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Our Serenade Story - Review Oct 10 - 22 Med Cruise

inmanfamily

By inmanfamily,
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inmanfamily

inmanfamily

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[SIZE="3"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]A few thoughts before I post my husband's narrative. Athens was an early morning so we chose to visit the Windjammer for breakfast. We were supposed to meet up with the guide outside the terminal as close to 7:30 as possible. Depending on which berth you are in, you may have to take a shuttle bus to the terminal, we had to take one. The bus was readily available and got us to the terminal quickly.

This morning was a little cooler so we all took our jackets, the sun was shining but it was windy. We would have more weather related issues later in the day.

I had researched Athens quite a lot knowing that we would have two wheelchair bound individuals on this tour. We knew most of the sites would have a least some accessiblity. The Acropolis has an elevator but due to conditions may or may not be operating when you arrive.
Now on with the story![/COLOR] [/SIZE]



[SIZE="3"]Day 8 /Port 5
We made plans in Athens, Greece with a company called PK Travel. Their rates were very reasonable and being a small company, it was clearly focused on making us happy. Our guide/driver was Dimitris, who said we could call him Jim if Dimitris was too hard for us to pronounce. Dimitris was a charming man with a rugged smile that made him very likable. I heard some of the women mention that he was the best looking of all our guides, but I don't have a dog in that fight. I do know this, he spoke perfect English and he knew what he was doing and how to get it done. And his jokes were funny! On this day, our group was fairly large. Sarah and I and the kids, Sarah's parents, Mike and George Anne, Sarah's sister and brother-in-law, Christopher and Micah, Christopher's mom and dad, Chris and Meg, and Meg's father, Bill made our group total to eleven members. And two of those members had wheelchair issues. Mike, of course had his scooter, which worked incredibly well almost everywhere. Bill was able to walk, but he was a little unsteady, so when it was feasible, we pushed him around in a wheelchair. It was just easier on him if we were going to be mobile for a long time.

Dimitris met us at the port terminal, but we had to travel to the terminal via shuttle, which met us just beyond the gangplank. When he saw that we were limited with the wheelchair issues, he went out of his way to find the best parking spots, and find the most convenient places to accommodate us.

Athens is an ancient town, as it dates back many millennia. I was expecting it to look like Rome, I suppose, with all the antiquity poking up through practically every street corner, and nestled between apartment buildings. Athens was not like that at all. There were some very ancient sites, but they were contained to a very small section of town, and there was very little overlap with modern living. Of course, the highlights of Athens are the Acropolis, which hosts the Parthenon, the Propylea, and the Erechtheion with the six beautiful women columns holding up the building, and then many of the rest of the antiquities were confined to the area known as the Ancient Agora. But there was plenty more to do and see that didn't involve ancient pillars.[/SIZE]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10954637196/]012[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Green"]As we drove into Athens, we passed many of the stadiums used for the most recent Olympics. Dimitris explained that most were not in use, ever. So they just went to waste. I saw the contrast between Barcelona where the buildings and stadiums are in constant use. It was quite sad![/COLOR][/SIZE]


Our first stop in Athens was the Acropolis, and we were some of the first barbarians to arrive. Dimitris drove us all the way to the top of the entrance where the elevators were, and then walked to the ticket agents to find out how to get the wheelchairs up the Acropolis. When he returned he wore the sad look of disappointment. "The elevators are closed," he announced. "It's too windy." Well, that let the air out of our balloons. But, Mike and Bill both accepted their fate graciously and declared they would remain behind and nap in the van while we spent an hour touring the ruins. We all felt bad about that decision, but there was no other way to handle the situation. So, we bought our tickets and proceeded to take our self guided tour. In Athens, the guide cannot give a tour of the ruins. If you want a guided tour, you have to hire an independent expert. We found several certified guides waiting at the entrance who were for hire by the hour, but we declined and decided to explore everything on our own. They were affordable, it was mainly because we didn't want to spend too much time touring without Mike and Bill, and an expert guide would have extended our stay considerably. So, we huddled up and agreed to meet back at the exit at a certain time. Of course, we were tripping all over each other the entire time, as the Acropolis is not a large area. Before you ascend the stairs into the Acropolis proper, you can explore the remains of the original amphitheater, which can be seen from the path you take as you leave the ticket booths. By the way, in Greece, handicapped people and youth are exempt entrance fees to most historic sites, and the tickets we bought at the Acropolis worked almost everywhere we went.

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10954719194/]013[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr

I would offer this sage advice to anyone willing to hear me. Walk carefully. The marble on the ground is beautiful, but it is slippery, and it had rained the night before. Wear shoes that afford you the best grip possible. Tap shoes would be an impressive choice, but equally dangerous.

