From Ruins To Revelations-Mykonos

Of course there is more to Greece than one city, so after three days in and around Athens it was time for our pilgrimage to move from a land-based to a floating hotel. Our four day cruise on the Celestyal Discovery would take us through the Greek Isles, making stops in six ports.

Wikipedia

Before breakfast Hubby Tony and I put the packed suitcases outside our hotel room door for a porter to pick up. After breakfast our group gathered in the lobby, grabbed our luggage, and carried it out to the bus. The drive to the cruise port was approximately one hour.

At the port, those who had large suitcases were able to put them on a trolly to be delivered to their room. For some reason, people like Tony and me that had carry on sized cases had to hang on to them. That proved to be annoying, especially after the check in process when we learned that our rooms weren't ready yet.

Our group gathered in one of the lounges, where we met our tour guide for this portion of the pilgrimage. She explained some of the details, and when an announcement was made about rooms everyone headed towards theirs...and then lunch in the buffet restaurant.

This ship was older (originally built in 2003 for a German line), and smaller (with a capacity of about 1,200 passengers) than some I've been on. It didn't have all the new ship fancy bells and whistles, but the itinerary was so full I wouldn't have had much time to explore them anyway.

We sailed at 1 pm, and because of the short distance between ports docked at Mykonos at 6 pm. Hubby Tony and I had scheduled a shore excursion, and knowing that dinner wouldn't be until after that I got a pre-dinner snack at the grab and go restaurant.

Port of Mykonos

Our walking tour excursion left from the port parking lot. Before it started, the guide handed out Whisper devices and then led us towards the city. She did an excellent job of telling us about the history and culture of the area, including the famous windmills that were built in the 16th century to mill flour.

Windmills

There were a lot of people enjoying dinner at the outdoor cafes, and it was hard to get through some of the crowds. After navigating past all of it the guide reached what she called her "perfect spot" to see the sunset, and gave us time to take it all in.

Sunset over the Aegean

 

Our tour ended at 9 pm, but the ship didn't set sail again until 11. The tour guide said that anyone who wanted to stay on shore longer could, and a few people did, but Tony and I agreed it would be a good idea to go back to the boat for dinner and then make an early night of it, because we had an excursion that left early the next morning.

Five years ago today: A Ram Sang (AKA Anagrams)