman with the big loom thing doing the rug...didn't there used to be a demonstration thing set up in the Morocco pavillion at Epcot where they hand tied rugs??? Am I remembering that right??? Is it still there and I've just not noticed it in more recent years???? I know totally un-related to where y'all just were and all. The rug thing made me think of it.

So, rewind back to your mom in Athens. The hospital people tried to get your parents to go into a room for...??? Was that a point of "admittance" and they couldn't leave??? What's up with that? And, moving back forward, "The Pneumonia". That's classic! LOL!

You're totally killin' this TR, woman! I think you ARE going to get it done before the girls cruise! Wow!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Since I'm the lucky guy who Tammy normally takes with her on her vacations (normally, but not always), let me add a little more color to Turkey.

Ephesus was one of the largest and most important cities in the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago (it was the capital of Roman Asia). There were probably almost five hundred thousand people who lived there, and it played a prominent role in early Christian history. As Tammy mentioned, the apostle Paul lived there for a few years and wrote extensively while there. Tradition also says the apostle John wrote his gospel there. Finally, tradition also says Mary the mother of Jesus lived out the final years of her life outside Ephesus. It was very interesting hearing all this explained by a self-proclaimed Muslim tour guide who also took the time to tell us about the reverence Muslims have for these same figures.

Eventually, Ephesus was abandoned for a host of reasons including that the harbor silted up, repeated earthquakes, sackings, and malaria. The ruins from the Roman period were buried over time by natural forces, leading to the current excavation effort which began in 1895 by the University of Vienna. After almost 120 years of work, only 15% of the city has been excavated according to estimates.

Among the really cool things we learned among the ruins of Ephesus were that they had indoor plumbing 2,000 years ago, as well as central heating and incredible acoustics at the amphitheater.

When we left the ruins and exited the historical park, we walked through a small retail section. The merchants were VERY aggressive by our standards in trying to get us to buy something from their stores or eat in their restaurants. At other locations in Turkey, some of the shops had signs that said things like, "We will leave you alone and let you shop in peace." Neither approach is right or wrong, it's just a different culture--certainly different. Since this part of Turkey is a big tourist destination for Europeans (particularly Germans apparently), it was interesting to see the ways some Turks accommodated Western cultural sensibilities while others stuck to their traditional cultural norms.

Sirince (the beautiful little village we ate lunch in) was historically a Greek village, but after WWI, the governments of Greece and Turkey agreed to "exchange" their populations that were living in each other's territory. I don't know much about this history, but it must have been wrenching for families from both sides who had lived in their villages for hundreds of years to be moved far away to the country of their ethnicity. To this day, Sirince is known for its fruit wines which apparently comes from the village's Greek history.

The evening show that Tammy mentioned had a sweet quality to it, but as Tammy said, it wasn't up to Disney standards. It was too long, and shouldn't have been in the Walt Disney Theater. But, overall, Turkey was awesome and one of the most interesting places we visited. It was more culturally "different" than other places we visited, but the people were very nice and they were certainly glad to see the Disney Magic in port.

I love this additional information! Awesome! It's all so fascinating to me. First, because it's just interesting stuff. Impressive about the indoor plumbing. <--the girl in me appreciates this! But, in addition to the cool-factor in the gravity of the history, for me it's an appreciation and understanding of what my dad loved so much about these places. My dad is a huuuuge history buff. He's like a human history book. He loves it passionately. I see his pictures and listen to his stories of going to all these places and it sounds cool. But to see it from a different perspective, I understand what it is that captured his simple, country-boy heart. I understand why a poor kid from small-town Alabama would embrace the life he did sailing from port to port, exploring these places so many only ever see in books or on tv. It really does amaze me and inspire me.

These are the bits I get when I soak in this awesome trip report. Thank y'all sooooo much for the effort to share your adventures with us. It really does mean a lot.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Very cool...I am an adult Sunday School teacher and have covered the Book of Acts and the Book of Ephesians before so to see pictures of this is awesome. I am going to have to put Mediterranean Disney Cruise on my Disney bucket list for sure now! Don't worry Tammy, I'll make sure you book it for us when the time comes. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Oh you do need to go then! It was so neat! I'll be here when you're ready.

Okay. I got thru the pics of the Acropolis and Athens. I wonder do you go to these places and geek-out over actually being there like touching it??? I mean, this is stuff we only ever see in pics on tv or in books. But you were THERE. You touched it. Is that part of what it's like to go to those places??? So amazing. And your pics just make it so incredible to see thru your eyes. Love it!

So, you're on your way back on the train and there's this picture:

That's the creepiest photo bomb in the history of the world. Hands down. Tracey had me zoom in on the creepy guy. He was dying laughing. LOL!

Okay...continuing to read now...

You're so right! I lived in Germany for 5 years when I was young and we saw and did so much that others will never get the chance to see. But I was in elementary school! There's no way I appreciated it all. It's so nice to go back as an adult and take it all in. Really take it in.

