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Seabourn Day 6, Santorini, Thera and Oia

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After visiting Rome, Istanbul, Mykonos, Kusidasai, Ephesus, Patmos, and Rhodes, we were concerned that Santorini might be a disappointment. The other islands we visited were far more interesting than I had expected. Oia may be the most photographed island in the world. Some people think going to the Greek Islands is a lot of lying on the beach sipping a cold one. And they can be that, but why to to Greece if you can do that at home?

Having high expectations for Santorini and with the other islands being such a treat, I was concerned that Oia would be a let-down. How could Oia compare with its hype and the reality of the other islands? How??

It did. Oia is the most beautiful place I have ever visited. The tourists crowd the main shopping street. Just drop off the main boulevard, walk down or up 80 or 120 steps and you are in your own personal heaven. We stopped at a taverna overlooking an iconic blue domed church. We had the floor to ourselves until a mother and daughter from New Zealand happened in. We had a wide ranging and lively discussion with them of New Zealand, travel, San Francisco, where we have been and where we are going. They flew from New Zealand to San Francisco to get to Istanbul, then took a cruise to Athens on a different ship, and will fly to New Zealand via Tokyo with a brief stop-over. They will circumnavigate the world. All the while we soaked in the magnificent view from Oia (pronounced Eee-ah).

One of the things that makes Santorini and Oia most fascinating is the island of Santorini is crescent shaped. It is the largest island comprising the caldera of a volcano that exploded around 1400 BC. This is the largest caldera in the world. There is what looks like a cinder cone that is an island in the caldera center. It is an active volcano and still growing.

The Odyssey pulled into the caldera, which is over 1200 feet deep, early this morning. It is an amazing feast for the eyes. The towns of Santorini are built on the top of the caldera walls, historically to make it difficult for pirates to pillage the towns. Now they are just difficult to get to. The houses are traditionally white with blue doors, blue window frames, and with blue domed churches.

We took a tender from the Odyssey to port and boarded a bus that took us to the monetary, the highest point on the island. The east side of the island is very flat with black volcanic beaches. Originally the whole island was flat and circular, but over time the cinder cone developed into a volcano that blew it’s top leaving the caldera remnants abutting the flats east side. The high point of the island is 2000 feet above sea level. The rim of the caldera is 1000 feet high.

I for one was vary grateful that we took a bus from the sea level port and did not have to take donkeys or walk up from the shore. After visiting the monastery atop the mountain, we were taken to Oia. Our tour guide wasted about 15 minutes of our shore time in Oia going on about where to meet and what to see and do in Oia. We left him still talking and went off down the main shopping Blvd to the right and the windmill toward the end of the island. We very quickly tired of the crowds, opting to take stairways down and away, taking dramatic photos as we went.

The photos we took will speak for themselves. On our way into Oia, our tour guide pointed out Brad and Angelina’s house just outside the town and visible behind a not insignificant wall. He, our tour guide, said that they come to the island by helicopter each year in July and stay for a week.

After a very brief two hours in Oia, our bus took us back to Thera, the town above the sea level port and the capital of Santorini. There are three ways to get from Thera atop the caldera and the port: walk the switch backs, take a donkey on the switch backs, or take the gondola. We were given tickets to the gondola and our plan was to get to the gondola and head back to ship before the hoards headed out. One very good thing, there were no hoards. Only two small cruise ships were anchored in the caldera, ours and one that sailed from Israel. Even at that the shopping boulevard was crammed with tourists. I could not imagine Oia with three or five thousand people milling about. Ellen and I were pooped when we hit Thera and wanted to get back to the Odyssey to relax. The temperature was only 80, but the humidity was 80% and it felt much hotter.

Finding the gondola was easy and we queued up. When setting up to board the string of gondolas, the gal ushering us said, “Just two more here”. I was next in line and Ellen pushed through moments later to join me. This apparently set off an older woman who wanted to be with her friend, clearly not her husband, who was queued for the same car. He and she and another friend went on and on discussing how the gondolas worked, that she could get down in the car just beside this one (the gondolas are a sets of 8 cars each holding 6 people that go up and down the cable together), The husband was explaining in a foreign language that I do not understand that we’ll all arrive at the same time, there’s no difference if she rides this gondola or the one she was assigned, and this went on and on. We did not need to know the language to understand the conversation. She was adamant that some great tragedy had just unfolded and she had no intention of getting in the car to her right. She was getting in this car. Period. I was astounded at the vehemence with which she defended her wounded honor. I was thinking, If I get on this car with this woman I’ll wind up in a Greek jail for assault or worse. This was pettiness at its worst.

