Silver Wind #2217, Athens to Rome, June 4, 2012: not quite live!

Thought we'd post a few highlights of our cruise. Have to say overall, the experience was fantastic and somehow managed to exceed our expectations! The service was even better than we thought it would be, which is saying a lot - all of the wait staff and bar staff really did a fantastic job.

 

The itinerary was port-intense and we hit the ground running from day 1 (well, we started with a few days in Paris beforehand, so we had been running even before day 1)... We just got home this morning from 3 days post-cruise in Rome, and at this point we need a vacation to catch up from this one!

 

Overall thoughts: Kirk Detweiler, the new CD, is quite good. We didn't interact extensively with him but in our limited interactions with him we found him to be very pleasant, interactive, and well-suited to the job. Rumor has it he started as a singer, but had been a CD on a mass market line for quite some time prior to coming to SS. He did sing a few songs at one of the Captain's parties and did a nice job with that. Think he'll be a great addition to SS.

 

We can't comment much on the new entertainment - more singing, and no dancing. We actually enjoyed the old dance shows, with the ballroom professionals. Only saw one show - the variety show on-deck for the outdoor BBQ where they did impressions of famous musicians - it was OK; some of the impressions were quite good and some were lukewarm. We would have gone to the shows had we not been so crazy busy in port.

 

Food and wine were pretty good in the MDR, delicious at La Terazza, and really great in Le Champagne. They now have Hot Rocks at the Poolside Grill for dinner, and that is a wonderful addition. We had a great meal there, and we wish we'd had time to dine there more than once! So much better than dining under the stars.

 

We had over $1000 in OBC this voyage, and honestly had a hard time using all of it. We took only one ship's tour and had to hit the connoisseur's list hard the last few nights so as to not let it go to waste. It was a good way to taste some wines that we'd never splurge for at home, though. Guess we'll have to plan better if the OBC is a recurring theme.

 

We managed to pack light - one large and one small suitcase for the 2 weeks we were away, including formal clothes. Having OBC was a real perk here as we could do "free" laundry, and thus we could cut down on the quantity of clothes we packed. Because we packed light we could use public transport in Athens and Rome to get to/from the ship - we saved a ton of money here that we could spend on other fun things!

 

Will give a little day by day account of the ports over the next few days, as we get settled in at home and get our pictures (and brains) organized. Suffice it to say that we can't agree with some of the previous posters who didn't have a good time on the Silver Wind!

 

We spent 2 days in Paris (Versailles) pre-cruise which was nice. We had not visited Versailles during our last Paris trip; we found the chateau and gardens to be stunning! We stayed in the Trianon Palace Hotel right next to the chateau which was really nice, even though the hotel restaurants were a touch overpriced... A full day was enough to see the highlights, and we flew into Athens the next afternoon/evening.

 

We took the Piraeus Port bus from ATH which was incredibly easy. Just walk outside the baggage claim area, and the bus is waiting (you want the X96 bus). Tickets are available at the booth next to the bus stop for 5€ each. The bus stops about a mile from where the cruise ships dock, so you have to get off and get a taxi to the pier - that was easy and cheap as well. The whole transfer cost under 20€ for 2 people, and doubt it was much slower than a cab, but would have been tricky with more than one bag each. Once onboard, we spent the evening settling into our "home" and awaiting tomorrow's stop in Milos. More to follow, as it's 4AM Europe time, and sleep is calling!

Enjoying your review Jean Paul...looking forward to the next instalment.

 

Cheers

Jennifer

So glad you had a great time Jean Paul ! I was a bit worried reading the recent negative posts about the Wind, so I feel much better now. :) We too have a port intensive cruise on the Wind - with only 1 sea day!

 

Looking foreward to reading your next posts, hope the jet lag doesnt last too long !!

