I’m nearly at the end of my two-week sojourn in the Eastern Mediterranean, and we have had an incredible time traveling to Greece, Egypt and Turkey. As it turns out, our vacation will have been bracketed by two holidays.

When we arrived in Athens exactly two weeks ago, it was Holy Saturday on the Greek Orthodox religious calendar. Most of the major historical and archaeological sites had shut down the afternoon before, Good Friday, and would remain closed through at least Easter Sunday and even a day or two into the week.

This meant that those who had arrived a few days before their cruise departed on Monday, thinking to visit the Acropolis and the Archaeological Museum, would be severely disappointed. And those who tacked on a few extra days at the end of their cruise in Istanbul might show up at the Grand Bazaar tomorrow and find the gates shut . . . unless they knew in advance that May 19 is Ataturk Youth Sports Day, a national holiday.

Happily, we did our homework before booking our grand trip and were aware of these attraction-shutting events, as well as days when we would be in port on a Christian or Muslim day of worship. We then researched how those might affect our planned activities and adjusted our itineraries in each place accordingly. We also made sure to confirm the information we’d gathered once we arrived in each city. Here in Istanbul, for example, we learned the Spice Bazaar would be open tomorrow but the Grand Bazaar would not.

You global travelers certainly already know it’s important to be aware of national, local and religious holidays; seasonal hours and days of operation for museums and attractions. You also know what a boon it can be to have free time to explore when a special event closes most businesses and many of the locals have left town. In Athens we enjoyed a peaceful Sunday, strolling the entire circumference of the Acropolis in perfect weather without crowds of tourists or persistent souvenir hawkers. Traffic throughout our stay there was light and the metro uncrowded, for many Athenians depart for nearby beaches or family homes outside the city to spend several days celebrating Pascha.

Thus our travels began in a most pleasingly relaxed manner. You’ll be reading more about the beautiful and fascinating places I’ve visited over the next several weeks.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor