The Greek Islands on Wind Star

This blog is definitely way overdue, and the Boss is done cutting me slack just because I had a heart attack and open heart surgery at the end of June.  My recovery was fairly quick and complete, and although we did have to cancel a cruise to Cuba in July, my doctors cleared me for the Greek Island cruise on Wind Star, less than two months after the surgery.

I'm delighted that we could do this trip, because it was truly one of the best and most memorable cruises we have been on. We had a great group of 16 people that were so much fun to travel with, and combined with an amazing itinerary and the small ship luxury of Windstar, it just doesn't get any better.

Most of the group arrived in Athens a couple of days before the cruise departed and we stayed at a beautiful hotel in downtown Athens, the Royal Olympic, with a fantastic view of the Parthenon from the rooftop bar and restaurant.  Since we came in early from the airport, our rooms weren't ready when we got to the hotel, so we took off to explore the Plaka, the old historical neighborhood located at the foot of the Acropolis.  More of the group arrived later that morning, and by the miracle of text messaging, we were able to find each other in the maze of streets and have lunch together.

After a non-stop overnight flight from Philadelphia, Ellen, Jim, Doug, Sharon and a beautiful tour guide
head off to explore Athens until the rooms were ready.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus was literally across the street from our hotel.  Construction of the temple began in 520 BC, but for a number of reasons too detailed for this blog, it was not completed for another 638 years.
 And we thought our house took a long time to finish! Just the first of many ancient ruins on this trip.

A few more steps from the hotel is Hadrian's Arch, the gateway to ancient Athens in honor of the
Roman Emperor Hadrian, built in 131 AD.

The Plaka is a maze of small streets lined with shops, restaurants and cafes, and the ubiquitous souvenir stores.

Leather sandals are a thing in Greece - I like a shopkeeper with a sense of humor.  The sign says
"Please do not try on it is not your size."

The Plaka sits at the base of the Acropolis, on top of which is the Parthenon.

We found a roof top restaurant that was air-conditioned, which was a nice benefit in Athens in August.
Very hot this time of year.

After lunch, and additional shopping for some, we returned to the hotel to check in, clean up, and rest up for dinner. 

A late afternoon photo of the Parthenon on the Acropolis.  It's quite spectacular when lit up at night - see below.

Esther arranged an excursion for the group that night - a traditional Greek dinner, music and dancing.  Something you have to do when in Athens, but it was a bit too touristy for my tastes.  Food was just OK.  They did manage to get some audience participation out of us, including dancing on the stage with the performers and other guests.  And of course, at the end of the show, we enjoyed the traditional breaking of plates on the floor.

We walked through Plaka to get to the tavern for the dinner and show.

Pat, Patricia, unknown tourist, and me dazzle with our dancing.

We had one more full day in Athens before boarding the ship, and started with a tour of the Acropolis Museum.  Our guide, Eleni, was excellent, as she took us through and hit all the high spots.  This is truly an amazing place, and was #8 on the list of the top 25 museums in the world, not to mention numerous awards for its design and architecture.  Do not miss this if you go to Athens!

The main entrance to the museum is constructed over an archaelogical site.

Who doesn't love a Lego model of an ancient temple and theater?  The Parthenon is in the center,
and the theater is to the left.  The model even had little Lego actors with blood spilled around them.

Five of the six original caryatids from a temple dedicated to Athena and Poseidon located on the Acropolis. The other 

is in the British Museum.  Turns out that the British took a lot of antiquities from Greece.  A caryatid is "a stone carving 

of a draped female figure, used as a pillar to support" parts of a Greek structure (but you probably already knew that).

We left the museum and headed for the real thing - the Acropolis and the Parthenon.  Our tour bus took us part of the way up, but it was a good hike uphill to get to the top of the Acropolis. Well worth it.  It's hard to wrap your head around how old these structures are, and while many are in ruins, it's remarkable how much has lasted.  The Parthenon is almost 2,500 years old!

The remains of the theater on the Acropolis that I showed you in the Lego picture.

At nearly 2,500 years old, the Parthenon is constantly being worked on to preserve and restore
this incredible temple.

This is the original site of the caryatids displayed in the Acropolis Museum.  The ones here are actually reproductions.

Our intrepid group of travelers.  It was really hot in Athens, but as you can see, sunny with beautiful blue skies.
Weather brought to you by Dream Vacations!

The author and our guide Eleni..  

The Acropolis offers some incredible views of Athens - here you can see Hadrian's Arch (lower left corner) and
the Temple of Zeus.

This is the rooftop bar and restaurant of the Royal Olympic Hotel that we stayed in.

As an engineer, I was fascinated by the details of the construction of the Parthenon, especially when you consider the technology available at the time. 

We had time to return to the hotel for a bite to eat and some rest before our afternoon tour to Cape Sounion, where the Temple of Poseidon is located.  In addition to the temple, the cape is known for beautiful sunsets.

Cape Sounion from a distance, with the Temple of Poseidon visible on the peak.

Doug, Sharon, Jack, Pat, Patricia, Tom, Esther, Deke, Betty, Keith, Ellen and Jim at the scenic overlook.

The Temple of Poseidon was built between 444 and 440 BC.  Like all Greek temples, it was rectangular with a colonnade 

on all four sides.  The total number of original columns was 36, and 15 still stand today.

Doug received a pat on the back from Eleni for being such an excellent student.

Unfortunately, the legendary sunset was obscured by clouds for one of the few times Dream Vacations didn't deliver
great weather.   

 Even a less than spectacular sunset provided a nice backdrop for a picture of the temple at dusk.

We had time for a drink at the cafe and to relax a bit before heading back to Athens.  Several of us headed into Plaka for dinner at a restaurant recommended by the hotel. The outdoor portion was full, but they were able to seat us inside in a downstairs room we had to ourselves.  We had some excellent Greek food, highlighted by the grilled octopus.

Grilled octopus turned out to be a delicious treat.

The group was transferred by bus to the port of Piraeus the next day to board the Wind Star.  For clarity, the name of the cruise line is Windstar, and we happened to be on the ship named Wind Star. Windstar has been voted the World’s Best Small Ship Cruise Line.  They promise casual elegance and incredible personal service, and we have to say they delivered on all levels.  

The Wind Star is a four-masted sailing yacht with a capacity of 148 guests.  There are four main decks, with staterooms on the lower two, the AmphorA dining room, reception, gift shop, casino and lounge on deck 3, and the Veranda restaurant, pool, bar and open seating and lounging areas on deck 4.   The outdoor decks are all teak, which is nice, but they are showing their age.

Staterooms were not large, but were efficiently laid out, and we had more than enough storage.  Since we purchased the beverage package, we had a fully-stocked mini-bar and fridge.  We were on deck 2, which apparently is worth the extra cost compared to some of the rooms on deck 1, due to engine noise.     

The Wind Star does not have balcony staterooms, but the big picture window was good.

The rest of the room provided good space and storage, and the bathroom was very well designed for functionality.

Boarding is painless, since only 145 of us had to get on, and we were quickly checked in and taken to our stateroom.  The crew only has to ask your name once, and they will address you by name the rest of the trip.  The stateroom attendants, dining room staff and bartenders were primarily Indonesian and Filipino, and provided wonderful service with a smile and a great sense of humor throughout the voyage.   

Our first night sail-away from Piraeus established the pattern for the rest of the cruise – most people gather on the top deck for the unfurling of the sails and the playing of "Conquest of Paradise," the soundtrack from Ridley Scott’s film "1492: Conquest of Paradise".   The music is quite majestic and feels appropriate as you sail into the sunset.   

The unfurling of the sails upon departure from port.  They don't stay unfurled for long - the ship mainly uses engine power.

We quickly established our evening routine - drinks on the top deck during sail away and before dinner. 

This was followed by our Welcome Aboard orientation in the lounge, where the Captain introduced his officers, including the Destination Manager, Pavlo.  Pavlo did the nightly port talks in the lounge before dinner.  The lounge was also where the evening entertainment was performed.  The music duo “MAR” played every night in the lounge, and they were pretty good, but the crowd was typically less than a dozen people.  The casino has two tables, one for blackjack and one for three-card poker, and 11 slot machines.  The casino had fewer people than the lounge.   One highlight is the night of the crew show "Windstar's Got Talent." which is very entertaining because by this time you have gotten to know many of the crew.

Rumor has it that yoga and fitness classes were offered on deck every morning at 7:00 AM, and apparently the thin people in our group participated.  But seriously, 7:00 AM?  Let me know when they start having the classes between lunch and dinner.

Gathering for trivia contests (our group did quite well - smart people!) in the lounge.

I got pulled up for more dancing when we had guest performers doing traditional Greek music.  Felt like I was up there
for an hour. Most nights the entertainment was Mariana and David playing cocktail music, but the lounge didn't
get much action after dinner..

On our first day on board, we arranged with Abdul, the maitre'd, to seat our group for dinner at two tables of eight next to each other.  This worked out great, as each night we tried to re-arrange the group so that everyone had a chance to sit with everyone else.

The food was consistently good, both in the Veranda restaurant for breakfast and lunch, and in the AmphorA dining room for dinner.  All guests are allowed a reservation for Candles, a dinner outdoors on deck, once per cruise, as a more romantic dining experience for two or more.  Windstar also does a nice job recognizing special events. Ellen had a birthday on board and received a special cake and a rousing round of Happy Birthday.  

Ellen was happily surprised when they brought her a birthday cake.

Esther and I at our romantic dinner for two on deck - the Candles experience. I think everyone in our group
took advantage of this specialty dining option.

Pat and Patricia worked on the jigsaw puzzle in the reception area.

One of the nice things about traveling with friends is being able to round up enough card players.  Sharon and Deke
watch me school Doug, Jack and Pat in a rousing game of Wizard.

Sometimes the best thing to do was nothing - Doug, Sharon, Ellen, Jim, Betty and Keith take advantage of the loungers
on the sun deck and the perfect weather supplied by Dream Vacations.

Keith, Jim, Ellen and Betty relax on the swim mats they deploy from the marina deck when the Wind Star is anchored instead of docked.  It was a little disappointing that they only had the sports platform opened twice, and didn't allow kayaking due to some personnel issues.

In addition to the casual, intimate feeling on the ship and the attentive service, we had an outstanding itinerary. We started with Napflio on the mainland, then visited seven Greek islands, and Kusadasi, Turkey.  Every port had something unique to offer.  Our group did some tours together and split up for others.  To keep this blog from approaching "War and Peace" length, I will try to just hit the highlights and depend more on the pictures to tell the story.

Nafplio

This was our first port, located on the Peloponnese peninsula, only 85 miles from Athens on land.  Nafplio was the first capital of modern Greece after independence in the 1830s, and has always been a major port.  For us, it was the departure point for our tour to Corinth to see the Corinth Canal. The canal cuts through the Isthmus of Corinth, which separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland.

A view of the canal from one of the many bridges that crosses it.  The canal is about four miles long, and was
completed in 1893.

We took a cruise on the canal, which essentially just takes you from one end to the other, and back.  The canal was
dug at sea level, so no locks were needed.  The boat was packed, with not enough seating.  

Even though the boat was not great, the canal is pretty neat - only 70 feet wide at its base, with the rock walls rising as
high as 300 feet above sea level.  Because it is so narrow, it is impassable for most modern ships, and has little
economic importance.  

This is one of the two submersible bridges across the canal (one at either end).  The bridge is in place as we approach....

....but then is lowered below water to allow boats to pass through.  Pretty cool (to an engineer).

On the return trip to Nafplio, we stopped for a winery tour and tasting at Domaine Bairaktaris. 

The tour was followed by a tasting in a nice tasting room with some snacks, but the Boss and I weren't big fans of the wine.  

When we reached Nafplio, we had time to walk through the old town at the port.

We did not climb these stairs, but they were a good photo opportunity.

Buildings around a square in town, with palm trees and the castle on the hill behind.

This is the Palamidi Fortress, the main one in Nafplio, built by the Venetians between 1711 and 1714.  A few members
of our group climbed the 901 steps to the castle entrance.  Not me.

The island fortress of Bourtzi in the Nafplio harbor, built by the Venetians in 1473.  Those Venetians built stuff to last.

Mykonos

I would say that Mykonos was my favorite port on the entire trip, except that we had so many amazing stops as the cruise went on.  But Mykonos was hard to beat - it's one of the Greek islands with the traditional whitewashed buildings and blue domes on churches.  We had perfect weather and a wonderful guide for a great walking tour through the town. I took almost 150 pictures this day because there were so many beautiful spots along the way.  I've tried to limit the photos, but it was hard.

We took an early tender to reach the town.  

Marilena was the guide for our private tour of Mykonos, and was one of the best we had on the trip.  

This is probably the most photographed church in Mykonos and you scan see why.  This is the Church of the Virgin Mary,
or Panagia Paraportiani.  Look at that blue sky.

