Standing at the site of the world’s first-known flushing toilet, this surely has to be one of the greatest inventions ever. It might surprise you to learn that this particular latrine, with sophisticated sewage system, was constructed around 3,500 years ago by an advanced civilisation called the Minoans, at Knossos on Crete.
The city had 25,000 inhabitants at its peak and the royal palace had more than 1,500 rooms – yes you read that correctly. They had vaults that could store 300,000 tons of olive oil and had developed a form of architecture that maximised open spaces and light. This included the first stairs with shallower steps that were easier to climb, showing that consideration was given to the elderly and less able.
Here you’ll also find Europe’s first paved road and the first theatre. Most fascinating of all is that archeologists researching the site believe all this was achieved without the use of slaves. Knossos is one of many fascinating locations my wife and I would visit on a 10-day Ancient World Wonders cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean, on board the luxurious Oceania Cruises Riviera ship.
We set sail from Athens and took in the Greek islands of Santorini, Crete, Mykonos and Rhodes before sailing on to Bodrum, Kusadasi, Bozcaada andIstanbul in Turkey, visiting some of the greatest archeological sites along the way. You could say we took a short boat trip but a long ride back in time.
The ship
Riviera is a modestly-sized ship of around 1,250 passengers, in keeping with Oceania’s philosophy of small ships offering a high level of luxury. The state rooms are elegantly decorated, the beds are super comfy and the bathrooms sumptuous. There are nice touches like free filtered water in your room and in the public spaces, free tea and coffee available at all times and 24-hour room service.
The public areas are grand without being over the top and there’s a wonderful open pool area with plenty of loungers, a large theatre with entertainment every night and decadently furnished bar offering live music in the evenings. You’ll also find a cocktail bar and casino and for the energetic, there’s paddle, mini golf and ping pong and a running track. Or maybe just curl up with a book in the library.
A big part of any cruise is the food and here the chefs take it to another level. There are seven restaurants offering everything from Italian, French and Asian specialities to grand dining, buffet and burgers. You can have the likes of Vietnamese spring rolls, Osso Buco, grilled rib eye steak and healthy power bowls. The highlight was when executive culinary director Alex Quaretti turned the whole buffet to two nights of Greek specialities, including slow-roasted lamb, spanakopita and the best baklava I’ve ever tasted (sorry mum). I marvelled at the logistical challenge of it all and learned that in one week the ship gets through 1,400lb of lobster, 20,000 eggs, 6,500lb of beef and 60lb of caviar. Guests also knock back 1,800 bottles of champagne, 2,000 bottles of red wine and 2,200 bottles of white wine.
Once you have overindulged, there’s a well-equipped gym plus a studio offering yoga and Pilates. Afterwards, you can relax in the spa, with a steam and sauna, plus massages and beauty treatments at extra cost.
The ship also has a culinary centre where chef Steph, who was US TV chef Julia Child’s executive assistant for 15 years, took us through a fun cookery class. We made local Greek dishes like stuffed figs, Corfu salad and labneh with honey and walnuts. There is also an artist’s loft where you can learn drawing and painting.
A dedicated wine-tasting room, called La Reserve, allows you to hone your sommelier skills by sampling a range of international vintages. Most memorable of all is the magic of sailing – waking up in a new port and setting sail as the sun goes down and the moon turns the sea to silver. It’s the pleasure of partying, eating and sleeping while a whole team of people get you to your next port.
Santorini
The heart of Santorini exploded in around 1600 BC. The island was one giant volcano that blew apart, leaving the crescent shape we know today. Sadly a different kind of eruption has served to destroy a lot of what people loved about Santorini – the explosion of Instagram. In the beautiful town of Oia we had to queue for the view as hundreds of people jostled to get their classic shot with the blue-domed churches.
After grabbing a €6.50 cup of coffee we fought our way through a crowd to get on a bus to the Boutaris vineyard. Here we learned all about the island’s wine history. Santorini has the oldest continuously cultivated vineyards in the world, started by the Spartans. Because of the high winds, the vines are grown as bushes, pruned to support the grapes off the ground.
They grow mainly Assyrtiko grapes and due to the volcanic soil, the white wines of Santorini are considered some of the best in the world. We tried a few just to be sure and can report they are very good, especially with food.
Mykonos and Delos
Mykonos has also been infected by Instagram tourism, plus the fact it is favoured by celebrities. We heard of one beach that charges €120 a day for a sun lounger. We quickly bypassed Mykonos to take a boat to the nearby uninhabited island of Delos, once the religious centre of ancient Greece and, according to legend, birthplace of Apollo and twin sister Artemis.
Delos is the largest archaeological site in Greece. As you walk through the ancient streets you can imagine how life would have been, with many buildings well-preserved. There were banks, bakers, vegetable sellers and fish shops. They have uncovered more than 400 mosaics, 8,000 sculptures and countless small vessels and inscriptions.
Athens took control of Delos in around 700 BC and ordered all the dead bodies buried on the island to be moved to the nearby island of Rheneia. No one was allowed to be born or die on the island, effectively banishing the local population. They established a temple to Apollo, with vast sums pouring in from treasuries of all the Greek city states that was used to build the Parthenon in Athens.
So in a way the Elgin Marbles can be traced all the way to this tiny island in the Aegean.
Rhodes
After our visit to Knossos we stopped at the island of Rhodes where the lovely Xara of the Hatzikelis taverna, a family restaurant for over 40 years, gave us a hands-on lesson in Greek cookery. We made spanakopita, octopus fritters, aubergine salad, mussels saganaki, sardines with garlic and parsley, stuffed peppers and tzatziki… and then ate the lot.
Kusadasi and Ephesus
Kusadasi on the Turkish coast is the gateway to the ancient city of Ephesus, which was first inhabited by Amazon female warriors in around 1500 BC. It was once a great port city but silt built up from the river Cayster to form land and the city is now an astonishing 12 miles from the sea.
Its heyday was between the 6th century BC and the 4th century AD when the population swelled to 250,000. There is evidence of huge intellectual achievement, not least at the impressive library, which once held 12,000 scrolls, of which the imposing facade still stands.
There is one statue that depicts the world as a sphere, something the ancient Greeks understood as early as 600 BC. The hospital was also quite an innovation. They didn’t accept people who were obviously going to die because that would look bad for the medics. Patients offered a sacrifice to the gods, then went to sleep. Afterwards they would tell their dreams to the priest/doctor, who would use this to help diagnose them. They would then walk through a tunnel where the priests would whisper “you will get better” – an ancient form of positive thinking.
On the imposing marble streets you can still see Roman chariot marks and it feels like a scene from Gladiator as you walk through the columns of the agora and see the amphitheatre that can seat 25,000.
Back on ship, as we cruise towards Istanbul, passing beneath the 1915 Canakkale suspension bridge, I contemplate the distance humanity has travelled in the past 3,500 years. And I give thanks to
the ancient Greeks for discovering the Earth was round, to the Romans for inventing underfloor heating and especially to the Minoans as I appreciate my luxury flushing toilet.
Book the holiday
Oceania Cruises offers a 10-day voyage from Athens to Istanbul on Allura, sailing on May 7, 2026, starting at £4,169pp. Calls at Mykonos, Santorini, Heraklion, Fethiye, Bodrum, Izmir, Chios, Kavala/Philippi and Limnos, includes veranda cabin, gratuities, speciality dining, soft drinks, juices, specialty coffees and teas, still and sparkling water, unlimited wi-fi, artisan ice cream, fitness classes and laundry. Flights extra. oceaniacruises.com
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