The next stop on our Mediterranean cruise was one that Kaitlynn was probably most excited for: Santorini Greece! When we walked onto our cabin balcony in the morning, we were awestruck at the incredible view and beauty of this area. Stunning! We had booked an excursion that would take us by boat to catch a motor coach and visit two of the Greek towns in the area, Oia and Fira. Oia was our first stop, and we were super disappointed that we only had 45 minutes to explore the village with the cutest shops and beautiful rooftop views. Truly postcard worthy! Once we arrived in Fira, we decided to abandon our tour group because we wanted to spend time on our own exploring the town without a time limit. We stopped for some yummy Greek food at a local bar, and we enjoyed exploring the shops and storefronts on our own time. The panoramic vistas were around every corner it seemed, and we took advantage of the photo opportunities as well as the local shopping for unique treasures.
One of the unique things about Santorini is that the cruise port is quite the journey to the actual town. Since we had come in by motor coach, we were on our own to get back to the cruise port. The options for getting down the cliff to the port included a trolley ride, on the back of a donkey, or walking the long and steep winding road ourselves. We underestimated that walk, and I ended up slipping and sliding my way down that road the entire way. In retrospect, we should have taken the trolley!
After more rounds of euchre and another nice cruise dinner, our next day's stop was in a brand new country. We arrived in Ephesus Turkey at the port of Kusadasi, which I had never heard of before but ended up being a really neat day in our journey. Our excursion for the day was another private motor coach with an incredible tour guide who gave us really interesting stories and facts about the area during our travels. Our first stop for the day included a visit to the Virgin Mary's house called Meryemana. Jeff lit a candle for his mom (Nana) while we were there.
Next on our tour was a visit to the ancient city of Ephesus which included one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Artemis. I didn't realize when we booked this tour that the ruins of this location were so extensive, but our tour guide did an amazing job of educating us on the area and described how new discoveries of ruins are found regularly and so incredibly preserved. We actually found these ruins more interesting than what we saw in Pompeii, although likely it was our great tour guide that made the difference. One of the most memorable areas we saw was the amphitheater where the Apostle Paul was known to give speeches to the early Christians.
For our lunch, we enjoyed a traditional Turkish meal which was a fun way to enjoy local cuisine which was truly delicious. We ate near a village which featured a handicraft carpet demonstration afterwards, where we were able to experience how Turkish rugs were made by local masters. It was fascinating and we had to fight hard to resist the urge to purchase an expensive carpet! It was an incredible day and a surprising full day of fun, because by this point in our vacation, we were TIRED and starting to feel "done" with all the tours. We arrived in Ephesus with low expectations but ended up having one of our favorite days. Back at the ship, we enjoyed more of our family cabin time with an excellent dinner, and we turned in early in anticipation of another full day the following morning.
Back on the ship, it was a dress-up night for dinner. I think I shared these photos already, but I just love when we all clean up and take a nice family photo. This was our very last night on the ship, and the boys were bound to try their luck one more time at the casino. Collin started playing the craps table, and before we knew it, all 6 of us were at the table with some fellow cruise passengers who were getting HOT at the table. And by hot, I mean LUCKY! After being down hundreds of dollars on the week, all 3 boys ended up back in the black (by a lot!) after a lucky streak at the tables. It was an epic night and SO much fun to experience as a family. We were riding high on adrenaline and so excited that they could all cash out with fat stacks at the end of their week! The photo of the boys is probably one of my all time favorites!