Panagia Paraportiani actually consists of five small churches that were built next to each other.

One of the things I like to do is take a picture of a local person, especially someone with a lot of character in their face.
This guy fit the bill.

Marilena walked us through the narrow streets and alleys down to the water to see the "Little Venice" neighborhood,
with its houses and restaurants overhanging the multi-colored water. 

The thatched-roof windmills are another iconic feature of Mykonos. Most of the windmills were built in the 16th century
by (who else?) the Venetians, and were used to mill wheat.  They are no longer operational, but one is a museum.

We passed a fisherman mending his nets in the square.

The weather, lighitng, shadows and colors made for beautiful photo opportunities - I took a lot of pictures like this.

Our tour took us through many narrow alleys.

We stopped at the Gioras Wood Bakery, which has the oldest working bread oven in Mykonos, dating back to the 18th century. It has been in the family for over 200 years, and the oven is still fired by wood.  We had a biscuit and a drink.

The pink bougainvillea was everywhere, providing bright color against the whitewashed buildings, and looked amazing
with the perfect blue sky we had.

A familiar site world wide.  I couldn't resist taking this picture as we walked past a group of kids,
and all five of them were buried in their cell phones.  Maybe they were texting each other......

Mykonos has almost 500 of these small family churches, which house the remains of family members and ancestors.  

After our walking tour of the town, we boarded our private bus for a visit to this farm/winery in the country.

The Virginia Tech grads in our group (there were way too many) got really excited when this turkey came out to greet us.

It was a pretty setting and we enjoyed some snacks with our wine tasting.  I still was not converted to a fan of Greek wines.

Apparently, Deke wore shorter shorts on this day than previously.

Our excellent day in Mykonos was not over. After returning to the ship for lunch and a rest, we tendered back to the town.   Esther had arranged a private excursion for us to have dinner in a Mykonos home.  We have found these experiences to be a highlight in other places, and this was no exception.  Not only was the food delicious, but Tetta, the woman who owned the house and did the cooking was a real pistol and educated and entertained us with her stories about Greek culture.  She asked us if we had seen the movie "My Big Greek Fat Wedding" (her mistake, not mine), and told us that's exactly how Greeks are, except the woman with the Windex would really be using raki for everything.

A look at one of the beaches in town in the late afternoon.

My sister Pat and I hadn't seen each other since my heart attack so we were both happy I made this cruise -
 and note the free advertising for Windstar.

Our hostess set a beautiful table in her kitchen for us, and had only her cousin helping her prepare all the food.

The menu included stuffed tomatoes, spinach pie and a beef stew, accompanied by a lot of wine, and raki at the end.

We completed the evening with a group shot in her beautiful outdoor space. Our hostess, Tetta, is next to Esther.
The dinner wasn't completely private - the newlywed couple on the right of the picture had to put up with
all of us old people during dinner.

Syros

Next on the itinerary was Ermoupoli, the capital of the island of Syros.  Syros is a lesser-known and less touristy island than most we visited, but certainly had some interesting features.  We had no excursion arranged for this island, so Esther and I decided to walk to the top of one of the hills to the cathedral.  We easily got our 10,000 steps on her Fitbit this day.

A view of the town of Ermoupoli on the island of Syros.  

This is the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, the second highest church in town.  Esther and I walked up here
from the port.

This is the Catholic Church of St. George, built on the highest hill in town.  Esther and I did not continue our walk
up to this one, but Keith and Betty and Jim and Ellen did.

The town square or Piatsa, with the City Hall.  Definitely Dream Vacations weather today.

The Church of St. Nicholas, a Greek Orthodox church that is said to be the most
beautiful inside.

Inside St. Nicholas is ABC - another beautiful church.  This was really gorgeous.

Some of the homes and cobblestone streets in the old section of town - still sloping uphill.

As we walked further uphill, we got a nice view of the Wind Star docked at the port.  At this point, we are probably
not even halfway up to the cathedral.

A look back down at just some of the stairs we climbed on this trek.

Made it to the top and ran into Betty and Keith and Ellen and Jim, who decided to show off and walk further uphill
from here to the Catholic Church.  

A notable difference from Mykonos is that the homes and buildings are painted in many different colors.

On our way back to the ship, we passed this gelato place in town and thought of Deke, who is something of a gelato junkie.