Eventually, the set of cars arrived and sure enough, she was the first one on the car. Ellen said, “I’m not getting on that car with her”. I agreed and we stood where we were, back against the wall as everyone allocated a car boarded. At last the doors on the gondolas closed and the woman’s husband looked at us and beckoned us in as if to say, there’s room come on in. I waved “bye bye”. He shook his head and motioned to the seats. I waved “bye bye” as the gondolas began moving.

The gal who organized boarding walked down and asked why we didn’t get aboard. I explained that one woman was being rude and we’d rather wait. We exchanged a knowing smile, she said “life is too short for that” and we waited for the next car. This was not really a problem, I prefer not to deal with intransigence where possible.

With six to a car, three more people were ushered to join us. Two woman and a fellow. We talked with the women for a while, when the guy said, “TESLA! ,Do you drive one?” I have been wearing my Tesla hat the entire trip and this was the first guy to mention it. “Yes, I do, but it is my wife’s car” It turns out that this fellow was involved with Volvo and Saab automobile design. He had driven a Tesla at an event in Colorado when visiting his daughter and he loves the car. We had a great discussion about cars until the gondolas arrived. The view from the gondola put conversation to rest, at least for a while.

This evening we had dinner with a group of Aussie’s who we’ve hit if of with, then saw a comedian at the Grand Salon. The comedian was funny. Our friends are fun, thoughtful, and quite accomplished. Again the conversation was wide ranging and included a discussion of Tesla and electric automobiles, construction in Australia, and community work in Africa. There was some discussion about Tesla as well.

Another couple we became close with is disembarks tomorrow at Athens and heading home soon. It is sad to see friends you are just getting to know, leave. One day not so far from now, it will be us. The Australian couple will travel through to Venice which will be fun.

As for photos, the internet connection aboard ship is flakey at best and not friendly for high def photo uploads. Tomorrow we will take a tour of the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and Athens. On a on-tour day, we will lug our PC to a cyber cafe and upload a bunch of our Rhodes and Oia photos.

Ron

Seabourn Greece

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I had expected to enjoy our travels through the Greek Isles, but I had no idea it would be this exciting. From the extreme attention to detail that Seabourn strives for a delivers to the amazing towns and ruins we have visited thus far, I am amazed. On four occasions I teared up with joy at the realization of what I was seeing/experiencing. The dawn of democracy at Ephesus, the workmanship of the ancients, the quality of today’s artists and artisans be they Turkish carpet makers or Seabourn’s singers and dancers. From the most enormous historical significance to the most mundane but personally thriving, this trip has had it all. And it is not even half over.

Tomorrow, Santorini and Oia. Oia is perhaps the most photographed island in the world. We arrive tomorrow and take a shore cruise from Thera to Oia. I’m not sure how we will get from the shore to the town of Oia. It’s not an insignificant climb.

Funny, it was Oia that was the “big draw” for me. Now I think it will be dwarfed by Ephesus in Turkey, the historical significance of Patmos, and the Archeological Museum of Rhodes. Still beauty has its place front and center in life, and Oia is nothing if not beautiful.

As we pull into the caldera tomorrow, I hope to be up early to photo sunrise against the houses of Thera, take a dip in the Jacuzzi, and lift some weights. This before breakfast and our morning tour.

Every day we return exhausted, take a few hours rest then dress for dinner and the evening entertainment. I could get used to this. Every aspect of the cruise has exceeded expectations. Dinner at restaurant #2 was great, though we were told to sign up for a signature night when the chef is free to prepare his own creations. I thought that was tonight’s fare, but noooo. So we’ll sign up for a dinner next week! Food, excitement, fun, visually stunning vistas, history rooted in the formation of the democratic process, roots of the history of Christianity, the Greek Islands have it all.

R

Seabourn Day 6, Rhodes evening

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I woke early today and made my way to the bow on our deck level to the small Jacuzzi. I had the sunrise and the Jacuzzi to myself as the ship steamed into Rhodes. I let Ellen sleep, tough I did take a cappuccino down to her from the “snack bar”.

