Europe Trip Day 9: Ephesus

We pulled into the booming port city of Kusadasi, Turkey early this morning.
Still half asleep, we stumbled onto a bus for a full day tour of the ancient
city of Ephesus. Ephesus itself did not disappoint: it was pretty amazing.
The city was originally built by the Greeks in the 4th Century BC, with the
Romans a few centuries later. When the city’s natural harbor dried up in the
7th Century AD, Ephesus went with it. Despite being just 1/8th excavated, you
can still get a feel for what it must’ve been like when this town had 250,000
residents.

After walking around Ephesus in the blistering heat we headed to the museum,
which had numerous items found in the excavation of the city. Following that
we went to what’s left of the Basilica of St. John, which must’ve been quite
impressive when it was still standing.

We then had a pretty elaborate Turkish lunch at a train museum, with the obligatory
stop at a carpet store after that.

Not only was this my first trip to Turkey, but it was also the first time
that I’ve experienced the kind of shopping that is common in this part of the
world. The store owners are very determined to get you into their store, to
the point of hassling each and every person that goes by. My dad and I made
the mistake of going into a store selling "genuine fake watches" (I’m not joking)
and it was hard to get out of there. I can’t say that I enjoyed the Turkish
shopping experience.

More pics after the link!

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Europe Trip Day 8: Santorini

Today was our much-anticipated stop in Santorini, Greece. Although hot and
crowded, it was well worth the trip — it’s a pretty amazing place. Like Dubrovnik,
Santorini is a photography paradise, with its white buildings and blue roofs.

Click the link for a huge collection of beautiful photos from today.

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Europe Trip Day 7: Olympia

Today’s stop was Katakolon, Greece — the port for Olympia. Ancient Olympia
was the site of the first Olympic Games back in 776 BC. While a lot of the
site was destroyed in earthquakes and floods, there’s still much to see. Click
the link to see some photos from my day there.

Tomorrow is the day I’ve been waiting for: Santorini!

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Europe Trip Day 6: Corfu

Today we stopped in Corfu, Greece. Corfu wasn’t nearly as interesting as Dubrovnik
in my opinion. Still, the old town was quaint, and I managed to score some
souvenirs for some friends while I was there.

In other news, my luck at the casino ran out last night. I gave back all of
my winnings, first on the slots, and then in blackjack. As they say, the house
never loses.

Tomorrow we make the trek to ancient Olympia, which should be interesting.

Oh, and since some people have asked – I’m taking all of these photos with
my Canon EOS-20D and 17 – 85 mm lens.

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Europe Trip Day 5: Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, Croatia is a photographer’s delight. This ancient Mediterranean
walled city has marble streets and buildings with red tile roofs. You can
walk around the whole city via the wall, which is over a mile long I believe.
And that’s exactly what we did after we arrived.

Click the link to see a ton of photos from this amazing city.

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Europe Trip Day 4: First Day At Sea

Today was an "at sea day" as we make our way toward Croatia.
Most of the sightseeing was in the morning, and unfortunately I missed the
best part. We sailed right past Stromboli Island, which has a very active
volcano on it. Apparently people got a great view of smoke rising out of
it. I was still in bed at the time (hey, it was like 7am!).

Later we passed through the Messina Strait, which
is between the "boot" of Italy and Sicily. A pilot was brought aboard to
navigate us through this fairly narrow passage, which had noticeable currents
as well. Seas are a bit choppier tonight than last night, though the boat
is pretty stable for the most part.

Otherwise there isn’t too much to write about today. I
seem to be feeling better, so hopefully that bug is finally out of my system.
Tonight’s dinner had a formal dress code, so I got to wear a suit, which
is something I don’t get to do very often. And finally, my luck in the Casino
continued, as I won $125 on the same slot machine that gave me $100 last
night. I’m up about $160 so far on the trip!

That’s all for tonight… tomorrow is Dubrovnik which sounds
pretty cool! I’ve got a few pictures after the link.

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Europe Trip Day 3: Sailing away

Well, day one of the cruise is coming to an end. We took a very long bus ride
from Rome to the port in Civitavecchia, and soon we were on the MS Noordam.
It’s quite a ship… nothing like the last cruise ship I was on 17 years ago.
We did a lot of exploring today, and there are still many places to discover.
I also did a lot of eating, despite not completely ridding myself of that stomach
bug. You can pretty much eat constantly here… which is a blessing and a curse.

Oh, and did I mention that I won $100 on the slot machine on my second pull?
Yeehaw!

Pics of the ship after the link. Tomorrow is a sea day so I’m sure I’ll be
taking more. I don’t have a shot of the ship itself yet, so that’ll have to
wait until we’re docked.

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Europe Trip Day 2 Bonus: Italy Wins

The city of Rome is going nuts right now. As you know, Italy won the World Cup, and you could HEAR it in the air when the game ended. There are a ton of people in the streets with flags… or in their cars honking the horn. I guess this is an added bonus to my trip!