Eastern Mediterranean cruise
Roundtrip from Civitavecchia aboard Celebrity Equinox, 2–14 May 2010 — one of the best trips of my life. We had already spent three days in Rome, then boarded for Santorini, Istanbul (two days), Ephesus, Athens, Mykonos, and Naples/Capri. A fantastic combination of historical periods in the trail of ancient empires, civilizations, and cultures. We absolutely loved Istanbul and felt we were travelling through history while sailing the Dardanelles. Most places still showed the 2008 financial crisis, especially Athens, where there had been mass protests just before we arrived. Naples we found really dirty, so that day was mostly Capri. Sea days filled the gaps between ports.
- Otro
Civitavecchia — Celebrity Equinox
Visitado: 2 may 2010
Notas de llegada: From Rome after three days in the city
· Abrir en Google Maps (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
Embarked for an 11-night Eastern Mediterranean roundtrip. The ship was Celebrity Equinox (Solstice-class).
- Atracción
Fira
Visitado: 5 may 2010
Cómo llegué: Barco — Celebrity Equinox (sea day from Civitavecchia)
· Abrir en Google Maps (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
Santorini’s caldera town — whitewashed cliffs above the crater. Classic to-do: walk the rim and take the cable car rather than the donkey path in the heat.
- Atracción
Oia
Visitado: 5 may 2010
Cómo llegué: Taxi / rideshare — From Fira
· Abrir en Google Maps (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
Blue-domed churches and the famous caldera sunset — the postcard of Santorini.
- Atracción
Mykonos Town
Visitado: 6 may 2010
Cómo llegué: Barco — Celebrity Equinox
· Abrir en Google Maps (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
Little Venice on the water and the row of windmills above the harbour — the two things to see if you only have a day.
- Lugar histórico
Hagia Sophia
Visitado: 7 may 2010
Cómo llegué: Barco — Celebrity Equinox — overnight in Istanbul
· Abrir en Google Maps (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
Byzantine church turned mosque: the great dome and the sense of standing inside layered empires. We had two days here and absolutely loved the city.
- Lugar histórico
Blue Mosque
Visitado: 7 may 2010
Cómo llegué: A pie — Across Sultanahmet Square from Hagia Sophia
· Abrir en Google Maps (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
Sultan Ahmed Mosque — six minarets and Iznik tiles, facing Hagia Sophia across the square.
- Atracción
Grand Bazaar
Visitado: 8 may 2010
Cómo llegué: A pie
· Abrir en Google Maps (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
The covered market — spices, metalwork, bargaining. Second day in Istanbul.
- Lugar histórico
Topkapi Palace
Visitado: 8 may 2010
Cómo llegué: A pie
· Abrir en Google Maps (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
Ottoman imperial palace on the point where the Bosphorus, Golden Horn, and Sea of Marmara meet.
- Lugar histórico
The Dardanelles
Visitado: 8 may 2010
Cómo llegué: Barco — Celebrity Equinox, sailing south from Istanbul
· Abrir en Google Maps (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
Sailing the strait felt like travelling through history — the waterway of ancient empires between the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean, on the way to Ephesus.
- Lugar histórico
Ephesus
Visitado: 9 may 2010
Cómo llegué: Barco — Celebrity Equinox to Kuşadası, then inland
· Abrir en Google Maps (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
The marble streets of the ancient city and the Library of Celsus — one of the great surviving Roman façades in the Greek east.
- Lugar histórico
Acropolis of Athens
Visitado: 11 may 2010
Cómo llegué: Barco — Celebrity Equinox to Piraeus (sea day after Ephesus)
· Abrir en Google Maps (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
Parthenon and the rock of the Acropolis. Athens was marked by the 2008 financial crisis; there had been mass protests just before we arrived (May 2010).
- Lugar histórico
Ancient Agora of Athens
Visitado: 11 may 2010
Cómo llegué: A pie — Below the Acropolis
· Abrir en Google Maps (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
The civic heart of classical Athens — Temple of Hephaestus and the stoas where the city actually lived and argued.
- Atracción
Capri
Visitado: 13 may 2010
Cómo llegué: Barco — Celebrity Equinox to Naples, then boat to the island (sea day from Athens)
· Abrir en Google Maps (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
Piazzetta and the clifftop views. We spent the Naples call mostly on Capri — we found Naples itself really dirty.
- Atracción
Blue Grotto
Visitado: 13 may 2010
Cómo llegué: Barco — Small boat from Capri
· Abrir en Google Maps (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
The sea cave on Capri’s coast — the other classic to-do if the water is calm enough to enter.
Resumen de la ruta: Civitavecchia — Celebrity Equinox → Fira → Oia → Mykonos Town → Hagia Sophia → Blue Mosque → Grand Bazaar → Topkapi Palace → The Dardanelles → Ephesus → Acropolis of Athens → Ancient Agora of Athens → Capri → Blue Grotto