Today we had a late start after a leisurely breakfast and headed inside the walled ancient city of Rhodes. The city wall is 12 meters thick. Inside there are two mosques, the Palace of the Grand Master (the city father), the temple to Aphrodite, the Museum of Antiquities, the seven homes of the knights, and more shoos and restaurants than we’ve seen on other islands.

The Knights were divided into seven sections or ‘tongues’ – England, France, Germany, Italy, Aragon, Auvergne, and Provence – and each group was responsible for defending a part of the city. They were all interconnected by the outer wall.

The Museum of Antiquities was fascinating, though so extensive that we had to stop after a few hours. On a wall to the left as you exit the first building headed to the gardens, there is an enclosure that houses very ancient mosaics. The earliest is made of river stone collected by color and size and fitted into the mosaic. It is one of three oldest mosaics in Europe. Other mosaics were made from tiles, flat manufactured pieces mass produced for these slightly less ancient mosaics.

Everywhere we looked there were fascinating articles from ancient Greece. Many of the pieces on display have not had photos published. For that reason, photography was not allowed in some of the buildings. In time that will change. Also most guide books say that a 3 euro ticket to one museum is good for all three. That is no longer the case. Each museum charges 6 euro for admission. Not something to complain about, you are supporting the archeological history of Greece. It is something to be aware of.

We docked at the port and could walk ashore. Just before we set out, a massive ship, the aida.de with 2050 passengers docked beside us and disgorged a swarm of tourists. In Patmos there were two small ships in port and we had the city of Ephesus nearly to ourselves. This was quite different. We found that by getting away from the few large shopping streets, the crowds dwindled and we could take in the beauty of Rhodes at our own pace.

Tonight there is an epicurean feast pool side. We have reservations for Restaurant #2 at 8pm. Ellen just popped a slice of peach in my mouth. Each day a “fruit of the day” is left in the cabin. Today was peach and it is perfectly ripe. We had a variety of lychee nut for breakfast that I have never seen before and it too was great.

Lunch at a restaurant on one of the busy streets was a bit disappointing. The stuffed peppers were fantastic, but the main dish of seasoned beef meat balls was just OK. I’m still looking for spanakopita.

Off to shower and join the epicurean event.

R

Seabourn Day 6, Rhodes morning

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We just docked at Rhodes and the medieval old city wall and Knights of St. John Castle are visible from our veranda. Today we will walk the old city and visit its museums. Each day is surprisingly different. The islands have a personality all their own. Off to a quick breakfast and a jaunt ashore.

At some point I will break up our Europe2015 photo gallery into individual islands.

R

Seabourn Day 5, Patmos Greece

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We are off to Rhodes now. This morning we awoke a bit late and had a hurried breakfast at the colonnade restaurant after a tipple monadic and cappuccino. We then headed to the Grand Salon to meet our tour of Patmos and St. John’s cave/monastery.

There were about 40 of us on this tour, when left by bus and climbed the hill to the monastery. There are 25 Orthodox Christian Monks who live there.

Historically, under the reign of Emperor Demetrius of Rome, the upstart Christian religion was persecuted. Some were killed, others exiled. So. John was exiled from Ephesus to Patmos. Pagan gods were worshiped on Patmos and John was further persecuted on Patmos. He lived in a cave high atop the hill, where God revealed himself in a voice likened to a waterfall or trumpets. At a lecture we attended, the professor pointed out that the loudest noise known to the ancients was the sound of rushing water or trumpets. It is said that the power of God’s voice split the ceiling of the cave into three fissures, symbolic of the trinity. John is the patron saint of Patmos. He lived in exile for about two years, baptizing a growing following on the island. Demetrius was murdered and the next Emperor of Rome was tolerant of Christianity. Those exiled were allowed to return and John returned to Ephesus, where he eventually converted the island to Christianity.

Now I am not a believer in all the god stuff, but history is fascinating. To know that John the Baptist (or Theologian as he is known on Patmos) lived in exile in a cave on Patmos for two years is amazing. We visited the cave, saw and spoke with monks, and toured the monastery and its museum. The monastery cataloged about three thousand books and manuscripts that it housed, though only about one thousand remain today. The manuscripts were written by scribes on animal skin then on papyrus. The oldest manuscript is on display in the museum, though it is nearly impossible to make out the writing. That manuscript was broken into parts with pages on display in Rome, in So Petersburg Russia, and here in Patmos. The illuminated manuscripts on display are fascinating. Each page contains a passage from the bible centered on the page, a painting at the bottom of the page, and commentary explaining the passage taking up most of the page.

