We leave at 3:30 am for airport headed to Athens. Will be flying Air Canada for the first time. I’ll keep you posted on business class.

Traveling with my friend, Lynne on this trip. We did get upgraded to junior suite on cruise so I’ll let you know how that is also.

We arrived in Athens at 7:00 am. Air Canada was good business class. We are waiting to get into our room currently

Today would have been \240my 39th wedding anniversary, we are doing a tour of Corinth and the canal. We will have dinner in Manfredi’s which is the Italian restaurant on board.

Athens has been an organized city for over 6,000 years. There are approximately 5 million inhabitants of Athens. In the year 1821, there was a revolution against the Turks. The Athens of today was formed in the 20th century. In 1834, Athens became the capital of Greece.

The Corinthian canal was built in 1893. \240It is 6,346 kilometers in length, 80 meters high and 24-28 meters wide.

Today we are in Crete, Greece. No excursions until this afternoon which should be quite hot.

This afternoon we are doing The Villages of Crete excursion. We are visiting a winery and sampling their wines. We are also visiting a pottery maker. \240These have been produced since 25 century bc.

There are 35 million olive trees on Crete. It used to be covered in forests until the trees were cut down for ships. \24085% of Crete is mountainous.

Crete is more than 2 million years old. Zeus was born here. 99% of the population of Crete is Greek Orthodox. The other 1% is mixture of Catholic and Jewish.

The pottery is made at a family owned business passed down from father to son for 3 generations. They export large pieces to Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Today we are in Rhodes, Greece. Our last day in Greece before heading to Turkey.

Rhodes is an island that has largely been reconstructed since the 14th century.

Approximately 160,000 people live on Rhodes. \240It is approximately 120 kilometers long.

This was the second island that told us that everything closes in October and doesn’t reopen until March.

Today we are in Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey.

Relaxing day. Slept in. Getting massage this afternoon and just chillin. \240

Cannakales (Troy), Turkey

The Trojans were very rich due to being at the confluence of the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Turkey. If the winds weren’t blowing in right direction, the sailors had to wait several days in Troy and pay a tax and buy food and wine.

Today we are in Istanbul, Turkey. \240There are close to 20 million people living in Istanbul. There are 9,000 mosques. \240Every family can construct their own mosque. \240Every mosque has towers used for the call to prayer.

The hippodrome was an area used for sporting events such as gladiators and chariot races.

The Grand Bazaar has over 4,000 shops inside.

For those that remember the Egypt trip, I couldn’t do lunch. Too soon.

We have 12:30 am wake up call to leave for airport by 2. What was I thinking?