It's been a few years, but we finally got back on board a cruise ship. This time, we took the 11-day East Mediterranean cruise on the MSC Splendida, starting in Trieste.
Our second day was a relaxing sailing day. I really enjoy starting with a sailing day so that you can explore the ship a little bit and enjoy the sea.
Our first stop on land was in Katakolon, where we walked a little bit around this little town. We returned very early and took advantage of the empty ship. We appreciated the pools and jacuzzis. After that, we had a delicious lunch in the ship's restaurant.
Our next destination was Mykonos. The ship docked a bit far from the town centre. But luckily we could take a boat, for €2,-, that brought us to the centre in about 5/10 minutes. Mykonos is the perfect 'picture' place. With its white houses and blue details, every photo you'll take will look amazing.
And now our trip is reaching one of its highlights. We dock at Kuşadasi in Turkey. We were very curious to see Ephesus, so we went on a guided tour by MSC. Ephesus is one of the largest and most impressive ancient cities in the world. And visiting these ruins was genuinely remarkable. What made the biggest impression on me was the facade of the Library of Celsus, rebuilt with the original pieces, and the ancient theatre, with a capacity of 25.000, the largest in the ancient world. This site is truly worth the visit. After seeing Ephesus, we drove back to Kuşadasi, where we had some free time to explore the city. We discovered a lovely modern tourist town with lots of shops and restaurants.
The next stop was one of the reasons why we decided to take this cruise 'Istanbul'. We booked a tour with MSC to see some of the highlights of this astonishing city. The bus picked us up at the Galataport and drove us to the area near the Grand Bazar. First, we had some time off to walk around the Grand Bazar. You can get lost in all those little streets with various shops. We enjoyed ourselves with a nice cup of Turkish coffee and one of Chai. We continued our walk to see the Binbirdirek Cistern, the Sultanahmet Square, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the blue mosque, and the Hagia Sophia Mosque. I loved walking through the city. You can get a good impression of how daily life goes. Time is never enough to visit a spectacular city like Istanbul.
Another day sailing day.
And then we docked in Corfu. It was our second time here, and not much has changed in 8 years.
Our last stop was back in Italy, in Bari. We took the excursion to see Alberobello. It was fascinating to see its many particular dry stone huts named Trulli. The Trulli were used as houses and sheds together. But nowadays, they use them as holiday rentals and some as souvenir shops.
One last night on board, and we are back in Trieste again. It's the end of this memorable holiday.
Thanks for reading, and if you like to see more, subscribe to our channel.
Leave a comment if you like. 👍