We were excited about all the cool destinations where this cruise was scheduled to stop, and we had excursions planned in most places. Here's a breakdown of the things we did.
Santorini - Day 1:
We took a sightseeing tour on this Greek island. It was an overcast day with on-and-off drizzle. We had been warned by others of how crowded this island has become, and they were right. It was pretty much shoulder-to-shoulder as we walked through the narrow alleys. We did find the Insta famous spot with the one blue and white building in the background, so of course we had to snap a few pictures here. We enjoyed doing a little window shopping as we tried out different alleys. The gondola ride back down the mountain was pretty fun; there was no way we were walking it or taking the donkeys-for-hire. This was a nice day, but not great; we aren't in a hurry to return here. Honestly, this was our least favorite of all our stops. Glad we got it out of the way first!
Ephesus - Day 2:
Today was fantastic! We hired a local guide through Viator for this stop. Not surprisingly, NCL didn't offer a Biblically-focused excursion here. Our lovely guide met us right off the boat very soon after we docked, about 6:30am. Since it was so early and the sites weren't all open yet, she adjusted our itinerary and took us to a pottery shop. First, we add a Turkish breakfast in the courtyard. There were olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, and a sesame bagel. They also provided steaming hot Turkish tea to drink. I can't believe none of us thought to get a picture of the breakfast before we started eating! This was a fun experience, and we enjoyed sitting together and getting to our know our guide better. Then a couple of master potters showed us their trade. They started by throwing a piece of pottery to make the shape of a beautiful vase and lid. Then one of the painters showed us the intricacies of their designs which was really cool to see. The care they give each piece was really interesting. Finally, we were able to go inside. I'm not kidding when I say I could have spent hours here. This is some of the most beautiful art on pottery that I've ever seen. Ryan was able to snap a quick picture of the main room. We walked into a back room, and they said "we're going to turn off the lights." We were a little surprised by this but said ok. Suddenly many of the pieces began to glow in the dark as they explained there is a special phosphorous mineral used in some of their paint which leads to that. We ended up buying this gorgeous piece with an ancient Hittite design on it; yes, it's one that glows in the dark. We bought several souvenirs for others here too because we thought this was one of the coolest places we've visited.
From here we headed over to the ruins of the Basilica of St. John. It was built by Justinian in the 6th century, and it's believed that the apostle John is buried here. While it's of course all in ruins now, you could imagine how beautiful and impressive it would have been. From here, you can also look down the hill and see the last remaining column of the Temple of Artemis which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
The picture on the left is a marker over where John is buried. On the right is an early baptismal pool.
Some of the artwork that remains.
After we finished our tour here, we were driven over the ruins of the town of Ephesus. We started exploring with our guide at the top of the hill and worked our way downward. We were looking forward to touring this ancient city because both John and Paul ministered here. As with all cities in ruins, I love to imagine what it would have looked like in its prime. Here are several pictures taken on our walk through the city.
We were excited to come upon the famous library. A lot of this structure still stands which was really cool to see.
These ruins are of the city center. This would have been a bustling area each day with merchants selling their wares and people coming together to talk and debate.
The amphitheater is in remarkably good shape. Our guide said they still occasionally have concerts here. Many famous individuals such as Ray Charles, Sting, and Elton John have all performed here.
Mia loved that all the cats were drawn to her! This particular cat is Garfield; he's apparently pretty famous in Ephesus and even has his own Insta page!
Ryan said this was his favorite of the day trips, and I can see why. This was such a special tour for us. I'm so glad we were able to visit this city.
Istanbul - Day 3:
I couldn't wait to visit Istanbul! This is such a fascinating city to me. It's the only city in the world that sits on two continents. The Bosphorus Straight divides the city so that half sits in Europe and half sits in Asia. We were able to visit both sides while on our NCL excursion.
Our excursion started with a visit to the Rustem Pasha Mosque.
Mosques have some of the most beautiful architecture, and I always love the tilework both inside and out.
In many mosques, non-Muslim individuals are not allowed to enter, but that's not the case here. We all had to remove our shoes, and all the ladies needed to cover their heads. The girls and I brought scarves with us, but they had them available for anyone who needed.
Inside was absolutely beautiful. While we admired the craftsman ship that went into the construction, we were also able to silently pray that the Lord would open the eyes of those who come in here, both Muslims who worship and visitors stopping by.
This balcony was constructed so that when a sultan came, he did not have to worship among the common people; he would be elevated above them.
The geometric patterns were everywhere, and they were so pretty!
Seriously, I couldn't get enough of all the different tile designs! Each was unique, and the colors were beautiful!
We left the mosque and walked over to a spice market. The Grand Bazaar is of course very famous in Istanbul, but we didn't want to go there. We preferred this smaller market instead. Many years ago this particular market voted to only sell spices and related food items; they do not sell all the other goods that you'd find at the Grand Bazaar. This means locals often come here to pick up what they need.
Our guide took us to the HazerBaba stall where we were able to sample so many different types of delicious goodies such as Turkish Delight, pomegranate tea, and fresh roasted nuts (pistachios and cashews - my favs!). We couldn't resist picking up some of these treats to bring home to share with our family and friends. It was fun to share with our small group right after we returned. We also enjoyed giving bags of Turkish Delights to the Pennington and Evans families. They appreciated the notes asking them to let us know if any of the flavors were worth betraying their family to the White Witch (the hazelnut flavor definitely tempted us...). Then we had time to walk around to visit other stalls which was fun. I loved how bright and colorful each stall was.
Our last stop on the excursion was to Beylerbeyi Sarayi which was a summer palace to the sultans. This was one of the most exquisite and beautiful homes I have ever been in. I could most closely compare it to Biltmore in design, but the artwork and design insides were much more royal. Unfortunately, they do not allow any photographs inside, so I have none to share. I would absolutely love to go back through here again at a more leisurely pace. Again, I could spend hours here.
There were small gardens on the grounds that we enjoyed as well.
Istanbul was my favorite of the destinations that we visited (my favorite excursion is tomorrow). This is a unique city packed with history, interesting culture, wonderful people, and yummy food. I hope to return and spend more time here in the future.
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