Day 37 Mykonos, Greece

Day 37 Mykonos

Blue sky, blue sea and white buildings….

Phew; am I glad we had a sea day yesterday. After the hectic days in Egypt and Israel we needed to recharge our batteries. We had a formal night last night, again, and virtually straight after dinner we headed off to our cabin. The decks after dinner have been fairly quiet at the moment; I hear you can even get a seat in the lounges for the floor shows. I have been too exhausted to update my blog straight after a shore tour, I apologise. I expect the 5 day run of ports in Italy and Spain will be the same.

In comparison to the previous ports, we were taken ashore by the ships' tenders. The tender service took us right to the pier in the town. Paul and I went ashore early when most of the shops were still closed, however this allowed us to meander the narrow cobbled alleys of this idyllic place with few people about. We walked past tiny squares lined with planter boxes planted with geraniums and walls topped by bougainvillea producing splashes of colour on a backdrop of white.

The granite island had been ruled by Venetians until the early 18 century, later it became a haven for pirates in the area. We could see many little chapels as we walked through this tiny town. Sailors and pirates in times of stormy weather vowed to God to erect a chapel if they returned safely home, so I assume there must have been a lot of hairy sea days!

We had a gentle walk up the hill to see the windmills which had originally been used to refine grain. Then as we made our way back towards the centre of the town, we stopped off to enjoy a coffee in one of the outdoor restaurants overlooking the sea. By the time we wandered into the shopping area, the shops had opened and we were able to pick up some postcards and look inside some quaint little shops. Just before arriving back at the pier, we passed another little chapel, packed with men who were singing a hymn. I didn't see any ladies in this tiny chapel only about a dozen men….I did say the chapel was tiny!

By the way, I noticed a lot of the Greek men were speaking English with an Aussie accent! Tonight we stayed up late to catch a live act of Amy Abler, a piano 'divalicious' who played at the Adelaide Fringe this year.  Great performance.