Athens Again

 March 7

Today we needed to check out of our cabin by 8 am and disembark by 9 am.  We made sure we ate a nice hearty breakfast first!  We met Kelley and Kathy for a last breakfast together. 

We are staying one more day and flying out super early tomorrow.  The big question:  what to do with our luggage for the day???  We found a company called LeaveYourLuggage, a half hour drive away.  We contacted them ahead, and LeaveYourLuggage even arranged pickup at the cruise dock for us.  Our taxi driver George was waiting as we got off the cruise ship.

After we dropped off the luggage, we walked half an hour to The National Archaeological Museum. It houses an amazing collection of ancient artifacts including figurines, pottery, and sculptures.  Lots and lots of it!  It was all very well organized and well labelled.

One of the most famous exhibits is the Mask of Agamemnon.  Well, the person who discovered it thought it was Agamemnon's funerary mask.  But modern research shows that it actually predates the Trojan War by 300 to 400 years.  Which makes it from the year 1550 to 1500 BC.

This is the Artemision Bronze, dated 460 BC.  It is 2.09 meters tall and was recovered from the sea.  They are not sure if it was meant to be Zeus throwing a thunderbolt or Poseidon throwing a trident.

There was a nice surprise courtyard where we rested for awhile, until it got too crowded with smokers.  Blech.  Everyone in Greece smokes.  We've seen huge groups of high school students walking with their teachers, smoking and vaping.  And all wearing black.

We walked back to Syntagma Square, got some gelato, and watched all the excitement going on.  

Then we got our luggage and asked George to take us to the Holiday Inn near the airport.  He was much more chatty on this drive.

Our flight home starts at 6 am, so we will have to head to the airport at 2:30 am (the Holiday Inn has a shuttle).  We'll have a 3.5 hour flight to Amsterdam, another long 5 hour layover, and an 8.5 hour flight from Amsterdam to Toronto.  We should land in Toronto around 4:30 pm local time, which will be 10:30 pm in Greece.  It will be a long 22 hour travel day door to door!

One last mention of our quest to follow Paul:  The Apostle Paul visited Athens around 50 or 51 AD as part of his second missionary journey.  He came here after being chased out of Thessaloniki.  The people in Athens were much more interested in listening to Paul.  Acts 17:21 says

All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.

So they were happy to debate with Paul.  While Paul walked around the city, he noticed many idols, and an altar with the inscription TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.  He then explained to the people exactly who this Unknown God was:

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.  And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything.  Rather, He himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.  For in Him we live and move and have our being.  Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 

Nafplio

 March 6

17C, warm and sunny.

We are back in the Peloponnese region of Greece, and today the ship stopped in the historic coastal city of Nafplio (also spelled Nafplion).  Population 14,500.  It is 2 hours from Athens, and is considered one of Greece's most romantic and beautiful destinations.  After the Greek War of Independence, Nafplio served as the first capital from 1827 to 1834.  Nafplio has 3 main fortifications.

imagecredit https://mercy2908.wordpress.com/2018/05/14/cartes-postales-from-greece-facts/

There are 2 huge yachts in port, and a smaller one.  The yachts belong to Sheik Mansour from the United Arab Emirates, and each one cost $600 million with an annual operating cost of $50 million.  They have been docked here quite awhile, possibly from 2025.  They have a nice spot right on the dock.  Is that the reason we had to be tendered today???

Because we are in the Poloponnese, a lot of the tours offered today went to Epidaurus and Mycenae.  Having already visited those sites, we stuck to the basic included tour, just a two and a half hour walking tour of the Old Town.

From the pier our guide ("I am a working archaeologist" he assured us several times) took us to Kapodistriou Park just to see the statue of  Staikos Stailopoulos.  He was a hero of the Greek War of Independence.  After the war he became some sort of governor of the area.  He wanted to bring potatoes to the area to alleviate hunger, but the people said NO!  No potatoes!  So he put them in a building with a heave presence of guards.  The people thought they must be very valuable since they are guarded, and stole them and planted them.

We walked through the city full of Venetian houses.  They call them "Venetian" but it really means that the Romans built them during their occupation.

This is the Holy Church of Virgin Mary, 15th century.  They sure had a lot of relics (that means human remains).

Our guide finally gave us an explanation for all the cats.  He said they take care of all the scorpions and poisonous vipers.

We spent time at the Archaeological Museum of Naplio.  The most famous exhibit here is the Dendra Panoply.  It is Mycanaean bronze armour from the late 15th century BC.  At 3500 years old, it is one of the oldest complete armour ever found:

The Panthenaic Amphora is from 530-520 BC.  It originally contained oil awarded during the Panathenaic Games in Athens.  Every four years this vessel is transferred to the city hosting the Olympic Games.  This is a symbolic link between the ancient games and the modern ones:

Our "two and a half hour" tour was over after one hour.  Which gave us lots of time on our own. We walked along the Arvanitia Promenade along the coast.  

We tendered back to the ship for an appointment with the cruise consultant, who talked us into booking another cruise with Viking.  Really, even if we change our minds and cancel and lose the $50 deposit, we come out ahead because we got a $200 credit applied to our current cruise just for booking.  That pays for Frankie's massage!

