21 nætter fra Istanbul, Tyrkiet med Seabourn Encore

Istanbul er tidligere hovedstad i tre imperier – det romerske, det byzantinske og det osmanniske rige. Den er en fascinerende blanding af fortid og nutid, gammelt og nyt, traditionelt og moderne. Museerne, kirkerne, paladserne, moskeerne, basarerne og den naturlige skønhed er uimodståelig. Takket være sin unikke historiske og kulturelle baggrund, utallige moderne hoteller, eksklusive restauranter, natklubber og forretninger, er Istanbul en by, man husker længe.

Between 1865 and 1866, English explorer Frank Calvert and German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann began digging trenches through a hillock outside Canakkale and discovered layer upon layer of ancient cities. Ultimately nine cities that had thrived and fallen atop each other were identified with the legendary Greek city of Troy. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The magnificent Aegean coast features no shortage of appealing ports of call, and Izmir is a fine example thereof. The birthplace of Homer has grown into a thriving metropolis, filled with fine hotels along its sweeping bay. A fine Archaeology Museum and Ethnography Museum house a multitude of treasures and exhibits, while nearby resorts provide distractions of another sort. Earthquakes and fires over the centuries have obliterated most of ancient Smyrna, as it was once known, but remnants of the 4th-century fort atop Mt. Pagos still provide excellent views of the city and Gulf of Izmir.

Deserted for centuries because of constant raids by pirates and the Turks, this tiny arid island was first settled in 1088 when the Emperor of Constantinople made it a gift to the monk Christodoulos Latrnos so that he could establish a monastery in honor of St. John the Divine on the site. Patmos has been a place of scholarship and religious enlightenment ever since. Today this modern pilgrimage site is a quiet respite from the tourist havens many other Greek isles have become.

Rhodos er solguden Helios’ hjem og Grækenlands fjerdestørste ø. Den gamle by i Rhodos er med sin charmerende bymur den bedst bevarede middelalderby. Korsridderpaladset fra 1400-tallet findes stadig bevaret. Man kan besøge Lindos på sydøstkysten med sit Akropolis. Der finder man ruiner og to Athene-templer og desuden en helt fantastisk udsigt.

Nicknamed “The Isle of the Aromas”, Spetsai is a delight to all of the senses. The island’s historic old town is a yachtsman’s paradise, boasting a stunning harbor, quaint shops and some of the finest restaurants in the Saronic Gulf. The rest of the island is relatively unpopulated and is ringed by a single road, along which you can travel in a horse-drawn carriage. As you pass by quiet, rolling hills, be sure to pause at one of the many quiet coves along the way to refresh yourself with a dip into the cerulean waters.

Piræus er havneby til Athen, som er Grækenlands største havn og hovedstad. Athen er en af Europas ældste byer, og er særligt kendt for sine mange gamle ruiner og historiske seværdigheder, der kan dateres flere tusind år tilbage i tiden. Akropolis er Athens største seværdighed. Oplev historien bag på Akropolis Musset få hundrede meter fra de gamle ruiner. I centrum kan du opleve ruiner fra flere romerske bygninger, særligt fra perioden hvor den romerske kejser Hadrian var ved magten. Plaka-kvarteret er Athens ældste bydel og en af de mest attraktive, som tiltrækker mange turister. Med sine hyggelige, smalle gader med neoklassiske huse, små butikker og taverner, er det bestemt et besøg værd. Athen forener den antikke og moderne historie med et varieret kulturliv, museer, trendy shopping og et stort udvalg af spisesteder.

Monemvasia was once on the Peloponnese mainland. Then an earthquake turned it into an island. It is now joined to the mainland by a narrow causeway that limits access, originally for reasons of defense. The tall, flat isle is completely honeycombed with nooks and grottoes, narrow alleys and rock-carved rooms. Clearly it was a formidable redoubt in times of attack, and earned its nickname the Gibraltar of the East. The upper town, long uninhabited, has narrow pathways leading to the Byzantine Aghia Sophia church, and remains of the medieval fortress and walls. In the lower town, look for the bell tower that leads you to Elkomenos Square, with its namesake medieval Elkomenos Christos church and a small museum.

Man har en teori om, at dette er de olympiske leges fødested. De første lege blev gennemført allerede i år 776 før Kristus. Olympia blev senere et politisk mødested, som fx Platon og Aristoteles besøgte. I 500-tallet blev området ødelagt af et jordskælv, og de olympiske lege gik i glemsel. I 1776 blev der fundet rester fra de tidligere olympiske lege. Det var først i 1896 i Athen, at man gennemførte OL i moderne tid. Der ligger et Olympisk museum, der er værd at besøge.

Founded in the 7th century, Dubrovnik rose to greatness as a merchant state, independent republic and cultural crossroads. The traffic-free Old Town has been called a Croatian Athens. This UNESCO designated World Heritage Site is a living museum of the ages with fortifications, chapels, monastic cloisters and Europe’s second-oldest synagogue crowded into its ancient walls. Relax at a sidewalk café, listen to the chimes of the 14th-century bell tower or join the promenade down the palace-lined avenue known as the Stradun.

