By Sandra Elzie

If you’re just joining us on this month’s visits to Italy, Turkey… and now Greece,  I hope you’ll take a few minutes to click on the link to read the first two articles.  Wouldn’t want you to miss anything!

Like most of Europe, Athens, Greece is rich in history that dates back centuries.  In fact, Athens has been one of the most important and influential cities of that part of the world.   Athens became the capital of Greece in 1834, growing from approximately 6,000 residents at that time to the 4.5 million today.

In the 8^th century BC Athens was considered the artistic center of Greece…reaching it’s peak in the 5^th century BC during an era known as the Golden Age.  During this period, huge strides were made in literature, architecture, math, philosophy, medicine, and, in fact, all sciences of that time.  You’ll recognize many of the distinguished men from this area…Sophocles, Hippocrates, Socrates, Plato & Aristotle….just to name a few.

In the 2nd century BC, Greece was conquered by the Romans…and eventually the Byzantine Empire and centuries later by the Turks.  The Greek War of Independence  (1821 – 1829) prepared Greece for their rightful independence established in 1834.

Our tour included lunch where we had the opportunity to try some local fare.  There was Taramasalata…which is a dip made from fish roe…and which (shudder) I passed on;  Melitsanosalata which is made from smoked eggplant and is quite delicious; and Tzatziki which is a yogurt-type dip made with cucumbers and garlic that we spread on bread.  I enjoyed it, but hubby scrunched up his nose.  I think he preferred the fish eggs.   A lot of the small eating shops served pita bread stuffed with grilled lamb, tomatoes and onions, but I also passed on the lamb.  I’m not too brave when it comes to local foods, I guess.  However, I never passed up an opportunity to savor the baklava (a sweet pastry filled with walnuts & honey).

Our tour took us out into the country where we got out and walked among the ruins of several cities & numerous temples.  We visited the Acropolis which is one of the great wonders of the world and consists of four ancient buildings…the Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike & the Erechtheion and the Propylaea.  The Acropolis was built during the 5^th century BC.

I found the Parthenon fascinating.  They are in the process of reconstructing the huge columns by painstakingly fitting together broken pieces of the columns and making pieces to fill in spots where the missing piece is too crumbled to use.  It’s like putting together a huge, huge puzzle.  If you look closely, you can see some scaffolding behind the mounted charts of the project AND if you look closer, you can see the columns…with what looks like white patches.  The white patches are the pieces they had to cut out of stone to fit the space on the column where the original column piece was too badly damaged.

The architecture of the Parthenon was obviously magnificent as depicted in one well-preserved structure circled by statues of their gods. 

The site…perched on top of the hill overlooking the valley, gives it a spectacular view of the surrounding area.

When the tour was over and we returned to the ship, it was to sail back to Italy where our trip would end and we’d fly home.  But that evening, during dinner, we were blessed with a beautiful view of a setting sun that captured the essence of our trip and bid us farewell…or adio, as they say in Greece.  

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Sandra loves to hear from her readers, so drop by her website and visit.  Read more about her and what’s coming in the near future at:

www.SandraElzie.com   

Sandra’s first print book, The Diplomatic Tutor,  is now available from Kindle e-books.

 She also writes as Sandra McGregor and you can view the selection at Amazon e-books.

By:  Sandra Elzie

I hope you were with us last weekend when we briefly visited Rome, Italy, but if not, you might want to take a couple of minutes and check out last week’s article.  This week I thought I’d start by telling you just a bit about our ship before we set sail for Naples, Italy.

Royal Caribbean’s Marnier Of The Sea is a self-contained city on the waves where you can eat 24/7, be entertained, gamble in the casino, be pampered at a spa, sweat in the gym or on a rock-climbing wall …..or relax by the pool with a cool umbrella drink & a good book.  (And that’s just the beginning.) 

If you’ve never been on a Royal Caribbean ship…or never cruised, I suggest you click on the link and view the short video of what they have to offer…and what you’re missing.

