Eastern Mediterranean Cruise May 2026

Setting sail from Southampton

Although our favoured hotel, Chilworth Manor was not quite as comfortable as we are used to, the short journey to the port and priority embarkation was very easy and we were soon enjoying the Caribbean Tier lunch. Arcadia set sail for Motril and once into the channel we were passed by a type 45 destroyer that was not hanging about.

The cloudless sky and almost flat calm conditions provided for interesting sunsets in the Bay of Biscay.

Motril - trips to Grenada

Our first stop was Motril on the southern coast of Spain. Actually, Motril is near the coast and I hadn't heard of it either but it is convenient for trips to Grenada.

Granada is an old city of narrow streets and Moorish markets, statues, chapels and a magnificent Cathedral. It was a pity that the bus had to park so far from the centre of the city making it a long walk to the cathedral which was as advertised - magnificent.

Our first stop was the Royal Chapel in which photographs were not permitted, so nothing to see here. Decreed in 1504, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand decided that Granada would be their last resting place.

The Cathedral itself was undergoing repair which limited our visit to the external view.

An ornate side door.

Not as ornate as the main entrance.

A wider street which shows the queue to get in to the Royal Chapel which is at the end of the street on the right

where the street narrows you can just see part of a doorway.

This statue is a monument in homage to Alonso Cano, Baroque painter, sculptor, and architect regarded by many as the Spanish Da Vinci. His most lasting work is the façade of the Cathedral.

The streets in the Moorish market are indeed narrow and the traders are keen to sell.

This symbolic statue atop the City Hall created by Ramiro Mejías celebrates 5 centuries of the Municipal Government of Granada. The piece depicts a horse in motion with three of its legs on golden spheres and a nude rider mounted on the horse’s hind-quarters, wearing a blindfold and holding a fourth sphere in his right hand.

The statue was conceived as a symbol of happiness, representing the achievement of a moment of triumph, of perfect, yet fleeting, balance. A moment you are only aware of only when it has already passed you by.

On the ground in front of the City Hall is a mosaic of the Coat of Arms of Granada.

Following lunch in a delightful backstreet café we found shade in the Bib-Rambla Square.

The Fountain of the Giants is located on the site of the former Fountain of the Little Lion, which existed from shortly after the conquest until the mid-19th century. The figure at the very top is Neptune.

This is not graffiti but the decoration on a restaurant wall.

The coach took us past the distant Sierra Nevada mountains still snow capped when the temperature topped 30 degrees.

Palermo

We have been to Palermo before but for the first time we ventured out of the city to the small city of Cefalú on the north coast of Sicily.

Cefalú , it is said, is renowned as a picturesque coastal town featuring a stunning sandy crescent beach, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed Norman Cathedral with Byzantine mosaics, and a charming medieval old town dominated by the massive La Rocca cliff.

We walked the short distance in to the city round the cliff face with its stone built houses on one side

and the sea on the other.

Cefalú old town is a maze of narrow streets which appear to be pedestrianised until you meet an Italian driver and discover it isn't.

The Cathedral Duomo of Cefalú is part of the UNSESCO World Heritage Site "Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale".

Located on the northern coast of Sicily, Arab-Norman Palermo includes a series of nine civil and religious structures dating from the era of the Norman kingdom of Sicily (1130-1194): two palaces, three churches, a cathedral, a bridge, as well as the cathedrals of Cefalú and Monreale. Collectively, they are an example of a social-cultural syncretism between Western, Islamic and Byzantine cultures on the island which gave rise to new concepts of space, structure and decoration. They also bear testimony to the fruitful coexistence of people of different origins and religions (Muslim, Byzantine, Latin, Jewish, Lombard and French).

In Italian "Duomo" means "house" and is used for the most important church building in the city. In addition "Cathedral" refers to the seat of a bishop. Occasionally, the same building serves both functions. Just for fun it is also known as the "Basilica della Trasfigurazione".

Construction of the Cathedral began in 1131 by King Roger II (or more properly King Ruggero II d’Altavilla) and the Byzantine apse mosaics were begun in 1145. The sarcophagi that Roger II provided for his tomb and that of his wife were put in place the same year. After 1172 the church suffered a period of decline. In 1215 Frederick II of Hohenstaufen moved the two sarcophagi to the Cathedral of Palermo. Construction of the cathedral was resumed soon after, the façade being completed in 1240. The cathedral was consecrated in 1267 by Rodolphe de Chevrières, Bishop of Albano. In 1472 a portico, by Ambrogio da Como, was added between the two towers of the façade.

This is the main apse of the cathedral. What at first glance appears to be a painting is the 12th Century Byzantine mosaic. The dominant figure of the decorative scheme is the bust of Christ Pantokrator, portrayed on the semi-dome of the apse with a hand raised in Benediction. In his left hand he carries the Gospel of John, in which can be read, in Greek and Latin: "I am the light of the world, who follows me will not wander in the darkness but will have the light of life"

There are some more traditional catholic iconography placed round the walls.

One of the two side apses.

Part of the side of the main apse, showing a mixture of paintings and mosaics.

