Some of our fellow passengers are celebrating their anniversary today. They are an inspiration to us. Even more exciting – a sanctioned open flame aboard ship!

As we made our way up the west coast of Italy, the volcano on Stromboli gave us quite a show. Later in the evening the glow of lava could be seen flowing from the caldera down into the sea.

The ship is based in Australia. Many of the passengers are from Australia and New Zealand. So we held a moving service as we drifted in Anzac Cove. Ed has been singing with the onboard choir and participated in that capacity.

A Turkish grasshopper?

The port lecturer getting us up to speed about our upcoming three stops in Italy.

This was the last production show for this company. They did a great job with “The British Invasion”. This is the set featuring music by Queen.

Here we are working our way through the Mediterranean Sea.

We are suckers for ferries. We love intermodal transportation, and as the gateway city between Europe and Asia, Istanbul has embraced intermodalism with an aggressive but practical intensity. Water taxis are almost as abundant as auto taxis, better maintained and cheaper by the mile.

Our advice if you arrive at Instanbul by sea and in the morning – get up early to watch the transit. The morning sun illuminates the famous sites with a striking low light. These same sights in the afternoon will appear as mere silhouettes with a powerful backlight. Get up early and keep looking west! You can identify this as the Blue Mosque by the six minarets. The greater the number, the greater the patron who had it built.

Inside the Blue Mosque. It is “blue” because of the ornate blue tile. We were told there could be no images of people or animals because Allah (God) is the creator and therefore the only one who can produce such images perfectly. We mere humans must remain humble and stick to the written word, geometric and floral patterns.

A closer view of the main dome. There are four semi-domes facing the main compass points, each with three even smaller semi-domes. The result is an immense space supported by only four massive columns to support the main dome.

Whew! All those unclad feet inside sure could use a washing…

We have no idea what this sign is advertising. Sour looks, perhaps?

Next we visited a local craft center specializing in authentic hand knotted rugs. Each rug takes a minimum of one month and the time increased based on size, thread count and complexity of the design. The size alone does not determine the price. Rather, it is the time. Large Turkish rugs can take over a year of work by two skilled craftspeople. This lady worked while the presenter talked about the process, patterns and offered us drinks.

Here she continues transferring the design (above) into colored knots. The tufts are shorn across to leave a perfectly uniform surface of either wool, cotton, silk, or any blend of these. The figures in the rugs can tell a story of the events in the life of the weaver at the time: a birth, harvest or other major life event.

Close up of the pattern. The detail and colors are intricate. The knotwork itself is not complicated, but detail work takes time.

The finished product, this one in wool. We liked it the best after seeing over two dozen designs in various sizes. The price: $1,200 US shipped to our doorstep. Sadly, not this trip!

You want Turkish delight? You got Turkish delight! All shades, sizes, flavors, prices. Boxed to take home with you. You want a bag for that?

In the Grand Bazaar, you can pretty much find anything you want. Tens of dozens of shops of whatever it is you want. Spices? Yes, we have those. If you can make your way through the air thick with the intermingling scents.

If you need a pharmacy (chemist, apothecary) in Turkey, look for the big red “E”.

Here’s Daniel, who grew up in Turkey and Seattle, USA. He’s started his own business and wants to turn it into a chain throughout Turkey. He says it’s easier to start a business here than in the U.S. because they have fewer regulatory restrictions and want to encourage business. We wish him well!

Ah, the sweet desserts of travel. We hope you’re enjoying the journey with us. Let us know in the comments here, or on our Facebook page. And please SHARE this adventure with your friends!

The local Mytilenean Statue of Liberty. (sadly there was graffiti on her pedestal.)

The Hellenic Lighthouse Association maintains a light on this eastern point of the island. Kids – what does this look like to you?

A fortress protecting the harbor. It was built in stages and now, it’s being repaired. In stages. The recent economic problems in Greece have slowed down many things, including this project.

There was no activity on the site, probably because we visited on a Sunday. There were no barriers, signs, security or OSHA to keep us out. We wandered all around the restoration area. This kiln looked to be for firing clay pots and items. It would not surprise us if they put it back into use once the rebuild is complete.

At the base of the fort, wildflowers covered the hillsides, in all hues, shapes and sizes.

Now this is a sailboat to write home about. Notice the short centerboard but wide outriggers built into the hull. Perfect for sailing, rowing, and dragging ashore on shallow secluded island beaches.

An impressively restored Greek Orthodox church. The stones appeared newly cut and fresh, the marble steps aligned tightly with each other, the colors complementing the site’s tasteful landscaping. On second thought, maybe this in no a restoration, but new construction. Beautiful to behold and especially the mosaic on the northeast side. Being Sunday, the chapel was closed.

Our first shots through the windows gave us nothing but a white flash flare. So we tried again, this time with iPhone and flash turned off. This composite picture is the result. Lesson learned here – keep trying. You may be surprised what your technology can capture for you.

In the cool down period before lunch. We wandered into a cafe and sat by the water. They ignored us for about five minutes, which gave us time to catch our breath, watch the small fish battling the shoreside swells and enjoy the breeze off the water, cooler by more than 5ºC. Then we ordered coke and ouzo, the local specialty alcohol. This brand is named after the island, and while the label is obscured in this picture, quite potent at 92 proof. Yes, 92.