Kusadasi and Ephesus, Turkey

Kusadasi (pronounced koo-sha-da-sa) is a resort town on the western coast of Turkey.  The port is a popular stop for cruise ships due to the proximity of Ephesus, one of the most important ancient Greek cities, and a popular tourist destination.  We had an excellent private tour of Ephesus mixed with stops at a ceramic factory and a Turkish rug store.  Since Ephesus was founded a thousand years before Christ, there is way too much history to get into, but suffice it to say it is a destination not to be missed.  The ruins of the city, as well as what has been preserved and is still being uncovered, are so impressive.  In our travels, we have visited lots of ancient sites, but none as awesome as Ephesus.

The view at the port - notice the brightly colored houses at top left.  Love the "Hollywood" style sign on the hill.

Like almost all ports in the Mediterranean, Kusadasi has an island fortress - this one was built by the Ottomans in the 1500s..  The island was originally known as Bird Island, which is what Kusadasi means.  Now it's called Pigeon Island.

The first stop on our private tour was the Temple of Artemis, built around 550 BC.  Our guide, who was very good,
fills us in on the history of the temple and surrounding areas.

The Temple of Artemis was once considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and measured 377 feet by
151  feet - significantly larger than a football field.  Now all that remains is this single column, that was reconstructed
from fragments discovered at the site.

On the way to Ephesus, we stopped at a ceramics factory to see a brief demonstration of pottery making, and of course 
to sell some ceramics.  The Boss and I were tempted by these wine vessels, which are carried by putting
your arm through the center hole and tipping with the handle on top to pour.  

Ephesus is on a scale hard to imagine without being there, and there is no way to adequately describe it in a blog.  This is
 the main avenue through the city.  The umbrellas you see were for shade, not rain, since Dream Vacations provided
bright sunshine. 

This mosaic walkway is not a reconstruction - and the color is original too.

Just one of many partially restored buildings along the main avenue.  The whiter solid pieces are the reconstructed areas.

This was an ancient rest room - you sat over the holes and deposited into the channel of flowing water below.  Ingenious -
but obviously privacy was not an issue in those days.

Ephesus is still being excavated, especially up the slopes of the surrounding hills. We went through the covered area
to see the terrace houses.

Pat and Patricia almost stayed here to work on another puzzle!  Can you imagine trying to re-assemble walls and floors
from fragments this size?

The uncovered homes retained so much of their original character and simple elegance.  

The exhibit we went through encompassed seven dwelling units - typically, the further uphill you got, the more money
and status you had, and thus the larger floor plans for dwellings 6 and 7.

This is the crowning feature of Ephesus - the Library of Celsus.  This is a relatively new Roman building, completed around 117 AD.   It was built to store 12,000 scrolls and was the third-largest library in the ancient world.  The library was destroyed by earthquakes and invaders, but the facade was re-erected by archaeologists between 1970 and 1978.

The theatre had a seating capacity estimated at 25,000 and is believed to be the largest in the ancient world.  It was used
for drama as well as sporting events, and during Roman times, gladiators fought here.  Archaeological evidence of a gladiator graveyard was found in 2007.

Like any tourist attraction in the world, the exit takes you through a gift shop, or in this case, rows of shops selling all
the usual souvenirs.  We were impressed by the truth in advertising at this place.

We had one stop left, at a Turkish rug warehouse, where we got to see this contraption in action - silk threads being spun from the silkworm pods.

It was fascinating watching the weaving process, done entirely by hand.  This is obviously an extremely labor-intensive process.  The owner told us a single rug can take months to complete.

The tour ended with the expected sales pitch, with dozens of rugs displayed for us.  They did sell a couple of rugs to
our group.  I believe Patricia and Jack bought this blue one, which was even more stunning in person than in the picture.

We went back to the ship for lunch and to prepare for the evening's Destination Discovery Event, a special excursion provided by Windstar to all guests.  We boarded buses at the pier to return to Ephesus for an amazing dinner served in front of the Library of Celsus.  This was truly a Wow!" experience that was unmatched by anything we've done on another cruise.

This was a private event with the attraction closed to the public by the time we returned.  We were greeted with a glass of champagne and had our pictures taken with the library in the background.  Windstar did another incredible job of setting
up an elegant dinner setting in front of this impressive ancient structure, on a beautiful evening (brought to you by
Dream Vacations) as the sun began to set.

A string trio provided classical background music to add to the ambience.

