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Adriatic and Med. Cruise
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  • Bob And Brenda Kerr
  • Patty DeGroodt
  • Bill DeGroodt

Adriatic and Med. Cruise

An open-ended adventure by Bob And Brenda, Patty & Bill Read more
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    🇬🇷 Nea Alikarnassos Municipal Unit, Greece
    Adriatic and Med. Cruise
    House of Wealthy Individual Near Palace
    Recreated FrescoVessels to hold Wine, Olive Oil or Grain2Throne Room

    Heraklion/Crete, Greece

    October 16 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Crete is the largest island in Greece. It was the home of the Minoans, Europe’s earliest recorded civilization.

    Our tour today consisted of exploring the Palace of Knossos and getting a more detailed look at  Bronze Age relics and frescos in the Heraklion museum.

    The earliest parts of the palace were built in 1900 BC. At its height, it was a sprawling complex of administrative, religious and royal residency. We were able to see outlines of foundations, recreations of walls and pillars and got a good sense of what the palace looked like.

    The walls were decorated with frescos. These frescos were restored in the early 1900s by an archeologist named Sir Arthur Evans.

    Other artifacts included large pottery storage jars used for storing grain, olive oil and wine.

    This was a truly magnificent place. At the museum we were able to find out more detail about the culture and craftsmanship of these creative people.

    The museum held many examples of the art, pottery and jewelry created by the Minoan people. The skill and intricate attention to detail was incredible. We were lucky to be able to see these incredible things.

    Narrative By Patty

    After our tour, we rushed back to the ship to grab our QuietVox and head to the Atrium for Behind the Scenes Tour. I left the tour early to grab a seat in the Restaurant with our favorite waiter.

    As a side note, Patty found our tour guide through Context. He is an archeologist, professor and author. We thoroughly enjoyed him and his vast knowledge. He was also very personable. He is one of the best guides that we have ever had!

    Patty worked for months researching tours and guides. She has done an amazing job! Our trip would not be nearly as good without all her hard work!    Read more

  • Adriatic and Med. Cruise

    Rhodes

    October 15 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Rhodes is known for its ancient medieval fortification built by the Knights of St. John in the 14th century.  It’s historic old town is the largest active medieval town in Europe. We wandered down the narrow streets and marveled at the thick stone walls.

    From Rhodes we travelled to Lindos. Lindos is the site of an acropolis dedicated to Athena. It was built in 300 BC on the site of an earlier temple. Perched high above the ocean it has an impressive 360 degree view of the Aegean Sean and surrounding countryside.

    After our tour, Bill and I strolled along the waterfront enjoying the beautiful day and admiring the medieval town walls.

    Narrative By Patty

    After we toured Rhodes, I did some ironing and then took a quick nap.

    We had dinner at the Captain's table with Ronald-General Manager who we know from the last WC, Verity-the Cruise Director, Karin-the Excursion Manager and Richard-the Assistant General Manager.    Read more

  • Adriatic and Med. Cruise
    Bath House
    Mosiac PavementCommunal ToiletsAgora/Market PlaceAmphitheater

    Kusadasi/Ephesus

    October 14 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    We had an early morning arrival at the port of Kusadasi, Turkey. This town of 90,000 people is the gateway to the historic site of Ephesus.

    We met our private guide and set off to visit one of antiquity’s best preserved cities. Ephesus was founded in the 10th century BC. It is a huge site covered with the remnants of bath houses, temples, administrative buildings and two agoras or market sites

    The most memorable structure is the library of Celsius. This library once held 12,000 scrolls and was one of the largest libraries in the ancient world.

    We walked through ruined temples and along market places where it was easy to imagine what life might have been like in ancient times. We appreciated the cultural and Christian heritage of this beautiful site. Both St. John and St. Paul spent time here and Ephesus played an important part in the spread of early Christianity.

