Miaminice

We just returned from Ascent and I agree, $86 plus 20% is too much even though the food and service are very good. Which is why we didn´t book although we had a lot of OBC to burn. Rather went to Rooftop Grill and enjoyed sitting outside. Although we didn´t book Eden I checked on the app. It was sold out every evening of the cruise. So from a cruise line`s point of view they are doing the right thing. as long as people book and come, they can test and raise the charge. As a shareholder I am pretty happy, as a passenger it´s a different thing.

Celebrity Ascent - June 2024 - Greece, Turkey & Italy - 11 - At Sea The story of the day is short… we did a whole lotta nothing 😁 After our usual relaxed breakfast we went to the theater, where Captain Dimitrios talked about the construction and sea trials of Ascent. During the day Birgit worked on her tan and I sorted photos and roamed about the ship to take a few more. However, dinner stood out. We went to the Rooftop Garden Grill again. This time we were joined by our tour mates from Santorini, Julie and her dad Dave, and not only had a delicious dinner but also a fantastic time spent in great company. A time we extended in Al Bacio until the lights were turned on, telling us to leave. Thank you again for a great time, Julie and Dave!

That’s what we did. We took a tender back to Ascent and enjoyed a cool drink at the Sunset Bar. Later, after dinner, the Ascent‘s Grand Plaza was filled by passengers going wild dancing to the silent disco. Even when you don’t participate, it’s fun to watch and listen to the not so silent participants. 😁 FYI if you wanted to follow our lead and go to Ano Mera but don’t want to hire a scooter, there’s a public bus going there from near the tender/shuttle stop.

Happy about our find we returned to Chora and also entered the labyrinth of alleys. As always, we enjoyed the atmosphere at first. IMG_1249.mov IMG_1301.mov But at one point we were literally squeezed against the wall by two tour groups from Celebrity and one from MSC. Huge groups following a number. The ones in the back already panicking because the couldn’t see the guide at the front anymore, because he or she was around a corner already. It was crazy and everyone walking through the 4 feet wide alley on their own got really annoyed. Eventually Birgit said: Let’s not ruin the nice experience we had so far and let’s go back on board.

After visiting both we walked past the restaurants at the square but a little cute terrace restaurant caught our attention on the way to the scooter. The friendly owner lady invited us in and we sure did not regret our decision. We only had Tzatziki, baked feta cheese and cheese rolls with honey and sesame, but they were absolutely amazing. I wish I would’ve had some room for the Moussaka I saw on another table but I just couldn’t eat that much again.

Ano Mera has a nice little village square and is home to the Panagia Tourliani monastery. The monastery is beautiful structure from the 16th century with a marble facade and a marble bell tower. Entrance fee for the church and museum is just €2. IMG_1220.mov

From the hill of the windmills just venture out into Chora/Mykonos town. Meander through the colorful alleys, enjoy the shops, restaurants, churches, whitewashed houses and brightly painted stairs and balconies. Don’t follow a map, on the contrary! We would actually recommend you get lost in the streets and explore. Don’t be alarmed, you can’t get lost… you’ll always end up in the port‘s bay somehow. And it’s never more than 10 minutes away. As you can see by the pictures, we also did the first part of the route I suggested above. Behind the windmills we rented a scooter, because on all of our previous visits, we had never left Chora. So we took the little ride and drove to Ano Mera, a village about 8 km away.

Turn left and walk along some newly constructed restroom and you‘ll see the house with the red balconies on the left. I think it is one of the photos you can find on all of my Mykonos albums of the past years. Turn left again and you are basically right in front of the Panagia Paraportiani. Construction of the church started in 1425. You might recognize it, because it is depicted on many postcard images and commercials for the island. Go straight and follow the alleys near the waterfront while keeping to the right and you’ll find the restaurants of Little Venice. You might run into Petros the Pelican, the island’s mascot, over there 😁 Little Venice IMG_1148.mov From Little Venice you can already see the Mykonos‘ landmark, the iconic windmills Kato Milli.

