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Day 5 - October 6th, 2000

Piraeus, Greece

The Erechtheion, Acropolis, Athens

At 7 AM the alarm clock goes off, and we curse the person that has invented this mean machine. The view from the bridge on our cabin TV does NOT look promising today, and by the time we reach deck 11 it is raining steadily, with thunder and lightning adding a dramatic touch. The view of Piraeus is superb though, with dozens of ferries and some cruise ships docked at arm's length. We have not booked a tour, but plan on taking the local train from Piraeus to Athens. According to the Port Explorer leaflet, the train station is just a few minutes walk from the dock. I guess the person who wrote that was a very fast walker, because it takes us more than 30 minutes! By the time we reach the Piraeus railway station it has stopped raining. For the amazing amount of US$ 0.50 we buy a ticket to Athens, and hop on the train. Only 15 minutes later we are in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the Plaka district in the heart of Athens.

We walk along the Flea Market first and then decide to climb up to the Acropolis. The climb up is rather enjoyable, looking out over the the ancient Agora, which was the old administrative center of Athens from 6 BC to 6 AD. It's obvious that there's a wealth of things to explore here, but you have to know where you're going as this huge city is home to 3.1 million inhabitants. And probably as many tourists! The Acropolis is absolute packed with people from all parts of the world, with screaming guides waving lollipops, umbrellas and what not trying to make themselves heard. What a circus! The quote of the day comes from an American woman: "Oh, I can't believe it. I'm sure that when we get home, we won't believe the things we saw".

Never mind the crowds - we are here now and we better enjoy it! Miraculously, the sun appears when we step on the rocky top of the Acropolis that is home to some of the most famous Greek monuments. There's of course the Parthenon, with a large crane in the middle. Obviously they are doing some major restauration work. The Temple of Athena Nike and the pretty Erechtheion look a lot better without scaffoldings, but somehow the place does not do a lot for me. Perhaps it's the fact that we are visiting this place without a guide (although we did bring our guide books) , or perhaps the fact that the hill is overrun with tourists like us. No matter how beautiful the view of Athens down below, I'm a bit disappointed in the Acropolis.

My disappointment is completely gone by the time we reach the Agora and pay the nominal entrance fee. The remains of the old Athens marketplace are dating back some 2000 years, and the site features a very nice temple (smaller but in better shape than the Parthenon), a Byzantine church with some beautiful frescos, and an interesting little museum. Did you know they had baby bottles in 500 BC? Of course these nifty Greeks had invented a lot more than baby bottles, and it is fascinating to see the remains of the ancient drainage and heating systems. We roam around the large site that boasts some incredible views of the Acropolis up the hill, and wonder where all the tourists have gone. We are virtually alone here, and we LOVE it!

Our stomachs tell us it's time for lunch, so we head back to the Plaka district and roam the quaint narrow streets that are literally packed with small shops and tavernas. At the foot of the Acropolis we find a nice restaurant where we enjoy a very nice Greek lunch. Entertainment comes in the form of stray dogs that roam the tables for leftovers, and stray children that sell tissues and flowers. By 4 PM it's time to slowly make our way to the Monasteraki station again and take the train back to Piraeus. We take a last look at Athens, wander to some streets and get a last feel for the city. Even though the Acropolis was a bit of a letdown for me, I really liked the part of Athens we have visited, and would love to come back and see more of it.

At 5 PM we're back in Piraeus. The sun is now out and we enjoy walking back to MILLENNIUM along the quays where all ferries dock stern-first. It is a hectic scene with trucks, cars and passengers all battling to get on the right ship at the right time. By the time we reach our ship we are exhausted and crawl on board. There's not much time to recuperate, because we're about ready to set sail for Kusadasi, and we wouldn't want to miss that! The OLYMPIC COUNTESS that was in this morning is now replaced by the golden oldie AUSONIA, SONG OF FLOWER is just leaving the port, and STELLA SOLARIS is billowing out huge clouds of thick black smoke. Yuk. Ferries to Crete, Samos, Paros, Mykonos and all these others islands are sailing on and off. It's a magical sight and not one I will forget lightly. The Celebrity flag is atop the Greek company headquarters right across the street, and the ship's officers are down on the quay saying fond farewells to their families. At 7 PM, in the yellow light of a setting sun, a number of blasts on the ship's horn signal our departure from Piraeus. Slowly we sail backwards and turn right in the small port before heading out to sea. We pass other cruise ships that look extremely small... When it starts raining we head back inside, grab a cup of coffee and dress for dinner. It's an informal (semi-formal) night, and my friends look stunning again.

Dinner is once more a celebratory event, with nice company and equally nice food. I choose a carpaccio as a starter, followed by a chilled cream of strawberry (yummie!), salad and a chicken breast with ginger, Chinese 5-spices and soy sauce. Really nice! Lucy and Ilona top off a great meal with a cigar. The non-tobacco variant, filled with a lemon-cream filling! We are so tired that even Ilona orders coffee. After our dose of cafeine we pick up our virtual fanmail at the Internet Cafe before proceeding to the Celebrity Theater for tonight's show. Elaine del Mar (how appropriate) is a fantastic singer, but her reportoire is a little too ancient for us. So after we have disgested our Baileys on the rocks I call it a night. My friends have a look at the Greek Midnight Buffet in the Ocean Café and by the time they return to the cabin I'm half asleep already. We had a great day, that's for sure!

