Stateroom with Veranda
A view of Ancient Olympia
Another view of Ancient Olympia
Yesterday was a sea day.
Although we thought we’d ordered breakfast later than usual, it turned up pretty early when we were both asleep. After breakfast JD went back to sleep. It was a cooler and a windy day although very calm; I went to the laundrette along our corridor wearing a bathrobe to press my green skirt before showering and wearing it: pretty daring, as everyone I encountered was clothed, and I felt I needed to apologize! Afterwards I tried pressing my other dress which although light had become very crushed. That went well, although it needed a very cool iron.
Although I’d made rough plans for the day (book a Monemvasia tour, see the concierge about posting a parcel home, and try out my new “tankini” bathing suit), but JD had other ideas, and doing the washing before he showered was one of them. I was going to get washing done as part of our complementary service; I rather like it being returned folded and pressed, but he was adamant. So I left him to it, booking the cheap 2 1/2 hour walking tour in Monemvasia (which had been added to the schedule), getting advice about our stop in Santorini and then going for coffee and exploring the shop.
Evidently there is a coffee bar on the high deck where the pool is, but I couldn’t find it. Anyway, it was pretty cold and windy up there. They did make me an oat latté at the bar outside the Grand Dining Room, and said I could take it back to our stateroom, however the mug was so full that I had to drink some of it before taking it back to our room. It did taste good though.
I had fun at the shop too. They had several “specials” for €10, and a range of pricier goods, but not everything is outrageously expensive. There are also very expensive jewellery boutiques: I admired a tourmaline ring, which cost USD 60,000!
There were bracelets for €10 each, which I thought may do for gifts for our New Zealand granddaughters and our daughter. After telling JD about them I bought two and some lip balm.
Then we had lunch at the wee buffet/bar at the entrance to the GDR, where we’d eaten lunch on embarkation day: nice little “sliders” filled with yummy things, and small cakes and biscuits. They make you a variety of nice coffees there too. And you can sit in comfortable chairs to partake. It’s less formal than the Terrace cafe.
After that, boring as, we went back to our state room and found the movie “Twelve Angry Men” on our television set, starting the rather wonderful Henry Fonda in a famous old courtroom drama. Actually almost all the action takes place in the hot jury room after the trial, where the 12 men of the jury seem to agree on a verdict (1957, black and white).
Before dinner JD insisted I take him back to the shop, where we bought i.e. signed for a third bracelet with 5 “pearls”, which I will wear until we give it to my daughter. There was a nice string duo playing classical themes there.
During the afternoon I had decided that rather than join one of the Santorini excursions, as I had been minded to do, we would stay on the ship instead and maybe swim, and have a quiet day . I gather Santorini is very touristy, with several ships likely to be docked there are hundreds of not thousands of tourists. You have to get a cable car back to the ship, and there’ll be queuing no matter what you do. Santorini was never on my list as a destination: I know it’s beautiful but there are no ancient monuments that I really want to see. And the crowds are frustrating. So I feel relieved having made that decision.
This morning we docked in Greece, at a place called Katokolon, after our day at sea yesterday. We had met our Australian friends for dinner in the GDR at 6:30 pm, after queuing up in a long line; but the queue moved quickly, and the GDR is a huge space. I had a shrimp cocktail this time in half a firm avocado, followed by a lamb entree (ha ha!), with potato and a stuffing with aubergine; both were delicious, and the lamb tender and tasty, but I felt vaguely unwell afterwards. Dessert took a long time: I chose a vanilla -raspberry vacherin and peach ice cream, and it was a large meringue -like dessert, like pavlova. After that we did not go to the concert with our friends, but retired to bed. I was feeling sick and tired, in spite of doing nothing all day; when we went to bed we had to put our clocks forward one hour; presumably Greece is one hour ahead of Sicily.
I did not sleep well; fortunately I stopped feeling sick after a while. We were due to meet in the Nautica lounge at 8 am next morning for our Olympia tour.When we meet in the lounge there are lots of people there, and there are 41 people on bus #24! Our tour guide is pretty well – informed, if a rather wheezy and colourful older woman.
We drive for a while to the Olympia site, then get off the bus and walk around the remains of temples, and the stadium. As we go, it warms up and becomes sunny, but with a predicted high of 21°C it does become really hot. More and more tour groups join and we find our leader’s colourful umbrella is a very useful talisman.
It is a really beautiful peaceful site, with fascinating remains of not only the main stadium but several altars too. Sadly it is extremely crowded, and it’s hard to keep sight of our guide, to say nothing of our coach!
We go to a facilities area of the park and use the restroom (it’s fine) and then gather to sample kalamata olives, green olives, olive oil, Greek honey, and Turkish delight. My stomach is a bit upset from last night so I don’t do any sampling. But there’s a fascinating gift shop, and I queue up to buy a €7 T-shirt for a grandson.
By this time there are heaps of people and lots of buses, and some of us lose our guide for a few minutes. When she joins us we walk to the nearby village of Olympia, where there are lots of shops, and we have 30 minutes to browse. JD and I eat an ice cream, and buy presents for our youngest granddaughter- a book and some socks. That should be safe and easy to carry.
We also admire their jewellery, with opals; most of it is quite tasteful but reluctantly we do not buy. The Greek people are lovely, there is no pressure to buy here. I remember to say “efcharisto” which I hope is something like “thank you”.
Then we find our bus and ride back to the ship. There is a delay with boarding, since some passengers are exiting to join a later excursion. Then we go to have lunch at the Terrace cafe. This time we get our sheltered table outside again. Today’s meat is roast chicken – I get given a wedge with thigh and drumstick
It not terribly nice, but my filled rolls are pretty tasty. There is a raspberry dessert but it not rice pudding this time. JD finds a yummy chocolate cake. We drink lemonade with fizzy water and ice, a good combination, and finish with coffee.
After lunch I snooze for a bit, and wake up feeling ghastly. Tonight we’re eating at the Polo Grill again. I hope it’s better this time!
Tomorrow, Monemvasia. I had never heard of this place until this cruise, but it turns out to be one of our favourite places. It is in southern Greece, in Laconia.
It is now overcast again, and cooler. We set sail at 5:30 pm, pulling away from the Aida Blu, which apparently is a German cruise ship. They watched intently as we pulled out.
We ate at Polo Grill last night (evening of the day we went to Olympia). JD was grumpy ! We ordered no appetizers – there were no that we fancied, but the the view was amazing. It was quite chilly there: I was glad of my cream wrap and JD wore the blue Van Gogh scarf we’d bought in Florence. The main courses were good, though: I had lamb (Two double loin chops grilled medium rare) and they brought a very bright green mint jelly (it tasted of mint, although there was no visual evidence of mint, and I suspect that RFK jnr would have been suspicious of the unnatural green dye), and I also ordered French fries and asparagus. JD had a Cobb Salad with grilled tuna, although the tuna was all chopped up.
He pronounced it very good. And of course he asked for oil and vinegar to go with his bread. The containers came, without tops, and then we’re whisked away again. But our meals tasted good.
I had key lime pie for dessert, and some of those lovely fruit jellies they dish up. But JD was still grumpy; he has annoying hay fever, and I suspect I’d tired of the superficial constant bonhomie, where you’re always “having a great time”. The stories in the news, when we have wi-fi coverage, are alarming, including the growing cases of hantavirus on a cruise ship, and the discovery of a growing ebola outbreak in the DRC in Africa.
Tomorrow we have a shorter excursion to Monemvasia, a last minute inclusion. We are to meet in the Nautica lounge at 8:30 am.
Nga mihi nui
Classic Barbarian 