 

 

Ann

Milos was a gorgeous day – hot, clear, and dry without a cloud in the sky. The island is fairly arid with few trees, scrub vegetation, and white villages built into the cliffs. We managed to get on the first tender ashore about 8:30 – which they didn’t announce, because it was filled with a ship’s tour group. Luckily, we checked the gangway and found it. The ride in was very smooth with calm morning seas, and our car rental guy showed up within 5 minutes of our coming ashore. We were on our way shortly to explore the island!

 

Our first stop was Papafragkas, which is a nice coastal view with beautiful rock formations, clear blue water, and we had the whole place to ourselves.

 

Next was Ancient Phylakopi, an archaeological site with ruins of an ancient village. There are a few foundations visible but otherwise, you do have to use your imagination.

 

 

 

 

From here, we proceeded to Sarakiniko which was spectacular! Pure brilliant white rocks meeting the clear blue waters, with places to swim and sunbathe mixed in.

 

 

This spot started to become pretty popular so after spending an hour taking it all in, we decided to move on. The sun was getting very hot as well, and the reflection off the white rocks was intense.

 

Getting to Plaka was a bit of an adventure – the rental people told us that the main road was closed but we could go by way of Trypiti – but we couldn’t seem to find that route, which seemed to branch off after the road closure. So back down some narrow roads to Adamas, and through to the other side of town to take a “back-roads” way up the other side of the mountain. A little hairy; luckily, we met only one other car and it was wide enough to pass. Driving through narrow streets became a common occurrence over the next few days…

 

We stopped at the Christian Catacombs in Trypiti for a brief visit and were pleasantly surprised to find that there was no admission charge that day. On to the ruins of the ancient Roman theater just up the road, with a side hike up the mountain to a deserted church in a gorgeous setting – blue roof, white walls, gorgeous hilltop with a ocean view…

 

There was a small side trip to the site where the Venus de Milo was discovered, almost 200 years ago. Here, we met some of our ship tour buses…

 

From Trypiti we went to Plaka for more hill climbing. The ruins of an old Venetian castle lie high atop the city, and two beautiful churches are built among the ruins. The views are spectacular!

 

 

We were ready for a break by now, but after wandering Plaka for a few minutes we couldn’t find a bank, and the cafes didn’t take credit cards. So, we spent a few minutes at the Archaeological Museum in Plaka (free, again) which was mercifully small – we could see it in about 15 minutes.

 

Then, back to Adamas for a nice seaside lunch at a hotel restaurant that served interesting Greek-sounding dishes, along with a half-bottle of Macedonian wine.

 

 

After lunch, we had an hour to kill so we drove to a few beaches for some more nice vistas.

 

 

Back to return the rental car, then a short walk back to the tender pier for the ride home.

 

Tonight was formal night, so we had the Captain’s welcome reception and a nice dinner in the restaurant with a large table. Since we had a late day tomorrow, we stayed up a little later dancing in the lounge with some new friends from Germany who also do ballroom dancing. Nice to have some company! We don't get to Zakynthos until noon tomorrow, so no need for an early night tonight.

Great pics & highlights Jean Paul....really like the look of those prawns!:)

 

Keep it coming!

 

Cheers

Jennifer

Great pics & highlights Jean Paul....really like the look of those prawns!:)

 

Keep it coming!

 

Cheers

Jennifer

 

Thanks Jennifer - the sauce was made with Ouzo...:)

We slept in this morning (or tried to) because our arrival into Zakynthos was not scheduled until noon. We had to tender again which was annoying, because it there’s a big pier here that would have accommodated a cruise ship. To make matters worse, the tender used the large pier which was further from town, instead of the small ferry pier. So, we had to tender in, then walk to the other end of town for our car rental. Oh well… Guess it helped burn a few calories from dessert that we had with lunch! The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm.

 

We got to Europcar and did the paperwork for our rental, then set out to try to find some sights. First up was another ruined Venetian fortress above town, which took a few minutes but was actually well-marked. Since it was closing in 30 minutes, they let us in with the reduced entry ticket.

 

 

30 minutes was just enough to see the overall scope of the fortress, then we were on our way – and then the GPS unit decided to stop functioning – so for the rest of the trip, we’re depending on road signs. Luckily, they are pretty decent!