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10954583516/]019[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10954647704/]022[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]Here you can see the roughness of part of the walkway.[/COLOR][/SIZE]


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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10954631434/]024[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]Taking pictures of the Propylea...it was windy on top of that rock![/COLOR][/SIZE][/SIZE]
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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10954353375/][img]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2871/10954353375_1fcb5a2150.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10954353375/]037[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Green"]The lovely Caryatids of the Erectheion[/COLOR][/SIZE]


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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10954376965/]034[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]The magnificent Parthenon[/COLOR][/SIZE]


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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10954571493/]039[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]A family photo with an ancient background![/COLOR][/SIZE]


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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10954230955/]052[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]The Greek flag and another shot of just how uneven the ground at the top was! Even if the wheelchairs would have made it up there was only a small level walkway around the front part of the Parthenon and Erechtheion that would have been accessible.[/COLOR][/SIZE]



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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10954183185/]058[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]The Temple of Hephaestus seen from the Acropolis...we are supposed to visit this later in the Ancient Agora.[/COLOR][/SIZE]



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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10954460263/]053[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]The Temple of Zeus from the Acropolis...this is where we are going next![/COLOR][/SIZE]
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[SIZE="3"]It didn't take us long to explore the area. In fact, an hour was sufficient to walk around and snap a few (thousand) shots. By the end of our hour, the barbarians were arriving in mass. We left the Acropolis and Dimitris took us to the Temple of Zeus, which can be seen from the Acropolis. The sheer grandeur of those columns is hard to express. Only 15 remain of the original 104 columns. Impressively, the columns are roughly 55 feet high, and about 6 feet in diameter. These are truly extraordinary, and they are hard to fathom. The temple construction began in the 6th century BC and fell into disuse by the 3rd century AD. It must have been awesome to stand in the center of that temple. It is truly Herculean.

A few other ruins can be seen from the grounds of the temple, the remains of some old Roman baths, and Hadrian's Arch is in the same place. There are also bathrooms on site. And this location is fully accessible by wheel chair.[/SIZE]



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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953872115/]102[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Green"]The massive columns of the Temple of Zeus.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10954100574/]095[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]This column fell sometime in the late 1800's...I bet that shook the ground a little![/COLOR][/SIZE]


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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953944916/]103[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]Some detail of the Corinthian columns[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE="3"]From there, Dimitris drove us to some nearby sites, such as the Olympic stadium built in the 1890s for the Olympic Games. We stopped at the Panathenaic Stadium and marveled that it was the largest stadium in the world covered entirely in marble. The stadium sits on the remains of a stadium that was in use as early as 329 BC. It was used off and on throughout history until it was completely refurbished in 1894. It is an impressive site. While we were touring there, a man approached me and asked if I would sign a copy of my book for him. Of course I was flattered, and I didn't want to embarrass him, so I was honored to accommodate him. If one didn't know better, you would think it was a set up for a publicity stunt![/SIZE]


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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953912694/]119[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]The Panathenaic Stadium[/COLOR][/SIZE]


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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10954000703/]116[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]Signing a book in Greece.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
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[SIZE="3"]Dimitris then drove us to a Lycabettus Hill that overlooks Athens and which offered the best view anywhere. Athens is a massive city, boasting around 5 million people in the collective area, and covering a massive 160 square miles. After a brief stop for a city view and some picture opportunities, Dimitris drove us around town showing us different sites on our way to Syntagma Square where the Greek Parliament is located. We were here to see the changing of the guard ceremony performed by the Presidential Guard in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This is an impressive ceremony to behold. The ceremonial battalion, called the Evzones, stand guard motionless for 15 minutes when they switch position with the other guard. Then become motionless again. Once an hour a new set of guards marches in, quite ceremoniously and takes the place of the old guard. It's worth a stop![/SIZE]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953897214/]121[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Green"]A great view of the Acropolis from Lycabettus hill.[/COLOR][/SIZE]


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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953660675/]130[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]The whole group (except Mike who opted not to get out at this stop since it was a quickie.[/COLOR][/SIZE]


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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953813824/]133[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]The Runner sculpture made from 27,000 (I think) pieces of green glass, in honor of the marathon runner. Interesting to see in person![/COLOR][/SIZE]


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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953864923/]135[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]Greek Parliament Building[/COLOR][/SIZE]


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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953675886/]139[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]Presidential Guard...standing motionless.[/COLOR][/SIZE]


