Riviera-Live- Barcelona to Istanbul- July 2014

[kazu]

Hate to hear talk about packing or farewell as this means that your cruise is nearing it's end along with your wonderful review and photos.

 

Really have been enjoying following along.

 

Wonderful pics:D

[CintiPam]

Simply wonderful. I do not want your cruise to end!:)

[computerworks]

Sorry for the lapse...as some of you know, things can get pretty busy as the cruise ends..plus we had an ambitious 2 days... post cruise, in Istanbul.

(We are now home...safe after a long flight to JFK.

 

Let me finish the "live" thread here..logically. Then I can start on our Review. (that may take longer than the cruise...)

 

We had a short day in our last port of Mitilini, on Lesvos. An unassuming Greek isle that is not so pretty, except for the shore areas.

We rented a car to explore the island and see some specific destinations

 

 

Pondering a nice site at our last port. Looks like a painting...that was for real.

 

 

The island is known for these 'hidden'Thermal springs and baths. We found one that was totally void of any people and just walked in and used it...found it amazing.

 

 

We climbed into the mountain area to locate the Roman Aquaduct

 

 

And, of course, located a Winery that was closed, but the owner came out to greet us and gave us a tour and some bottles of wine as a gift.

 

 

That evening, around 9:30 pm, we passed The Gallipoli Peninsula of the Dardanelles Strait, site of World War One Memorial on the north bank of the Dardanelles Strait.

 

 

That took us on a slow cruise inland, with docking in Istanbul at dawn.

[miss33minnie]

Loved your photos

We were on same cruise w you but not as successfully ambitious as you.

Stayed on board Lesbos and wish we had been w you!

Leslie and JC Mcbee

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[CintiPam]

That evening, around 9:30 pm, we passed The Gallipoli Peninsula of the Dardanelles Strait, site of World War One Memorial on the north bank of the Dardanelles Strait.

 

 

That took us on a slow cruise inland, with docking in Istanbul at dawn.

 

This is a wonderful (and stirring) photo.

 

Hope you enjoyed Istanbul, a very special city.

[Terryd444]

Ron,

 

As usual I really enjoyed your live posts and pictures. Thank you so much for taking the time to do them. Have to admit I am dying for you to tie the story up with a big ribbon and bow and post your pics of Istanbul!

 

John and I leave August 2nd to spend three days in Istanbul before our cruise to Venice which begins on August 5th. Pam has kindly updated me with all sorts of tips and hints so we feel very prepared. I am beyond excited!

 

Could you comment on whether you think a wheelchair would be doable? My disease has progressed such that I tire very easily now. I usually do fine with my walking stick that has a little seat on it, but DH is very concerned about me and wants to make sure I see everything on my bucket list. He is insisting that our itinerary combined with the heat will do me in if I'm not careful....!

 

Thanks Ron, we are all enjoying your posts, sorry for the small hijack....

Cheers

Terry

 

PS. Catherine is trying to get us to have a reunion cruise in November!

[computerworks]

We docked early a.m. in Istanbul and reluctantly left the ship; all had to be off by 9 a.m.

 

It took quite a while to clear customs and collect our luggage. It was delightfully chaotic to try and get a taxi, but we did, eventually.

 

Our hotel was in the Sirkeci section of the Old Town...and our driver was a complete clone of Latka Gravas, with little mastery of the English language...who could not find our hotel even with an address, directions, pictures and a few phone calls to the Hotel desk.

 

My NYC-sense immediately felt we were being taken for a 'ride', but ...not so. He was hopelessly lost. Despite what the meter said, I only paid him what I figured the ride was worth...and he was happy to take that, just to end the journey.

 

We checked in and left our luggage... with the mission of some sightseeing now at hand. The Grand Bazaar would be closed tomorrow, on Sunday, so we had to see that today. The Tram system is fantastic and made it easy to scoot around to the places we wanted to see.

 

Tram

 

 

It became clear that this was a beautiful city of mixed cultures and loads of antiquity once we saw the skyline.

 

 

The Grand Bazaar must be seen to be believed. It seemed to go on forever.

 

 

 

From there we jumped back on the Tram to head up to the Spice Market and the Ferry Terminal.

 

 

[computerworks]

New Mosque area by ferry terminal, and the rows of the famous "fish sandwiches" boats.

 

 

Our destination was an hour and a half tour on the ferry boat, the best deal in town. Around 5 bucks a head gets you almost two hours of close-to-the-shore sightseeing, far up the Bosphorus.

 

 

 

We even got to see our ship from ferry...

 

 

Back to the hotel to change and set out for a great dinner at a rooftop restaurant, overlooking the town.

 

 

We even watched the Riviera sail away to the Black Sea.

 

 

Tomorrow, some hardcore sightseeing to the top places on my list...

[computerworks]

Our last day of the trip, and a chance to see the main sights of the Old Town.

 

First stop was the Hippodrome....with the last two remaining spires of the infield

 

 

The base of the obelisk shows how the engineers raised it in place.

 

 

Next, a walk to the Blue Mosque...called that because of the thousands of blue Iznic tiles inside

 

 

 

[Terryd444]

Amazing photos! As I knew they would be! Can't wait for tomorrow!

[computerworks]

Next stop...Hagia Sophia, with an amazing mix of religious cultures.

 

 

 

 

 

A quick stop for a local lunch; scary piece of bread that, when deflated, was delicious.

 

[computerworks]

A visit now Little Hagia Sophia... an active mosque. Curious to see the underground 'escape' tunnel that connected it to Hagia Sophia.

 

 

 

Next stop, Topkapi Palace...where you literally could spend the entire day exploring the way the Sultans lived.

 

 

 

Sultan's Council Room

 

[computerworks]

Finally, to the Basilica Cistern... a must-see.

