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Tentative
Itinerary
Friday, 1 May: Arrive Istanbul
Today you will arrive in
Istanbul where you will be met at the airport and transferred to the
hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure to rest or to enjoy the
city. We will meet for dinner this evening.
Saturday,
2 May: Istanbul
City Tour and Ship Embarkation
Straddling the continents of
Europe and Asia, divided by the winding strait of the Bosphorus, Istanbul is
often referred to as a bridge between East and West. Under the names of
Constantinople and Byzantium, the city was the capital of the Byzantine
Empire for 1,100 years. Captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, it became the
seat of the Turkish sultans for a further five centuries. It is no longer a
capital city, but with a population approaching 12 million it remains
Turkey's largest metropolis and the centre of the country's economic and
cultural life. The great monumentssuch as the Hagia Sophia, the Sultan
Ahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque), and TopkapΝ Palacefill all parts of the city.
We will tour the city today. Later we will transfer to the ship.
Sunday,
3 May:
Istanbul
Today is yours to further
explore the city. Your WTT tour leader will have suggestions as to how to
best spend your day, and also suggest some other tours that you could take
today. We will depart Istanbul this afternoon/early evening.
Monday,
4 May: Mykonos
Our first port of Call is
Mykonos. The most popular daytime activities are
upscale shopping and near-nude sunbathing, but don't forget that the sacred
island of Delos lies just 30 minutes by boat from town. One of the most
important archaeological sites in Greece, Delos is the mythical birthplace
of Apollo and Artemis and was once the religious and commercial center of
the eastern Mediterranean. Mykonos' own museums are well worth a break from
the beach too.
Mykonos town, with its labyrinth of winding
alleyways lined with whitewashed buildings, was built to disorient pirates
and other unwanted visitors. Today, it's an eclectic and captivating mix of
upscale shops and cafes, basket-laden donkeys, cascading geraniums.
Tuesday,
5 May: Patmos and
Kusadasi (Ephesus)
Patmos is part of the
Dodekanese islands in the Aegean sea. The island was formerly covered with
luxuriant palm groves, which won it the name of Palmosa; of these groves
there remains but a clump in the valley called "The Saint's Garden". The
ancient capital occupied the northern (Ruvali) isthmus. The modern town of
Patmos lies in the middle part of the island. Above it towers the
battlements of St. John's Monastery, founded in 1088 by St. Christobulus.
The Island of Patmos is famous in history as the place of St. John's exile.
Our second stop for the day
is Kusadasi where you can visit the bazaar or take an optional tour
of Ephesus, Turkey. Ephesus is about 10 km inland from the
Aegean coast and approx 700 km south of Istanbul. If you look at a modern
map of the Mediterranean and follow the line south east from Samos in the
Greek islands to the Turkish coastline you will find the city of Kusadasi.
 This archaeological site ranks right up
there with the Pyramids of Giza in being one of the wonders of the world.
Let your imagination run wild as you tread the paths of the Roman debauchers
on their way to the brothel or to take a bath. Marvel at the culture that
must have flourished when you visit the library and the amphitheater! This
place represents so many different facets of Ancient Greek and Roman culture
that one wonders how the Dark Ages ever came upon Europe.
Here
stands the breathtaking Library of Celsus which dates from 135 AD. 9 steps
take you up to the salon of the library where you will see the niches in the
walls where books were kept and the remains of low Ionian pillars that
supported the reading tables.
Wednesday,
6 May: Rhodes
With whitewashed houses clustered beneath a
soaring castle-capped acropolis, Lindos is Rhodes' most picturesque village.
Tourists flock here by the hundreds of thousands each summer to visit this
ancient city, the island's most important Doric settlement because of its
natural harbor and vantage point (it's built on a rock 125 meters above sea
level).
In the heart of the island's biggest city
(also named Rhodes) is the largest inhabited medieval town in Europe. The
"old town" is a fascinating web of Byzantine, Turkish and Latin ruins. Its
mighty fortifications provide the finest surviving examples of defensive
architecture of the time. After you've had your fill of history, don't miss
the Municipal Art Gallery at Symi Square in the old town for intriguing
examples of contemporary Greek art.
Thursday,
7 May: Heraklion (Crete) and Santorini
Within Heraklion's thick Venetian walls the
city carries on a frenetic pace, its neon lights illuminating remnants of
Arab, Byzantine, Venetian and Turkish rule. Heraklion is Crete's largest
city and Greece's fifth. It spreads for miles, but most of its cultural and
tourist attractions can be found within reach of the city center.
Heraklion serves as the main thoroughfare
for destinations throughout Crete, but there are plenty of reasons to stay a
while. The ruins of Knossos - the capital of Minoan Crete and today the
island's major tourist attraction - are just five kilometers from the city
center. Heraklion's Archaeological Museum, one of the finest in Greece,
houses exquisite findings from Knossos and other Minoan ruins. Other points
of interest include numerous Venetian fortresses, fountains and loggias
scattered throughout the city and the Historical Museum of Crete, with its
Byzantine and folklore collections.
Santorini. You've seen it on postcards. The
island's just as stunning in real life, where picture-perfect whitewashed
villages cling to the lip of a huge sunken volcano. It's a strange place
where beaches are black and rocks float and crumble at a touch.
Santorini's first inhabitants, the Minoans,
lived here until around 1450 B.C. when a colossal volcanic eruption caused
the middle of the island to sink, leaving the caldera of high cliffs you see
today. Theorists have it that this eruption destroyed the entire Minoan
civilization. Others think the island is part of the lost continent of
Atlantis. Major earthquakes have since occurred, causing the two adjacent
islands, Palia Kameni and Nea Kameni to appear.
Sights include the Folk Museum at the
monastery atop Santorini's highest peak, Mt. Profitis Ilias; the
Archaeological Museum; Ancient Thera and Ancient Akrotiri. Ancient Thera
dates from the 9th century B.C. and includes temples, houses with mosaics,
the Agora, a theater, a gymnasium and a stunning view. Akrotiri was
rediscovered in 1967 when excavations revealed the ancient city buried
beneath volcanic ash. Complete with paved streets and a sophisticated
central drainage system, Akrotiri's the best preserved prehistoric
settlement in the Aegean.
Friday,
8 May:
Arrive Athens; City tour, afternoon free
Today we end our cruise in
the early morning and step off the ship into Athens. We will take a sightseeing tour of the city with the balance of the day and
evening free.
With thousands of years of history and
mythology under its belt, Athens - named for the olive-tree-loving Athena
(goddess of wisdom) - is more than a concrete jungle. It's an affable city
enlivened by outdoor cafes, pedestrian streets, parks, gardens and
characters aplenty.
Saturday,
9 May: Free Day Athens or Optional Delphi Tour
Today you
can choose to spend you day in Athens of take and optional tour to
Delphi, center of the ancient worlds. See the Sanctuary of
Apollo Pythias and visit the Treasury of the Athenians and the Museum before returning to Athens.
Sunday,
10 May: Return Home
Airport transfers provided.
Please schedule your return flight no later than 12:00 noon. There will be
only 1 group transfer.
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