Last Day on Cruise and Welcome to Thessiloniki

07-09: Thessaloniki, Greece. We are staying on board today and taking care of laundry and more. I caught up on this blog and organized things for packing. We were also warned last night that it is going to be very hot today. Apparently, Greece is having a heatwave. I just read online where they have closed the Acropolis in Athens due to heat being 107.6F. We will see about our plan after disembarkation tomorrow. We plan to go to our hotel and drop our bags and see Thessaloniki by HO-HO bus. That should be cool enough.

After laundry we headed to Beefbar for lunch. It was delicious as always. We did more organization and packing in the afternoon then headed to Crystal Cove. We had a bottle of champagne (Veuve Clicquot) to celebrate the sale of Stuart’s house in Boise.

We finished it off in Waterside with our last dinner onboard. Entertainment tonight was in Starlight Lounge with the singers and dancers, it was great. Then back to Crystal Cove and to our cabin to put luggage out. It’s been a great cruise.

07-10: Today we disembark. It was easy to find our luggage when there are so few passengers on these smaller ships. The hotel was easy for our taxi driver to find. Taxis were waiting at the gate. We were able to check in very early. The hotel is not fancy but the people are so nice. The carried all our heavy luggage to the room. I was grateful for that because of the steps and no elevator. For whatever reason we are exhausted and took a good long rest, even sleeping for a bit. After noon we tried to get the HO-HO bus but missed it. Instead, we walked around the city, saw St. Demetris Cathedral, the largest in Greece. We also saw some Roman Forman ruins with parts of an amphitheater left. We had a very different pizza for lunch. They called it Mediterranean but it mainly had feta cheese, peppers, and sauce with a few olives. Anyway, it was good. Back to the hotel for a rest, we are feeling so tired. We ventured out later for a small bite to eat and a drink. Off to bed at a decent time after playing Phase 10. We will fly to Lisbon tomorrow, via Rome.

Patmos, Greece and Sea Day

07-07: Patmos, Greece. After a quick breakfast, we took the tender to the port where we boarded a bus and drove a short distance to the cave of the Apocalypse. There were fantastic views. The Cave of the Apocalypse is located approximately halfway up the mountain on the Aegean Island of Patmos, along the road between the villages of Chóra and Skala. This grotto marks the spot where St. John of Patmos received his visions that he recorded in the Book of Revelation. The cave is now part of a complex of monastic buildings protected by UNESCO.

You can see the rock where John put his head, but they have it surrounded by metal and also a metal gate. But we saw it, and I never thought I would be able to see a place like this. This is the cave where he received the Revelation. After that we drove on to the to the base of the monastery of St. John which is a big hike up a hill. I stayed at the cafe at the bottom and Stuart went up the hill to the cathedral. At the cafe, I bought an iced coffee and a piece of spinach pie. I'm not really hungry, but I don't want to sit here and take up the space without buying something. Stuart took some great photos. We also saw and took a picture of the windmills of Patmos. These are 3 windmills that were built-in the 1500s and 1800s. When flower production ceased in the 1950s, the windows were abandoned and fell into disrepair. Now they've been restored, and they're a landmark One mill still grinds, some small quantities of wheat and there's a small museum, we did not go in.

Back on the bus and it was just a few minutes until arriving to the restaurant, Aloni, for our snack and Folklore show. The place of food call Meze (also spelled mezze or mezé). Just like our other food in Greece, it was delicious, accompanied by very tasty white wine. The short Folklore dance was nice. I felt sorry for them dancing in heavy costumes. Now back to the ship.

Dinner in the dining room, my sole was outstanding. I ordered a half portion, but I am sure it was the full portion. I could not eat it all.

07-08: Today is a relaxing pool day. It is our ONLY sea day as well. Stuart spoke at 10a about the Seven Wonders of the world, both original and new. It was well attended and enjoyed by all. After that he was free of any obligation. We headed to the pool. We split a hot dog for lunch from the Trident Grill. We have Beefbar dinner tonight so we don’t want to eat too much before that. Today there were a lot of people around the pool since it was the only day at sea. We played Phase 10 all afternoon. We skipped the Captain’s Reception and opted to rest before dinner. Again, Beefbar did not disappoint. Afterwards, we went to the show and also the casino. It was a nice and relaxing day at sea.

Two days in Kusadasi, Greece

07-05: Kusadasi, Turkey today. We slept in and skipped the breakfast, heading right into the city for a nice lunch at 1453 Osmanli. It was quite tasty trying some different foods, a huge platter with a lot of choices. We took quite the walk out to the Kusadasi Castle on the other side of the port. It isn’t too hot and there was a breeze on the walk there. Not much of a breeze on the way back. We stopped at Molly Malone’s, strange as it may seem, they did not have Guinness Beer! However, they had other beers and a nice cooler to sit in front of!

