Discover our Ancient Mediterranean Treasures itinerary with Joost Ouendag
Good evening and welcome to another episode of Wonderlust Wednesdays. Today I’m going to be talking about the ancient Mediterranean treasures, a cruise that’s wedged in between two of my favorite cities, Istanbul on the one end and Athens on the other end. And as always, we start off by sharing a brief video that introduces the region and the cruise to you. Embark on an intriguing 8-day journey to some of the Mediterranean region’s most important sites of antiquity with Viking. You will follow in the wake of the ancient mariners to lands where many of Western civilization’s greatest moments unfolded. Explore Istanbul in Turkey, where east meets west, and hidden treasures stand witness to the influences of countless ages and cultures. Legendary Troy, once thought to exist only in mythology, boasts traces of as many as nine different cities on the site. Fabled Ephesus offers a stunning window into the past with remarkable architectural treasures, including the iconic library of Celsus. On the Greek island of roads, you’ll pass through one of 11 imposing gates to discover the old city, Europe’s largest active medieval town and a UNESCO world heritage site. Like many of the Greek isles, Cree is graced with the imprints of the ages. Enjoy its Venetian influences or delve into its Manoan civilization. Your voyage concludes in beautiful Athens, the capital of ancient Greece itself, the birthplace of democracy and once the very center of the Greek Empire, whose distant outpost you’ll have been so fortunate to explore. So, this was a taste of what this journey has to offer. Let’s recap briefly before we get into the details. It’s an 8-day journey and it’s available from Istanbul to Athens or from Athens to Istanbul. And today we will focus on the Istanbul to Athens direction. And this journey really showcases everything that the antique world has to offer in both countries. And that is an awful lot. On the first day, you arrive in Istanbul. And if you do nothing else, make sure to spend some time in the explorer’s lounge or on deck to look out over the city, especially at sunset, because it’s absolutely mesmerizing. You’ll sit down and you’ll think, “Ah, that was so worth the long flight, and your journey is only just about to begin.” The next day, you will be able to explore this city in all of its magnificence. And I’m sure that you will end up at the end of the day tired but very very happy. Day three features the port of Chanak and usually this is a mere jumpoff point for the legendary city of Troy. For the next day we have planned a visit to Ephesus for you from Kushadasi and on day five you will be visiting roads. Day six will find you in the island of Cit and you finally arrive in Athens at the end of your journey where you can spend a full day exploring the city before returning home on day eight or continuing your travels. But we’ll get to that later. But let’s now rewind and start at the beginning or even earlier. If you have more time and you want to explore more of Istanbul or the rest of Turkey before you get going, we have two options to extend your journey. There’s a very straightforward twoight extension that provides a nice balance between organized sightseeing and time for independent exploration. We will take you to some of the city’s most important sites such as the Aya Sophia and the Blue Mosque and the nearby Hippodrome. And later we show you the Grand Bazaar which is this maze of shops and stalls where you can buy everything you need and lots of things you really don’t need. But whether you buy something there or not, it’s a very colorful experience that is just such an important part of any visit to Istanbul. You cannot go to Istanbul without seeing the Grand Bazaar. If you want to travel a little bit further away, there is the option to see the other worldly landscapes of Capidoshia, where people have built houses, shops, and churches into the soft, strangely shaped rocks that mark the landscape. The Capidosians have been making their homes here for some 2600 years. And it is such a unique cultural landscape that it gained protection as a UNESCO World Heritage site many years ago. While you may not recognize the name itself, Capidoshia, I’m sure that you’ve seen pictures of these houses. They’re some of the most iconic destinations in all of Turkey and perhaps even in the Mediterranean. And at the end of this extension, you will also have a panoramic tour of Istanbul as you get there to get your bearings. And then after you board the ship, you can continue to discover like a pro because you already have an idea of where everything is. So here you can see a map of the voyage. And as you get an idea of the lay of the land, this is a good moment to talk a bit about the weather, when to travel, and what to wear. The high season in the Mediterranean is in the summer months. That’s June through August. That’s a busy time of the year because many people are bound to take their vacations during these months