The ABCs of Greece & Italy! X, Y, and Z, and that Friends is THE END!!! :) See you in Asia and Australia, Join Me THERE!!

[franandaj]

Today we’d be on the Peloponnesian Peninsula heading to Ancient Olympia a town active from the 8th-4th centuries BC. We were given the all-clear at 8:00 and were off the ship by 8:20.

OK, that sounds like a nice adventrue

I mean, @Captain_Oblivious has said that about a few golf courses. I can neither confirm nor deny having…skimmed.

I read all of his golf posts, they just sound like Charlie Brown's teacher to me.

The museum was absolutely fascinating! I loved this part of the day so much!

I think that would have been my favorite part also. The ruins are kinda neat, but I like things in neat little packages and all cleaned up with little signs to tell me what they are.

 

[franandaj]

Glad someone caught that. Was pretty proud of it.

I caught it too, but I'm just so far behind it's pathetic.

Imagine that; booze served by 13-year-old!! When you travel, you learn things.

The world is a different place than 'Merica!

 

[franandaj]

It’s been 2 years now trying to figure out what’s “cause” and what’s “effect” but long story short, I have issues with afib and am being treated for heart failure. And getting meds balanced to make me feel like myself and get some energy back has been an ongoing battle. I’ve been to 3 different cardiologists (in the same office) who have all had wildly differing opinions on what I should be taking.

Oh no Andy! I hope you get some answers. That's very difficult to be pulled in different directions.

I don't remember much about my first trip to Venice either. Lots of alcohol-fuzzy memories.

Mine is just old age. I toured Europe with a couple tee-totalers so not much drinky drinky

This, Folks, is the place to run away from as fast as you can possibly navigate out of.

I can't imagine you're going anywhere anytime fast.

We stopped now and then for “that perfect shot” just like everyone else but, because there were so many doing the same thing, no one got a perfect shot; everyone was reduced to the lowest common denominator.

Looks like you got some great shots!

Real experts would train before attempting this, so clearly I’m an imposter. Or only an Expert in some things.

I wouldn't even attempt it. Although this last trip to the hospital for Fran (different hospital) got me into some great shape. There were some pretty tough (for me) stairs that I climbed several times a day.

Scathed we decided to start our hunt for the perfect lunch spot.

I hope it didn't take long. It sounds like you worked up quite an appetite.

 

[Steppesister]

I is for: Incredible Ruins Impeccably Restored ​

Today Mikki and I would find ourselves without the parentals as the poop-outedness had reached maximal levels. They were content to nap, eat, find quiet places to read and otherwise enjoy the ship. We, on the other hand, found ourselves asking, “Why travel all this way and not see what there is to see?! Besides, there are so many new friends waiting for us!"

​

The two of us had booked an all-day adventure through Celebrity to see many of the big attractions of Ephesus, Turkey where our ship had docked early in the morning. Specifically, the tour’s name and theme was: Biblical Ephesus. Historically, Ephesus was home to a great many Biblical events and sites of the Early Christian Church as well as some incredible ancient ruins and Holy sites important to Islam, Judaism, and Pagan worshippers. It was definitely a melting pot of cultures, and we were definitely excited to see it in person!

First, a word from our sponsors... take a moment to read all of the wonderful benefits you can enjoy with your car's extended warranty!! Agents are standing by to tell you more!

​

We ate a hasty breakfast in the barffet (honestly, the Golden Corral might have better food); by now I’d settled on a bowl of cream of wheat with a few berries and coffee for my morning meal every single day. (Please Sir, I want some more.) The line for omelets was about 30 minutes long every day, so that was not an option for those who needed to grab and go before the early morning excursion departures. (And for you scoffers, no, I wasn't going to get up another half hour early.)

To get your tour group number you had to meet in the large theater, get your assigned number, then wait until it was called. Sometimes we barely sat down before we were called; other times we waited for up to 30-45 minutes. When our number was called we made our way to the tour bus picking up a bottle of water along the way and settled in for the 30 minute ride to the first attraction- The House of the Virgin Mary.

