09-24 The Mediterranean 2007

The first thing you do when you are moving from your bus to your hotel in Venice is to take a photo from your gondola. It was the beginning of a memorable cruise through the historic nations of the Mediterranean. We started in Venice and after 12 exhausting days, ended in Barcelona.
Do you ever get sick of Rome with its history and magnificent sites. Mary's photo was taken in St. Peter's Square. This is Vatican City within Rome and included a visit to the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica.
Naturally we had a short visit to Greece and the famous Greek Parthenon in Athens. Love the photo. It was a former temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. So now we know where the capital city got its name.
We had been to Europe and the ports on the Mediterranean many times but had never visited any of the famous ancient sites. Our visit to the ancient Greek city of Ephasus in modern Turkey was the most memorable part of our trip. In the photo you can see the old library. We wandered the streets of a city that was at one time the trading centre of the ancient world. We could see the remains of old shops and homes with hot running water. Unreal.
While in Turkey you would never want to miss Istanbul and the Grand Bazaar, where everyone is trying to sell you rugs. Surprisingly, we were glad to get away from that place. The visit to the Blue Mosque or the Sultan Ahmed Mosque was also memorable. The photo is an outside shot. We were discouraged from taking photos from inside the mosque.
Another bit of ancient history was our stop at Naples and a day trip to the ancient city of Pompeii that was destroyed by 20 feet of hot ash when the volcano Mount Vesuvius exploded in 79 AD. The photo shows the city after all the soot was removed. In the museum, you can see outlines of bodies in the ash that were incinerated.
We learned to appreciate the Mediterranean diet, which does not rely on cows. Too hot for cattle. But lots of fruit, goat’s cheese, and olive oil. And great wine everywhere you go. Not bad.