Delos/Mykonos
Our cruise started yesterday with our embarkation in Piraeus and our sailing along the coastline to Cape Sounion. The imposing Temple of Poseidon was what was needed to realize that our Greek cruise had started!
But the real first day was today! W sailed during the night to wake up in the morning to the sacred island of Delos, the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Everybody was curious to see an island which is not inhabited and is all covered with ancient ruins! Delos is a small place and the dock is not big enough for the Panorama, so the local tender took us ashore and there we go! Smaro and I started the tour, trying to explain why a barren, rocky island has become the most sacred spot of ancient times.
The typical Greek contrast of the dark rocks with the white stones and the blue sea as background made everybody hold their cameras ready at all times. We saw the ruins of the temples of Apollo, the famous lions of Delos, several market places, and of course the impressive houses with the mosaic floors. The last stop of our visit was the theater of Delos with its public cistern.
It was a very hot day so as we came back to the boat most of the guests went swimming. We can jump into the water from the stern of the boat, and it was great! After lunch, an hour sailing brought us into Mykonos: the cosmopolitan Cycladic Island with its windmills and Peter the pelican! We landed with our Zodiacs right into the center of the main town and we took a walking tour into the “labyrinth” of narrow streets and cubic whitewashed houses.
Many shops, cafes, and restaurants complete the picture of that town. We enjoyed some free time before we returned to the Panorama, where Nicos our Hotel Manager had prepared a barbecue! Octopus, ribs and sausage were some of the specialties. What a full day, and we really look forward to tomorrow!
P.S. David says hi to Mom! He’s having a great time.