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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953660626/]141[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]During the ceremony....the memorial is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Dimitris told us no one is actually buried here. It is just a memorial.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
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[SIZE="3"]From there, we decided that it was time to grab a bite to eat, and Dimitris asked if we wanted to sit down in a restaurant, or if we would be happy with a cafe that specialized in gyros and other grilled meats. It was their version of fast food. We all wanted the gyros, so Dimitris took us to his favorite cafe, and then pointed to four other spots if the one he recommended didn't suit us. No, the rule is, trust your guide. He dropped us off immediately in front of the cafe, and then pointed to the rest of the historical district, where we would proceed after our meal, and then he would meet us and take us to the New Acropolis Museum as our final stop.[/SIZE]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953527225/]148[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Green"]This is the sign for the restaurant...don't know what the name is in English...never did figure that one out![/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE="3"]The cafe was a perfect choice, even if it didn't have a Wi-fi signal that we could make work. (It did have one, we just couldn't make it work!) We decided to sit under the awning on the sidewalk, where the wheelchairs would have easy access. Our waiter was excited to see us, and the place was busy with locals. We weren't the only barbarians there, but it was definitely not a shop that focused on tourists, even though the menu was in English as well. The food was exactly what we wanted for our day in Greece. We were excited to eat here and we ordered way too much food. But, when would we get to come back? We were determined to make the best of it. We ordered some chicken gyros and pork gyros, and chicken sandwiches and pork sandwiches, and grilled chicken on a stick, and grilled sausage on a stick, and fried cheese balls, and saginaki, which is mozzarella sautéed in olive oil. Several of us ordered beer. And we ate. And ate. And it was great! And we had way too much food, but what a great time we had![/SIZE]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953536175/]147[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]Another view of the cafe. At this point the sun was shining and beautiful...lets eat outside![/COLOR][/SIZE]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953505085/]151[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]Good stuff! Get the big one![/COLOR][/SIZE]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953725143/]153[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]Seth was very happy with Greek food...who wouldn't be happy with fried cheese balls![/COLOR][/SIZE]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953556706/]154[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]I'm just not certain there's enough food here...[/COLOR][/SIZE]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953539976/]156[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]Meat![/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Green"]This meal turned out to be one of the favorites of the whole trip and was one of the best parts of our stop in Athens! The food was delicious and affordable. The staff was friendly and accommodating. Nothing at all to complain about.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
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[SIZE="3"]And then it started raining, which none of us expected, even though we could see a cloud turning blue not too far away. And when it turned loose, it was an impressive rain storm. For a moment, I had flashbacks of my cowboy days out riding the pastures and getting caught in an old fashioned gully washer. Wells sir, this was one of those gully washers. We decided that we would have another beer and wait it out. But it kept raining. Accepting that the rest of our walking tour was now delayed at best, and in reality probably cancelled, we decided that we would go to the museum early. We called Dimitris (he made sure we had his card and number before dropping us at the restaurant) to see if he could meet us a full hour earlier than we agreed, and he was sitting in front of the cafe within 5 minutes. He helped us get loaded despite the downpour and then told us that if we skipped the walking part of the tour, we would miss it entirely, as it would close before we could return. Well, it was too wet to actually do a walking tour, so we opted to skip it and go to the museum.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Green"]We were supposed to finish eating, walk around the Plaka (pick up souvenirs) and visit the Ancient Agora. When the rain started so furiously and we had to cut out this portion of the day, we also lost our souvenir shopping time, which threw a kink in the plans! We did manage to overcome the problem though![/COLOR][/SIZE]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953695333/]157[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]The rain, rain, rain, came down, down, down...[/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE="3"]The New Acropolis Museum was an impressive place to visit. First, it covers an active archaeological dig, and all of the floors in the museum are made of glass, so you can walk around and see the ruins underneath the building. What a great idea! The building was wheelchair friendly, so we loaded up our crew and went to the third floor, where we decided to watch the video of the Parthenon and begin the tour there. There are adequate restroom facilities there, and by this point in all of our tours, I hardly noticed the woman who was standing in the corner quietly monitoring the facility in case she needed to clean something in a hurry. This is actually quite common, but a bit unusual for Americans.

The video was in English and then ran in Greek, and vice versa. It was 14 minutes long and was well worth viewing. The entire third floor was a restoration and reproduction of the Parthenon, which could be seen just above us from the windows of the museum. It is an excellent way for you to see a very close-up view of the intricate details of the sculpturing and statues of the Parthenon. And you won't believe just how detailed the work on it is.

This is the first day that I noticed how we were experiencing Culture Fatigue. We had seen so many overwhelmingly awesome historical sites that we were starting to become numb to them. We were all impressed, but we were finding a certain lack of enthusiasm for just how awesome the ruins were. We still valued and appreciated what we were fortunate to see and visit, but we were becoming overwhelmed by what we were being exposed to. We needed a break!

So, we went down to the cafe/book store, where we sat and ordered Greek coffee and the kids drank cokes, Seth having a Sprite and Caitie a Lipton Tea. After tasting the Greek coffee, we decided that we wanted something that wouldn't overwhelm us. So, Sarah ordered a cappuccino and I drank some water, and then perused the book store. I'm telling you, Greek coffee can be used as a fuel alternative for the space shuttle. Wow! It's good, but, like Brill Cream, "a little dab will do you." Did I just date myself? Oh, by the way, the museum offers fantastic Wi-fi access for free. Take advantage of that!
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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953401675/]164[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]Glass floors are a little freaky, but it is cool to see the archaeological site beneath you![/COLOR][/SIZE]

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[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]The Acropolis from the museum.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953662513/]161[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]Lycabettus Hill[/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE="3"]When our time at the museum was complete, we decided to spend just a few minutes and walk down to the Plaka where we could pick up a few souvenirs. We had missed visiting this shopping district due to the rain earlier. It was only a two or three block walk from our van, so Dimitris budgeted us 15 minutes to rush down there and grab something and come back. It was plenty of time. We found what we wanted in the first shop we encountered. Seth always wants a snow globe, Caitie usually wanted a small wooden box, and we only collect magnets and occasionally a work of art by some unknown local starving artist. You never know who will turn out to be the next Monet, right? We also stopped at a gelato place next to the shop and decided that it was good, but not as good as what we ate in St. Paul in France. So far, Italy, Turkey, and now Greece were falling short on the gelato comparisons.