and you will encounter some of the highest temperatures of the year from the low to mid 80s. Uh that’s about 30° centigrade and it sometimes gets even a little hotter than that and that can be quite warm if you do sightseeing in large cities. This is why we offer this itinerary during the quiet season and that runs from October to February. So, if you prefer fewer travelers and you have that flexibility where you can travel whenever you want and you have some easier access to landmarks, there’s just, you know, fewer crowds. It it the temperatures are a little lower. Um, it’s between 60° Fahrenheit, that’s 16° centigrade, so you will want to dress for that. Bring a few extra layers. Um, but this is an ideal time to travel. Obviously, the Mediterranean enjoys much milder temperatures than Northern Europe, for instance. There may be some gray days. There could be some scattered showers. You bring a jacket, a rain poncho. Uh, but it is a time of year where you can benefit from from fewer crowds, uh, lower airfares also. So, there are some real benefits to traveling during the quiet season. Now let’s explore this itinerary port by port and we will start in Istanbul on day one. Some of you will join us after your pre-extension stay and others will arrive in Europe today. If you’ve arranged air travel through Viking, we will transfer you from the airport to your waiting ocean ship. After boarding and settling into your stateateroom, you will have free time to relax for dinner. And remember, keep an eye out on that wonderful skyline with a mosque on every hill before you retire, before dinner, before an evening cocktail. It’s just such a magnificent view. You can spend hours on deck or in the explorer’s lounge or of course on your veranda. We’re docked overnight in Istanbul, so you will have a full day here tomorrow. And to get an an idea of what it’s like, start with a little video right now. Have a have a taste. Istanbul is the ultimate enigma, a bridge between Europe and Asia. It’s drawn from both for centuries. A fascinating tapestry perfect for exploration. Istanbul is a city where west meets east, Europe meets Asia, and Christianity meets Islam. Aya Sophia is a stunning example. It was first a Byzantine church and visited by the Vikings, then became a mosque and now is a museum. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, is an architectural masterpiece. Its intricate detailing will catch your eye while the welcoming atmosphere delights your spirit. [Music] One thing you really won’t want to miss is the ham. A spa-like experience popularized by the Ottomans in the 15th century. It’s one of my very favorite ways to unwind. Or you can head underground to the Basilica Sistn. Its columns are legendary and one is completely unique. Known as the column of tears, it’s said to bring good fortune. If you put your thumb into this hole and manage to complete a 360° spin of your hand, your wish is granted. An experience unlike anything else I’ve witnessed is the sema ritual. This is the Sufi Levy order, also known as the whirling dervishes. And what appears to be a dance is anything but. Every action and breath is intended to honor the creator as the participants rotate in a trancelike state. [Music] Of course, a stroll in the Grand Bazaar is also a must. And the souk will entice you with its colors and fragrances. When you’re hungry, head for Ortaoy for a real treat, a stuffed potato called Kir. Throughout Istanbul, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to tempt your taste buds. When you’re out on the water, be sure to check out the stunning views. The wealth and diversity of the architecture lining these shores is astonishing. [Applause] And there’s more fascinating architecture at the original terminal for the Orient Express. Nights are fascinating, too. Step out and dine like a local, sampling mez, the Turkish tapas, fazil music, and a glass of wrecky. Istanbul is an exotic city filled with many hidden wonders. I hope you get to experience it. As I just mentioned, the mosque on every hill, but there are also churches and there’s a synagogue in Istanbul. It’s full of magnificent, beautiful religious sites such as the spectacular blue mosque and the Ai Sophia. First, we have the Blue Mosque, also known as the Sultanamett Mosque, shown here on this slide. You can marvel at these slender minetses and this doming cascade. It’s really one of Istanbul’s most recognizable sites. It has an incredible interior that’s completely decorated with blue tiles and that’s where it gets its name from. And these tiles come from a city named Isnik. Another one of the city’s most stunning buildings is the Sophia. Originally built as a church in the sixth century, the name is Sophia means holy wisdom. It is example of Byzantine architecture and it’s especially unique today because it blends Ottoman tradition traditions. It’s a mosque today. And that Byzantine groundwork, if you will, that Byzantine structural groundwork that is especially considering that it is so ancient, just incredibly