The Eastern Mediterranean as it once was

Cruising the Ionian, Aegean and Adriatic Seas in a small ship

By Walter and Patricia Brooks

After dozens of cruises aboard everything from the giant 3,000 passenger mega-ships to the smallest coastal cruisers, we have  established one ironclad axiom; the smaller the ship, the better the food.

And on none of our countless voyages was this more true than about the elegantly refurbished MV Andrea cruising from Istanbul to Venice earlier this month.

The Ancient World as it once was

We sailed from Istanbul in Turkey on the right and ended eleven days later in Venice in upper left.
We boarded The Andrea in Istanbul harbor. Notice the empty dock. The shipcarried but 78 passengers.
The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are spectacular.
Istanbul's hills loomed over our after deck.
Crossing the Ionian Sea at sunset.
Patricia isn't afraid to drop in on some card players in a little hill town on Lesvos.

Monemvasia at the southern tip of the Peleponesse

The ruins at Apollonia in Albania are clustered among the 700.000 pillboxes left behind after a half century of crazed communist rule.
Dubrovnik is crowded, unless you...

climb up and walk the walls for an hour or two.

We spied fellow traveler Barbara Hooper atop the wall in Dubrovnik.

Korčula is as beautiful and uncrowded.
The Korčula harbor is quiet and peaceful.
Approaching Venice from the sea is awesome.
Venice has unequaled charm once you leave St. Marks square and wander through the labyrinthine side streets full of small canals and unique shops.
After the sunny Adriatic, the MS Andrea sailed to Antarctica and South American ports.

We boarded this sweet 287 foot long former Norwegian coastal service ship with 57 cabins in bustling Istanbul Harbor. On our voyage we had 78 passengers on board whereas the ship can hold 120, and we were one of only two American couples. The rest were all middle or upper class Brits.

As we began mingling with our fellow passengers, my wife remarked "I love listening to their accents."

I reminded her that it is we who have the "accents" while they are actually speaking the Mother Tongue.

Our English cousins were superior company, and capable of the wit for which they are known. I even managed to snooze with two British journalists aboard. In fact, I can't ever remember before being aboard a ship where I wanted to get to know every passenger.

"You get what you pay for"

In fact this company, Elegant Cruises, focuses it's marketing to English-speaking countries which assures a highly literate and urban group of travelers because these cruises are on the upper scales of cost, and well worth it. As my mother admonished me, "Walter, you get what you pay for."

On The Andrea you get the highest degree of service and attention which is only possible on a small, luxury ship, just like in at a small, luxury, boutique hotel.

Yet, travel aboard the Andrea is very informal, which suited us fine for Cape Codders are not ones who enjoy dressing for dinner every night. Here there is the right balance - one formal night at the start and one at the end, and even then you needn't dress up if you don't want to and no one will notice.

Elegant Cruises' objectives are different from the non-stop, entertainment driven concept popularized on the mass-market cruise vessels of today. Its itineraries are destination-focused, with an emphasis on small, out-of-the-way ports, islands and coastal areas that are not conveniently reached via land tours or even individual travel. When possible, The Andrea will dock close to the center of town, rather than larger commercial docking facilities on the outskirts of a city.

The smaller size of the Andrea is conducive to a more relaxed shipboard environment, with leisurely single sittings at mealtime. Even the entertainment is low-key, with port lecturers invited in some places to talk about the history and culture of a region.

But let's begin the trip and tell you about Istanbul.

Straddling the Bosphorus with one leg in Europe and the other in Asia Minor, Istanbul's skyline is studded with domes, minarets and palaces. This second largest city in Europe is one of the truly great and romantic metropolises. Its history starts long before Christ to Byzantium to Constantinople and to its place at the head of the Ottoman Empire. Today it hums as Turkey's cultural heart and entertainment capital and a superb place to begin an Eastern Mediterranean voyage.

Must-see places to visit in Istanbul:

The Blue Mosque is one of the most prominent landmarks of Istanbul, especially when viewed from the First Hill or from the Asian (southern) shore of the Sea of Marmara. It is very impressive with its beautiful domes and semi domes, courtyards and six minarets which means it was built by a ruler. The mosque was built by Sultan Ahmet the First who ordered construction to begin in 1609 and the whole complex was completed in seven years. The location is opposite the splendid Church of Hagia Sophia as if the two are competing with each other.