We ported in Naples (Capri), Italy to a sunny morning that promised us a great day of sightseeing.  Naples is the third largest city in Italy and we were anxious to get off and see the town.  We also visited Sorrento, Italy where we spent much of our time walking along the narrow streets and shopping. 

Then we boarded a tour bus for an unforgettable day touring the Amalfi Coast…and I must say, it was the highlight of the trip for me.  It didn’t take long to realize that the road along the coast was, at best, only a foot or two wider than two tour buses passing each other.  In fact, there were some curves in the road where the bus coming down the hill would wait for the one going up to pass before proceeding.  In short, two buses were unable to pass each other along the narrowed sections.  In other areas the buses would move their mirrors in so they could pass without incident.  To say the ride was harrowing is an understatement…in my opinion.  But the beauty of the coast was worth every breath-held moment.

We stopped at a quaint little restaurant that clutched onto the side of the hill overlooking the ocean hundreds of feet below.  Wine was automatically served on each table and the food was traditional Italian….rich with tomatoes & spices and utterly delicious.  We almost hated to leave and get back on the bus, but the scenery in the bus wasn’t bad either.  Below is a picture of the inside of our tour bus…but the tour guide stepped right into  the middle of my shot!   

Then back to the ship…..see it anchored out there between the two palm trees????

What did we do most on the ship?  Yep, you might have guessed…..eat.

For breakfast there was a choice of the dining room and ordering from a menu, or our favorite …going to the HUGE buffet where we served ourselves, but could pick a seat near a window and look out over the sea.  Lunch, if we were on the ship, was either the buffet with probably 20 – 30 choices of entree & at least that many sides, or an even more casual meal of pizza or a hamburger or hotdog at the grill by the pool.  Oh, and don’t forget the serve-yourself frozen yogurt machine where we got cones up until nine o’clock each night.   (Honest, I don’t think I missed a day without ice cream at least once.

But our favorite meal was dinner.  This was a time to visit with the people at our table who became friends over the two weeks. (We remain in touch with them). 

There was the wonderful couple we went on the trip with, a lovely couple from Canada and two ladies from Texas who were more fun than you will ever know. We’d each share what we’d done that day and sometimes even share our food.  Desserts were occasionally passed around so each one could take a spoonful and try something new & delicious.  My husband and the two other men love shrimp so on the first evening they requested Shrimp Cocktails.  And, although it wasn’t on the menu, our waiter brought them.  Then the second evening they did the same and after that our waiter just brought the Shrimp Cocktails without the guys having to ask.  The crew sought to serve us in any way…and in every way possible.

The next day that we went ashore was in Ephesus, Turkey.  The city was once the site of a great civilization and home to the Temple of Artemis: one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  It was established by the Ionians in the 11^th century BC, but later conquered by Rome’s Alexander the Great.  At one time it was the leading seaport in Asia Minor & thrived through a succession of rulers.

Today a lot of the old temples and once-grand structures are in ruins, including the Grand Theater where the apostle Paul once preached.  Only a few columns remain from the Temple of Artemis.

Everywhere we went there was shopping, shopping and more shopping.  We were told that tourism is the biggest industry for most of the cities. 

We wandered through narrow streets with tiny shops crammed full of treasures just waiting to sell you anything you wanted…and if it was too big, bulky or breakable, they were willing to ship it home for you.

At the end of the tour, we were taken to a shop where we watched a master weaver hand-making Turkish rugs.       

It was fascinating to watch how fast her fingers moved.

I know this has been only a peek at these two stops…and I apologize….but there’s just too much to see, too much to tell and with more than 2,000 pictures in our albums, it was difficult to choose which ones to share.     Next week we’ll visit Athens, Greece, so I hope you’ll come back to join us.  See you then!

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Sandra loves to hear from her readers, so drop by her website and visit.  Read more about her and what’s coming in the near future at:

www.SandraElzie.com   

Sandra’s first print book, The Diplomatic Tutor,  is now available from Kindle e-books.

 She also writes as Sandra McGregor and you can view the selection at Amazon e-books.

