My 2010 Mediterranean cruise through Greece

My 2010 Mediterranean cruise through Greece

Whenever I thought of Greece, the one monumental place that immediately came to mind was being on that Acropolis. And one of my dreams was realised. I got the opportunity to walk, what felt like a thousand steps up a steep heel in Athens, to reach the Acropolis. So amptly named as "Acro" means on top and "polis" means city. So I got the best of the city of Athens all from the top of the Greek ruins. Although seeing Athens only happened in the middle of my cruise, I just had to mention it first in my dialogue here. To see a bit of Africa in Athens, was the cutest thing as they were selling Vuvuzelas there.  But clearly at the highest mark price up possible.

The Acropolis in the background.

But that all happened amidst all the other Greek places I travelled. It was a wonderful choice to see Greece on a cruise liner. There was no stress to seek accommodation in the different places that was visited. All that I needed to ensure was that I arrived back to the cruise liner on time from my adventures at each stop along the Greek Isles. One tip that I can suggest is that one must not be fooled by the cruise liners credit card, where you have to place your credit on their specified credit card for all interactions. You could get sidetracked from all your expenses. The fun part about being on a cruise liner was definitely the entertainment  each night, the unlimited amount of food and of course, the luxury of having your cabin clean whenever you returned.

But back to my adventure through the Greek Isles. Each part of Greece felt like a different city as different as Cape Town is to Hermanus.

The cruise liner departed from Venice. Fortunately for me, I had visited Venice in 2010, so I found my way easily to the Port, where my cruise liner awaited my arrival.

At the Port in Venice about to board the cruise liner through Greece.

The first stop was Ancona..a little town in Italy. I could walk through the market place, view the churches and then return to the cruise ship.

Ancona, Greece.

Then off to Santorini we sailed. From the distance on the cruise liner, one sees a high hill. The port of Santorini is too small, so the cruise liner had to anchor a distance away and we were taken to Santorini on the ferries. Then there was the option to venture uphill to see the sights of Santorini by donkey or by cable car. The adventurous me, initially chose the donkey ride up, but then the terrible smell of the donkey trail, convinced me to rather opt for the quicker and smell-free option of taking the cable car. 

Once on top, I could see the quaint, quiet places surrounded by an active volcano. Fortunately the volcano had not erupted for the past 20 years...shew!

Next stop off was Mykonos. And just like "Club Mykonos" along the West Coast of the Cape, it was walking through white covered buildings, cobbled stones and plenty of small Greek restaurants, shops and churches around every corner. In terms of shopping, the closer the waterfront, you are in Mykonos, the pricier the items.

Myknos, Greece.

 

Now Corfu was an unexpected wonder for me. I learned the most interesting fact- Corfu has the first cricket ground ever established as the British were settlers there long ago. Who would have thought. In Corfu I also go the chance to purchase my first "Greek-styled" dress. 

Corfu, Greece.

I could not have been more appreciative to have visited Dubrovnik close to Croatia. Now Dubrovnik also has a small port, so my cruise liner had to anchor midway and we had to take a ferry to enter Dubrovnik. I felt like I was in a medieval coastal village also laden with cobbled stones, museums, tiny shops, narrow walkways with quaint coffee shops and restaurants. To see the view from Dubrovnik and almost close to Crete, a tour bus was my choice of transport.

Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Another travel documented. Another group of memories and an adventure never to be forgotten.