Month: September 2021

Final day on the ship today as we pull into our final stop back on Mykonos. 

Today we are touring an island about 30 minutes by ferry from Mykonos. The island is Delos and it contains only ruins, no inhabitants.

We met Gibson right off of the ship and he transported us to the ferry. The ferry ride was rather rough but the ship was big enough to handle the huge waves. 

Delos is the largest archeological site that exists and many of the ruins date back to 3000 BC. The condition of these ruins is very impressive. As you look at the stacked stones, imagine a limestone covering on both the inside and outside of these buildings.

We spent about 3 hours looking at all of the ruins. This is the birthplace of the mythical Apollo. This city had a water supply and sewer system running beneath the city. At its height, the population of this city was 20,000.

The city reminded me of the ruins of Pompeii. It is incredible to think these ruins have been here for about 7,000 years.

We took the return ferry back to the ship at 1:30 pm. When we returned, Gibson said we had also signed up for a farm tour. We passed on that and had him take us back to the ship.

We began to pack and then had dinner with the Daleys. Euchre followed with the final score be 8 games to 7. Oshnock’s win!

 …

Final day on the ship today as we pull into our final stop back on Mykonos. 

Today we are touring an island about 30 minutes by ferry from Mykonos. The island is Delos and it contains only ruins, no inhabitants.

We met Gibson right off of the ship and he transported us to the ferry. The ferry ride was rather rough but the ship was big enough to handle the huge waves. 

Delos is the largest archeological site that exists and many of the ruins date back to 3000 BC. The condition of these ruins is very impressive. As you look at the stacked stones, imagine a limestone covering on both the inside and outside of these buildings.

We spent about 3 hours looking at all of the ruins. This is the birthplace of the mythical Apollo. This city had a water supply and sewer system running beneath the city. At its height, the population of this city was 20,000.

The city reminded me of the ruins of Pompeii. It is incredible to think these ruins have been here for about 7,000 years.

We took the return ferry back to the ship at 1:30 pm. When we returned, Gibson said we had also signed up for a farm tour. We passed on that and had him take us back to the ship.

We began to pack and then had dinner with the Daleys. Euchre followed with the final score be 8 games to 7. Oshnock’s win!

 …

Today we visit Santorini. Our ship pulled in about 7 am. We have a 3rd party excursion and are hiking the rim of the volcano. The Caldera rim trail connects Fira(thira), the capitol of Santorini, to Oia (ee-ah).

We were up early, had breakfast on the Lido and then got on a tender to the island. The tenders were based out of Santorini, not the usual tenders that are launched off of the boat.. We upgraded before the trip to “Club Orange”. This allowed us a few perks and one is priority boarding. Other passengers need to obtain a tender ticket (often times waiting in line) and then wait until the assigned time. We can board anytime we wish. We also get priority seating in the dining room and a special menu with items not on the regular menu. We agreed that the upcharge is worth it.

About a 20 minute tender to the island where we were to find a cable car to the top of the volcano. It was easy to find and was a fast way to get up the mountain. Walking up is an option and later in the day, donkeys are another option. As we rode the car up I could see the switchbacks in the walking/donkey trail. This would be our route back.

We met Cris at the top of the lift. He was born in raised “right here in paradise”. We already liked him and after a few minutes we were off. Cris said we needed 4 hours to complete the trail and that anytime we felt like “giving up”, he would call a car to come pick us up. Giving up wasn’t an option we would choose.

Fira in the background and our ship in the mouth of the volcano. This is still an active volcano and when it originally erupted 3600 years ago, the land collapsed and filled with water.

Oia could be seen from our starting point.

The beginning of the trail was paved or had pavers. Later we would be on gravel and sometimes just bare earth.

Wind was an issue after an hour or so. Steep climbs and descents also were challenging. In one area, the wind howled like I have never heard before. We both bent over to take on the wind and I felt I would be lifted right off of the ground.

The blue roofs and white walls of the buildings are used to represent the colors of the Greek flag. 

The earliest humans lived in the natural volcanic caves. They began by hollowing out the natural cave to make it bigger and then they started building on the outer part of the cave, following the interior roof line. The result was a rounded roofs. The island is prone to earthquakes and the rounded roofs proved to hold up better when such an earthquake happened. This was the beginning of this style of architecture in Greece.

Oia appeared in 3 hours. Cris was impressed by the 4K per hour pace.  

We took pictures and then Cris called for the car. Quick ride back to Fira and the lunch.

We chose a restaurant overlooking the ship.

Terri had some local wine and I had the local beer. Volkan was the name of the brew. “Filtered through lava rock” . I thought it had a nice taste. 

The wall down to the pier was steep. We opted to use our feet and skipped hiring a donkey. The way down was littered with donkey dung and was an incentive to keep a good pace.

