Ancient Rhodes: Culture & Traditions with ZamsZanyTravels.com

 

In February, we ventured out again on Viking's Greek Odyssey Cruise. 

When in Rhodes during our Viking Greek Odyssey cruise, we enjoyed a very special excursion. When Justin and I travel, we really enjoy meeting the locals in their homes and experiencing their culture and traditions up close. On this particular excursion: Ancient Rhodes Culture and Traditions, we met with artisans and a very special lady. 

We visited two homes. One was not lived in and was clearly set up to illustrate a typical living quarters.

The second home we visited was lived in by this beautiful woman, aged 80. She lives alone and her niece and nephew paid for the improvements to her home and assist her with living expenses. She was most gracious and offered us drinks and snacks, including homemade local olives, cheese, and sausages. She had the most engaging smile and when I entered she offered me a chair because all of the others were taken. I gestured to her for her to sit, but she put her hand on my shoulder and encouraged me to sit. It was a very interesting and worthwhile experience. Greek hospitality.

We also visited a ceramic shop and watched a demonstration of how they make their beautiful pottery. A great excursion and highly recommend. 

Happy and safe travels to all!

~ Cindy 

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Ancient Ephesus with ZamsZanyTravels.com

Viking's Greek Odyssey cruise docked in Kusadasi, Turkey, where Justin toured Ancient Ephesus. Many years ago, I visited Ephesus with my sister Suzanne and decided to stay behind and rest up. 

Justin writes, "The guide was pretty good and gave us information about ancient Ephesus. During the time of St. Paul and St. John the Apostle, the sea was 4 kilometers closer to Ephesus. St. Paul spent three years in Ephesus sending various letters to those who were new Christians. Ephesus was at one time the capital of Asian Rome territory. It apparently was visited by Marc Anthony and Cleopatra as well as other roman Emperors."

Justin's photos illustrate the remains of the library, brothel, amphitheater, and even the public toilets. 

 Happy and safe travels to all..

~ Cindy & Justin

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Mt. Olympus & Dion Archeological Museum with ZamsZanyTravels.com

 

During our Viking's Greek Odyssey cruise, we visited Mt. Olympus when in Volos and strolled through the archeological site. These are highlights from the excavated areas and the museum artifacts. “The Archaeological Museum of Dion is a museum in Dion in the Pieria regional unit of Central Macedonia, Greece. This excursion was provided by Viking and entitled CLASSICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE & MT. OLYMPUS. 

Dion is the major religious center of Ancient Greece due to its proximity to Mt. Olympus. We saw the Temple of Zeus, the god of gods, and those of Demeter and Isis—an Egyptian goddess and favorite of Alexander the Great. We admired the well-preserved theaters built during the Hellenistic and Roman eras and saw the mosaic representing Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility.

Afterward, we had a lovely lunch at the village of Litochoro which had beautiful views of Mt. Olympus.

Happy and safe travels to all!

~ Cindy 

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Royal Museum of Vergina with ZamsZanyTravels.com

 

During our Viking Greek Odyssey cruise, we visited Thessaloniki. Our excursion in Thessaloniki was to the Royal Museum of Vergina. We entered the tomb shown on the intro photo. It’s been long known for its royal tombs and its renowned ill-fated king, Philip II, of ancient Aigai.

When we arrived in Vergina, we visited the royal tombs, the most important of which is that of Philip II. During a guided tour of the Museum of the Royal Tombs, we saw an informative exhibition of the artifacts that have been excavated nearby. We saw the painting of Philip II and Alexander the Great on a hunting trip and saw Philip’s most important possessions, including ivory-plated and gold-covered armor.

Justin noted, "The museum was set up like the mound that covered the gravesite. It was a very impressive museum. The tomb was exposed but still closed. One of the root supports was removed by the archaeologist who found the tomb and the contents removed. A second tomb was found unlooted. It is believed that this was the tomb of one of Alexander the Great's sons."

This was one the best excursions on our trip and we highly recommend it. 

Happy and safe travels to all ~ 

Cindy & Justin

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Archaeological Museum of Delphi with ZamsZanyTravels.com

 During our Viking 4 night pre-extension Classic Greece, we toured Delphi. These are some of the unique artifacts displayed from one of the most important museums in Greece ~ The Archaeological Museum of Delphi.

I highly recommend the 4 night Classic Greece extension. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in the most important aspects of Greek culture and history.

Viking’s Greek Odyssey Cruise

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Archaeological Museum of Mycenae with ZamsZanyTravels.com

 

Visiting the Archaeological Museum of Mycenae was a highlight for me during our trip to Mycenae and the Peloponnese peninsula. All of these artifacts were from the Bronze Age which to me is amazing. The colors and artisanship of these finds are truly beautiful.  

This was included on our Greek Odyssey pre-extension 4 night Classic Greece with Viking Cruises. 

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Ancient Delphi, Temple of Apollo with Viking Cruises

 

 

We visited Delphi where an ancient oracle  once influenced the fates of emperors and empires.  The Temple of Apollo, the circular Tholos and the splendid beauty of Mt. Parnassus surrounded us.  This was part of Viking’s Pre-Classic 4 day extension. 

Our host is Joseph and he’s been wonderful and so attentive to everyone’s needs. Our guide is Layli and she’s quite knowledgeable. She’s recapping ancient methodology stories and the history of past. The weather has been changing. Sun, rain, sleet, and even snow have met us on the way so far. 

It’s been a good introduction to Athens and Greece in general.

