Cruising the Isles to Crete

J:  The task was to get from Athens to our apartment in Crete.   In keeping with what all do who come to Greece, we found a "local" cruise ship, the Aquamarine, and at the Athens harbor set sail for Mykonos and beyond.  The ship was well-traveled and not quite maintained like typical Caribbean mega-ships.  The passengers were probably 75% from Greece and other Balkan countries.  And the schedule was a flurry of starts and stops (recalling Chevy Chase's Vacation film, where the family races past the Grand Canyon?).  Here's the lifeboat drill with our new best traveling companion, Curious George -- courtesy of our grandson Liam in Eugene.
We left Athens at 11am, arrived in Mykonos at 4pm, left Mykonos at 9pm and arrived the next morning  at Kusadasi, Turkey.  Fours hours to visit Ephesus, then back to the ship and on to the Greek island of  Patmos (close to Turkey) in time for a visit to the cave where the Book of Revelations was conceived.  The next morning we were in Heraklion, Crete.
We discovered that the "right" way to take this cruise is to treat it like one of the off-and-on city bus tours.  Leave the ship for a couple of days at each port then catch the next one when it comes through.  But out goal was to get to our apartment on Crete, and we got to see more than we would have on a 50-minute flight.  The sunsets and blue waters were the highlight of our three nights on the Aquamarine.


G:  What?  The all-you-can-eat buffet was not a highlight?  We ate there at lunch the first day and then opted for the dining room for all other meals..  I didn't want to have to sharpen my elbows for the feeding frenzy at the buffet!  It's not just an American phenomena!



G: Mykonos is one of  the most picturesque of the islands -- all the buildings are whitewashed by decree.  And never mind that there are lots of blue doors and shuttered windows to add to the "look".


J: It could be a Las Vegas mall, quaint and tiny streets, filled with high-end shops.  Eat and shop -- that probably covers what to do in Mykonos.


G: Sunset was the perfect time to be there and we were enjoying the sunset in a piano bar when the power and lights went out for over an hour.  So by candlelight, we had a delightful time with our new friends from England and Miami.





Mykonos  is known for its windmills and its party atmosphere but this night was serene and beautiful!















J:  Time to run to Kudasdasi, Turkey.  We boarded a bus outside the terminal which drove us 1/2 hour north and inland to the ruins of  Ephesus.  The first stop was a shrine to Mary,  the mother of  Jesus.  Tradition says that she was taken from the Holy Lands by the Apostle John (author of the gospel and Revelations -- more on John when we get to Patmos) and with a number of the apostles and Paul settled in Ephesus.  A German nun in the 19th century (who had never traveled) described in detail, Mary's home outside Ephesus.  Surprise, when they went to the location they found a foundation of a first century house -- which is now recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as where Mary lived and died.  This picture is of  the remnants of a library built at Ephesus by the Emperor Hadrian.


G:  Although now this area is several miles from the Mediterranean, it was once a port.   Silt from the River Meander eventually left Ephesus high and dry...

J:  One of the most famous sites in Ephesus is the theater.  The Book of Acts says that Paul preached here.  It is meaningful for me, because my father and mother visited Ephesus in the 70's.  Dad carried a New Testament, and he read to his tour group from the Book of Acts at this theater.  For a while they held mega-concerts here, ie Elton John.  Note the new seating in the upper corner.  The crowds caused too much destruction to the original seating and so no more concerts.






J:  Finally, at Ephesus there was homage paid to the Beaverton, Oregon, multi-national shoe company.  This proves Nike is everywhere.


G:  And let's not forget she is the Goddess of Victory.  I was surprised to learn that 200,000 people lived here at one time and that so little of the city has been excavated.  Work is being done now, but there is so much here to be saved that has been covered over in time with feet of dirt and vegetation.  There is really little that is off limits to the public, so people crawl on the ruins when posing for pictures...this is an amazing place!

J:  Next stop, Patmos.  Very small island with 2,500 residents,  primarily recognized as the place where Apostle John, resident of Ephesus, was exiled and imprisoned.  He lived in a cave and took the imposed vacation time to write the Book of Revelations.  The cave is now a Greek Orthodox Church, and we joined the lines of tourists to walk down the stairs to visit the cave.

J:  We would have loved to have spent the night and seen the dance festival in Patmos.  But our tight schedule demanded that everyone be back on the ship and off to Crete.  The next morning, Heraklion.