​

The road along the way was indescribably beautiful. There were thousands of acres of olive trees, citrus trees, orchards of other fruits, neatly tilled or planted gardens, quaint homes made of stone, pomegranates, wild figs... gentle hills rose up from the seaside area as we made our way into the higher lands where early Christians escaped to live and avoid persecution.

​

We arrived at the little house where tradition and widely believed lore is that this is the home that Mary, the Mother of Jesus was taken to by John the Baptist to live out the last years of her life. Scripture does give some credence to its possibility; historically as well as local tradition, and the tumultuous history of early Christians living in the area, give additional circumstantial evidence. Giving further credence to its authenticity, several Catholic Popes have visited and blessed it, which says that at least some religious scholars have studied it and are at least open to the possibility. However, there is a lot of controversy surrounding this legend as well. No solid archeological evidence has been found; perhaps we will never know. Despite this, when we arrived, we first had a walk-through “pilgrimage”/tour through the interior. Sorry, no photos were allowed. There were a few icons inside, one of which was the gift the last Pope to visit brought. What struck me more than anything was the intricate stonework/masonry used!!! It's either a holy smokes mess, or intentionally haphazard, making it even more impressive. #butthosearches

(Okay, I just made myself snort laugh when I read my hashtag again, when proof-reading. #spacesmatter)

​

Here are my thoughts: Whether it is true or not, the site holds some very poignant reminders of how horribly persecuted the early Christians were. They literally had to hide and live in caves or houses like this one high up in the hills to avoid being martyred. This was a somber reminder that some things must come at a great cost. I was inspired by those who endured this who were willing to sacrifice so wholly for something they believed in.

After the brief walk-through on the small, humble home we were given a choice to attend a short Mass in the chapel. I am not Catholic, but we chose to attend anyway. The priest was from Romania and gave a really nice sermon (homily) about kindness and charity that we were glad to have heard. He told us to “go in peace” and boy do we all sure need a lot of that lately!

(The Prayer Flag Wall)


(By way of candle or strips of cloth- the faithful can petition.)​

True of any tourist attraction, anywhere in the world, even Mary, the Mother of God’s house, had a souvenir shop between the chapel and the exit. There HAS got to be some irony in that.

Things Disney World and Holy Places have in common: Souvenir shops.


God? Does China have the market on cheap souvenirs in Heaven too?


If Jesus were here, would there be tables of plastic icons overturned today?


Please. Feel free to add your own sarcastic meme-worthy quips to the Souvenir Shops- You Can't Escape Them List:


Okay, my daughter was tempted to pick up a “blessed” icon to take to her fiancée’s parents (since they ARE Philipino Catholic) but didn’t.

Back on the bus, we went back down out of the hills and headed to the pièce de résistance of the day: the Ancient Ruins of the City of Ephesus. The city was built in the 10th century BC (BC!!!)! Here’s the first few paragraphs from the Wiki article just to give you the fast facts (but if you are interested, the full article is actually quite fascinating!)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus

***** Feel free to skip the next 4 paragraphs copied from Wiki if you just ain't into history all much.

"It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of Apasa, former Arzawan capital, by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era, it was one of twelve cities that were members of the Ionian League. The city came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.

The city was famous in its day for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), which has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its many monumental buildings included the Library of Celsus and a theatre capable of holding 24,000 spectators.

(My photos of the remains of the Library):

​

Ephesus was recipient city of one of the Pauline epistles; one of the seven churches of Asia addressed in the Book of Revelation; the Gospel of John may have been written there; and it was the site of several 5th-century Christian Councils (see Council of Ephesus). The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263. Although it was afterwards rebuilt, its importance as a commercial centre declined as the harbour was slowly silted up by the Küçükmenderes River. In 614, it was partially destroyed by an earthquake.