    The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263. It was rebuilt but declined in importance as the harbor was silted up by the surrounding river. (Wikipedia)

    Narrative Again Thanks to Patty

    I once again went to bed upon arriving back on the boat.    Read more

  • Adriatic and Med. Cruise
    Trojan Horse at Troy Site
    Trojan Horse Used in MovieClay Pipes Uses at Troy

    Troy

    October 13 in Turkey ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Troy is located in Turkey. To get from Istanbul to Troy we went from the Bosporus through the Sea of Marmara in the area of the Dardanelles.

    We walked into the ancient site of the city. We learned that there are 9 major levels of Troy layered on top of each other. Each layer represents a city that was constructed over the previous one. Often they reused the material on the site to change and improve each version of the city. The first city was constructed in 3600 BC and the most recent level is dated 500 AD. After 500 AD the city fell into a “twilight zone” and was no longer a major city for trade or any other use.

    The myth/history of Troy is based on Homer’s Iliad. There is no real archeological proof that the Trojan Wars actually happened, but it is clear that there was an ancient and important city, whether the story is true or not.

    It was interesting to see the site of ancient Troy. Our imagination was churning as we learned about the history of the many different people and cultures who lived here.

    Narrative written by Patty.

    I have come down with a cold so when we returned to the boat, I immediately went to bed and skipped dinner.    Read more

  • Adriatic and Med. Cruise
    Market
    MosqueSynagogue with Barricades/PoliceCommunal GardenHouses

    Touring Asian Side of Istanbul

    October 12 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    We had a lovely breakfast in the World Cafe before we walked to the Peninsula Hotel which was about a 15 minute walk from the port.

    We met our guide outside the hotel. She is of Jewish heritage and has been living in Istanbul since she was 16 years old. She had a very strong personality and opinions about Turkish Politics and it's leaders. She is a documentary film maker and has had many friends put in jail due to their political stance.

    We took the ferry across the very busy Bosphorus. There were ferries, cargo ships, fishing boats and private yachts sailing in all different directions.

    The city of Istanbul is divided into the European and Asian sides by the Bosphorus.

    When we reached the Asian side, we made our way to a mosque which was unique because it was built by a female who was the daughter of a Sultan.

    The mosque was closed for cleaning so we walked through a small market and then viewed another mosque from the outside before heading back to the first mosque where the cleaning had been completed.

    After touring to interior of the mosque, we hopped in a very small cab-there was 6 of us in a car the size of a Ford Focus-it was hilarious!

    The cab dropped us off in a residential area where there was a synagogue surrounded by barricades and policemen.

    We walked through the neighborhood viewing churches, houses and a communal garden.

    We stopped by a tea shop before catching a public bus which took us back to the ferry.

    We took another ferry across the Bosphorus and walked back to the ship.

    This was a very interesting tour which gave us an alternate viewpoint of politics and culture in Turkey.    Read more

  • Adriatic and Med. Cruise

    Boarding Viking Jupiter

    October 12 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    We arranged a ride to the port last night. We decided to leave the hotel at noon.

    I didn't set an alarm because I could not fathom sleeping past 9 AM. I woke up at 11:20....and the chaos began!!!

    Makeup quickly done as Bob was throwing things in suitcases. My heartbeat probably reached 190 beats per minute. I asked Bob to call and get the time for the ride to port changed...he said we will make it. By now, I am sweating like a pig as I began throwing everything within reach into suitcases with absolutely zero rhythm or reason.

    We made our way to the lobby to be greeted by Bill and Patty who were all relaxed and calmly reading. Bob and I looked like we had just been through a CAT 5 hurricane. But we were not late....we had blown into the lobby at 11:59!

    We made our way to our cab and took the short ride to the port.

    I couldn't find my luggage tags but after this morning, I was not going to sweat the small stuff. The Viking crew were able to make tags for our luggage.

    We were through the embarkation quickly and had lunch. During lunch an announcement was made that our stateroom was ready.

    We were now faced with the task of unpacking and organizing the mess we just made a short time ago.