The tender back was a bit rough. We sat out by the pool for a bit, dinner and the euchre tournament with the Daley’s. 7 to 6. Oshnock’s lead. …

Today we visit Santorini. Our ship pulled in about 7 am. We have a 3rd party excursion and are hiking the rim of the volcano. The Caldera rim trail connects Fira(thira), the capitol of Santorini, to Oia (ee-ah).

We were up early, had breakfast on the Lido and then got on a tender to the island. The tenders were based out of Santorini, not the usual tenders that are launched off of the boat.. We upgraded before the trip to “Club Orange”. This allowed us a few perks and one is priority boarding. Other passengers need to obtain a tender ticket (often times waiting in line) and then wait until the assigned time. We can board anytime we wish. We also get priority seating in the dining room and a special menu with items not on the regular menu. We agreed that the upcharge is worth it.

About a 20 minute tender to the island where we were to find a cable car to the top of the volcano. It was easy to find and was a fast way to get up the mountain. Walking up is an option and later in the day, donkeys are another option. As we rode the car up I could see the switchbacks in the walking/donkey trail. This would be our route back.

We met Cris at the top of the lift. He was born in raised “right here in paradise”. We already liked him and after a few minutes we were off. Cris said we needed 4 hours to complete the trail and that anytime we felt like “giving up”, he would call a car to come pick us up. Giving up wasn’t an option we would choose.

Fira in the background and our ship in the mouth of the volcano. This is still an active volcano and when it originally erupted 3600 years ago, the land collapsed and filled with water.

Oia could be seen from our starting point.

The beginning of the trail was paved or had pavers. Later we would be on gravel and sometimes just bare earth.

Wind was an issue after an hour or so. Steep climbs and descents also were challenging. In one area, the wind howled like I have never heard before. We both bent over to take on the wind and I felt I would be lifted right off of the ground.

The blue roofs and white walls of the buildings are used to represent the colors of the Greek flag. 

The earliest humans lived in the natural volcanic caves. They began by hollowing out the natural cave to make it bigger and then they started building on the outer part of the cave, following the interior roof line. The result was a rounded roofs. The island is prone to earthquakes and the rounded roofs proved to hold up better when such an earthquake happened. This was the beginning of this style of architecture in Greece.

Oia appeared in 3 hours. Cris was impressed by the 4K per hour pace.  

We took pictures and then Cris called for the car. Quick ride back to Fira and the lunch.

We chose a restaurant overlooking the ship.

Terri had some local wine and I had the local beer. Volkan was the name of the brew. “Filtered through lava rock” . I thought it had a nice taste. 

The wall down to the pier was steep. We opted to use our feet and skipped hiring a donkey. The way down was littered with donkey dung and was an incentive to keep a good pace.

The tender back was a bit rough. We sat out by the pool for a bit, dinner and the euchre tournament with the Daley’s. 7 to 6. Oshnock’s lead. …

Today was a full day at sea. We started at the Lido and then went to the gym. Not many folks in the gym. Masks have to be worn unless you are on the treadmill. I guess the virus reacts to the treadmill much like it reacts to a table in a restaurant. 4 of us in the gym and no employees around. I was reprimanded by an employee after about 15 mins on the bench press about putting a mask on. This makes me believe that cameras are being used to monitor mask wearing. Nothing says freedom like using cameras to spy on “citizens”. I guess with so many employees and so few passengers it is a good time to do some surveillance training.

We spent the afternoon by the pool and enjoyed the breeze and clear skies. The ship is moving very slowly as the ports are not far away. I imagine on this cruise, the days at sea are not necessary but purposely built into the itinerary to allow people to rest and enjoy the ship activities.

We have two more days and two more excursions. Both are booked through trip advisor and both have been confirmed. Santorini should be challenging as we hike along the ridge of the volcano. We can use the rest this day gives us.

We had dinner in the main dining room. The service is very good since there are so many people taking care of so few people.

Euchre with the Daleys on the back of the Lido deck. The evenings we have done this, we have shared this large space with about 20 other people.

 …

Today we arrived in Argostoli. We have no excursion planned because this was a late change. HAL did off a few excursions but they didn’t look that interesting.

We left the ship about 8 am and started the walk into the main square. Businesses were just beginning to open and we spotted a few places where we could stop for lunch or a drink. Our goal today was the top of a ridge we spotted on a map of the island. This would give us a good view of the area.

From the top we could see all around the island. We took some photos and headed back down and stopped at a local cafe and had a drink.

We went back to the ship and prepared for dinner. 

Tim and Kelley celebrated their 40th anniversary at dinner with us. It’s hard to believe it has been this long. Congratulations!

Euchre after dinner as we watched the sunset. Terri and I are really becoming a great team and are in the lead! Just a friendly game.

 …