I take a peek through the closed curtains; we are quickly overtaking a cargo ship cruising alongside, a hundred yards away.  It is barely dawn and we are transiting the Dardanelles, a narrow straight between Europe and northwestern Turkey which connects the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara.  The Sea of Marmara, an inland sea which splits Turkey into its European and Asian parts is connected to the Black Sea by the Bosphorus Straight.

I throw the curtains open and jump back into bed, we have a day at sea to plan.  A sea day on a Crystal ship is just what the doctor ordered; there are so many things to do that it's hard to slow down and make sure we leave plenty of time to do nothing at all.

Blake heads to the Promenade deck for a three mile run, I have an eight o'clock appointment at the spa.  The Promenade deck on Crystal (both ships) is a rarity on cruiseships nowadays.  It is a wide, teak-clad, wraparound deck perfect for jogging.  You can also get a good workout by picking up a "walk-on-water" vest (a vest loaded with mini weights that you can adjust to your liking) or a pair of Nordic walking poles, or ditch the good intentions and simply sit on one of the teak sofas and watch the world go by.

Promenade Deck 

We meet for a late breakfast of apricot french toast and pancakes, fresh squeezed OJ, small apple-chicken sausages, bacon and plenty of fruit.  The Lido guys hover over making sure we have everything we need.  By now they know what we like and are constantly tempting us with drinks, ice cream and fresh-baked cookies.

We then head to the Hollywood theatre for a lecture entitled "Legendary Landmarks of the Black Sea Coast" followed by another one entitled "Modern Greece and the West: Two Centuries of Troubled Independence".  Crystal does this well; it employs an impressive roster of world-class presenters who offer balanced lectures covering the gamut of topics, from destination specific pieces to world affairs, from environmental matters to literary reviews, they cater to every taste.

As we finish a light lunch Istanbul comes into view; we're sailing into the Bosphorus Straight.  We make our way to the observation deck from where we get a wonderful introduction to Turkey.  Minarets and palaces flank the straight, Europe and Asia withing spitting distance of one another.  I feel so happy and priviledged to experience this moment.

Hagia Sofia

Mosques and Minarets

Dolmabahce Palace

Istanbul is huge.  Twelve million people live in this incredible city where east and west meet and blend.  It spreads in all directions from the banks of the Bosphorus in a jumble of mosques and towers, modern buildings and multi-million dollar mansions. We sail under the Bosphorus Bridge, snapping pictures left and right, drinking in the beauty and the historical significance of this marvelous place.  Some two hours later we sail past the remnants of an ancient tower and see the mouth of the Black Sea approach.

We go to the Avenue Saloon for a pre-dinner drink and have a great time in the main dining room; we've hit it off with our table mates and truly enjoy their company.  Afterwards we catch the show (Curtain Call) and then go to the Palm Court for a little dancing.  We have the dance floor practically all to ourselves but it is quickly becoming part of the nightly routine.  By now the Crystal sextet guys know the songs we like the most and we are happy to dance a few hundred calories away before calling it a night. 

Samos

Within spitting distance of Turkey, one km from it in fact, is the Greek island of Samos. Despite being closer to the Turkish coast than it is to the Greek mainland, the character of this island is definitely Greek.

We arrived in Samos on yet another gorgeous hot and sunny day and docked right in the centre of town.  After an early workout and a yummy late-risers breakfast we made our way to shore. Walking along the wide waterfront promenade lined with restaurants and cafes, but also with hardware stores, banks and other such mundane commercial outifts, we realize that this is not precisely a tourist mecca; While there are plenty of historical and archeological sites within a few kilometres of Vathy, the capital, there are not many tourist attractions in town. It is nevertheless a very pleasant port town rich in Greek tradition and natural beauty.

