Mediterranean Empires Cruise
07-09-2011 to 06-10-2011
Rome
07th September
St. Peter's Basilica.
Pictures from the Vatican Tour.
Vatican Swiss Guard wearing regular uniform.
Day 2 Rome
8th September
Flavian Amphitheatre. Aka. Colosseum.
Ground floor just after the ticket office.
Vomitorium.
Views inside the Colosseum.
View of the Palatine Hill from the Colosseum.
Victor Emmanuel II Monument. Aka. The Typewriter.
The top of the Pantheon.
Looking up at the ceiling of the Pantheon.
Inside the Pantheon.
The square outside the Pantheon.
A shop near the Pantheon selling religious trappings.
Embarkation. Venice (Italy)
09th September
Opening our Stateroom door on our first cruise.
After settling in to our stateroom we went to explore Venice taking a Water Taxi to St. Mark's Square.
Doge's Palace.
From St. Mark's square we walked back to the ship by these narrow paths through Venice.
Venice (Italy)
10th September
At about 0400 the ship had to move berth to allow another ship to use the dock. We sailed silently along the canals to our new berth close to St.Mark's Square.
Our ship.
Colleen walking by the Grand Canal as we head to St. Mark's square.
Pictures taken as we walked round Venice.
Not a very good photo of the Rialto Bridge.
Our ship from St. Mark's Square.
Views over Venice as we wait for Sail Away.
Split (Croatia )
11th September
Split from the tender dock.
Views from our Hop on - Hop off tour. That is our ship anchored offshore.
Two photos in Split town.
Split waterfront.
Split as we sail away.
Piraeus (Greece)
13th September
Early morning arrival in Piraeus, the port for Athens.
The path leading to the Parthenon.
Up the path looking back at Athens.
The Temple of Erechtheionin, and a close-up of the The Porch of the Maidens.
Three photos of the Parthenon.
Horse and cart for tourist rides.
Photos of two backstreets in Athens.
Istanbul (Turkey)
14th September
Sunrise over the Gallipoli Peninsula.
The Grand Bazaar.
The Orient Express Station.
Moon rise over Istanbul.
The Bosphorus Bridge at night.
Istanbul at night. The Hagia Sophia in the forground and the Blue Mosque behind.
Istanbul 2 (Turkey)
15th September
View from our balconey.
The Blue Mosque.
Area for the worshipers to wash before praying at the Blue Mosque.
Inside the Blue Mosque.
Topkapi Palace.
Basilica Cistern.
The bases of two columns in the cistern reuse blocks carved with the face of Medusa.
For lunch we went to a restaurant called 'The Pudding Shop'.
Hagia Sophia.
Hagia Sophia Fountain.
Leaving Instanbul. The Blue Mosque on the left and Hagia Sophia on the right.