Today, the ruins of Ephesus are a favourite international and local tourist attraction, being accessible from Adnan Menderes Airport and from the resort town Kuşadası. In 2015, the ruins were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site." -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus

(There, did that ease the pain a little, guys?)
​

It’s crazy to me that a huge city once right ON the sea is now 2 miles inland. That, my friends, is the power of mud and a river.

Just as a point of fact, we did not go the site of the Temple of Artemis this day. But we did see that stadium, what’s left of the magnificent Library of Celsus, and the large public marketplace that Paul preached in and worked at doing his tentmaking business for 2 years.

The main promenade that was lined with homes and small shops:

(It was probably on this road just to the right of this photo that Paul was arrested for cutting into the business of the Temple of Artemis. Souvenir shops were even big business back then!!!)​

Like this:

​

Some even had their floors still intact:

​

Which begs the question: Why does a floor or road built 10,000 years ago still look like this, but the one built 2 months ago by my city looks like this:

​

I do want to give a special little note about these:

(The Wheel described in the blog below)


(This meant something too, but I can't remember what it was and I can't find it online either. Sorry!)​

Our tour guide paused at several places to point out some early Christian symbols which gave evidence to a growing number during the Ephesian lifespan. The wheel was a prominent and well-used marker in those times. Here is a brief little blog that shows the same photo I took with a good explanation, should you be interested:

https://seedbed.com/ichthus-never-knew-christian-wheel/

I won’t give commentary to each photo I took, and just let the detail and history speak to you through them. Our guide was very knowledgeable and told us quite a lot of history and folklore about the ruins as well as the current restoration efforts of this magnificent place.

​

One last word before I wrap up this chapter. I somehow only managed to take 2 photos of the ginormous, VERY well preserved 24,000-seat amphitheater at Ephesus. Such a shame that we weren't allowed up there; it seemed to be off-limits to getting a closer look.

​

Our guide was so excited about sharing with us that Luciano Pavarotti, Sting, Elton John, Julio Iglesias, Ray Charles, Jose Carreras, Bryan Adams, and Diana Ross have all given concerts in this venue even recently. His favorite, he told us, was Elton John. But what was actually fascinating to me was that after Bryan Adams they had to ban the use of amplifiers because they found that the vibrations of the sound equipment were damaging the ruins. So, now anyone that performs there has to do so without high tech amplifiers.

With that we were off to our last stop of ancient ruins for the day, where I'll pick it up next time. I've reached my photo max and it's long enough. For most of you, it's probably far beyond the bathroom reading limit too. So, stayed tuned for St. John's Basilica and Tomb, a visit to a Turkish carpet factory and a Biblical FEAST!!!

 

[Steppesister]

Hi Friends, I know I'm super behind on replies. But I'm literally only allowing myself to be online (other than classwork) about an hour a day. Sometimes if I am super focused I skip it altogether.

So, next on the DIS I'll get to the replies, and then after that I can maybe get to your threads and just read and relax and enjoy. Been a long while since I've done that.

Meanwhile, of the 9 Units in my Pharmacology Class, I'm done with 8 of them. The biggest and scariest, Antibiotics and other Anti-Microbials along with a few miscellaneous topics, is left and will take me at least 2-2 1/2 weeks to get through. Then I need to do a focused review of it all for a couple of weeks. Then I can take my Practice Test and see where I'm at. Tick, tock, tick, tock....

Meanwhile, it's supposed to be about 72-75 all week here in my Winter Home of Tucson, and I can't think of a lovelier place to spread out my notes, books, and pens (I'm a super huge pen freak) and focus.

 

[franandaj]

I've come to learn that the poopout factor is a real thing when you're in your 80's.

I didn't realiT that your folks are in their 80s. That's a big commitment on their part for such a cruise!

Each one has an eye-catching display to entice its customers and these are perhaps some of the most photographed in all of Santorini.

Those are quite cute.