The pedestrian-only main shopping street sports as many butcher shops as it does kitchy souvenir stores. I score three gorgeous and unique (at least I haven't seen others) pillow cases with flat weave designs depicting typical Greek motifs. We make our way to the cathedral to admire the beautiful iconography and then to the archeological museum which turned out to be closed.

The island's economy revolves around agricultural products (primarily olives, grapes and a delicious Moschato wine), but is also dependent on tourism.

After a few hours in town we made our way back to the ship for a bit of pooltime and downtime.  We have been sailing from port to port for the last few days and are missing the opportunity to enjoy the ship. Tonight we sail towards the Dardanelles and tomorrow we sail through the Sea of Marmara and transit the Bosphorus Straight en route to the Black Sea.

Mykonos

The quintessential Greek island, Mykonos awaited us under the bluest of skies. As we often do, this port day was largely unplanned and our sole aim was to wander about for as long as our feet would let us.

First off the unexpected colours; despite the gleaming white of every building, colour is everywhere. Blues dominate but they can be found in all shades and hues. Reds surprise you and yellows make magical, infrequent appearances. The iconic windmills are a testament to the howling winds which buffet our ascent to the hilltops today.

No less alluring is the shopping and we can't manage to escape without contributing to the local economy in some small measure.

Tomorrow Samos. Our last port stop in Greece. Then, on to the Baltic Sea.

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Navplion, an enchanting island

Navplion, our first top after leaving Athens, is a gem of an island in the Peloponese which has played a major role in sea trade since the Bronze Age. The first thing that struck me was how european it feels and it is for a reason; there is a strong Venetian influence permeating the old part of town, including unexpected sightings of the Venetian lion here and there. This was due to the XIV century conquest by the Venetians who then lost it to the Turks in the 1500s to eventually regain it and lose it again, on a off over the next few centuries... you get the picture. As a result of this power struggle Navplion ended up with three fortresses, all within first sight of the port.

Palamidi and the mighty steps

First and foremost, the mighty citadel of Palamidi; built in 1714 it sits atop of a mountain and 857 (some say 999) steps lead up to it. This fortress served as a prison until 30 years ago.

Bourtzi Fort

Tiny Bourtzi Fort or Castel da Mar, built by the Venetians in 1472, stands at the entrance of the port and can be accessed by boat only.

Then there is the Akronafplia Fortress, the oldest of the three, parts of which can be dated back to the Bronze Age. By the way, it was also used as a prision for political prisoners until 1956.

But there is so much beauty and quaintness to Navplion, from its winding narrow streets and red roofs to the breathtaking sea views and beaches, it must go on the list of places to one day go back to. The gelato (one of those fine Venetian legacies) is outstanding and must be had.

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Serenity and Corinth

We embarked on Thursday and, following a poolside lunch and a nice glass of champagne and being so warmly welcomed by the crew, we set out to explore the ship. This is our first time on the Serenity. It is bigger and its layout is different than its sister's the Symphony. This, coupled with the fact that it is sailing at less than half of its capacity, makes for a lot of, maybe too much? elbow room. Because of this, although the ship is just as beautiful, it feels a little less intimate than the Symphony. Nevertheless, we have quickly found our favourite hangouts, including the Avenue Saloon where Marcie Castro entertains at the piano with unending energy and good humour.

Avenue Saloon

Our cabin

We have a gorgeous balcony cabin - as I write this post I have my feet up on the veranda and keep getting distracted by the beauty of the bay of Samos in front of me. The temperature is in the very high 20s on a sunny cloudless afternoon.

But getting back to the beginning:

That first evening on board felt weird. It is the first time that we are on board a cruise that is not sailing until the following evening. I must admit that it is convenient to be on board and enjoying all the amenities a full day ahead of sailing without any risk of delayed flights or such causing you to miss the ship. On the other hand, it felt strange not to feel the ship's motion that first night.