After lunch we tendered back into town and found a taxi to take us to the top of Palamidi Castle.  It is a massive, well-preserved structure built from 1711-1714.  It is the largest castle in Greece and sits 216 meters above the city.  To climb to the top, there are "999" steps (!!!) and it takes about an hour.  Thus the taxi LOL.  The taxi driver gave us 40 minutes and just waited for us at the top.  The castle had very difficult stones and steps to maneuver.

Great views!

We saw the "prison" where Theodoros Kolokotronis was held.  He was a Greek general who led several instrumental victories against the Ottoman empire in the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829).  Once Greece became independent, King Otto became king and clashed with Kolokotronis because of his pro-Russian leanings.  Kolokotronis was sentenced to death for treason and imprisoned in Palamidi Fortress for 11 months but was later pardoned and reinstated to General.  His "cell" was nothing more than a cave full of rocks, not even a single level surface.

We asked the taxi driver to drop us off at the boat launch for Bourtzi Castle, built in 1471 on an islet in the harbour.  Its purpose was to protect the city against sea invaders and pirates.  Believe it or not, they had a massive chain that stretched all the way from this little island to the mainland 400 meters away, to stop unwanted boats from getting through.

After the War of Independence, Bourtzi Castle was a home for the city's executioners because no one wanted to live near them.  It was a luxury hotel from the 1930s to 1970, and now its open for tourism.

Lucky for us, today was Melina Mercouri Memorial Day.  She was a Minister of Culture.  So both our castles were free to visit today.  That saved us about 50 euros.  Thanks, Melina!

One last meal in the restaurant with our waiter Miftah, then back to the cabin to pack.  They want us out bright and early tomorrow.

Crete

 March 5

There was a Code Alpha announced in every stateroom and public area last night.  That means some sort of medical emergency.

A very warm 17C, no wind today.  Bright and sunny.

Crete is the largest island in Greece.  It is 260 km long and 12-60 km wide.  The population is over 600,000 but they receive over 5 million visitors a year.  Not just tourists, but family members as well. In July, the temperature reaches above 54C.  The island has 5000 orthodox churches for 6 villages.  The island has 35 million olive trees.

imagecredit https://ca.pinterest.com/pin/240520436335593348/

The ship docked in Souda Bay in the northwest coast.  Our included tour was called Chania by Foot.  Chania (pronounced Han-ya) has a mix of Ottoman, Minoan, and Byzantine influences.  Population 80,000.

We had to take a bus 20 minutes from port to get to Chania.  In Chania, we walked through the winding streets of the Old Town.

We visited the Church of St Nicholas.  What makes this church interesting is that it is the only church in Greece that has BOTH an Ottoman minaret and an Orthodox bell tower.  First it was a Catholic church.  Then the Turks took over and added the minaret.  Then it became Greek Orthodox and the bell tower was added.

While we rested inside the church, our guide told some interesting stories.  Here, they don't celebrate birthdays, but they do celebrate Saint Name Days.  Everyone here is named after a saint (there are a lot of Nikos and Marias), so you celebrate when it is your saint day.

She asked if we had seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding?  She said her wedding was worse.  There were a thousand guests and she only knew half of them.  She received 50 vases that she had to exchange.

We walked to the Venetian Harbour where she left us to explore for an hour on our own.

A 15th century lighthouse:

We walked around a bit, then found a nice bench awfully close to the water's edge to sit and relax.

The water was nice and calm today.  When the waves are choppy, the water goes right into the shops and they have to close up.

At the end of our free hour, we could either choose to go back with her to the ship, or remain in town on our own and take the shuttle back.  We decided to go back to the ship, as did 3/4 of our bus.  We need a little rest!

When we got back to the boat, a whole line of ship staff greeted us dancing and cheering.

We spent a relaxing afternoon on board the ship.

For dinner, we went to the other specialty restaurant, Manfredi's.  They served so many appetizers that by the time the main course arrived, neither of us could eat it.

The Apostle Paul likely visited the island of Crete twice.  The first time was in 60-61 AD when he was a prisoner being taken to Rome.  The ship took shelter from strong storms in a southern harbour called Fair Havens.  They were there for some time, and Paul even advised the crew that conditions were not right for sailing on.  Luke was travelling with Paul and tells us in Acts 27 that Paul's warning was ignored with disastrous results:  

When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island.  We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.

Paul could not resist an "I told you so" but also gave the sailors some hope:

“Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed."

imagecredit https://bibleteachingnotes.blog/2019/05/19/acts-27/

They ran aground on the island of Malta and built a fire.  A viper bit Paul on the hand and the islanders thought he was a goner.  

The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

imagecredit https://www.biblefunforkids.com/2015/05/paul-is-bit-by-snake-on-malta.html

Paul went on to heal many sick people on Malta before being taken to Rome, still as a prisoner.  After being released, it is believed that he returned to Crete and worked with Titus there.

The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.

Santorini - More Excitement Than we Bargained For!

