for fun: Do/Would you still put on all your makeup and decent clothes if you are quarantined

[Lois R]

Good morning, Cynthia, I took some time to read about the tours offered and found several that looked appealing. Some were already waitlisted but overs were available. 

Since we are in Istanbul overnight I am doing 2 tours....one each day. Will post them later.

 

[Lois R]

Hi again,  Cynthia, (and anyone else LOL)

My tours in Istanbul are 

• BEYLERBEYI PALACE & ASIAN ISTANBUL on the first day. It is a 4 hour tour.
• and on the 2nd day something called 
• BOSPHORUS CRUISE BY PRIVATE YACHT.

 

The other days are various tours.......(some are just sightseeing).

Crete:

• OLIVE OIL: THE ELIXIR OF MEDITERRANEAN DIET...we are going to an Olive Oil Estate.

I have been to Rhodes before and am doing a Panoramic Ride there.

 

Marmaris:  Panoramic Marmaris 

 

I am doing the easier tour in Ephesus.......it is called "Easy Ephesus". I have been there before and not sure I want to be gone all day this time. It is a 1/2 day tour, rather than the all day one.

 

Izmir: BERGAMA TOWN & ASCLEPION

 

THESSALONIKI :  THESSALONIKI JEWISH HERITAGE  TOUR

 

MYKONOS: MYKONOS “FOODIE” WALKING TOUR

This tour is on a waitlist........ I have been there before multiple times. 

Will see if space becomes available. 

 

 

 

 

[awhfy]

Lois all of your tours sound great. Which SilverSea ship are you on for this trip?

[Lois R]

Hi Melody, it is called "The Spirit". I have sailed her twice before so I know the ship pretty well🙂

[slidergirl]

Lois - you were going to do a river cruise out of Paris, pre-COVID I think.  Did that one go away?  

 

Just got my Garnet Hill catalog.  On the back, is their Everyday T-Shirt dress.  Looks like it could have potential for anyone looking for a comfy casual dress for travel.  

 

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by slidergirl

[Lois R]

1 minute ago, slidergirl said:

Lois - you were going to do a river cruise out of Paris, pre-COVID I think.  Did that one go away?  

 

 

Hi Kat, maybe this summer.......it sort of did go away though. My choices seem to change a lot lately.

Oh well.........

[purduemom1]

Hello All, lots of travel talk going on here. Lois, your tours sound interesting with a good mix of experiences. Will look forward to your first hand reviews. 
 

Kat, I look forward to your planning discussions and details. Almost, but not quite, as interesting as your travel reports😉. A foodie tour would be fun and hopefully yields some interesting recipes. 
 

Melody, according to the news, your area got quite a bit of snow. Hope all is ok with you. BTW, while Celebrity cutting back on the dinner options in the buffet isn’t a big deal for us, charging 9.95 for breakfast room service, other than continental, does disappoint me. We always enjoy ordering breakfast especially when it’s warm enough to eat on the balcony. 
 

Hope everyone following along here is doing ok and that the weather isn’t causing a lot of problems for anyone. Take care all,

Sharon

[cruisemom42]

7 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi again,  Cynthia, (and anyone else LOL)

My tours in Istanbul are 

• BEYLERBEYI PALACE & ASIAN ISTANBUL on the first day. It is a 4 hour tour.
• and on the 2nd day something called 
• BOSPHORUS CRUISE BY PRIVATE YACHT.

 

The other days are various tours.......(some are just sightseeing).

Crete:

• OLIVE OIL: THE ELIXIR OF MEDITERRANEAN DIET...we are going to an Olive Oil Estate.

I have been to Rhodes before and am doing a Panoramic Ride there.

 

Marmaris:  Panoramic Marmaris 

 

I am doing the easier tour in Ephesus.......it is called "Easy Ephesus". I have been there before and not sure I want to be gone all day this time. It is a 1/2 day tour, rather than the all day one.

 

Izmir: BERGAMA TOWN & ASCLEPION

 

THESSALONIKI :  THESSALONIKI JEWISH HERITAGE  TOUR

 

MYKONOS: MYKONOS “FOODIE” WALKING TOUR

This tour is on a waitlist........ I have been there before multiple times. 

Will see if space becomes available. 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Lois, lots of good choices.

 

Do they not have any tours in Istanbul that visit the main sites like Haghia Sophia or Topkapi Palace?  The Asian side is interesting, but kind of secondary....

 

The Bosphorus cruise is nice and very scenic.

