The Greek Isles and Turkey on Celebrity Infinity June 15, 2024

[PurpleTraveller]

Wednesday June 19 - Rhodes Continued

 

We then walked back to the Old Town and headed into the moat between the inner and outer walls of the Old Town.

 

 

 

 

We reentered the Old Town through a gate and walked past some more lovely buildings.

 

 

 

We walked through the busy areas to explore more laneways.

 

 

We emerged out of another gate in the wall before returning for more exploring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 20 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

Wednesday June 19 - Rhodes Continued

 

We stopped for icecream and met this macaw.

 

 

As we wandered we passed many lovely restaurants and fountains along the way. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we headed towards the exit of the Old Town we visited the ruins of the Church of the Virgin Mary of the Burgh.

 

 

We then walked through a gate and walked back to the ship.

 

 

We returned to the ship at 2.30pm and had a light lunch at the Oceanview Cafe before relaxing in our cabin.

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Wednesday June 19 - Rhodes Continued

 

We had dinner at the Trellis Restaurant and at 6.00pm the Captain made an announcement. Due to the expected poor weather conditions and high winds our port stops at Mykonos and Hydra were cancelled. Instead we would be going to Bodrum in Turkey and Nafplio in Greece. Information about the changes would be sent to our cabins and all shore excursions would be automatically credited to our on board accounts. If you had an independent tour booked you would be provided with a complimentary phone call to your tour operator.

 

 

We had a shore excursion booked for Mykonos and when I checked our account the next morning it had been credited with the cost of the excursion.

 

After dinner we went to the Rooftop Terrace to watch Euro 2024 Germany v Hungary for a short time and also watched the beautiful sunset. 

 

 

We then went to the Theatre for the 9.00pm show of "Star Factory". We enjoyed the show and were particularly impressed with the acrobat aerialists. Unfortunately the performance was slightly marred by the people sitting behind us who constantly talked throughout the performance. I don't understand why people go to a theatre performance and then talk the entire time about what they had done that day, what drinks they had drunk during the day and what they were going to do the following day. Surrounding passengers including us politely asked them to be quiet but after a short time they would start talking again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was time to retire to our cabin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 20 by PurpleTraveller

[Liao]

What a fantastic review and your pictures are STUNNING!  Thank you for making the time to post about your fabulous vacation.

[Ex-vogue model]

This is a fantastic review thank you. We are boarding the Infinity in September and after reading your review, very much looking forward to it! 

[Travelexpert35]

Loved Rhodes when we were there years ago. I was wondering where are the people…you almost had the place to yourselves. Lovely pictures. 

[Scottishclover]

Just catching up with your fabulous review. The hot air ballooning must have been a very special experience. As always, you take fantastic photos.

 

Thank you got your thorough commentary on Santorini. I am looking at a cruise next summer which stops there but the overcrowding is giving me some reservations. It sounds like you didn’t find it too bad.

 

Looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip.
 

[hcat]

We loved Rhodes..your great photos brought back good memories!

 

sorry u will miss Mykonos but looking forward to your review of the substitute ports

[sofietucker]

Wow, I love those two substitutions you got in your itinerary! Napflio is the best! There is a pistachio shop... Plus Mycenae is right there. Look forward to reading your report.

[sofietucker]

Hope you will have time in the next month or so to also write a review of your Best of Italy and Croatia cruise on the Connie! We are doing that one in the fall. I'd also love to hear your thoughts on Bologna (where we are flying in and staying a few days). I will post a question about that in the Ports of Call board for Europe/Italy.

[PurpleTraveller]

18 hours ago, Liao said:

What a fantastic review and your pictures are STUNNING!  Thank you for making the time to post about your fabulous vacation.

 

Thanks and thank you for reading. Hope you enjoy the rest. 😊

[PurpleTraveller]

9 hours ago, Ex-vogue model said:

This is a fantastic review thank you. We are boarding the Infinity in September and after reading your review, very much looking forward to it! 

 

Thank you! We had a wonderful cruise. Hope you enjoy your cruise in September! 🛳️

[PurpleTraveller]

8 hours ago, Travelexpert35 said:

Loved Rhodes when we were there years ago. I was wondering where are the people…you almost had the place to yourselves. Lovely pictures. 

 

Believe me when we walked through the Old Town after going to Mandraki Harbour the centre of the Old Town was absolutely packed with tourists. We find the trick is to go out early before most of the cruise passengers and also find that many don't ever leave the central area. We walked through the main shopping streets and it was very crowded so we made our way back into the back streets where they were very few people. We always find it amazing that one or two streets away from the centre the streets are almost empty.

 

Edited July 20 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

7 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

Just catching up with your fabulous review. The hot air ballooning must have been a very special experience. As always, you take fantastic photos.

 

Thank you got your thorough commentary on Santorini. I am looking at a cruise next summer which stops there but the overcrowding is giving me some reservations. It sounds like you didn’t find it too bad.