On March 29^th, my husband and I celebrated another anniversary.  Some years we simply go out to dinner, but since we eat out quite often, that’s not nearly as special an outing as an anniversary deserves.  Hey, when you start counting years together by decades, the day should never be taken for granted, but embraced!

Numerous years ago, my husband told me he didn’t think it was a fair deal that it was always left up to the guy to plan the outing to celebrate the anniversary…and since I had to admit that he had a good point, we decided to trade off.  This year it was my turn.

I debated and debated, but then my March copy of Southern Living arrived and I found exactly what I was looking for in one of the articles.  I made the reservation and we left home about noon the day before our anniversary, headed to Milledgeville, Georgia.

I can just hear some of you…..Milledgeville, Georgia????  “Never heard of it.”  “What in the world is in Milledgeville, GA?”  Well, now I’m glad you asked because I’m here to share our overnight trip with you…..well, some of it, anyway. (g)

I made reservations at the Antebellum Inn, a Bed & Breakfast in the historic district of town.   I’ve stayed in a few B&Bs before, but I must tell you that the atmosphere, décor and service at this one would be difficult to beat.  The owner and hostess is Jane Lorenz and she is the epitome of gracious southern hospitality.

We stayed in the Magnolia Room, but there were four others just as interesting and just as lovely.  Our room featured a claw-footed tub, a king-sized four-poster bed and for those who wanted to keep in touch with the outside world, cable TV and Internet.  When she escorted us upstairs, she carried a cut crystal decanter of fresh, filtered water and cut crystal glasses.  It’s these thoughtful touches that make so much difference.

We asked our hostess for a suggestion where to dine and she immediately recommended Aubri Lane’s Restaurant.  Then she offered to call ahead and make a reservation for us.

The restaurant, (named after the owner’s two children), has been beautifully renovated and has a wine list and food menu that makes the choices extremely difficult.  We each chose white wine to compliment the Tilapia served on a bed of couscous with a spinach salad and a side of steamed broccoli.  It was, hands down, the best Tilapia I’ve ever eaten.  (I considered trying to bribe someone for the recipe, but……)

The handsome young man who gave us such impeccable service is a senior at the local college, majoring in Accounting and planning to continue on to get his MBA.  He was polite and gave just the right amount of service without hovering.  We passed up dessert—another difficult decision, but the fish was so good that I had no room left for anything else.

The owner came out to greet us and wish us a happy anniversary and as we talked, he told us that he and the owner of the B&B are working on plans to offer a package deal in the future to include a room at the Inn and a cooking class with him.  Okay, that sealed the deal…I’ll definitely be going back to Milledgeville.

After dinner we walked along the shops in town and planned which ones we’d visit the next day before heading home.  We stopped off at the Blackbird Coffee Shop.  Our waiter had recommended it and, again, it was fabulous.  Despite Easter week vacation, there were a few students there with computers and I see why.  Our lattes were perfect…rich, creamy, smooth, and no bitterness from over-roasted beans. Nice ending to our day.

The next morning started with breakfast, prepared with my diet in mind.  Having previously being asked about our preferences, we were served scrambled eggs, bacon, a delicious thick-cut wedge of multi-grain bread, fresh fruit compote, juice and coffee.  We enjoyed talking with two other couples also staying at the Inn and ended up spending the morning with one of the couples when we took a guided Historic Trolley Tour together.

On the tour, we learned many things about Milledgeville, including that it was once the capital of Georgia.  We enjoyed seeing all the antebellum homes in the historic district and learning their history.  Oh, and for those interested in old, haunted homes…I’m happy to tell you that Milledgeville has a haunted antebellum home where Miss Sue walked the halls and grounds long after her death.

The city is rich in Civil War history, as is Macon, Gray Clinton, Eatonton, Madison, Watkinsville and Athens, all cities along the Antebellum Trail.   www.antebellumtrail.org   If the Civil War era interests you, you need to treat yourself to a few days in southern Georgia’s smaller towns.  Or, like us, instead of taking a long vacation out of state, take an overnight trip to each of the cities and see what’s right in our own back yard.