    Fortunately, we didn't seem to have forgotten anything at the hotel.

    The unpacking process took a little longer than normal.

    We met Bill and Patty in the atrium before going to the restaurant for dinner.

    We are glad to be unpacked for the next few weeks.    Read more

  • Adriatic and Med. Cruise
    12Bill At Kaymakli CavesRaising Stone at KaymakliStone Used to Block PassagesKaymakliKaymakliKaymakliUchisar CastleLunchPigeon Houses at Pigeon Valley

    Balloon Ride And Day of Touring

    October 10 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    Bob and I were both awake well before our 4:30 AM alarm as we had to be ready to meet our driver who would take us to the location of our balloon ride...hopefully. I say hopefully because our guide said that the balloon rides are very dependent on weather conditions and could be cancelled right up until it was time to get in the balloons basket.

    We met some lovely people in the lobby. One couple was checking out and said that their balloon ride was cancelled yesterday. The other couple was schedule for the balloon ride with us. Incidentally, they will also be on our cruise.

    Soon our driver arrived and we were off. He was an excellent driver knowing many short cuts and detours. He had a bit of difficulty locating our balloon because he came in a totally different way to avoid a traffic jam and it was pitch dark. You would not believe the number of cars, vans, and busses everywhere!

    Finally our driver parked the van and said to follow him. Most of our van was part of an Asian tour group with the exception of the four of us and the couple who will be joining us on the cruise. This was lucky for us because we knew that we could easily see over their heads.

    The Asian tour guide called all of his group over to himself. The rest of us were wondering what we were to do. Soon, our driver called us over and loaded us into one of two basket containers on the very end. We were so fortunate because this location gave us expectional views.

    The Captain then explained the landing process. We were to face away from direction of travel and duck all the way down in the basket. This is not as easy as it sounds because the Kerrs are BIG people. We were lucky to be in a compartment with the DeGroodts. I do not believe that they felt the same way about us since we took up more than our fair share of space.

    The Captain then fired up the heating mechanism and after some adjustments by the ground crew, we were released and quickly swayed up in the air.

    There were balloons everywhere. We were told there would be 600 balloons in the air.

    We soared over many of the attractions that we saw yesterday. The Captain would lower the balloon almost to the ground and also very near the rock formations.

    The sun soon came up and spectacularly shown on rocks and balloons alike.

    After about an hour we started to descend. The ground crew had driven the trailer to our location. We watched in awe as the Captain perfectly lowered the balloon basket right on the trailer. No ducking down in basket, just an amazingly soft landing right on the trailer. We all our jaws dropped to witness this feat.

    We were then given refreshments before being driven back to our hotel.

    We will remember this morning as one of the most magnificent of our lives!

    We had breakfast at the hotel, went back to our room for a couple hours to shower and pack. I got caught up working and we were almost late to meet our guide at 10:30 AM.

    We stopped at the Kaymakli Underground City which is the largest and best restored shelter. It is surmised that Christians may have used these shelters to hide from enemies. This location has 7 levels but only the top 4 are available to be toured. We saw where they kept animals, a church, living quarters, kitchen, ventilation and water shafts. This was fascinating but not for those who are claustrophobic.

    We did a bit of shopping outside of the Underground City before heading to our next stop.

    We stopped for a coke at a restaurant overlooking the Uchisar Castle which is the biggest rock formation of Cappadocia.

    We continued on to the Pigeon Valley which affords one a terrific view of pigeon houses. The people of this region built theses houses into the cliffs to house pigeons and protect them from predators. In return, the pigeons supplied fertilizer for crops.

    As many of you know, I have been at war with pigeons in Arizona. They served no purpose in my life but to damage our roof. As a result, they are my least favorite birds.

    Next was a fabulous lunch at a restaurant built in a cave. We had a meat stew cooked for 4 hours in a sealed clay pot. The waiter then heated the both the bottom of the clay pot and a knife then banged around the top of the pot until the top broke off. It was very delicious.

