We're Cruising!

 

Let's be honest here: We got on the ship on Saturday, and I think it's now Tuesday! We wake up at the crack of dawn, go see amazing things and learn lots of stuff, sweat more than is natural to do so, go "home", rinse and repeat. We are overwhelmed with information, history, and the gift of being out in the world. There is Artemis and Apollo, John and Peter, Corinthian and Doric, Phoenician and Venetian, Fira and Thera, warthogs and boars, corned beef and roast beef, Zeus and Athena...I could go on! We're going to get some details wrong, so apologies for that! 

Our first stop on the ship was Santorini. It's a lot like Crater Lake, geologically speaking. Santorini was formed by volcanic eruptions and caldera collapses. The walls are steep, and the water is deep. Until you catch a glimpse of the town, you feel like you might be in the middle of nowhere! It is beautiful. 

From our cruise tender we took a boat to Oia (ee-ah), where we explored the archaeological site of Akrotiri. 

Akrotiri was settled in the 16th century BC. That already has capital letters, or I would have capitalized them myself. Because, you know, that is a loooooong time ago! Akrotiri, like Pompeii or Herculaneum, was lost to a volcanic eruption. They think that Thera erupted sometime between 1627 and 1600 BC. Well, even that is sort of up for debate. They think some 10% of the village has been excavated, so they haven't learned all the things there are to know about this place. It was initially found in the 1860s, and then rediscovered with active excavations in the 1960s. 

There is evidence of three story homes, circulation through strategically placed windows, markets, and beds. 

Excavations have been on hold for several years because their funding was coming from a Russian oligarch whose money is tied up in the Ukraine war at the moment. Honest to goodness. 

There are no human remains, so the current understanding is that the residents were able to get out in time, no one being killed by the eruption. They may even have had time to gather their valuables. Only one item  of value has been found, this little gold ibex. It was found in a nesting box in an area that they believe might have been part of animal sacrifice; over 300 antlers were also found stacked. Perhaps they offered this gold item to the gods as a way to save their village?

Also, and I can't state this enough, it was H-O-T! These dogs are not dead, they are seeking some sort of relief from the heat. Also, this was weird toilet number 2 of that day. Keeping it real!

After Akrotiri, our bus took us into Fira Town, which is what you probably think of when you think of Santorini - blue domes, white buildings, cute shops...

We had lunch at the cutest spot. Everyone is so friendly, and we had a delightful time trying local cuisine. These tomato "meat" balls were delicious. I might try and make these at home if I can get my hands on some really good tomatoes. 

Before heading back to the ship we stopped at the Museum of Prehistoric Thira. Our guide had told us that most everything that had been found in Akrotiri was being housed at the museum. We were quite unprepared for just how much was on display. There was everything from clay pots to fishing weights, and so much of it!

Random stranger included for size!

The pots were impressive enough, but the frescoes? Those were on another level; the colors are so vibrant!

Louise's favorite.

Thelma's fav!

We almost skipped the downstairs. The attendant said there were "paintings" down there. Something was definitely lost in translation! Downstairs they have replicated the floor plans of the houses that have been excavated, and you can walk in, and feel what the space would have really felt like. 

Behind the "fence" are rows upon rows of FULL drawers of pieces of pottery, fresco etc. The puzzlers in us wanted to stay and put some of it together for them!

Akrotiri itself was amazing. but putting it together with these artifacts brought it to life. The frescoes had some storytelling, but also were rife with decoration - birds, rosettes, crocus etc. There was even one fresco of monkeys, proving that someone at some point had traveled abroad. Amazing!

Both Akrotiri and the museum were impressive in their own rites, but seeing them together in one day painted a very full picture of these ancient peoples. 

And just like that, we were down a cable car and back on the boat and "flying" off to Mykonos!

💙💙

The Acropolis

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." ~Louis-Charles Fougeret de Monbron?

This quote was recently featured in the president's message in the Whitworth Today magazine. Scott McQuilkin attributed it to St Augustine, but a little research told me that it was actually written by a Frenchman, though the wording is not the same. But I like the quote, and Thelma and Louise are out here turning pages! The Acropolis has been on my list since my art history days when I was trying to get the Parthenon and the Pantheon straight for a test. ;)  One of us had a very BIG birthday this year 🙌, and it seemed like the appropriate time to knock it off the list. 