It was fascinating touring the monastery.

We next went to a mansion dating to the 17th century. The wealthy on the island at that time were merchants who build their houses on the hillside. This house/mansion war reminiscent of Spanish homes with high wooden beamed ceilings. The great room, was once an open courtyard that was enclosed sometime later. We met the owner, an 87 year old woman who’s ancestors build the house.

Next we went to a family owned taverna for a bit to eat and a demonstration of Greek folk dance. Three gentlemen dressed in traditional Patmos garb danced three exemplary dances, then the fun began. One fellow, who looks quite a bit like my father, started picking people from the tour to come up stage to learn some dance steps. The young couple to my right politely refused, and I was selected along with about 11 others. Only later did I learn that Ellen had extended her arm over my head with one finger pointing down as if to say, “take him”. She thought since only males were dancing, she was safe. Nope, the fellow took her by the arm too.

This was embarrassing at first, but became great fun. The dance steps were not that difficult and everyone was a good sport about it.

The bus took us back to port a short time later. Ellen and I wandered the town for a while, eventually stopping at a gelato shop. Every flavor looked good. Ellen ordered and headed off to the bathroom. I had fun bantering with the young woman behind the counter, ordered gelato for Ellen and I, and explained that Ellen had the money (which she did). When Ellen came out we paid, took our gelato and the woman handed us a napkin. Ellen asked for another one, and she handed us about 10. I said, ” the gelato is free, but the napkins are extra…”. The gal, then grabbed another 10 and handed them to us with a smile. “That’ll be extra”, she said and we all laughed. She then seriously asked if we wanted the second 10, which we didn’t. We sat in the shade outside eating and after a while the gal came out to clean the tables and we got to know her a bit. She was from Rhodes, the island we are headed to now. She said Patmos was empty now, there were only two small cruise ships in port, but when one of the big ones arrives, it gets crazy busy. It’s the difference between an extra 500 people versus an extra 3000 to 5000 people. The town is small, only two or three streets.

After our gelato, Ellen searched for a pair of plain black pants to no avail. I was fading fast, a combination of lack of sleep, fatigue, and the building mid-day heat. There was no breeze to cool things down. We took the local tender back to the boat. Changed into more comfortable clothing (for the monastery we had to cover knees, shoulders, and midriff), we headed to the pool-side restaurant for a bit of lunch, then back to our suite for siesta. We almost missed dinner we were so relaxed as the sun began to set. Luckily Ellen checked the time and we arrived for dinner 30 minutes before they closed. Ellen had a prawn appetizer and sock-eye salmon, I had steak Tarik (seared steak trimmed with pepper corns, fruit, and balsamic reduction) and Filet. The ship misplaced our half bottle of wine which didn’t show up until dinner was almost over. Not a problem in the great scheme of things. I had a small glass and saved the rest for tomorrow’s dinner in restaurant #2, the chef’s choice sampler of food combinations. I’ve read this is not to be missed and requires a reservation 24 hours ahead.

After dinner we sashayed down to the Grand Salon to hear the Seabourn Singers perform old and contemporary selections. They were really good, ending with “rule the world”. We almost continued the evening with dancing at “the club”, but thought better of it. We’re worn out, but tomorrow is another day.

For tomorrow, on the island of Rhodes, we will not take a tour opting instead to wander the old city.

We could get used to this lifestyle. The destinations are stunning; the food wonderful bordering on extravagant; and the company; both guests and crew, are both informative and lots of fun. Aside from my half bottle of wine going missing, everything has been stellar and what’s a bottle of wine in the great scheme of things? From controlling debarkation and embarkation, to remembering our names and providing very personalized service, Seabourn has been in a class by itself.

Tomorrow, the ancient walled city of Rhodes.

Ron

Seabourn Day 4, Kusadasi Evening.

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This evening Seabourn hosted a complimentary outing for their guests, a classical performance in the ancient ruins of Ephesus. Dinner opened early to allow passengers time to dress for dinner, eat a relaxed meal, dress for an evening out, and disembark. We had a marvelous meal in the Colonnade Restaurant, and took a bit too much time getting ready. We were among the last to disembark and board the busses.