    We had asked our guide if we could go to a spice market. He found a wonderful market and we again made more purchases which will necessitate us buying an even bigger duffel.

    Our guide asked us what we wanted to do next. We opted to go to the Pink Lotus jewelry shop to learn about Zultanite. Jewelry may or may not have been purchased.

    Sadly, it was then time to say goodbye to our extraordinary guide, Omar.

    We were driven to the airport only to find out that our plane had been delayed by an hour. It has been a long day and this will make it even longer. We have an hour drive when we get back to Istanbul.

    We finally made it to bed around 1 AM making it an about 20 1/2 hour day.

    Luckily, we have nothing planned for tomorrow except to get to the ship.    Read more

  • Adriatic and Med. Cruise
    Van to Airport
    Esentepe Panorama vista point of GoremeStray CatCaves at Goreme Open Air MuseumNunnery at Goreme Open Air MuseumChurch at Goreme Open Air MuseumFrescoes in Church at Goreme Open Air MuseumLove ValleyPasabag Fairy ChimneysPasabag Fairy ChimneysPasabag Fairy ChimneysDeGroodts and Kerrs at Pasabag Fairy ChimneysWhat animal does this rock formations look like to you?What does this rock formations look like?Pottery ShopHotel Room at Fresca Hotel

    Cappadocia

    October 9 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Bob and I were awake before our 3:15 AM alarm so we were able to call Rob and check in on things at the home front. I also got some work done and Bob fired our landscaper.

    We met Bill and Patty in the lobby at 4:20 AM.

    Our driver, who was to take us to the airport, was late. We walked to the corner and waited for a bit. Patty was in contact with the tour company and we were finally able to connect with the driver but we were almost 30 minutes past our original time to depart the hotel.

    We drove to the airport and made it to the gate as they were boarding our flight. This was the closest I have ever been to missing a flight. Anyone who knows me, knows that this stressed me a bit.

    We had a pleasant flight. I am glad that I was able to upgrade us to seats with more legroom as even these seats were cramped. Turkish people are small! Bob and I are NOT!

    We were met at the airport and whisked off by a pleasant driver with a spacious 14 passenger van...and there was only the 4 of us.

    We had an hour long ride through the countryside to our tour starting point just outside of the city of Goreme.

    Our first stop was at a viewpoint where we had coffee and discussed the plans for the day with our guide. While having coffee we also enjoyed watching puppies chase a cat. I haven't mentioned that there are more cats living on the streets than dogs but theu are both very numerous. These animals are all very well taken care of by the population. There are food and water bowls everywhere for the stray cats and dogs.

    The landscape in this area was influenced by centuries of volcanic activity. As a result, there are layers of pumic and ash that have been sculpted by the wind and weather into fantastic rock formations. There  have been dwellings, churches and storage niches all carved into the volcanic hillsides.

    A great example of the is the Goreme Open Air Museum. This site was used by Christian monks and nuns from the 10th to 12th centuries. They built chapels and dwellings along the sides of a valley, carving out the sites and then decorated with frescoes depicting Biblical scenes.

    We also walked through canyons full of tall slender rock towers. This place was called the Pasabag Fairy Chimineys which are mushroom shaped rock formations.

    We even stayed in a "cave hotel” where the room was carved into the hillside.

    The geology and the history of this area is amazing. Everywhere you turn there are carvings in the stone. People have been living here for millennia. This is the true crossroad between Asia and Europe. If you want to go from one continent to the other by land you must come this way. Its hard to believe we are here!

    Other areas which we toured were: Devrent Valley which is well known as imagination valley with animal and human shaped rock formations, a pottery workshop, and the Love Valley which has pillar shaped rock formations.

