Island Hopping

Wednesday was spent on the island of Paros. A relatively sleepy town especially since the summer season is over. Lacey and I enjoyed wandering the quiet streets. Never would I have thought that I would be lucky to see the famous blue roofed houses in Greece but here I am and loving it. We were lucky enough in Paros to watch a beautiful sunset also which made this island really memorable for us.
After Paros on Thursday we headed to the much anticipated island of Mykonos. This is the island that I had heard the most about so I was really looking forward to going and seeing it for myself.

To me, Mykonos has been spoilt in the sense that you can tell it is the most toursitic island. A maze of souvenir shops all selling the same thing, my favourite place on the island would have to be the lookout where 5 windmills stand. We had a beautiful view over the ocean and watched as the many luxury cruise liners anchored up for the afternoon.

We headed back to the ship at 4pm once our shuttle bus arrived. That evening I was lucky enough to watch an eclipse from the boat. It was really pretty but sadly I got no photos...

After Mykonos was seen we sailed to Syros on Friday. Said to have a Venetian feel, Lacey and I could tell right away. There was something about this place that was to be enjoyed. Not as quiet as Paros, the people were really friendly and the scenery was great. We caught a bus around the whole island and it was so picturesque.

Off to Athens on Saturday we had planned to do one of the excursions the cruise offered. For 20 euros we got driven into the city and explained a few things. Our guide wasnt exactly the best so we decided to make our own way back to the ship and leave the tour. Whilst in Athens I climbed the hill and saw the Acropolis, we went shopping at the greek flea markets and we saw the changing of the guards at parliament. We were taken to the Olympic stadium that was used at the first Olympics in 1896 and was a replica of the stadium used in ancient times. Another cool place, we had a nice day exploring. We braved the greek metro system and were impressed how efficient it was. Our guide mentioned to us that whilst in the process of construction the greek people often come across ancient ruins and so many of the subways are like museums, keeping the findings where they are so people can see them still.

That night was another beautiful sunset. It is so relaxing to watch the sun go down while sailing along. I think I will have to go on another cruise after this one.

Today was our last full day on our cruise and we were meant to go to the island of Kalymnos. Even though it is sunny and warm where we are at the moment unfortunately we didnt make it to Kalymnos due to high winds (which we experienced last night while sleeping - - imagine stuff falling off your dresser at 4am and being rocked about) so we are in Kos today again since we could port here. A bit disappointing to miss out on visiting that island, we have spent the day packing and window shopping.

Tomorrow we get off at Bodrum Tukey and disembark for good. Tuesday we will fly to Istanbul and stay there for a few days with the hope to also then go to Chanakule where the gallipoli site is.

Hope everyone back home is well! Look forward to spending some more time in the sun with you.... soon I will be back in the snow and freezing as we head furthur north!