Thursday 2nd June - Pireaus for Athens

Well, we got it wrong today.  

We didn't realise there would be shuttle buses ready to take us into Athens, if we had, we wouldn't have booked a panoramic tour. 

We only booked the tour because we aren't supposed to use public transport (buses, taxi's, trains), into Athens, and w've already had a look around Piraeus, which is OK, but not really a tourist destination.  

I booked us on the tour, which is an inclusive tour, therefore no cost,  last week.  This morning however, we found out there were shuttle buses into the city, but you are supposed to give the Explore Ashore team at least 24 hours notice of cancellation if you want to drop out of a tour.  Since we are on probation with Saga and didn't want to upset anyone, we decided we'd better attend the tour that we had requested.

 

The excursion included a brief visit to the foot of the Acropolis, and then a 10 minutes stop at a historic stadium.  The rest of the tour involved being shown the sights as we sat in the bus.  

In all honesty, it's not a bad tour if you want to be shown around the city.  But it wasn't for us.  We'd rather be walking around, taking our time and exploring for ourselves.  If only we had known there would be a shuttle bus...........

I've put the mistake down to poor research, and I would sack the person responsible if it wasn't for the fact it is me.   I shall do better next time.

Segway tour

Unfortunately the tour was from 10 - 12.45. Not giving us enough time to get on a shuttle bus into the city afterwards, because we would have had to be back within an hour of getting there.  Not only that, it was very hot.  Hot enough to drain all spirit and energy.  So once we got back to the ship, we agreed to stay there. 

We had a nap, chilled out, went to dinner and just took it easy.  I think that's what you are supposed to do on a cruise.

Tomorrow is Heraklion - somewhere new really, since the last time I was here, it was to catch a plane.  I'm hoping for better things than today.

Tuesday 31st May - Glorious Argostoli

I'd already researched what we planned to do in Argostoli. Then forgot it!  I did have notes somewhere, but they were hidden, I couldn't find them, and I got mixed up with another port.  It wasn't until Tia (Terena), was looking through TripAdvisor that I remembered my plan - which was a walk.  So, using Maps.me, (an app we've found absolutely brilliant on our foreign travel), we set off.  

So. Out of the port, turn right and follow the coastline. Argostoli is a town on the side of a lagoon leading off from a bay on the island of Kefalonia.  As we walked we were looking across the lagoon to the hills and mountains on the other side. It was beautiful

First stop were the sinkholes. Some weird geology means that the sea water disappears into them and re-appears about 1 1/2 miles away on the other side of the island.  The flow of the sea water is enough to power a water mill.  The mill was moving quite slowly when we visited, but I would imagine that high tide or rough seas could create a lot of power.

 

From there we walked on past a small pebbly beach and a few restaurants to an old disused lighthouse with lovely views.

Then we turned back on ourselves to find the path leading up to the Italian War Memorial.  The track is a little bit rough in places and my open toed sandals weren't the best footwear.  I managed OK though  The memorial was quite interesting, giving details of how the Germans turned on the Italians very quickly when Italy signed and Armistice with the Allies in 1943.  Several thousand were killed.

We carried on upwards toward what was marked as a veiwpoint at the top of the hill.  Several times the trees lining the track opened out to show us glorious views of the lagoon and our ship.  From the viewpoint itself were stunning views the other way, across the bay to the separate peninsular of Kefalonia.  Quite beautiful.

We stopped for a lunch of fruit, before starting on our way down, into the town of Argostoli.  It's actually really quite a nice place, with wide streets, inviting looking shops, and loads of places to eat - all under the shade of large parasols.

 

We found an icecream parlour, and armed with absolutely massive and delicious ice cream cones, we made our way through the town to the waterside, heading for a walkway across the lagoon. 

It's not very deep at this point.  I loved watching the fish on either side as we walked towards the monument stone in the middle.  We could have gone all the way across, but the sun was hot and high in the sky, and our legs were beginning to complain.

 

We walked back towards the ship along the lagoon edge.  The restaurant tables were full, and children threw bread, watching the hoardes of fish zoom in to eat it.  Further along we came across several people watching and filming the lagoon.  Turtles!  

