Trips: Greek Islands, Cruise (July 20 - 30, 2001)

Greek Islands, Cruise (July 20 - 30, 2001)

For our annual family trip, I met my parents and younger brother in Venice, Italy, to begin our cruise through the Greek Islands. While the cruise line and ship were a bit disappointing, the destinations were beautiful and fun to explore. After all, we visited two of the ancient seven wonders of the world. Here is a brief summary of our trip.

Friday, July 20 - 23: Venice, Italy

I met my parents in Venice, Italy. Venice has two airports. If you fly in to VCE, you can take a water taxi (boat) directly from baggage claim to your hotel. Venice is a beautiful city to explore by boat and on foot. It is easy to get lost, which we found to be half the fun.

	Golden Tulip Principe Hotel (more info) Our hotel was located right on the Grand Canal near the train station. Here is a view of the hotel from across the canal.
	Campanile (Bell Tower) Venice's famous brick bell tower stood across from the Basilica di San Marco for 1,000 years before it collapsed one morning in 1912. It was swiftly rebuilt according to the old plan. The stunning view from the tower on a clear day includes the Lido, the lagoon, and the mainland as far as the Alps. Word of warning, the bells still work and will ring 100 times at the top of the hour.
	Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace) This Gothic-Renaissance building of pink-and-white marble was the Venetian Republic's White House, Senate, Supreme Court, and prison rolled into one. Inside, you'll see the lavishly gilded Scala d'Oro (Golden Staircase), walls and ceilings covered with works by Venice's greatest artists, and a carved and gilded ceiling. We visited doge's private apartments, the attic and the Piombi prison, and through hidden passageways to the torture chambers.
	Santa Maria Della Salute (La Salute) The view of "La Salute" from the Riva degli Schiavoni at sunset is simply unforgettable. The architect Baldassare Longhena was only 32 years old when he participated in the design competition to build a great shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary in gratitude for liberation from a terrible plague that from 1630 to 1631 killed 47,000 victims in Venice alone. His original idea of a classically inspired white octagonal temple covered by a colossal cupola, with a Palladian-style facade and bizarre Baroque decorations, effortlessly pleased the avant-garde judges. The luminous interior features six chapels with one altar each and a beautiful polychrome marble floor.

Tuesday, July 24: Bari, Italy

Located near the heal of Italy's boot, Bari is the second largest city in Southern Italy and was our first port of call.

	San Sabino's Cathedral The Cathedral is dedicated to San Sabino. It was built in 1166 in Apulian Romanesque style, on a previous construction, which was demolished by the Norman king William "il Malo" 10 years earlier.
	Basilica of San Nicola The Basilica of San Nicola is the prototype Apulian Romanesque style building. Building work was started in 1087 to house the Saint's remains, immediately after his bones were brought to Bari from Turkey. They say San Nicola is Santa Claus.

Wednesday, July 25: Katakolon, Greece

There is nothing to see in the port of Katakolon, Greece. A 30 minute bus ride, however, will take you to Olympia. With ruins dating back to 776 AD, this is the home of the modern Olympic games. Most importantly, it is the site of one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the Word - the Statue of Zeus.

	Temple of Zeus The temple of Zeus is dated at 470-456 BC. The dimensions of the Doric temple were imposing, and featured Zeus and Apollo as its central figures. The twelve metopes of the temple depicted the laborers of Hercules. The visitor after crossing the pronaos entered into the three-aisled cella where stood the magnificent gold and ivory (chryselephantine) statue of Zeus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. All that remains in Olympia are the temple's fallen columns and the foundation of the building.
	Statue of Zeus Many considered the Doric-style temple too simple, so a lavish 40-foot statue of Zeus was commissioned for inside. Athenian sculptor Phidias created an ivory Zeus seated on a throne, draped in a gold robe. Zeus had a wreath around his head and held a figure of his messenger Nike in his right hand, and a scepter in his left. Eventually, wealthy Greeks decided to move the statue to a palace in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey). Their effort prolonged its life, as fire later devastated the Olympia temple. However, the new location couldn't keep Zeus eternally safe: a severe fire destroyed the statue in 462 AD
	Temple of Hera (Heraion) A Doric temple dated to the end of the 7th century BC The Heraion is one of the oldest examples of monumental dimensioned temples in Greek architecture. Made of wood originally it was a richly ornamented large building with a three-aisled cella where the statues of Hera and Zeus stood. The wooden columns were eventually replaced with columns of stone.
	Stadium Home of the modern Olympics, the track has a length of 232.5 yards and a width of 31.2 yards. On the stadium's southern slope there was a stone platform which was for the Hellanodikes (the judges) and opposite was the altar to Demeter Chamyne. The stadium held 45,000 spectators.
	Philippeion A circular building, which was begun by Philip II after the battle of Chaeroneia (338 BC) and was completed by Alexander the Great. It was used for the hero-worship of the Macedonian dynasty.
	Gymnasium A closed rectangular building with a large yard. Here the athletes practiced events such as the javelin, the discus etc. Dated to the 2nd century BC

Thursday, July 26: Santorini & Mykonos, Greece

	Santorini When you think of the Greek Islands, you think of Santorini, which was formed by a volcanic eruption in 1500 BC. Overlooked by by the typical white houses with their characteristic blue dome-shaped roofs, we enjoyed breathtaking views of the sea as our ship sat floating in the center of the volcano's crater.
	Mykonos The second stop of the day, Mykonos was a beautiful, picturesque island with an all-white Hora (the main village) next to the crystal-clear blue waters of the Aegean Sea.

