Mediterranean Empires Cruise
07-09-2011 to 06-10-2011
Mykonos (Greece)
16th September
Our ship moored off Mykonos.
Neil on a lane in Mykonos.
Views of Mykonos.
Fishermen cleaning their catch.
The restaurant where we had Moussaka for dinner.
Looking back at Mykonos.
Mykonos at night.
Kusadasi (Ephesus)
17th September
Virgin Mary's House, Ephesus.
Ephesus upper entrance area.
Our guide feeding one of the cats. He is the guide we had in Istanbul.
The Goddess Nike.
Looking down to Ephesus Library.
Another view of the Library.
Roman toilets.
Ephesus Terraced Houses excavations.
Looking over the valley from the top exit of the terraced houses excavation. Ephesus used to have a harbour.
The Great Theater of Ephesus.
Harbor Street which lead to the man-made city harbour.
The market by our lunch stop. And restaurant.
Basilica of St. John.
Looking down on a Mosque.
Inside the Mosque.
Temple of Artimus.
Rug Factory visit.
Kusadasi port.
Santorini (Greece)
18th September
Santorini with Thira at the top of the cliff.
The two ways up to Thira. Centre left, Cable Car. Centre right, the Mule Track.
Views on Santorini.
Colleen looking out over the caldera.
A view of Thira and the restaurant where we had lunch. Lower centre.
Lunch.
The Flame of the Volcano restaurant.
A store in the lane selling fish and vegetables.
The two ways down to the dock. The mule track and the cable cars.
Mules and drivers.
The track down. Neil walked down dodging the mule droppings.
At the bottom.
As we sail away we pass Oia a coastal town on the northwestern tip of Santorini.
Katacolon
19th September
The Noordam docked in Katacolon. In 2022 we sailed round Australia in her. And in 2023 from Sydney, Australia to Vancouver, Canada.
Katacolon.
Our first stop early in the morning was a winery.
Museum pieces at the winery.
Our driver took us to his house to collect some of his olive oil for us and the couple sharing our tour.
Two photos taken on our way to Olympia.
The Philippeion, erected by Philip II of Macedon after the Battle of Chaironeia (338 BC).
In Olympia heading towards the Stadium.
Looking back along the tunnel leading to the Stadium.
The Stadium.
An old photo of the ruins of Olympia.
Katacolon from our ship.
A relaxing wine on the balconey after our tour.
Debarkation
21st September
Dawn over Venice on debarkation day.
The Alps from the train as we head into Switzerland.
Switzerland.
Lake Thun.
After a long day on trains we went for a walk in Bern. Sunset on the Alps.
A couple of photos taken at dusk on our walk in town.
Houses from a bridge over the river Aare.
Glacier Express (Switzerland)
22nd September
Lake Thun and the Alps as we take an early morning train to Brig to catch the Glacier Express.
Brig.
The Glacier Express arriving in Brig.
When we boarded the conductor said we would have this carriage to ourselves.
On our way.
The Glacier Express.
Leaving Andermatt we climb to the highest elevation.
At the top.
Then down.
The Bern station from our room balconey.
Colleen looking down at the road.
Switzerland 2
23rd September
Today we ware off to Montreux on lake Geneva.
Heading down to Montreux.
Montreux street.
We are going to take this ferry to Lausanne.
Leaving Montreux.
Arriving at Vevy-Marche ferry stop.
One of the trains running along the lake shore.
Cully ferry stop.
Lutry ferry stop.
Leaving the ferry at Lausanne we took the train to Geneva. It was getting late so we did not leave the station and caught the next train to Bern.
Heading back to Bern.
Not all of Switzerland is hilly.
Switzerland 3
24th September
Today's adventure is to Jungfraujoch, The Top Of Europe.
This train is taking us from Interlaken to Grindelwald.
Here is a close up picture of the cogged railway to Jungfraujoch.
The train taking us from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg.
After changing trains again at Kleine Scheidegg we are on the last leg to Jungfraujoch.
Our last look at the outside world brfore entering the mountain.
Eismeer station inside the mountain.It lies at an altitude of 3,159 metres above sea level, which makes it the second highest railway station in Europe.
Looking down at Kleine Scheidegg where we boarded this train.
Another view with part of the Ischmeer glacier on the left.
Neil in the Ice Palace at Jungfraujoch.
One of the ice carving displays.
Outside at Jungfraujoch.
Someone always has to go byond the roped off area.
Boarding the train at the Jungfraujoch station. At an elevation of 3,454 metres is the highest in Europe.
In the train on the way down.
Lunch at Kleine Scheidegg. A potato and cheese dish.
A train on the Grindlewald line.
Colleen looking at Kleine Scheidegg station while we wait for the train to Grindelwald.
Burglauenen railway station on the Interlaken-Grindelwal line.