Jenohn

Istanbul, Turkey My hotel, the Byzantium, is located on a very narrow cobble stone street near Sultanhamet Square, the heart of old Istanbul. The streets here are crowded with small hotels and restaurants. If you are ever here I highly recommend the Byzantium, www.thebyzantiumhotel.com . The rooms are clean and the staff friendly and accommodating. The sidewalk café is a great place to sip strong coffee and watch the parade of locals and tourists. Breakfast is included and is very tasty. The rooftop restaurant has a commanding view of the Mamara Sea in one direction, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia in the other. Have a glass of Raki and let the cares of the world fade away. Istanbul is such a large city with so many layers of history and culture it is ... read more

Constanta, Romania Constanta is a small city in the midst of a serious reconstruction effort. It has a long way to go. Nonetheless it is worth visiting if you don’t mind zigzagging around construction pits, loose cobble stones and piles of rubble. We were told that the reconstruction is being partially financed by the European Union, while Romania struggles to keep up with its more prosperous fellow EU members. Our talkative guide was a chubby little man who regaled us with tails of the disastrous years when Nikolai Ceausescu and his evil wife ruled the country. Fear of the secret police kept the people in line while Ceausescu ruined the economy. He and his wife got their comeuppance in 1989 when they were both arrested and summarily executed. Romania and Constanta has come a ... read more

Sochi, Russia I am beginning to think that I may never get to Russia. For the second time circumstances have blocked me from entering. The crossing from Trabzon was rough. The wind picked up just as we headed north across the Black Sea and at times it rained heavily. I love the sea when it is rough because I really get to experience the power of nature. It also makes for good sleeping. Not all my shipmates share my enthusiasm. It definitely makes for quieter and less crowded dining in the dining room. In the morning it became clear that there were problems ahead. First the Russians had informed the ship that the port was being reconstructed in anticipation of the Olympic Winter games set to start later this winter. Therefore we would have ... read more

The Dardanelles and the Marmara Sea In the night Nautica sailed out of the Aegean Sea and entered the narrow passage through the Dardanelles. I couldn’t sleep so I got up at 3 am just in time to see the floodlit memorial on the cliffs at Gallipoli. This is the infamous spot where during World War 1 many Australian and New Zealand soldiers were slaughtered in an ill-fated attempt to subdue the Turkish army. On this evening the sea was calm and there was a full moon hanging directly over the site evoking a celestial requiem for those lost that fateful day. I always treasure these times at sea under a full moon. The shimmering white light reflected across the sea is completely unchanged since the beginning of time. I find that particularly comforting. ... read more

Port of Piraeus near Athens After a long flight from Seattle with stops in Philadelphia and Zurich I arrived in Athens, tired but ready to start experiencing a new part of the world. Athens airport is about 90 minutes by express bus from the port of Piraeus. I use the term express” loosely because it really isn’t far in actual distance but the traffic is terrible. Along the way I was amazed to see mile after mile of empty store fronts and small abandoned strip malls. Many of them appear to have been built within the last 10 or 15 years and have large plate glass showroom windows with nothing to show. I have read news stories about the economic troubles here in Greece, but unless one sees it in person it is hard to comprehend. ... read more