The busses took us to the south entrance which leads through a colonnade of trees to the marble ancient thoroughfare which led from the port to the amphitheater in ancient times. As we approached the marble thoroughfare, a photographer took complimentary photos as a memento of the evening and a waiter offered us a choice of red or white wine.

The main street was set with tables and chairs covered in white linen to accommodate us all. Walking toward the dining area, we saw a stage setup midway between the tables to our right. All the tables ahead of us were taken and we were ushered toward the back, well away from the stage. As we passed the stage, a fellow stepped out and asked, “Seating for two?” “Yes” I said. He directed us to two chairs almost directly in front of the stage.

We shared a table with a grandmother and her granddaughter, neither of whom fit the stereotype. They were fun to talk with. Conversation turned to travel, food, work, retirement.

Then an announcer took stage, welcomed us to the ancient city of Ephesus, reminded us of the famous people who once walked this very street: Caesar, Mark Antony and Cleopatra, the virgin mother Mary, and that the apostles were exiled, came here, and converted Ephesus to Christianity, which is how the religion took hold. Then a chamber ensemble took the stage and tuned up: five violins, a cello, and a base. They were very very good and played some of my favorite classical pieces.

During intermission, we walked to the amphitheater for photography and walked down a side street toward the ancient library. A security guy stopped us, then for some reason let us go. He said, “come back in 5 minutes and you can continue”. There were five of us: Ellen and I, another couple who followed us, and our grandmother (who did not seem like a grandmother). We had the monument to ourselves for about ten minutes. No crowds, just the five of us. Ellen and I had done this in Argentina Sicily when visiting the ancient ruins there. A guard let us walk into the temple at night; we were the only ones there. Here we were again! After taking a few photos and marveling at our luck, we went back an took our seats.

The second half of the performance was easily as good as the first half. They played a number of my absolute favorite classical pieces and a few that I had never heard before. I recorded some of one piece. When the concert ended, most people headed to the busses. We stayed behind to take a few more photos. Sunset painted the sky and the amphitheater was lit up. We were the last few people headed to the busses and among the last to board. It turns out the busses had to wait anyway, so we were not “that couple” who held things up.

Getting back to the boat, we stopped at a shop to look for gifts, but found nothing to our tastes. By now we were the last stragglers. As we approached the ship, we noticed nearly the entire crew lined up outside swaying to a conga beat. Someone on a microphone introduced Mr. Ron Lanett and Ms. Ellen Kane and we swayed and bounced to the conga beat. A waiter offered a nightcap of Baileys as we continued to dance our way back aboard. It was a special evening.

The Seabourn band was playing on the pool deck. We could clearly hear them as we walked up the spiral staircase to deck 6. We changed and went to deck 9, the pool deck and danced until the band closed at 11Pm.

It was a full day and fascinating. Tomorrow promises to be another full day.

We took a number of photos of Ephesus. This is the most complete ancient city I have ever seen.

Ron

Seabourn Day 4, Kusadasi Turkey

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We had a light early breakfast then off on a tour of Ephesus. Between 300 BC and 500 AD Ephesus was one of the busiest trading ports in the Mediterranean. It’s amphitheater can hold twenty five thousand people. Ephesus is the best preserved ancient city I have ever visited and I had no idea it exists.

We left early and our bus with maybe 24 people arrived well ahead of the swarms. Seabourn was the second cruise ship to dock and we were told there were at least three more on the way. These are large ships carrying thousands of passengers. The thirty minute ride from Kusadasi to Ephesus went by very quickly. Our tour guide, Carney, was great at keeping us entertained and describing ancient Ephesus. We started at the top of the hill where the royalty resided working our way down to the commoner’s area and the library.

Ceylan mentioned that the main street of Ephesus was one of only three streets in the ancient world that was illuminated at night. There were torches setup along the main street from the harbor, now silted in, and the amphitheater. Only three cities were lit a night in the ancient world: Rome, Antioch, and Ephesus. Antony and Cleopatra honeymooned in Ephesus and it is said walked the lighted street in the evening.

We took copious photos of the ruins. The terrace houses are being reconstructed and to preserve the ancient frescos, the Turkish government has erected a roof over the houses. The upper city was amazing, but the lower city and terrace houses are mind blowing. Ancient Ephesus had heated floors, a sewer system, and baths with hot, warm, and cold water. The floors were heated with pipes set in the floors that connected to a fire pit that was kept burning and provided heat through the pipes. The was an eternal flame, a fire that was kept burning to mark the immortality of the city. Throughout the ruins there are status to the gods: Artemis, Nike, Hercules, Medusa.

