18 September 2007

Athens and Mykonos


We are getting ready to go to dinner, but thought we’d write quick first. We’re in a lounge listening to a woman with a gravelly voice singing… well, I guess it would be called lounge singing.

Yesterday. Athens was very fun. We started with a tour of the Acropolis – the Parthenon. It was amazing to see The Parthenon in real life. It was hot and the crowds were awful (Ryan wanted to be sure that I said that there were one billion people on the top of the hill), but I think we got some good pictures. Speaking of pictures: We apologize for not posting more pictures. The internet onboard is very slow – slower than dial-up. And at a lot of cents per minute, we haven’t wanted to take the time to upload them.

After the Acropolis, the bus drove us around the city to see some more sights. Athens is really just a huge city – 5 million people, in fact. But at the end of the tour, we had an option to ride back to port or to spend a couple more hours in Athens. We wanted to stay, so they dropped us off at Constitution Square, which is near an area called the Plaka. The Plaka is the old part of town, once we got past the jewelry stores and souvenir shops, we found some amazingly charming, winding pedestrian streets. It was beautiful and terribly romantic. The only unfortunate thing was that we realized after we got there that we hadn’t brought a credit or debit card, and didn’t have much cash. We were told that the way back to the port was to take a taxi for 15-20 euro. We decided to try the metro – with a short train ride and a little extra walking, we found our way back to the ship for 1,40 euro. We felt proud. So we had enough to buy a couple gyros!

We were exhausted last night, after a long day of walking in the sun. Since we don’t eat dinner until nine, we get done each evening at almost midnight. So we decided to get room service last night. Hey, it’s all included!

Today we anchored at the island of Mykonos. Right away, we got on a boat for the island of Ancient Delos. Delos was the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, and is now an amazing site of ruins. We saw houses and temples and a theatre. It reminded us of Ostia Antica near Rome, where we went last year. It was beautiful and sunny and I think we got some good pictures. We took the 30 minute boat ride back to the port, while Ryan talked to a man we had met who is on his one-year sabbatical from the University of British Columbia where he teaches art history. He is spending the year on cruises – seeing the sights, doing research, and giving art lectures on the At Sea days.

When we got back to Mykonos town, we had about an hour to walk around through the town. You know the pictures of Greece that you see in travel brochures and magazines? That’s actually what it looks like. Beautiful, white-washed walls with brightly painted doors and shutters. They built the city with winding narrow streets as to confuse invaders, so it’s easy to get wonderfully lost. I can’t imagine living in a place that beautiful.

Well, it’s almost 9pm, so we’re going to sign off. We are really having a blast – we’re even enjoying this cruise business! Dad, happy birthday tomorrow! I love you and hope you are enjoying your dvds. :)

We miss you all, and hope you are enjoying low-80s temps like us!

2 comments:

Dawn said...

Oh, I can't WAIT to see all the beautiful pictures you are taking of those amazing places! How fun! Thanks for blogging all the details for us. The big news here is: Stephie is up for homecoming queen!! She and Hannah D. and Joel M. and some others you don't know. Coronation is Monday night and Stephie is MCing it. We need to get a dress before then. We might take Daddy to Fargo tomorrow for his birthday. And let him watch us shop. Can't wait until you come home. MUCH love....Mom

Anonymous said...

Sounds deliriously fabulous Amy/Ryan!
So fun to catch glimpses of what you are seeing/experiencing!
Funny 'bout the food, etc.
I know the FOOD.
Can't wait to see more pics, etc.
Enjoy every second of it and those sea vistas, sun and air.

Carol B