An overnight cruise from Haifa took us to the busy port of Limossal, on the southern part of the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus was settled by Mycenaean Greeks in the 2nd millennium BC and because of its strategic location in the Middle East, it was subsequently occupied throughout the centuries by several major powers, including the empires of the Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, Romans and the Ottomans. It was formally annexed by Britain in 1914 and was granted independence in 1960. Today The Republic of Cyprus is portioned into two main parts comprised of Greek Cypriots in the south and Turkish Cypriots in the north. This relatively small island is steeped in a complex mix of history! We toured the ancient archaeological site of Kourion and spent some time wandering around and shopping in the Greek village of Omodos. We stopped for lunch at a lovely outdoor cafe but discovered a little too late that they did not accept credit cards and we had neglected to bring Euros with us that day. Luckily some fellow travelers from our ship rescued us and lent us some Euros to cover the bill! The weather finally began to cool off and we enjoyed this lovely island in the Mediterranean Sea.
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| Village of Omodos in Cyprus |
May 18: Rhodes, Greece
Another overnight cruise delivered us to Rhodes, considered to be one of the great islands of the Mediterranean. This island lies at the eastern end of the Aegean Sea and is the fourth largest Greek island. It has played an important role in history, having lived under the control of Persia, Rome, the Knights of St. John and the Ottoman Turks. Rhodes became a part of Greece in 1947. We enjoyed exploring the medieval Old Town of Rhodes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is still surrounded by ancient walls. After spending time visiting the Palace of the Grand Masters and the Rhodes Archaeological Museum as well as some shopping and lunch in town, we walked back to the ship feeling tired but glad to be enjoying some nice temperatures in the 70's instead of the 100 degree days we had been experiencing while touring southeast Asia and the Middle East!
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| Old Town of Rhodes |
A visit to Sicily, the land of the Marchese roots, is a special treat for us! However, Palermo (the birthplace of Grandpa Marchese) is far away from our port of call in Taormina and our schedule does not allow not allow enough time to travel to that area today. We would like to return to Sicily and explore more of this special island. Taormina was beautiful and the drive up to Mount Etna and exploration of that volcano was wonderful!
May 21: Cruising Mediterranean Sea
We welcomed this day at sea and some time to reflect on our experiences and visits to fascinating destinations during the past several weeks. Dick was treated to a special tour of the ship's galley (kitchen) where he enjoyed kibitzing with the chefs! Unfortunately we learned the news of an Egyptian plane that went missing somewhere in the vicinity of the Mediterranean where we have been cruising. Also have been reading sad news about so many refugees dying at sea in their attempts to escape oppressive conditions. These events are such a contrast to our lives and make us realize how fortunate we are. (Although we are dismayed by the political news from home!)
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