Then again, a salad’s a salad and sometimes we eat them because we need to.

Yes we do eat a salad cause we know we need to

My folks don’t love calamari, but we ordered one anyway. Under one condition: If my mom could have the “parts without tentacles”. Fine, whatever. It all tastes the same.

The tentacles are actually the tastiest!

If you’ve never had fresh fish cooked in charcoal, you've missed out on one of life's most wonderful things ever. We think it was Sea Bream. I’m not 100% sure; if it wasn’t that, it was Branzino. Regardless, it was heavenly. Absolute perfection in a fish dish. We couldn’t quite finish it all but came awfully close.

That looks delicious!

We waited and waited and waited. Dad called a few times with no answer. At that point, we gave up and started trying to hail another taxi who would take us up the hill. There aren't many who are willing to go down to Ammoudi due to the tight quarters and steep hill. In all, perhaps 30 minutes passed before we finally found someone who, for $50 would not only take us up the hill but all the way back to Fira where we could get a ride down on the cable car. Huzzah! It was all hunky dory!

Ugh. Glad it worked out.

We easily made our way to the security check at the docks for the tenders where the smiling staff welcomed us back with cool, scented washcloths and iced, infused water.

That's always nice.

Dinner wouldn’t be nearly as good as lunch had been. Sadly, the buffet food just wasn’t very good. It appears I ended up with some Indian food.

Well at least you didn't starve.

Overall, what did I think of the most popular and visited island in Greece? It was ok.

I'm not sure we would want to visit that island. It sounds like a lot if work and not at all accessible. So I'm thinking pass.

I'm moving to my Winter Quarters in Tucson on Wednesday with a stop in Ft. Worth to see my eldest daughter and her family so will be absent for a short spell.

I've seen your FB posts of traveling.



And I thought I was caught up and now you just posted another chapter.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Ephesus was home to a great many Biblical events and sites of the Early Christian Church as well as some incredible ancient ruins and Holy sites important to Islam, Judaism, and Pagan worshippers. It was definitely a melting pot of cultures, and we were definitely excited to see it in person!

This looks like a fascinating place to visit. I never knew any of this stuff, especially the Biblical connections. I had to look up the location of Ephesus to see what part of the world you were touring. It must have been a thriving metropolis at one time.

I couldn't help thinking how clean and white everything looks, compared to our current polluted environment.

 

[pkondz]

They were content to nap, eat, find quiet places to read and otherwise enjoy the ship.

Yep... my folks aren't spring chickens either and napping is high on the "to do" list.

We, on the other hand, found ourselves asking, “Why travel all this way and not see what there is to see?!

My thoughts, too.

This photo makes the cat look like it's at least two-three stories tall!

Ephesus, Turkey

Didn't know you hit Turkey too. Nice! Some day I'd like to take a Mediterranean cruise too. We'll see if that ever happens.

Historically, Ephesus was home to a great many Biblical events and sites of the Early Christian Church as well as some incredible ancient ruins and Holy sites important to Islam, Judaism, and Pagan worshippers.

Place sounds amazing. Love all of that. Very interested.

First, a word from our sponsors... take a moment to read all of the wonderful benefits you can enjoy with your car's extended warranty!! Agents are standing by to tell you more!

I can't believe the prices on chariot coverage! Cobblestone robbery!

We ate a hasty breakfast in the barffet (honestly, the Golden Corral might have better food);

"barffet"... Good one!

(Please Sir, I want some more.)

You can't have your pudding until you eat your meat!

(And for you scoffers, no, I wasn't going to get up another half hour early.)

Nope. Not getting up half an hour earlier to stand in line for mediocre omelets.

The road along the way was indescribably beautiful.

Too stunned with the beauty to take a photo or two?



Just kidding. Sometimes it's nice to just sit and take it all in.

We arrived at the little house where tradition and widely believed lore is that this is the home that Mary, the Mother of Jesus was taken to by John the Baptist to live out the last years of her life.