[COLOR="green"]What really happened here is that we left the museum with a little time to spare and knew Dimitris had said we would not be far from one entrance of The Plaka. We found Dimitris drinking coffee next to the van and asked if we had time to go there. He said with traffic it would be quicker to walk but it would probably take us 10-15 minutes to get there walking. My sister and I decided we could certainly do it in 10 (so we had 10 min to get there 5 min to shop and 10 to get back) according to Dimitris. Well, apparently Dimitris isn't familiar with the power walk. Hubby, myself, and the kids, Micah and Chris, and Meg all made that walk in about 4 minutes. We had plenty of time to shop around a little, get a gelato and take our time getting back to the van![/COLOR]

Dimitris took us back to the port, where we thanked him profusely for his willingness to be flexible in our tour. He went out of his way throughout the day to make it easier for our wheelchair issues, and was always agreeable when we wanted to modify his standard tour. In fact, he was only 5 minutes away when the rain started, so he never even left the area when we were on our own for a two hour stretch. We absolutely enjoyed Dimitris, and always laughed at his well designed jokes. His final words to us when we arrived at the port terminal was to ask, "Do you know what is the difference between Turkish coffee and Greek coffee? When you are in Athens, it's Greek coffee!" Dimitris received high praises from everyone in our group. He was a great guide.
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[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]Our guide Dimitris from PK Travel! He was fantastic![/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="green"]A couple of things I want to add before I finish out the post on Day 8. The tickets for Acropolis were 12 Euro each but the kids were free. This ticket gets you into all the ancient sites (Temple of Zeus, Ancient Agora) The tickets for the Museum were 5 Euro each and the kids were also free here. My dad and mom got in free to the museum because he has a handicapped placard on his scooter. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
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[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Green"]We arrived back at the ship about 4:00. We were all exhausted and thirsty so the kids got their coke mugs and headed to the Schooner Bar for a fill up (this was the fastest place from deck seven). Will and I headed to R-bar in the centrum for a Margarita and we all met back up in the room. The kids played games and watched TV and the grown ups sat out on the balcony. The day had turned pretty again, the sun was shining and we had a great view of St Nicholas Orthodox Church with it's bright blue dome. We discussed our culture fatigue and how we were looking forward to the next day in Santorini because it was just a day to look around and shop!

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10953621953/]166[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr

We had dinner in the dining room, but it was unremarkable apparently. Really none of the dinners stand out as being great on this trip. After dinner, Seth hit the kids club and Caitie decided to see the show with her Aunt Micah. Will and I picked up an adult beverage and headed back to the balcony where we enjoyed the smooth sailing headed to Santorini![/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE="3"]Compasses for Day 8 Athens[/SIZE]

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inmanfamily

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[SIZE="3"][COLOR="DarkGreen"][FONT="Arial"]Our next stop is Santorini, Greece. This was to be our "relaxing day". We did not have a tour scheduled but instead decided to rent a car! Let see what my husband has to say about how our day went...[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE]

Day 9/Port 6
Santorini Serenade

The ship pulled into the caldera of what was once the largest volcanic explosion in recorded history and anchored amongst the islands of the ancient volcano that made up the islands surrounding Santorini. In mid October the sun was still behind the mountains and enough moonlight remained for us to see the villages of Fira (FEAR AH) and Oia (EE YA) lighting the crest of the cliffs, and the donkey path was clearly marked by lantern lights. As the sun came up we sat on our balcony and watched the white-washed buildings in the village create the illusion of snow against the dark volcanic cliffs. Caitie remarked, "It looks like LEGO snow!" and it did. This was going to be a great day. We so looked forward to Santorini, and even bothered to watch all of those over-the-top love story movies set on the island in anticipation of what we would see. The Traveling Hood of some sister's pants and Mama Mia were the top of the list. I have to admit, I was strangely entertained by Mama Mia. Maybe because I am old enough to remember Abba. I think its one of the few movies with Meryl Streep that I actually enjoyed. But I digress...

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957716496/]003[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]The illuminated donkey path.[/COLOR]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957381315/]001[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Looking at Oia[/COLOR]


The easiest tour plans we made for the entire voyage were for our stop in Santorini. We decided that was our day to not have a formal tour, but to simply enjoy the island. We had our eyes on a few restaurants recommended on Cruise Critic, and we had a few places we wanted to visit, but overall, it was not going to be a regimented day. So far, our biggest decision was whether or not to ride the donkeys up the hill from the port. Sarah read every incident where a tourist fell from the donkeys and their lives were tragically altered from that point forward. She was determined that wouldn't happen to us. Not at all. (Ahem, Maestro, cue the ominous music) And then it happened. The best laid plans of mice and men....

Donkey Disasters and Mule Madness
Caitie wanted to ride the donkeys, and I thought it would be fun myself. After all I'm a Texas cowboy and I've sat a saddle before. Seth and Sarah wanted nothing to do with it and chose to ride the cable cars. At a few minutes after 9, we were well ahead of the Barbarians, and neither line was devastatingly long. As we stepped off the tender, Sarah pointed and said, "There's the donkey guy." I looked and saw him holding a sign and saw him turn with a group of people and start walking away. I understood that Sarah was telling me to follow that man, so Caitie and I got in behind him and started walking. I expected she would accompany us to the ride and then get on the cable cars. I looked back and was surprised when I didn't see her but concluded that she sent us our direction and she and Seth went on their way. The line for the donkeys was short and Caitie and I were on our way within a few minutes. By the way, the donkeys turned out to be mules. And most mules are the size of a small horse.

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[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Serenade from the tender boat[/COLOR]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957495504/]012[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957319595/]014[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Waiting for the Cable Cars[/COLOR]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957300945/]018[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Getting ready to ride![/COLOR]
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Riding the mules was exactly what I expected. The mules were trained from so much repetition that one only has to sit on the animal and it would take you to the top until you got off of it, and then a handler will redirect it to the bottom. There are no bits or bridles or whips, and you won't have need of any of those items, so save them for your honeymoon. The mule knows what to do and will do it, even if reluctantly. A small guide rope was wrapped around his nose and tied to the saddle, but that is as much of control as you will encounter or need. Caitie climbed on her mule and I was immediately behind her. She was all giggles and smiles and was having a grand time. We clopped along to the first doglegged turn on the path and Caitie's mule stopped walking. I yelled at her to kick it, but the mule stood motionless no matter what she tried. I began trying to slow my mule in order to stay up with her, but those mules were impossible to redirect. He knew what to do and knew how to do it. I was only confusing him. I wasn't terribly troubled about Caitie, for I knew the mule would do what he was supposed to do. About this time, a gaggle of German riders clustered the path between me and Caitie and I lost sight of her. When I got to the next curve, I could see that her mule had joined the German's in their ascent, so I quit worrying about her. I regretted not being able to get her photo, but the trail was long and I was certain I could slow my mule enough for her to catch up.

