Cruise across the Mediterranean - Athens to Malaga, via Valletta

[Quickstatus]

Humid?

I heard the monetary inflation of last year is improving?

 

[tgh]

Really enjoying the tr , sometimes wonder what these structures would cost in 2026 dollars...

 

[craven morehead]

As usual, playing catch up

 

[RooFlyer]

Humid?

I heard the monetary inflation of last year is improving?

Not humid; just wet.

Just after the mosque it was a 5 min stroll to the last thing I wanted to visit - the Zeyrek cistern, the damaged, outer part I showed previously. mall admission fee. A nice cistern - not as impressibe as the Basilica Cistern in the tourist area, but demonstrating the feature type very well. Vaulted roof, with supporting columns. Byzantine.





The ceiling



I acquired my own guide who took me upstairs for the best view






That afternoon, I was due for another hammam, at the very traditional one I always go to when in Istanbul. Its on the edge of the tourist area, so abt 40 mins walk from the hotel. I had some time to kill so walked on



Passed this building, which was now a boys high school. Odd thst iyt was draped in bomb-proof netting



Until I walked on, and next door was the Iranian consulate (with tourist 'Visit Iran' signs along the front )



Column of Constantine. Erected in 330 by Constantine the Great to mark the dedication of his new capital, this porphyry column once stood in the centre of the Forum of Constantine, topped by a statue of the emperor. It was originally about 35 metres tall, but earthquakes and fires toppled the top, and the Ottomans reinforced it with iron hoops, giving it the names Çemberlitaş ("Hooped Stone") .



Behind it the Nuruosmaniye Mosque, only dating from the 1700s





The, close to the Basilica Cistern and the Hagia Sophia, therefore ignored by nearly every passer-by, is the Stone of Milion. Wiki:

The Milion was a marker from which all distances across the Roman Empire were measured. Erected by Septimius Severus in the 3rd century AD in the city of Byzantium, it became the zero-mile marker for the empire upon the re-founding of the city as Constantinople in 330 AD. Thereafter, it would serve as the starting-place for the measurement of distances for all the roads leading to the cities of the Eastern Roman Empire. It thus served the same function as the Golden Milestone (Milliarium Aureum) in Rome's forum, erected by Augustus. The domed building of the Milion rested on four large arches and, over the centuries, it was expanded and decorated with several statues and paintings. Though it had survived the sack of Constantinople in 1204 and the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it disappeared by the start of the 16th century in the Ottoman era. During excavations in the 1960s, some partial fragments of the Milion were discovered under houses in the area.

 

[RooFlyer]

And so onto one of the highlights of my stay in Istanbul - a hammam treatment at the Cağaloğlu Hammam.

Home | Cağaloğlu Hamamı

1741 yılında inşa edilen Cağaloğlu Hamamı, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu döneminde uzun bir süre sonra yapılan en son hamamdır.

cagalogluhamami.com.tr

Following images from their web site. Public area. private changing rooms along the edge. You leave your stuff there and come out wearing a coarse-woven long towel, peshtemal.



Sauna-like alcove prep (this isn't me)



Central area for treatment - you lie on the edge; there may be 4 or 5 of you around the edge if its busy.



There's a lot of this



Scrub not shown. Preparing the foam. Its a coarse-woven pillow-slip like thing that they fill with air then squeeze, producing the foam.



Foam (this isn't me either)



Treats afterwards



Their whos who of visitors

 

[RooFlyer]

After the hammam, totally refreshed and relaxed, I had a late lunch at their fairly new adjoining restaurant Lokanta 1741.



1,000 Turkish lira is about A$30, so the tasting menu was about $216



I stuck with the regular menu with no wine



Amuse bouche, lentil soup



meagre ceviche - wonderful!



Extra dish - stuffed vine leaves in tomatoe



Main of grilled lamb. Very, very nice - and filling!



With that, I walked the 40 minutes back to the hotel.

 

[RooFlyer]

Anyone who has been to Istanbul will know the experience of the quadro-octo- phonic calls to prayer around the Hagia Sophia and the waterfront. At the hotel it was very impressive too. Suleymaniye Mosque promenent in these.