Okay, that's pretty cool.

#butthosearches

(Okay, I just made myself snort laugh when I read my hashtag again, when proof-reading. #spacesmatter)

I had the exact same thought!

Here are my thoughts: Whether it is true or not, the site holds some very poignant reminders of how horribly persecuted the early Christians were. They literally had to hide and live in caves or houses like this one high up in the hills to avoid being martyred. This was a somber reminder that some things must come at a great cost. I was inspired by those who endured this who were willing to sacrifice so wholly for something they believed in.

Whether it's true or not is almost irrelevant. I mean... it'd be nice if there was some proof, but... finding that after 2,000+ years is gonna be tough. But it's the thought that she could have been there... I think that's cool in and of itself.

He told us to “go in peace” and boy do we all sure need a lot of that lately!

yeah...

True of any tourist attraction, anywhere in the world, even Mary, the Mother of God’s house, had a souvenir shop between the chapel and the exit. There HAS got to be some irony in that.

That's... kinda gross, actually.

If Jesus were here, would there be tables of plastic icons overturned today?

Had the same thought.

Okay, my daughter was tempted to pick up a “blessed” icon to take to her fiancée’s parents (since they ARE Philipino Catholic) but didn’t.

"blessed"


Brings a whole new meaning to "Holy crap!"

The city was built in the 10th century BC (BC!!!)!

Dang... That's old! And... so cool!!!

(My photos of the remains of the Library):

​

These are just awesome. Can't believe there's that much still standing/restored

(There, did that ease the pain a little, guys?)

It’s crazy to me that a huge city once right ON the sea is now 2 miles inland. That, my friends, is the power of mud and a river.

And who knows... if the polar/Antarctic ice keeps melting, maybe it'll be on the sea again.

(It was probably on this road just to the right of this photo that Paul was arrested for cutting into the business of the Temple of Artemis. Souvenir shops were even big business back then!!!)

I'm both "Really!" at the comment that you were standing right where Paul stood and at the thought of junk shops being prevalent for millennia.

I have a picture in my mind of some Neanderthal hunting a mastodon (throw back to SE at Epcot) and a scrawny dude standing nearby selling "souvenir sticks" to mark the occasion.

Which begs the question: Why does a floor or road built 10,000 years ago still look like this, but the one built 2 months ago by my city looks like this:

That's what thousands of years of technology gives you....
"Look... if we build it too good, we put ourselves out of business. But if we build them to quickly fall apart, we'll work forever!"

Luciano Pavarotti, Sting, Elton John, Julio Iglesias, Ray Charles, Jose Carreras, Bryan Adams, and Diana Ross have all given concerts in this venue even recently.

Pretty impressive group.

His favorite, he told us, was Elton John.

Your guide has taste.

But what was actually fascinating to me was that after Bryan Adams they had to ban the use of amplifiers because they found that the vibrations of the sound equipment were damaging the ruins.

Actually not all that surprised by that.

So, stayed tuned for St. John's Basilica and Tomb, a visit to a Turkish carpet factory and a Biblical FEAST!!!

Hi Friends, I know I'm super behind on replies. But I'm literally only allowing myself to be online (other than classwork) about an hour a day. Sometimes if I am super focused I skip it altogether.

That's okay. We know you're busy. You take care of what you need to do and we'll read about your incredible adventures when you have time to share.

Meanwhile, of the 9 Units in my Pharmacology Class, I'm done with 8 of them. The biggest and scariest, Antibiotics and other Anti-Microbials along with a few miscellaneous topics, is left and will take me at least 2-2 1/2 weeks to get through. Then I need to do a focused review of it all for a couple of weeks. Then I can take my Practice Test and see where I'm at. Tick, tock, tick, tock....