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Sailing the Danube: Wachau Region

 

ZamsZanyTravels.com is sailing the Danube today in a stretch between Krems and Melk known as the Wachau. We passed ruined castles and medieval towns that were lined with terraced vineyards. The Wachau was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. It’s interesting to see “how the human settlements and the agricultural use of the land have evolved organically and harmoniously over time.”

We are now moored in Krems for the day. 

Happy and safe travels to all..

~ Cindy 

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Oberammergau & the Passion Play

 

Viking River Cruises, soon to be just “Viking,” has a great itinerary for the Oberammergau. We are traveling on the Oberammergau with Salzburg itinerary and will be joining the boat in Passau and traveling on the Danube to Budapest.

Oberammergau is a small city of about 3000 people. They run a very tight ship there and be prepared to go through security. Here are some tips that might be helpful. 

1) There is a security check. They will inspect your bag and do a brief pat down. There is a line to the left for men and two lanes to the right for women. These are gender based lines. Get in the right one.

2) Small handbags are allowed. Backpacks are not. No umbrellas either. As well as shopping bags, although we saw a few come in during the second segment of the show.

3) Restrooms are easily accessible from inside the theater and out. 

4) The show is broken up into two segments. Each is about 2 1/2 to 3 hours in length. The seats are somewhat tight, but there is a slight cushion on the seat. Your bum will no doubt be tested.

5) It’s all in German and Viking provided an English text to follow along which was very helpful. Bring a flashlight for the second segment as it will be dark.

6) You are in a protected area. Ventilation depends on the breeze. There are no fans. If you have a small handheld battery operated fan may be very beneficial during the warmer summer months.

7) There is a dinner provided during the 3 hour intermission. We had a 3 course meal in a banquet hall. Viking provided us with private tables so we weren’t in a big mix of people. Keep in mind, our group was only 6 people. We really lucked out taking the trip at this time. The meal was a smoked trout starter which was as good. And then you had a choice of Prime Rib or Salmon. Desert was a chocolate dish. We also had lunch with Viking prior to the show at the Wolf restaurant.

8) After the show was over we walked several blocks to our bus.

All in all, the show was spectacular! It was very dramatic and you will be enthralled by the number of people on the stage! It was an epic event for sure. Live animals, tabloids..watch for those. The choir was sensational as well as the 57 piece orchestra. All of the talent in the show had to either be born in Oberammergau or have lived here for 20 years. The actors are not paid and do it as a tribute to the sparing of the village hundreds of years ago from the plague. 

Enjoy and happy travels!

~ Cindy 

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Lunch at the Imlauer Sky Rooftop Restaurant - Salzburg Austria

 

Our journey continues with our stay in Salzburg, Austria. We are traveling with Viking River Cruise - Oberammergau with Salzburg itinerary. Today for lunch after the Salzburg walking tour, we dined at the Imlauer Sky Rooftop restaurant. The views were impressive and the food delicious. It’s the best meal I think I’ve had so far! Enjoy then view!

Happy and safe travels to all,

~ Cindy

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ZamsZanyTravels to Munich & the Andaz Hotel!

 

ZamsZanyTravels to Munich and was awarded with a big surprise! We were supposed to stay at the Marriott Hotel, but instead our small group of just four were housed in Hyatt’s high end hotel…the Andaz! We were definitely the lucky ones on this hotel. The breakfast buffet and the suite lodgings has by far been the very best. Enjoy the view!

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Herrenchiemsee Island: Monastery & Ferry Ride

 We departed Munich mid-morning and headed toward Salzburg. On the way we stopped for a lovely lunch at a Herrenchiemsee lakeside restaurant. We’ve had a lot of Bavarian dishes on our trip so far and it’s been delicious. 

After lunch we boarded a ferry at 1:15 p.m. Very few riders which was lovely. We had the top deck nearly to ourselves. The day was bright and sunny and it looked like we would escape the rain for a second day.

The ferry ride was about 15 minutes to the Herrenchiemsee island where the Palace and Monastery reside. That was our destination for the afternoon. There were just 6 in our Viking group. We have been blessed by such a small group and have really enjoyed our tour director, Annick. She is extremely knowledgeable and has been doing this for 30 years. 

On the island, Justin and I chose to view the Monastery and rose gardens. Others in the group took the horse drawn carriage to the Palace. Otherwise it would have been a 25 minute walk. 

The Monastery has been transformed into a museum. And the rose garden was quite beautiful. No pictures were allowed inside.

We really lucked out on the excursion. As we were returning on the ferry, a storm was getting ready to kick up and we got off the island just in time. The ferries had to shut down until the storm had passed. It was raining cats and dogs and the bus nearly had to pull over until the storm had passed. Luckily it was quickly over and we were able to travel safely. 

Onward to Salzburg where we checked in later at the Wyndham Grand Hotel. This hotel is definitely not of the caliber the Andaz was in Munich. That has been our best hotel to date from Viking.

Happy and safe travels to all!

~ Cindy

Viking Oberammergau with Saltzburg: Pre-extension Munich

 

Our trip has begun with Viking River Cruises! Oberammergau with Salzburg is our itinerary this time. During our pre-extension we stayed one night in Munich at a very posh hotel which I’ll share in another video. This video shares images of our trip to Marienplatz and lunch at the Rathskeller on our own. Marienplatz is a bustling place with many stores and interesting sites, including a visit to two churches, one of which was St. Peter’s. It was a lovely day and outing.

Happy and safe travels to all!

~ Cindy 

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