From the hotel terrace

From my room terrace

And a panorama from the top floor terrace of the Movenpick

 

[VPS]

I hope you gave your guide a suitable reward

 

[Pushka]

Anyone who has been to Istanbul will know the experience of the quadro-octo- phonic calls to prayer around the Hagia Sophia and the waterfront. At the hotel it was very impressive too. Suleymaniye Mosque promenent in these.

From the hotel terrace

From my room terrace

And a panorama from the top floor terrace of the Movenpick

This reminded me in Morocco at Chefchouen where the mosques compete with each other for the loudest and best call to prayer. We were taken to a high vantage point to make our own assessment as the call peeled out across the panorama.

 

[Cossie]

What is worse imo, bells in Italy that ring on the hour, 15, 30 and 45 minutes.

But, back to your trip, it's been very good so far.

 

[moffat39]

RooFlyer loving your trip report. We will have around five days in Istanbul (first time in that part of Europe) at the end of our Europe trip in May 2027. I am Accor Platinum so wil look at the Movenpick.

The food photos looked fantastic!

 

[RooFlyer]

Time to leave Istanbul for Athens, where I'll board my cruise in 2 days. Trip to IST was 30 mins, thanks to a maniac behind the wheel.



Usual complicated entry into IST.
1. Enter terminal security, dedicated biz door 5
2. Check-in. Only 2 agents, so slow
3. Second security
4. Immigration

The biz entry is the far left of the terminal, then you have to fo to the right side for the lounge entry. Busy, but not packed and I found a seat quite easily. I had a snack from one of the many cooking stations



I know where they hide the wines!



Departure. The far end of pier B - again!



TK1849 IST 14:05 ATH 14:35. A320

Nah. Departed about 14:30 and arrived about 14:40, B777. 2-3-2 business lay-out.





This was just plonked down in front of me - I didn't have much of it.



Off the plane quickly, through immigration pretty quickly, bag was on carousel when I git there, but handle had been ripped off one end.



I carried quickly on, to catch the metro from the airport to Stygmata Square, very close to my hotel. Missed it by 30 seconds! Next one not for 35 minutes. Spent this time getting my FlexiRoam eSIM (heavily discounted plan) sorted - it was only giving my 0.5Mbps on 4 or 5G in Istanbul, and same now in Athens. They tweaked a few things and the speed improved to abt 9 Mbps on 5G.

 

[Quickstatus]

This was just plonked down in front of me - I didn't have much of it.

On a shorter flight than a SYD-MEL
Will QF take note?

 

[RooFlyer]

Crowded metro into downtown, aby 50 minutes. Got chatting to a local, not something I usually do on transport.

Arrived Stygmata Square and it was only 10 mins walk to the Athens Capital Hotel MGallery. Check-in smooth, but they only had me down as a Accor Plat, not Diamond, which may account for me not being upgraded - but it might also have been because they honoured my request for a quiet room - mine was facing inwards, which was perfect, as outside there were pre-marathon 5 and 10km races going past the hotel, with music etc etc.



Window has electric blind, so total black-out. US and American power points, USB A and C by the bed. Desk.





The welcome amenity was top-notch. Bottle of decent Greek red and a MGallery box of choccies and a personalised typed note.



Then, a bit later, someone delivered a chilled place of cheeses and nibbles (that's honeycomb in the middle). Dunno if delivered at this time due to it being chilled, or because it was a late-thought-of Diamond amenity, but it was extremely nice with the red.



The minibar was very well stocked (and very expensive)



Wi-fi 250 Mbps!

View from the rooftop bar and pool





Then the hoards descended - the pre-marathon 5 and 10k runs went past, for a couple of hours.



I found all that running a bit disturbing, so I retired to the rooftop bar for my welcome drink - anything from this menu except Champagne and premium spirits. I chose a Greek white, and it came with nibbles, and a top-up!



A bit later

 

[craven morehead]

On a shorter flight than a SYD-MEL
Will QF take note?

That sure is one hell of a feed for a short flight and Qantas, no hope

 

[RooFlyer]

An orientation walk that afternoon. I won't be telling much history, as that will follow over the course of the cruise.