 

The Romans brought fresh mountain water to the city via aquaducts...and stored the water in a gigantic underground cistern.

 

 

It is almost as big as two football fields, underground.

 

 

Two columns have the famous Medusa heads

 

 

We topped off the day with an Ottoman dinner with some folks we met that had sailed on Celebrity and arrived at the same time we did... our paths crossed several times during the weekend

 

 

The next morning, our farewell breakfast. No smiles, just that end-of-trip frown.

 

[computerworks]

...and so it went.

 

Two flawless weeks onboard the Riviera, with great pre- and post-cruise experiences.

 

This truly was a memorable trip... hope you enjoyed the vignettes as we experienced them.

[computerworks]

 

Could you comment on whether you think a wheelchair would be doable? My disease has progressed such that I tire very easily now. I usually do fine with my walking stick that has a little seat on it, but DH is very concerned about me and wants to make sure I see everything on my bucket list. He is insisting that our itinerary combined with the heat will do me in if I'm not careful....!

 

Terry... you know Angela has a back and leg problem; we travel with a transit chair, just in case she has an especially bad day.

 

Istanbul will require quite a bit of walking. She did fine the first day on her own, with the tram and the ferry ride. The heat and humidity will definitely be a factor to consider.

 

The second day... I could not see her doing it without the chair. Overall, it was fine...but in many locations, she had to get up while I moved the chair over rough cobblestone paths or marble curbs. She got to see most all of the locations... but at several, she had to stay outside while I took some interior pictures. I do recommend that you bring a chair. Like we did, it can act as a walker in the tough spots, or just a place to rest in the shade between stops.

 

PS. Catherine is trying to get us to have a reunion cruise in November!

 

...I know, I know. :p

[computerworks]

Hope you enjoyed Istanbul, a very special city.

 

Spot on! I was really thrilled with Istanbul and would return in a moment to see so much more than we did. The old town was charming, the people were great... and the history was exciting.

[CintiPam]

Really enjoying your Istanbul photos. We just were there for four days for our second visit before our May Riviera cruise. We revisited Hagia Sophia again because so many of the Christian mosaics had been uncovered beneath the whitewash since our first visit in 2008.

 

I see you dined at Pasazade. That was our favorite restaurant meal in Istanbul this trip. I am a big fan of the Ottoman dish Hunkar Begendi (with a wonderful sophisticated eggplant mash), and my local Turkish restaurant will not make it because it is so much work. So Pasazade on our first night in town was a treat!:)

[canuck.qc]

I too have an 'end-of-trip-frown':( as your wonderful pics will end soon!!!!

Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us.

[computerworks]

I see you dined at Pasazade. That was our favorite restaurant meal in Istanbul this trip. I am a big fan of the Ottoman dish Hunkar Begendi (with a wonderful sophisticated eggplant mash), and my local Turkish restaurant will not make it because it is so much work. So Pasazade on our first night in town was a treat!:)

 

Glad you recognized it. ;) The rooftop venue was Imbat (on the roof of the Orient Express Hotel), which I also highly recommend... make a note for your next visit!

[CintiPam]

Glad you recognized it. ;) The rooftop venue was Imbat (on the roof of the Orient Express Hotel), which I also highly recommend... make a note for your next visit!

 

Already covered!:)

 

We ate at Pasazade our first night, Imbat our second night (with four others from our roll call) and Kasap Osman on Hocapasa our third night. Pasazade was our favorite: great location, food and service on a lovely pedestrian street.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for posting those wonderful photo's and your great report.

[roothy123]

Wow - I didn't have time to look at all your wonderful pictures, but will be back when I have more time. In the mean time, if you see this and have time to respond:

 

Do you know if there was a shuttle in Valencia, and if so, where it went? I have figured out where we dock and how to take a bus to the places I want to go, but a shuttle would make things much easier...then again, I guess if I can find others to go along, a cab might be reasonable and fast....

 

Also, was there a shuttle in Palma? I know there's a bus, but shuttle would be easier....

 

Thanks for the commentary, and for the wonderful info on ports. So many reviews and "live" reports feature a lot of ship stuff and little port stuff. Of course, I AM glad you mentioned that the internet speed was great, and I would have asked about the infamous VAT tax if someone else hadn't!

Edited July 27, 2014 by roothy123

[computerworks]

It did seem that there was a shuttle in almost every port... I will check the Currents tonight to see if those ports had them. There was always a little cheat sheet with shuttle timetables in the newsletter.

 

It is worth noting that almost all shuttles were provided by the port and not the cruise line.

[roothy123]

Thanks, I appreciate that. Also, I'll assume all were free unless you mention that they cost money! I will be going to at least one port next month where the port provides a shuttle but they charge for it (4 Gibraltar or British pounds I think) - and it only runs for a few hours after the ship docks. I'm hoping Oceania pays them to run it all day. As for Valencia, I know there is a shuttle, but I think it is only offered if you buy one of their tourist cards. Not being much of a museum person, I don't think I would use that much. All I want is a shuttle to Arts and Sciences or to the old part of Valencia.

 

Thanks for checking on Valencia and Palma.

Edited July 27, 2014 by roothy123

[TERRIER1]

Thanks, I appreciate that. Also, I'll assume all were free unless you mention that they cost money! I will be going to at least one port next month where the port provides a shuttle but they charge for it (4 Gibraltar or British pounds I think) - and it only runs for a few hours after the ship docks. I'm hoping Oceania pays them to run it all day. As for Valencia, I know there is a shuttle, but I think it is only offered if you buy one of their tourist cards. Not being much of a museum person, I don't think I would use that much. All I want is a shuttle to Arts and Sciences or to the old part of Valencia.

 

Thanks for checking on Valencia and Palma.

 

Our two times to Valencia on Oceania there was a shuttle that ran to the town.