stunning. It is on the inside one of the most interesting buildings you could visit anywhere in Europe or in the world for that matter, precisely because of this blend of Islamic art and early Christian art. There are stunning mosaics that just makes it such an such a beautiful beautiful building to visit and so interesting and so intricate. Another building that is really interesting that is a little bit off the beaten track but we take you there or on our included excursion is a mosque that was built by Mimir Cen and he is in the Ottoman period probably the best known architect in the Mediterranean world. He built quite a few of the mosques in Istanbul and he became the founder of the Ottoman school that eventually spread through much of the Middle East. This one is a relatively small mosque, the Rust Pasha Mosque, and it’s best known for the fact that it is completely covered in these blue, red, and white isnik tiles. Isnik is a city in Turkey, not too far from Istanbul, where in the late 15th century, artisans replaced traditional ceramic clay, which tends to be a little grayish white, with quartz. And that produced a much brighter white tile base and that allowed the traditional colors, the blues, the greens, the reds to really, really pop. And there’s hardly any other mosque in Istanbul or in the world for that matter that has such rich tiles, such rich decorations. Usually what you will find are flowers, geometric patterns, and calligraphy. Also very important in Islamic art. You usually don’t find people since there is a strict adherence to the prohibition of graven images as it exists in Christianity and it is very narrowly interpreted in Islamic art. So that’s why you find these beautiful patterns, flowers, uh, but also these long bands of calligraphy that are very popular in in many of the mosques that you find around Istanbul, also in the rest of the Middle East. By the way, one of the other things to do in Istanbul is to visit the Topcapi Palace, which represents what the sultans lived like. It’s this very large fortified complex and at one point it was the epicenter of the Ottoman Empire and today it’s a museum that has everything from jewels and textiles to books and manuscripts uh pottery. It’s an incredible museum that’s spread out over 173 acres of gardens, small pavilions, larger pavilions and palaces, apartments, bath houses, kitchens, library, and even a church. So, it is one of the most diverse, relatively small parts of the city that you could visit. And we’ve said it a few times now, there is the bazaar. It’s the world’s largest covered market with some 3,000 shops and cafes, and it offers the richest taste of Turkish culture. From a vast selection of carpets and fabrics to dates and local sweet favorites like Turkish delight, uh spices, there is something for the senses, for all of the senses when you walk through the Grand Bazaar. Uh carpets in particular make for a very special keepsake from Istanbul. So, let’s learn a little bit more about that in the next video. Istanbul is a cultural paradise. Among its many treasures are the beautiful, intricately made carpets and kilims. Learning about them is fun, a process that always begins with chai, Turkish sweet black tea, as I discovered with my friend Julia. First up were the traditional pile woven carpets, all made by hand. It’s a nomadic tribal carpet coming from center part of Turkey. The carpets of each region have distinct motifs and colors and many date back to the earliest days of the Ottoman Empire. The wool is bound with a unique gy double knot. The same knot found in the oldest existing pile carpet. A second type of Turkish carpet is known as a kilim. is wool on wool material and with vegetable colors. The kilims are created by interweaving the strands rather than tying knots as they do with pile carpets. While Turkish carpets appear delicate, they’re actually extremely durable. So don’t be afraid to walk on them, even the most expensive ones. So these are all original colors. All original colors. And is the the natural colors is very important. Synthetic or chemical dyes when you wash it the colors going to run and with time can fade it. Natural and vegetable colors are always strong enough even 200 years later is going to remain the same colors and same tones. The most beautiful carpets I’ve seen are those made of silk. This is a silk piece with very fine work. Wow. Embroidery we call sumak and that’s woven. is a woven technique silk on silk material. So this is first woven and then embroidered by hand all silk all silk and all made by hand and all natural colors. All natural colors. The silk carpets are often called flying carpets, possibly due to the fact that they’re very light and easy to pack. You know what? I can put it into my handbag. Some of the most valuable Turkish carpets are the hand selected antiques which are sometimes created with a different type of wool. This is over 80 years old coming from center part of Turkey. It’s like velvet. Like velvet because of the lamb’s wool. When the animals 