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.
- Altro
Civitavecchia — Celebrity Equinox
Visitato: 2 mag 2010
Note di arrivo: From Rome after three days in the city
· Apri in Google Maps (si apre in una nuova scheda)
Embarked for an 11-night Eastern Mediterranean roundtrip. The ship was Celebrity Equinox (Solstice-class).
- Attrazione
Fira
Visitato: 5 mag 2010
Come ci sono arrivato: Barca — Celebrity Equinox (sea day from Civitavecchia)
· Apri in Google Maps (si apre in una nuova scheda)
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.
- Attrazione
Oia
Visitato: 5 mag 2010
Come ci sono arrivato: Taxi / rideshare — From Fira
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Blue-domed churches and the famous caldera sunset — the postcard of Santorini.
- Attrazione
Mykonos Town
Visitato: 6 mag 2010
Come ci sono arrivato: Barca — Celebrity Equinox
· Apri in Google Maps (si apre in una nuova scheda)
Little Venice on the water and the row of windmills above the harbour — the two things to see if you only have a day.
- Luogo storico
Hagia Sophia
Visitato: 7 mag 2010
Come ci sono arrivato: Barca — Celebrity Equinox — overnight in Istanbul
· Apri in Google Maps (si apre in una nuova scheda)
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.
- Luogo storico
Blue Mosque
Visitato: 7 mag 2010
Come ci sono arrivato: A piedi — Across Sultanahmet Square from Hagia Sophia
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Sultan Ahmed Mosque — six minarets and Iznik tiles, facing Hagia Sophia across the square.
- Attrazione
Grand Bazaar
Visitato: 8 mag 2010
Come ci sono arrivato: A piedi
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The covered market — spices, metalwork, bargaining. Second day in Istanbul.
- Luogo storico
Topkapi Palace
Visitato: 8 mag 2010
Come ci sono arrivato: A piedi
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Ottoman imperial palace on the point where the Bosphorus, Golden Horn, and Sea of Marmara meet.
- Luogo storico
The Dardanelles
Visitato: 8 mag 2010
Come ci sono arrivato: Barca — Celebrity Equinox, sailing south from Istanbul
· Apri in Google Maps (si apre in una nuova scheda)
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.
- Luogo storico
Ephesus
Visitato: 9 mag 2010
Come ci sono arrivato: Barca — Celebrity Equinox to Kuşadası, then inland
· Apri in Google Maps (si apre in una nuova scheda)
The marble streets of the ancient city and the Library of Celsus — one of the great surviving Roman façades in the Greek east.
- Luogo storico
Acropolis of Athens
Visitato: 11 mag 2010
Come ci sono arrivato: Barca — Celebrity Equinox to Piraeus (sea day after Ephesus)
· Apri in Google Maps (si apre in una nuova scheda)
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).
- Luogo storico
Ancient Agora of Athens
Visitato: 11 mag 2010
Come ci sono arrivato: A piedi — Below the Acropolis
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The civic heart of classical Athens — Temple of Hephaestus and the stoas where the city actually lived and argued.
- Attrazione
Capri
Visitato: 13 mag 2010
Come ci sono arrivato: Barca — Celebrity Equinox to Naples, then boat to the island (sea day from Athens)
· Apri in Google Maps (si apre in una nuova scheda)
Piazzetta and the clifftop views. We spent the Naples call mostly on Capri — we found Naples itself really dirty.
- Attrazione
Blue Grotto
Visitato: 13 mag 2010
Come ci sono arrivato: Barca — Small boat from Capri
· Apri in Google Maps (si apre in una nuova scheda)
The sea cave on Capri’s coast — the other classic to-do if the water is calm enough to enter.
Riepilogo del percorso: 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