ROME

The ship docked in Civitavecchia today, which is about an hour train ride away from Rome. The day was very hectic because we couldn’t leave the ship until 8:00 am and we had to be back by 4:00 pm. Travis had lesson with a lady by the name of Anne Rockwell and we had a tech rehearsal at 4:45 because they informed us the day before that we would be performing our foxtrot to open the show at 9:30. So, we had to be up fairly early to get ready and have a good breakfast to be off the ship by 8:00. We went to the train station immediately, which was a fifteen minute walk. After an hour train ride, we arrived in Rome. It was the first time for either of us and it was incredible. We both agreed that Rome might be one of the most beautiful “large” cities that we’ve ever been to. The architecture was picturesque; remnants of an ancient civilization are prevalent in a newer, slightly more modern city. Beyond the incredible sights, the air was clean and the sky was very, very blue. We knew that we wouldn’t have much time to see the city and in order to be able to see all the sights we decided to take an open air bus tour. It was probably the best decision we could have made because we really made the most of our time. On the bus tour were able to see the colosseum, Vatican city, Trevi fountain, and a ton of other amazing sites. It’s really hard to put into words how incredible it was. At 2:39 we had to catch the train back to Civitavecchia to get back to the boat. Right when we got back we had some lunch and Travis had his lesson with Anne. Later that night we had our performance in the stardust. We opened the show with our foxtrot that we did while we were on team. It seems that it went over very well, we received many compliments the rest of the cruise.

Sorrento, Italy

Today we visited Sorrento, Italy. All I can say is that I am in love! It is such a beautiful city raised up on cliffs overlooking the sea. Although we weren’t able to visit Pompeii or Positano it was really fun to just wander the city. Unfortunately our wandering took us to visit some great little shops and we were able to find some amazing items. For me we bought a coat (to die for), two blouses and a jacket. For Travis we bought a jacket, sweater and some really great shoes (we found them in a bin outside a shop and they were the only ones and they happened to fit Travis perfectly, what luck!) We also enjoyed some delicious gelato. After wandering the city for a few hours we headed back to the boat, had a delicious dinner of filet mignon followed crème broule. After dinner we went back to our room to watch a movie. Great day!

Santorini, Greece

Today we arrived in Santorini, Greece. It was a nice and relaxing day because we really didn’t have a lot to do. We were able to sleep in till about 9:00 and we went to breakfast which was delicious as always on Crystal Serenity. Breakfast was especially nice because we were able to sit out on the open deck which gave us an incredible view of the island of Santorini and its neighboring islands; it’s hard to put into words how beautiful it was. The water was a deep blue shade, bluer than the sky. The islands themselves were breathtaking; there was only a small port of entry to the island, because they went straight out of the water up to a high plateau. The entire town was built on top of the cliffs. There were only two ways, from the side we entered the town, to get up; one was a recently built lift system that cost 3 euro and took only a few minutes to get to the top. The other means to the top was a winding, paved donkey trail, literally. You could pay 3 euro to take a donkey to the top, which looked like a lot of fun, but we decided to walk and it took us 30 to 40 minutes and the walk was actually a bit shorter than the donkey ride. Once we got to the top we just to a walk around a small part of the island. Mostly we just walked around where the shops were, which was fun because the town was very quaint with narrow little streets and alleys filled with shops and boutiques. We really didn’t feel like taking too big of an adventure so we decided to head back to the ship after only about 2 hours of wandering. We went back to the ship and laid out by the pool for a couple of hours and then pretty much relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Kusadaci

Today we went to Kusadaci, Turkey. Right when we got off the boat we started looking for a cab to Ephesus. It took us almost an hour but we finally managed to hire someone to drive us to Ephesus (about 20 miles away from kusadaci), drop us off at the upper gate and wait for us at the lower gate to bring us back. Most of the cab drivers wanted 80 euros for the job (about $120) but we were able to get an older gentleman to take us for 80 lira (about $60). We were pretty proud of ourselves. The drive to Ephesus was really fun since we were able to see more of the country side.
Walking through Ephesus was amazing! I don’t know how they were able to build such amazing structures out of granite way back then, but they did an incredible job. I loved just wandering through the city wondering what it must have been like back in the day. It was quite incredible though because apparently Ephesus used to be a port town. However, we could not even see the sea from the ruins. It’s amazing how much the landscape has changed. After we were through at the city we hopped back in the cab and headed back to town. On the way back our cab stopped at a rug factory to let us take a look. I was a little nervous he was just going to take off while we were inside and we were going to be stranded at a rug shop in the middle of nowhere with no escape. (Turkish rug sellers are known for being extremely pushy and won’t take no for an answer) We aren’t sure if they could tell we had 0 money or what but they were very gracious to us and never tried to push us into buying a rug and luckily our cab driver did indeed wait.
When we arrived back in town we paid our driver for the afternoon and then took a look around the bazaar. We didn’t actually buy anything since we ended up spending so much getting to Ephesus, but it was still fun taking a look. When we got tired we headed back to the ship and CRASHED. We laid down around 6 PM, woke up around 9 PM, ordered room service and then went back to sleep.