We have our Turkish Lira left over so we walked around and found some goodies (Turkish Delight) for the crew. They guy who owned the shop was so proud of his shop and the things in it. He even offered us some watermelon. The walk back to the ship seemed very hot so we were happy to find our cabin nice and cool. After freshening up we had a predinner cocktail in Crystal Cove and then on to the dining room. Fish and chips was the choice tonight. Later on it was listening to Jazz in the Avenue.

07-06: Today was a relaxing pool day. We're still in Kusadasi, but since we were out all day yesterday, we stayed in today and enjoyed the pool and relaxing. We had a wagyu pepperoni pizza for a snack from Beefbar. Once we finally got warm, we went back to the cabin. Tonight is a treat again in Umi Uma. We refreshed for dinner and had another epicurean delight! It was really outstanding. We had delicious dishes – sashimi, tempura, lobster and some shell crab spring rolls. We went to crystal cove, afterwards and listened to Inga play for a little while. Then we moved on to the starlight for dancing music and a few people in there. The Ambassadors were there to dance with the ladies.

Santorini and Rhodes, Greece

07-03: Today we're in Santorini. Since there's at least three other cruise ships, the crowds will be huge. We decided to have a lovely and relaxing pool day. We have both been here before. Looking up at the sparkling white villages up on the cliffs, enjoying champagne, and freshly baked pastry - what more could we want? We played Rummikub up there until it got pretty windy.

When it was close to dinnertime, we went to Crysyal Cove to listen to Inga on the violin. Every evening, they pass out tiny appetizers. We are careful not to eat most of them or we can’t eat the dinner. Dinner was in the main dining room and even ordering half portions, it is just more than we can eat. The comedian at the show wasn’t too impressive (mark Palmer). Jade was extra loud so we didn’t stay. Instead, we went to the Avenue Saloon to listen to the piano for just a little while.

07-04: It is sunny, but it's not supposed to be too warm today. So, we're headed out with a short walk to the beautiful walled city. Like most Greek water, we've seen, it's clear and sparkling, and a beautiful color blue. We skipped to breakfast on board to be able to have a nice breakfast in a cafe in Rhodes. That's exactly what we did after the brief walk to the city. Stuart had a waffle with banana and whipped cream, and I think strawberries. I opted for a crepe with feta, tomatoes, and olives on the side. Everything was delicious. The Greek coffee is pretty strong. Thankfully, I had a sweetener packet in my purse. We walked around looking in shops and had a stop for a glass of cold wine before heading back to the ship.

The ship is beautifully decorated today for 4th of July. I was surprised to see that since we're not in the US. The cake that represents the day is absolutely beautiful. Everything was handmade on it, and edible. Tonight is the White Party. Of course, we will check that out later.

We had a quick, small lunch in the Beefbar. They do have some delicious items! Dinner was Waterside but we only had a few appetizers. Time for the White party and it was really fun to watch. Cruise Director Vicky really did let her hair down! Fun Night!

Next Cruise Begins!

07-01: Piraeus today. I was still tired when we got up this morning. Me made it to the buffet at Market Place and then back to the cabin to get some things done. It seems like a good time to do laundry since a lot of people are getting off and new passengers getting on a few hours after that.

Otherwise, it was a quiet day for us. We ate lunch at the Beefbar and took a nap in the afternoon. Dinner was in the dining room, though we weren’t very hungry, we did have a delicious seafood cocktail (muscles, shrimp, scallop, lobster, and crab!)

We went to the show and spent some time in Jade after the show. As I said, a quiet day.

07-02: Crete: today, we took a wonderful excursion to the countryside for olive oil tasting and wine tasting. It was lovely. The drive through the countryside was so interesting and I didn't realize there are 7000 ft peaks here in the White Mountains. They are limestone, thus the white colors. Crete isn’t even that large to have this these tall mountains. There were lovely flowers along the way plus scads of olive trees, orange trees, and other citrus trees. They plant Oleanders by the freeways, so that the animals won't try to cross. Because they are poisonous, the animals stay away and therefore, no animals have been hit or killed on the highways. Our guide was very informative and even shared a few mythological stories with us. Our tour got a late start because the microphone did not work in the bus. You are forbidden to leave the port without a working microphone! Who knew? However, a new bus came and all was well. We were back in plenty of times since Stuart had to speak at 4:30p. His talk was on caldera formations today, it was very interesting plus being well attended. 

Following that, we went to Cystal Cove and listened to both the violin player and a duo singing group that also plays the keyboard. Dinner in the waterside dining room followed by Sabrina Aloueche for our show tonight. She has a fabulous voice. She has starred in many Broadway plays.

