Greece Is The Word

Well, we're in port at Kusadasi, Turkey getting ready for the long run to Istanbul. I have a little free time now, so I figured I'd write some riffs on both Greece and Turkey (as well as the cruise ship). The various activities of the last few days will be written and (hopefully) posted tomorrow, if we get any wireless.


Today we toured the ancient city of Ephesus with a private guide. More on that tomorrow, but a very fascinating time.


First, the sailing info update from Stat Boy. Two days ago, going from Santorini to Rhodes (seems like a whole 'nother country ago -- oh, there's a reason why), it took the Windstar 15.5 hours to travel the 149.2 miles. The heavy winds weakened enough so that we were under sail for nearly 10 hours of the trip -- all coming at the final two thirds. Our average speed was 9.2 knots per hour (11 mph or so).


From Rhodes, Greece, to Bodrum, Turkey was only 70.2 miles (which is why we didn't leave Rhodes till 11pm). We were at sea for 9 hours, an average of 7.8 knots per hour (9-10 mph). The sails were up for less than a half hour.



We've had good chats with folks on the ship, but not hung out with them or anything. It is great family time -- not just during the day, but also during dinners. By the way, dinner in the main restaurant was much better the second time we tried -- we went later, and got our entrees in 30 minutes -- which is only an HOUR faster than the first try. Still prefer eating outside at the smaller, less formal Candles restaurant. Sometime you wanna go where everybody knows your name.

Turkey is my kind of Muslim country -- at least in the resorts, beer and wine sold at all restaurants. In Bodrum, there were signs advertising the cocktail(s) of the day. We're not hard alcohol drinkers, but it was a good secular sign to see. I was also surprised to see a few topless sunbathers, as well as posters with bikini-clad women advertising chick clothing stores. With the exception of the minarets of the mosques, it's difficult to see much Islamic influence on the culture (remember, I've just been here two days). I'm sure Istanbul is a bit more Muslim-centric.


The most refreshing difference between Greece and Turkey so far is that (I know change is coming in Istanbul), the Turkish restauranteurs and shop keepers are near as aggressive and in your face as their Greek counterparts.


It's funny on board -- we have the ship staff who know us and want to be friendly and helpful, and then there are other staffers who have "adopted" other guests. We are docked near a 2000 person Royal Carribean ship and a 750ish Seabourn Odyssey ship -- I can't image there is much of the guest/staff friendliness going on with those ships. Too big. If this were "Battleship", it would take two hits to sink our ship, and five to sink the RC behemoth.


Okay, so I'll admit that I only now fully grasp the impact of the sea on these two countries. While I'm getting the view from the Greek Islands and Turkish ports, it's clear why the sea has played such a huge role in the development and culture of the two nations. Another historical lesson from this trip (reinforced) is that, regardless of what some people think -- you can't stop trade. It's been happening for countless centuries under much more difficult life/travel conditions than exist now. And, that won't change.

While I haven't written about Rhodes yet, here's my take on the islands. Milos -- one day was enough to cover the island highlights. It would have been nice to have two more days in Santorini -- one to see the historic sites that are closed on Monday, and one to explore more of the beaches and the towns. When I'm reincarnated as a media consultant, I won't have to work as hard, and I'll have more time to travel.

Rhodes definitely needs three days, and maybe a fourth. We totally missed Lindos (it's national historic site -- if you are thinking of an oft-injured hockey player who never quite reached his potential, that's "Lindros" not "Lindos."). There are also some beautiful mountains and valleys that we would have liked to explored, as well as hitting more of the various beaches.


I wrote recently about the superiority of American beaches (body surfing, comfortable sand, shelling, etc. etc.). I will say three things for Greek (and Turkish, from what I've seen) beaches. There is a lot of variety in the beaches just on the same island -- so if you don't like one beach, drive a short ways and there will be a totally different type of beach. Secondly, the water is staggering clear. And thirdly, it's VERY easy to go there. You can easily rent lounge chairs, umbrellas, and buy drinks right on the beach. I would note a fourth advantage, but this is a family publication.

The flip side is that there is more litter, and a ton of cigarette butts on the ground. By the way -- I keep hearing that Europeans are great environmentalists, but I saw multiple instances in different parts of Greece where people just tossed litter on the street/beach/park as though they had never seen the crying Indian ad from the late 1960s/early 1970s.

Speaking of which, reaching back to Athens, it's pretty clear they think that refrigeration is the main cause of global warming. Warm water, warm soda, and semi-warm beer. At least in the islands things were refrigerated -- same with the Turkish resorts.

You want a bargain on real estate? Try the coast of Turkey -- great views, nice beaches, great food, low cost of living, and cheap prices. In fact, the two best meals we've had on the trip (besides on the ship) have been in Turkey for lunch. Of course, you need to be willing to overlook the chilling rise of the Islamist Party in Turkey, which may spoil all the fun in a few years. More to be written on that in a later post.