And of course we were as excited to see them as everyone else.  Apparently they are Loggerhead sea turtles, they hang around to take advantage of what the fishermen throw away when they arrive back to the lagoon in the mornings, and the lagoon is actually a nature reserve helping to protect them. 

We finally got back to the ship having walked 6 miles.  I think, if we'd have been surer of the distance and the time, we may gone further....... Maybe we'll get to visit again. 

So that was Argostoli, Kefalonia.  We loved it.  Definitely the place for a holiday in the future I think.  We sat with the royal photographer Ken Lennox for dinner.  That guy is just so full of stories.  We could sit and listen to him all night.  Brilliant.

Greece, the Corinth Canal and Sounio

I started the day feeling quite excited.  We're going to go down the Corinth Canal and I've seen pictures........  It looks quite awesome.

"The Corinth Canal is a canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland, thus effectively making the former peninsula an island. The builders dug the canal through the Isthmus at sea level; no locks are employed. It is 6.4 kilometres (4 mi) in length and only 21.4 metres (70 ft) wide at its base, making it impassable for most modern ships. It now has little economic importance."

Reading a bit more, it seems it's been beset by problems and is now only used for tourist ships.  And as a tourist, I can tell you it's definitely an experience.

It's hard to believe that's nearly four miles of canal ahead of us. 

The sun is really high and hot (that's why the picture looks washed out), &  the sides are closing in. 

High walls on either side - just a brilliant place to be

You can see we don't have a lot of room on either side.

The people on the bridge stop to watch.  They think it's as cool as we do. 

And to get the view from one of the bridges, looking down on us, click on this link>> Oooooh! That looks a bit tight!

It took ages for us to get through the canal.  According to the captain it was because of low water, tides etc.  There is more about it on Wiki.  I was quite happy though, it just meant we had a longer experience. Absolutely class! 

So, once through the canal, it was on to Piraeus, our final destination of the cruise.  We'll be arriving in the afternoon, and we'll be on tour to a place called Sounio to see Poseidon's temple.  The ship stays in Piraeus overnight, and we leave tomorrow via Athens Airport and then home

The ship arrived in Piraeus late (something to do with an extra long ride down the Corinth Canal), and we had a 90 minute drive to Sounio.  And then, to add to the drama a little, the port authorities were late to come aboard to clear the ship for disembarking.  It was all getting a little tense as the minutes ticked by.

We all got on the bus, and enjoyed quite a fantastic view as our driver took us along the coast road to our destination.  I think I've now decided I really like Greece, all as a result of that coach trip.  But, as I said, it took 90 minutes to reach the temple, and the sun was beginning to set.  Peter and I were beginning to think we weren't going to make it. 

But as it happened, the tour had ended up being timed nearly perfectly.  I say nearly.  If we'd had arrived 15-20 minutes later, we might just have been able to watch the sun set.  A really quite beautiful place.

The Temple of Poseidon, Sounio

Sunset from Sounio

All too soon it was time to leave, and our bus took us home in the dark.

So that was the end of this cruise.  Tomorrow we fly back to Heathrow and normality.  It really has been such a wonderful two weeks, I don't want to go back.   My only consolation is that I'm off on another cruise a few weeks.

Goodbye Mediterannean - Hello Canaries.  

Crete and Chania

So today we have a tour and a blotted copybook to make up for. So once again we got up at the unearthly time of 7am.  Actually, that's not quite true. Because we'd gone to bed at 10.30 last night, which is very early for us, I woke at 5am. I tried to go back to sleep, but gave up at 6:30am.
So, as I said, we were up early, breakfasted, and on the dock next to our tour bus at 7. 50.  Today's tour was to visit a monastery, a panoramic view, and to be given a quick guide of the best places to see in Chania, (pronounced Hania).

A panoramic view of Souda Bay

The monastery was quite nice, the courtyards and gardens made it a loves place to live no doubt.  The view was impressive, our guide was knowledgable, and Chania was charming.

Leather Street in Charnia.   The port area, market stalls and cathedral were really quite lovely.

It was quite a long morning though, and we were pleased to get back for lunch at 20 past 1.  The ship left port shortly after, and earlier than planned, the captain advised us that there was rough weather ahead, and that he was planning to sail the longer route around it, and therefore, since all the passengers were on board, he might as well get on with it.
So this afternoon, with the gentle rock of the ship, it was impossible to resist the lure of an afternoon nap.