The following day we took a tour to Corinth and a crossing of the Corinth Canal. The canal connects the Aegean Sea to the Ionian Sea through a stretch four miles long and 70 feet wide, limiting traffic through the canal to one vessel at a time. Roman emperor Nero began the construction of the canal but it came to a halt upon Nero's death. It was finally completed in the late 1800s by the same French company which later attempted (and failed) to build the Panama Canal.

The Corinth Canal

The Canal opening into the Ionian Sea

The ancient city of Corinth, a very wealthy, aristocratic Greek city state where forward, liberal ideas were born, sits nestled by the sea. Its ruins still manage to paint a vivid picture of its past; a wide marble paved avenue lined with shops, bathroom and washing facilities which visitors used to clean themselves upon entering the city, the requisite gymnasium and lots of marvelous columns. Impressive statues, mosaics, ceramics and other archeological finds abund in the small site museum.

Corinth

Corinth

Nero

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The Acropolis

It is our second day in Athens and we get up early, aiming to make it to the Acropolis before the crowds and the heat arrive. We walk from our hotel along Amalias Avenue, pass Adrian's Gate and the Temple of Zeus. We climb through the Southern Slope where the Odean - a Roman theatre sits. It is a beautiful, small theatre which seats 5,000 and where performances are held to this day.

Odean

Up and up we go finally arriving at the top where the Parthenon awaits in all its glory. Acropolis means "city at the top" and what a beautiful sight it presents. The city of Athens spreads all around us, the sea shining in the distance, various temples and ruins scattered about. We pick our way to the back of the Parthenon where much better pictures can be taken in the absence of the scaffolding that obscures much of its facade, past the temple dedicated to Athena where the graceful Caryatids (these are replicas - five of the original statues are being restored at the Acropolis Museum and the sixth one is at the British museum) stand in perpetual vigilance on the South Porch.

Caryatids

Parthenon

Parthenon detail

From above, Hadrian's Gate (centre) and Temple of Zeus.

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The New Acropolis Museum

What a treat. After coming down from the Acropolis we went to the new Acropolis Museum. It is a delightful place. No too big, not to small. It houses the archeological finds from the Acropolis on four light-filled, carefully curated exhibit floors. The building itself is an architectural marvel, glass floors throughout allowing a direct view to the floor below, all the way to the active archeological excavation on the below ground level.

Below ground level active excavation

Minotaur

We spent a couple of hours at the museum; it really is sufficient time to get a good taste of it although you could easily spend quite a bit more time there.

We decided to make our way to the Serenity around noon and got a cab outside the hotel. We soon discovered that our driver Michael had been born in Montreal where his parents had emigrated some time before, but had moved to Athens with his family at the age of 10. We had the opportunity to talk to him and get a feel for how the Greek people are coping with the economic debacle they are experiencing.

He told us that Greeks are used to a comfortable, not lavish, lifestyle and that they have seen the minimum wage cut down by 20% with severe job losses and pension entitlement reductions. They feel that the government makes decisions that hurt the people and benefit the elite. The resentment stems less from the cutbacks and more from the fact that the rich just get richer as the poor get poorer - sounds familiar? For example, he said, employers were laying off full-time employees who were making, for the sake of argument, 1200 euro per month and hiring instead two part-time employees at 400 euro per month each (instant savings of 400 euro plus the cost of benefits). Jobs being so scarce - unemployment rate is 23% - people are happy to take what they can but their reduced wages make it very hard to subsist. While many Greeks (approximately 70%) own their houses, a great many of them can no longer afford to pay their mortgages.

Despite this, Michael was optimistic, when asked if he thought the situation would get worse before it got better, he said: "no, how much worse can it get".

Michael had quoted us a fare of 25 euro from the hotel to the port of Piraeus (about a 25 minute drive). When we arrived, he said it was only 20. Needless to say, we compensated him adequately; not only for giving us running highlights of the city as we drove to the port, but for being such a great sport and trying to give us a good deal for being "fellow Canadians". Thanks Michael, we wish you and the Greek people all the best.

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