I survived a 10-day Eastern Mediterranean Cruise

But only just barely. I guess in all the excitement of visiting Greece, Turkey and back to Italy, my immune system got a little wacked out too, because I ended up a bit flu-y. I felt so horrible that I went to the ship doctor and got antibiotics and cough syrup. And had to miss checking out Istanbul. So sad.

Still, I managed to be healthy for the majority of the day trips to Olympia, Athens, Izmir and Naples. The trip essentially covered all the oldest parts of the world, seeing as how we were in the concentrated area where civilization really started. Each excursion was a plethora of ruins (and old dust) and chock full of history.

Ten days was a bit too much though. Considering my grad school classes are only 8 weeks long, I really had to be doing work around the clock before I left and am now definitely behind. (Blog posts for the next few weeks might not be as robust as a result).

Here are some teaser pictures for you, because I know that's why all of you are sticking this out and reading:

Olympia, Greece.

 A little feta with your salad, anyone?

 Greece beach!

 The gang drinking Ouzu.

 The Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

 The boys.

 Izmir, Turkey.

 Istanbul, Turkey.

 The top of Mount Vesuvius outside of Naples, Italy.

 So high we can touch those clouds!

 Vineyard at the foot of Mount Vesuvius.

 Our second trip to Pompeii.

 (I even found my pillar I took a picture with two years ago!)

All in all, we had a good time and got to hang out with our friends. There were running jokes, amusing events and brushes with minor celebrities. Who knew that Flavor Flav enjoyed cruises? Not us until we realized he was on our boat.

More details to follow! Hope everyone has a great week and I can ditch this sickness!