What I remember most about my Mediterranean cruise is...

[nycgirl0618]

What sites and experiences are you still talking about (good or bad) long after the cruise is over? One poster in another thread described seeing St. Marks for the first time. What were your WOW moments?

[maren91]

Too many!! It was a great trip. Probably the one that sticks out most was standing on the field of the Futbol stadium in Barcelona and looking up at the 100,000+ empty seats, I am not a soccer fan but it was an amazing sight! The entire tour of the stadium was well worth it and I highly recommend!

[nparmelee]

Too many for us too, so many that we had to start planning another trip for next year! It's been two years since our first Med cruise, we still talk about all the ports.

[texancruzer]

OOOO - that is hard as there were so many.

 

But one "thing" really stays with me.

 

On our day in Naples after touring Pompeii we also drove to Ravello, Amalfi, Positano and Sorrento.

 

While in Ravello (very off season) there was almost no one in the main square. We went into a few small shops and as we came out the old church bells began ringing. LOUDLY. Very loudly.....you could feel them as well as hear them. It was noon so they rang 12 times. I wondered how many generations had listened to those bells to know what time it was...... and how loudly they must have rung when the Germans left Italy in WWII. No one (all the locals) seemed to notice... I am very lucky my dh was videoing the square so we have it on video too.

[rebeccalouise]

The best experience I have had in Europe is sailing into Venice with Andrea Bocelli's "Time to Say Goodbye" playing in the background. And I had already been to Venice five times. Sailing in is surreal.

 

Second would be the Cinque Terre.

[Moondawgie]

Like the others, I have so many.

 

If I HAD to choose one, I'd pick the day on the Amalfi Coast and stopping for lunch overlooking the Bay of Naples. It was a glorious day!

 

However, I cannot forget crossing the Ponte Vecchio in Florence (also seeing David), marveling over Bernini's sculptures in Rome, beautiful flowers near the Spanish Steps (I had to stop and enjoy the view). There are just so many. Italy is a place that fills your senses and is good for the soul.

 

In France it would be beautiful Nice and the Santa Maria de la Garde in Marseille. Breathtaking!

 

I had to catch my breath many times. Happily...

[cruisemom42]

I am an ancient history nut, so bear with me....

 

 

1) Walking through the Roman Forum early in the morning before the crowds arrived.... seeing the Senate house, sitting down almost directly across from the place where Caesar's body was burned, walking on the ancient Roman paving stones and through the triumphal arch, and just marvelling over it all.

 

2) Having the Pantheon virtually to ourselves one evening just before closing. The floor (original) is incredible and it's amazing the building has survived so intact for almost 2,000 years; breathtaking dome and all....

 

3) Visitng the Terrace Houses at Ephesus -- nowhere else did I get such a clear picture of how (wealthy) ancient Romans actually lived....everything from mosaic flooring to frescoes to indoor plumbing and room layout is easy to visualize in this setting.

 

4) Having lunch with an unobstructed view of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis on a beautiful, sunny (and mercifully not too polluted) day.

 

 

I am also a museum fiend, but some of the museums in these ports just blew me away -- not just the Vatican, but also the Naples Archeological Museum and the Athens museum were unbelievable. And of course, since our Med. cruise DID stop in Egypt, I'd like to say that I could probably LIVE in the Cairo museum happily for the rest of my days.

[teacherman]

So many memories, but one special- standing quietly on the promenade deck at the dock in Tangier at sunset, during Ramadan, and hearing the call to prayer over the speakers in the Mosques as the lights came on in the hills of the city. Magical and beautiful.

[DavidandPaula]

Lunch at the Topkapi out on the terrace overlooking the Bosphorus.

 

Swimming in the Med at Rhodes.

 

Rome, the day we took in the keyhole at the Knights of Malta and later sitting in the protestant cemetery next to Keats grave. All capped of with dinner at Gustos to celebrate our wedding anniversary coming up the month after.