6 months old, we take it first cut. It’s softer than the normal sheep wool and shinier. Shinier. Yes. But what I found most intriguing are the dowry carpets. What makes it a dowy carpet? Dowry carpet is the more special. The young girl is make it for to own use. So every girl would make her own diary in the carpet. Before she get married. Yes. Okay. And how do you find these diary pieces? We travel in winter time all over Turkey. We go to the villages, we go to the mountains, we knock to the doors. And this determining the quality of a Turkish carpet is easy. There are just a few key elements to consider. The material, the handwork, the dyes, the origin of the carpet and one of the most important of course is the number of knots which you can see on the underside of the carpet. When it is more finer work, which means more smaller knots, more material and more hand work. So this for example would have how many knots? This one we call it 7 by 7 which means 49. So 49 knots in one square cm. Yes. Of course the silk one you can find more finer because of the material. And how fine does it go on silk? On the silk until 20 by 20 which means like 400 400 knots in one in one cm. Yes. This size by hand it takes one and a half or two years time. I find Turkish carpets beautiful and their history fascinating. And carpet shopping, a great place to practice the ancient art of haggling. You’ll insult the vendor if you don’t. It’s also a unique way to explore Turkish culture and traditions. I hope you too will go out and experience this country’s many treasures. On day three, you will arrive in Chanaka, a key city located on the Dardinels, the waterway that links the sea of Marmara to the Aian Sea. From here, you can experience the nearby ruins of Troy, which was in its day an incredibly thriving ancient city in Asia Minor. And today’s archaeological site shows evidence that as many as nine cities existed on this spot over millennia. But it is most remembered, of course, as the setting of the Trojan War, described by Homer in the Iliad. On your tour, you will hear the story of Helen of Troy, the woman who had the face that launched the thousand ships, and you will see the walls that were besieged during that famous war and that were eventually destroyed. Another option is a visit to the ancient city of Asos where the timewn pillars of the temple of Athena stand on a scenic hillside and you can explore these fascinating ruins with your guides and there are incredible views to be had of the Agian Sea. There’s also an option to cross the Dardinel straight to visit the World War I battlefields and monuments of Gallipoli. Today you will call in Kushadasi and that’s the gateway to Ephesus, one of the best preserved cities of antiquity in the world. Many of its ruins have endured from the time Ephesus was one of the largest metropolises of the ancient world. At one point, the city had about a quarter of a million inhabitants. That’s such a stunning number when you consider that this is hundreds of years ago. The excavations in Ephesus reach back to the 10th century BC when this city hosted one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the temple of Aremis. We have many exciting shore excursions to choose from in Ephesus. The going on these ruins is sometimes a little slow, so I advise you to pace yourself. We do have an included excursion that takes that into account, and it’s uh of a more gentle pace, if you will. You can step back into the Bronze Age and visit the Oracle of the Daima to learn about local people who once turned to it for guidance. Or you can see the temple of Apollo, part of a once very elaborate helenic sanctuary. Or visit Mitus, which was once one of the most wealthy Greek ports. And of course, you can marvel at the most recognizable building in the city, the Library of Celsius, which is shown on this picture. Built to house 12,000 scrolls, it was one of the largest facilities of its kind in the ancient world. and its colonated facade is an outstanding example of typical Roman public buildings that were that were created and that were shaped to represent wealth, to represent power. Or you can delve into biblical history and see the ancient sites of Ephesus that are related to that history. You can see the small house of the most famous woman in biblical history, Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is believed that St. John brought Mary here to live out her final days after the crucifixion. And finally, for a completely new perspective, you can take to the skies by plane. You can fly over all these ancient ruins and the great temple of Aremis, and you take in stunning views of the coastline below you. You see fig and olive tree orchards and of course the Aian Sea. And that’s really a once in a-lifetime opportunity to get this very different perspective of the area. Sailing on, we are now in Greece on the island of roads. This is the most popular and the largest of the Dodic islands with a multi-layered history that goes back millennia. The hills and the low mountains