Starting in 1985, the Palermo artist Michele Canzoneri was commissioned and has installed 72 modern, abstract, stained-glass windows based on episodes from the Old and New Testaments. These have aroused some controversy for their style.

Palæo-Christian mosaics. Excavations in the cathedral area have brought to light parts of a 6th-century polychrome mosaic. This mosaic belonged probably to a pre-existing Byzantine basilica. This area of Cefalú was frequented at least up to the 8th century, when it was an episcopal see.

The organ is a large two-manual instrument with detached console and plain pipework, sitting above a panelled wooden case.

Facing out to sea, perched on the cliff face is Faro Cefalú, the lighthouse which is still in use today.

Athens

The port stop was actually Piraeus but rather than head into Athens we went to Corinth to see Ancient Corinth and the canal.

The first brief stop was to look along the length of the Corinth Canal.

The Corinth Canal is a 6.4 km (4-mile) waterway in Greece that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea to the north-west with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea in the south-east, separating the Peloponnese peninsula from the mainland..

The ambition to build the canal dates back to the 7th century BC. Before it was ever dug, ancient Greeks used the Diolkos, a paved slipway where sailors hauled ships on rollers across the Isthmus.

In 67 AD, Roman Emperor Nero ordered the excavation, officially starting the digging himself, but the project was abandoned following his death.

The waterway was finally finished in 1893 by a Greek company using explosives provided by the Nobel family, realizing the centuries-old engineering dream. Being dug at sea level there are no locks.

Because it is too narrow and shallow for many modern cargo ships and massive cruise liners, the canal is primarily used by small pleasure craft, ferries, and tourist cruise boats although given the unstable nature of the walls of the canal it is closed to vessels at the moment.

It is also a famous spot for adventure sports, with the main bridge serving as a popular bungee jumping location.

A short ride brought us to Ancient Corinth.

Ancient Corinth was built at the base of the hill of Acrocorinth along the trade routes from the north to the Peloponnese and from Asia Minor to the western Mediterranean states. Known to Homer as “αφνειός” [prosperous] because of especially fertile soil

The strength of Corinth made its mark in a grandiose way in splendid buildings like the Temple of Apollo (560 BC), parts of which still stand today. Corinth's power waned not always choosing the best allies culminating in its destruction by the Roman legions under Lucius Mummius following the celebrated battle of Leukopetra in 146 BC in the region of Isthmus.

In 44 BC Julius Caesar dictator of Rome in perpetuity decides to refound Corinth as a Roman colony, a plan continued by Octavian after Julius's death. At this time the city is essentially Roman not Greek, settled by freemen given the depopulation following the battle of Leukopetra and is now the capital of the region. Militarily, Corinth protects the Diolkos, the paved porterage road that facilitates ships crossing the isthmus.

About the middle of the 1st century AD when the Apostle Paul visited, Corinth was already an important Roman city in the Empire, ruled by two local leaders, the duoviri, following the prototype of Roman consuls, a miniature of the capital that constituted a point of reference in the thought and the journey of Romans towards the East.

St. Paul spent 18 months in Corinth (c. 50–52 AD) during his second missionary journey, establishing a major early Christian community and writing several letters. He worked as a tentmaker with Aquila and Priscilla, preached in the synagogue, and later moved his ministry to the Gentiles after facing opposition from the Jewish community, establishing a lasting, albeit challenged, church.

Around AD 51–52, Paul was brought before Gallio, the Roman proconsul of Achaia, at the Bema (judgment seat) in the city centre. Gallio dismissed the charges regarding Jewish law, a pivotal moment in Christian history.

The Temple of Apollo.

The acanthus leaf is a significant, ancient motif symbolizing immortality, enduring life, rebirth, and luxury. Primarily renowned as the decorative inspiration for Corinthian capitals in Greek and Roman architecture, it represents triumph over adversity and is heavily used in funerary art to denote a heavenly garden.

Statuary found at the site.

Athena the Goddess of Wisdom with her owl.

A mosaic now hung on the wall.

A roman arch.

The hill of Acrocorinth

Limited excavations were conducted in 1892 and 1906 by the Archaeological Society of Athens under the direction of A. Skias. The systematic excavations of the area, initiated by the American School of Classical Studies in 1896, are still continuing today.

Heraklion

Another port and another excursion; this time to Aghios Nikolaos on the north coast of Crete.

Aghios Nikolaos is a charming seaside town built round a small lake, Lake Voulismeni. (translates as Lake Stuck) that is connected to the sea.

Explorers finding shade - it was a warm day.

The water is remarkably clear.

A cat. We like cats

Another cat.

The war memorial in El. Venizelos Square.

This is the façade of Holy Trinity Church, Aghios Nikolaos.

The Cathedral of Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) is a prominent 20th-century Greek Orthodox church located in the center of Agios Nikolaos. It is a three-aisled, cruciform basilica with a dome, featuring interior frescoes representing Cretan and Macedonian hagiography styles.

The mosaic was added to the façade in 2001.

Inside, frescos adorn almost every surface.