[Lois R]

27 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Hi Lois, lots of good choices.

 

Do they not have any tours in Istanbul that visit the main sites like Haghia Sophia or Topkapi Palace?  The Asian side is interesting, but kind of secondary....

 

The Bosphorus cruise is nice and very scenic.

Hi, I will have to look at those again. I really don't know much about Istanbul to be honest with you.

[Lois R]

Sad news tonight.......David Crosby, from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young died today..........I still love their music..........

RIP David Crosby...........

[PurpleHays]

Y'all are all making my next cruise seem puny since we're just going to the Caribbean for my 60th birthday.

 

Just finished a miserable week at work. You know, the kind that makes you want to turn in your letter of resignation and never go back. There's a general feeling of unhappiness and I don't know what to do. For the time being, I'm going to go in, do my job, and go home. None of the extra little things I've been doing. I'm close, but not close enough to to retirement to just say **** it and quit. Maybe I just need to look at it as my vacation fund and take all six weeks I'll earn and not bank them. Oooohhhh! Two nice cruises a year!

 

On the bright side, it was in the 70s today, I got to skate and meet an online friend that's thinking of moving to the area. And got fabric to make a new dress for our upcoming cruise. I also get to skate tomorrow--an adult event with dinner first.

[Lois R]

Hi PH, not puny at all...........I just went to the Caribbean and loved it. Each cruise has a different feel to it but doesn't make one better than the other........just different🙂

[Lois R]

13 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Hi Lois, lots of good choices.

 

Do they not have any tours in Istanbul that visit the main sites like Haghia Sophia or Topkapi Palace?  The Asian side is interesting, but kind of secondary....

 

The Bosphorus cruise is nice and very scenic.

Good morning, looking at the tours again, there is one called Dolmabahce Palace and Ottoman Art.

Mentioned in the narrative is Topakapi but I am not sure we go in or not.......Would you recommend this type of tour over the one I booked? You can be honest please🙂

 

[awhfy]

13 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi, I will have to look at those again. I really don't know much about Istanbul to be honest with you.

I think Hagia Sophia in Turkey would have to be the #1 spot for me to visit. Then the bazaar for some copper

Edited January 20, 2023 by awhfy

[awhfy]

Sharon, our mountains have been hammered (like Kats). Our kids favorite ski area had 40” in 48 hours on top of the 28” they had just received. Skiing & boarding is fabulous this year. We’ve had some snow but not gobs. We are expecting snow today & unfortunately a major storm on Sunday (hope it doesn’t affect my foot surgery on Monday morning. Might be a bit sporty maneuvering the knee scooter or crutches Monday night, sigh. 

Edited January 20, 2023 by awhfy

[Lois R]

Cynthia, have you been to an area called Pera?  There is a tour there that is called 

PERA ON FOOT WITH ORIENT EXPRESS TEA.

[cruisemom42]

Hi Lois,

 

I would agree with Melody that Haghia Sophia (spelled many different ways including Aya Sofya, etc.)  is the #1 knock-out "must see" of Istanbul.  Like the Pantheon in Rome, it is an ancient building, originally built in the 300's AD and rebuilt in the 500's after a fire. It is hugely historic, has beautiful marble and mosaics inside, not to mention the architecture is mesmerizing -- all the supporting arches and domes on top of domes!

 

 

 

If you can find a tour that includes this, it would be my recommendation. 

 

Topkapi Palace is a large complex where the Ottoman emperors lived. The main "wow" things to see there are the Harem quarters (usually a special tour and it would be mentioned as such in the description, I would think?), and the jewel collection, including the famous Topkapi dagger.

 

The Basilica Cistern is another cool place to visit -- it doesn't take that long, and it is really unusual. It was built by the late Romans as a place to store water from the aqueducts that brought it to the city. (You may still see remains of one of these aqueducts, which crosses a main thoroughfare in Istanbul...)

 

 

 

Looking at your tour descriptions, I've been to Dolmabahce palace -- to me it looks like any "grand" European palace and not really anything that is specific to Istanbul. It's very pretty to see but I would say you should see it on a second or third visit when you've seen the major sites.

 

The "Pera" area is sort of the Victorian/Edwardian area of Istanbul (mid 1800's to early 1900's). The recently restored Pera Hotel was where the wealthy stayed, close to the train station that was used by those traveling on the Orient Express. So I'm guessing you'd see the train station and maybe have tea at the hotel?  Again, this is kind of away from the "Prime" sightseeing area of Sultanahmet where Topkapi, Haghia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, the Bazaars, etc. are all located.