Friday, July 27: Rhodes & Lindos, Greece

	Lindos At the top of a promontory that drops straight into the sea, stands the Acropolis, with the Colonnade, the temple to the goddess Athena, and the remains of the Via Sacra. This is a photo of the Acropolis and sea below.
	Rhodes (Rodos) Rhodes is the third largest Greek island and, officially, the sunniest place in the Europe. The City is situated at the island's most northerly point and ringed by sea on the east and west. Rhodes (Rodos in Greek) combines the cosmopolitan character of a contemporary city with the picturesque of the medieval town, which is still surrounded by a huge castle wall. This is a picture of a town square with the castle wall in the background.
	Colossus of Rhodes A colossal statue of the sun god Helios once was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Made of bronze and reinforced with iron, it was said to be 105 feet high and stood beside Mandrkion harbor. It is technically impossible that the statue could have straddled the harbor entrance (represented in this photo by two columns), and the popular belief that it did so dates only from the Middle Ages. The statue, which took 12 years to build (c. 294282 BC), was toppled by an earthquake about 225/226 BC The fallen Colossus was left in place until 654 AD, when Arabian forces raided Rhodes and had the statue broken up and the bronze sold for scrap. Supposedly, the fragments totaled more than 900 camel loads.

Saturday, July 28: At Sea

We spent the entire day at sea.

Sunday, July 29: Dubrovnik, Croatia

	City Tour Situated on the southern Adriatic coast, Dubrovnik is the most picturesque city on the Dalmatian coast. It occupies a promontory jutting into the sea under the bare limestone mass of Mount Srdj. The port's sea fortifications rise directly from the water's edge, and a massive round tower dominates the city on the landward side. The basic city plan dates from 1292, when the port was rebuilt following a fire. The Stradun, or main street, runs along a valley with beautiful late-Renaissance houses on each side. No motor vehicles are allowed inside the walls, and, except for the Stradun, the old city is a maze of picturesque narrow streets, many of them steep and twisting.
	Dominican Monastery and Museum The east wing of the Dominican Monastery has a Museum that contains a valuable collection of Dubrovnik Paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries, as well as sculpture, works of gold, incunabula and music scripts collected through the centuries by the Dubrovnik Dominicans. The interior courtyard, however, was my favorite.
	Rector's Palace The Rector of Dubrovnik used to live in this palace during the time of his one month's mandate, alone, without his family. He could leave the palace only when engaged upon some state business; otherwise he was not allowed to leave it. The Rector's Palace was also the seat of the Small Council, i.e., the Dubrovnik government. There were halls reserved for official receptions and audiences, there was also the seat of the Republic's administration: the secretary, the public notary, land registry, etc.
	City Walls Dubrovnik's city walls are among the most impressive I've ever seen throughout all of Europe. The walls of the fortifications follow the ground plan traced in the 13th century, while the present shape of their bastions, towers, bulwarks and embrasures were constructed and stylistically defined in the course of the two golden centuries of Dubrovnik history, from the fall of Constantinopole in 1453 to the great earthquake in 1667.
	Franciscan Monastery In the museum collection, which housed the ancient Pharmacy, there are Inventories of the Pharmacy (ceramics, bowls, laboratory equipment, and old medical books), as well as works by goldsmiths, embroiderers and painters' studios. Of special interest is the painting of Dubrovnik, before the great earthquake of 1667. Again, I favored the courtyard and its many columns.
	Cathedral Treasury Before the great earthquake, when it was partly destroyed, it was considered to be one of the richest treasuries in Europe. Today it contains the St. Blaise Reliquary and those of other Saints, a reliquary of the Holy Cross, from Jerusalem, as well as paintings and other valuable objects.

Monday, July 30

We returned to Venice and I began my trip home, while my parents and younger brother continued their vacation to Milan, Italy for a few more days.

About the Boat

We don't recommend using Costa Cruise Lines. Compared to Carnival or Norwegian Cruise lines, the food was sub-par, the service was average, and the boat lacked many luxuries. Not to mention that the ship was packed full of Italians who didn't know how to stand in line or use the elevators (they'll get on an elevator going in the opposite direction instead of waiting for an elevator going in their desired direction).

Summary

Overall, it was a great trip, despite the disappointing cruise line. Best of all, we visited two of the world's ancient wonders, which means that I have visited four of the seven in a single year.

Photo Albums at Ofoto.com
If you want to see more photos, click on one of these photos albums.

Back to All Trips
If you liked what you see here, how about taking a look at some of my other recent trips. Click here to go back to my travel menu, or check out where I might be heading next.

travelogue

Trips: Greek Islands, Cruise (July 20 - 30, 2001)