 

Day 6 - October 7th, 2000

Kusadasi, Turkey

SEAWING, ROYAL PRINCESS and MILLENNIUM docked in Kusadasi, Turkey

Another early start this morning. The view from the bridge on our cabin TV at 7 AM does not look overly optimistic, and when we come outside we can see for ourselves that it's a cloudy start to the day. Docked right next to us is the ROYAL PRINCESS, and it's fun to be able to have a bird's eye view of her nice pool deck. Down below on the quay a group of folkoric dancers perform an authentic Turkish dance. We go to the Ocean Café for breakfast, followed by a run to the Celebrity Theater to be in time for our tour. As good tourists to Kusadasi we have booked a half day excursion to the ancient ruins of Ephesus, a twenty minute drive. The sun keeps us company when we leave the ship and as our coach climbs up the hill we have a fantastic view of Kusadasi and our enormous ship. With some 40 other coaches (give or take a few) we reach Ephesus. Last week they welcomed 10,000 visitors in one day here with GRAND PRINCESS, COSTA ATLANTIC and CRYSTAL SYMPHONY in port together. Today it's just a little bit more "quiet", and we are able to listen to all that our extremely good guide has to say. We marvel at the remains of the library, the bath house and the downtown apartments (which had their own running hot and cold water). We are trying to image that 2000 years ago this was one of the first towns to experience a traffic jam problem. After walking on the stage of the 25,000 seat amphitheater the three of us agree that Ephesus is a must-see on everyone's itinerary. All too soon it's time to head back to our coach for the short drive back to Kusadasi. And what would a tour in Turkey be without a stop at a carpet factory ? Good for us the carpet factory is located opposite our ship, so we sneak out and discover the town on our own.

While the sun shines abundantly (finally!), we walk through the remarkably modern shopping streets, where shopkeepers stand in front of their shops. Other than the Plaka in Athens, they won't talk to you unless you look at them and show some sort of interest. We feel very comfortable here, and without any exception the people seem extremely friendly. Lunch is served alfresco on a sidewalk terrace. Of course we want to taste the local kebab, which is really outstanding. The cook is obviously proud of his work and checks in on us every now and then. When we reluctantly leave after an excellent lunch both the waiter and the cook shake our hands and tell us they hope to welcome us back someday, which is exactly what the jeweler says when Ilona buys new golden earrings in a small shop. Nice people!

We click, flash and shoot our ship docked so majestically right opposite the boulevard and see the tiny SEAWING (ex SOUTHWARD) arrive. ROYAL PRINCESS is almost dwarfed by MILLENNIUM, and it is fantastic to be able to walk in between both ships and look up to the endless rows of private balconies on either side. At 4 PM we walk back on board our floating hotel, and are just in time to see ROYAL PRINCESS leave Kusadasi. It is a great sight, with people waving, horns blowing... Where's the extra supply of film rolls? Lucy and I drink a cup of tea on the Ocean Terrace, later joined by Ilona. We sit, read, drink and generally feel on top of the world. By 6 PM MILLENNIUM is turning around off the dock and heads into the sunset in the direction of Santorini. For us, it's time to plunge into the salty warm waters of the AquaSpa, which means we walk through the ship in our Celebrity robes on this formal night. How elegant! By 7.30 PM Ilona and I are the only ones left in the pool, and it's great to float in the green water and see the pool reflected in the glass dome high above. Is this a ship?

By 8.30 PM the three of us are dressed up in our formal outfits once more. After a quick formal portrait session we proceed to the dining room for dinner. Tonight we are asked by "Mike" and Tom to join them and their table mates Margareth and Jim at table 460, as their other table companions are off to The Olympic tonight. We enjoy a very nice dinner in equally nice company, and it's fun to talk about the differences between living in Europe and living in the States. As a surprise dessert the waiter brings "Mike" a belated birthday cake and of course we all sing. And eat the cake! By the time we are done singing and eating the whole dining room is empty (it must have been the singing), so we are late for the show in the Celebrity Theater. Which is not a disaster, because tonight's guest star is a girl that plays three different types of instruments, preferrably at the same time. Very nicely done, I must admit, but not earth shattering. So we head up to the Cosmos Lounge, where waiters serve endless supplies of "Gourmet Bites", that nifty Celebrity invention. The waiters try and try and try to make us eat anything, but we're still full from dinner. To accommodate them and make some room for one or two Gourmet Bites we dance a little to the sounds of Onyx. At 1.30 AM we call it a night. On our way to the cabin we agree that this was another one of these magical cruise days! Very nice weather, a great port of call, dinner with newfound friends, and a bit of disco to top it all off.

  

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- e-mail: b.de.boer@tip.nl

 

First published: November 4th, 2000

text and photos © 2000 Bart de Boer