The Intentional Travelers

Rhodes Greece, A Port Of Call

Rhodes (Greek: Ρόδος, romanized: Ródos [ˈroðos]) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is also the island group’s capital.

The island was the site of the legendary Colossus of Rhodes, a statue of the Greek sun-god Helios, erected by Chares of Lindos in 280 BC. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, constructed to celebrate Rhodes’ victory over the ruler of Cyprus, Antigonus I Monophthalmus. According to most descriptions, the Colossus stood approximately 108 feet high, about the height of the modern Statue of Liberty. It collapsed during the earthquake of 226 BC.

When the knights of Saint-John arrived on the island in 1309, they built this impressive citadel city. The two and a half mile long fortified walls, with a number of strongholds and towers remain extremely well-preserved.

There are only walking streets inside the walls with an occasional motor bike and scooter. Wander through paved medieval streets and alleys while visiting historical monuments. The winding streets are lined with many taverns, restaurants, galleries and shops.

Where Your Ship Docks

The island of Rhodes is about forty miles in length and cruise ships dock at the far north end only a short walk from the Medieval City of Rhodes. The medieval city is far and away the island’s major attraction and became a UNESCO World Heritage site as the largest and best preserved medieval fortified city in Europe! The pier is situated to be convenient to the medieval city with a nice seaside walkway public facilities just inside.

Transportation

For a day visit to the Medieval City of Rhodes a leisurely walk is all that’s needed. If you would like to get out and see the island there are a number of rental car agencies right at the pier and there are taxis available also.

Currency

Rhodes is part of Greece and the local currency is the Euro. Generally US and Canadian Dollars are not taken but credit cards are widely used and there are numerous ATM’s available.

Attractions

The Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes: one of the first castles built by the knights. Inside, you will discover a museum dedicated to Rhodes’ History and the Grand Master’s apartment, with its magnificent mosaic floors.

The Street of the Knights: there, each of the languages had its own inn (also called “auberge” or “palatial residence”). You will discover the Inn of the Tongue of France, or the Inn of the Tongue of England for example.

The Archaeological Museum of Rhodes is located in the medieval Hospital of the Knights. There, you will find many ancient objects found in Rhodes and the other Dodecanese Islands.

The Roloi Clock Tower, features beautiful views of the Old City from the top.

The Byzantine Art Museum displays many frescoes and icons from the Byzantine period.

Church of Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) Erected sometime between the late 15th and early 16th century this church is situated on Leonidou Rodiou square. Some of the original frescoes that once decorated its interior have been preserved

Agia Aikaterini. St. Catherine – built in the 14th century, was converted to a Moslem mosque when the Ottomans captured Rhodes in1522. It’s said to be the first Christian church to be converted to a mosque. Süleyman the Magnificent prayed at this mosque after he conquered Rhodes.

The Suleyman Mosque, built during the Turkish occupation of Rhodes.

In the modern city of Rhodes, you will find vestiges of Rhodes’ Acropolis, located about a mile from the medieval city, on Monte Smith. There, you can see the remains of the Stadium, the Theatre and the Pythian Temple of Apollo. This archaeological site is small, but free.

Cruise Port Santorini Greece

Officially the Greek island of Thera But Popularly Referred To As Santorini

Looking up at Fira from the caldera at Old Port — Old Port below Fira

Cruise ships visiting Santorini will usually anchor out and tender in to the Old Port area. The anchorage is actually the caldera of an ancient volcano and the steep cliffs ringing the lagoon are what remains of the island after the massive explosion.

Cruise ship anchored off Old Port of Santorini — At anchor off Old Port

About 3,500 years ago in the Eastern Mediterranean a great Minoan civilization flourished. It was centered in Crete with towns and cities established on a number of nearby islands. From a number of archeological excavations we know that they built multi-story houses that were decorated with incredible frescoes and had advanced plumbing systems some with hot and cold running water. One of the richest cities was Akrotiri (not its ancient name because there is no known written record) located in the middle of trade routes connecting Crete, Cyprus, Greece and Egypt. On a day around 1625 BC it all came to an end as one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the last 5,000 years destroyed most of the island under Akrotiri. Shortly after that tsunamis from the eruption swept across Crete and dozens of other Minoan islands. Over a short period of time much of the Minoan civilization simply vanished.

