October 14 – November 8, 2024
Our good friends, Becky & Claude, joined us once again.
First time in Business class! Purchased with a great points deal.
GREECE
First three nights on Naxos at Hotel Grotta. Reasonably priced (off-season anyway) with an amazing view and fantastic breakfast buffet.
Dinner at Doukato on our first and third night. It was that good!
View of the neighborhood of Grotta on our way back to the hotel after dinner.
Lunch at Gemma Naxian Bistro
Dinner at To Elliniko
Koufopoulos cheese tasting for lunch
Temple of Apollo
Doukato for dinner again
Final three nights on Naxos inland at Xerolithos Natural Living.
Village of Chalkio (ate at Mitos)
Chalkio
Filoti
Village of Filoti
The views from our lodging!
Panagia Drosiani Church, a Byzantine-era Orthodox church located near the village of Moni. It’s considered one of the oldest Christian churches on Naxos and among the oldest Byzantine churches in the Cyclades and even the Balkans, dating back to the 6th or 7th century AD.
Moni village
Scenic views between Moni and Keramoti
Heritage museum in village of Keramotí
Matina & Stavros Taverna in the heart of Koronos village
Marble village of Apeiranthos (also translated as Apiranthos and Aperathos)
Potamia village
Abandoned Kalamitsia (Jesuit) Monastery. A bit rough getting there but so fun to explore.
Lunch at Giorgis in Melanes
Aquaduct
The Sanctuary of the Springs: “dedicated to the female deity of the fertility of the earth, and to the twin brothers Otus and Ephialtes. Worship here began around 800 BC and continued intensively up to the 6th century, gradually declining later. The sanctuary became the favorite place of worship for the laborers in the neighboring marble quarries who attributed properties of supernatural strength to the twin deities and considered them to be their patrons and succors in their demanding job.”
Kouros statue of Flerio. Unfinished statue made of Naxian marble in 6th or 7th century BC.
Kouros statue of Faranghi. Unfinished Naxian marble statue from the 6th century BC.
Cheapest meal of the trip. Equivalent to American fast food. Couldn’t find anything else open for dinner that night. Not too bad but the practically free half liter of wine was horrible (you get what you pay for!)
Claimed to be the oldest olive tree in the world at about 5000 years old!
Ancient Temple of Demeter
TURKEY
We spent 8 nights in Istanbul. Our Airbnb was located in a historical building in the Kabataş neighborhood of Istanbul. A very pleasant walkable area if you don’t mind hills.
Our local grocery store
We ate breakfast most mornings at Lattas Cafe Bistro with a cat or two to keep us company
Istiklal Street (İstiklal Caddesi)
Topkapı Palace (Topkapı Sarayı)
I think you’ll only find touristy restaurants in the Sultanahmet area (by the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia) so we embraced that and lunched at the famous Lale Restaurant Pudding Shop, which has been around since 1957. We were all happy with our Iskender Kebab plates.
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque (Ayasofya)
The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii)
The Theodosius Cistern (Şerefiye Sarnıcı)
The historic Tünel funicular (opened in 1875) runs uphill from the Karaköy side of the Galata Bridge to the famous İstiklal pedestrian street in Beyoğlu saving a steep hike up the hill.
Turkish fast food on İstiklal Street
The T2 Tram travels along İstiklal street for 1.6 kilometers. It’s mostly used by tourists.
Snack including fermented vegetable juice made from purple carrots, turnips, and hot peppers
Dolmabahçe Palace (Dolmabahçe Sarayı)
Lunch at the Palace
Afternoon tea at our local grocery store
Dinner at Patatos on İstiklal Street. These stuffed potatoes are called kumpir. Lots of interesting toppings to choose from.
Breakfast on İstiklal Street (on Republic Day, hence the flags)
Galata Bridge
Varuna Gezgin Cafe for breakfast
Took the ferry to Kadıköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul, also known as the Anatolian Side (Anadolu Yakası).
The next day we hopped a ferry again, this time to the charming town of Arnavutköy (known for its wooden Ottoman mansions), where Robert College is located. Marc spent part of his childhood at Robert College where his father was a professor.
Hiking up to Robert College once we finally got permission to enter
Barton Hall where Marc’s family lived
The view from the track and our guides at the college
Marc helping the rug sellers on our street take a photo
I finally found hot salep to try
MALTA
Five nights at Casa Rocca Piccola B&B
This beautiful Palace in the heart of Valletta was built in the 16th Century for Don Pietro La Rocca, a Knight of Malta, and is now the ancestral home of the 9th Marquis de Piro and his family. Most of the palazzo is used as a private museum and is a popular tourist attraction but 5 few bedrooms have been restored to provide accommodation. https://www.casaroccapiccolabandb.com/
Our entrance
Museum entrance around the corner
Looking to the left and to the right from our balcony
Breakfasts in the courtyard
Complimentary museum tour before opening hours with the 9th Marquis de Piro
We did the combined Malta Experience (film) and Holy Infirmary Tour to help get a taste of the history of this small country
Lascaris War Rooms Tour – underground British headquarters during WWII
This is one of several tours offered for a view into Malta’s vast underground world of tunnels, cisterns, and bomb shelters.
Upper Barrakka Gardens
Marc had a sandwich from “Submarine”
Becky and I had bowls (choose your own ingredients) at No. 43 next door.
The Maltese balcony (gallarija) is an ornate enclosed wooden balcony, which became widespread here in the 17th century.
St. John’s Co-Cathedral In Valletta
Renown Italian artist Caravaggio was born in 1571. While in Malta, Caravaggio painted ‘The Beheading of St John the Baptist’ and ‘St Jerome Writing’, both of which are in residence at St John’s Co-Cathedral.
Dinner at Nenu The Artisan Baker Restaurant
Took an Uber to Ħaġar Qim & Mnajdra Archaeological Park, a megalithic temple complex dating from the Ġgantija phase (3600–3200 BC). The Megalithic Temples of Malta are among the most ancient religious sites on Earth, described by the World Heritage Sites committee as “unique architectural masterpieces.” In 1992 UNESCO recognized Ħaġar Qim and four other Maltese megalithic structures as World Heritage Sites. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%A6a%C4%A1ar_Qim
Next, we took an Uber to the ancient walled city of Mdina, which was the capital city of Malta until 1530
We’d recommend eating at Fontanella Tea Garden (in Mdina), but be prepared for a wait if you want to eat upstairs for the views.
In the late afternoon, Becky and I visited the beautiful gardens of Villa Frere (near Valletta), which are only open to the public about five days a year.
Becky and I took a shared water taxi (traditional Maltese boats called dghajsa) over to The Three Cities. Very quiet and beautiful there in the evening (at least in early November).
Fort St. Elmo and the National War Museum in Valletta
Two nights in Amsterdam before flying home
We stayed at the airport Hilton so we didn’t have to take our luggage into town
It was easy to take the train to and from town from here