 

Looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip.
 

 

Thank you! I've been reading your wonderful review of your Norway cruise and thoroughly enjoying it.

 

The hot air ballooning was a real highlight and something I'll never forget!

 

We were pleasantly surprised with our time in Santorini as we were slightly dreading the crowds. I think the trick is to go a little off the beaten track to somewhere other than Oia if you have been there previously. Pyrgos was very quiet and a pleasure to visit.

 

[PurpleTraveller]

7 hours ago, hcat said:

We loved Rhodes..your great photos brought back good memories!

 

sorry u will miss Mykonos but looking forward to your review of the substitute ports

 

We love Rhodes and thoroughly enjoyed our day there.

 

We were sorry to miss Mykonos but were pleased that we got two replacement ports as it was at such late notice and that the ports, particularly Nafplio, were enjoyable.

[PurpleTraveller]

5 hours ago, sofietucker said:

Wow, I love those two substitutions you got in your itinerary! Napflio is the best! There is a pistachio shop... Plus Mycenae is right there. Look forward to reading your report.

 

We were very pleased that we got two replacement ports as we may have ended up with one or even two Sea Days. We were impressed that Celebrity managed to arrange them at such late notice. Nafplio was a delightful surprise as we didn't know anything about it before our visit.

[PurpleTraveller]

4 hours ago, sofietucker said:

Hope you will have time in the next month or so to also write a review of your Best of Italy and Croatia cruise on the Connie! We are doing that one in the fall. I'd also love to hear your thoughts on Bologna (where we are flying in and staying a few days). I will post a question about that in the Ports of Call board for Europe/Italy.

 

Yes, I'll be starting my review of our Italy and Croatia cruise on Constellation as soon as I finish this one and will post a link on this thread. I'll also include Bologna which we loved and had a lovely time there. Feel free to ask me anything as we spent two nights there after getting the train from Ravenna.

[PurpleTraveller]

Thursday June 20 - Not Mykonos but Bodrum

 

We arrived in Bodrum around 8.00am and we had breakfast on the back deck of the Oceanview Cafe where we had a great view of Bodrum Castle. You can also see in the background behind the castle on the left, the Antique Theatre that we visited.

 

 

At 8.45am we left the ship. There was a local band playing on the dock as we left to welcome us to Bodrum. At the port exit was a tourist information stand where we were able to get a map of Bodrum with information on things to see. We walked along the waterfront towards to town centre past many moored boats and a small beach.

 

 

 

 

The walk to Bodrum Castle past the waterfront, many restaurants and shops took 30 minutes.

 

 

We decided not to go into the castle but to walk another 20 minutes to the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, another of the seven ancient wonders of the world. Entry cost €3.00 or TLR105 each. There is not much left of the Mausoleum but we were able to see the very few ruins left and watched a video of the history of the Mausoleum. There was also a model of what the Mausoleum originally looked like. It was approximately 45 metres tall when built and was destroyed by a number of earthquakes from the 12th to 15th centuries. It was the last survivor of the six destroyed Ancient Wonders.

 

 

 

 

A short 10 minute walk up a hill was the Bodrum Antique Theatre which has free entry. There was a great view over Bodrum Castle and to Celebrity Infinity.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 21 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

Thursday June 20 - Bodrum Continued

 

Leaving the Antique Theatre we retraced our footsteps to the Mausoleum and then walked down Saray Sokak (Saray Street) an old narrow street to the marina.

 

 

 

We strolled along the marina where we liked the decorated pots that lined the street. Every pot was different.

 

 

The waterfront was nicely designed with plenty of space to walk on both sides of the road.

 

 

We passed the Bodrum sign and had to take a photo.

 

 

The side streets looked inviting so then made our way into some of the narrow back laneways enjoying being away from the crowds.

 

 

 

 

We found ourselves back in the main shopping area which was very busy and stopped for another view of Bodrum Castle and Infinity.

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Thursday June 20 - Bodrum Continued

 

We returned to the backstreets to explore some more and had an icecream along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

There were many very nice looking restaurants that looked like they would be lovely to eat at in the evenings.

 

 

 

 

As we walked back to the ship the waterfront restaurants were very busy. 

 

 

We returned to the ship at 1.00pm and went to the Gelato Bar on deck 5 for our free scoop of gelato which was very refreshing after the heat outside. Lunch was a cheeseburger from the Pool Grill before returning to our cabin for a lazy afternoon. 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Thursday June 20 - Bodrum Continued

 

While in our cabin relaxing we were very surprised to see a man at our porthole window. He was painting the porthole surround along with the front of the ship. Fortunately we were just reading and watching TV but we could have been :

 

1) Half naked while getting changed 🥺

 

2) Fully naked after getting out of the shower 😲, or

 

3) Having adult time 🫣 (use your imagination here).

