July 20, 2015 a day and notes about our new friends

Today we are at sea sailing towards Istanbul/Constantinople, Turkey.

When we boarded the ship the first day we heard a couple speaking Greek. Later that day we were stopped by them and we introduced ourselves- where we are from, Greek heritage etc. We found that this couple were originally from Samos, Greece who emigrated to the US and now retired in Tarpon Springs, Fl.  Both of them are very friendly and we would meet up several times a day for lunch or coffee or at the casino.

They told us what a great meal they had in Mykonos and we plan to find the restaurant on the next time we visit Mykonos on our return cruise next week.


They found another large Greek American family that is on the cruise and arranged for us to meet them. No other Greeks or Greek Americans on this cruise. We hung out with them too.

Mykonos, Greece July 19, 2015 91 degrees F today

Today we arrived at the port of Mykonos town and docked at the cruise terminal.
The cruise terminal is just a pier where cruise ships dock if they cannot dock at the port. One must take a water taxi - 2 Euros- to the main port or walk or take a taxi.
The cruise ship provided shuttle service to the bus depot in town as part of our cruise package.
Our ship was the only one in port so we do not expect large crowds of cruisers in town.

The weather is extremely hot and semi humid. We took bottles of water with us so we would stay hydrated.
Since we have been here several times our plan was to explore the town and head up to the windmills above Little Venice.
It was nice that there were no other cruise passengers in town so we could walk the narrow streets easily. Parts of the tourist area were busy with tourists who are staying at the local hotels or renting rooms.
When we arrived at the windmills we were surprised to find only a family of four there taking photos and so we had the place to ourselves to take photos. The family volunteered to take a few of us and we offered to take their photos but they declined. Turns out they were from Southern California and staying on the island for a few days.

After our photo session we headed back to the city center to find a place to eat. We stopped at one that was busy and had a good selection of entrees. The food was good but portions small. I forgot to get the name of the place so I could rate it on Tripadvisor. Made a note to look for another place when we come back in a few days on our return cruise.

Since it was so hot we decided to stop for a coffee and dessert at  a local cafe before going  back to the ship.

Pastry shops are few in Mykonos and the restaurants only serve non Greek sweets and Baklava.
Since we cannot find Greek desserts in the SF area we are constantly looking for a cafe that does serve them. This is my complaint about Athens and the places we have visited so far. I did not come to Greece to eat Baklava or chocolate mousse or cheesecake.

We went back to the bus station to catch the bus back to the ship.
I had a nice visit here and plan to find a better place for lunch on the next visit here in a few days.

  

July 18, 2015 Rhodes, Greece

Today we docked at a pier near the center of Rhodos town - Yay- no tenders!
We have been here two times before and have seen the must see sights so we did not sign up for an excursion.
According to the weather forecast it was going to be in the 80's and not too humid.

We walked from the pier to the main road into town and saw a sign for the hop on hop off bus. Since we missed out on the one in Chania we decided to take this bus for a driving tour of the city. I cannot remember the price but think it was less than 14 Euros.

The whole tour takes about an hour and had about 11 stops. One stop was above the city looking down into it and another was of the large hotels by the beach. A few stops later was the two for the main part of town. We got off at the first one and entered the walled city and walked around looking at the stores and tourist stuff.

We stopped at a cafe for a cold drink and rest and used the free wifi to check emails.

After our break we resumed walking around and at the tourist stores for some gifts to bring home to our family. After a short shopping stop we headed to a nearby taverna for lunch.

After lunch we continued walking for awhile enjoying the sights and then decided to head back to the ship.

By the entrance of the pier there was a cafe and a market and souvenir store. All very handy if one forgot something or wanted to get one last Greek coffee or frappe before going on board ship.