 

From the fortress, we made a quick stop at Laganas Beach, which was overrun with sunbathers. Now we understand why the rest of Greece is empty – everyone is at Laganas! Enough of that for now; we decided to press on to Keri for impressive coastal views. After some winding mountain roads, and some impressively tight roads through small villages, we made it to the end of the road and the Keri Cape Lighthouse. The views were great!

 

 

After the lighthouse, we stopped off for a coffee at a nice café nearby with an even better view, which was pleasant until a large group of tourists overran the place with about 8 small children…

 

 

From Keri, we took back roads through the northwest part of Zakynthos until we got to Shipwreck Beach. There are a few overlook platforms where local merchants have set up stands selling honey, wine, olive oil – we bought some local olive oil and liquor that tasted like cinnamon.

 

 

Pressing on to the northern tip of the island, we eventually made it to Korithi, though not without some wrong turns, as the map and the signs were a bit confusing here. No problem! The north coast is quite empty, and there were no large families there to spoil our peace and quiet. The volcanic rock tumbling into the wild surf reminds us of Hawaii.

 

The drive back to town was pleasant, mostly along the east coast of the island, and in the late afternoon sun the lighting cast a gorgeous golden hue over the landscape. Zakynthos was much greener than Milos, with many pine trees reminiscent of Italy, and I can see why the Ionian islands were once part of Italy rather than Greece. They feel very different from the Cyclades, etc.

 

 

We made it back to town by 7:00 (earlier than expected) so we spent some time walking through town to see some churches and public squares (and taking silly pictures of our shadows:o)...

 

 

By 7:30 or so we were done and ready to go back to the ship. The tender was fairly slow tonight so we weren’t back until well after 8:00 - it gave us time for one last bunch of pictures from the end of the pier.

 

 

We had a quiet dinner for two and then a little dancing before retiring for another full day tomorrow in Itea - we're planning to meet the parents of one of my former residents who just happen to live locally, and it promises to be a busy day! Ancient Delphi, mixed with modern Greek hospitality - we're excited!

Your picture of Shipwreck Beach is fantastic. It may be one of the most idyllic spots I've ever seen.

It was great to finally dock after two consecutive tender ports – tendering is not bad per se, but it kills so much time that you end up losing almost 2 hours from your stay. We are expecting to meet Anastasia's parents; they live in Patras, about an hour from Itea. She is a former colleague, who has “volunteered” her parents to meet us in this port and show us around. I hope that they are OK with this!

 

As we pull into the port at 8AM, I notice two ladies sitting on a bench watching us dock, but they get up and talk to the tour guides who have arrived in their buses, so I assume that they are also tour guides. As we walked off the ship, however, they came to greet us and it was Anastasia’s mother Katarina, and her friend Rosa, whom she had brought to help with English language translation. We soon met several others – Anastasia’s father Takis, and another friend Harry. They are all friends with the family of the pilot for the port of Itea, Christos, so we met up with him as well, and enjoyed a coffee by the waterfront while we planned out our day.

 

We left Christos to secure lunch arrangements, and the 6 of us piled into Harry’s car for the drive up Mount Parnassas to Delphi. They have a very nice museum, which we spent some time viewing statues: one reminded us of Angelina Jolie at the Oscars!

 

 

After an hour touring the museum, we headed over to the site of Ancient Delphi and we were amazed by the beauty of the location – on the slopes of a mountain, with gorgeous vistas all around, we can see why the Ancient Greeks were inspired to build here.

 

 

Rosa has brought cookies and baklava for a snack; Harry grabs the box of baklava and runs over to two young ladies and tries to convince them to have some… They won’t take any, and he won’t give up for some time; it’s funny to watch the exchange.

 

In some ways, the topography of Ancient Delphi reminds us of Machu Picchu. The challenges of building here must have been similar in many ways.

 

 

We wander through the ruins and walk all the way up to the stadium at the top. What an impressive place!