Haghia Sophia, the "Church of Holy Wisdom", was built by the Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. More than 1,400 years old, the one time largest cathedral in Christendom covers a total area of 7,570 square meters and is over 100 metres long. Never again did the Byzantines attempt to build anything approaching the scale of Haghia Sophia.

The Basilica Cistern ,also known as the "Sunken Palace", was constructed by Justinian in 532 to supply the Byzantine Palace with fresh water. It fell out of use with the Turkish conquest and is the largest of all Istanbul's ancient cisterns. It was restored in 1980's and today walkways have been added throughout the cistern as well as subdued illumination which lends the place a suitably mysterious atmosphere.

Topkapi Palace, the imperial residence of the Ottoman Sultans for four centuries, lies at the tip of the headland at the mouth of the Bosphorus Strait. In Byzantine times, monasteries and public houses belonging to the priests of Haghia Sophia stood on this site which is dominated today by a complex of buildings forming Topkapi Palace.

The Grand Bazaar has over 4,000 shops. The bazaar (Kapali Çarsi, or Covered Market) is Turkey's largest covered market and offers excellent shopping for things like Turkish carpets, glazed tiles and pottery, copper and brass ware, apparel made of leather, cotton and wool, alabaster bookends, and all sorts of other things. My wife bought a pair of gold earrings there on a previous trip in 1998, and she's worn no others ever since.

On to Turk Ruins and Greek Isles

After a day's sail through the Sea of Marmara which separates the Black Sea from the Mediterranean, we spent a morning in Kusadasi for a visit to the ancient city of Ephesus, Ionia’s finest site. From Cannakale, you can explore the ancient city of Troy, the legendary cultural center in the third and second millennia BC.

The next day found us at Izmir whose history goes back to 3,000 B.C. The continuous excavations on the Bayrakli ridges since 1959, led to the unearthing of the Zeus Altar and much of Pergamon (Bergama). The discovery of the Artemis Temple and many other ancient sites makes this western shore rich in wonder and world famous archeology.

From Izmir we sailed but an hour out in the Mediterranean to Lesvos, the storied isle made famous (or infamous) by the poetess Sappho. No contemporary historical sources exist for Sappho's life, only her poetry, a sample of which is at the bottom of this article.

One of the greatest Greek lyricists and one of the rare known female poets of the ancient world, Sappho was born some time between 630 and 612 BC on this island.

Across the Ionia Sea to Corfu, Albania and the Dalmatian coast

After a morning in Corfu, we set sail for the Dalmatian Archipelago of Zadar, Korcula and Dubrovnik, all medieval walled cities of contrasting size, with museums, historic churches and monuments, cafes and shops all neatly contained within the city walls. Thousands of years of history can be seen at every turn in these cities which have survived and flourished through domination by the Illyrians, Romans, Ottomans, Venetians, Hapsburgs and even an occasional Englishman.

The southernmost point of our Adriatic journey is Vlora in Albania. The only reason to visit Vlora is because it's the closest port to the wonderfully preserved archaeological site of Apollonia, an ancient city founded by the Greeks in the fifth century B.C. that later became a Roman cultural center.

Long forgotten, the town was “discovered” by 19th-century archaeologists, but many structures remain buried. Just to the north in Montenegro's towering mountains, the irregularly shaped shoreline creates spectacular views of the Gulf of Kotor. Historic sites and fortifications within the town of Kotor have been remarkably restored from a devastating earthquake 25 years ago.

On to Dubrovnik and Korčula

While Dubrovnik is world famed in photo and verse, it is horribly overcrowded. As Yogi Berra said about Sardi's, "the place is so crowded nobody goes there anymore."

At least no one with other options, and there are several just up the coast.

Like the island of Korčula in the central Dalmatian archipelago, which is separated from the Pelješac peninsula by the narrow Strait of Pelješac less than two miles wide in places and a morning's sail north.

Korčula has streets arranged in a herringbone pattern allowing free circulation of air but protecting against strong winds. This small city is tightly built on a promontory which guards the narrow sound between the island and the mainland. It is a singularly charming and tiny walled city which was uncrowded and delightful.

Only small ships like the Andrea can visit many of these smaller port in the Adriatic, and some of the itineraries include venturing many miles up the region's beautiful fiords.

Even the "entertainment" stimulated the mind

Most evenings we were offered a witty and informed half-hour talk by Rolf Richardson (on left).This BOAC pilot has traveled extensively for decades in the areas we visited, and his talks were the equal of an Alistair Cooke or Dick Cavett, plus Rolf brought along his slides.

