Adriatic Argonauts

It's a mighty ship the Costa Luminosa and mighty comfortable in suite 5202. As tall as a small block of flats with facilities that far exceed "Panthers World of Entertainment" it really is something to behold. With three auditorium theatres,  a number of pool/ spas, loads of restaurants, a pokies area, a gym and spa treatment facility, cafeterias, and bars aplenty (...and a putting green what's more) this is no exhaustive list of the facilities of this floating resort.

And for those of you wondering, well yes, it probably just "shades" the old Bulolo!

We left our very nice hotel in Venice after lunch .....and after a last minute spin around the shops, and with bags and gear in tow we struggled to the St Marks Square wharf and caught the public (read bobbing, crowded, stuffy, overheated)  water shuttle to Venice Port where we were customs and security "processed" along with thousands of others. As "cruising" novices this is where we began to appreciate the scale of these cruise operations where there seemed to be thousands of passengers in this huge waterfront warehouse.

Not to fear though as Michael had organised priority boarding and before long we entered our suite to be greeted by Champaigne, fruit and canapés......nice! 

The  pictures probably say it all but we are feeling a bit spoilt....especially after the silver service dinner and live show just to top off our first day of cruising.

BARI

After a choppy first night (but everyone was well) we docked in Bari ( East coast near the heel of Italy) and headed into the old city which dates back over a thousand years. 

Narrow, windy lanes with cobbles worn to a polished finish over millenia and all the washing hanging out, dangling off the verandahs and covered in plastic against the rain. It appears to be quite a poor area and a bit shabby but the churches, cathedrals and the fort were what we had come to see. The crypts under the churches were Byzantine and there seemed to be relics in all of them, particularly the one dedicated Saint Nicholas.....seemed appropriate given the time of year.

           The church dedicated to St Nicholas - his relics are supposedly buried here.

                                                   The ceiling of the church.

We had a day at sea after Bari and Wendy and I both started to feel a bit "queezy" so it was a quiet restful day....although it didn't stop us attending our favourite restaurant for another magnificent meal!

ATHENS

An early morning start after breakfast in our rooms took us on a bus ride through the port of Piraeus (where we were docked) through Athens to the Acropolis in the centre of the city.

Athens from half way up the Acropolis. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus in the forground and still in use today for such big stars as Nana Maskouri, Maria Callas and Pavarotti.

Impressions of Athens are that is is a city "down at heal" with graffiti and decaying buildings all along the route we were travelling. It appeared to me that most buildings were in need of a lick of paint and there wasn't much evidence of public facilities maintenance. There are 11 million people in Greece and 5 million live in Athens (about the same as Sydney) but it is tight between mountains and sea and from the top of the Acropolis you can see it all.

 We saw a couple of public buildings and and ancient monuments including Hadrian's Arch before we arrived at the the base of the Acropolis which is located on a high rocky outcrop (close to the gods) in the centre of town. We are starting to encounter some serious antiquity now with our guide, Voula,  telling us in great detail and at great length about the history of the Persian wars, the rebuilding by the Greeks and the invasions of the Ottomans. 

                                The Parthenon - a restoration in progress!

The things we were looking at were constructed 2500 years ago and as a proud Greek person she provided so much information about the cradle of democracy, philosophy and science and modern languages that we were unable to absorb an appropriate amount ...just smatterings and points. Lucky there as no test!

         The temple to Athena. They removed her wings so she would have to stay in Athens.

OLYMPUS

Well, we visited the "Cradle of Democracy" so it I only proper that we visit the "Cradle of the Olympics" in Olympia, an overnight cruise up the Adriatic coast from Athens. It is about a forty minute bus ride from the port of Katakolon (which is very pretty) but well worth the effort.

                                  The Costa Luminosa t anchor in Katakolon

It is hard to believe that this township in 776BC had streets with individual houses, gymnasiums, hot baths, swimming pools, a huge temple to Zeus and the first Olympic stadium......and, what's more, they haven't pulled theirs down yet!!

Even with bus loads of tourists ( including us) it had a peacefulness and tranquility about it which made exploring this world renowned archeological site an informative and contemplative experience. 

The sophistication of their society, their art, engineering and building prowess was something to behold and we agreed that next time we see the lighting of the Olympic flame our thoughts will certainly return to archeological site of Olympus, the cradle of the ancient and modern games.