Jade Mediterranean from Rome -> Greece -> Turkey pics report (Nov 27 - Dec 7, 2013)

[thamanrp]

Bridge's View

 

 

Garden Cafe and Chocolate Night

 

 

 

 

 

[cmdchiefthom]

Absolutely beautiful photos, so one question I have is what camera did you use, and what filters did you use for your night and indoor shots. They as simply amazing.

 

My wife and I are doing 3 B2B's aboard the Jade from Rome in May, and your pic's make me drool, and my wife is ready to pack. Thank you so much for sharing.:D

[Arubamoose]

We are on the same cruise as cmdchiefthom and I can't wait after seeing your shots. And this will be our 3rd trip to Rome! We spent a week there in 2012 before we went on the Brilliance.

 

Looking forward to seeing more of your photos! They are fantastic.

[thamanrp]

Absolutely beautiful photos, so one question I have is what camera did you use, and what filters did you use for your night and indoor shots. They as simply amazing.

 

My wife and I are doing 3 B2B's aboard the Jade from Rome in May, and your pic's make me drool, and my wife is ready to pack. Thank you so much for sharing.:D

 

We are on the same cruise as cmdchiefthom and I can't wait after seeing your shots. And this will be our 3rd trip to Rome! We spent a week there in 2012 before we went on the Brilliance.

 

Looking forward to seeing more of your photos! They are fantastic.

 

Thanks for the kind comments! I used Nikon D600 with 14-24mm lens. I didn't use any filter. Just shot mostly in RAW and did a little touchup in LightRoom. Some of the night pics are from in-camera HDR (where the sky is really blue, somehow I love that effect).

 

Wow 3 B2B's ? I wish I could do that.

[Clay Clayton]

Methinks NCL won't be using the balcony picture?:eek:

[thamanrp]

First port on the itinerary was Katakolon. The port is very small and not much to do here. A lot of people took it easy here and just stayed on the ship. We decided to go to Olympia which was 45 mins away. Originally we were planning to take a train but we just missed the train and the next one was over an hour later. So we walked back to town and checkout the bus tour. This turned out to be better. The bus actually dropped you right at the entrance (where you would have to walk from train station to the sanctuary). I forgot how much it was but it was only a few Euros more than the round trip train ticket.

 

I would recommend the bus instead of the train for simplicity. They drop you off and pick you up at the same bus parking lot. They gave you 3 hrs which was enough time to visit both the sanctuary and the museum. Once you walk out of the port and on the main road you should see someone with a sign for the bus to Olympia. Here are some of the pics.

 

 

Jade at Katakolon port

 

 

Restaurants along the pier

 

 

Katakolon is very small

 

 

[thamanrp]

The Sanctuary of Olympia

 

 

View of Kronos Hill in the background. The area was sacred as it was considered to be a birthplace of Zues.

 

 

Gymnasium - Athletes arriving for the Olympic Games trained and lived here in a complex of buildings similar to today’s “Olympic Village.”

 

 

Palaestra - This square courtyard was used by athletes to train for smaller-scale events: wrestling, boxing, long jump (performed while carrying weights, to build strength), and pangration, a kind of ancient “ultimate fighting” with only two rules: no biting and no eye-gouging.

 

 

Temple of Zeus - the massive temple dedicated to Zeus, king of the Gods and patron of the Games

 

 

Pedestal of Nike - It’s empty now, but it once held a famous statue of the goddess Nike (now in the museum).

 

[thamanrp]

Krypti - Built around 200 B.C., this 100-foot-long tunnel, which once had a vaulted ceiling, was the athletes’ entrance to the stadium.

 

 

Marble finish line (notice the starting line at the other end where someone was standing)

 

 

Starting line

 

 

View of the stadium - The place was filled with 45,000 spectators—men, boys, and girls—who sat on the man-made banks on either side of the track.

 

 

Temple of Hera - First built in 650 B.C., this is the oldest structure on the site and one of Greece’s first monumental temples. The temple originally honored both Hera and her husband Zeus, before the Temple of Zeus was built.

 

 

Philippeion - The construction of the Philippeion announced a new era in Greece—the Hellenistic era. Philip of Macedon built it to mark his triumph over the Greeks.

 

[thamanrp]

Model of the Archaeological site

 

 

Temple of Zeus - West Pediment

 

 

 

Statue of Nike

 

 

 

Bronze Helmet of Miltiades - In September of 490 B.C., a huge force of invading Persians faced off against outnumbered Greeks on the flat plain of Marathon, north of Athens. While most of the Athenian generals wanted to wait for reinforcements, Miltiades convinced them to attack. The Greeks sprinted across the plain, into the very heart of the Persians—a bold move that surprised and routed the enemy. According to legend, the good news was carried to Athens by a runner. He raced 26 miles from Marathon to Athens, announced “Hurray, we won!”...and dropped dead on the spot. The legend inspired the 26-mile race called the marathon—but the marathon was not an Olympic event in ancient times. It was a creation for the first modern Games, revived in Athens in A.D. 1896.

 

[Mustang51]

Outstanding pictures.

 

My wife and I are on the March cruise and enjoy looking at the pictures that you posted very much. Thank you so much for posting them.

 

Do you plan to post anymore?

 

Were you happy with the accommodations/food/activities on the Jade?

[thamanrp]

Thanks Mustang51. I wasn't sure if anyone really looked at this thread :-)

 

Yes, I plan to post more, hopefully tomorrow I can get all the Piraeus/Athens port up on the web. I have them on my web album with all the geotag information. So you can actually go to the location that interests you. Let me know and I can provide you my web album link.

 

The accommodations/food/activities were OK. Not that great but not too bad neither. I'm sure you will have a good time on the ship. The magic show was excellent, comparing with other cruise magic show. The guy actually did a real magic trick and not some cards or simple tricks.

