Athens to Istanbul on Crystal Serenity: Santorini, Israel, Cyprus, Crete, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Istanbul

Athens-pre-cruise package at the King George Palace, a beautiful hotel with professional personnel and all the amenities located right on Syntagma Square, Santorini, Israel (overnight), Cyprus, Crete, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Istanbul (overnight) plus post-cruise package at the Four Seasons at Sultanahmet, an exquisite experience--October 21--November 7, 2011

Dancing at sea on the Mediterranean

Iraklion, Crete

Mykonos 

Mykonos

Kusadasi, Turkey

Silk Road on Crystal Serenity

Family groups dining in the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

Hagia Sophia

Blue Mosque at night (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)

Passing time-pedestrian street-Istanbul

Inside the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque)

My room at the exquisite Istanbul Four Seasons at Sultanahmet

My bathroom...Note the wall-mounted TV and tub and separate stall shower

Outside on the patio of the attached gazebo breakfast, lunch, dining room

Beautiful flowers everywhere in the hotel 

One of many sitting lounges

Grand stairway leading to the lower level

A young Egyptian girl from Cairo and members of her family all met in Istanbul for a reunion (It was an Islamic holiday.)...She is playing  Ochi Tchorniye (the popular gypsy song known as Black or Dark Eyes).

Sometime after we visited Cyprus the memory card from my camera fell out so all pictures that I had taken before we visited Crete were lost.  Fortunately, I was able to replace the card at the photo shop on board Crystal Serenity. 

Maps of Istanbul  (click on maps to enlarge)

Sultanahmet area of Istanbul

Area of the Four Seasons Sultanahmet