Trade between Paris and Ephesus is documented by pottery recovered from ship wrecks dating back to BC, with writing such as “red wine from Paris destined for Ephesus” at the neck. A document recovered from the city details one woman’s expenses and a debt a neighbor owed for a loan. The frescos and mosaic floors show extremely well executed artwork with vibrant colors. We took about half of the tour going through the overhead walkway over the houses.

The last part of the tour went by the Library’s facade, a brothel, and the amphitheater. There is a lesser amphitheater in the royal part of the city used by the city fathers to discuss events and to vote to determine courses of action. There was (is?) an underground pathway between the Library and the Brothel. “Honey, I’m going to the library to do some research”, or as a pastor said, “bookish on ;one side and nookish on the other”.

The amphitheater is truly immense. Not so large as the Colessium, but quite large.

What an enchanting place Ephesus is to visit. We are going back for a classical music recital this evening around dusk. We (Seabourn passengers) will have the site to ourselves this evening.

In two words this experience is: Simply Amazing.

Ron

Seabourn day 3, Mykonos evening ctd.

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There was one older Greek fellow with many missing teeth and a typical Greek hat who was playing the Greek version of bagpipes. He had a goat’s stomach with a flute attached to one side and a straw-like mouthpiece attached to the other. He filled the bladder with air and played the flute as the bladder deflated, but all the while keeping the bladder close to full. The sound was unmistakably Greek. I gave him $1e and took a photo or two.

While we were at the windmills, we walked the area. Two of the windmills have been converted into private homes. At one point my Tesla hat blew off my head and over a cliff. “Oh no you don’t” I practically shouted and went down the cliff to recover my hat. It had not dropped very far. It was a relatively easy scramble over ice plant and rocks to retrieve my hat. Ellen and I got separated, each searching for that perfect perspective for a photo. I waited at the “entrance” and waited and after a long while Ellen appeared. She was worried we might not find each other. This area was crowded, but not insanely so.

The streets of Mykonos are very narrow. The main streets are maybe ten feet wide and go down from there. Some of the streets we walked were maybe three feet wide. Still there is the occasional car or small truck going through making deliveries for restaurants or for sheet rock for renovation (which we saw). By the four windmills there is no waterfront walk. The houses are build right up to the water. There are restaurants and a walkway through the restaurants and behind the waterfront homes, that leads back to the main esplanade along the shore, now west of us.f

We made our way back to the water taxi dock, were we were dropped off and continued along until we actually found the Raya restaurant. Ellen had the chicken kabob special, I ordered two appetizers: tzatzikki and a cheese filled pastry with pine nuts and honey. Ellen’s chicken was very good, the tzatzikki was some of the best I’ve had, but the cheese pastry was out of this world. I had to asks our waitress if tipping was common in Greece. She said, not really. It is very unusual for a Greek to tip. Often Europeans do, but it is up to us. It’s not like in America where a tip is expected. We left a good tip for her. I enjoyed her honesty.

Getting back to the tender and back to the Odyssey was effortless. The seas were more choppy now, but the tender was driven slowly. We had to make it back aboard ship for my scheduled hair cut. Simone had cut Ellen’s hair the day before for the formal captain’s dinner. Ellen scheduled my for a haircut with Simone this afternoon. Simone is fun. After her scalp massage after the haircut, I had visions of taking her home with us.

We did not miss the champagne and caviar afternoon show which featured a classically trained vocalist who sang a brief operatic repertoire. This actually brought tears to my eyes, he was that good. This is the same fellow whom I thought had performed so mediocrely the evening before. Clearly opera is his forte. The champagne and caviar was good too… The Odyssey weighed anchor mid-way through the show, headed for Kusadasi, Turkey.

After a brief rest in our suite, we opted for an informal dinner tonight at the pool side bar and grill. Tonight was surf and turf: filet and jumbo shrimp. It was cold, but blankets were provided pool side and Ellen was reasonably warm. We opted to take the blueberry cheese cake back to our suite.

Tomorrow we take an excursion to Ephesus and the terrace houses. We’ll see the Celsus Library facade, the Grand Amphitheatre that held more than 25,000 people, the Temple of Hadrian, and pass the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Tomorrow evening Seabourn hosts an evening classical music performance at sunset in Ephesus.

