We did a 10 day Greek Island Cruise with Azamara starting in Athens ending in Istanbul, Turkey. In between, we visited Mykonos, Paros, Patmos, Santorini, Agios Nikolaos Crete, Rhodes, and Kos plus Ephesus in Turkey. Mykonos and Santorini are well known and thus quite touristy islands many of the others were much quieter. This cruise is heavy on all the history that abounds in this part of the world. Jeff and I enjoyed some of the history, some of the beaches and some of the food! We are following this cruise with a Greek, Turkey Intensive Cruise so there will be a couple of posts with Roman or Byzantine ruins and beaches. This part 1 will have the first 4 places we visited.
Mykonos
As I said above Mykonos is a popular tourist spot. Like all of the islands it is gorgeous! It really is whitewashed buildings against deep blue water. We are currently in the Cyclades set of islands. We explored it on our own in the morning and then did a walking foodie tour in the afternoon. One of the iconic pictures for these islands but especially Mykonos is the windmills so of course we had to walk over to look at them. Oh one thing up front. These islands tend to be windy and Mykonos is in a league all of its own so windmills make a lot of sense. We took pictures of them and we got to go in one and walk up the circular stairs to the second floor.
Fabric sails catch the wind
Inside Windmill
Another popular area in Mykonos is little Venice. There is a small area of the old town where the houses are literally coming straight up out of the water. We learned they had been built that way in ancient times so that it was harder for intruders to enter the area. Protection from intruders is also why all the houses look so much alike and are attached to each other. The intruders had less walls to try and enter, harder to tell one house from another and the locals could jump from house to house as needed. One group of intruders surprised me; pirates. I never thought about pirates in this part of the world.
Venice Beach
Then after lunch it was time for our food tour. We started off with a dish with the nickname of submarine. It is a white sweet made from the same tree that gives them mastic and it is in a little cup of water. You use the water to soften the sweet and you lick it. It is very sweet! Then we went onto another sweet that was a jellied fruit slice and we were getting worried it would be all sweets after we had bought a cookie to ward off hunger. Happily we moved on to other types of food. Next we had a chicken soulvaki skewer and piece of pita. Unfortunately we had to eat it standing up and blocking a business' s doorway. From there we moved onto a taverna where we did sit down and enjoyed ouzo and a small plate of mezes such as the grape leaves wrapped around a rice mixture, some olives, and a couple of other things. Then we went back to the shop where we got the submarine and this time we had the mastic alcoholic drink. We were done for the day, but the bars were just starting to clean up for the nightly party that starts around 11pm and goes till early in the morning - hey might as well party while it is comfortable outside!
Paros
Another island in the Cyclades; more white buildings and gorgeous blue water. These islands do not get much water for long periods - made us think of Sacramento, California where no rain from spring till fall. We went on a walking tour along the Marathi Marble Quarries and to the town of Lefkes. So we walked along a road that was built in 1000AD of marble - well mostly rocks these days. The scenery was pretty and we learned about their native botany along the way. We saw date trees, olive trees, wild sage, wild oregano and learned about how they grow tomatoes and other plants in an arid climate. The marble is special here because it is the marble that was used in most of the well known statues from antiquity. It is extremely white - no veins of any color going through it. Unfortunately it has been mined to basically extinction (if it were a plant or animal) so it is no longer allowed to leave the island for projects. Oh back to the plants that are cultivated. They only water them when they are first planted so they get established and then the plants are on their own. Now unlike California there is moisture in the air so maybe the plants get water that way. Anyway they do grow and produce a product but it is very small so according to our guide the flavors are very intense. She also gave us some baklava that was coated in powder sugar which she said is a common wedding sweet. We ended in the small town of Lefkes in the middle of the island so very few tourists (or people on a work day) allowing us to see a typical small town. She taught us more about the houses. Seems it is now a law on at least some islands that the houses must be white to keep the traditional look. However, originally the houses were white because they were whitewashed with a limestone mixture to help disinfect and keep the homes cleaner. We finished in a little taverna where we had a wonderful concoction of greek yogurt with sweetened fruit. So Jeff who hates yogurt loved this stuff because it had no odor and a completely different texture to it. The fruit is a traditional dish where they take some of the early dates and use twice as much sugar to date ratio and soak it for awhile and then put it on things like the yogurt. It was quite nice.
Lefkes
Look back at Lefkes
Ancient road
Olive trees can live for 100s of years, note the trunk on the close one
Patmos
We opted to explore Patmos on our own and not take any tours. It was a lovely relaxing day.
Jeff had to checkout the sailboats
Yellow flag with Double Eagle is flag of Eastern Orthodox Church
Greek fishing boats
Cabaret Lounge
That’s chocolate
Santorini
We pre-arranged an independent tour sailing and swimming trip for Santorini. Santorini is volcanic, so we saw incredible rock formations and colorful beaches. We sailed on a large Catamaran with a fun group of passengers. The tour advertised swimming in the warm waters of the Caldera. We enjoyed the swim in the crystal clear water, but it was cold. Afterwards we had a great Greek lunch prepared on board followed by another swim stop.
White Sandy Beach
Black Beach from black lava
Red beach from red lava
there was a newly engaged couple on the ship thus this photo
Parthenon on left; bad grass fire on the right from rooftop of our hotel
After the mountains, we took the train back to Athens and spent a few days there before we boarded our cruise to the Greek Islands. Our plan was to play tourist some and to just hang out at the hotel some. A good plan since it was hot and very windy while we were there. Luckily for us the taxi driver who picked us up at the train station told us we should go to the changing of the guards the next day at 11 since on Sundays they also do a short parade.