Half of our group - clockwise from left - Ellen, Jim, Patricia, Jack, Deke, Pat, Betty and Keith.

The other half - Doug, Sharon, Susan, David, Randy, Susan, Esther and me.

The event began with our Destination Manager Pavlo welcoming us and thanking us for choosing Windstar. 
The stringed trio moved into the library during dinner.

The dinner was excellent, but it was the setting that really made it an unforgettable night.

It only seemed to get more stunning as the night went on.  

We strolled back to the buses along this ancient promenade, feeling very blessed to have had this experience.

Back at the Wind Star, the crew was lined up to welcome us back as we boarded the ship.  In my opinion, this was the most special of many special destinations and tours on this trip.

Patmos

The Boss and I chose to stay on board when we reached Patmos, the smallest island we visited on this cruise, because she had sprained her ankle while walking through Ephesus the day before.  Patmos is supposed to be where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, and the cave where he lived is the primary tourist attraction.  The other attraction is the Monastery of St. John, a castle at the top of the island in the capital city of Chora.

I have no pictures so I borrowed this one of the monastery from the internet.

What made Patmos a notable stop was that Patricia took ill while visiting the castle, and she felt poorly enough to go to the local medical center.  She was checked in and given an IV.  Jack was not impressed with the facility, but they took care of her.  Obviously we were all concerned with whether she could return to the ship before departure.  Windstar really stepped up again - after Jack called the ship, the ship's doctor, Dr. Rommel, tendered ashore to get Pat and brought her back to the ship on a private tender.  The concern was that she might have norovirus or something similar, so he confined her to her room, but that was so much better than staying in Patmos. Fortunately, after a couple of days of quarantine, she felt much better and was released to rejoin us.

Rhodes

Our next destination was Rhodes, famous for the Colussus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The Colossus was a statue of the Greek sun god Helios, and was approximately 108 feet high (about the same as the Statue of Liberty.  It was the tallest statue of the ancient world, but collapsed during an earthquake in 226 BC.

Pat, Deke, Esther and I took a Windstar excursion here to visit a pottery factory and make our own pottery.  The gift shop manager from the Wind Star came with us, along with two other passengers.

At the pottery factory, first we watched the professional.

"Make your own pottery" really just meant letting the craftsman hold you fingers on the clay while he shaped the piece for you, but we still had a good time with it.  

Then we got to watch the owner do incredible hand etchings of very intricate patterns into the clay.  His work is known throughout Greece.

After making our pieces, they gave us small clay plates to paint.  All of the things we "made" were shipped back to the US for us.  

Our guide took us for refreshments at a small cafe overlooking this beach before heading back to the port.

The medieval Old City of Rhodes is a World Heritage Site.  These are some of the outside walls.  Inside the walls are shops and restaurants.

We sat down inside the old town to have gyros for lunch, when suddenly I started to feel ill.  In light of Patricia's issues the day before, and my recent heart issues, we thought it best to go back to the ship.  I made it halfway before getting sick in the bushes, and after we boarded, Esther called Dr. Rommel.  Our group was keeping him busy.  Once again, we were impressed by Windstar's response.  The doctor examined me, gave me fluids, a shot, and even took a EKG, since we told him about the heart attack.  Fortunately, we believe I may have just been dehydrated and possibly had exerted myself more than I should have in the previous days, only two months removed from open-heart surgery.

After some care from Dr. Rommel and a good nap, I felt like myself again
 and managed to make it to dinner.  I hate to miss a meal!

Agios Nikolaos, Crete

The next day was essentially a sea day, since we left Rhodes at 11:00 PM the night before and didn't arrive in Crete until 5:00 PM.  We docked in the port of Agios Nikolaos, located on the eastern side of Crete, which is the largest of the Greek Islands.  A cool feature of the town is a lagoon surrounded by shops and restaurants and tall rock walls.  We took a stroll through town before our Candles dinner on the ship.

This is the Europa Statue in the port, right across from the ship.  In Greek mythology, Europa was the mother of
King Minos of Crete, who was abducted by Zeus in the form of a bull.  

One of the primary features of the town is Lake Voulismeni, which is connected to the harbor by a small channel.  You can see the masts of the Wind Star in the background.

We stayed docked overnight and the next morning, many of us had no tour pre-arranged, so we went ashore and arranged to visit a Cretan olive oil farm, which also included cheese making and a cooking class.  At 25 euros a person, we figured "How bad can it be?"  It turned out to be a blast, another highlight of the trip.  This also happened to be Esther's birthday!

