Athens was swarmed with international visitors! I heard people speaking Greek, English, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, Arabic, French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and few languages I didn't recognize.
Greece is a member of the European Union, and all countries in the E.U. use the euro as their currency. Euro bills and coins are much more colorful than U.S. dollars. For our day in Turkey, we will leave the E.U. and use the Turkish lira.
One of my favorite facts about this ship, Le Bougainville, is that it makes fresh water from the salt water all around us. Each day, we get drinking water in reuseable containers delivered to our rooms. This is a very sustainable way of providing something everyone aboard needs to stay hydrated. Passengers don't have to pay anything for the water.
The ship's chef has been making a big effort to include Greek and Turkish dishes into the daily menu. This is a French ship with an Italian chef, but they know that passengers are very interested in the foods and flavors of the places we are visiting. While we were visiting Kusadasi, Turkey, I had a wonderful stuffed eggplant that was seasoned with aromatic Turkish spices.