 

 

After several hours of walking in the hot sun, it’s time for lunch and our hosts have outdone themselves! Christos has bought fresh fish from a local fisherman at the daily market, and he’s taken the catch to a restaurant on the waterfront for preparation. Anastasia’s parents have brought their homemade wine for us to enjoy with lunch. The restaurant has made side dishes – beets and greens, Greek salad, potatoes, and fresh melon for dessert. A delicious feast was enjoyed by all!

 

We learn a little about how the economic crisis is affecting the general population. They are unsure of what will happen with the upcoming repeat election next week. There is genuine concern for the young generation which is facing austerity, a poor jobs market, and crushing debt. Many have left the country for England and other European countries in search of jobs; of course, that's how we know their daughter. Immigrants from Albania have moved into Greece, and the Greeks feel that the Albanians are taking the entry level jobs away from young Greek citizens. It’s hard to know what will happen from here. They are all worried because tourism is significantly depressed, and shops are closing all over.

 

After a long relaxing lunch, we take our leave of our local hosts, but not before they shower us with gifts – home-grown olive oil, home-produced wine, fresh eggs from Rosa’s hens. Harry tells us that he was surprised to find that we weren’t old and fat - so that's the mental image that they have of American tourists! What a gift to have met these kind, generous people! They also give us the box of baklava and tons of cookies - I think they want to make us gain some weight...

Back on board to drop off our treats, then we walked along the waterfront in Itea for a little while. Beautiful water; perhaps not as clear as our other stops but it’s a charming waterfront town.

 

 

We are struck by the fact that it seems empty; this correlates with what our friends told us. It’s hard to imagine how Greece can get out from under its debt problem without more tourism dollars coming in.

 

Tonight, a great dinner at the new hot rocks dining on deck. They serve your meat just lightly seared on an extremely hot rock tableside; when it’s done to your liking, you remove it from the rock and it stops cooking. A brilliant idea, and Silversea executes it to perfection. My ribeye is already done, and I've got a few giant prawns cooking on the rocks here - there's also a vegetable skewer, and 3 nice dipping sauces:

 

 

A great addition – much better than the old dining under the stars concept. After dinner, we pass under the Patras bridge which spans the Gulf of Corinth.

 

 

Off to bed after this; we have a long day planned in Corfu tomorrow!

Harry tells us that he was surprised to find that we weren’t old and fat - so that's the mental image that they have of American tourists!

Keep in mind, you're not the average American. Remember, 68% of Americans are either overweight or obese. So, I'd say Harry's image of Americans is pretty good

"we spent some time viewing statues: one reminded us of Angelina Jolie at the Oscars!"

 

Hilarious JP :D

 

 

Loved your photos of Delphi - we stayed there many years ago !

 

And I have put Hot Rocks on our to- do list for next month.

JP - your post #11 and visit to Delphi brought back an unforgettable experience. The CHARIOTEER (Angelina Jolie) hasn't changed a bit since we first visited in 1996. The CHARIOTEER created such an impression on me I wrote in our photo album:

 

Stunning! What a beautiful young man. I did not want to stare, yet could not take my eyes away.

I was spellbound, couldn't speak, could only look with awe and marvel at the power of his Creator.

His eyes met mine, or did they seem to? Hypnotic gaze, shaded by bronze lashes, countenance serene.

Standing motionless, in garments of dated vintage with a soft green sheen enfolding graceful body.

His beautify is not marred by loss of arm. The loss accentuates perfection of the one remaining hand. His silence dominates the chamber demanding we be still.

Young man, though maimed, your life goes on. Daily, admirers sustain you.

Young man we met but once and you took my breath away.

 

Thanks JP for your wonderful photos and posts --

 

Mary Ann aka Dusababy

Thanks, Mary Ann. We actually thought that the "Angelina Jolie" look-alike was the one on the left - it's supposed to be a statue of Nike running, but with her leg sticking out of her skirt, the resemblance is pretty funny!

 

 

 

Agree, the charioteer is a fantastic piece of work - the facial expression is wonderful, and the details stunning. We too were in awe of the workmanship that created such a piece of art.

