Cruise Region : Mediterranean Sea, Europe South, Europe, Aegean Sea |
Company : Celestyal Cruises |
Ship : Celestyal Crystal |
Journey Start : Sat 09 Dec 2023 |
Journey End : Sat 16 Dec 2023 |
Count Nights : 7 nights |
Day | Port | Date | Arrival | Departure |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Athens (Lavrion) / Greece | Sat 09 Dec | 17:00 | |
2 | Day at sea / Sea | Sun 10 Dec | ||
3 | Port Said / Egypt | Mon 11 Dec | 06:30 | 22:00 |
4 | Ashdod / Israel | Tue 12 Dec | 08:00 | 22:00 |
5 | Limassol / Cyprus | Wed 13 Dec | 11:00 | 18:00 |
6 | Rhodes / Greece | Thu 14 Dec | 11:30 | 18:30 |
7 | Mykonos / Greece | Fri 15 Dec | 07:00 | 18:00 |
8 | Athens (Lavrion) / Greece | Sat 16 Dec | 07:00 |
Lavrion is the prettiest of the three ports and feels like a small Greek island all its own. While port towns are often raced through by visitors heading elsewhere, if you do have to spend a day at a port, Lavrion may be the way to go. It has a small Archaeological Museum and an interesting Mineralogical Museum, where the local mining heritage is shown off. Just for good measure, it also boasts a giant "Mystery Hole", a geological feature which seems like a giant bubble formed at the top of a hill and then popped, leaving a two-hundred-foot deep, somewhat rounded pit.Its origins are still being debated; some believe it was the result of a meteorite impact.
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 kilometres (19 mi) along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787 (2010). The city was established in 1859 during the building of the Suez Canal.
There are numerous old houses with grand balconies on all floors, giving the city a distinctive look. Port Said's twin city is Port Fuad, which lies on the eastern bank of the canal. The two cities coexist, to the extent that there is hardly any town centre in Port Fuad. The cities are connected by free ferries running all through the day, and together they form a metropolitan area with over a million residents that extends both on the African and the Asian sides of the Suez Canal. The only other metropolitan area in the world that also spans two continents is Istanbul.
Port Said acted as a global city since its establishment and flourished particularly during the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century when it was inhabited by various nationalities and religions. Most of them were from Mediterranean countries, and they coexisted in tolerance, forming a cosmopolitan community. Referring to this fact Rudyard Kipling once said "If you truly wish to find someone you have known and who travels, there are two points on the globe you have but to sit and wait, sooner or later your man will come there: the docks of London and Port Said".
Ashdod is the sixth-largest city and the largest port in Israel accounting for 60% of the country's imported goods. Ashdod is located in the Southern District of the country, on the Mediterranean coast where it is situated between Tel Aviv to the North 32 kilometres (20 miles) away, and Ashkelon to the South 20 km (12 mi) away. Jerusalem is 53 km (33 mi) to the east. The city is also an important regional industrial center.
Modern Ashdod covers the territory of two ancient twin towns, one inland and one on the coast, which were for most of their history two separate entities, connected by close ties with each other. This article deals with these historic towns, including other ancient nearby sites, and modern Ashdod.
The first documented urban settlement at Ashdod dates to the Canaanite culture of the 17th century BCE, making the city one of the oldest in the world. Ashdod is mentioned 13 times in the Bible. During its pre-1956 history the city was settled by Philistines, Israelites, Greek colonists coming in the wake of Alexander's conquests, Romans and Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, and Ottoman Turks.
Modern Ashdod was established in 1956 on the sand hills near the site of the ancient town, and incorporated as a city in 1968, with a land-area of approximately 60 square kilometres (23 sq mi). Being a planned city, expansion followed a main development plan, which facilitated traffic and prevented air pollution in the residential areas, despite population growth. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Ashdod had a population of 222,883 in 2017, with an area of 47,242 dunams (47.242 km2; 18.240 sq mi).
Ashdod today is home to the largest Moroccan Jewish community in Israel, the largest Karaite Jewishcommunity in Israel, and the largest Georgian Jewish community in the world.
Cyprus' second-largest city appeals to a wide range of tourists, from those interested in sun and sand vacations to those who prefer to delve into the island's culture at its museums and sites of archaeological interest. This large seaside resort on Akrotiri Bay on the sunny southern coast offers lively nightlife and a slew of energetic festivals. A cornucopia of cafes and bars lines the bustling seafront. Accommodation options range from villas and self-catering apartments to luxurious hotels.
Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the South Aegean administrative region. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Rhodes. The city of Rhodes had 50,636 inhabitants in 2011. It is located northeast of Crete, southeast of Athens and just off the Anatolian coast of Turkey. Rhodes' nickname is The island of the Knights, named after the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, who once conquered the land.
Historically, Rhodes was famous worldwide for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Medieval Old Town of the City of Rhodes has been declared a World Heritage Site. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. The name of the U.S. state of Rhode Island is thought to be based on this island.
Mykonos is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of 85.5 square kilometres (33.0 sq mi) and rises to an elevation of 341 metres (1,119 feet) at its highest point. There are 10,134 inhabitants (2011 census), most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town is also known as Chora (i.e. the Town in Greek, following the common practice in Greece when the name of the island itself is the same as the name of the principal town).
Lavrion is the prettiest of the three ports and feels like a small Greek island all its own. While port towns are often raced through by visitors heading elsewhere, if you do have to spend a day at a port, Lavrion may be the way to go. It has a small Archaeological Museum and an interesting Mineralogical Museum, where the local mining heritage is shown off. Just for good measure, it also boasts a giant "Mystery Hole", a geological feature which seems like a giant bubble formed at the top of a hill and then popped, leaving a two-hundred-foot deep, somewhat rounded pit.Its origins are still being debated; some believe it was the result of a meteorite impact.