Getting here is no small feat! After spending approximately 15 days on 7 different airplanes, we made it the Athens. 😂 We originally planned on going to the Acropolis on Thursday night, but once we arrived at our hotel, it was very apparent that it wasn't in the cards, so we changed to Friday morning. We stayed at this super cute hotel called Moxy. It's a Marriott property, super whimsical and fun. 

Moxy had a very cute pop art feel and they made a mean cup of coffee!

At this point I don't think we'd slept for at least 24 hours! 

Louise is the travel agent (always), and never leads us astray. We had an 8 am tour that got us in the front gates before the long line of people that assembled. It's unclear why there aren't pictures of the climb up the hill, but it's probably because both photographers were focused on survival! It's actually not a very long climb up, but the stairs are steep, and the walkways are mostly marble, which can be slippery. Oh, and the Grecians built this thing on the surface of the sun! Ha! All of these factors made for a very sweaty and red faced existence. It's also how I got separated from the group. 

I mean, I could hear the guide through my earpiece, but in order to protect my new knees (and my sanity!) I took it at my own pace. The result was that when I got to the top, I was able to take in the Parthenon mostly on my own. Getting there early is definitely worth it because you beat the crowds!

There is really no way to describe the sheer size of the Parthenon. Well, I mean I can tell you the dimensions, but until you are standing in front of it, it's hard to understand. Even more difficult to comprehend is the speed with which it was built. Construction started in 447 BC, and finished in 438 BC, with some of the finishing taking another six years. About 100,000 TONS of marble was mined from a mountain about ten miles away. No semi trucks were used in the making of this item! ;) 

As I mentioned I was separated from the group, and so when I got to the foot of the Parthenon, completely overwhelmed with the idea of just being here, and with being here on my new knees, I pretty much just sobbed. Until a nice lady asked if I would take her picture. Here is the one she took of me. Let's not focus on the color of my face, or my hair, or the liters of sweat coming off my body....look at those knees!!!

Don't worry, Thelma and Louise were soon reunited!

The Temple of Athena Nike was maybe what I was most excited to see. It features six maidens as columns. The ones in place at the Acropolis are replicas, the originals being housed safely at the Acropolis Museum, and at the British Museum. 

On the way down, we were able to also see Odeon of Herodes Atticus, which is an amphitheater that seats about 5,000. It's much newer than the Parthenon being built in 161 AD, and rebuilt in 267 AD. SO much newer. ;) I was pleased to see that it has a black and white tiled floor, just like Westminster Abbey, just like my kitchen (linoleum style!). 

There is so much history here; it is difficult to comprehend, and even harder to describe. Even if you don't buy into Athena and Zeus and their Greek and Roman counterparts, there is something magical about this spot.  This was a good day. 💗

After a loooooong nap, we wandered back out into the city, found an amazing restaurant where met the nicest people - shopkeepers, restauranteurs, and even tourists. This was a great day! 

 

Thelma and Louise have been to some amazing spots, and we are so grateful to have added this to our list. Next up, cruising through the Greek islands! 

Favorites

The onboard WiFi was barely strong enough for streaming NCAA basketball, so we shall see if it's strong enough to make a blog. Yes, T&L are headed home. Sigh. All good things must come to an end, apparently. We sure do love to travel with each other! 💗  Here are our trip favorites, which serve as a nice summary of our trip, and a tool of amusement for the two of us. PS From the editor: I see the formatting irregularities and have deemed them beyond the reaches of $8 WiFi. 

Favorite Cruise Food:

Louise: Can I just say breakfast? (When asked for more details…) There was everything I wanted right there: potatoes, frittata, bacon, sausage, croissants... Although the pizza on Coco Cay was good too. That’s cruise food, right? (BBQ chicken and guava pizza!)

Thelma: Why are those triangle hash browns so good? While I did eat my fair share of nachos, the mushroom risotto on Italian night was ridiculously delicious. Best risotto I’ve ever had. 

Favorite Drink:

Louise: Frozen watermelon margarita on Coco Cay.

Thelma: That was yummy. I had a couple good Shirley Temples, but I think my favorite was the Havanas Bananas at Margaritaville.

This was prettier before the first slurp!

Favorite Ice Cream:

Louise: Hmm. The gelato from al Bacio: coffee and coconut. 