The path was roughly ten feet wide and there is a four foot tall retaining wall that lines the edge of the trail for the entire journey. If any tourist ever fell off that path, then it was completely operator error. The mules usually walked in a cluster of about ten or so at a time, and there was plenty of room for that to happen. I felt safe for the entire journey. Caitie managed to catch up to me within 20 feet or so, and I could see that she was having a blast, so I quit restraining my mule and let him have its head. He was a fast walker and liked being in the lead. The gaggle surrounding Caitie were causing quite a scene. They were all terrified, and were screaming at their mules, which confused them greatly. One of the sounds one woman was making was similar to a cowboy yelling "HAW!" Their terrified screams were causing the mules to walk faster than normal, but everyone was perfectly safe. I tried to allow that cluster to pass me by, but my mule would have none of it. One Australian woman was practically sobbing to herself, "I will never to this again!" over and over. I asked her what was the matter and she said that to a control freak, being on a mule that can't be controlled was too much! I told her that it's just like a Disney ride, you just let it happen, but she said my words didn't comfort her in the least. Oh well.

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957376126/]020[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]The Donkey Path (that's Caitie in the blue jacket behind the blonde fella![/COLOR]

After the 15 minute ride, a photographer was standing in the street snapping shots of each rider, and by this time, Caitie and I were together and we were both laughing and having a grand time. I asked her how she got her mule walking again and she said she started talking to it in Greek and it took off. Ha! That was the first time I knew that Caitie could speak Greek. All this time we were focusing on her learning her math tables, and she was apparently learning Greek instead. Go figure! What she was doing was mimicking the yells of the workers who where herding the mules. Whatever works, right? The mules kept climbing the mountain and we kept riding. Soon, there were shops around us and we kept climbing. We were shopping via mule. Not something you get to do every day. After another minute or so, a man was helping the riders dismount and we jumped off our mules and tried to figure out where Sarah and Seth were. We knew they had to have beaten us up the mountain and I fully expected to see them standing there when we were back on the ground. At that moment, I realized that we didn't have a plan for where to meet. We never discussed it. I just assumed the mules and the cable cars ended their rides at the same place.

So, I thought about it a moment and concluded that since we didn't see Sarah, then there must be an exit where the mule riders go, and that must be where Sarah and Seth were waiting for us. So, we started walking down the path, climbed the last few steps to the top, and glanced at the shops surrounding us. At some point I realized there was no set exit. So I had no idea where we were or where Sarah was. I asked a few tourist if they knew where the cable car exit was, and a man told me about two blocks "that way," and pointed to the left. Okay, since we didn't know where we were or where our exit was, we would just go to the cable cars and wait there. Well, we walked two blocks "that way" and we found ourselves on the main highway that passed through town. Hmmm. Something was wrong. I found a store vender and asked about the cable cars and looked sheepish and then pointed and said, "A leeetle bit that way." Okay, another turn to the left. So, we went a leeeetle bit that way and I asked a man riding a scooter if he could show us where the cable cars were. He shook his head and pointed down the road we were walking along, and then pointed to the left. Hmmm. We walked a little farther, but I knew we were completely in the wrong part of the village. We were now in a residential area, and no one, and I mean NO ONE spoke English. I tried Spanish also. Nothing. And Caitie's Greek only seemed to work on mules. So, I would walk up each person and say, "Cable car?" And they would all shake their heads or simply point some random direction. So, I changed my question to, "Does anyone habla cable cars?" but that didn't help either. Every tourist we met on the road we asked, "Cable cars?" but no one could help us. Eventually we ended up at an elementary school, and then we came out on the main road again and passed by several car rental places. Finally, I found a street that looked to go back to the shops, so we walked that way hoping for a miracle. I knew Sarah had to be beside herself with worry. Things like that are horribly stressful to her and I knew she was just short of calling the Embassy and requesting a Seal team be activated to rescue us.

Caitie and I finally found a map with a "You Are Here" spot marked on it. It was nice to know I was still on Santorini. The cable cars were on the map, but I could find the mule path and tried to figure out where we went wrong. Caitie suggested we go back to the mules, but I couldn't figure out how to do that, either. I asked another tourist about the cable cars and in French she told me at the church. Okay. At the church in Santorini is like saying at the Baptist church in Texas. They have one next to every Dairy Queen back home! Every blue dome in Santorini is a church, and they are everywhere. So, I found St. John's on the map and we started walking that way. We circled the church a couple of times and at one point found a place on the path that overlooked the sea and we could see the cable cars immediately below us, and I could see that they passed into a tunnel under the mountain. But where do they come out? We shook our heads in frustration and decided that if we went behind the church, maybe we could figure it out. ARGH!
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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957432044/]024[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr


Meanwhile, back in the jungle...

