To those, like me, who are mesmerized by the sight of the sea (I’m not much for swimming), a cruise is a splendor. I like gazing at the sea as I kiss the wind on the balcony of my stateroom. I also like the expectant feeling every time the ship sails to new, sometimes strange, shores.
A cruise my family and I took last summer on Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas brought us from the sapphire Adriatic Sea to the even bluer waters of the Mediterranean, a calm and calming journey. Islands and seaports are scattered over the sea like sparkling gems over a blue velvet cushion.
Under sunny skies, we sailed to Dubrovnik in Croatia, Kusadasi (Ephesus) in Turkey, Corfu and Santorini in Greece and then Venice.
My cousin Aimee Loleng-Ferrer of Coca Cola sent me this text upon reading the first part of this article: “How I wish our domestic sea voyages are as pleasurable — and not traveling in fear that your ship will catch fire or bump into an oil tanker, or at least have enough life jackets for all.”
No one can predict the weather with 100 percent accuracy, but on the Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas, which was our home away from home for eight days, you knew you were protected. A tour of the Bridge showed an array of state-of-the-art navigational equipment, including a gadget that tells you just how deep the waters are. And about two hours after the ship sails, you are required to go through a drill just in case you have to abandon ship. Also, there is a ratio of one crewmember for every 2.5 passengers — so everyone is well attended to.
Smoking is prohibited except in designated areas on the deck. Hand sanitizer dispensers are positioned at the entrance of all public areas, and passengers say that this has helped a lot in preventing the spread of communicable diseases, even just the common cold, among the passengers.
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In the past, if you mentioned Croatia to me, I would think of the bloody war between the Serbs and the Croats in 1991 and 1992. But Croatia today is in a state of peace, and Dubrovnik, the most flawlessly preserved Medieval city in Croatia, is teeming with tourists and billionaires (including Oprah Winfrey, who has a flat there). Dubrovnik, says Philippine Ambassador to France Jose Zaide, is how Intramuros in Manila was and should be still (but isn’t).
A walled city, Dubrovnik has magnificent churches, fountains, palaces and piazzas, blending medieval and Renaissance art and architecture. Only non-motorized vehicles are allowed within the walled city, which has a maze of twisting narrow cobbled streets.
Croatia, said our guide, has two significant contributions to the modern world: the necktie and the song Strangers in the Night (popularized by Frank Sinatra). Because of the number of tourists that flock to the city, shopping is expensive in Dubrovnik, which is famous not only for its neckties, but also for its chiseled candles. The only thing cheap in Dubrovnik is its gelato, about one euro (P70) per scoop.
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From Dubrovnik, our ship sailed to the port of Kusadasi in Turkey, about 30 minutes away from the awesome ancient city of Ephesus — which I visited about nine years ago and vowed to revisit in my lifetime. Ephesus had the same effect on my husband Ed and 22-year-old son Carl.
Reputedly the best-preserved ancient site in the world, Ephesus dates back to the third millennium B.C. — which makes it about 5,000 years old today. It was once the capital city of the Roman province of Asia and is reportedly where the Virgin Mary died and was assumed into heaven.
Ephesus (where St. Paul once preached), has such well-preserved monuments as the Roman Theater, the Celsus Library, the Hadrian gate and the first known advertisement in the world. Ed, who is an advertising creative director, looked at the ad with much interest — it was created by a prostitute who advertised her services and gave directions to her “office.” Etched in stone, and preserved through several millennia! (No wonder Ed wants to return!)
Of all the ports we sailed to, Kusadasi was the “bargain basement.” Jennifer, our ship’s shopping director (yes, the ship provides such services) advised us that Turks are the friendliest vendors in the world, and most offer apple tea or coffee to their customers. I agree. They are used to bargaining, but once you’ve settled on a price, they may be offended if you just walk away. There are also a variety of goods in Turkey — carpets, pistachios, leather goods, ceramic plates and “genuine” fake watches. They also accept both euros and dollars.
In Ephesus, my husband met up with an Ateneo classmate Gus Tiambeng, who is the general manager of a consultancy firm in the Turkish capital of Ankara. Gus, who traveled 600 kilometers to see his old buddy, treated us to a scrumptious meal of lamb kebab, which he and Ed downed with a bottle each of Efes pilsen. (Again, no wonder Ed wants to return!)
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Santorini in Greece is something you think you’ll see only in children’s storybooks. From afar, the island looks like crescent-shaped cake with white sugar frosting — the “frosting” is actually a row of white stone houses clinging to volcanic cliffs. It is nice to go picture-taking and shopping in Oia at the end of the island, with its charming white houses with blue domes. To get back to the ship, you may either take a long bus ride or a longer donkey ride. But I suggest you take the five-minute cable car ride back to the pier, which gives you a breathtaking view of the sea below and the islands nearby.
Corfu, on the other hand, looks like a cross between England and Italy. It was once colonized by the Venetians, and later the British, that’s why. However, its Old Town, with its charming cafes and cobbled streets, its geranium-filled balconies and old yellow buildings, reminds me of France. Corfu has beautiful beaches and has perhaps the smallest inhabited island in the world — Mouse Island.
After visiting Santorini and Corfu, I could only mutter to myself, “Oh, I feel like Jackie O.!”
(To be concluded)
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