Day 1 Venice

We arrived in Venice last night after a very long flight. It was weird being in a foreign country where the main language is not English. We did make it to the hotel fairly easily. The hard part was carrying our huge suitcases up the stairs to the bridges over the canals to the hotel.

Today we boarded the ship!!! It is pretty spectacular. Due to not sleeping very well in the hotel last night Shawn and I took a quick nap this afternoon. After our much needed rest we took a walk around the ship and then had to attend a mandatory safety seminar. Can’t wait to see what the rest of the night brings. This is almost like a second honeymoon and may even be better than the first!!!!!

 

Day 2 at Sea

Today we spent the day cruising to Athens. Once I worked out Shawn and I just took it easy and relaxed. In the afternoon I did feel a little sea sick and a little off but that abated as the night went on. Not much else to say. Our first tour starts tomorrow with the Athens and Acropolis tour. I can’t wait.

 

Day 3 Athens

We went to the Acropolis. Boy was it amazing. The work that went into the temples and the theaters and then to be destroyed by the Romans when they attacked. After exploring the Acropolis we drove through Athens and were able to get out and take pictures of the Olympic stadium. Traffic in Athens was worse than Minneapolis during rush hour, it reminded me more of Seattle traffic. Once back at the ship we had dinner with our lovely dinner companions. One couple is from Indiana and the other two are a mother and daughter from England.

 

Day 4 Mykonos/Delos (Thelos)

Seeing the ruins is amazing. To think that they were built in 300 A.D and were excavated only about 100 years ago is something else. The island of Delos is uninhabited except for the guards and historians who live on the island. There are also lots of dogs and cats who are running around the islands and taken care of by the shopkeepers or guards. We toured all of Delos in a couple of hours and then took the ferry back to the island of Mykonos. Mykonos is has the white buildings and blue roofs that you see in many of the pictures one sees of Greece. We even had authentic Greek cooking at a little café. It was also cool to work out in the fitness center and look out into the port and see the lovely white buildings along the hillside. The city of Katakolon and Olympia are tomorrow.

 

Day 5 Katakolon/Olympia

The birthplace of the first Olympic Games were held in Olympia in 779 A.D to honor the God Zeus and his wife Hera. It is amazing the stories and legends that go with the first Olympic Games and the ones followings. Such as no women were allowed to view the games, all men were naked when performing; each winner was able to erect a statue in their honor in Olympia. Also the architecture and artistry that made the temples and building very grand are amazing for that time period. Olympia was destroyed by the Romans, plus earthquake and floods. 150 years ago is when German Archeologists started excavating the land and were able to unearth some of the monuments and buildings that we see today.