Santorini

This time we chose a trip to an archaeological site: Akrotiri rumoured to be the Lost City of Atlantis.

Akrotiri is one of the most important prehistoric settlements of the Aegean. The first habitation at the site dates from the Late Neolithic times (at least the 4th millenium B.C.). During the Early Bronze Age (3rd millenium B.C.), a sizeable settlement was founded and in the Middle and early Late Bronze Age (ca. 20th-17th centuries B.C.) it was extended and gradually developed into one of the main urban centres and ports of the Aegean. The large extent of the settlement (approximately 20 hectares), the elaborate drainage system, the sophisticated multi-storeyed buildings with the magnificent wall-paintings, furniture and vessels, show its great development and prosperity.

The various imported objects found in the buildings indicate the wide network of its external relations. Akrotiri was in contact with Crete but also communicated with the Greek Mainland, the Dodecanese, Cyprus, Syria and Egypt. The town's life came to an abrupt end in the last quarter of the 17th century B.C. when the inhabitants were obliged to abandon it as a result of severe earthquakes. The eruption followed. The volcanic materials covered the entire island and the town itself. These materials, however, have protected up to date the buildings and their contents, just like in Pompei.

The entire site is covered and there are walkways to guide visitors round the site.

Modern transport on Santorini.

The is the new volcano that has arisen in the centre of the old flooded caldera which is more accurately 4 merged overlapping caldera the last created by the "Minoan Eruption" that destroyed Akrotiri. Since then there have been numerous less violent eruptions that have led to the creation of the new volcano, the last of which was January 1950. Although, there has been activity recorded as recently as 2025.

This is the view from the Monastery of Prophet Elias of Thira showing the curved inner rim of the original volcano.

This shows the curve of the island a little better. The island on the right is the most recent volcano rising from the centre of the flooded caldera.

Arcadia rode at anchor in the bay with Odyssey of the Seas to the left.

The 600 steps up or down from the tender port to the town of Fira on the cliff top.

There is always the cable car.

This is the Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas a monster with 5,500 passengers on board that followed Arcadia from Heraklion.

As no ship can dock in Santorini all of the cruise ships had to use the tenders provided by Santorini rather than their own.

The closest we got to the blue domed houses.

Kusadasi

The highlight of the trip was the visit to Miletus, Magnesia and Ephesus.

Miletus

Miletus was a substantial Greek (Ionian) port city on the Meander river which actually had three distinct ports, the religious port for visitors to the Apollo Delphinios, the commercial port and the port in front of the theatre bringing visitors to the performances; where the visitors are now standing would have been underwater.

As the river silted up, trade moved away during the early Christian era and the city became an inland city and then Miletus, Priene and Myus were all abandoned as their economies were strangled by the lack of access to the sea.

This is a statue of Meander (or Maiandros), the Greek mythological river god of the winding Büyük Menderes River in Caria, Asia Minor (modern Turkey), son of Oceanus and Tethys in the museum at Miltus. Known for his winding course, he is the namesake for the word "meander" and the decorative Greek key pattern.

Sphinxes from the Terrace Building on the Sacred Road to the Temple of Apollo.

Interestingly the first excavations in Miletus were conducted by the French archaeologist Olivier Rayet in 1873, followed by the German archaeologists Julius Hülsen and Theodor Wiegand between 1899 and 1931. Excavations, however, were interrupted several times by wars and various other events. Carl Weickart excavated for a short season in 1938 and again between 1955 and 1957.

One remarkable artifact recovered from the city during the first excavations of the 19th century, the Market Gate of Miletus, was transported piece by piece to Germany and reassembled. It is currently exhibited at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. It is amazing what might have to be returned.

Magnesia

Magnesia was also on the Meander river and was built by the Ephesians.

The new town was remarkable for its temple of Artemis Leucophryene, which in size and the number of its treasures was surpassed by the temple of Ephesus, but in beauty and the harmony of its parts was superior to all the temples in Asia Minor.

The denizens of the nooks and crannies of the ruins were sparrows.

Ephesus

The city was famous in its day for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), which has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.[9] Its many monumental buildings included the Library of Celsus and a theatre capable of holding 24,000 spectators.

This is the State Agora

This is a theatre but not the theatre. In fact it is an Odeon.

The Temple of Domitian.

Curetes Street.

The Pillars of Hercules.

The terrace houses and the first glimpse of the Celsus Library.

Trajan's Fountain.

The Library again.

Communal lavatory.

The Temple of Domitian.

The Agora.

The Library as seen from the Agora.

This is the huge theatre that us being restored or preserved as it is.

There is a strange symbol that had been chiseled into the floor of the Agora. This is an authentic Christian symbol of the ichthys (pronounced “ikthūs”). Of course, ichthys is not only the Greek word for “fish,” but it is also the Greek acronym created by the title, Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr or “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.” The symbol that looks like a wheel with eight spokes is created when the first capital letter of each name is superimposed on top of the other. Try this yourself by using Ι Χ Θ Υ Σ (or C in place of the Σ, which was more common at the time).