of roads and this is kind of unique to the Greek islands are primarily covered with forests very dense thick pine forest. You will visit one of the most imposing buildings in roads that’s the palace of the grand masters and it was erected in the 14th century. It was first a castle and then it became a royal palace and today it’s a UNESCO world heritage site. It was begun by the Knights of the Order of St. John, a group of crusaders that also left their mark on the island of Malta. You might choose to hike to the ancient Acropolis of Lindos. There are 195 steps to the top, but your effort will be rewarded with the site of the Doric Temple of Lindian Athena, and it’s enclosed within the walls of the castle of the Knights. You can also admire the 18th century frescos of the Byzantine church of St. John. And again, you have these wonderful views of the Aian Sea. For a local life experience, you can sample Greek delicacies and learn about carpet weaving and pottery making in the picturesque village of Arangalos, where these traditional forms have been kept alive by locals who will generally wear traditional costumes to boot. We are now in the capital of Heracleion which grew from the riches of the Venetian empire that ruled here for four centuries. Creed enjoyed a Renaissance building boom that helped boster Heracleion as the region’s most strongly fortified city and today it’s surrounded by what’s left of these walls and they have been very very well preserved. So you will see the old Venetian harbor. You will stroll to Liberty Square or as the Greeks call it Democratia Square and you will marvel at the Venetian era all lions fountain, a sculpted treasure that people in Cree just love. It’s just become a symbol of the city and of the island. Another option that you would have here is to visit the palace of Konos, the center of Manoan culture. And the Manoan culture ruled over the island of Cree from approximately 2600 to,00 BC thousands of years ago. And and to me the most stunning part of just visiting this is just not just the fact of of of how well it’s preserved or how well the art is done, just the fact that it is so ancient. The palace is the legendary royal residence where Minos’s wife Fifi gave birth to the Minotaur, the half bull and half men creature that eventually was defeated by Thesis in in the myth of the Minotaur. Inside the palace, you will view the royal quarters, the throne room with its antichamber and the queen’s quarters and the famed frescos that you see throughout the building. And then finally you get to Athens, the Greek capital that is considered the birthplace of democracy. It was the home of Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle and a long tradition of consulting with the people of the republic before decisions were made. We offer several opportunities to see the magnificent Acropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage site and of course the focal point of ancient Greece. You’ll have to climb 80 steps through the propylum, the grand entrance, and then you’re on top of this hill that overlooks the entire city. This is where the parthonon reigns over the Nikke, the erectium, and all the other temples. It really stands out. On the edge of the Acropolis is the new Acropolis Museum that has collected 4,000 objects from the ancient city. And even if you don’t make it all the way up to the Acropolis, the museum itself is a very, very good proxy of what is on that hill and what used to be on that hill. It’s really one of the most stunning museums that you’ll ever visit. Let’s watch a short video of the famous love story that blossomed here at the Acropolis. Strolling through the magnificent Acropolis, I learned of the modern-day love story of Mary and Mimikos, a romantic tragedy that became a movie chronicling the dramatic events of 1893. Mary Weber was a German governness at the palace of King George the 1 of Greece. She met an army surgeon, Michael Mimikos. They met somehow during a Sunday prominade and they fell in love. It must have been a law love at first sight. The two lovers met every day on the Acropolis of Athens. This was the standard rad is one of those laws that you all know like Julie and Romeo. They did things discreetly because, you know, it wasn’t very proper for a young girl to be having an affair. They used to communicate with letters. She would leave it at the military hospital which was just next to the Acropolis Museum so that he would receive it. Sending letters one to the other forever promising promising things, waiting for them to get married, waiting for them for them to leave their the rest of their life. The love affair went on for 7 months and they started making plans to see if they could be married, if they would have enough money to make it through. One day, Mimikos did not come and the following day he did not show up. Michael Mimikos is missing those morning radous every single day for three running days. He disappears. Mary sends one letter, the second letter, the third letter. No respond. And