Trip In Review: John's Take

Sitting back at home relaxing with our dog sleeping nearby, I've been pondering the experience that we just had.  To start off, it was, without a doubt, the best vacation of my life and one of the best overall experiences I have ever had.  We learned a stunning amount about the history of the world and saw sights which I have had pictured in my head since I was a young child.  We made new friends, relaxed (just a little bit), and enjoyed wonderful cuisine both on land and on the cruise ship.  I found Italy to be a most amazing country and hope we get to return there many times over the course of our lives.  The cruise itself was also wonderful, both the ship and the staff.


I am not as capable at writing these posts as Sarah is (as you may have noticed), and have decided to sum up my experience with two lists.  The first one is a list of my rankings of each place we visited in terms of how much I enjoyed each.  The second is in terms of how much I would like to go back to each place.  There is actually quite a bit of difference between these two lists.


So, here we go.  First, the rankings for enjoyment of each place we went:

1. Istanbul, Turkey - The history of this city was fascinating with an almost unending supply of top notch museums/buildings.  The only let downs were the Grand Bazaar, and to a lesser extent, the Bosphorus cruise.  The overnight stay really let Istanbul shine.
2. Venice, Italy - A charming city.  Even the touristy areas were not overwhelmingly busy when we were there, and once we got off the beaten path, Venice was even more amazing.
3. Naples, Italy (Amalfi Coast and Pompeii) - The Amalfi Coast was stunning.  The scenery was unbelievable, and the towns, particularly Ravello, were beautiful.  Pompeii was a worthwhile stop, even with our fatigue of ruins at that point.
4. Athens, Greece - This proud country shined when depicted through the history of Athens.  The Acropolis was a sight to behold.
5. Florence, Italy - Our two days in Florence were delightful.  The town was so easy to walk around in, and we were never at a loss for good food.
6. Rome, Italy - Of course the Vatican and the Colosseum lived up to their billing.  But Rome was so much more hectic and busier than Venice and Florence, and after four days of the freedom of walking almost everywhere, having to rely on the metro was a bit of a let down.
7. Kusadasi, Turkey (Ephesus) - Ephesus was probably the best of the many ruins of the trip.  The House of the Virgin Mary was very spiritual. Kusadasi itself was forgettable.
8. Santorini, Greece - This ranking is deceiving.  Santorini is beautiful (almost as much so as the Amalfi Coast), but we were rushed due to the short time in port and the time consuming process of getting back to the cruise ship.
9. Mykonos, Greece - It was a nice place to relax and stroll, but nothing about Mykonos really popped.  I think this is just on cruise ship itineraries because it is a popular resort destination and it is easy to get to for ships.

Now, the rankings for which places I would most like to return to:

1. Venice, Italy - I could wander around Venice for a week without getting tired of it.  It would probably be even better since we could almost totally stay out of the major tourist areas (Rialto, Saint Mark's).
2. Naples, Italy - While I wouldn't go back to Pompeii, I could similarly spend a week in the Amalfi Coast without getting tired of it.  There are also many other points reachable from Naples which I would like to see (Capri, Herculaneum, Mount Vesuvius, Naples itself).
3. Rome, Italy - Our two days in Rome were severely constrained by the large number of must-see sites which limited our ability to just explore, in addition to the lackluster weather on Sunday.  I think Rome could really make an impact on a return visit.
4. Santorini, Greece - I would like to return to Santorini for either a longer stay in port or, ideally, for a few nights in a hotel.  I could just sit in Oia for hours and hours and stare at the caldera and then the sunset.  I'd also like to explore the island.
5. Florence, Italy - There are quite a few more things in Florence I would like to see and do, but of our three overnight stays in Italy this one was the one which felt the most comprehensive and complete.
6. Athens, Greece - We had a busy day which covered most of the major sites.  Athens would be a good return visit as a jumping off point for other locations in Greece and to pick up anything we missed.
7. Istanbul, Turkey - Our whirlwind trip to Istanbul saw us visit almost every site I have interest in there.  The notable exception is the Mosque of Suleman the Magnificent.  The pushy nature of the shopkeepers there (not just in the Grand Bazaar) also really limits my interest in returning.
8. Mykonos, Greece - I enjoyed it, but the only reason I would want to go back to Mykonos is to try out their famous beaches, but there are many other places that also have famous beaches.
9. Kusadasi, Turkey - I got everything I needed to out of Ephesus and the other ruins.

Some of these rankings above have a very fine line between them, particularly in the first list.  Every port was excellent.  It was the trip of a lifetime.  Hopefully one of many.  I am glad we decided to chronicle our journey in this blog for everyone to read and for our personal record.  I hope you enjoyed reading it.  Until our next trip, arrivederci!