Since I don’t just want to tell you what we did but also give you a little advice I included the map for your information and marked a few things. First of all, you do not need to book a tour to see Mykonos! It is as easy to explore on your own as they come! When you get to the port - by tender or shuttle from the dock - make your way along the waterfront to the small blue domed church close to the smaller pier. If you want to see the ancient ruins on Delos, you could buy tickets for the ferry and guided tours right there. The cruise lines use the same ferry.

Celebrity Ascent - June 2024 - Greece, Turkey & Italy - 10 - Mykonos We woke up to beautiful weather and the usual wind which is guaranteed on Mykonos. The only dock on Mykonos was already taken by an MSC ship, so we had to tender. Our Captain kept the Ascent closer to the entrance of the little harbor than we had ever seen it before to shorten the ride on the tenders. Giving the strong wind it was not an easy task. Cudos bridge team!

We continued driving down the road back towards Rhodes town and along the way the sound of the cicadas was so loud that we could easily hear it through our helmets and over the sound of the motor. The road was lined by colorful Oleander and lush green olive trees. And in some parts we passed through the charred remains of forests which fell victim to last year’s bad fires. Unfortunately I couldn’t take too many pictures because I was driving, but believe me, it was a very pleasant drive and scenery. Back in Rhodes we returned the scooter and since we still had plenty of time, we walked into the old town through the Marine Gate. However, it was extremely full and crowded. We didn’t want to ruin the feeling of such a relaxed and nice day, looked at each other and turned around to have a drink up in the Sunset Bar. IMG_1086.mov

In the hills we stopped at a viewpoint recommended to us by Alex from Elephant Motos. A cute little terrace with a shop selling local wine, oil and honey. When we reached Emponas, it wasn’t really what we expected. Only a few shops and restaurants and many many tourists who just arrived in two tour buses. So we continued our trip to Apollonas where we drove by a very inviting taverna. The time was right, so I turned the scooter around and we stopped for lunch. Sitting in the shade with a light breeze and enjoying the genuinely friendly service was really nice. And the food very delicious. A fact also known to the local cat which had decided to become best friends with us… 😁

We have been to Rhodes numerous times before and actually quite like it. Last year we had rented a scooter with Elephant Rent a Moto, who are just a short distance from the port exit away, and drove to Lindos. This year we stopped there once more, rented a very comfortable ride again and drove along the western coast. We stopped at Mandraki harbor for a few pictures, before we took the coastal road past the airport. Along way we enjoyed the view of secluded beaches and eventually turned uphill towards Emponas. IMG_1030.mov

Celebrity Ascent - June 2024 - Greece, Turkey & Italy - 9 - Rhodes Rhodes is a port very easy to do on your own. If you are there for the first time, you really don’t need any kind of excursion. As you can see on the fist photo, everything you need to see for a first visit is within easy walking distance. Just follow the bay at the port until the road leads through a gate, behind it continue on along the smaller Mandraki Bay. At its end, close to a big church building, there’s a small entrance to the harbor from the sea. Both sides have columns with statues on them. It is said that this is where the Colossos of Rhodes once stood. Turn back and visit the New Market before you go back through the Eleftherias Gate. You can’t miss it. It’s almost overgrown by beautiful Bougainvillea. Keep right, enter the old town and walk up the Street of the Nights to the Grandmaster’s Castle. Then just go with the flow and enjoy this city that to me feels like it takes you back in time.

The Kebab was good and tasty. However, Baydöner - which was the name - seems to be a chain. So although the service was very friendly, the restaurant lacked a bit of charm. But it was good. There are also many restaurants around the port / fish market area which also looked very good. Selda also recommended them, but when she heard that I don’t eat fish, she mentioned Baydöner. We have booked with Ephesus Shuttle a couple of times now. And they were always very good. Quite a few people followed our previous recommendations and all came back praising them. So I am sure you’ll also enjoy them.

well, we are pretty fit walkers and usually make the stairs in under 20 minutes. But we did pass many people who had to stop and rest in the little shade there was. And I definitely have to say that it was easier for us as well at other times. The heat was a real factor.