Sarah and Seth tell this story from a slightly different view point. Sarah saw the man with the donkey sign as soon as she stepped off the tender, and she said "There's the man with the donkeys." She said at that point Caitie and I disapperated into nothing and we were simply gone, having vanished into a vapor, or beamed onto the Enterprise. She said it was as if the rapture happened and she missed it, along with everyone else on the planet--save Caitie and me. They turned around and we were gone! As if we had never existed! We're talking Twilight Zone stuff. She said they walked down where the mules started and didn't see us, and then walked around to the cables cars and still couldn't find us. Seth kept saying, "They wouldn't just go get on the mules without telling us." His logical right brained thought process didn't understand what was happing. Finally, Sarah concluded that we had gone to the mule ride and went to get on the cable cars. By this time, the barbarian population had increased and they stood in line several minutes before their ascent. It is probable that Caitie and I were already at the top before them. When they excited the cable cars, Sarah immediately found several members of our family party who were waiting for their excursion to start and asked if we had come by. Of course, we were probably down by the elementary school by then, so they were clueless. Sarah decided that we must be waiting at the mule ride exit point, so she headed that way.

Meanwhile, Caitie and I were like Marcus Brody on Indiana Jones movie 3, where he was wandering through the streets of Cairo mumbling, "Does anyone speak English?" We ended up again by the elementary school and by this time I knew that Sarah was officially in crisis mode. Forty five minutes had passed and we were worse off than before we started. Much worse. Finally, we found a man in a lawn chair sitting behind a short fence with a sign that said, Tourist Information Center. I asked him how to find the cable cars and in perfect English he explained that we had to walk all the way down this street, turn to the left, walk all the way to the end of that street, and then stop at the church, where the cars exited. How many times had we circled that church without seeing an exit? Well, we summoned our strength and pressed on.

Sarah and Seth were in a full blown high speed wobble. They were having a horrible time figuring out where the riders dismounted from the mules. She found the photographers in the street and saw that the riders were dismounting at that spot. At this point you have to conclude that we were destined to fail. Our mule gaggle didn't dismount for another four or five minutes PAST this point, so we had no hope of actually stumbling into each other. Sarah and Seth kept circling those shops on the off chance that they would run into us. After the fifth time she passed a small Greek vender, he stopped her and asked if she needed wine. She declined a tempting offer and asked him about the mule ride. Armed with the proper information she returned only to discover that we were no longer there, and decided to take one last gamble and walk to the cable car exit. Apparently they had to take a path that scaled the cliff in a punishing climb to the top.

Caitie and I arrived at the church for the hundredth time and frowned when we saw no cable car exit. I was growing frustrated and wanted to pummel the next barbarian who ignored me, and I had one in sight. Finally, standing in front of the church, I realized there was one thing we had yet to try. We hadn't walked THROUGH the church. Would it be that simple? We respectfully worked our way through the courtyard and into the doors of the sanctuary. That's when I saw the path extended through a second gate and the path entered the tourist district. BINGO! We arrived at the cable car exit and ran into those same family members who excited said, "Have you found Sarah yet? She was here 30 minutes ago looking for you!" Well, I planted a flag right there and adamantly refused to move. We would spend the rest of the day sitting at the only exit from the island. Eventually they would return to this spot. After another 10 minutes, an incredibly worked up and completely disheveled Sarah and Seth stumbled off of their cliff pathway and collapsed in a heap at our feet. As I predicted, Sarah was distressed. We took a few minutes to collect ourselves while recanting our tales and explanations. In all, we only lost an hour, but it felt like half a day. Let's now salvage what we could of the day. We needed to find Tony's car rental place, and it just so happens that Caitie and I had passed it several times, and that was one place we knew how to find.

When we arrived at Tony's I was immediately comfortable with our rental selection. I don't know if the man and woman working the store were Tony and his wife, but I suspect they were. Immediately Tony's wife saw how exhausted we were and ushered us to our chairs and continually asked, "Are you okay?" I think she was worried we would pass out in her lobby. Our car rental was ready to go, and Tony sat down with a map and showed us step by step where to go and how to get there. He told us that if we drove to Oia it would take us 20 minutes. He told us that a trip to the winery would take 10 minutes. He showed us the map and told us that if we went to each place we wanted to visit to put 5 liters of gas in the car when we returned. If we went to less places, then put a little less gas. He was very agreeable and he didn't get all wrapped up with the inspection. He showed me every small scratch on the vehicle and said, "It's okay." We agreed that the scratches were already there and then sent us on our way. Before we leave with our rental, let me also mention that we spent 45 euro to rent the car for the day, and we also added 10 euro for full coverage insurance for the day. You can't get a cab ride up to Oia and back and come out any cheaper. And driving in Santorini is NOTHING like driving in Athens or the rest of Europe, for that matter. Almost all of the cars on the road were other American tourists who rented cars, so the driving conditions were very familiar to us. This was an excellent choice!

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957395694/][img]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2844/10957395694_75e401b601.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957395694/]030[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]our cute little rental car[/COLOR]

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957407734/]028[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Seth playing on the fun stuff at Tony's Rental Cars![/COLOR]

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957302376/][img]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2891/10957302376_aa9bcb51cf.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957302376/]041[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]My sister and her husband decided to rent scooters from Tony's. They just showed up, no reservation, and it was a great option for them![/COLOR]
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inmanfamily

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We took off and drove to Oia on a very pleasant drive along the coastal road that wound its way through the lava flows and ash deposits and arrived in Oia without any trouble. We drove through town first and then circled back to see if we could find a place to park. Having been to Athens and knowing how the Greeks drive and park, I was certain I could find a place. We stopped behind another rental and parked. At that time, a huge tour bus drove around the corner and frantically waved his hands telling us that we chose poorly. We loaded up again and drove another block and found a parking lot where we paid 2 euros for 5 hours. That was more than enough time.

