Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Patmos Island, Dodoacanese, Greece

Yesterday was our last of six days in Turkey, visiting Istanbul, Canakkale, and Izmir. Besides the wondrous things we saw, we were most impressed by the kindness of the Turkish people, the dedication to service in the tourist industry, and the high quality of the museums. 

I promised a little more information about our Istanbul guide, Aytaç. He is a university-educated 32-year old bachelor, originally from Izmir, where his parents still reside. He speaks excellent English and also studied Russian at university. He is an independent guide who works for many different companies in Istanbul. In order to afford his own apartment, he drives a two-hour commute twice a day. He provides excellent commentary about the history and culture of the places we visit--and, even more importantly--gives us a glimpse into the personal lives of young, westernized Turks. He is hoping to marry and raise a family soon. We recommend him to any future visitors who might be reading this, but also to any young women who are seeking a kind, sensitive, and good-looking husband.

And Now on to Patmos 

Patmos is one of the smaller Greek islands, only a short distance from the Turkish coast. It is most popular with visitors seeking to understand the significance of St John the Evangelist, who lived on the island after the sacrifice of Christ, rather than to enjoy the hedonistic life associated with some of the other islands.

We join a 2.5 hour tour that begins with a local tender taking us to the port town, Skala. There is no place for even a ship as small as ours to dock here, so the Encore remains anchored off shore--and notice the incredible deep blue color of the Aegean Sea. 

A 10-minute bus ride takes us up a winding road to the hilltop town of Chora to visit the Monastery of St John, at one time the richest in the Dodecanese.

The monastery's dark facade, with its huge buttressed walls, provides an impressive contrast to the light, frescoed interior. There are five chapels, each decorated with colorful frescoes and gilded religious objects. The old Treasury is now a museum housing rare icons, jewelry, chalices, crowns, vestments, and silver objects inlaid with gemstones. There are 13,000 old manuscripts and volumes dating from 1073, which record the monastery's 900-year history. 

From the monastery there are spectacular views over the harbor and town, as well as the three remaining windmills built for the monastery.

Further down toward the port stands the Grotto of St John. This small cave, now converted into a beautiful chapel, is where John the Evangelist lived, saw amazing visions, and wrote the Book of Revelation. 

Our Guide and Tour Group Inside St John's Cave

Our guide takes us back to the port where we catch the next tender to the Encore.

At 5:45pm there is a reception for members of the Seabourn Club--passengers who have previously sailed on their ships. This is my third voyage and Will's second. 

We head to the more formal Restaurant for dinner, where Will has roasted plum tomato soup, grilled giant prawns, and chocolate gelato. I enjoy tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella in an olive oil reduction (aka tomato caprese), an excellent rack of lamb with roasted vegetables, and chocolate gelato. Of course, we have several glasses of Champagne to accompany our dinners.

Tuesday, 28 October 2025
Izmir, Turkey

Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey after Istanbul and Ankara, is the modern incarnation of ancient Smyrna, founded by the Greeks, conquered by the Romans, and of major importance to early Christians. We are docked in the northern part of the city, but Will and I are taking a three-hour shore excursion that will guide us through the "Highlights of Izmir."

The city sits on a wide bay and has developed extensive public transportation systems, including several lines of underground metro, trams, and buses. After Istanbul, Izmir seems much calmer and easier to negotiate, even with over eight million residents.

Seabourn's Encore Prepares to Dock in Early Morning Izmir

Early Morning Views of Izmir's Extensive Bay and Modern Suburbs

Our shore excursion begins with a panoramic drive through the modern parts of the city with wide boulevards, high-rise developments, fancy boutiques, and very busy traffic.

In contrast to modern Izmir stand the remains of ancient Smyra. Our guide takes us through the extended levels of the Agora (central meeting place) to follow the main traces of the ancient past. Constructed during the rule of Alexander the Great, and later altered by the Romans, visitors can still sense the epic scale of the construction with its many pillars and arched passageways.

Although Will finds the passage through the ruins of the Agora too difficult and chooses to remain on the tour bus, he does accompany me on the visit to the Izmir Museum of History and Art. This museum houses relics from the various periods of Turkish history, with emphasis on ancient gold jewelry and bronze tools. There is also a section devoted to contemporary Turkish artists, whose work display a variety of styles and techniques.

The museum is the last stop of the tour and we head back to the port. Will and I have lunch in the Colonnade and then I head off the ship again and take the free shuttle back into the center of Izmir to visit Konak Square, site of the iconic clock tower, city hall, mosque and public waterfront. East of the square lies a labyrinth of pedestrian streets crowded with shoppers preparing for tomorrow's national holiday.

Konak Square and City Hall

Clock Tower and Mosque

Seafront Promenade

When I am ready the Seabourn shuttle take me and several other passengers back to the cruiseport and dinner.

Monday, 27 October 2025
Çanakkale, Turkey

Çanakkale is a popular cruise destination primarily due to its proximity to the ancient city of Troy and its significance in World War I history. The city lies along both sides of the Dardanelles Strait (also knows as the Hellespont) that links the landlocked Sea of Marmara to the Aegean. Like Istanbul on the Bosphorus--which connects the Marmara to the Black Sea--Çanakkale straddles Europe and Asia. The port has played a pivotal role in history from the myth of the Golden Fleece to the Gallipoli campaign of World War I. It also serves as a portal back in time to ancient Troy and the Trojan War of Homer’s Iliad.  

We start our day with breakfast and we are both impressed by the incredible array of food available in the Colonnade, the more casual dining area on deck nine, with both inside and outside tables. In addition to a wide selection available at hot and cold buffets, special orders are available from servers. Will has perfect eggs Benedict and I enjoy Greek lemon pancakes. Of course, we also indulge in other goodies along with our coffee--the selection of fresh fruits is especially appealing. LFLatSea will provide photos of the Colonnade and breakfast offerings in a later blog.

We are going on separate shore excursions this morning. Will joins a three-hour coach tour of "Panoramic Çanakkale" that takes him on a leisurely drive along the Dardanelles Strait where he visits amazing landscapes and Turkish gun placements from World War I. He also enjoys a sampling of local cheese and wines.

I embark on a more strenuous expedition to the ancient city of Troy. Although the city, Homer's Ilium, originally stood against the sea, it is now about a one-hour drive from the port. We stop first at the Troy Museum, an impressive structure that tells the history and mythology of the area in striking relics and exhibits. The building itself is sheathed in metal to mark the Bronze Age history of the original.

From the museum we drive the short distance to the site of Troy itself, originally "discovered" by the German, Heinrich Julius Schliemann, in the 1870s.  Having taught the literature of this period to over thirty years of university students, it is particularly thrilling to see the site for myself.

The most remarkable aspect of the ruins is the combination of seven levels of Trojan history, each revealed on the top of the earlier. The age of the ruins are clearly marked indicating to which phase of Trojan history they belong. 

The Outermost Walls of Troy

The Tour Group at the First Gateway into the City

The Oldest Section of the Citadel (under protective cover)

Numbered Signs Indicate to Which Historical Period Each Relic Belongs

A Triumphal Ramp (left); Site of Animal Sacrifice (right)

As we leave the site we get a good view of the recently installed, plastic Trojan Horse (known locally as the Trojan Llama, we are told).

After returning to the ship and reuniting with Will, my original plan is to take the free Seabourn shuttle into the town of Çanakkale. But after four days in Istanbul and embarking on the cruise, both Will and I are ready for lunch in the Colonnade and a good long nap. So long, in fact, that we forgo dinner entirely and continue our rest to the next morning, which I will continue in the next entry.