Late in the afternoon I walked through the Oceanview Cafe and saw that they offered a Turkish buffet. The food looked so incredible that we decided to have an al fresco dinner there instead of going to one of the MDRs. For dessert they offered Baklava and Turkish Delights brought on board from a pastry shop in Kusadasi. We usually prefer having dinner at one of the restaurants. However, on Ascent the Oceanview Cafe is a real competitor. They also offered cooked to order filets which were superb and as much of really good burrata as you like. So while we had a really good dinner, we waved goodbye to Kusadasi from the open deck of the Oceanview. IMG_1011.mov

Since we had only planned to visit Ephesus, we drove back to Kusadasi right away. For first time visitors we recommend visiting the House of Mary as well. And we can highly recommend doing the tour with Ephesusshuttle.com. Back in Kusadasi we strolled along the seaside promenade and then walked into the heart of the town known as the Mekka for “genuine fake” merchandise. From our visits before we knew a small tea place visited by locals more than tourists. That’s where we went to have some apple tea before we had Iskender Kebab for lunch at a Döner restaurant that Selda had recommended. Birgit decided to go back on board to soak up some sun on deck and I continued to walk around town to take some photos. IMG_0972.mov

After we exited the houses again and got to the iconic and impressive facade of the Celsus Library, Selda gave us some time to explore. Then we continued to the huge theater which held 24,000 people in its days. The sight from the ranks down on the performances and the flourishing harbor, which started behind the theater, must have been unbelievable. IMG_0911.mov

The Terrace Houses are an extra section of Ephesus and well worth visiting. In some parts the mosaics and wall paintings are incredibly well preserved. IMG_0874.mov

When we reached the ancient city, we had managed to beat the big tour buses and the temperature was still bearable. We had been to Ephesus before. However, every time we walk down the ancient road in Ephesus we can’t help but feel awestruck. To imagine that this city was once home to over 250,000 people and to see how beautiful and advanced it had been thousands of years ago is simply magnificent. Of course Selda gave us a lot of information on the sites while we made our way to the Terrace Houses, which helped complete the images in our heads. IMG_0841.mov

Celebrity Ascent - June 2024 - Greece, Turkey & Italy - 8 - Kusadasi When we had breakfast in the morning, the large Kusadasi sign greeted us from the hillside and the castle on Pigeon Island was illuminated by the bright sunlight already. This time we had breakfast quite early because we had once again booked a tour to Ephesus with a highly recommendable company called Ephesus Shuttle. Starting early is key for two reasons: 1. beating the crowds and 2. avoiding the heat. As soon as we were able to get off the ship, we walked through the terminal / market building and found our lovely guide Selda already waiting for us. Together we walked to our van and when the driver opened the door, all we could say was WOW. The interior was customized and very luxurious. So the ride to Ephesus was comfortable and Selda used it to give us some basic information on the area and Turkey in general.

The Diogenes Restaurant was our destination there. Great food and friendly service in the welcome shade under the canopy of the trees make us come back every time. I usually love their freshly prepared Moussaka but, paying respect to the heat of the day, opted for goat cheese salad with cherry vinaigrette - delicious! We continued through Plaka until we reached Ermou Street again. Since the thousand year old Panagia Kapnikarea church in the middle of the shopping area was open for visitors, we took the chance and walked in. After some shopping at the local Hondos Center, comparable to Walgreens or Boots, we took the next X80 bus back to the port of Piraeus. We enjoyed the sailaway at the Sunset Bar again and chose the Cyprus Restaurant for dinner. IMG_0775.mov

Following the wide pedestrian street leading past the Akropolis Museum we walked down the hill again and entered the Plaka area once again. IMG_0749.mov

After a friendly chat with the owner we continued through parts of Plaka past the Hadrian’s Library and rounded the park of the Agora until we reached the entrance of the Akropolis. IMG_0721.mov Even though it was still early in the day, it was very hot already. Across from the Parthenon there’s a rock providing incredible views of the famous temple towering over Athens. Today we welcomed the views and the breeze up there. IMG_0735.mov