16th June- Early start today as we are catching the ferry to Mykonos. The ferry is enormous. I was imaging something about a 10th of the size of this cruise ship I am on. We were at the port early so were able to get and get some seats. Waited close to an hour before the boat left the harbor then snuck upstairs into the good seats that you are meant to 5€ extra to have but once the ferry is moving the Stewarts don't really care where people sit. Enjoyed some s...

15th June- We are taking a walking tour around Athens this morning. It is another hot day in the city. Caught the metro to monastiraki square. The first stop was Hadrians library. This was once an enormous building filled with scrolls and lecture theaters. Today only a small section of the ruins remains. We then walked around to the Roman Agora. The entrance is via the gate of Athena archegetis. Much of the site is ruined with only minimal foundation remaining t...

14th June- Slow start to the day as am trying to decide what to do today that isn't going to be covered on our walking tour tomorrow with the topdeck group. Visiting the national archeology museum is the best choice and I can walk from my hotel. Walked out towards the museum and started to get an overall vibe that the city was a bit down on itself. There is graffiti everywhere! It covers any bit of wall and this not graffiti art this is just people tagging the ...

13th June - Woke up too early again... Need to learn to remember to shut the heavy curtains before going to sleep. Spent time in morning going through my bag again finding more things to get rid off... I am not really sure how I ended up with such a full bag. Had a breakfast with some of the other topdeckers and said some more goodbyes. Walked over too the postoffice and was lucky the two boxes were both less than 2 kg so was able to send them the cheaper le...

Istanbul highlights: Probably would be able to see a lot of the city in 4 to 5 days max. Blue mosque- should be on everyone's list to see. Get there early to avoid the crowds but avoid pray times and remember to dress appropriate. Topkapi Palace - is really good. Pay the extra for the ticket into the harem. The audio tour doesn't include alot extra that isn't written on the signs in English around the site. Also there are lots of English speaking guide taki...