Holy Metropolitan church of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary; the principal Greek Orthodox church in Athens. 19th century




Roman Agora (Forum) . Wikipedia:

The Roman Agora was built around 100 metres east of the original agora by Eucles of Marathon between 27 BC and 17 BC (or possibly in 10 BC), using funds donated by Augustus, in fulfilment of a promise originally made by Julius Caesar in 51 BC. The Roman Agora has not today been fully excavated, but is known to have been an open space surrounded by a peristyle. To its south was a fountain. To its west, behind a marble colonnade, were shops and a Doric propylon (entrance), the Gate of Athena Archegetis. To its east was an Ionic gate, the East Propylon,next to the Tower of the Winds and a set of "vespasianae" (public toilets). An inscription records the existence of an Agoranomion (an office for market officials), while another, set on the propylon of Athena Archegetis records a decree from Hadrian's reign regarding the tax obligations of oil merchants.

Gate of Athena





The Tower of the Winds

The Tower of the Winds is an octagonal Pentelic marble tower in the Roman Agora in Athens, named after the eight large reliefs of wind gods (in the form of young winged men and old men)[1] around its top. Its date is uncertain, but was completed by about 50 BC, at the latest, as it was mentioned by Varro in his De re Rustica of about 37 BC. It is "one of the very small number of buildings from classical antiquity that still stands virtually intact", as it has been continuously occupied for a series of different functions.

Formerly topped by a wind vane, it is the only surviving horologium or clock tower from classical antiquity.[4] It also housed a large water clock and incorporated sundials placed prominently on its exterior faces; "citizens were thus able by using this building to orient themselves in space and time. Architecture, sculpture and the new science were perfectly integrated". It was considered a marvel of technology.

To the Ancient Agora - read about the complex of buildings here. Of particular interest to me was the Temple of Hephaestus. Wikipedia

The Temple of Hephaestus is a well-preserved Greek temple dedicated to Hephaestus; it remains standing largely intact today. It is a Doric peripteral temple, and is located at the north-west side of the Agora of Athens, on top of the Agoraios Kolonos hill. From the 7th century until 1834, it served as the Greek Orthodox church of Saint George Akamates. The building's condition has been maintained due to its history of varied use.

After the Battle of Plataea, the Greeks swore never to rebuild their sanctuaries destroyed by the Persians during their invasion of Greece, but to leave them in ruins, as a perpetual reminder of the war. The Athenians directed their funds towards rebuilding their economy and strengthening their influence in the Delian League. When Pericles came to power, he envisioned a grand plan for transforming Athens into the centre of Greek power and culture. Construction started in 449 BC, and some scholars believe the building not to have been completed for some three decades, funds and workers having been redirected towards the Parthenon. The western frieze was completed between 445–440 BC, during which time the statue of Athena Hephaistia had been added to the shrine next to the cult statue of Hephaestus, while the eastern frieze, the western pediment and several changes in the building's interior are dated by these scholars to 435–430 BC, largely on stylistic grounds. It was only during the Peace of Nicias (421–415 BC) that the roof was completed and the cult images were installed.

Acropolis from the old Agora

 

[RooFlyer]

Walking back to the hotel, I stopped at a place suggested by @n7of9 Sorry, I didn't like the dish I ordered - kebabs and yoghurt, a 'speciality'. Just soggy.

.

Next morning, the day I was joining my cruise in the afternoon, there were several road races on. Firstly, the Athens Marathon, from Marathon to the Pan Hellenic stadium, not far from the hotel. Then the 10km road race, which passed by the hotel.

During my booking, and at check-in the hotel emphasised that the road outside of the hotel would be closed, and I may need to go a block to get a taxi to the port, and maybe I should leave way earlier in case of delays.

The 10km race going past:





Another view



About 10am, when the marathon first finishers were due, I noticed that the 10km race had cleared and the road outside the hotel was open. I asked about this and the hotel reception and the doorman insisted that the road could be closed at any time and that the marathion had finished.

Well, I new that was nonesense, so I went out to find the race, and it was a couple of blocks away. I got there just in time to have the first runners go past.







Later finishers walking back to hotels



the Ethiopian won in a course record of 2:10: 03.

I was going to leave at 12: and spend a few hours at the port, but decided to leave at 1pm. The road stayed open, and a taxi was easily called, so I don't know what the hotel was on about. And it was a quick trip to Piraeus port whare I had to kill 90 mins (dropped bag off) till boarding.



Until - thar she is

 

[Quickstatus]

And it was a quick trip to Piraeus port whare I had to kill 90 mins (dropped bag off) till boarding

Can you drop luggage with the ship to facilitate more wanderings before boarding?