 

We would have expected some sort of notification from Celebrity such as a note on the bed that someone was going to be at our window during the day so that we could close the curtains or make sure we weren't in a compromising or potentially embarrassing (for both us and them) situation. No-one expects someone at their window when on a cruise ship!

 

 

 

At 5.30pm the Captain made an announcement that the weather and wind at Mykonos had been as forecast and Costa Pacifica and a Royal Caribbean ship had both had to cancel their visits there.

 

We were disappointed to miss Mykonos as we really enjoy visiting there but we were pleased and impressed that Celebrity had managed to find an alternative port at very late notice rather than having a Sea Day. Bodrum was nice to visit and we had an enjoyable day.

 

We went up to the Rooftop Terrace to nab a good spot the watch Euro 2024 England v Denmark. While there we had some pizza and when the crowd came it was a great atmosphere. The wind came up and by the time the match ended at 8.45pm the wind was howling. When we returned to our cabin we could feel the movement and rocking of the ship. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Friday June 21 - Not Hydra but Nafplio

 

We arrived in the harbour for Nafplio at 8.00am. We had breakfast at the Oceanview Cafe and on the way back to our cabin went via the Martini Bar to see if they were handing out tender tickets. It was only 8.20am but they were and we got tender tickets #6. As we went to walk away there was an announcement calling for tender tickets 1, 2 and 3. 

 

We rushed back to our cabin to grab our belongings and change the currency in our wallets yet again. For the last week we had been moving between Turkey and Greece so often we had to stop and think each morning about where we were and what currency we would be using that day. 😂

 

Our week had gone :

Friday - am Turkey/pm Greece 

Saturday - Greece

Sunday - At Sea in Greece

Monday - Greece

Tuesday - Turkey

Wednesday - Greece

Thursday - Turkey

Friday - Greece

 

At 8.30am they called tender #6. We boarded the tender which left the ship at 8.35am for the ten minute ride to Nafplio. 

 

 

 

On arrival we strolled through the very pretty narrow streets that were almost deserted. 

 

 

 

 

 

We climbed up the stairs to visit the Catholic Church that was previously an Ottoman Mosque built in the 18th century. In 1840 it was consecrated as a Catholic Church. There is a pretty courtyard at the entrance to the church.

 

 

 

 

 

There were great views over the rooftops from the church.

 

 

Edited July 21 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

Friday June 21 -  Nafplio Continued

 

We returned down stairs to the old town.

 

 

 

As we strolled the streets we passed one of the Ottoman Fountains which is one of four to survive in the old town. 

 

 

Next was Syntagma Square which is lined with restaurants.

 

 

 

We then visited the 15th century Holy Church of Virgin Mary which is very ornate inside.

 

 

 

 

We headed towards the waterfront and had a lovely view of the Bourtzi Castle in the bay. The castle was built by the Venetians in 1471 to protect Nafplio. To prevent enemies from docking they had thick chains running from the castle to the mainland. From 1865 to 1935 the local executioner lived at the castle.

 

 

A short walk away was the Pende Adelphia (Five Brothers) which are five cannons on the only lower bastion of the Akronafplia that survives. 

 

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Friday June 21 - Nafplio Continued

 

Next we went up the lift to Akronafplia which is a rocky peninsula that towers over Nafplio and has fortifications from many different eras. Most of the fortifications you can see were built by the Venetians in the 15th century. The clock tower was built in the 19th century.

 

 

There were wonderful views over the city. 

 

 

 

There were also great views in the opposite direction of the harbour and Celebrity Infinity.

 

 

We walked back down to the old town along the road that follows the fortifications.

 

 

 

 

We entered the old town near the Land's Gate.

 

 

As we walked through the old town again we visited the 15th century St George Cathedral which is currently undergoing restoration.

 

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Friday June 21 - Nafplio Continued

 

We continued to wander and window shopped at the many lovely shops in the old town.

 

 

 

 

At 12.30pm we got on a tender to return to the ship. There was no wait and as we left we could see the Palamidi Castle which overlooks Nafplio. It was built between 1711 and 1714 by the Venetians. We had decided not to walk up the 999 steps to the castle. We also enjoyed the view of the old town as we left.

 

 

 

 

We were back on the ship at 12.45pm and headed to the Oceanview Cafe for lunch. While there we were able to watch three firefighting water bomber planes scoop up water from the harbour.

 

 

After lunch we returned to our cabin to pack and then went up to deck 11 where we could enjoy the views of the fortifications on the cliffs and the beach.

 

 

 

We had dinner at the Oceanview Cafe and then went to the shops to use the last of our OBC. A last walk around the ship then we returned to our cabin to finish the last of our packing.

 

We really enjoyed our day in Nafplio. It is a lovely town and was a great replacement port for Hydra. There was only Infinity and a Windstar ship visiting so we were fortunate that it was not at all crowded and it was much quieter than Bodrum.