JP I guess I was so mesmerized by Charioteer I completely ignored the leg -- :o

strongly echo Mary Ann's thanks for terrific pix and posts, looks like y'all are having a wonderful voyage

Thanks for your wonderful (as ever) pictures. Fantastic memories of Delphi, a place I visited as a young girl many years ago, and keep trying to plan a return visit. Not happened yet.

And that looks like Prawn Saganaki you had on Milos - was it baked in a tomato and feta cheese sauce?

 

Thanks again!

And that looks like Prawn Saganaki you had on Milos - was it baked in a tomato and feta cheese sauce?

 

 

 

Not quite - they called it prawns with ouzo. It was a creamy sauce spiked with ouzo, very tasty just the same.

 

But, thanks for the clue to the other dish we had... It was mussels, baked in a tomato and feta cheese sauce with capers - absolutely delicious, and I could not remember the name for the life of me other than it began with an "S" - so perhaps it was called Mussels Saganaki! Sounds authentic to me!

 

 

Thanks as well for the compliments, Ravenscroft, Colonel(Ret.)Wes, Dusababy, rojaan19, and Stumblefoot. We really had a fantastic time on this cruise, and it's fun to share - it keeps the memories fresh, and helps pass the time until next cruise!

Yes indeed - mussels saganaki! Sometimes a saganaki dish is simply a portion of fried cheese, but I think the spicy tomato and feta sauce is awesome with shellfish. I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time in Greece during my very misspent youth. The prawns in ouzo is something like 'garides me ouzo', but in Greek characters, of course ;)

I looked up Saganaki recipes on the internet, and found that it's the name of the pan used to cook the food, rather than a specific dish. So - guess that's why the fried cheese, and the tomato/feta dish over shellfish, can both have the same name. Think I'll be trying to duplicate the latter dish at home some time!

 

Don't believe that the portion of your youth that was spent in Greece was totally misspent...

Edited June 24, 2012 by jpalbny
addition

Today, our car rental agency is located in the port’s customs building so it was very handy – it seems like a pretty small operation as they want a cash payment rather than a credit card for the day’s rental. After a few moments of confusion trying to get out of the actual port, we’re off.

 

Corfu is also green and mountainous, like Zakynthos; the driving is fairly slow even though the coastal road isn’t bad. There are lots of curves and hills though; it takes almost an hour to get to the far north part of the island, the town of Kassiopi. After a tight squeeze down a narrow street to the waterfront, we manage to find a parking spot and set off to the try to find the Venetian castle ruins. It’s a short climb and at first doesn’t look like it will be worth it, but halfway around the perimeter, we start to see the waterfront and the views become phenomenal! It turns out to be a beautiful stop.

 

 

After a tight squeeze back out to the main road, we’re off to our next destination!

 

We tried to get to the top of Mt. Pantokrator which was a little challenging – the roads through the interior were small and winding, and the road signs sparse. There were numerous tiny villages with narrow streets that we had to negotiate – good thing that we have a tiny Chevy Matizz with an 800 cc engine… Eventually we reached the turnoff for the mountain road, and stopped for a coffee before making the climb. The road up progressed to a series of switchbacks, and we passed hikers and bikers on the way up. At the top, it’s surprisingly crowded, with a rather large group Jeep tour taking up lots of parking spots.

 

The monastery is very pretty, and the views are great, but the place is swarming with black flies! Although they don’t seem to bite, they don’t seem all that friendly either. We wander around for a few minutes for pictures, then leave just in time to beat the Jeep tour out of there. You can see Albania from here - it looks prettier in the distance than we remember from our visit there a few years ago.

 

 

Another group of jeeps arrives as we’re getting ready to leave, so we’re off to our next destination, another monastery in Palaiokastrista.

