The story of this month-long sea-based journey from the Black Sea to the Western Mediterranean is written as three distinct travelblogues. This is the index to the stories. Links will be added and activated as each story is posted.

The first part is about Istanbul and the Black Sea on the MV Aegean Odyssey during which we will learn of the history, art and culture  of the countries bordering on the Black Sea.

Then follows a four night cruise in the Western Mediterranean on Costa Luminosa.

A brief stay in Venice and then we embark on the Italian Dreams cruise on Crystal Serenity through the Adriatic, Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian Seas to Monaco.

Three Ships: Aegean Odyssey, Costa Luminosa, Crystal Serenity.
Seven Seas: Black Sea and the sub-divisions of the Mediterranean including the Sea of Marmara, the Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenian, Ligurian and Balearic Seas.

In this and all future travelblogues or posts,  clicking on a picture or map will enlarge it for clarification of detail.

INDEX

Istanbul and the Black Sea on MV Aegean Odyssey

• When Istanbul was Constantinople, and before that Byzantium
• The Byzantine Empire: more blood than beauty
• Where in the world is The East
• Before I leave: Money and Power
• Three Ships, Seven Seas -  I'm Off
• Istanbul to the Black Sea
• Friday 30^th         Arrive Istanbul from Los Angeles
• Saturday 31^st    Istanbul
• Sunday 1^st          Embark MV Aegean Odyssey
• Monday 2^nd      Cruising the Black Sea
• Tuesday 3^rd        Trabazon, Northern Turkey
• Wednesday 4^th   Batumi, Georgia
• Thursday 5^th       Feodosyia, Ukraine
• Friday 6^th             Yalta, Ukraine
•                             Yalta: Anton Chekhov
• Saturday 7^th        Sevastopol - Balaclava , Ukraine
• Sunday 8^th           Sevastopol-Chersonesus, Ukraine
• Monday 9^th         Odessa, Ukraine
•                             A Night at the Odessa Opera House
• Tuesday 10^th      Odessa Ukraine
• Wednesday 11^th   Nessebur, Bulgaria
• Thursday 12^th      Istanbul
• Flight from Istanbul to Genoa to board the Costa Luminosa

Mediterranean Playground on Costa Luminosa

• Friday 13^th                  Savona, Italy
• Saturday 14^th             Barcelona, Spain
• Sunday 15^th                Ibiza,
• Monday 16^th               Marseille, France
• Tuesday 17^th             Savona to Venice

Italian Dreams on Crystal Serenity

• Wednesday 18^th      Venice
• Thursday 19^th           Embark Crystal Serenity
• Friday 20^th               Venice
• Saturday 21^st           Kotor, Montenegro
• Sunday 22^nd           Day at Sea
• Monday 23^rd            Taormina, Sicily
• Tuesday 24^th            Sorrento, Italy
• Wednesday 25^th       Cittavecchia, Rome, Italy
• Thursday 26^th           Livorno, Florence, Italy
• Friday 27^th                Portovenere, Italy
• Saturday 28^th           Disembark Monte Carlo - Nice - Paris

Endgame

• Sunday 29^th              Paris for the day
• Monday 30^th              Paris to Istanbul        
• Tuesday 1^st               Istanbul
• Wednesday2^nd         Istanbul to Los Angeles to Vancouver