That. Is. Hilarious. I didn't even notice him!! That is a little/lot creepy looking! Hah!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Oh wow! Okay! So the people in the ampitheater singing "How Great Thou Art" woulda totally held me captive. I may have sung with them and cried. I love love love that hymn. Such amazing experiences y'all had. Just amazing.

The rugs. I mean, they're nice to look at and all but I wouldn't have been tempted because they all looked too busy. I like stuff more simple with clean lines. No busy-ness. Then again, I'm no design expert either. LOL!

Speaking of the rugs, seeing the woman with the big loom thing doing the rug...didn't there used to be a demonstration thing set up in the Morocco pavillion at Epcot where they hand tied rugs??? Am I remembering that right??? Is it still there and I've just not noticed it in more recent years???? I know totally un-related to where y'all just were and all. The rug thing made me think of it.

So, rewind back to your mom in Athens. The hospital people tried to get your parents to go into a room for...??? Was that a point of "admittance" and they couldn't leave??? What's up with that? And, moving back forward, "The Pneumonia". That's classic! LOL!

You're totally killin' this TR, woman! I think you ARE going to get it done before the girls cruise! Wow!

I got a little misty when they were singing! It was surreal and awesome.

They do look busy! That's why I didn't think I'd be tempted!! But when I saw one in my colors, I was wrong. I could just picture it in my living room.

Did there? That may be!

Yes! They were trying to tell her the ship couldn't handle her illness properly and she needed to stay. Poor Pneumonia.

I think I can finish! I think I can, I think I can!!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Since I'm the lucky guy who Tammy normally takes with her on her vacations (normally, but not always), let me add a little more color to Turkey.

Ephesus was one of the largest and most important cities in the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago (it was the capital of Roman Asia). There were probably almost five hundred thousand people who lived there, and it played a prominent role in early Christian history. As Tammy mentioned, the apostle Paul lived there for a few years and wrote extensively while there. Tradition also says the apostle John wrote his gospel there. Finally, tradition also says Mary the mother of Jesus lived out the final years of her life outside Ephesus. It was very interesting hearing all this explained by a self-proclaimed Muslim tour guide who also took the time to tell us about the reverence Muslims have for these same figures.

Eventually, Ephesus was abandoned for a host of reasons including that the harbor silted up, repeated earthquakes, sackings, and malaria. The ruins from the Roman period were buried over time by natural forces, leading to the current excavation effort which began in 1895 by the University of Vienna. After almost 120 years of work, only 15% of the city has been excavated according to estimates.

Among the really cool things we learned among the ruins of Ephesus were that they had indoor plumbing 2,000 years ago, as well as central heating and incredible acoustics at the amphitheater.

When we left the ruins and exited the historical park, we walked through a small retail section. The merchants were VERY aggressive by our standards in trying to get us to buy something from their stores or eat in their restaurants. At other locations in Turkey, some of the shops had signs that said things like, "We will leave you alone and let you shop in peace." Neither approach is right or wrong, it's just a different culture--certainly different. Since this part of Turkey is a big tourist destination for Europeans (particularly Germans apparently), it was interesting to see the ways some Turks accommodated Western cultural sensibilities while others stuck to their traditional cultural norms.

Sirince (the beautiful little village we ate lunch in) was historically a Greek village, but after WWI, the governments of Greece and Turkey agreed to "exchange" their populations that were living in each other's territory. I don't know much about this history, but it must have been wrenching for families from both sides who had lived in their villages for hundreds of years to be moved far away to the country of their ethnicity. To this day, Sirince is known for its fruit wines which apparently comes from the village's Greek history.

The evening show that Tammy mentioned had a sweet quality to it, but as Tammy said, it wasn't up to Disney standards. It was too long, and shouldn't have been in the Walt Disney Theater. But, overall, Turkey was awesome and one of the most interesting places we visited. It was more culturally "different" than other places we visited, but the people were very nice and they were certainly glad to see the Disney Magic in port.

So obviously Stephen paid more attention than me...

 

[Tidbit]

So obviously Stephen paid more attention than me...

Yup! He "learned me some stuff!" LOL!!

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

That picture of Ally and your mom crying needs to be framed. Such a great grandma/granddaughter moment! I also find it hilarious, but that's beside the point

 

[BamaDisneyFan]

Disney falcon,
Love the trip report!! I'm sorry your mom was sick. I saw in an earlier picture Chase wearing an Auburn sweatshirt. I was wondering if you lived there? I live about 45 minutes from there, however though I am an Alabama fan, but it was interesting to see it.

 

[CinderMama]

Thank you for all the entertainment this Sunday morning. First, I'm making mental notes about making sure I wear shorts if I get to see the Acropolis! And then I'm literally laughing out loud at the picture of your mom (The Pneumonia!) and Ally crying over the crab, literally laughing out loud!

