R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 120

54 Days at Sea — April 25; Kuşadası and Ephesus, Turkey

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M.S. Prinsendam’s Captain on the flying bridge; Kuşadası tugboat

Only one day after leaving behind Volos, Greece (and Meteora), M.S. Prinsendam made port in Kuşadası, Turkey. Heading into port we passed Güvercinada, which translates from Turkish to Pigeon Island.

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Güvercinada (Pigeon Island), Kuşadası

We found that Holland America’s M.S. Eurodam beat us there. While the M.S. Eurodam may appear gigantic next to M.S. Prinsendam, it’s actually not that large a ship. It 86,273 gross tons, measures...

Fun Photo Friday — 54 Days at Sea; Meteora favorites

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Cross View

Below are today’s Fun Photo Favorites from Meteora:

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Tough Climb!

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Meteora Candlesticks

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Prayer Rock

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Scenic Colors

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Taking the Elevator

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At the Base

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Meteora

54 Days at Sea — Traipsing around Meteora

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Monastery of Greater Meteoron (Kloster der Verklärung Christi)

Our visit to Meteora this day included several of the monasteries still in use, including the Greater Meteoron and St. Stephan’s.

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St. Stephan’s Monastery

And, yes, it’s a tough trek both up and down those steep cliffs!

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Monastery of Greater Meteoron (Kloster der Verklärung Christi)

Just kidding. The monasteries we visited were readily accessible by bus, and only relatively short walks were necessary to get to the structures.

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Meteor...

54 Days at Sea — Meteora, Greece

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Monastery of the Holy Trinity — Meteora

M.S. Prindendam arrived to Volos, Greece, on April 24. But over the next several days you won’t find photos of Volos in my upcoming articles, for Volos was not the destination we had in mind. Does the monastery above look a tad familiar? If you are a Roger Moore fan you’ve probably seen it before, in the film For Your Eyes Only. That is the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, and it’s located at our next destination — Meteora.

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View from Meteora

At its peak,...

Fun Photo Friday — 54 Days at Sea; Turkish Straits favorites

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Turkish Straits — Bosporus and Dardenelles

Our last look at the Turkish straits before moving back into the Aegean an on into the Mediterranean:

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Turkish Straits — Bosporus and Dardenelles

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Turkish Straits — Bosporus and Dardenelles

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Turkish Straits — Bosporus and Dardenelles

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Turkish Straits — Bosporus and Dardenelles

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Turkish Straits — Bosporus and Dardenelles

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Turkish Straits — Bosporus and Dardenelles

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Turkish Straits — Bosporus and Dardenelles

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Turkish Straits — Bosporus and Dardenelles

54 Days at Sea — Through the Bosporus and into the Dardenelles Strait

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Turkish Straits — Bosporus and Dardenelles

Most people think of the Bosporus as the strait that links the Mediterranean and Black Seas. This is only partially correct, for there are actually two straits through which one must travel to make this journey. The other is the Dardenelles. Together these two bodies of water are known as the Turkish Straits.

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Turkish Straits — Bosporus and Dardenelles

The Bosporus is the eastern strait, and it runs in a north/south direction. The Dardenelles travels...

54 Days at Sea — Transiting the Bosporus Strait

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Bosporus Strait

Sailing a large ship through the Bosporus Strait means taking aboard a pilot for the journey:

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Bosporus Strait pilot

Along the way you might even see the yacht used by the presidents of Turkey. This is the state yacht of the Republic of Turkey, the MV Savarona:

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MV Savarona — State Yacht of the Republic of Turkey

And being the Bosporus, sailing through it gives you yet another look at Istanbul. Click on any image below to bring up today’s gallery/slide show:

Bosporus Str...

Fun Photo Friday — 54 Days at Sea; more Sinop favorites

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Looking through the Arch

One last look at Sinop before leaving the Black Sea, traversing the Bosporus Strait, and heading back into the Mediterranean:

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Colorful Produce

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Jellyfish

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Mesh

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The Window

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The Boat

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Black Sea Green

54 Days at Sea — Sinop Castle

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Sinop Castle

There are two castles in Sinop. One is right next to the cruise port. The second, which is much more impressive and vastly more photogenic, is about a twelve-minute walk west northwest, across a narrow isthmus connecting Sinop to the rest of Turkey. I’ll just let today’s photos speak for themselves on this great site. Click on any image below to bring up today’s slide show/gallery:

54 Days at Sea — Sinop sights

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Sinop, Turkey

Ursula and I visited several areas around Sinop, traveling exclusively on foot. One of the first places we saw, because of its close proximity to the cruise port, was the Sinop Castle. Expect more images of this amazing castle on Wednesday.

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Sinop Castle

The Black Sea waters near the castle offer some stunning colors.

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Black Sea color

On this visit the streets of Sinop were brightly decorated with proud displays of the Turkish flag.

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Sinop

A fun place to visit for a taste of the ol...