Holy crap... (Not the cheap souvenir kind)

Meanwhile, it's supposed to be about 72-75 all week here in my Winter Home of Tucson

Not too bad. It's warm this week here too. Temps in the 5-20 range. Very warm for this time of year. Sunday we're supposed to get up to 30! But I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[Steppesister]

Sorry! These are from the LAST update. So. Far. Behind!

Still? I Heard that he just got a million bucks.

Good one! I didn't follow that whole gross saga very closely, but that was a good use of pun!

You should come up here in summer for a dip in one of our lakes.

Oh! It's a geo-thermal lake? Nice! I'll be up soon.

No?

Then forget it. I don't want body parts getting frostbite then falling off.

I did, but their application form had a typo and I corrected it and never heard from them again.

This reminds me of an episode of Monk I watched a couple of weeks ago.

I have a feeling that the cable car is a more recent addition.

OH no, the Greeks were very a inventive and advanced civilization! Just ropes and pulleys ya know.

Ooohhh… with high end prices I’m sure.

You assume correctly.

 

[Steppesister]

You are the traveling expert. So many good moves.

Photos are beautiful!! Now I want to re-watch Mama Mia.

Sorry for the long delay in replies, Vanessa! Only poking my head in here once in a while.

Thank you for the feedback! We had such a good day on Santorini despite massive crowds. Oddly, I've never seen that movie. Then again, I've not seen so many!

 

[franandaj]

I've come to learn that the poopout factor is a real thing when you're in your 80's.

Wow your parents are in their 80s and attempting this! I'm impressed!

Each one has an eye-catching display to entice its customers and these are perhaps some of the most photographed in all of Santorini.

I can see why.

Then again, a salad’s a salad and sometimes we eat them because we need to.

Sometimes they are really good. I only usually eat them when they're really good.

My folks don’t love calamari, but we ordered one anyway. Under one condition: If my mom could have the “parts without tentacles”. Fine, whatever. It all tastes the same.

The tentacles are the best part! I like them better than the belly! We LOVE Calamari!

If you’ve never had fresh fish cooked in charcoal, you've missed out on one of life's most wonderful things ever. We think it was Sea Bream. I’m not 100% sure; if it wasn’t that, it was Branzino. Regardless, it was heavenly. Absolute perfection in a fish dish. We couldn’t quite finish it all but came awfully close.

I don't know if I've had that, but it looks delicious!

We waited and waited and waited. Dad called a few times with no answer. At that point, we gave up and started trying to hail another taxi who would take us up the hill. There aren't many who are willing to go down to Ammoudi due to the tight quarters and steep hill. In all, perhaps 30 minutes passed before we finally found someone who, for $50 would not only take us up the hill but all the way back to Fira where we could get a ride down on the cable car. Huzzah! It was all hunky dory!

Ugh. I never trust taxi drivers like that, but I will give them the chance to see if they're lying or not. We did have a guy in Mexico who came back for us.

We easily made our way to the security check at the docks for the tenders where the smiling staff welcomed us back with cool, scented washcloths and iced, infused water.

That's always very nice.

Dinner wouldn’t be nearly as good as lunch had been. Sadly, the buffet food just wasn’t very good. It appears I ended up with some Indian food.

Sorry the buffet wasn't so good. It never is. Unless it's at Palo. And I hear that is now gone and it's all served now.

Overall, what did I think of the most popular and visited island in Greece? It was ok.

From your pictures, I got that too. I don't have an overwhelming desire to visit Santorini.

I'm moving to my Winter Quarters in Tucson on Wednesday with a stop in Ft. Worth to see my eldest daughter and her family so will be absent for a short spell.

I saw that on FB. And it has allowed me the chance to get caught up!

Or not. I just saw that you posted another update since I quoted these messages.

 

[Steppesister]

Santorini looks amazing...and despite the crowds you managed to get some amazing pictures!! It's hard with cruise stops to do what you want to do because of limited time...it's nice to get a taste of places you hope to go back to someday and do properly if you can!! Hopefully you will someday!!

Lucky you going to Tucson for the winter!!