 

Is it possible that some of these more central tours are already sold out on your cruise?

[Lois R]

29 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Hi Lois,

 

I would agree with Melody that Haghia Sophia (spelled many different ways including Aya Sofya, etc.)  is the #1 knock-out "must see" of Istanbul.  Like the Pantheon in Rome, it is an ancient building, originally built in the 300's AD and rebuilt in the 500's after a fire. It is hugely historic, has beautiful marble and mosaics inside, not to mention the architecture is mesmerizing -- all the supporting arches and domes on top of domes!

 

 

 

If you can find a tour that includes this, it would be my recommendation. 

 

Topkapi Palace is a large complex where the Ottoman emperors lived. The main "wow" things to see there are the Harem quarters (usually a special tour and it would be mentioned as such in the description, I would think?), and the jewel collection, including the famous Topkapi dagger.

 

The Basilica Cistern is another cool place to visit -- it doesn't take that long, and it is really unusual. It was built by the late Romans as a place to store water from the aqueducts that brought it to the city. (You may still see remains of one of these aqueducts, which crosses a main thoroughfare in Istanbul...)

 

 

 

Looking at your tour descriptions, I've been to Dolmabahce palace -- to me it looks like any "grand" European palace and not really anything that is specific to Istanbul. It's very pretty to see but I would say you should see it on a second or third visit when you've seen the major sites.

 

The "Pera" area is sort of the Victorian/Edwardian area of Istanbul (mid 1800's to early 1900's). The recently restored Pera Hotel was where the wealthy stayed, close to the train station that was used by those traveling on the Orient Express. So I'm guessing you'd see the train station and maybe have tea at the hotel?  Again, this is kind of away from the "Prime" sightseeing area of Sultanahmet where Topkapi, Haghia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, the Bazaars, etc. are all located.

 

Is it possible that some of these more central tours are already sold out on your cruise?

Hi, thank you for all the good information. I will have to look and read more carefully about each tour and what is wait listed and what is not........And yes, there is Tea at the Hotel.  And also what they consider "active tours" as opposed to easier ones........

[Lois R]

Cynthia, I am looking at what is offered and the recommendations you are giving me are not listed.......... I wonder if I need to find a private tour guide for my first day so I actually see the better things. 

Maybe I should post over on the Ports of Call forum and see if someone can suggest a tour guide and I will just pay for that day....seems like SS is not offering those venues.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Cynthia, I am looking at what is offered and the recommendations you are giving me are not listed.......... I wonder if I need to find a private tour guide for my first day so I actually see the better things. 

Maybe I should post over on the Ports of Call forum and see if someone can suggest a tour guide and I will just pay for that day....seems like SS is not offering those venues.

 

I think that sounds like a great idea. I know I've seen an Istanbul guide recommended with several good reviews. If I find the name I'll post it here.

[Lois R]

3 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I think that sounds like a great idea. I know I've seen an Istanbul guide recommended with several good reviews. If I find the name I'll post it here.

Hi, I did see a tour on The SS website, it is one of those that they charge extra for but it is on a wait list. It is customized tour with a private driver. They have one for all day and one for 1/2 day. The 1/2 day is 300.00 for up  to 2 people. I would be able to see the places you mentioned but I am thinking a private tour operator would be less $ than that, although I am not positive.

Anyway, I am sitting at Buick dealership having my oil changed and they have a 20.00off coupon😀

[cruisemom42]

46 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Hi, I did see a tour on The SS website, it is one of those that they charge extra for but it is on a wait list. It is customized tour with a private driver. They have one for all day and one for 1/2 day. The 1/2 day is 300.00 for up  to 2 people. I would be able to see the places you mentioned but I am thinking a private tour operator would be less $ than that, although I am not positive.

Anyway, I am sitting at Buick dealership having my oil changed and they have a 20.00off coupon😀

 

Lois, I found this on the CC forum for ports in Turkey. I think the guide(s) mentioned are a husband and wife team that both lead tours. They also work with Rick Steves on his Istanbul guidebook, I believe, so they should be very good:

 

 

 

[cruisemom42]

Oops, wanted to add that in a half-day you could see most of the things I mentioned, at least as a quick visit, as they are almost all within a few blocks of each other.

[Lois R]

You are the best😀 I was searching that forum!

Thanks so much! Will let you know what transpires.

[awhfy]

Now I want to go to Turkey too!!