The water in the port was crystal clear and had many shades of blue and green.

This was a sophisticated operation - we got tickets for each of the activities.

While we waited for our tour to begin, we were ushered into the gift shop, which had some really neat stuff.
 I couldn't pass up this photo opportunity.

Our tour at the olive oil farm naturally began with looking at some olive trees.

This is the contraption used to crush the olives after they are picked.   You can use manpower or donkey power.to
push the big wooden arm.

Before we can begin making cheese, we needed to get some goat's milk.  The cheesemaker holds the goat between
his legs and shows Pat the proper milking technique.

Esther stirs the goat milk over the fire as part of the cheese making process.  We got to sample the fresh cheese with tomatoes, olives and cucumbers.  Delicious.

This lady was our cooking class instructor and she was a lot of fun.

We learned to make dolmades, which are grape leaves stuffed with a mixture of rice, tomatoes and other vegetables.

While we wait for the dolmades to cook, our instructor applies the final and most important ingredient to the delicious
tzatziki sauce, made from yogurt, cucumbers, garlic and olive oil.  Best I've ever had!

Once the cook found out it was the Boss's birthday, we HAD to do a number of toasts with Cretan raki.  In case you
didn't know, raki is a pretty strong alcoholic beverage similar to ouzo, or sambuca.  Our hostess in Mykonos told us
it will cure anything that ails you.  The cook even presented Esther with a bottle for her birthday.

Our lunch is dished up as David, Patricia, Jack and Susan look on.  We ate at a large picnic table next to the kitchen.  

The sun sets as we sail away from Crete.  There was cake at dinner for Esther's birthday, and a rousing chorus of
Happy Birthday from our group and the staff.

Santorini

Santorini is probably the most well-known globally and most photographed of all the Greek islands.  The traditional architecture consists of low-lying cubical structures, made of local stone and whitewashed, and with blue domes on the churches. On a trip of amazing destinations and highlights, Santorini ranked right up at the top.  On another picture-perfect weather day, we had a great private tour that began after we tendered ashore and took the cable car to the top of the cliff to the town of Fira.  We visited Oia, where all the famous pictures are taken, then drove to one of the highest points on the island for some views.  We had a short winery tour (for a change), then returned to Fira for lunch and some shopping before taking the cable car back down the cliff.

We arrived as the sun was beginning to rise over the island.

The sun starts to highlight the beauty of the island.

These are the cable cars that transport people up and down from the waterfront to the town of Fira on the top of the cliff.
If you've read many of my blogs, you know I love a cable car (or funicular)!

You knew it was going to be a great day for photos with this sky.  Guess who provided the weather?  

This and the following set of photos were all taken in Oia, the most popular tourist destination on the island.  The architecture, the cliff-side construction, and the contrasting colors against the sea and the sky make this place
uniquely beautiful.

You have to stand in line to have your picture taken at this spot with the multiple blue-domed churches behind you.

We drove from Oia to one of the highest spots on the island to take in this panoramic view.  At the top left, you can see a large cruise ship.  

Our tour included a stop at this winery, but this was one of the few disappointing things we did.  The wine wasn't
good and the winery was not much more than a gift shop.

Fira may come up short in comparison to Oia, but not by much.  It's still pretty incredible to see.

There was no shortage of gorgeous churches.

The Boss always appreciates when the group does a little free advertising for her.  That's our guide with the short red hair.

Lunch in Fira, overlooking the sea, drinking Greek beer (which is better than Greek wine), with good friends.  Doesn't get much better than this.

If we ever need a hotel in Fira, this one would do.

It is popular for tourists to ride donkeys up from the waterfront instead of the cable car, although that has become more
controversial.  That's really hard work, even for a donkey.

You can see the road to the top winding back and forth.

As if our day in Santorini wasn't special enough, we were treated to a spectacular BBQ dinner under the stars, on the ship.  The outdoor buffet on deck included roast pig, ribs, paella, lobsters and more, and it was all delicious. The BBQ was followed by dancing with the crew on deck. The transformation of the deck into an outdoor dining area, combined with the presentation and quality of the food, topped off by the amazing setting, made this another memorable night.

The amazing transformation of the sun deck into an elegant setting for the BBQ.  The crew works so hard to set all this up.

This beautiful bouquet on the buffet line is made entirely of carved fruits and vegetables.

