STAR CLIPPER CRUISE & ISTANBUL – by Sharron

I am a huge fan of Star Clippers.  I love cruising; it is such an easy way to see many different places, but when I took my first Star Clipper cruise in 2012 I was hooked! Unlike the large cruise lines, these ships are small, Star Clipper & Flyer carry 170 passengers and the larger Royal Clipper carries 227. Our Cruise Director, Peter, summed up what it is like to sail on these ships very well.  He said other lines have ships with sails whereas Star Clippers are “sailing ships”. In June this year we flew to Athens to board the ship for a 7 night cruise to Istanbul.  We left port just as it went dark under full sail with all the lights on.  As is often the case many people come to wave us off as it is a wonderful sight. Over the course of the following week we visited stylish Mykonos, Kos and Patmos, a small Greek island with a beautiful monastery before heading into Turkish waters and visiting Kusadasi, from where we explored the ancient site of Ephesus (a must see for anyone interested in archaeology). Dikili was next, a small Turkish town which is not touristy at all but from where you can visit another fantastic site at Pergamun.  Our final stop was at Canakkale.  We chose to go to Troy but other passengers went to Gallipoli. Our journey finished when we sailed into Istanbul early in the morning – what a way to arrive! We then spent a further 2 nights in Istanbul experiencing all that this wonderful city has to offer – The Grand Bazaar, Hagia Sofia, The Blue Mosque etc.  All the main sights are very easily accessible on foot when staying in the centre of the city. I am already looking forward to my next adventure (in fact it is already booked) when Star Clippers return to the Far East in winter 2016/2017. Please call in and talk to me if what I have written has whetted your appetite for this lovely product.