 March 4

Santorini (also known as Thira) is a crescent-shaped volcanic island.  It is about 16 km long and 6 km wide. 

imagecredit https://www.charismasuites.com/frequently-asked-questions-about-santorini/

Santorini was formed by a massive volcanic eruption in the 16th century BC.  The island overlooks a flooded volcanic crater.

imagecredit https://www.topoguide.gr/islands/southern_aegeo/advs_santorini/santorini_geosites_en.php

Santorini is famous for its white-washed building and bright blue domes.  The white-washed paint is made of chalk or limestone.  They only started painting this way in the early 20th century, using limestone to sanitize against cholera.  They continue to white-wash (at least once a year) because it reflects the heat of the sun and helps to keep their homes cool.  We saw a lot of white washing going on today.  The white and blue promote national colours.

The Bible does not mentioned the Apostle Paul ever visiting Santorini, but it does mention several nearby islands including Crete, our next stop.

Santorini has 15,000 - 16,000 permanent residents  In early 2025, about 13,000 of its residents left the island temporarily because of a series of earthquake swarms (a series of numerous small earthquakes with no mainshock).  The island becomes very overcrowded in the summer with tourists, so in 2025 they imposed a limit of 8000 cruise ship passengers a day. 

The cruise ship can't dock here, so you have to take a short tender ride to the island.  Once you land, you either walk up the cliff 587 steps, or take the cable car up (€10 each way).  In the afternoons, the line for the cable car back down can be 2 hours long.  Walking down the steps takes about 20 minutes, but the steps can be slippery and you have to watch out for donkeys and their presents (because some tourists ride the donkeys up and down the steps, poor things!).  You can try for a taxi, but there are only about 25 of them on the island, so good luck!

We decided to be independent today.  That meant we had to wait until all the excursion people had been tendered in.  It is required to use the island tenders (not the ship tenders), so there is no accounting for how many or how often or how fast they will run.  Our cruise director told everyone to take a patience pill this morning LOL.  THANK GOODNESS we are the only cruise ship in port today!!!!!

We finally made our way off the ship after collecting our cable car tickets at around 9 am.  The lineup for the cable car would be a lot worse if there were other cruise ships in port.  Plus the excursion people get tendered to Athinios Port and we got tendered to Thira port.

imagecredit http://www.emmanouelastudios-santorini.com/santorini-map/

Today we booked a 2 seater buggy for the day.  The whole island is full of people on scooters and buggies.  We had to take the tender to the Fira port, take the cable car up, and then meet at the location a 5 minute walk away.  We thought that was the location of the buggy, but a guy met us there and loaded us into his van for a 15 minute drive.  We were supposed to get helmets, nope.  We were supposed to get a map.  No map.  Oh, and please put 10 euros of gas in because the tank is empty.

We started by going up to the highest point of the island, Profitis Ilias Monastery.  The monastery is closed until April, but we got some pictures and off we went.

We saw a spot where we wanted to take some pictures, Anton signaled left, and then BANG!  A motorcyclist hit us right on Anton's side.  He basically landed in Anton's lap since it was an open buggy.  We helped him pick up his motorcycle, which had very little damage.  But the buggy was quite smushed in, Anton was lucky not to be hurt.  We asked many times if the motorcyclist was hurt, he said no.  We called the buggy renters, they talked to him for 15 minutes on Anton's phone (in Greek).  When we got the phone back, the buggy people told us it is a matter for insurance and has all been taken care of, you can go.

The motorcycle driver shook our hands and drove off, so we continued with our day.  We found Red Beach and stopped for some granola bars.

Then we drove all the way across the island to the town of Oia.  Hmmm, is the buggy a bit louder now?  Hard to tell.  Oia is the town with the iconic pictures, all the homes built on terraces on hills.

We drove back to Thira and decided to return the buggy at 2:30 instead of 3 pm as we had agreed.  When we got there, whoa!  There were a number of police officers waiting for us who did not seem very happy.  The motorcycle driver was also there claiming injury and showed us a scrape on his leg.  The rental people kept telling us that it was a matter for insurance.  But the police made us follow him in the buggy back to the police station.  Why did you leave the scene?  Where is your paperwork?  Here, take this breathalizer test.  What is your father's name (really????).

Eventually the buggy renter showed up and did not seem too concerned.  Apparently the motorcycle driver had changed his story and that's why we needed to go fill in a police report.  We got to the station at 2:30 pm and were getting quite stressed because the last tender was leaving at 4:30 and we had to do the cable car first.  We contacted the ship and they were in touch with us the whole time.  They said they would arrange a hotel if we missed the ship.

The police officer FINALLY gave us a copy of the police report and finished up right at 4:30.  Oh oh. The police offered to take us to the cable car, but Viking had a driver ready and waiting right there at the police station (20 euros for a 10 minute drive! the police would have been cheaper). The Viking rep walked us to the cable car where we were met by another Viking rep who took the cable car with us down to the last tender.  We were literally the last ones there, the tender left with only 6 passengers and a few crew members.  So by the time we got on board the ship, it was 5:15.  Phew!  They didn't leave without us!

So that was a bit more excitement than we had bargained for.