Friday 3-21-25
Even though we had another early wake up call, it was worth it because cruise embarkation day had arrived.
We ate breakfast, met our cruise coordinator, Adrianna, who was very helpful and then loaded the bus. It was about an hour from the hotel to the port with little traffic.
Once we arrived we dropped our luggage off and got in line to board the cruise which took a hot second but that is okay. After security we walked down the pier and got on the ship. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the inside was. It made a good home on the water for the three upcoming nights. My mom and I walked to our rather cozy but nice cabin and got our life jackets for the muster drill. While we waited, I worked on the blog since I could get WiFi. After the drill we grabbed lunch at the at the buffet and it was actually pretty good. I had some to kill until disembarkation at four so I walked around the outside deck, took in the views, explored the ship and then got ready.
Our first stop on the cruise was the white washed island of Mykonos. We had originally planned to just wonder around on our own but ended up booking a walking tour excursion, as did most of our group. It provided a helpful overview of the island and its history along some STUNNING views. Mykonos is now known as the “party island” of Greece because of its vibrant nightlife. However, there is more to this charming place than its nickname encompasses. It is one of five islands surrounding Delos, the birthplace of Apollo and Artemus. At first all of the buildings were made of natural stone to blend with the landscape serving as a camouflage from pirates. Following World War II, there were many bodies that washed up on shore and the Mayor had everyone paint the buildings white because of its has anti microbial properties.
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We started in Mykonos Town (Chora) and winded our way through the beautiful alleyways until we reached “Little Venice”. This area was originally used to house chickens and animals but the Venetians covered it to be used by merchants and captains since it had direct access to the water. Along the way there were cute doorways, small stores, and restaurants. The only downside was that mosts places were still closed since it is still the off season but there was plenty open to get the full experience.
From “Little Venice” we walked up a small hill to the iconic windmills. These three structures windmills were built by the Venicians in the sixteenth century to mill flour. From the top we had a breathtaking view of the sunset over the water. It just kept getting more beautiful!
After we had taken plenty of pictures and soaked in the view, it was time for a seaside dinner. My mom, friend, and her mom broke off and found a cozy restaurant with wonderful food and drinks. I had my mom and I split an order of Calimari and a shrimp pasta dish that were very good. We took our time before having to brave the windy and cold walk back to the charter bus.
Once we reached the ship, I went met up with some friends and went to circus themed show. I’ll just say it was something else… very entertaining. We got some good laughs, so much so that we went back the next two nights.
Then, it was finally time to head back to the cabin to get some sleep in preparation for the next stop, Kusadasi, Turkey. Mykonos has been one of my favorite stops so far without a doubt! There is just something about the island that makes you want to get lost on in the middle of all the white buildings just feet from the sea.
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