A special birthday celebration touring Greece and Turkey

Danielle Anderson and Kyle Anderson

My mother-in-law, Sandy, loves to travel, so she wanted to celebrate

the birthdays of many friends and family with a European trip. The

plan was Athens for four days followed by a seven-day cruise of the

Greek Islands and Turkey. I never imagined going to these countries.

How am I going to communicate? I don’t speak Greek or any Turkish

language! There are endless landmarks to see and explore, but where

do you start? I realized I would be in a country and touch the same

ground as historical figures that I have only read about in history

and mythology books.

We arrived in Athens around 3 p.m. and were exhausted from the

flights. We were eager, however, to begin our sightseeing. Our first

lesson, between the hours of 2 and 5 p.m. is the time for a siesta.We

walked the narrow, steep streets, we listened to the beautiful Greek

language from the few locals who were out and about.

Our first few steps in the city were quite a blur since the

majority of the shops and restaurants were closed, but we became

accustomed to some familiar shops like Starbucks, grocery stores and

a pharmacy. As the city began to wake up, we found a restaurant down

several steep streets and underneath the road. The authentic Greek

cuisine of chicken, lamb, stuffed peppers, pita bread with tzasicki,

pork, salad, etc., was delicious. And beware: many restaurants

automatically bring out strong, high-proof liquor called Ouzo before,

during and after dinner. Our small Greek dictionary did not prepare

us for this adventure and we had to learn quickly how to speak the

basics.

The next day we took a quick bus tour with the guide calling out

landmarks as we sped by. It truly felt like the movie “National

Lampoon’s European Vacation” when the dad gets stuck in the

roundabout in France and calls out a landmark each and every time

they speed around it. One scheduled stop was the Acropolis, and the

view from the top looking down at the city was spectacular, including

many condensed colorful buildings and ruins like the Temple of Zeus.

Athens was undergoing a major renovation for 2004 Olympics. There

was scaffolding surrounding several ruins and buildings. Behind the

scaffolding, each temple has towering pillars, beautiful statues and,

although worn from age, there is unbelievable detail in writing and

art on the limestone for each individual ruin. The temple of the

virgin Athena, the goddess of wisdom, in the Parthenon was certainly

the largest. The beauty of the Caryatids (statues of women) on their

porch is breathtaking. The depth of Odeon Herod Atticos theater could

make you dizzy from staring down the many rows of seats to the stage

and towering backdrop made of stone.

By noon, we were anxious to break free from the tour guide. My

husband and I like to get adventurous when we travel. “Off the beaten

trail” is our motto. On our first two days in Greece we toured Athens

and Delphi. This was great for the history buffs, but we wanted to

break free. Hungry for some adventure and Greek food, we ate a

delectable lunch at the Acropolis Cafe and enjoyed the view of the

Acropolis. It was hard to find bad food in Greece.

Ready to get involved with the locals, we put our heads together

and planned our own tour. We grabbed a map at a local car rental

store and mapped out places of interest. Some of the highlights were

the National Garden, Parliament building and museums. We found

beautiful sculptures in an alley, met very nice people and ate gyros

sandwiches on the curb at the Metropolis (Athens Cathedral Greek

Orthodox). We walked more than 15 miles in one afternoon and were

totally full of dirt and memories. It was so enjoyable to soak in the

city and live it. Athens is easy to get around with a road map. Three

days were not enough.

The next day we took a grueling four-hour bus ride to Delphi. This

is the home of the gods and the oracle, where they ate, drank and

partied. My favorite part was seeing the oracle’s belly button. It

looks like a three-foot stone Hershey’s Kiss. All of the flooring was

marble and slippery. The theater was embedded in the edge of the

mountainand was very worn with time. We were not able to spend much

time because had to return to the bus for the marathon ride back to

Athens.

Barely finished with touring Athens, we began a new journey. Our

travels included stopping in Istanbul and Kusadasi, Turkey and the

Greek Islands of Santorini, Heraklion, Crete, Rhodes, Patmos and

Mykonos. In the wee hours of the first morning, we cruised through

the Straits of the Dardanelles, which connects the Aegean and Marmara

Seas and is the boundary between Europe and Asia. The widest point is

3.5 nautical miles and the narrowest is 1,300 meters. As we passed

through the strait, the sun was rising with a warm, golden color and

the water was a deep violet. The crisp, cold air was refreshing after

the condensed Athens.

In Istanbul, calculating currency was difficult, as the exchange

rate for one American dollar was about $1,700,000 Turkish Lira. We

used a local ATM to withdraw $100,000,000 Lira to experience a large

withdrawal and to have spending money. Needless to say, the ATM

receipt became a keepsake because we felt so rich for the night. It

was Sunday and stores were closed so we were not able to enjoy the

shopping, but, we made up for it later. The highlights of this trip

were Santa Sofia Museum, the Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace

Museum.

To honor the Muslim religion, it is proper to cover your shoulders

and knees when entering a mosque. We had to remove our shoes in the

Santa Sofia Museum. This is one of the most beautiful mosques.

Everything inside is rich in exquisite patterns with gold, white,

blue and some red. The center of the mosque had a large dome

signifying the year. There are four domes around the center

signifying each season Inside the four domes are three domes for the

months in each season. Pictures may be taken inside, but without a

flash. Even so, our attempts to take a picture of the entire ceiling

were impossible due to the enormity of the dome.

Turkey is also known for its hand-woven carpets. The largest

carpets can take over 20 years to make. In one of the stores in

Istanbul, there is a carpet show with information about the rugs.

After a quick lesson, store managers unrolled some of the carpets and

spun them to imitate a flying carpet.

The next day we splurged in Kusadasi. We shopped for jewelry,

spices and leather. Many windows were dripping in exquisite jewels,

leather and carpets. The amount of sparkle and precious metal was

nothing I’ve ever seen before. The shop owners were so hospitable and

enjoyed showing their product. We learned quickly to take our time

and not to turn down an offer of something to drink. It is very

common to be offered tea, coffee, etc., and an insult if turned down.

Apple tea was definitely one of our favorite choices.

After Turkey, we cruised back to the Greek Islands. Although we

visited many islands, one of our favorites was Santorini. From the

top of the island, the large ships look like toy boats in a bathtub.

We took the cable car up the small mountain and enjoyed coffee on the

edge at a cafe. The view was an endless blue heaven of water and

beautiful lines of colorful homes etched in the island all the way

down to the water’s edge. After a relaxing view, we started to hike

around the town. Vehicles were not as common as in Athens, probably

due to the steep scale in the streets and sidewalks. There were

donkeys to assist going up and down the mountain. We wanted to spend

a week on this peaceful island, but we had to join our group on the

ship for the next port.

Another enjoyable island is Mykonos, Greece. It is one of the most

visited and most expensive with a very friendly atmosphere for total

relaxation. The island is rocky and barren, but beautiful. We were

able to see the famous windmills of Mykonos, overlook the settling

waters and neighboring islands as the sun lay to rest.

This was the perfect end to our cruise. We have Kyle’s mother

Sandy to thank for such an enjoyable experience of another culture,

country and the chance to be together with friends and family for

almost two weeks.

* DANIELLE AND KYLE ANDERSON are Costa Mesa residents.

* TRAVEL TALES runs on Thursdays. Have you, or someone you know,

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