Our shore excursion took us to Olympia where we were at the site of the first Olympic Games. I loved being in the history of it and walking through it seeing the stadium and the alter of Hera where the first Olympic torch was lit before bringing it into the stadium. 

We stopped by the museum and saw many of the statues and marble sculptures of the Greek gods and goddesses as well as many important Greek figurines. We stopped by the local village to pick up some classic Greek jewelry including the meander, classic Greek knots that symbolize eternity. Greece is also the only place that we were able to get iced coffee. The weather was beautiful in the high 70s with plenty of sunshine. We also tasted the best baklava made with whole walnuts. 

There was a stop for a local merchant area that had delicious olives, olive oil, balsamic, truffle oil and Greek treats. We were able to sample his wares and purchase some, as well.

We were just walked to Fira and given directions on how to get to the cable cars since our excursion came with a free cable car ticket back down.  Be prepared to wait at least an hour in that cable car line!

We took an excursion that had our bus climb the curving and winding cliffs up to the beautiful village of Oia known for their blue domed churches. We scampered around the cobblestone paths taking photos and taking it all in.  I only wish

We later went to Santos Winery where we did wine tasting and ate mezas (small plates). The interesting thing about Santorini because of the wind and the cliffs is that the grapes actually do not grow on vines but on the ground. They don't irrigate the plants because of the humidity and warmth of the Adriatic Sea. We tried all three of their wines but are primarily known for the dolce vino (sweet dessert wine).

Venice

We did the Ancient Ephesus excursion which allowed us to get off the ship first and hop on a bus. We received a complimentary bottle of water with a postcard and a good luck charm. We went to the ancient ruins and explored that for about two hours. Our tour guide is an archaeologist so we had a chance to discuss about the excavations. Seeing the ancient ruins and marble buildings were stunning ranging from the theatre auditorium to even the bathrooms. We saw the St Marks Basilica and even got a photo with a camel!

We went to a rest stop for some Turkish coffee, baklava and the best gyro I have ever eaten. While we ate and drank, we saw an interactive show of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. We then went to a Turkish rug merchant and it was fascinating learning about the ancient art of loom weaving.

Our excursions also included guided tours in English and we got to explore the walled city aka Kings Landing from Game of Thrones. We also stopped by a Dominican Monastery, some churches and went into a museum which was included as well. Our guide gave us an hour and half free which was enough time to grab a quick bite and shop around.  He was very grumpy though and not very helpful at all.

Dining was delicious in the main dining room but the Windjammer fell short for us.Our dining staff in the main dining room was really great but our housekeeping wasn't that great.

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Venice

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