[Mustang51]

Would love to get your web album link.

 

This is my wife and my first cruise and we are looking forward to it.

 

Does the Jade have 110 V electrical service in the cabins or do I need to bring some kind of converter to use my shaver, etc

[cocoabeachcruiser]

Thanks Mustang51. I wasn't sure if anyone really looked at this thread :-)

 

Yes, I plan to post more, hopefully tomorrow I can get all the Piraeus/Athens port up on the web. I have them on my web album with all the geotag information. So you can actually go to the location that interests you. Let me know and I can provide you my web album link.

 

The accommodations/food/activities were OK. Not that great but not too bad neither. I'm sure you will have a good time on the ship. The magic show was excellent, comparing with other cruise magic show. The guy actually did a real magic trick and not some cards or simple tricks.

 

Anyone looked at it? I am subscribed to your thread.:) I have a whole year till I go.:mad:

 

I too would love that link.

 

Thanks for sharing

[airedalecrazy]

Taking this cruise in March….loving the pics….can't wait for to see more….would also love the link

[thamanrp]

Thanks everyone for the kind comments! Please email me at thamanrp@gmail.com and I will reply with the link to our web album. Most albums have all the geotags and camera settings info. So you can go to the exact location and take the same scenerey.

 

Would love to get your web album link.

 

This is my wife and my first cruise and we are looking forward to it.

 

Does the Jade have 110 V electrical service in the cabins or do I need to bring some kind of converter to use my shaver, etc

 

Yes, most, if not all, the outlets on the ship are 110V.

 

Anyone looked at it? I am subscribed to your thread.:) I have a whole year till I go.:mad:

 

I too would love that link.

 

Thanks for sharing

 

 

Taking this cruise in March….loving the pics….can't wait for to see more….would also love the link

Edited January 30, 2014 by thamanrp

[thamanrp]

Second port was Piraeus, the main port in Athens, Greece. To beat all the crowds we took a taxi (15 Euro) from right outside the port to the Acropolis. They dropped you off very close to the ticket office. You can also take a train to get there (we took the train back to port) but it was a very long walk from the port. Nov/Dec was a low tourist season. If you are on this cruise in the high season the Acropolis will probably be very crowded. So, I would suggest taking a taxi to get there first thing in the morning.

 

It was a cloudy day with light rain in the afternoon. So the pics didn’t come out as nice as when there’s a sun. But here are some of the pics from our day in Athens. Enjoy!

 

Note: Piraeus port have fee wifi. You will see a bunch of crew members sitting in the terminal with their phones and laptops using the internet. Not sure about the speed since I didn't use it but it should be decent.

 

Arrived at Piraeus port

 

 

Took a taxi to the Acropolis

 

 

We were one of the few who arrived early. The guards were just leaving the site.

 

 

The Propylaea - entrance to the Acropolis

 

 

 

View atop the Acropolis once you walked through the entrance

 

Edited January 30, 2014 by thamanrp

[Mustang51]

Thanks everyone for the kind comments! Please email me at thamanrp@gmail.com and I will reply with the link to our web album. Most albums have all the geotags and camera settings info. So you can go to the exact location and take the same scenerey.

 

 

 

Yes, most, if not all, the outlets on the ship are 110V.

 

Thank you very much

[thamanrp]

Panorama view of Athens - looking south from the Acropolis

 

 

Erechtheion - finished in 406 B.C.

 

 

Porch of the Caryatids - An inspired piece of architecture, this balcony has six beautiful maidens functioning as columns that support the roof. Each of the lady-columns has a base beneath her feet, pleated robes as the fluting, and a fruit-basket hat as the capital.

 

 

The Parthenon - built 450-440 B.C. The Parthenon served the cult of Virgin Athena, and functioned as both a temple (with a cult statue inside) and as the treasury of Athens (safeguarding the city’s funds, which included the treasury of the Athenian League).

 

 

 

[thamanrp]

View of Athens - looking North from the Acropolis

 

 

 

 

 

View of Athens - Looking South

 

 

Looking East

 

[thamanrp]

More tourist now at the entrance to Acropolis. Can't imagine what it looks like in the summer.

 

 

 

View of the Agora (ancient city) from Acropolis

 

 

Agora and Athens - view from Mars Hill. It looks much better in person

 

 

 

[thamanrp]

Ancient Agora - Stoa of Attalos, currently using as a museum. This is where Plato, Socrates, and ancient athenian would spend most of their time.

 

 

It's rebuilt but this is what it would look like 2000+ yrs ago.

 

 

The Great Drain - ancient greek draining system 2000 yrs ago and it's still working current day.

 

 

Temple of Hephaistos - built 415 B.C., the best preserved ancient Greek temple. It is a Doric peripteral temple, and remains standing largely as built.

 

 

 

[thamanrp]

View of the Acropolis from the temple

 

 

Roman Forum

 

 

Monastiraki Square

 

 

 

Ermou Street - full of people and shops

 

 

Syntagma Square - it's a town square located in central Athens. The Square is named after the Constitution that King Otto was obliged to grant, after a popular and military uprising on September 3, 1843. It is the oldest and socially most important square of modern Athens, at the epicentre of commercial activity during the nineteenth century.

 

[thamanrp]

 

Parliament - there are normally a change of guard but it started to rain. So, we left early and went back to the ship.

 

 

View of Syntagma Square from the Parliament

 

 

Back to Piraeus port. NCL Jade docking at the port.

 

 

Churches around the port

 

 

[thamanrp]

Sailing out of Piraeus/Athens

 

 

 

 

[thamanrp]

Somehow I missed this shot.

 

Odeon of Herodes Atticus - A large 5,000-seat odeon (amphitheater) built in A.D. 161, it’s still being used today for performances.