Halfway Point!

We've gone to four ports and have four more to go! Now, I’m in Turkey, but since I last wrote I have been to Dubrovnik, Croatia; Montenegro; Piraeus, Greece; Athens, Greece; Mykonos, Greece; and currently Istanbul, Turkey.

In Croatia, I spent most of my time in Old Town—an area of Dubrovnik right on the water, surrounded by walls with beautiful (and very clean) streets, buildings all with orange rooftops, and old-fashioned architecture. It is full of stores, restaurants, and some homes as well. In addition to Old Town, I also went to Copacabana Beach. It was hot and a lot of fun, but not as big as I was expecting considering I’ve heard its name in a song before.

During my time in Croatia, I also traveled to Montenegro for the day. It was mountainous with towns tucked in at the foot of the hills. We also traveled all the way up one of the mountains (a one-hour ride on the bus) to a small town. The temperature was significantly cooler, and the town was much smaller than anything we saw at the base of the mountain. In general, all the greenery was darker than anything I had seen in Croatia, yet the overall look was very similar.

Next, we went to Greece. Our port was in Piraeus, so the first day I went to Athens, which is very nearby. We shopped around the Plaka and went to the Acropolis. The next day, I took the ferry to Mykonos. I had an amazing time there. All the buildings were white with blue doors and windows. We were there for two days, and during the daytime both days I was on the beach. The water was clear and blue-green and the sand was made of tiny pebbles. The beach we went to was called Paradise Beach—supposedly the most popular beach on the island for young people. At night (both nights) we went into town. We ate dinner and walked around. The second night, we went to a beautiful restaurant called Caprice, which was literally right on the water, under a big white tent, and the floor was made of sand. It was probably one of my favorite restaurants ever.

Now, we’re in Istanbul, Turkey. I had no idea what to expect, but so far I’ve had a great time. Today, we went to the Grand Bazaar. It is a huge indoor market. I had to barter! That usually makes me uncomfortable, but by the end of the day I was more at ease with the task. And I got some great jewelry! Over the next couple of days, I want to see the Blue Mosque and go boating on the Bosporus.

I hope all is well at home!

Old Town Dubrovnik

Montenegro

The Acropolis

Mykonos, Greece

The Grand Bazaar: Istanbul, Turkey