The roast pig was fantastic - carved to order.

Grilling lobsters and ribs - so much food!

Of course, they were ready for some drinking too - this reminded me of our house when we entertain a few friends.

Not only was it an incredible menu, the fact that we were enjoying it off the coast of Santorini
as the sun was setting made it another "Wow" experience on this trip.

Sunset in Santorini.

I don't think this was my plate, because I wouldn't have wasted space with asparagus.  
Otherwise, it looks pretty similar and I went back for seconds. 

Music and dancing on the deck followed the dinner - here is proof that Deke DOES dance with Pat (sometimes).  

Watching them dance wore me out!

Monemvasia

Our final stop before returning to Athens was Monemvasia, a tiny island with a walled medieval town.  The island was separated from the mainland by an earthquake, but is now connected by a causeway.  We had a walking tour through the narrow streets of the town, then boarded a bus to an olive oil farm on the mainland.

Monemvasia was settled by Spartans in the 6th century.

An opening in the town walls frames the Wind Star at anchor in the background.

We walked through the town on narrow cobblestone streets and passed ancient, still lived-in houses. 

A large open square with a church and decorative cannon balls, lined with homes.

The view from the square of the higher portion of town, as well as the fortifications at the top of the rock.

Walking through the streets was like walking back in time.

Our next stop was an olive oil farm, which had been in the family for centuries.

What set this apart from the typical olive oil farm tours we have had was the bread making demonstration.

The olive oil bread was incredible, and we all got to eat one of those big pieces.

Back on board, we gather at our usual spot on the top deck for the final sail away of the cruise.

One final raising of the sails and playing the Conquest of Paradise song.  You may have also noticed the
beautiful weather on yet another day.

We sailed overnight back to Athens, and docked at about 7:00 AM the next morning.  Because many of the group planned to stay one more night rather than hustle to board flights back home, Esther arranged another tour.  Our same tour guide, Eleni, was at the port to meet us.  We loaded our luggage onto our private coach, and headed for Delphi.  Delphi is located in upper central Greece, about 3 hours from Athens, so we had a long ride.

The Greeks considered Delphi the center of the world, and it was the site of the Oracle, an elderly woman who dispensed counsel and predictions, often about whether one would live or die in war.  Apollo, the Greek god of the sun, spoke through the oracle, and of course there is a Temple of Apollo on the site, built in the 4th century BC.   As interesting as the history and mythology surrounding Delphi is, I think for many of our group, we had seen enough ruins and temples during the trip.  Our guide Eleni was walking us through and providing great detail, until at least some of us had our fill and headed for the museum, which was air-conditioned.  Others roamed the grounds, which included a theatre and a stadium.

The view from a scenic overlook not too far from Delphi.  Eleni said the most popular ski resorts in Greece
are on the other side of these mountains.

According to the mythology, this represents the stone thrown by Zeus to mark the center of the world,
or "navel of the earth."

This is the reconstructed Athenian Treasury, which held rich offerings made to Apollo, usually after a successful battle. 
This one was build to commemorate victory at the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C.

The remains of the Temple of Apollo - this is the seventh version.  The first six were re-built several times and
destroyed by fires or earthquakes.

The theatre could hold about 4,500 spectators.

The museum at Delphi is worth a visit.  This is the Charioteer, one of its most famous
artifacts, one of the finest specimens of 5th century bronze sculpture.  It was part of a
larger complex that included the chariot and horses.

From the museum, we headed to a local restaurant for a Greek lunch before the long bus ride back to Athens.  Our tour included dropping us at the airport hotel.  The hotel had an impressive dinner buffet and gave us a discount because we had a group of 10.  The next morning, it was very convenient to simply walk across the street to the terminal, where we said our good-byes.

This trip was extra special for me, as it was my first cruise after the heart attack, and we had traveled with 12 of the 16 group members before.  The Wind Star was a perfect way to explore the Greek Islands (and Ephesus).   We had great service, excellent food, fun and interesting tours, good guides, unique experiences, and wonderful traveling companions!  Did I mention (nearly) perfect weather?  The Boss and I can't wait to sail on Windstar again, and hope you'll join us.

Thanks for reading this far!  I would truly appreciate your feedback and comments - these blogs are long, but my goal is to be able to go back to them in the future to re-live the trip in some detail.

By the way, the jigsaw puzzle was completed before the cruise ended!