 

David

[countryperyear]

I'm not religious but St. Peter's took my breath away.

 

I was also in awe of so much in Barcelona. Even the zoo was something I will never forget.

[oceanblue1]

Great thread NYCGIRL...have never been , but will be going this summer. So looking forward to all these things....will post my awe moments when we return.

[betonic]

There are so many...

 

1. Walking the streets of Positano, looking down at the fabulous view

 

2. Sailing around Santorini

 

3. Watching my son run after the pigeons in St. Marks

 

4. Trying wonderful local food in every stop....

[lilybug]

The very first memory that pops into my mind when considering this question ... sitting in St. Mark's Square in Venice on a summer evening with orchestras playing, sipping my very first ever glass of fine Chianti. I remember saying to my husband "I feel like we are in a movie"!

[shemp2000]

The best experience I have had in Europe is sailing into Venice with Andrea Bocelli's "Time to Say Goodbye" playing in the background. ..........quote]

 

 

We had the same experience sailing out of Venice to start our last cruise.

 

We will never forget it.

[bp traveler]

One that really sticks out in my mind is the absolute smoothness of the cruise - I told our friend who had never cruised - this is unusually smooth - we thought we could have water skiied off the back!

 

The sunsets off the aft were unbelievable and some of my best photos!

 

I really enjoyed Lucca - we had finally gotten away from all those hoards of tourists and had a fantastic meal where our kids played in the piazza with the pigeons and rode on a very old but pretty carousal.

 

We came from the Cinque Terre pre cruise and that was amazing as well.

 

Istanbul was also amazing and the people were so friendly.

 

Last but not least one day we did not have a tour planned for Katakolon and we just got off the ship and used the tiny little beach right by the ship, the food was amazing the ship was so close to the shore it was surreal!

[Crusin6]

It was the summer of 1984, Mom and I had just finished a7 day western med cruise and were spending 3 nights in San Remo Italy. We had a car and drove to Antibes, France as I am a Picasso nut and wanted to go to the Picasso museum. We stopped at a beach to sit for awhile and along came a French woman who was picking something off the stone retaining wall at the beach. She saw us and offerred us some of what she had. SNAILS! Now, I just love escargot but they must be dead and someone else has to cook them! Even though it was after our wonderful cruise it is still part of the same vacation so I am saying it counts;)

[ger_77]

During our sunrise tour of Ephesus, standing in the ruts made by the Roman chariots was absolutely breathtaking.

 

Sailing on the Sea of Marmara surrounded by a golden sunlit fog, gliding silently through waters teeming with jellyfish. It was like something out of Rod Serling's Night Gallery, strange but beautiful.

 

Touching the pyramids of Egypt and seeing King Tut's golden mask in the Museum of Antiquities were moments never to be forgotten.

 

I can't wait to go back again.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[jstducky]

Wow, great question!

 

There were soooo many wonderful memories of my cruise to the Med 2 years ago that I still think about constantly.

 

But if I had to choose, there are 2 that really stand out:

 

1) Waking up at 3 in the morning one day, walking out on deck with my mom and into the pitch black darkness. We had gotten up early because the Captain had announced that we would be passing by Stromboli at this time. Many posters on this board had mentioned how amazing it was. I was disappointed that it was sooo dark I couldn't even see anything out in the ocean and I had no clue what side of the ship Stromboli would even be on. We stood outside for a few minutes, and one of the crew came over and wondered what we were doing. Then all of a sudden, out of the darkness, the 3 of us (myself, mom and crew member) saw it, a streak of red shooting up in the night sky. We couldn't believe our eyes. We all stood in awe for the next 15-20 minutes on deck as we watched eruption after erution of red hot fiery lava spewing into the air. It was amazing to see this streak of red out of all the darkness. And it was even more memorable to be sharing it with so few people. It seemed like it was only the 3 of us who happened to see this natural wonder of Mother Nature.