 

The monastery was way out on the west coast, at the end of a promontory of rock, overlooking gorgeous coastal views – with sandy beaches, beautiful sea cliffs, and unbelievably blue water – and it was well worth the trip. There is a great collection of religious icons in the monastery, as well as a very pretty church, but the grounds are even nicer with flowers in bloom. After visiting the monastery we spent some more time viewing the coast from a platform next door.

 

Time to climb further up the mountain now to the Angelocastro, past the tiny village of Krini, and this was a tough drive up the mountain. There is a long section of road that’s alternating one-way traffic, which is actually sensible. With the amount of traffic going through this small town, it’s a wonder that there aren’t accidents – and tour buses take this route too! The actual castle is closed for the day but you can climb partway up and get incredible coastal views.

 

 

On the way down, we saw an iridescent butterfly and a pretty green lizard; unfortunately, a feral cat saw the lizard as well and scored a nice lunch. The lizard’s tail fell off and was still twitching as we walked by – creepy!

 

After witnessing the traumatic murder of the lizard, we needed a rest, so we stopped in a café in Lakones for lunch. We had a cliffside seat in a restaurant called the Golden Fox, with a killer view and some delicious food – gyro meat, and veal meatballs, with local white wine. There are several restaurants clustered here which probably all have the same view, so it was a nice place to stop.

 

 

The ride was supposed to get easier, and we’re searching for the Kaiser’s Throne, which is a viewpoint above the village of Pelekas where Kaiser Wilhelm used to like to sit. After a few wrong turns and some backtracking, we finally see a sign pointing us in the right direction, and we enjoy some spectacular vantages.

 

 

There should be a short connector road taking us back to the main road, but we can’t find anything in Pelekas, so we have to backtrack a fair amount to get back on the main road. At this point I'm missing the malfunctioning GPS...

 

Next stop was the Achilleon Palace, built by an Austrian princess / wife of Franz Joseph. The building is ornate and quite gaudy; build in Pompeiian style which seems very excessive. Some of the furnishings are quite nice, though. The gardens are upstairs and behind the mansion, and they are exquisite – other than the fact that they’re dominated by a statue of Achilles standing 20+ feet tall, overlooking a gorgeous view of the coast.

 

 

Our plan now is to get back towards Corfu Town for some sightseeing.

We tried to find the Mons Repos Palace just south of town but are unsuccessful. There are supposed to be some archaeological ruins here as well, but they are all seemingly closed off to visitors. We take in the coastal views at Kanoni for a few minutes...

 

 

Then, we luckily find a parking spot near the old section of Corfu Town, and set off to explore.

 

Our first stop is the Old Fortress, but the highest point is closed. There’s a little bit to see wandering around the lower parts, but not as much as we'd hoped for. The view is prettier from outside.

 

 

The esplanade separating the Fortress from the rest of Old Town is pretty, and has many fountains, statues, etc.

 

 

Old Town is a confusing maze of alleyways. Eventually we make it to the New Fortress, which is completely closed. This is unexpected; both fortresses are supposed to be open well into the evening! Oh well, it saves us a few Euros – we spend about an hour wandering the Old Town and seeing some nice buildings from the outside

 

 

Finally, we get back to the car and back to the Port. We dropped off the car and wandered back to the ship to hear music playing from the deck – tonight’s barbecue under the stars has started!

 

We got ready for dinner and enjoyed a nice table for two up on the top deck. The band played dinner music, and there was a vocal show on deck at 9:00. We haven’t been to any of the previous shows; to be honest, we really enjoyed the old dancing shows that they used to have on SS, and we aren’t too crazy about the new shows that emphasize singing much more. The quality of the vocalists is variable; they impersonated a number of artists from the ‘60s onward with varying degrees of success – Sonny & Cher, Mick Jagger, Aretha Franklin, Cyndi Lauper, George Michael, Katy Perry, and Adele. After the show, there was dancing on the deck which is always fun.

 

The last few days on the Greek Islands have been wonderful, but we're both pretty exhausted after driving around so much. We did manage to see more than the ship's tours, but we're ready for a break tomorrow in Gallipoli, where we'll take a ship's tour and take it easy!