Maria - Passports Overloaded

Valletta, Malta

July 27, 2018

Today we got a taxi to take us around Malta for 5 hours. The first stop was the fishing port called Marsaxlokk which was a cute little town with colorful boats. Then we went to the Blue Grotto which was also really lovely. The next stop was the Hagar Qim Temples. The temples were pretty amazing and unbelievably big.

The next stop on our tour was Rabat and where we visited St. Paul’s Catacombs. They were amazing we couldn’t believe how many there were and how big some of them were.

We then drove to Mdina for a panoramic view of Malta which was nice. While we were there, we took a horse and carriage ride through Mdina which was pretty cool. On the tour we found out two scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed there. The next place we visited was
The Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady also known as Rotunda of Mosta or Mosta Dome. The one thing we learned while at the church was that the church narrowly avoided destruction during World War II, since April 9, 1942, a German aerial bomb pierced the dome and fell into the church during Mass but failed to explode. This event was interpreted by the Maltese as a miracle.

The taxi dropped us off back in Valletta where we walked around a bit and got lunch in a nice outdoor restaurant. After lunch, we visited the St. John’s Cathedral which happens to be the most beautiful most elaborate church we have ever seen. It’s absolutely breathtaking.

If you would like to see what we are while in Valletta, Malta.

The Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady also known as Rotunda of Mosta or Mosta Dome

Rhodes, Greece

July 24, 2018

Today we met a friendly taxi driver named Michael (his business card is down below) who took us around the beautiful island of Rhodes. Michael took us to a beautiful place to have lunch in Haraki Bay then we drove to around to a few different beaches.

The best one we saw was called Anthony Quinn Bay. If we had a chance, we would’ve spent a few hours there. After a brief stop, we then drove to the old town where he dropped us off in one spot, and we walked through this fantastic place and met him at the main square where he picked us up to continue our tour.

Our last stop before heading back to the ship was this ceramic shop where they handmade and handpainted pottery. There’s a video of a man making something down below.

If you would like to see what we ate while in Rhodes.

Mykonos, Greece

July 25, 2018

Today John and I rented a car and drove around the island we saw the nicest homes which were located on a secluded part of the island. There was only one way in and one way out which was pretty neat. We also visited some of the cool beaches that I have heard about for many years.

Some of the beaches we saw were Ornos beach, Psarou beach, Gialos beach, Paradise beach, Elia beach, Kalo Livadi beach also visited Ano Mera village and just walked around a bit. After about 3 hours of sightseeing, we returned the car and had lunch on the ship.

Santorini, Greece

July 21, 2018

Today we took the tender boat to the cable car ride which takes you to the top of the mountain where you can walk around the town. We decided to rent a car from Hertz and drove to Oia.

While we were there, we walked around for about an hour and then drove to Perissa which is where the famous black sand beach is. We had a lovely lunch at a place called Perigos the food was delicious. After that, we drove back to Fira (Thira) and returned the rental car walked around town a little bit and then took the cable car back down to the tender boat to get back on the ship.

July 23, 2018 – Second Visit to Santorini

Today we walked around Santorini with our good friends Nano and Mariya, and since we had already rented a car and driven around the island, we decided to stay back and find a nice spot with a great view and have a cup of coffee and a glass of wine and beer. We walked with Nano and Mariya to the rental car place, and they rented a car and drove around the island.

We found a great spot overlooking the beautiful water hung out for about an hour and then went back to the ship.

If you would like to see what we drank while in Santorini, Greece.

Patmos, Greece

July 20, 2018

Today we took the tender to the port, and we rented a taxi, and the first stop was the Cave of the Apocalypse where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation.

Afterward, he drove us up to the Monastery of St. John and we walked around a bit and then we went back to the ship had lunch.

After lunch, we decided to take another cab to a little town called Kambos to have a glass of wine by the beach. Afterward, we met up with Samantha, Evan, and Frederic in town and had some coffee with them and then took the tender back to the ship.

If you would like to see what we drank in Patmos, Greece.

Image result for monastery of st. john patmos — Photo credit:http://www.monastiria.gr/monasteries/st-john-the-theologians-monastery-in-patmos/?lang=en

Limassol, Cyprus

July 18, 2018

Today we took a taxi to the Kolossi Castle and then visited the Timios Stavros Monastery in Omodos Village and then went back to the ship to have lunch.

Image result for Monastery in Omodos Village — Timios Stavros Monastery in Omodos Village – Photo Credit: Pinterest

Timios Stavros Monastery in Omodos Village

Haifa, Israel

July 16, 2018

We woke up early to go to Masada and afterward we visited the Dead Sea Spa and went into the water which was incredible. We had lunch at the spa. After lunch, we drove to the top of a mountain to take a beautiful picture of the city and went to the ship.

July 17, 2018

Today we went to the Lebanon border and took a picture by the fence and spoke to a nice soldier. It turns out that he was half Lebanese and half Irish. At the Lebanese border is the Rosh HaNikra Grottos after the Grotto we then went to Acre (Akko) and walked through the souq and had a nice fish lunch at Abu Christo. After lunch, we went to this little town where we walked around a bit. Unforutanlety, I don’t remember the name of the town.

If you would like to see what we ate while in Israel.

Jerusalem, Israel

July 15, 2018

This is a side note about our Tour Guide Zvika he was one of the best guides we ever had. He showed us all the best Israel had to offer. His business card is the first picture below. Tell him you want The John & Maria from NY Experience. I guarantee you will have a great time!

Today we were redirected to Haifa because the Palestinians were throwing missiles into Israel at the Gaza Strip. Our tour guide Zvika Livneh picked us up from Haifa and took us to see Caesarea. After dinner, Zvika took us for a walk around Jerusalem at nighttime. I recommend doing that if you get the chance.

If you would like to see what we ate while in Israel.

Our hotel lobby at the Waldorf Astoria in Jerusalem

The King David Hotel where famous people have their signatures in the floor of the lobby.

Heraklion, Crete – Greece

July 13, 2018

Today we visited the Palace of Knossos, and then we went to the Monastery of Kera, and then we had coffee at Hersonissos afterward we went to the ship had lunch and decided to take an afternoon was to the Koules Fortress with our friend Samantha.

Athens, Greece 2018

July 12, 2018

The first thing John and I always do while in Athens is walk through Plaka. We always stay at Hotel Grand Bretagne which is in the heart of the city. After grabbing a bite to eat we decided to burn off what we ate and walked to the old Panathenaic Olympic stadium and we also visited the Temple of Hephaestus, Stoa of Attalos, Zappeion and lastly the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The next day we woke up and got a transfer to the port to board the ship.

July 22, 2018 – Second time visiting Athens

Today we took a taxi to Syntagma Square with our friend Samantha and saw the official changing of the guards with the band after that we walked to Plaka which is my favorite place to visit while in Athens. We decided to have lunch and then took a taxi back to the ship.

If you would like to see the food we ate while we were in Athens click this link.

A church we saw on the way to Patra, Greece.

This is a great store. Everything sold there is made from Olive Wood.

Alphabetic Links of Where We’ve Been