 

2) Santorini. Granted I am not a beach person, or an island person at all. But we had gotten one of the first ferry's over to Santorini, went up the caldera, headed to the bus station, and caught the first bus of the morning to Oia. By the time we arrived, none of the cruise ship buses had arrived and it seemed like we had the city all to ourselves. WOW! Is all I can say. The views from the town were absolutely breathtaking. If they say that pictures are worth a thousand words, well then pictures don't even begin to do this place justice. Seeing it in person is worth a million words. It seemed like every turn in the road or every glimpse of the ocean provided spectacular views. The way the suns rays bounced off the blue ocean waters and reflected up against the start white houses and the dark black rock of the caldera were absolutely awe-inspiring.

[bellagirl]

I'll never forget docking in Ephesus on a Sunday and going to the Virgin Mary's house. Even though there were military people around, the area itself was very serene and peaceful.

There was an outdoor mass near the Virgin's house and as I was walking away from the site, the choir started singing. To this day, I get goosebumps just thinking about what a special moment it was for me. I am not Catholic, not religious in any way, but I'll never forget how that particular moment made me feel.

I just sat down and soaked in the scenery as the music wafted over the beautiful countryside. I hope to always carry that moment with me.

[Liz]

Seeing the Acropolis in person for the very first time. As an ancient history nut, it brought tears to my eyes!

Climbing the "hill" from the Taormina train station to the city... trust me, it's not "just a 30 minute walk" - especially in July. But it is a memory, for sure!

 

Liz

[hezzy]

St. Peter's just blew me away. I was really overwhelmed and had not expected to be. I could have spent hours just walking and looking there. Also, Portofino was a major highlight. It was a really beautiful day and we were the only ship in port. The views were spectacular. It was spring and the flowers were blooming.

[princessebird]

Hands down...St. Mark's After Hours tour. There were only 20 of us in St. Marks and the lights were off. Then, they slowly turned the lights on and all the mosaics began to glitter. We were able to stand (and get a crick in our necks) and really look at all the mosaics and understand the purpose and stories of them. Also we stood at the Pala d 'Oro (the golden and bejewelled altarpiece) for a good 15 minutes learning about how it was made, stolen, and altered the Venetians own purposes. It was completely amazing...a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be sure.

[patsina55]

We still talk about all the ports we visited on our Western Med cruise:

 

Marseille, where we took a trolley ride up a steep hill and had a wonderful view of the harbor. Later that day, we took an excursion to Les Baux - we saw the beautiful countryside of Provence, and had our first and hopefully last experience with Turkish-style toilets.

 

Villefranche, where we rode along the Grande Corniche.

 

Rome: We visited the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain. The walls inside the Vatican are covered with mosaics -hundreds of workers must have spent many years creating them. The city is full of kamikaze moped riders who zip in and out of traffic lanes - we were getting scared just watching them.

 

Livorno: We were too exhausted to take the trip to Pisa that we had booked, so we just took the shuttle bus into town and had pizza and gelati. There was a drug store around every corner, even more so than in Paris.

 

Naples: Pompeii was incredible, and we saw Mount Vesuvius from a distance. It's larger than I had expected it to be, and amazingly well preserved. A lot of the artifacts have been moved to a museum that we didn't get to visit. Naples itself looks a lot like New Orleans or Old San Juan.

 

Unfortunately, we saw very little of Barcelona either coming or going. We will be cruising to the Eastern Med next year out of Barcelona, and I hope we'll be able to see more of the city this time. I would recommend to the OP that you wear good walking shoes if you visit Rome or Pompeii, and that you keep at least one day mostly free in the middle of the cruise and don't overbook yourself like we did. Are you considering Eastern Med or Western Med?

[catergirl]

that sounds wonderful!! who did you book that thru? do you remember? thanks for any info, i just did a google search and :( bye for now martha:)

[TSCOTT]

Without a doubt, it would have to be the Amalfi coast; absolutely breathtaking. We set sail for our 2nd Mediterranean adventure in less than 3 weeks, and can hardly wait!