There were 48 very attentive crew members on board and, they were all brilliant. Our wait staff was from Europe and the Philippines, and I can not recall receiving better service anywhere.

One of the waiters named Romeo (on left) serenaded the dinner guest each night with his Frank Sinatra voice and repertoire.

But all good things must eventually end, and our voyage was about to end in Venice nicknamed La Serenissima - The Most Serene Republic.

Venice is lovely until you get off the ship

A Sappho poem translated
by Willis Barnstone

"Seizure"
To me he seems like a god
as he sits facing you and
hears you near as you speak softly and laugh

in a sweet echo that jolts
the heart in my ribs. For now
as I look at you my voice
is empty and

can say nothing as my tongue cracks and slender fire quick
under my skin. My eyes are dead
to light, my ears

We first visited Venice as part of a month-long EurRail adventure a quarter century ago. Albeit, we visited in October, but there were only about a hundred other travelers in St. Mark's Square the day we arrived.

On this trip it was wall-to-wall tourists and a half-filled cup of espresso was $10. We used to say, "see Venice and die", but that should be rewritten "see Venice and be crushed."

Still, as in Istanbul, the shopping in Venice is endless and utterly unique. See another travelers suggestion for shopping in both those cites here, and be sure to check out this wonderful ship for one our your own voyages of discovery. Elegant Cruise offers many other voyages of discovery here.

Contact information:
Elegant Cruises and Tours,
24 Vanderventer Ave., Port Washington, NY 11050
Ph: 516-767-9302 • 1-800-683-6767 • Fax: 516-767-9303
e-mail:mailto: info@elegantcruises.com  MS Andrea; See the ship here.

Company profile:
A native of Croatia and former merchant ship officer, legant Cruises' President is Captain Mato Stanovic (shown on right overlooking Dubrovnik this past summer) who became interested in small ship cruising during his tenure at Salen Lindblad, which was a well-known New York-based expedition style tour and ship operator in the 1980s. When that company dissolved at the end of that decade, Captain Stanovic founded Elegant, focusing most of his attention on European riverboats, which were really just beginning to be marketed seriously in the US about that time.

See the whole fleet here

In 2000, the Captain Stanovic had an opportunity to purchase a 60-passenger vessel, the Monet, which had become inactive following an unsuccessful start-up by a French company. He developed a Dalmatian Coast itinerary, with embarkation and disembarkation in Venice, and the program became popular with university alumni and cultural organizations as an ideal way to explore the coast of Croatia. 2006 marks the sixth year of operation for the Monet, with solid group, charter and individual traveler business on the books for 2007 and even 2008. The Monet operates from mid-March through the end of the year in the Adriatic.

The  becomes Harald Jarl the MV Andrea

In 2002, Elegant had an opportunity to acquire a second vessel, the Harald Jarl, from Norwegian Coastal Voyages. For many years, that company has operated a coastal ferry service from Bergen, Norway around the North Cape to Kirkenes, with daily departures to accommodate residents, business needs and tourists. With 11 vessels in the fleet and daily departures on an 11-day itinerary, NCV has modernized its fleet over the years. So when the popular Harald Jarl, a 1960s-vintage ship with classic nautical lines, became available, Captain Stanovic purchased it. His idea for this vessel was to completely refurbish it with modern, comfortable accommodations and operate expedition-style cruises to Antarctica during the Austral summer: the months of November through March when the Monet was not operating for seasonal reasons in Europe. In other words, the newly christened M.S. Andrea would complement the Monet provide a revenue stream during the winter months when the Monet was inactive. Of course, the Andrea would operate through the balance of the year as well, with a variety of programs in Europe during the April-October timeframe.

Reffurnished and reconfigured into something new

Reconfigured to carry just 106 passengers, the new Andrea began operations in late 2003. In addition to her winter voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula, the Falklands and South Georgia, she has offered programs in the Baltic, around the British Isles, into the White Sea, the Azores, and most areas of the Mediterranean, including the Adriatic, northern Africa, Greek Isles, Turkish coast and into the Black Sea. She is staffed by Croatian bridge and deck officers and seamen, and mixed European and Filipino hospitality staff. During the winter months, she carries a seven-person expedition staff, which guides passengers ashore in Antarctica, providing interpretation through informative lectures, briefings and slide shows. While in Europe, the expedition team is replaced with a more conventional multilingual team of cruise director and receptionists.