Napoli

Thurs, June 27

This morning we woke up in Naples and opened our curtains to see the world’s most famous volcano, Mt Versuvius, from our balcony.

Our coach took us straight to the Amalfi Coast and all I can say is – WOW!!! We drove through miles of beautiful scenery, some of which we tried to capture but most we had to commit to memory as there are not a lot of places to park, although that doesn’t stop the locals. The road was so narrow that I have no idea how our coach driver negotiated it. We often had to stop and in one case, back up the coach, to avoid hitting a scooter parked on a bend.

There were tunnels through the mountains, dramatic cliffs which met the sea, lush landscape, lemon groves and we saw houses which were owned by Sting, Sophia Loren and Roger Moore.

We had seats right up front which gave us some great photos. (We’ve had some photos that haven’t turned out well due to the reflection coming off the coach windows.) However, when we were half-way along the coast road the tour guide got us to change seats. This was fair to the people sitting on the left-hand side, but our new seats did not give us the opportunity to get any more good photos, but believe me, the views were amazing!

We stopped at a beautiful restaurant and had an excellent lunch of cannelloni, chicken schnitzel and a delicious cake containing custard and local cream, as well as a selection of very nice Italian red and white wines.

After reaching Salerno, we turned back and made our way to Pompeii. Once again history was brought to life as we strolled along the cobblestone streets of this city which perished under as much as 50 feet of ash after Versuvius erupted in 79 A.D. The ruins, still being excavated today, were perfectly preserved by the ash and mud and offer a glimpse into the past with a network of buildings, brothels, shops, theatres, artwork and mummified bodies.

After dinner the waiters sang “Happy Birthday “and presented me with a chocolate cake and card. What a nice ending to a very enjoyable day!

Mt Versuvius

On the road to Amalfi

View from balcony of restaurant where we had lunch

Pompeii

ANZAC Cove, Turkey

Tues, June 25

This morning we woke up to find ourselves in ANZAC Cove in Turkey’s Gallipoli Peninsula and led by Captain Kent, we had a very moving service to commemorate the landing in 1915. It was amazing to be listening to the hymns, prayers and readings while being able to make out Lone Pine in the distance.

We were very lucky to be there at all, as not every ship is granted permission to enter these waters. The tradition of the wreath laying ceremony at sea could not be performed as Turkey had not given permission, so it was done later once we were outside Turkish waters.

The lone pine tree can just be seen towards the left on top of the hill

The Captain leading the service

Istanbul, Turkey

Mon, June 24

By the time we had finished breakfast this morning, the ship had berthed at Instanbul and we caught a glimpse of domes and minarets before disembarking this afternoon for our tour.

We made our way straight to the Topkapi Palace – centre of the Ottomon Empire for several centuries until the last Sultan was exiled to Cairo in 1923. There are extensive grounds inside the palace walls featuring beautiful Byzantine architecture, elaborate mosaics, courtyards and stately gates.

We visited the Harem Quarter where 800 concubines once lived. It has a highly complex floor plan, consisting of several buildings and hundreds of elaborately decorated rooms. The walls were decorated with the most beautiful tiles, gold leaf and mother-of-pearl. Interesting that they did not have much furniture as they used cupboards and shelves built into the walls for storage.

We were given time to browse amongst the fine collections of gold, jade, and various items decorated with diamonds, emeralds and rubies. The pride of the Imperial Treasury is the Spoonmaker’s Diamond, which, at 86 carats, is the fifth-largest in the world. We also saw the famous Topkapi Dagger, encrusted with precious jewels. Unfortunately no cameras were allowed!

We could not leave Turkey without enjoying a carpet demonstration. Here we were able to see a carpet being made by hand on a loom as well as seeing and feeling all the different types of carpets, whilst sipping apple tea followed by a glass of Ouzo.

Our final destination was the Grand Bazaar (the rooftops of which were in the movie Skyfall) – over 4,000 colourful shops fill this covered marketplace, the largest in the world. Its origins go back to the 1400’s. We could only spend a short while here as it would have been so easy to get lost, but it was a great experience and we got the chance to haggle for a few souvenirs. While we were walking there, we could hear the muslins being called to prayer.

Given the political protests prior to our visit, we were lucky to catch a glimpse of this beautiful city. There is still so much more to discover there.