Welcome to Santorini, Greece! Santorini was named in the thirteenth century after Saint Irene. The old name Thera was revived a century ago as the official name of the island but Santorini is still used.

Where You’re Ship Stops – There are only cruise ship piers on Santorini for smaller ships. Docking space is at a premium and most facilities are used by ferries and cargo ships. Most Cruise ships anchor out and use tenders to take passengers to the Old Port. Since the island is noted for its shear 900 foot cliffs that rise out of the sea, the first challenge you’ll face is getting from the limited sea level space up on top of the island.

Transportation – From the Old Port you will find four options to get up to the top of the island and the town of Fira. A mule ride (€8/$8.70), or a serious hike up 580 steps and on the same path used the mules (don’t wear shoes you don’t want ruined). There’s a modern cable car which costs €6 each way and takes 3 to 6 minutes unless there’s a long line which usually happens early in the day or within an hour or two of cruise ships departing. The island has a good bus service and reasonably priced taxis.

cable cars down to Old Port and cruise ship at anchor — Cabble cars down to Old Port

While Santorini has good bus service and a bus route does go to the Old Port area, it would probably be more efficient to take the cable car up to the town. If you want to see more of the island catch a bus in Fira or take a taxi. The island towns are very walkable with their unique white-washed stucco buildings and bright colored doors and trim being the picturesque hallmark of Santorini.

Bus Service – The island bus service is KTEL with the average fare being under €2. You find the fare schedule HERE and a system map HERE . Taxis – Taxis are available but catching one at the Old Port early in the day can at times be difficult. An average trip between towns will cost around €10 to €15. You can also have a taxi take you on a tour around the island but be sure and firm up a price before starting out.

Money – Like most of Europe the accepted currency on Santorini is the Euro. Credit cards are widely accepted but for incidental expenses you should carry some Euros.

looking to the islands on far side of caldera fromSanto Wine patio — The view from Santo Wine

Things To Do – First, the island and it’s towns are the primary attraction. Your ship will be anchoring in a huge circular caldera with its shear inner walls forming the coast of several islands. Clinging to the upper sides of these cliffs are a number of iconic towns inviting you to stroll their streets.

Minoan frescos of boating scenes from ruins at Akratiri — Akratiri Frescos

Minoan Akrotiri – A major archeological excavation site open to the public will probably exceed the size of the archeological excavations at Pompeii. It is also a treasure trove of some of the worlds oldest frescos, most preserved by the eruption showing remarkable detail and vibrant colors.

Wineries – Santorini is also home to a number of small, good wineries. The wine at the Santo Wines is only exceeded by the fabulous views from their patio. There are a number of wine tours available.

Donkey Rides – One option to get from Old Port up to the town of Fira (the islands Capital) is to ride the donkeys. These sturdy animals climb a winding trail that switches back and forth as you ascend about seven to nine hundred feet to the top. While not for everyone it is very similar to going down into the Grand Canyon by donkey.

Cruising Through The Panama Canal

Above: A Holland America ship enters a lock on the left while a dry cargo ship gets ready to enter the lock on the right and a tanker exits the locks heading west.

The best way to experience the canal is on a cruise ship. Generally these cruises start from major cruise ports of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. They usually include a number of itinerary stops that can include Grand Cayman, Cartagena, Columbia, Colon in Panama, ports in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras and Mexico but the star of the trip is the Canal.

In 1880 the French tackled what was to be one of the biggest engineering projects ever. The intent was to dig a canal from the Caribbean across Panama to the Pacific Ocean. They were defeated by some mountains but mostly by a mosquito and the single celled organism that causes malaria.