Just about caught up again. What an amazing trip. Thanks again for sharing!

 

[Disney_Belle]

I know I just texted you this, but that picture of Ally and your mom has me laughing so hard. That is hysterical. But I'm glad Mom started to feel a little better, poor thing!

And hearing that trio sing sounds like an awesome, unexpected surprise!

 

[joanna71985]

I just want to say- after reading the story of Ally and your mom, I literally could not stop laughing for 5 minutes!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Yup! He "learned me some stuff!" LOL!!

Hah! Well there you go.

That picture of Ally and your mom crying needs to be framed. Such a great grandma/granddaughter moment! I also find it hilarious, but that's beside the point

I know, right? I snapped so quickly I totally missed the focus on it, but I loved the moment so I had to include it. Even Ally was laughing when she remembered the story.

Disney falcon,
Love the trip report!! I'm sorry your mom was sick. I saw in an earlier picture Chase wearing an Auburn sweatshirt. I was wondering if you lived there? I live about 45 minutes from there, however though I am an Alabama fan, but it was interesting to see it.

Thank you, BamaDisneyFan!

We do not live there, but most of Stephen's family are huge Auburn fans and went to school there. I'm rather shocked looking back at these pictures that my father-in-law isn't wearing an Auburn hat. That's very unlike him. They keep Chase stocked in Auburn clothes.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Thank you for all the entertainment this Sunday morning. First, I'm making mental notes about making sure I wear shorts if I get to see the Acropolis! And then I'm literally laughing out loud at the picture of your mom (The Pneumonia!) and Ally crying over the crab, literally laughing out loud!

Just about caught up again. What an amazing trip. Thanks again for sharing!

Hah! You're welcome!
Yes, please wear shorts. Or shorts under your skirt!
The pneumonia and Ally crying was hilarious.

I know I just texted you this, but that picture of Ally and your mom has me laughing so hard. That is hysterical. But I'm glad Mom started to feel a little better, poor thing!

And hearing that trio sing sounds like an awesome, unexpected surprise!

I'm so glad the crab story made sense! It was just too funny!

It was definitely awesome.

I just want to say- after reading the story of Ally and your mom, I literally could not stop laughing for 5 minutes!

Haha! Us too when it happened!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Day 11: Mykonos

Okay, people. If you think other ports were pretty, you’ll be in love with Mykonos! Seriously, I think I could live there.

We slept until 8 today. I went to check on Mom in the clinic, and they told her it was going to be a couple more weeks before she had all of her energy back.

She was so sad to miss Mykonos, until we realized she should just come off in her wheelchair! All we were doing was walking through the town! She could do that in a wheelchair. They were so excited at the prospect of leaving the ship!



We all went up top to meet everyone for lunch.



Hello Mykonos!






http://tammywhiting.smugmug.com/Tra...81130_CwxJRm#!i=2735941183&k=TgzN6FS&lb=1&s=A

http://tammywhiting.smugmug.com/Tra...81130_CwxJRm#!i=2735941183&k=TgzN6FS&lb=1&s=A

http://tammywhiting.smugmug.com/Tra...81130_CwxJRm#!i=2735941183&k=TgzN6FS&lb=1&s=A

 

[Disneyfalcon]

I ran to grab a burger. I was so excited to see they had my favorite special today – a cheesesteak sandwich! Yay!



When I brought it back to the table, no one else was as excited as me! Apparently they had just put up the sign and everyone else was jealous of my food. Dad got one too. It was good to be late today, apparently.





I wonder if Gramps knows that Ally is using him as a photo shield?





Ally was very happy to push the wheelchair!



We weren’t thinking and Ally pushed her down the ramp off the ship too. Not a good idea. Let’s just say we almost had a runaway wheelchair containing The Pneumonia.
http://tammywhiting.smugmug.com/Tra...81130_CwxJRm#!i=2735943069&k=p7Kb6h9&lb=1&s=A

 

[Disneyfalcon]

We caught a shuttle over to the town. It was about a 5 minute ride. It was super windy by the ship, but thankfully very nice in town.





Nope. That’s not Photoshop, that’s the water. Gorgeous!





Chase found Wi-fi outside this café. We made a note to stop in later.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

We were a little worried that the streets would be really bumpy for the wheelchair, but they weren’t bad at all!







The streets were like a beautiful maze. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the side streets! They were just gorgeous!





We walked up this ginormous set of stairs later:


http://tammywhiting.smugmug.com/Tra...81130_CwxJRm#!i=2736007652&k=2VR8MKb&lb=1&s=A

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Look! She’s out!





We looked at a map every once in a while, but mostly just wandered.






http://tammywhiting.smugmug.com/Tra...81130_CwxJRm#!i=2737811903&k=CBn5b4T&lb=1&s=A

http://tammywhiting.smugmug.com/Tra...81130_CwxJRm#!i=2737811903&k=CBn5b4T&lb=1&s=A