Thelma: I’m not really an ice cream fan, but we did find a Baskin-Robbins, and my favorite is peanut butter chocolate. 

Is my phone full of ridiculous photos like this? You know it!

Favorite Non-Cruise Food:

Louise: I’m going t have to say Key Lime pie at Margaritaville. 

Thelma: How weird was it that I ordered the shrimp boil there?  My favorite though, was Chili’s. Yes, it’s a chain, and readily available, apparently, in parts of the country. But it’s not still open where we live! Old favorites are still favorites. I don’t even remember what we ate, but I loved it!

Favorite Place on the Ship:

Louise: It’s always Cafe al Bacio. ☕

Thelma: My answer is ANYWHERE when you’re not on crutches. When your mobility is a factor, a cruise is a great vacation. We’ve cruised three times recently where I have been on, or brought crutches. Walking up the ramp in Tampa on the first day was when I first felt victorious, and it just got better from there. 

Was I admiring the bend on the knees? Yup! 😆

Pieces of Unworn Clothing:

Louise: I think it’s 4. 

Thelma: 7? (Louise: that sounds right!) Are you even vacationing if you don’t over pack? 

Best purchase:

Louise: Definitely the $17.99 Aloha white sandals. (These were purchased after beloved Birkenstocks did not somehow make it into the shoe bag. Yes we have a shoe bag - you should too!)

Thelma: The mermaid purse in Key West. I don't know what the practicality of that item is, but it sure spoke to me! Oh, but wait! I rescind my earlier answer. There was the cutest shop in the Tampa airport in the A terminal. They had Rifle & Co and Ink & Alloy among other things. Pens and earrings? These are a few of my favorite things!

Favorite Random Information Gained During the Trip:

Louise:  Talking to Oyda, our stateroom attendant, and finding out that she was from Nicaragua. While she was from the Caribbean side and we were in the Peace Corps on the Pacific side, it was a fun connection for both of us to make. It’s such a small world. 

Thelma:  I LOVE anything to do with shipwrecks, so reading about the wrecking and discovery of Nuestra Señora de Atocha was pretty fascinating. Cliff notes: She sank in 1622 with an estimated $500 million worth of cargo (gold, silver, emeralds, pearls, and tobacco) on board. The Spanish searched for her for 60 years, but it was treasure hunters out of Key West that found her in 1973. Makes you want to watch Out of the Blue, right?

Lions and Tigers and Bears,  Oh My! Favorite Animal Encounter of All Time?:

Thelma: I can’t get over the mom manatee letting us swim with her and her baby; that was so special.  But my favorite of all time was when we were whale watching in Maui, and the whale came out of nowhere and swam right underneath our boat. Remember we were sitting on the netting towards the front of the catamaran and she came so close, just cutting underneath us. It was amazing. Oh! But I just remembered holding that penguin in Edmonton, and that was one of the most special things ever.  

Louise: The thing that came right to my mind was also in Maui. We were whale watching when you were little and two males breached at the same time right in front of us. I will never forget that. Also, Sting Ray city in Grand Cayman. We were bobbing in the water and the sting rays were just coming by, weaving in and out of us. However, I did decline to kiss one.

Thelma: I was just telling some of my students about this. It freaked me out how their tails just sort of wound around your ankle as they swam by, NOPE! 

Weirdest Thing You Saw in Florida:

T&L:  Does this whole blog exist so we can tell this one story? Possibly. 😉  On the way to Crystal River, we drove through an area where I was allergic to something. It came on fast, and I was instantly a mess. Couldn’t stop sneezing, even after many doses of Benadryl. That night we went to a Walgreens to shore up on Kleenex, and the person in front of us tried to check out with COUNTERFEIT MONEY! In 10s and 50s, if you want to know. It was the most bizarre exchange as the checker announced the bills were counterfeit, and the guy struggled to come up with a story about selling his car.  But he did not look confused at all. The rest of us in line were giving each other looks and thinking about calling the police. You know, dial 9-1 and wait? Being behind someone trying to push counterfeit money was bizarre enough, but then the checker just gave the money back and took a credit card.  What is happening????  Did he make a speedy getaway out of the parking lot? Um, YES HE DID! 

I took this meaning to show the million lanes of traffic, but it turned out to be a nice photo!

That's a wrap! Thanks for coming with us! 💕 ~T&L