MSC Mediterranean Cruise - on the MSC Divina - Italian Cruise line. Pre and post hotel in Venice, Italy at the Delfino Hotel. Cruise ports were Bari, Italy, Izmir and Istanbul, Turkey and Dubrovnik Croatia, did not make it to Katakolon, Greece due to wind. We did a tour of the ancient and once vibrant city of Ephesus, which had a population of more than 250,000 in its heyday, is now a gargantuan archaeological site that is situated an approx. 1-hour drive inland from Izmir. Ephesus was originally founded by the Ionians c. 1,000 B.C. and even then boasted features that modern society still appreciates to this day, for instance a huge theatre with absolutely perfect acoustics and a capacity to seat 25,000 people. Your guided tour around the complex will take you past the ancient baths, Hadrian’s Temple, the Library of Celsus, which was built by Tiberius Julius Aquila to commemorate his father, and the marble street where many of the shops were situated. The site provides a fascinating insight into a highly developed and sophisticated ancient civilisation.
The historical old city of Istanbul, called Sultanahmet, holds some of the highest concentration of historical, cultural and architectural icons of any neighborhood in Europe. Most of today we spent walking through this stunningly beautiful neighborhood of Istanbul, visiting the Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and the Hippodrome. We had Lunch at a traditional Turkish restaurant. Dubrovnik, the “Pearl of the Adriatic” and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We visit the famous city walls, a series of towers, bastions and fortifications surrounding the entire historical centre and port. Built in the 12th century to defend the city against invaders and then modified in the 13th and 14th centuries, Dubrovnik’s 1,940m of walls are considered some of the most beautiful and best preserved in Europe. In Venice we ate local pizza's, walked along the canalsto the Rialto Bridge and St Mark's Square. We took the water taxi to Murano to see how they make exquisite glasswork and actually watched the locals make a glass vase. After a 2 hour walking tour we took a gondola tour of the Venice canals where we seen some incredible city sights. After our tour we did some great shopping in St Marks Sqaure area and we ended the night sitting in the Square listening to the orchestras and eating the best Geliato of the whole trip!!