Hi Kathy!! I'm so far behind on replies! I do apologize!!

We actually had a really full day and did most of what we wanted except the hike. Just took longer to explore in Oia than we'd thought. But you are right! A cruise is a good way to see what's out there in a sort of cursory fashion and see what you'd like to do more extensively another time. Santorini I'd do again, but only if I had an overnight.

Let me tell ya, Tucson has been amazing already! I settle with my books and notes at my picnic table around 10:30 every day to soak up the warmth and sun. It's surreal! I hear birds, have my little water fountain to give ambiance, it's just so lovely! It's been around 70+ degrees everyday since I"ve been here!! Sigh.... LOVE it!

 

[Steppesister]

Well... technically, that's kinda why you fish anyways... to eat. You're just cutting out the middle man.

I never thought of it that way. Efficient we were!

Amazing how they just crawled up there by themselves.

Just sunning themselves! (Reminds me of the lions and zebra on Jungle Cruise.

What an interesting trap! Never seen one like that.

I know!! Me neither! Very unique for sure.

Huh! Had no idea. Just figured it would be busy year-round.

Definitely not. You'd be hard pressed to find a meal there Nov-March!

I might be slightly envious.

Maybe someday you can make it there!

<groan>


(good one, though.)

Hey coming from the King of Puns, I'll take that as a complement.

I wonder how they would feel if I asked for a bit of balsamic to add to the oil.

Probably throw me in the pot with the fishies.

I didn't see a lot of balsamic in Greece, but tons in Italy. Maybe a more regional thing?

I don't love it either... if it's overcooked and rubbery. And there are soooo many restaurants that do that!

They do, but this one serving it up all day long... I think they were experts!!

Bit squeamish is she?

You have no idea....

Holy cow! Huge!

And even better, it was delicious!

oh boy...

I might do like those others who decided to walk.

I think if Mikki and I had been alone we'd have walked it.

Zorba the Greek??

Nope, that wasn't the one. I tried that one.

Oh dear. Hopefully just a scratch and he was patched up and good to go.

The ships have great medical staff with almost a full hospital onboard. I'm sure they could handle a few sutures.

So what is it with all these people getting on and being scared of heights????

I wonder if they do it for drama? I dunno, I can say though that it was a little "dizzying" when you first went off the side of the cliff.

And to this day, Mr and Mrs Elder Steppesister can still be found on Santorini. And if you listen closely, you can still hear the forlorn call "Where is it? Where's the SeaPass?"

Beautiful!

I SO wish I could have gotten an angle with the ship just a smidge to the right so it isn't partially in front of the island. UGH!!! So close to near perfection.

Long! Would you have been in danger of missing the ship's departure time?

I think if we'd started at the time we could have, yes. The taxis were just too unpredictable for my comfort level. Another time.

 

[Steppesister]

Merry Christmas, Liesa. I hope you have a trouble-free drive to Ft Worth and Tucson.

Your fish dinner looks delicious. But a crowded, hilly Santorini looks very beautiful but a little stressful.

Forgive my tardy reply, Sue! Lots of study between then and now.

The drive was fairly uneventful except for a little snow squall in El Paso. White-knuckle driving for a little bit. But arrived safe and sound and LOVING my winter digs!!!! I study outside in the sun and it's just gorgeous!

I think there are other island just as beautiful with pretty views and great fish that might be less crowded. I'd aim for those to explore next time!

 

[Steppesister]

Hmm... Interesting. Although maybe not so surprising given how different the European life rhythm is for ours in so many ways.

It really is! It's so laid back in so many ways and such a change from our 8-5 style.

Well, I'm glad you were able to find the one running since the other guy apparently didn't care to come get you!

We were grateful! Mom was pooping out fast and the day was wearing on.

Yikes! I'm glad it at least moved and you were all able to endure it.

No one likes long lines, but especially if they aren't moving!! I think if Mik and I'd been alone, we'd have walked down.