Beautifully situated on a large natural bay, the ancient town of Hvar, on the island of the same name, served as an important harbor for Venice’s Adriatic fleet from the 12th through the 18th centuries. Vestiges of this momentous time are reflected in the fortifications that still stand guard over the harbor, and in the very heart of the port, a large arsenal. Hvar today is a quiet spot reminiscent of the French Riviera at the turn-of-the-last-century. Sail and fishing boats bob and sway in the harbor and a 17th-century bell tower marks off the hours. Winding limestone lanes converge onto an expansive piazza, the largest in Dalmatia, which connects the older part of town to the “”modern”” side – that built after the 15th century. Inland, Hvar’s green hills are woven with vineyards and lavender fields, and offshore tiny islets are scattered like pearls in a clear cobalt sea.

Nestled among the myriad islets of the Istrian coast in the Gulf of Venice, the charming harbor of Rovinj is comprised of candy-colored buildings, fringed with marinas and dominated by the fairytale spire of the Cathedral of Saint Euphemia, modeled on St. Marks’ in Venice. The old town is a treasury of historic monuments – a 13th-century Romanesque baptistry, a baroque City Hall, and an 18th-century monastery – all tucked among cobbled streets that invite exploration. Known as the “Montmartre of Istria,” this is an artists’ colony with many galleries.

St. Mark’s Square er Venedigs hjerte, med paladslignende arkader og charmerende caféer. Tag en rundtur på det udsøgte Doges Palace, der engang tjente som bolig for Venedigs hertuger. Tag en sejltur på kanalerne i gondol, gå på eksklusiv shopping eller nip til en “bicerin” på den tidsløse Caffé Florian.

Vodice is a popular seaside town on the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea. It has the familiar red-tiled roofs and wide stone seaside promenades of other Dalmatian ports. In the town, there are several interesting features. One is the old Church of St. Cross dating from 1402, and the newer, baroque Parish Church of St. Cross from 1746, with a tall bell tower. The Church of St. Elijah is even older, dating from 1298. There are several popular pebble and sand beaches around Vodice. Outside town are a pair of fields with archaeological remains of Roman era occupation, including walls, cisterns, wells and fortifications. Each field also holds a small church. The Coric Tower is a fortified manor built by a powerful family during the mid-17th century to protect against Turkish attacks. From Vodice it is also easy to access the seaside town of Sibenik, the waterfalls and pools of Krka National Park and the offshore islands of the Kornati National Park.

One of the best preserved medieval towns of the Adriatic, Kotor is protected by UNESCO. Between 1420 and 1797, the area was under the rule of the Republic of Venice and the Venetian influence can be seen in its architecture. The Gulf of Kotor is sometimes called the southernmost fjord in Europe, although it is actually a submerged river canyon. The overhanging limestone cliffs of Orjen and Lovcen complete one of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful landscapes.

A scant few miles off the Albanian coast lies the island of Corfu, one of the most richly endowed of all the Greek Isles. Praised by Homer in “The Odyssey” and selected by Shakespeare as the setting for “The Tempest,” the island retains evidence of cultural heritage from each of its past rulers – Byzantium, Venice, France, Russia and Great Britain. Rolling acres of olive groves, small orchards of lemon and orange trees, tall cypress, oleander, and myrtle bushes lend a lush, verdant look to the island. While the oldest part of Corfu Town has cobblestone lanes so narrow only pedestrian travel is possible, the modern sector has wide avenues. Residents boast that its “Spianada” is the largest and most beautiful square in all Greece.

Located on the east coast of Kefalonia, Sami is home to beautiful beaches and pleasant cafés and tavernas around the harbor that provide an ideal setting to soak up the traditional Greek atmosphere. Situated on a hill to the south of town are the ruins of ancient Sami, where visitors will find a fascinating site consisting of artifacts spanning several different civilizations over thousands of years.

Nafplio er en havneby på Peloponnes i Grækenland. Byen har været en vigtig havn siden middelalderen, og er i dag hovedstad i regionen Argolis. I byen kan du blandt andet opleve Palamidi-slottet, Bourtzi-slottet på en ø midt i havnen, Skt. Nicholas-kirken og den gamle bydel Acronauplia.

Piræus er havneby til Athen, som er Grækenlands største havn og hovedstad. Athen er en af Europas ældste byer, og er særligt kendt for sine mange gamle ruiner og historiske seværdigheder, der kan dateres flere tusind år tilbage i tiden. Akropolis er Athens største seværdighed. Oplev historien bag på Akropolis Musset få hundrede meter fra de gamle ruiner. I centrum kan du opleve ruiner fra flere romerske bygninger, særligt fra perioden hvor den romerske kejser Hadrian var ved magten. Plaka-kvarteret er Athens ældste bydel og en af de mest attraktive, som tiltrækker mange turister. Med sine hyggelige, smalle gader med neoklassiske huse, små butikker og taverner, er det bestemt et besøg værd. Athen forener den antikke og moderne historie med et varieret kulturliv, museer, trendy shopping og et stort udvalg af spisesteder.