In 1903 President Theodore Roosevelt of the United States took on the responsibility of getting done a long-term United States goal, completing the trans-isthmian canal. In order to get the U.S. authority a number of treaties were attempted and finally the U.S. backed a revolutionary movement that gained Panama independence from Columbia and granted the U.S. ownership of the property.

The new canal projects success was partly the result of healthcare advances made during the construction, led by William Gorgas, an expert in controlling tropical diseases including yellow fever and malaria. Gorgas was one of the first to recognize the role of mosquitoes in the spread of these diseases, and by focusing on controlling the mosquitoes greatly improved worker safety and health.

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The American engineers abandoned the French plan of a sea level cut and went to a design using locks to lift ships up to the level of Gatún Lake and back down again. One of the biggest projects was the Culebra Cut through the roughest terrain on the route and remains one of the largest earth –moving projects ever tackled.

Later in the construction it was decided there would not be enough water reserves to operate the locks. Several dams were built with one being a dam at Pedro Miguel which encloses the south end of the Culebra Cut (actually an arm of Gatún Lake). The Gatun Dam is the main dam blocking the original course of the Chagres River, and resulted in creating Gatún Lake. Additionally two dams were built at Miraflores that enlarged Miraflores Lake.

We have taken a couple of cruises that transit the canal and are always enthralled by the trip thru the locks and lakes of this remarkable place. Ships are pushed and pulled by tugs and canal rail engines called “mules” into locks with only inches of clearance. Water roars out of exhaust ports and massive ships rise and drop effortlessly within the locks.

Cruising across Lake Gatún is like a journey thru a primitive and beautiful rain forest with numerous islets. Dozens of ships glide along near us as they line up to re-enter the locks. Transiting the Culebra Cut with its walls towering above leaves us overwhelmed by the shear tonnage of dirt that had to be excavated and hauled away.

Many cruises stop at Cristobal Pier near Colon where locals offer crafts and wares for sale with usually Kuna Indians from the San Blas Islands among the merchants. Many of the cruise ships require a quick paint touch-up at the exit dock to cover up numerous rubs and scrapes from the passage through the locks

Up until recently the canal could only accommodate ships designated Panamax. Those original locks are 1,050 ft (320.04 m) in length, 110 ft (33.53 m) in width, and 41.2 ft (12.56 m) in depth. These limits have influenced the ship building industry to build Panamax vessels for the past hundred plus years

On September 7, 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed the Panama Canal Treaty and Neutrality Treaty promising to give control of the canal to the Panamanians in the year 2000. After Panama took control the Panama Canal Company started an expansion project. The expansion project started construction in 2007 and opened for commercial operation on 26 June 2016. The new locks allow transit of larger Post-Panamax and New Panamax ships, which have a greater cargo capacity than the original locks could accommodate. New Panamax ships will have a dimension of 1,200 ft (366 m) in length, 160.7 ft (49 m) in width and 49.9 ft (15.2 m) in depth. Unfortunately many of the cruise industries new mega-ships still cannot cruise the canal mainly because they are too tall to cruise under the bridge at the Pacific end of the canal.

All-in-all this is a fascinating journey and one of the three or four best itineraries we’ve taken. The ports-of-call are an opportunity to visit a number of Central American countries and see some of this interesting region.

This is a very popular cruise itinerary, transiting the Panama Canal. Canal cruises generally cover three options. First is west to east normally starting in a California port like San Diego or LA and ending in a Florida cruise port like Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. Next there is the reverse, east to west finally some Caribbean cruises that include a trip part way through the canal returning to the Caribbean.

Port of Call Lisbon Portugal

It’s easy while walking the streets of Lisbon to think you have somehow slipped back in time. The port of call of Lisbon really seems to live in the past. Quant cobblestoned streets lead to plazas bordered by palaces, churches and castles. Attractive small cafes and restaurants abound and shops and galleries invite at every turn. Streetcars that look like they really belong in another time, glide down narrow streets. Even much of this cities graffiti rises to the level of fine art. Portugal seems to have deliberately let the world speed on by, having discovered a comfortable place to sit back and watch everyone else frantically race on to – not sure where.