    Tomorrow is ballon ride day, and more sights to see.    Read more

  • Adriatic and Med. Cruise
    2Spice Market
    Garment District1Tea Shop1Yummy TreatsRustum Pasha Mosque1Iznik TilesIznik TileIznik TileAlley with WorkshopsBack Alleys With WorkshopsWorkshopWorkshopSuleyman, Our Fantastic GuideTea House in Workshop AreaBob in Eirene Tower/Arthur GalleryEirene Tower Roof1Gate to Topkapi PalaceEunich Quarters1Sultan’s Bath21Mother of Pearl and Tortoise Shell InlayFountain By Windows Used To Cool Room

    Spice Market, Grand Bazaar and Topkapi

    October 9 in Turkey ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Since we are traveling with Bill and Patty and Patty does a fantastic job of summarizing our trip. She sends out her daily reflections via email, I have decided to plagiarized her emails while adding a bit of mine own impressions. I am hoping that this will result in both a better blog and having it completed in a more timely manner. I also will add my pictures because it will be a challenge to import her pictures.

    Istanbul is a city of 16 million. Our experience is that it is clean and orderly. There has been no sign of homelessness. We have felt safe during our 5 mile walk in the historic district today.

    Our walk began through the garment district. This is an area of shops which are a combination of wholesale and retail selling. Merchants from around the country come to this area of Istanbul to buy items in bulk to sell in their stores in other areas of the country.

    We have noticed that shops selling similar items are located next to each other. On the drive from the airport, we noticed a similar arrangement. One area sold flowers and another sold lightening etc. In the garment district, shops selling socks were next to each other. There were a sections of business suits, children's clothing, under garments etc.

    We then strolled around the periphery of the Spice Market to discover plants, pet food and animals for sale.

    The Spice Market was established in 1664 as a place where merchants came together to sell goods and materials. We strolled through an incredible market filled with every kind of spice, tea and tea blend possible. It was overwhelming to see so many choices in one place.

    The merchants would offer samples of their wares. Bob and I (Brenda) got carried away in a tea shop and bought a lot of tea. This will necessitate us purchasing an additional piece of luggage. As most of you are aware, this dilemma happens quite frequently. As a result, our luggage closet at home is about at capacity.

    We toured the Rustum Pasha Mosque which is located above an area of the market. This mosque is purported to be one of the most mosques in Istanbul due to its abundance of Iznik tiles. These tiles are very rare because of the fact that they have multiple colors. The knowledge of the technique of firing tiles with multiple colored glazes had been lost. It wasn't until recently that tiles with multiple colors have again been able to be produced.

    We then journeyed through the back streets between the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar. This was a fascinating area of workshops. We were once again thankful for our guide, Suleyman. Without him, we would never have explored this area.

    We journeyed the Eirene Tower which is a refurbished and renewed tower that was built in the 8th century. It was used as a watchtower, prison and treasure house. It has been reborn as a workshop for artisans and art galleries to display the work of local artists. The dome of the tower is constructed as a rib dome, a technique that was thought to be difficult to accomplish. It was amazing to be walking through a tower complex of such great age.

    Our last stop in the morning was at the Grand Bazaar. It is a huge complex with 3500 stalls selling everything you could possibly need or want.  It has a very large gold market where things are sold by the gram. Handmade carpets abound, as do scarves, leather goods and clothing. It was an overwhelming place.

    Bob and I (Brenda) have been in many market areas. This was by far the largest and cleanest market that we have ever seen. In fact we have found all of the historic area of Istanbul to very clean and surprisingly quiet.

    Bob and I made a couple of purchases.

    We had a quick lunch at a restaurant located next to our hotel.

    Our afternoon was spent at Topkapi Palace. This is a large palace complex located at the tip of the peninsula at the confluence between the Sea of Marmara, Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. The palace grounds consist of three courtyards and a series of buildings including the Sultan’s living quarters, administrative and government buildings, massive kitchen facilities and a large harem. It was built in 1465 and expanded on through the years.