This evening was formal night. His nice to get dressed up, and although Peter hates it,  he donned the suit and black tie and we went to the Veranda Restaurant for dinner. Because it's formal night, there was no buffet today, the menu was a la carte, and we were seated on a table of 10 and met loads more passengers.  Always interesting.

So that was today.  Tomorrow is a sea day, and Pete will be running a class. The best bit will be the lie in, Peter's not on until 2pm. Class!

Santorin and Fira

Santorini is a caldera, which basically means it used to be a volcano until it erupted and blew it's top off.  Then the sea rushed into the very large crater left behind.

Fira is the town at the top, the cliffs are the sides of the caldera, and we are sat in the middle of the old volcano crater

So this next stop wasn't really a stop. The port at Fira is far too small for a cruise ship, so the ships stay out at sea and use tender boats to get the passengers to shore. But then, the sea is far too deep for any ship to drop anchor, so they drift freely on the waves. This morning, we woke to the sound of the engines every few minutes as they kept the ship in position.
I woke up before the alarm, and I started to read the blurb about Santorini, I was reading the tour information as well, wondering why I hadn't said that we would go on the Oia and Akritiri one. The alarm went off at 8.30 and Peter got up, picking up an envelope that had been pushed under the door as he passed. O Oh! We're supposed to be on tour,  to Oia and Akritiri, but the tour started at 8am!
Well, there was not a lot we could do about it, we had missed the bus. Peter made several apologies to the Cruise Manager, and we knew we would have to prostrate ourselves before the shorex team later, and no doubt we will make several more, but for now it was breakfast on the decks in the warm sunshine.

It really was a beautiful day. The tender trip to the island was uneventful, and one we reached the tiny port, we took the cable car to climb the steep 244m crater side side to reach the town of Fira at the top. We loved Fira. It's all steep narrow cobbled paths, charming little shops and cafes with outstanding views.

So, we're sat on a little veranda in the cafe Zafora, just above the cable car. The sun is hot and bright the view is awesome, the drinks are cold and despite the fact we messed up this morning and have more apdogies to make, we are totally relaxed.  As Peter has just said, it doesn't get better than this.

So we stayed in Fira until our money ran out. It was a good job we didn't take more, or my credit card, we, (I), would have just kept spending.

Donkey (or Mule), rides are available to take you to Fira from the port below, instead of using the cable car

Back on board, we stayed on deck, hopeful for a good sunset in just brilliant surroundings. but sadly it was not to be.  By now, I was feeling exceptionally tired,  I think the last three days had finally caught up with me, but I managed to stay awake long enough for dinner and to attend the after dinner entertainment, "All at Sea", a team of three actors that delivered a couple of excellent short acts. I really enjoyed what they did and perked up enough to stay awake until the end.

Inside the cathedral on the island.  Very pretty,

Tomorrow we visit the island of Crete, and I double checked, we are on tour, so it's an early rise to meet the buses at 8 am.  We won't let the shorex team down again.

Athens and the Acropolis

So, I'm on holiday.  So what time did I get up? 7am! I mean... 7am!  The people I work with would be falling about laughing. I'm not known for my love of the early morning sun, that's for sure.
So anyway, as I said, I'm on holiday and today we got up at 7am. But with good reason, because today we were going to the Acropolis in Athens.
We've been before (see our last trip to Athens) but wanted to see it again, and this time we'd have a guide.  So, at 8.05 am, we were stood next to the buses waiting for the passengers to arrive.
We

Looking up at the Parthenon from Athens.

must be getting so much older, because our tour guide didn't look like she'd been long out of school, but she was very knowledgeable and helpful.

The Parthenon looks so much better without all the scaffolding. 

Thanks to her I now know that Acropolis means "highest point", and that no other buildings in the surrounding area are allowed to be any higher than the Acropolis rock upon which the ancient temples were built, because that would take away the meaning.  I also learned that parthenon means house of the virgin, and that The Parthenon was the home of the virgin daughters of the rich and powerful of Greece, until they were 15 that is. The daughters looked after this magnificent temple dedicated to Athena as priestesses until it was time to leave and be married off.

