“You’ve just missed the best restaurant in Istanbul,” a young lad exclaims as I walk past his establishment. As sales pitches aimed at ‘catching’ diners go, it’s the best I’ve heard.
I smile, explain I’ve just eaten and continue on my way, now hopelessly disorientated amid the hundreds of stalls in the city’s Spice Market and Grand Bazaar selling everything from t-shirts and fake Rolex watches to pots, pans and bolts of cloth.
I’m heading to the famous Blue Mosque for a close-up view of its six towering minarets, and goodness knows how many hundreds of thousands of decorated tiles inside. Or at least that’s plan A. Finding your way through Istanbul’s maze of streets is not easy, even for Mr Google.
But I’m jumping several guns because Istanbul was the end of this brilliant two-week cruise on Oceania Allura that started in Trieste (an unexpectedly grand city, with beautiful Renaissance architecture, pretty canal-side restaurants and a must-climb Giants’ Staircase) and ticked off 12 ports in five countries sailing through Italy, Montenegro, Croatia and Greece to Turkey.
Allura is Oceania Cruises’ newest ship and a real beauty, with so much space you never have to queue. That’s luxury indeed. There are no formal nights, and everyone is free to dine where they choose from almost a dozen restaurants, all complimentary. On a ship for just 1,200 passengers, that’s pretty amazing.
Almost as amazing as learning there is one chef for every 10 guests. No wonder I’m struggling to argue with Oceania’s claim of serving the ‘finest cuisine at sea’. Whether in Jacques, the French restaurant, or the Grand Dining Room, the food was tasty and hot. I created my own bowls of salads, nuts, and hummus in Aquamar, then undid the good work with burgers and fries at Waves Grill. Watching the sun dip below the horizon over an al-fresco dinner in the self-service was wonderful.
Oceania has made a big change since I was last on board, namely by going adults-only. That was in January, and I was interested to see what difference it made to the vibe. I never found out as several families were cruising with us, all of whom had made bookings before the change. All I can tell you is the youngsters were so well behaved I don’t think my cruise would have been any different.
Instead of the ship’s excursions, I did my own thing at most ports. You don’t get the benefit of a guide’s expert knowledge, but it’s great fun as you never know what you might find. Naturally, noting the ship’s all-aboard time was top of my to-do list as I went ashore each day.
The steep alleyways of Hvar in Croatia; the acropolis in Athens; an adventure park high up in the mountains surrounding medieval Kotor in Montenegro; I explored them all. I also took a boat ride around Dubrovnik’s city walls and clocked up more than 20,000 steps walking from Corfu port into town, climbing to the top of a Venetian fortress and walking back to the ship.
There was more exercise in Rhodes, this time hiking to the acropolis of Lindos, where Greeks, Romans and Ottomans all left their mark over the centuries, and in Santorini, where I puffed up the zigzag donkey path from the little harbour to the town of Fira at the top (and back down). It’s 588 steps each way, which doesn’t sound too taxing, except it was a tad toasty as the thermometer soared into the 30s.
And so to Kusadasi, our penultimate port, where I couldn’t resist Oceania’s foodie tour to a village in the hills outside the city. The sun was shining, the views were gorgeous, and we were greeted by a typical Turkish breakfast of eggs, sausages, olives, tomatoes, cheeses, yoghurt, a delicious potato-and-onion filling in filo pastry called borek, and so much more. We could have stayed for hours, but our day in Istanbul was calling.