    The Sultans of the Ottoman Empire lived in a separate area of the palace next to the area where the concubines lived. We had quiet an enlightening lecture on the life of the Sultans, concubines, and Eunichs.

    The interior of the palace is covered with Iznik tiles. mother of pearl and tortoise shell.

    There are numerous museums now in some area of the palace. Suleyman asked which museums we wanted to visit. All four of us said we were satisfied with what we had already seen.

    We bid Suleyman goodbye and journeyed back to our hotel for a quick dinner and we all went to bed early as we have a 3 AM wakeup tomorrow in order to fly to Cappadocia.    Read more

  • Adriatic and Med. Cruise
    Entrance to Hagai Sofia
    Hagai SofiaDome of Hagai SofiaBooked marked marble in Hagai Sofia3Hagai SofiaFace of Cheribum Not covered my MuslimsByzantium Mosiac1Amazingly Detailed MosiacMosiac of JesusMosiac of John the BaptistBlue MosqueBlue Mosque1Dome of Blue MosqueElevated area from where Imman teachesSofia Hagai Taken from Blue MosqueBob

    Istanbul First Full Day

    October 7 in Turkey ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    After receiving a couple of phone calls in the middle of the night and not sleeping much, we met Bill and Patty in the hotel's restaurant for breakfast.

    We then made our way to met our guide who is with Context.

    After a brief walk during which our guide, Suleyman, gave us history of Istanbul. Our first stop was the Hagia Sophia. It was built by Constantine in the sixth century, this architectural and artistic wonder reflects the essence of Istanbul through the ages, having served over the years as church, mosque, and museum, before converting back to a mosque in 2020.

    Next we made our way to the Blue Mosque. Here we entered through the gate where Muslims enter instead of the visitors gate because the line was so long for the visitors gate. Prayers begin at noon and no visitors are allowed in at that time so had we had to enter through the visitors gate, we would have been standing in line forever. This just confirmed that having a knowledgeable guide is so important!

    The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, or Blue Mosque is a UNESCO World Heritage site, we learned about the principles of Ottoman architecture as we admired the thousands of blue Iznik tiles after which the mosque takes its name.

    We had a brief coffee break before making our way to the former location of the Hippodrome. We toured these 4th-century ruins of the Roman Empire. The Hippodrome was the focal point of social life in the Byzantine period.

    Next we made our was to an underground cistern where we were shown models of the Hippodrome.

    Above this cistern was a Turkish rug store. We had a lesson on rug making and were shown many beautiful rugs. So far, the Kerrs have managed to keep their credit cards in their pockets.

    We then made our way back to the hotel.

    I made inquiries about travel insurance for a trip we are planning in 2027 and updated this blog.

    We had dinner at a restaurant recommended by our guide.    Read more

  • Adriatic and Med. Cruise
    View from Restaurant
    Hagia Sofia MosqueBlue Mosque

    Arrival in Istanbul

    October 6 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We arrived at about 4 PM. Passport control had long lines but we made it through fairly quickly.

    We made our way to meet our driver for about a 45 minute drive into downtown Istanbul.

    We liked arriving in the afternoon because it meant that all we had to do was get to the hotel and find a place to eat.

    We got a recommendation for a restaurant from the concierge at the hotel. On our walk to the restaurant, we passed by the Hagia Sofia Mosque and the Blue Mosque. It was located on a roof top terrace overlooking the Sea of Marmara. It was a beautiful location.

    We headed back to the hotel and were really ready for bed!    Read more

  • Adriatic and Med. Cruise

    Seattle to Istanbul

    October 5 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    We were so happy to have Rob drive us and the DeGroodts to the airport!

    Our flight to Istanbul departed a little after 7 PM. This was our first experience on Turkish airlines. The food was really good and I thought the service was good. But the seats did not fit the Kerrs at all...especially Bob. They were way too short and had little room for one's feet. In comparison. Delta's seats were much better.

    The flight was about 11 1/2 hours.    Read more

    Trip start
    October 6, 2025
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