Our tour was as expected. The Parthenon is the No 1 World Heritage site and is always very busy, but today the crowds didn't overwhelm. The front of The Parthenon was without scaffoding, which wasso much better than last time we visited, but it was very windy up there on the top of the rock, blowing the dust everywhere.

One the tour was finished, it was back to the ship into a bit of a whirl of events. Peter was asked first to attend the introduction to the lecturers brief in the Darwin Lounge. Next, he was asked to attend the singles Introduction event in the Orpheus Lounge, (with me by the way), and directly after that it was the introduction to the entertainment team meeting in the ..................
Good job I dressed for the occasion(s) eh?

Actually, it was a good evening. We ended up having dinner with three actors, a singer, a pianist, a vulcanologist and his wife, and the after dinner speaker and writer Gervaise Finn. All this was finished off in the Darwin Lounge listening to the singer as she remembered Doris Day and her musical achievements. We're quite the socialites!

Tomorrow we will visit Fira, on the island of Santorini. No tours, so we get a lie in.  Class.

Black Sea Empires - Piraeus

So we've had a lovely lazy day today. We woke late, and only just managed to get breakfast at 9.25am, (they close at 9.30). Most of the passengers had already gone ashore on tour, but we decided to have a short walk around Piraeus, just to see what's there.

An overgrown street in Piraeus

Our impression of Piraeus wasn't very good to be honest. Not in a bad way, it's just that you can see that all of a sudden the money stopped. Loads of buildings empty, the older ones falling into very poor states of repair. We saw several cars abandoned on the side of the road, bumpers missing and no longer roadworthy. These old cars just take up car parking spaces which the city very obviously hasn't enough of, but equally the city doesn't appear to have the money or the motivation to get the cars towed away.

An overgrown park in Piraeus - behind it, the ruins of a roman building buried in the grasses.

Parks and pavements overgrown, roads and pavements full of holes, shops empty and netting around dilapidated buildings to prevent falling plaster hitting passers by. It's a shame to see such a large and previously wealthy city suffering like this, and made me think "there but for the grace of good fortune" - it would be so easy for our British cities to end up in such a mess.  Something to think about...........

I bet this building was stunning when it was new.  Now it just drips old bricks and plaster. 

There were some good spots though.

A tiny little chapel in Piraeus

Inside the little chapel.  Isn't it wonderful.

The Cathedral was gorgeous inside, although I didn't go in. I didn't think about covered shoulders and bare knees before I went out. I'm not religious, but I think it's right to respect the culture of those that are. Peter went in and took all the pictures, I just looked enviously through the door.

The beautiful  Cathedral in Piraeus

After our short walk, we returned to the ship for the Emergency Drill (compulsory on all ships at the start of each cruise), and then lunch. (A very nice salad for me, and excellently cooked fish and chips for Peter). The afternoon was spent wandering the ship a little more and then spending the afternoon on the rear deck, relaxing in the sun and the cool breeze. What holidays are all about I reckon.

There is no rush of activities to join in on this ship. It is just very, very relaxed. Later, we went down to the cabin for a short nap before getting ready for dinner. Formal tonight, so Peter has got his tux on, and I am in a long posh looking skirt I got from Long Tall Sally, with a gold top I got out of TK Maxx. We went to eat in the Veranda Restaurant, expecting the buffet and were very surprised to find it was A La Carte and silver service. An even nicer surprise was the complimentary wine with our meal. I don't drink it, but Peter made up for me.

Once again, the meal was really good, we can't fault the chef or the service. Peter even got his plain vanilla ice-cream with wafer for dessert. Very impressive.

After dinner, we took a walk around the ship and wondered "Where is everyone?". Most of them were still in the main restaurant at that time, but it seems Peter and I are just about the only ones that are out and about in the lounges. There are no shows or evening entertainment planned, just some music in the Orpheous Lounge, and it's all very quiet which we quite like. We're sitting in the Shackleton Lounge and the most we can hear is a quiet murmur from the other side of the room, and the gentle hum of the ship as she sails her way towards Turkey and Canakkle. Lovely.

Eventually Peter will have to work I suppose, but tomorrow is another port day. Let's see what it will bring.