Tuesday, September 13, 2011 – Rhodes, Greece – Sunny – 90F

A hot day on the Greek Island of Rhodes..Our first time here.

   

None of the tours in Rhodes looked that interesting so, since the ship is docked very closed to the Old City Entrance, we decided to walk around the Old Walled City of Rhodes. 

The site of the “Colossus of Rhodes” – a Wonder of the Ancient World – is a bit up the harbor road but it is hot and we are not planning to go there.

The first stop is the Church of Virgin of the Burgh (ca. 14th Century) located very close to the gate to the city.

 

Church of Virgin of the Burgh

Near the church, we noticed a sign pointing out the Synagogue in Rhodes. 

We followed the directions to the corner of Dossiadou and Simiou Streets to find the Kahal Shalom Synagogue.  It is the oldest synagogue in Greece (the original building dates back to 1577) and the only remaining synagogue on Rhodes.  The synagogue still holds Friday night and High Holiday services for visitors to the island.

It is a Sephardic Shul with the Bimah in the center of the main floor.

The synagogue has an ancient Torah on display that dates back to the 16th century (below).

        

After our visit to the synagogue, we continue to the Platia Martyron Evreon (Square of the Jewish Martyrs).  This is the location where Jews on Rhodes were assembled before being transported to the camps.  The Square contains memorials to the Jewish Martyrs of Rhodes.

 

Jewish Memorials at the Square

The area around the Martyr’s Square contains excellent examples of Medieval architecture.

  

 

Martyr Square Structures and Fountains (above)

We rested a moment at Martyr Square to see whether I could access the Island wide WiFi System.  I was partially successful and able to check on e-mails.

Rhodes was also the site of activities related to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, who fortified the island against the Turks.  There are suits of armor just about everywhere ready for a photo-op. 

The knight below was, I believe, located near the the Hospital of the Knights (now the Archeological Museum).  This building was completed in 1489. 

As we climbed up the hill, we could see the Mosque of Suleyman. This mosque was built in the early 19th Century on the site of the original mosque built in 1522.

Once at the top, we headed back toward the ship.  The gate we entered was visible in the distance.

 

At the harbor, there are several non-functional, but very picturesque, windmills.  The juxtaposition of the Mariner OTS and the windmill made for an interesting photograph.

After a little snack, we went back out to the city to pick up some trinkets for the kids.  

It was a very long day in Rhodes today according to the stats:

Pedometer:  12,075 Steps; 5.7 Miles; 591 Calories

Two passengers had their fifteen minutes of fame as they had to run for the ship as it was readying for departure.  It would have been a long trip from Rhodes to our next stop, Istanbul.  The ship actually sent someone on a motorcycle to find our wayward shipmates.  Perhaps a little too much Ouzo. 

 

The sail away from Rhodes was beautiful.

Showtime tonight was the ice show: “Ice Under the Big Top” in Studio B.  The show was cute and included some pretty good skaters.  I did notice that many of the skaters “came out” of their jumps – maybe the ice wasn’t optimal.

  

One act combined skating and a “cirque” type acrobatic moves.  The skater was very good.

Sea calm – Sea day tomorrow.

Monday, September 12, 2011 – Kusadasi, Turkey – Sunny – 82F

Another nice day in the resort city of Kusadasi…

Kusadasi and Harbor from Mariner OTS

We are not planning to take any excursions today – seen the sites a number of times.  Instead, we are going to walk around the city, check out the Bazaar and then spend some time on line at the Starbucks by the pier. 

    

Kusadasi Bazaar (two photos above)

Ellen checked out the bargains at the Bazaar (below).

You can always gauge the local economy by the cost of an ice cream cone.  The cones below were 1 Turkish Lira (TL).  That’s 40 Eurocents or about 56 cents – a true bargain.

The cones were a bargain – didn’t get one though

   

The Mariner of the Seas Docked at Kusadasi

We were able to get the UN and PW from a nice server at the Starbucks at the pier so we did go on line and check our e-mails and communicate with everyone back home.  The only problem was finding a place with minimal cigarette smoke.  Outside worked the best.

On Line at Starbucks

Ataturk still watching over Kusadasi

The sail away from Kusadasi was beautiful including a wonderful sunset.

Kusadasi Sail Away

The big event for the evening took place in the Schooner Bar, where Darren was joined by Kieron Buffery (Cruise Director) for a sing-along.  Kieron plays the guitar and sings pretty well.  The crowd was huge and everyone including us sang along to what we knew and faked the rest.

The Kieron and Darren Show

It was a lot of fun – so much so that we stayed well past midnight.

Smooth seas…

Sunday, September 11, 2011 – Piraeus, Greece – Sunny - 93F

A beautiful day in Piraeus, Greece.

Piraeus, Greece from the Mariner of the Seas

It’s a warm day and we are not going on tour today (having seen the sights on previous trips).

Instead, we are going to walk around Piraeus – being Sunday, many of the shops and stores are closed.  The tourist places are open and we are going to be here in about a month (starting our next cruise) so a walkabout seemed like a good idea.  Besides, we need to find an Internet Hotspot to stay in touch with home.

We took the shuttle bus from our terminal to the other Main Terminal and then passed through the port gates into the city.  Fortunately, it is Sunday and traffic is light allowing us to cross the streets safely.

Sometimes, when you can’t find anyone to take your picture, you have to improvise.  All you need is a shiny window and you have a great photo.

   

Our walk took us through shops and through a little park.  The centerpiece of the park was an ancient Greek soldier.

 

 

Statue of Greek Soldier in Park

Impressive Church

From across the street, I could see the Mariner of the Seas in the distance.  I braved the traffic, crossed the street and took a picture of our ship docked a few blocks away.

 

Mariner of the Seas from Piraeus

We were looking for a Starbucks or McDonalds for WiFi but couldn’t find any along the way.  We finally came across a Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Store – it turns out they had WiFi and the girl working there gave us the UN and PW.  I didn’t have my computer but my WiFi phone did the trick and we checked our mail and sent along a picture of us at the Ben and Jerry’s.

At Ben and Jerry’s in Piraeus

A statue of Poseidon in another park (check the trident) also caught our eye.

Poseidon in the Park

Back on the ship, I thought a picture with one of the dragons guarding the Dragon’s Lair would be interesting.

 

How to Train Your Dragon

The last time we were in Piraeus, we heard that the main port terminal had free WiFi so we went back out to the terminal to check e-mail.  After a little effort, we did find a place with a strong signal (NOTE: Next time:  sit by the gift shops – strongest signal).

We watched the sail away from the Viking Lounge (Deck 14).  In the sequence below, the Marine OTS is backing out of the harbor and past the seawall.  Pretty good maneuvering (probably done by the local pilot).

Piraeus Sail Away Sequence (above)

Dinner again was in the Windjammer Cafe, where we were treated to a beautiful Grecian Sunset.

 

The Windjammer offers a different ice cream flavor each night – hand scooped by one of the servers.  Tonight’s flavor – Rainbow Sherboti – we couldn’t resist trying some.

Sherboti and the Sherboti Chef

After diner, we ran into these folks – part of some show somewhere on the ship.

Headliner Showtime tonight featured comedian Juggler: Mark Angelo.  He played to a small audience but he still was pretty funny and his juggling used unusual items (light remotely controlled lit balls juggled in the dark).

Tomorrow we are in Kusadasi…