Michelle ordered the hava bean dip. It arrived topped with chopped purple onion, which added just the right savory flavor to an already well seasoned mash. The bread was fresh baked and exactly the way we like – thin crusty on the outside with a nice sprinkle of dry flour and meal, and warmly soft and moist on the inside with a hint of residual yeast in pockets of un-uniform texture to offset the earthiness of the dark grain flour. And of course the Greek Coffee, sweetened “medium”. We’d hate to taste what “sweet” might be, the cuppa was a veritable dessert all by itself.

At Michelle’s suggestion, Ed ordered a kilo of grilled sardines. We had very likely been watching their cousins just below our table the whole time. The flavor of freshly caught and grilled sardines will linger with us a long time, just slightly longer than the aroma they left on our fingers.

Ed after a wonderful lunch of fava bean dip, grilled sardines and ouzo. MMMmm. Does this guy look at home or what? Yes we know this does not say “Popeye’s” in Greek. But hey, Popeye was a Coastie.

Imagine this tree shadowing your local neighborhood sidewalk. I doubt the fruit would last more than a day. Now imaging an entire city block shaded by trees bearing similar clumps of oranges, four to six in a bunch. And then think juice, fresh squeezed by hand into small glasses. Every morning for breakfast. You’d live forever.

Do you want to find a small slice of heaven? Visit Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesvos on a Sunday. You will not want to leave.

A view of a Grecian Temple from the Acropolis

Surveying gear at the Parthenon – modern meets absolutely ancient

Columns in various states of repair. It was an absolutely clear and blue day. The wind was relentless, pounding in from the north and stirring up dust, sand and grit. Millions of footsteps have polished any piece of exposed marble to a fine polish. The slippery footing combined with the fine dust, uneven terrain and blowing debris made walking tricky.

Here we are after taking a few minutes to photograph our backpacking passengers – the West By Sea object collection

This may look like a jumbled pile of rocks, a child’s building block collection. But look again. Those three vertical windows are perfectly square, exactly the same in dimensions. Look a third time. The horizontal space *separating* the windows is exactly the dimension of the windows themselves. Now try doing that with technology only available 3000 years ago. Yup. Hard.

Another temple at the Acropolis. (We will dig out the name in the updated version of the post. Who knows what these columns represent?)

The modern camping industry could take a hint from this Hellenic period cookware. I love that the heat shield has its own matching handle.

An everyday goblet in ancient Greece.

This pattern was on the ground. It looked absolutely drab, the colors barely visible. Through the magic of photoshop we can see the effect produced by thousands of irregular tiles, each smaller than one centimeter square. Placing this floor required dedication and attention to detail. And maybe a little ouzo?

The Temple of the Eight Winds. This was an early observatory, with sighting slots, sundial and a water clock for keeping time on cloudy days.

Detail of the top pieces, one for each of the eight winds.

For Ed and you engineers out there, this is the best part – the plan view! It is rare to find something like this, but a welcome addition. We thank the designers of this sign for including a scale with the layout. This means we can build one of our own some day.

Where we stopped for lunch. These are strange looking men with long beards and bushy tails.

Michelle ordered this eggplant lasagne, alternately stacked with thick slabs of the vegetable and a filling which contained a more than generous proportion of pesto. The grape leaves are stuffed with a mixture of ground lamb, rice, mint and spices and drizzled with a lightly creamy cheese sauce.

The “Wind Star”, based in Nassau. Perhaps next time we get underway?

Back underway among the islands of Greece. It is easy to understand why they became a seafaring people. The islands are all visible from each other, just a short journey by boat. You don’t need a reason. Just go.

The Old City of Jerusalem, Israel

We liked that the cross blended into this picture, but the shadow was visible.

Heading well below sea level to the Dead Sea.

Security checkpoint. Nice haircut!

Masada was the fortress of King Herod. A small group of Jewish rebels withstood a siege here before committing mass suicide. Check www.masada.org.il for the official information about the site.

These ravens had a unique call and very beautiful drab markings under the wings.

The largest of the surrounding 8 siege camps of the Romans sent to retake Masada from the rebels.

Inside the Masada palace – entry to the steam room.

One of the many bath sinks at the bathhouse in the palace. Outside now, but once covered. Such luxury from over 2000 years ago.

A smaller bath inside one of the excavated buildings. Notice the tile floor.

The underside of the steam room. The water was heated below and piped in. Then the steam would rise through the vertical pipes and escape through holes (visible at the top of the picture).

The Dead Sea from a vantage point at about sea level. The water level is around 1300 feet below sea level. The country of Jordan is visible across the Sea.

Well behaved sheep mean the shepherd can take a rest.

Floppy-eared sheep and fuzzy goats. Very fuzzy indeed.

Heading back to the ship, and obligatory Israeli traffic. There is a lot of construction and dust, but also plenty of tree plantings.

The ship is tied up at the port of Ashdod, one of three Israeli ports.

The Suez Canal – quite a lot of sand

Tugs shadowing us as we head northbound through the Suez Canal