September 30, 2014

The ship was docked in the New Port of Mykonos, Greece, when we got up.  Originally, we were scheduled to visit the island two days ago, but the forecast was for rain and very strong winds so the itinerary changed. It was also to have been a stop where we were to be tendered from the ship to the dock, but that changed too.  There was still a strong wind (Mykonos is known for its wind.) and everyone was happy that we are docked.  A look out the porthole revealed a clear sky, just as the sun was rising. Temperature this morning is 16 C with winds 25 km per hour. The forecast is for sun and a high of 23 C. We joined Norm and Sophia at breakfast in the dining room and after breakfast we met them at the Celebrity Theater to get the stickers for our sightseeing excursion of the island of Mykonos. Our tour group met on the pier before a short walk to the bus. Our guide was Thelia who spoke very good English. We were on the way for the scenic island drive before 9 a.m. toward the old port in the main town, Chora. We passed through the country side where there are many low stone walls dividing property.  We saw goats and sheep as well as a man riding a donkey along the side of the road. The buildings have whitewashed walls and coloured window frames and doors, with blue being the dominate colour. The first stop for photos was at Ag Ioannis beach for a view of Delos island. It is an uninhabited island where there are archeological ruins. Next stop was Kalafats beach, where the beach was ready for guests to claim the lounges under the umbrellas on the sandy beach. After that, we headed inland to the village of Ano Mera to visit the 16th century Panagia Tourliani Monastery with its marble fascade and marble bell tower. Marble is common building material in Greece. The Greek Orthodox church courtyard is entered where a second storey balcony houses the accommodation for the monks.  There is the main door to enter the church, which is ornately adorned with beautiful post-Byzantine icons. The dome has a stunning fresco representing Jesus Christ. It was a short walk to a restaurant near the town square for a Greek appetizer – olives, cucumber and yogurt spread with tomato and bread - and a taste of ouzo, the anise-flavored aperitif. Then it was back through the countryside to the main town, Chora. Along the way it was explained that many of the older homes had pigeon houses for the pigeons to roost.  The islanders in times past used the droppings of the pigeons as fertilizer and the birds as a source of food before sheep and goats were introduced.  At the 11:30 a.m. stop at Chora, most of the group elected to remain in the town for exploring and then later catching one of the ship arranged shuttle buses for a five minute ride along the coastal road back to the ship.

Here we wandered the town’s quaint narrow streets which gently rose and fell and wound around the old port harbour.  There were many shops and restaurants to capture your attention.  We headed for the five wind mills at the edge of town and, after several misdirections, they appeared in front of us on the southwest end of the town. After photos we strolled along the winding streets again toward the Old Port to find a restaurant with Wi-Fi and enjoyed Greek coffee and Greek baklava at Rouvera.  The baklava was delicious with its golden flaky layers with nuts and honey.  Refreshed, we found more streets and shops to explore, finding a narrow residential street with steps that led up a hill, where we found ourselves well above the windmills by the shore near the Old Port the view was wonderful, although we had the full force of the wind.  We found a different route back down to the Old Port for the shuttle ride and were back to the ship by 2:30 p.m.

After dropping off sunglasses, hats, etc., we went to have gelato on deck 5 followed by specialty coffees, before returning to the stateroom for composing the blog and a rest.  We were even able to dance just one dance in the Rendez-vous Lounge before dinner, since the Nightcaps beat was more for listening than dancing.  Tonight’s themed dinner is Top Chef at Sea, featuring some of the dishes prepared in previous seasons of the Top Chef TV show.  Our choices for dinner were Braised Beef Short Ribs for the appetizer, then Mustard Greens Salad or Minestrone soup, followed by the entrée choice of Veal chop & Choperlea or Flank Steak with cheddar, bacon potato and asparagus salad.  The dessert choices were strawberry in a creamy custard or Vanilla Tres Leches cake. After dinner we decided to shop in the Emporium shops to use up most of our credit balance.  Then we went to the evening show which was the final production with the singers and dancers, Celebrate the World, included an Irish river dance.  There were many ornate costumes and a different set for each chosen country.  Back at the stateroom, we listed all of the purchases for the trip and combined have less than half of one person’s customs declaration amount.