Our first day of work!

Today was our first sea day. I was a little nervous that we would get sea sick, but so far so good. The day started with a beginner bridge class taught by our new friends at 10 am. Then we had an entertainment group meeting at noon and followed by our first group class. We taught the Waltz and American Rumba. It was a lot of fun but different than anything we’ve ever done before since the class was only 45 minutes and yet we still had to try and teach a couple steps of each dance. In the end there were probably some things we will do differently for our next class but overall I would say it was a success. After our class we took a nice long nap!
When we woke up we attended our first Captain’s Welcome aboard in the palm lounge. It was a formal evening so we got all dressed up and went and mingled with the guests. After the party we attended dinner in the dining room where we met a really nice couple from Australia. They were so sweet! After dinner we went dancing and had a really great time. Overall it was just a great relaxing day.

Istanbul Day 2

Today we had a nice leisurely day. The day started with another delicious breakfast after which we wandered around the ship just to try and get our bearings. We then went back into the city of Istanbul to explore. It was amazing the difference from yesterday to today in the city. Yesterday it was packed and you couldn’t walk down the street without colliding with a passerby. However, today it seemed almost like a ghost town (relative to yesterday, but it was still pretty busy). I think it was probably due to the rain, being a Sunday and also the holiday of Ramadan.
The first place we went to visit was the Topkapi Palace. Everything in the palace was breathtaking, we were so happy that we decided to go ashore and explore despite the rain. The palace had exhibits displaying a variety of historical artifacts, from religious relics, treasures received as gifts or as spoils of war, and the sultan’s ceremonial apparel. It was all incredible to see, according to the plaques we read; we saw the prophet David’s sword, the staff of Moses, and various prophet’s beard boxes. The treasury had jewels that you only see in movies, the kind that are the focus of big jewelry heists. It included several plush thrones, jeweled swords and armor, boxes of massive emeralds and rubies, and an 82 carat diamond turban jewel. It was really very incredible, the jewels were extremely beautiful. By the end we were really tired from walking around the palace, it was a huge building, but we were so glad we were able to make to see it.
After the palace we went to visit the blue mosque, which was kind of a surreal experience because like we have been told would happen, you could hear chanting prayers over loud speakers throughout the city. We were actually hoping to be able to enter the mosque itself, but weren’t able to because it was prayer time and today was the holiday of Ramadan, so unfortunately we had to stay out in the courtyard of the mosque. We were still able to observe the people praying, it was incredible to watch as they all removed their shoes, knelt down in rows facing the east, and bowed their heads down to the ground repeatedly in unison. It really was a great cultural experience.

When we drove up to our ship it hit me that we are about to embark on the most fantastic journey. We boarded the ship and headed straight for breakfast, once again we were extremely famished. We had breakfast on the 12th floor overlooking the city and it was so delicious. So many choices and all of them were absolutely tasty (we both agreed we will have to exercise some serious self restraint). After breakfast we went to our room to discover it is lovely! We have a stateroom with a large window, a king size bed and our bathroom has a double vanity. After unpacking we headed ashore to explore Istanbul. The cruise line provides a complimentary shuttle that took us from the ship to city center. From there we were able to walk to the Grand Bazaar. The bazaar was incredible. It was HUGE (in 3 hours we didn’t ever put a dent in exploring the entire bazaar). We found a few fun souvenirs for family (sorry I can’t post the details since I don’t want to give it away) and also a few fun things for ourselves.
After leaving the bazaar we walked to the underground cistern. OMG it was unbelievable. It is this enormous underground water tank that was built hundreds of years ago. They have wooden planks set up that allow you to walk through the cistern and enjoy the ambiance. It cost 10 Turkish liras a person but it was definitely worth it!
After we left the cistern we took the shuttle back to the ship where once again we PASSED OUT. We woke up around 6:30 at which point we met up with Tammi and Jordy (dance instructors from previous cruise) and they showed us around the ship. The tour took about 2 hours but it was extremely helpful. After the tour we ordered room service, which was so delicious since the last time we ate was around 10 am and it was almost 10 pm by the time we got our food. Then we went to the palm lounge to mingle and dance with some of the guests. All in all it was a great day and we are so excited for the next two weeks!