Syntagma Square and the Changing of Guards
Syntagma Square is where their parliament building is which used to be a palace and is the site of the tomb of the unknown soldier and of changing of the guards. The Greek military have a very unique way of marching at least for ceremonies. It is very slow (hot climate?) and you better have good balance! They hold their weapon in their right arm and when they lift up their right leg then their left arm and the guards also have a very slow 3 step or so process. Kick leg out, hold it, bend leg, place it down and I think I skipped a step or 2 in there. On Sunday's, there is a short parade that includes a marching band which I suspect played a common Greek military march and later did play their national anthem. The band was followed by a small battalion mostly in ceremonial dress. Oh the pompoms on the top of their shoes: we were told in Metsovo that was to help block snow. Click on video Jeff shot below to see what I mean.
Changing of the guards
National Garden
The national garden is right next door to the Parliament. It is not a botanical garden but more a park. It is a nice size and includes some palm trees and some lakes. I mention the palm trees because they date back to when it was the royal garden and a queen planted them. I mention the lakes because supposedly there are 6 of them and we had to go back a 2nd time and wonder around till we found 1! It is a nice green oasis in the city.
Pond is on the right
Hadrian’s Gate & The Temple of Olympian Zeus
Staying in the area, Hadrian's Gate and the Temple of Olympian Zeus are on the opposite side of the national garden. The gate is out in the open and you can just walk under and around it. The temple is a protected area and requires a fee. We were not inspired to pay the fee and were happy to just look through the fence. A word here. Jeff and I are not big fans of Greek or Roman mythology so we dabble in the ruins and then move on to something that interests us more.
Hadrian's Gate
Temple of Zeus
Hop on Hop Off Bus
We had shared our train car coming back from Kalambaka with a family from California who had told us the hop on hop off bus was good here. Oh man were they wrong! We waited to get on about 10 minutes - first bus overflowing, 2nd bus we slip on and stand so no audio. Quickly able to sit, but it is hot - heat wave in Europe hot and the first floor of the bus has no air conditioning nor windows that open. We were able to move upstairs - most people were doing the circuit so not much movement and get some seats up there were in the sun. We stayed on for a little bit and then gave up. We did see the Zappeion which is the only remaining building from the first of the modern day Olympics and we saw the Panathenaic Stadium or I did at least. One of the last stops we made it through was an interesting square and we got off when they got to Plaka. We would later see the Zappeion up close on our second visit to the National Garden but could not enter it.
Zappeion is in the background
Acropolis Hill and the Parthenon
You can see the hill from most hotels. It is kind of like Edinburgh in that it is a key structure built on a nearly vertical hill in the middle of the city. I now know that it has had many uses over the years and this is not the original structure since that was wood and burned down. The acropolis has multiple buildings on top. The Parthenon is the one you see the most. The Parthenon is a temple dedicated to the Greek Goddess of Athena who was the patroness of the then city-state Athens. I think it was built in 6 years and there are some visual gamesmanship done up there like corner pillars are larger than theothers so you can see more and it is not and was not meant to be perfectly squared off rather it is a little pyramidal on purpose. The Greeks and the Persians fought a lot back then so it was ransacked once and had many of the statues vandalized. The site was then left to sit for awhile before the Athenians finally decided to rebuild the area. Later on the Parthenon would be remodeled into a church and I think even a mosque at one time. Currently the Greek government is working hard to rebuild parts of it.
looking town at Athens from a viewing site on the Acropolis
Jeff selfie - do you see Carol in the photo too?
photo taken from the museum
Another building on top of the hill is the Erechtheion. This building's unique feature is that on one of its facades are six statures of women being used as pillars. This might have been the building that was built for maidens.
the Erechtheion
the ladies
One of the first things you see as you reach the top of the hill is Sanctuary and Theatre of Dionysus. Dionysus was the Greek god for festivity, wine and grape harvest. Theatre was first only and it was Thespis who first originated words on the stage. You look down on the theatre and its seating - I did not see anything listed, but it sure looked like it was set up with some modern day lighting and chairs for a possible show. The seating had different rows for the Greek royalty versus the common man.
looking down into the theatre
shady spot on the acropolis - like my new hat?
Acropolis Museum
The Acropolis Museum opened its gates to the public in 2009. It is a great museum and a unique building. Like many buildings and even sidewalks in Athens, part of its floor is clear plexiglass so you can see the ruins beneath it. Additionally part of the top floor is built to reflect the Parthenon - oriented the same way. Once you finish exploring the 3 floors inside (which may take a couple of hours), you can go outside and explore the excavations under the museum too.
under the museum
Plaka
Plaka is a nice neighborhood in Athens that everyone tourists and locals alike visit. It is a rarity in the city - very little graffiti in a city full of it. There are cobblestoned streets that are heavily pedestrian, cute little outdoor cafes under shady trees, everything under the sun for sale and lots of people watching. We got a snack one day and sat and watched the people go by. Observing fashion choices and enjoying the view. One positive for Greece and Athens is while people smoke here not nearly as much as they did in Great Britain. Here it is the occasional smoker there it was most people especially vaping. Plaka did get some money from us. Pair of Birkenstock sandals for daughter (man I hope I can get them home), couple of decorative pillow cases and a trinket for a friend. Oh the Roman Agora is on the edge of part of Plaka and we did stop and look through the chain length fence. The Agora was a neighborhood and marketplace at one time.
reverted to my car's hat for a very windy day
pretty street in Plaka
Art museums
There are a couple of nice looking art museums here and we had planned on visiting one on our last day, but I decided to ram and I do mean ram my foot into a coffee table so with a very bruised toe we stayed at the hotel and worked on our blog and postcards.