Where Your Ship Docks

There is a stretch along Lisbon’s central waterfront where cruise ships dock. There are two terminals not far apart, Terminal de Cruzeiros de Lisboa and Terminal de Cruzeiros de Santa Apolonia. Both feature good access to ships and town and have free public facilities. Much of central Lisbon is within a mile of the cruise piers.

Transportation

Lisbon features a good public transport network, both underground and surface with buses and trams and can also add the Transtejo (river connection). Lisbon Metro is one of the most cost efficient and flexible ways of traveling around the city.

There are 24 and 48 hour passes available and the funicular system can also be used.

1 Day ticket (24h)

Carris/Metro 6.40€ -Valid for unlimited journeys on Carris and Metro, networks during 24 hours following the first validation.

Carris/Metro/Transtejo (Cacilhas) 9.50€ – Valid for unlimited journeys on Carris, Metro and Transtejo (river connection), during 24 hours following the first validation.

Ticket Offices are open every day 7:45 a.m – 7:45 p.m at the following Metro stations:

Marquês de Pombal, Campo Grande, Colégio Militar/Lu, Jardim Zoológico, Marquês de Pombal

Rossio, Baixa-Chiado, Cais do Sodré, Oriente Aeroporto. There are also vending machines at every station.

There is also a visitor’s card called the Lisboa Card where you get unlimited travel for 24 hours for just €20 that also includes free access to Lisbon’s best museums and attractions like the Torre de Belem, Jeronimos Monastery and the Santa Justa Elevator and more. You can buy the card online HERE.

Currency

The currency of Portugal is the Euro and major credit cards are welcome almost everywhere.

Attractions

Castles, museums, churches and palaces all within a mile or so from the cruise ship.

Castelo de S. Jorge at R. de Santa Cruz do Castelo. Hilltop Moorish castle & palace ruins
Jerónimos Monastery at Praça do Império 1400-206 Lisboa. World heritage listed Gothic monastery
Oceanário de Lisboa at Esplanada Dom Carlos I. Waterside aquarium with ocean ecosystems

Museu Nacional do Azulejo at R. Me. Deus 4. Ceramic collections located in a church
Belém Tower at Av. Brasília. Medieval defensive tower

Padrão dos Descobrimentos at Av. Brasília. Concrete monument to maritime explorers
Santa Justa Lift at R. do Ouro. Elevator linking city levels from 1902

Carmo Convent at Largo do Carmo. Medieval ruins & archaeology museum
Basílica da Estrela at Praça da Estrela. Baroque church with twin bell towers

Ajuda National Palace at Largo Ajuda 1349-021. 19th-century royal palace and museum
Arco da Rua Augusta at R. Augusta 2. Triumphal arch with a viewing platform

Miradouro da Nossa Senhora do Monte. Popular destination for city views
Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga at R. das Janelas Verdes. Historical art collection in old palace

Palácio dos Marqueses da Fronteira at Largo São Domingos de Benfica 1 Grand palace

Miradouro Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen at Calçada da Graça, Terrace park featuring sweeping city views
Museu de Marinhaat Praça do Império Maritime museum in sixteenth century monastery

The Port Of Nassau, Bahamas

A favorite port for three and four day cruises out of Florida as well as returning longer cruises, Nassau has a lot to offer.

Where You’re Ship Docks

Cruise ships dock at Prince George Wharf, sometimes as many as five are there at once. The wharf is located right in downtown Nassau with a large number of good restaurants and plenty of “duty free” shopping. The island is also famous for it numerous great beaches as well as coral reefs, sport fishing and boating.

Crossing a bridge in downtown Nassau gets you to Paradise Island, home of Atlantis and other resorts. It is a two mile walk from the cruise piers over to Paradise Island across a connecting bridge.