My alarm went off around 7AM and I woke up, got myself ready, grabbed a bite to eat and headed downstairs to meet my driver. He loaded up my three ::heavy:: suitcases and drove me to the port of Piraeus to meet my cruise ship – the m/v Aquamarine from Louis Cruise Lines. The girl from the travel agency met me at the port, walked me past all the lines, checked me in and sent me on my way! I made my way to my room and quickly got myself situated. The ship is old to say the least (from the 70’s- if you’re from the 70’s, no you’re not old, but for a ship – that’s OLD!). When I embarked on this journey and cruise, I decided that I was here to explore and didn’t need anything luxurious. Simply a place to sleep safe and sound. Thank Goodness those were my only expectations - you’ll understand why.
As soon as I got my room semi-organized, I walked around the ship and did some exploring (met some Filipinos, of course) and then headed for the sunshine. The weather is nothing short of perfect since the minute I arrived– warm days and a cool breeze evenings, so far – perfect! I laid in the sun for a few hours and read a book (how nice is it to read and have nothing else to do!?!?!) I relaxed, which is something I haven’t done in a while given all that happened during my vacation. I wouldn’t have traded any of it – but I still adored a few “me” days.
The cruise set sail around 12:30, but we were supposed to leave by 11:00AM – which meant we were going to arrive late in Mykonos. I knew there wasn’t much to Mykonos, but I did want to take some photos and knew that it would be too late and dark to do so. We ended up arriving in Mykonos, Greece around 7:30PM and it was pitch black dark, but I did some walking around and could see how incredible it was! Picturesque Greek town – other than what Santorini is expected to look like, Mykonos is the same - perfectly white buildings with vibrant blue doors, which are said to be whitewashed at least once a month. Absolutely beautiful. Truly, Mykonos is just like a lot of ports – tons of shops and things of that nature. I walked around looking at all the Greek treasures and ended up buying this awesome bangle bracelet, which I will post pictures of as well before I decided to stop at a restaurant and eat on the water with an incredible view of the city.
After I was shopped out (I think with all the traveling I’ve done, I’m over all the trinkets and souvenirs), I headed back towards the ship’s shuttle and stopped for a bite to eat in a restaurant right on the water opposite of the city by the name of “Kavos.” The view was a perfect panoramic of Mykonos at night, so I grabbed a cushioned bench overlooking it all. My intention was to order a different Greek dish at every meal – so I ordered Souvlaki and a Greek Salad. Unfortunately, they were out of Souvlaki and the waiter asked if I would mind having a Gyro since it was the same meat. Of course, I wouldn’t mind a gyro! With the fresh breeze and a wonderful meal, I enjoyed a beautiful evening in Mykonos despite the lack of photographs to accompany my memories. On the bright side, I did look at my calendar for work and see that I am coming back to Mykonos on our itinerary.
I arrived back on the ship just in time for Bingo and the evening entertainment and to check out the nightlife onboard. Well, Bingo was cancelled because there weren’t enough participants and the evening entertainment was – well – awful to say the least. The dancers and singers were not really performers or dancers at all. My goodness – it truly left much to be desired for a cruise ship entertainment group. It was so awful but for some reason I couldn’t leave – it was so addicting to watch a true tragedy on stage (and no, I am not referring to Shakespeare, folks). After that gong show, I headed to the “Moonlight Bar” which was the nightclub and checked it out for a few minutes but decided to curl up in bed and read my book.
At the end of the day, I’m tired but relaxed and able to take a deep breath and know that I am blessed and happy in all aspects of my life. I’ve had time to think a bit and taken complete advantage of those moments, but in my exhaustion I’m at peace in my head, which is a place I haven’t been in a really (really) long time.
High: Laying in the Mediterranean Sun and reading a book
Low: Getting into Mykonos so late that I couldn’t truly see the city.
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