this happened for eight running days. Finally, she writes a brief note. She’s absolutely desperate. She wants to meet him. And now it’s the fourth letter coming saying, “If you don’t come, I kill myself and uh she meant it.” The next morning, she’s coming up with great hope. She started picking up and collecting flowers from all around the rocky hill and in that white gown in which she was dressed. She went all the way up all the way up to the very top of the parthonon and she stood there and the guard who was an eyewitness said that she looked like a statue living statue in that dress that was blown by the air and when she knew that he was not coming she just leapt. Some tourists that happened to be nearby helped to transfer uh her body to the nearby hospital. This hospital at the foot of the Acropolis where Mimikos was a staff member. Her love arrived Michael only to find out all the letters that had piled up there and he had not read them. He had not received them only because he was sick all these days. He was absent for eight days in a row. He was guided to the room. There he found his Mary holding violets dressed as a bride. That was the custom in Greece when unmarried people die. That moment he said, “Do not worry. I’ll follow you soon.” The next thing we know is that his family took him to their house. His brother decided to stay with him so that he wouldn’t commit suicide. But at some point in the night, he took his gun and he shot himself straight into the heart. That next day, the funerals took place. There were separate burials that on that same night of the funerals, a group of doctors, friends actually, they ended the cemetery and moved the body of Mimikos into Mary’s grave. Their names are are engraved on the grave stone and on the grave marker and it is it is a very sweet modest place. Mimikos and Mary were as pure as angels and like angels they flew to heaven. I hope you too will do what I did and explore the Acropolis, listening closely for the other stories these stones can tell. We also offer a visit to Mount Pernacus and Delelfi where ancient leaders sought advice and prophecies that changed the course of nations from the oracle of course. You can walk up the sacred way to the temple of Apollo where the oracle dispensed her advice and you can hike up to the ancient stadium here that is one of the best preserved of its kind in all of Greece. Or you can simply spend some time in the Placa district in Athens itself at the base of the Acropolis which has shops lined every street and you can savor these small plates of mezes or a sip of uzo a traditional apperiv. And that’s really also your chance to pick up some lastminut keepsakes, uh things that you want to bring home. It’s a mecca for for shopping. Art lovers will not want to miss the Canelopolis Museum, which houses the private collection of Paul and Alexander Canvalopolis, containing objects that span the the the times from prehistory to modern era, from 3000 BC to the 19th century. It’s a very unique private collection. You’ll see clay and stone vases, figurines, busts, weapons, coins, inscriptions. Again, it’s a very eclectic mix that really presents the personality of the people that brought it all together. Another option is to take in the architectural highlights of ancient Athens on an electric bike. You’ll pass by such landmarks as the temple of Zeus that is shown here in this picture and the Acropolis Museum, the Odon Herodotus Attacus, the Thissian Open Air Cinema, Hadrien’s Gate, and the Lissatus Monument. And then on day eight, it’s time to say goodbye already. Unless of course you spend some extra time with us either on a very straightforward twoight package in Athens that allows you more time to explore this city and really you could use a week in Athens if you really want to see everything. You can also book the classic Greece package that’s four nights and that includes visit a little outside of Athens to Misa and to Epidoris and you will also visit Delelfi uh and the temple of Apollo. So that is something that you can also do while you’re on your cruise in Athens. But if you book the extension, you free up some time if you will in a Athens itself to do other things. Classic Greece really gives you a complete overview of Athens and its surroundings. And frankly, it’s one of the most popular of our longer extensions.
Enjoy another informative overview of our remarkable 8-day Ancient Mediterranean Treasures journey with Joost Ouendag, Vice President of Group Product Development. Learn about the historic sites you can visit, including the hallowed grounds of the Acropolis in Athens, the iconic Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and the remnants of ancient Troy. Should you have any questions following this presentation, you may submit them to us any time at vikingfamily@viking.com.
Discover our Ancient Mediterranean Treasures itinerary: https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/ancient-mediterranean-treasures/index.html
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