Another trip to casino was uneventful and, disappointing for Sharon. There is a waiting list and she gave up waiting after fifteen or twenty minutes. Stuart played a little three card poker while waiting for a Black Jack table. He ended up doing pretty well for the eve.

Piraeus, Greece

06-30: Today we visited the Ancient City of Corinth and the Corinth Canal. This tour started at 8:30a so it was up early for us! After breakfast in the Market Place, we met in the Starlight Lounge for the tour. Our number was quickly called and we headed to the bus. It was a 1.5+ hour drive to Corinth. The first stop was for the restroom and a 5-minute walk to view the Corinth Canal from above. Quite an amazing feat. The Corinth Canal is a canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. Completed in 1893, it cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnese peninsula from the Greek mainland. It is 4 miles in length and 80.7 feet wide at sea level is impassable for many modern ships. It is currently of little economic importance and is mainly a tourist attraction. You can find much more information online. Back on the bus heading to the Ancient City.

There have been dramatic changes since John and I were here in 2017. For Christians, Corinth is well known from the two letters from Paul the Apostle in the New Testament, the First Epistle to the Corinthians and the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. Corinth is also mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as part of Paul the Apostle's missionary travels.

Ancient Corinth was one of the largest and most important cities of Greece, with a population of 90,000 in 400 BC. The Romans demolished Corinth in 146 BC, built a new city in its place in 44 BC, and later made it the provincial capital of Greece.

After the tour of the city, we stopped for a cold drink and tzatziki with fresh, hot pita bread. It was delicious. Back on the bus for the 1.5-hour trip back to the ship.

We dropped our things in the cabin and went upstairs for a cold drink and to play cards. It was much too hot outside but there are plenty of places to play inside. We came back to the cabin for about an hour before Stuart had an important phone call with the attorney and his real estate lady. He is still working to get that resolved.

Then it was off to Crystal Cove for some violin music before dinner. The best thing we had tonight was Jerusalem Artichoke soup. After dinner we went to the show, followed by Jade. We had a nice talk with Vickie and then it was off to bed.  This is the last day of the 1st cruise! We are overnight here in Piraeus. The next cruise begins tomorrow.

Monemvasia and Spetses, Greece

06-28: We are in the tiny port of Monemvasia, Greece. We opted to stay onboard after sleeping in late. We did get up in time for the late riser’s breakfast in the Trident Grill, followed by a walk around the upper deck and taking photos. It is a quaint looking place with a long history. The large rock mountain in Monemvasia, Greece, is simply called Monemvasia. It's also known as the "Gibraltar of the East" due to its dramatic location and fortifications. The town itself is built on this rock, which is connected to the mainland by a small causeway. This remarkable place, off the easternmost finger of Greece’s Peloponnese region, is only about a quarter of the size of the Rock of Gibraltar (to which it is always compared). But Monemvasia’s vertical bulk, towering about 330 feet over the Aegean Sea, is every bit as dramatic. I even found a drone view that I posted to Facebook.

We had some drinks and played cards by the pool. For dinner we went to Waterside, the main dining room. Following that, it was the show, and Jade Night Club.

06-29: After breakfast in the Market Place (breakfast buffet), we headed ashore. Today we went to Spetses. Another small, lovely place that only smaller cruise ships enter. We read there were carriage rides around the city so that is what we opted to do. I will say the tender into port was pretty grueling. I took Dramamine and did okay, Stuart was not feeling so well when we arrived. We sat on a bench in the shade for a little bit and then took the carriage ride.

It was a nice ride showing us narrow city streets with no cars. Other streets had a few cars, just very little cars. Beautiful flowers, lemon, oranges, and beautiful homes. Most of the older homes have been refurbished and really looked lovely. Some have been turned into hotels for visitors. Some have been restored and it is clear they take pride in their city. Beautiful flowers, lemon and orange trees abound. The ride took 30-45 minutes and brought us right back to the port. We walked around a little bit and found a nice place to sit watching the sea. A glass of wine and a small salad to share was very enjoyable. It's sunny, but cloudy and very breezy. It feels perfect sitting here in the cafe overlooking water.

There's are many ferries here. You can get a ferry to and from Athens, I think it's to say 3 hours to Athens. Then, of course from there, you could get other ferries to other islands. That would be a fun way to travel with just a carry on no dressy clothes, just flat out travel clothes and comfortable shoes. Just pop island to island seems really nice.

The water is still rough, but not as bad as it was this morning. Back to the ship and a nap helped “cure” all the ill feelings we had.

Stuart spoke today in the Hollywood Theater again. This time it was about Athens. It was well attended. We will not venture there tomorrow as we have both been there. It will be very hot and strenuous.

We had dinner in Waterside again. We made it to the show just in time and then spent a short time in Jade. We decided to go to the casino. It was a waitlist to play. Stuart stayed but I went back to the cabin. We rise early in the morning.