We walked along those incredible streets of Oia with the white washed walls and the blue church domes, and were enthralled with the simplistic beauty and majestic complexity of the Santorini village life. The island is simply charming. And the views are breathtaking. I think I can describe the joy you experience as you walk along those incredible streets. Do you remember the day you got married? No, seriously, think back to those days when you were still excited about your spouse and were eagerly anticipating that joyous day. Can you remember the anticipation of that wonderful day when your spouse would complete your life and bring you true joy? Well, that's what actually happens when you experience Santorini. It's like being the focus of a symphony. Or better, it's like being caught up in a symphony and simply experiencing it while it just happens around you.

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Just some shots of Oia![/COLOR]
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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957258976/]048[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957254056/]049[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957331474/]050[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957378033/]052[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957317334/]053[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957212836/]056[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
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We stopped at a cafe in Oia named Skiza, where we had commanding views of the sea below and the white houses clinging to the cliff around us. Our waitress was lovable and smiled warmly whenever we asked her to help us. She showed us how to sign up with her free wi-fi, and made several suggestions about the menu. I ordered the chicken pie, which was to die for, and Sarah ordered the Greek salad, which was rich with local produce and a crumbling feta cheese. It was really tasty. Caitie ordered a turkey and cheese sandwich on a baguette, and really liked it, but spent more time trying to beg bites of my pot pie than eating her sandwich. Seth ordered the Margherita pizza and gobbled it up. Sarah had a glass of dry red wine that came chilled which we weren't used to, but it was wonderful. We also ordered a large bottled water, and the kids got Cokes, one of which was a tea with lemon. All together we spent less than 40 euro and were enthusiastically satisfied. We spent another hour walking the streets and picking up a few souvenirs. I found a really nice piece of art that came with a certificate of authenticity.

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957113985/][img]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5533/10957113985_fd990a52de.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957113985/]058[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Skiva Café, Oia[/COLOR]

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957095655/][img]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2849/10957095655_9073ca0a53.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957095655/]061[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]We were having a wonderful time![/COLOR]

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957317593/][img]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3790/10957317593_e7633f1955.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957317593/]063[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]My delicious greek salad and Will's chicken pie in the background.[/COLOR]

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957162946/][img]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3737/10957162946_585e66402a.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957162946/]065[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]This is how they brought the ticket to your table everywhere we stopped in Santorini. It was crumpled up in a shot glass on the table. I guess so it doesn't blow away?[/COLOR]

Oia is a fantastic place to visit, and we marked it down as a place to return to -- without the kids, of course. You could easily rent a hotel room that was built into a cave on the cliffside and spend a day walking the shops and enjoying the beauty that is characteristic of that wonderful island. There are also beaches available; one with black sand, the other with red. And one or two historical ruins were available to tour. We didn't visit those places, but we did visit the winery. We drove back to Fira and passed through town to the winery, which was situated with perhaps the best view of the island available. All together, that drive took about 20 to 25 minutes.

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957301553/][img]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5519/10957301553_b1c0262096.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957301553/]066[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]One more picture of Oia![/COLOR]
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We spent an hour at the winery and chose the flight of six samples while the kids drank hot chocolate and ate some kind of bundt cake. We liked most of the wines we sampled, but they gave us dessert wines in the flight, and I don't typically like sweet wines, even as an afterthought to a meal. We enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere and used the free wi-fi signal to FaceTime our family back home. Of course, we woke them up from an early morning sleep, but it was unavoidable. We bought a few of the selections we enjoyed and then returned to Tony's to drop off our car. Tony's wife was glad to see us and destroyed our credit card slip while we watched her. The car rental was the easiest transaction we worked while on the entire cruise.

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957048025/][img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7458/10957048025_7918812f1a.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957048025/]070[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Our Wine Tasting at Santos Winery[/COLOR]

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957273223/][img]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5481/10957273223_596eaecc88.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957273223/]071[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]The view from the winery. Your welcome to come and check out the view and skip the tasting![/COLOR]

We had an hour left, so we walked the shops and found the Greek vender who helped Sarah locate the mules. We wanted to reward him with some business and, while the kids ate some tasty Greek soft serve ice cream, we allowed him to offer us some wine samples. His prices were highly exaggerated, but we owed him one. So, we ordered some wine and some rather tasty olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic stuffed olives, which he shipped to our home. Again, we don't recommend this vender because his prices were very high, but he was very helpful. If you do want to have some wine shipped home, there are vendors in Santorini that will take care of that for you.

We rode the cable cars back to the bottom. The line to get on the cars was about five minutes long, and Seth was not charged, but Caitie, who is fifteen, was charged as an adult. Upon exiting the cable cars, we found the line to ride the tenders back to the ship to be rather lengthy. Sarah was not ready to return to the ship, so we walked along the dock and sat down in the cafe by the donkey rides and had one final drink before surrendering the island to the Greeks. This cafe also had free wifi, and it was probably the best signal we had on the entire trip.