Buffets are good for volume but I've never felt anything at a buffet is "fresh." I can see how it would disappoint after that lunch.

Exactly! Nothing really tasted very good. I mean we always found something to eat for sure. No one went hungry, but we also found ourselves in the specialty dining Japanese place more than once.

I can see that. I've never been, but from all I've heard about it, I kind of feel like I'd have the same reaction.

Other than WDW, which I 100% expect, I don't really love the very touristy, overly-traveled to places. I love to find the more unique places and explore a bit on the wild side.

I hope you had a Merry Christmas and have a safe trip!!!!

I did, Andy, and I hope you did too. The trip was nice since I got to visit my oldest daughter in Ft. Worth and hold my grandbabies.

 

[Paulaparm]

Stunning! Your pictures are stunning! I loved the stories as well
Good luck with the studying and test!

 

[Steppesister]

More amazing pictures! Have a great trip and visit

Thank you, Paula!! We really did see some lovely places on this trip!

The trip to Tucson was a pretty good one especially since we stopped in Ft. Worth to visit my daughter and I got to hold my grandbabies. I love that!! Ran into a snowstorm in El Paso which sucked!!

 

[Steppesister]

More beautiful photos! Your day did seem a little rushed due to needing to get back to the ship. I think an overnight would be better too.

I hope your travels are going better. I didn't know your daughter had moved to Texas. Does she like it?

Thanks! I sure had fun taking photos on this trip!! But yeah, a bit too rushed for what it was. If there's a next time I'd like to overnight for sure.

They really like Ft. Worth. There's a lot to do there for the kiddos, and it's just a better environment to raise them in. They will homeschool and seem to like their neighborhood which has everything they really need. They have some friends that moved there from Oregon as well, so already have a little community built in.

 

[Steppesister]

Wow, those skies are so blue and the cliffs look like they make for some amazing views.

That's pretty incredible capacity!

It's just like a Disney ride!

Sounds like we are gaining in appreciation for American roads...

What an incredible view!

I don't know, these photos look pretty stunning to me.

I'm happy with what I got for the most part. But it sure was hard to find shots without a sea of people in them!

Aren't we all?

yes

You know what I hate about getting old? My recovery time has gone to crap. If I hurt something, it stays hurt FOREVER.

Oh man, how I get this. I tweaked my knee a couple of years ago when I moved (stepped wrong on the moving van ramp) and put up with pain for a year before finally getting an meniscal tear fixed. Sleep wrong? Forget it, Lady, you're gonna be an invalid for a week.

Yeah, this...would not entice me.

Not a fan of tentacles and sphincters?

Pull my finger!

This sounds like something my parents would do to me.

"No, I hate squash."
"Here, I ordered you some squash."

My how we've turned the tables.

Stunning!

It was my favorite photo of the day. I just wish the ship had been a little to the left so it could stand out from the island behind it more.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

I really did!! My oldest son and family came over for Christmas dinner/day and it was just really nice to get to visit with them and play with the grandkids.

 

[Steppesister]

Jumping back in on this report. I remember when you started this way back in 2020. Glad to see you made it on the trip.

I have been to Greece about a decade ago. I viewed Santorini from the boat we took to the island of Ios. Spent about a week on the island. So pretty. We went in late May before the high season started. I would love to go back to the Greek islands some day. Had amazing weather and barely a bad meal. The tzatziki sauce was amazing.

OH thank you so much for hopping in and saying hello!! 2020 was a LONG time ago and since I'd started this report, the trip had gone through many iterations of planning and participants!! LOL!!! I'm so glad I finally got to go and enjoy it!

I think if I had to do it again, I'd either spend a little more time on Santorini and explore places OTHER than Oia, or go to Ios and see what's there. We, as far as I can remember never had a bad meal there. Lots of yummy food for sure!!!! You'll tzaziki in the next updates for sure! As well as hummus, gyro, more fish, moussaka....