Cruise: Venice, Bari, Katakolon, Ancient Olympia, Izmir, Ephesus, Istanbul, Dubrovnik, Jacob's Beach (Needless to say: this is going to be a long post!)
Our journey started with the long drive from Germany to Venice. The drive through the alps itself is breathtaking. We were surprised to still see snow!
We stopped somewhere in Italy for lunch. Not really sure why we thought a restaurant called Tex-Mex was a good idea. We decided to stick with Italian food for the rest of the time we were in Italy. The Salsa was ketchup! This was the first time I had gross food in Italy.
Venice, Italy
Finally we get to Venice. After walking in circles forever Jeremy's is finally calling to get directions to our apartment. What a maze! (little did we know we were so close!)
Walking around Venice
We loved our apartment! Great view! Great location!
Dinner right outside our apartment.
Our apartment. We thought we were soooo lucky to be right on the water. We slept with the window's open all night (because it was warm) and hardly got any sleep. There were party boats on the water going all night and the mosquito's dined well!!!
However, when we looked out our window that morning to this great view we still thought it was worth it.
Finally we were on the boat. Our first meal.
Scoping out the pools
The girls room. Whitney is not happy because I won't let her sleep on the top bunk.
The boys room
Getting ready to set sail!
St. Marks Square
Good-bye Venice
Our first dinner that night! So fun!
Bari: The heel of the boot of Italy on the Adriatic coast.
Fishermen cleaning the fresh octopus they caught that morning!
The fishermen were so cool and gave Connor and Aiden a piece of raw octopus to try. I couldn't believe they ate it!
Katakolon/Ancient Olympia, Greece: Where the ancient Greeks came every 4 years for more than 1,000 years to hold the Olympic games dedicated to Zeus. The first games held here dates back to 776 BC!
Entrance to the Olympic Stadium
Connor and Aiden racing in the stadium
Time for Ice Cream and Shopping in one of the charming villages close by
A reproduction of an ancient amphitheater. They have concerts here during the summer and don't even use microphones. We tested out the acoustics - unbelievable!
Next we went to a beautiful resort/beach and had the whole place to ourselves! It was unreal!
Our awesome tour guide George (and our cruise boat in the distance). Jeremy was sooo smart to organize this ahead of time instead of doing one of the boat excursions with everyone else. Our guide and tour was amazing!
Izmir, Turkey: Said to be the most western-leaning (geographically and politically) of the Turkish cities. The city dates back to 3000 BC
Mary's House. This is believed to be the house that the Virgin Mary lived in for 46 years before she died.
Lindsay leaving a wish on the wall.
The view of Izmir from Mary's House where you can see St. John's Monastery.
Ephesus, Turkey: An ancient city founded by the Ionians around 1,000 BC. You can read about the Ephesians in the Bible!
This was the sign that the people that lived here believed in Christ at a time when it was dangerous to do so.
The streets were all marble! It was amazing and also shows what an important city this was.
note the ancient writing on the walls behind the kids.
This is what the writing on the wall in the picture above says. (if you click on the picture the text gets bigger).
Another amphitheater in the back with perfect acoustics.
Istanbul, Turkey: The city that borders two continents, and home to the capitol of three different empires (Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman). This city was the main purpose of our cruise. The rich history here is overwhelming.
Just one of the wooden houses off the beaten path of Istanbul. The water used to come right up to these houses (like Venice). You can see people still live in these old Ottoman houses today. Amazing!
The fishermen on the shores of the Bosphorus. You can see the Asian side of Istanbul in the distance. Aiden was particularly impressed that Istanbul was also part of Asia. He said "But Asia is the largest continent in the world!"
The Blue Mosque
Taking a little break
This bronze serpentine column built in 479 BC and shipped here from Delphi. The original culminated at the top with three snake heads which supported a large golden tripod. Through the ages and passing through many owners, the original column is all that remains.
The Basilica Cistern. An unexpected detour from our agenda but so interesting! It was built around 532 AD due to the growing demands for water here. The cistern was fed by multiple aqueducts. It was only in the last 25 years that the water level was lowered so tourists could enter.
Someone told us to stick our finger in the hole and make a wish. Yes, we did it.
The water level used to be very high. After lowering the water level many interesting treasures were found like Medusa's head! It was used by the Byzantines simply as construction material. It was taken from an old Greek pagan temple to be used to prop up one of the pillars and was put in upside down because that was the best fit!
Hagia Sofia: A Byzantine church that was turned into a Mosque
We got a lesson on how bodies were decomposed - gross!
That is Mary in the middle with baby Jesus. The writing on the right is Allah and the writing on the left is Mohamed. The only place in the world where you'll see these all together.
This is called the "belly button" of the world
Believed to be Satan's Hand. No one knows how this got here and how a person could have climbed high enough to do this so it was decided to be Satan's hand.
The fish. Another sign of Christ worshipers. Also this purple color rock was only permitted to be used by royalty. The material and columns were donated to the church by the emperor Justinian of the Byzantine empire.
A water holder. It was so beautiful that this design has been used for years for perfume bottles.
Absolutely beautiful!
Lunch was awesome! We told our guide that we wanted traditional Turkish food in a non-touristy area. She took us to the perfect place! The food and service was wonderful!
First course
Main course
Dessert: Baklava
Turkish coffee - interesting.
After lunch we had a lesson about Turkish rugs
Whitney enjoyed our tour guides "pillows". She was so sweet with the kids.
The proud new owners of a Turkish Rug. (*gulp*)
Turkish Bazaar!! Over 4000 tiny shops in a labyrinth that seems to be never ending.
Dubrovnik, Croatia and Jacob's Beach: "Those who seek paradise or want the garden of Eden on Earth have to come to Dubrovnik" George Bernard Shaw.
We booked a tour boat which showed us the city of Dubrovnik from angles that we wouldn't have otherwise been able to see. It was absolutely beautiful! Then the boat took us to the beach!
Jacob's beach
Clear water!!
Life on the boat and other Miscellaneous pictures
Tea time every day at 4:00
The kids activities were great! Our nanny ended up hanging out with Jeremy and I most of the time since the kids were so well entertained.
Whitney loved the formal nights at dinner!! She loved getting all dressed up and acting "fancy"!
The boys loved hanging out at the pool-side bar for ice cream
One night we let the boys take Lindsay on a date to the fancy dinner by themselves. They even put cologne on!!
We went to the shows every night.
Our waiter for dinner every night on the boat. Mohammed Abdul from Indonesia.
The kids best friends from the kid club. They live in London. We already have a trip planned to see them in November!
Waiting for Jeremy to get the van and then go home.
Garmisch, Germany: We were so tired driving home that we decided to stop half way and stay the night at Edelweiss. YAY! One more night of vacation!!
This is a random video but I thought this spontaneous song by Whitney was so funny. She was supposed to be sleeping but when I went to check on her I could hear her playing Connor's guitar and singing so I started recording. Yes, I was shocked and felt like a terrible mother around 39 seconds, but I still love her song!