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957074506/][img]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/10957074506_b817317f7b.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957074506/]081[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Fira and the cruise ships![/COLOR]


[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957022234/][img]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3742/10957022234_4dcbb35f94.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957022234/]102[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Getting on the Cable Cars.[/COLOR]


[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957169523/][img]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2862/10957169523_48f5c206bd_c.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10957169523/]088[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]The dock where the tenders drop you off.[/COLOR]

Then we got back in line for the tenders and after a fifteen minute wait, we were back on the ship and fully lamenting leaving Santorini. Sarah and I had a few minutes before our 6 o'clock dining time, so we sat in the Schooner Bar and toasted the island and made a wish to return. Some final thoughts about Santorini: We don't feel regret for not hiring a tour. We don't feel as though we missed out on anything. Our relaxing (minus the rough and chaotic mishap) day was a pleasant change from the regimented tours, and by this point, our Culture Fatigue was advanced and we desperately needed a simple day of mindless amusement. Seth also noted that next time he would ride the donkeys. He thought the path was very narrow and dangerous, but it is a trail as wide as a single lane road, and the fence lined the path for the entire journey.

After dinner we attended the second on the Centrum Aerial Shows. We enjoyed the Jack and the Beanstalk show earlier in the cruise but this one was an alien/techno weird show that did not really impress any of us. After the centrum show we decided to attend the main show since tomorrow is a sea day and we get to put our clocks back an hour tonight! Tonight's show was Brooks Aehron a concert pianist. It was a fantastic show, probably our favorite of the trip. He turned out to be a very accomplished musician as well as a great entertainer. The ship even gave him an encore performance the next afternoon (Caitie and Sarah's mom attended) and it was standing room only in the Tropical Theater! Tomorrow is a much needed Sea Day, hope the great weather holds out!

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10956884233/][img]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3689/10956884233_8348bde9c1.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10956884233/]140[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]The Centrum Aerial Show[/COLOR]
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[SIZE="3"][COLOR="DarkGreen"]A few final thoughts from me (Sarah) about Santorini.

If you have people in your group that want to ride the donkeys make sure you all have maps and a meet up plan before they vaporize into thin air!

My dad (who uses a mobility scooter) was completely unable to get to Santorini. There would have been no way for him to board to tender with his level of mobility. Luckily we realized this and let him know before he got ready and came down to leave the ship. He stayed on board and got a massage, I think. My mom did make it to the island later in the day.

I was so nervous about renting/driving a car in Santorini but it turned out to be a great option and Tony's was a great company to work with. There would have been plenty of time to see many more things on the island but we didn't leave the ship very early and we lost time looking for each other so we decided to just focus on Oia and the winery.

I desperately want to go back to Santorini, it is breathtaking! :D[/COLOR][/SIZE]
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Compasses Day 9 Santorini, Greece


[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10881178695/][img]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3754/10881178695_f98a87923d.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10881178695/]CC D009P1[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10881485833/]CC D009P2[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10881209346/][img]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3667/10881209346_19ba3904ac.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10881209346/]CC D009P3[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10881478553/][img]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2836/10881478553_bd8ab71008.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/65736756@N08/10881478553/]CC D009P4[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/65736756@N08/]inmanfamily4[/url], on Flickr
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inmanfamily

inmanfamily

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[quote name='jewelinthesand']What happened to the end of this review? I'm so disappointed. was looking forward to the rest of it and the other compasses. also wanted to know what night the quest was. :(:(:([/QUOTE]

Hey! Thanks for the little kick in the pants :o. I am so sorry I let this slip away. My husband became very busy with rewrites on his new book and this got pushed to the side. Sincerely thanks for the post because I really do not want to be one of the people who don't ever finish their review.

So better late that never. Here is Sea Day 10 and Day 11/ Salerno (Almalfi Coast)
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[SIZE="3"]Sea Day 10
Well, the sea day started off with a bang for us, as both kids spent the night in Grandma's room. So, we eased into the day and casually made our way to the dining room for a very relaxing, satisfying breakfast.

The weather was picture perfect. The sea was glass and there was no wind to speak of, and the sun was a beacon of happiness.

After breakfast, Seth went to the kids club, and Caitie went shopping with Grandma, while we went to the solarium for some adult only time. As creepy as that sounds, it just means the solarium is reserved for adults only. It's a CHILD FREE ZONE! Yay! We were there for only a few minutes when Sarah's sister Micah and her husband, Christopher came in and began sunning on the quiet deck. I worked on my trip review and Sarah read. It was like having a day off. We even ate lunch there in the Park Café. It was okay. I still prefer the dining room. But today was about convenience. [/SIZE]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/jDZUWf][img]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7296/12244431634_ecd1d12c11.jpg[/img][/url]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="DarkGreen"]Caitie having breakfast with Grandma![/COLOR][/SIZE]


[url=https://flic.kr/p/jE1D67][img]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7360/12244573436_f77644c178.jpg[/img][/url]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="DarkGreen"]Chillin' in the Solarium.[/COLOR][/SIZE]


[url=https://flic.kr/p/jDXE8x][img]https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/12243991605_e2375ef3d1.jpg[/img][/url]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="DarkGreen"]We did take a dip in the pool and the water temp was very pleasant![/COLOR][/SIZE]


[url=https://flic.kr/p/jE1yYu][img]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5512/12244559596_3d936057af.jpg[/img][/url]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="DarkGreen"]Lunch at the Park Café. I really enjoyed the salad bar here and we never found it crowded.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
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