We will try the colonnade restaurant sometime this week, but formal dining is far superior to pool side dining in the evening.

Ron

Seabourn Day 3, Mykonos Evening

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We’ve enjoyed the past few days aboard ship so much that I actually had some qualms about going ashore this morning. The ship is a known quantity. I love adventure, but I was unsure what Mykonos would have in store.

We took the tender into Mykonos this morning around am and wondered the streets. We were not the first off ship and we did not have the town to ourselves. Still in the early morning there were relatively few tourists around and still fewer the further away we moved from the shore-side cafes.

The winds were quite strong, blowing sand in our faces as we walked the “main street” along the waterfront. Ellen found some stairs leading away from the wind and up we went. Mykonos is beautiful. Walking the stairs through the white houses with blue or yellow or red doors was fun. Finally we came upon a narrow two lane thoroughfare. There were motor scooters, vespas, ATVs, small trucks, large trucks and even a bus at one point, all going somewhere on this road. There was no sidewalk. We walked in the street dodging traffic or watching traffic dodge us as we walked down, back to the shore.

We arrived at the west end of Mykonos on the shore. There are public WCs there. One was clean with TP. The other not so much. We turned back toward the center of town, with the breeze at our backs snapping photos as we went.

When the Seabourn Odyssey arrived at Mykonos, there was one large cruise ship at the port some distance from town. It was a huge ships, though I could not make out its name or country of origin. The Odyssey anchored offshore and used its four tenders to bring travelers ashore. While we walked up the steps to the thoroughfare, another massive cruise ship arrived and anchored quite close to the Odyssey. That ship dwarfed the Odyssey. Two things crossed my mind: how nice to have booked with a small intimate cruise line and Oh crap, we’ll be inundated in the nest few hours with hoards of tourists walking streets of Mykonos.

There was absolutely nothing we could do, the die was cast. As we walked closer to the town center, the crowds grew. Ellen saw steps heading up-hill and motioned me back as I had gone ahead. She was standing beside a shop that sold only white garments. The shop’s name: “Pure White”. The steps just to the left of this shop lead up, but not so steeply, to a view overlooking Mykonos and to a single windmill. Also near the windmill is one of the most beautiful hotels on the island or at least in Mykonos proper. The “Boutique Hotel” has views to die for. We stopped in to ask the room rates which run from budget at $50 US per night to high at $320 per night. The expensive rooms have expansive views overlooking Mykonos. We asked to see a room, but they were busy and could not or would not show a room. The hotel has a website showing each room category, we were referred to the web site. We asked if they served lunch. With their view and limited clientele, it would be a perfect place to eat a bite. No, no lunch. They did server breakfast for hotel guests. The reservation desk did recommend that we go to Raya for lunch if we wanted authentic Greek cuisine.

The views from the hotel and from the lone windmill were stunning. Any reservations I had had about Mykonos vanished. There were very few people at either the hotel or the single windmill. The modest climb up the stairs dissuaded most tourists; there were very few people around. I highly recommend the walk should you find yourself in Mykonos. We took photos of the “famous” four windmills at the east side of Mykonos and agreed that we did not need to walk there to see them.

As we walked back down the hill, we found an increasing number of tourists. Not necessarily a bad thing, after all we are tourists too. However, when we can we like to avoid crowds. Rather than making our way down to the waterfront, we took a left, a few streets behind the waterfront esplanade.

We found ourselves in a very high end shopping area. Versache, Sophia, YSL, an seemingly never ending stream of very high end shops. I heard one clearly American woman complain that the prices here were much too high. Of note, I had not packed a belt and purchased one on board. As we often do, we started a conversation with the sales gal, who suggested that we AVOID shopping in Mykonos as Kusadasi has very much the same things but at much lower prices. Mykonos is one of the jet set’s favorite hangouts. Kusadasi is relatively unknown and prices reflect that.

Anyway, we walked well behind the seaside thinking we would turn in to find Raya for a bite. We took photos of things we found interesting as we walked and lost track of where we were going. After some time enjoying our walk, we discovered we had walked to the four windmills at the other side of town. Mykonos is a very small town. There was one older Greek fellow with many missing teeth and a typical Greek hat who was playing the Greek version (continued…)