We docked at Marina Zea Piraeus for the evening. Breakfast was at 7am with a tinge of sadness as this amazing journey had come to an end.

We all agreed that this experience was wonderful with a great group of passengers and outstanding staff. The maximum size for the Harmony G is 44 guests and this is a nice number which gave us the opportunity to mingle and meet every guest.

Vaso had done a brilliant job of organising transfers to our next locations. My transport was shared with the Swiss couple and a French couple. I was booked into the Hilton Garden Hotel and I arrived at just after 10am.

As they stored my bag, I made my way to the sixth floor restaurant to await check-in to my room. The view from this level was extensive across most of Athens.

I ordered a cappuccino freddo and a croissant. The croissant was baked fresh on the premises so it took some time…. but it wasn’t the best as it was undercooked inside. 

I went to reception to check on whether my room was ready but it was not, so I took myself to the supermarket. When I came back, the room still wasn’t ready so I caught the elevator up to level 6, ordered a drink and was then told that my room was ready. 

I had received an email from Hilton Honors yesterday proclaiming that I had been upgraded to a room with a view and a spa. I was surprised when she told me that I have the ‘junior suite’ on level 2. I showed her my email and then Tanos, the supervisor came out to see what he could do. His ‘to be honest’ protests about not seeing anything like this in 6 years made me sceptical and I felt gaslighted. He showed me the room on level 2 and since I was loathe to make a scene I accepted reluctantly. As a Diamond Hilton member I should’ve been in the room on level 5. I was not happy about the service at reception, the waiting in line to get any service at reception and the dubious reasons for me not getting the supposed upgrade. 

I took the time to finish another blog post and ordered some moussaka croquettes from room service. They were tasty but came with a 5€ charge for the room service. 

Oh yeah, I also have to mention the frosted glass doors on the toilet plus the shower door opposite with frosted glass and a window to the street (there is a blind). Who designs these spaces and thinks they are a good idea? 

The make up was mirror was so high (no problem for tall people) that you have to look up…. A problem when putting mascara on top lashes!

The bed and pillows were comfortable and breakfast just as good as any I have had in Greece. 

A bit of trivia- I have learnt that Americans use their forks pointing up while we use ours pointing down. 

All up it has been such a great holiday as a solo traveller. 

Kalinýchta and Good night.

The winds had subsided but not on the open seas so we set sail to go to another sheltered location – Ermoine.

I watched the sun rise while we were leaving the port. I definitely loved this little town of Nafplio and would happily return for a visit. We left before the many luxury yachts past Bourtzi Castle on the small island in the harbour. This was supposedly used for quarantine once but also as a residence for unpopular executioners.

Breakfast was as good as always but I was particularly impressed by the quality of the fried Haloumi cheese which was tender and not chewy like some could be.

Vaso had organised our transfers for tomorrow according to our destinations and combined guests so as to reduce the costs. 

At briefing, the captain explained the best course of action in light of the weather conditions. We were heading to an inlet called Ermoine and if conditions improved we might fit in a visit to the island of Hydra. We were also informed of the preferred places for lunch at this location.

A wine tasting with snacks was organised during our journey to the next stop. I must say that I did not taste a bad wine at any stage of this trip. 

When we reached Ermoine, another pretty town, we wandered along the thin laneways until we found one of the suggested lunch stops – Maria’s Cafe.

I chose a Greek Salad because of the amazing tomatoes in this country. Others had calamari, sardines and French fries. 

We were told to keep an eye out for messages on our WhatsApp group in case plans changed. 

We did get a message that we can go to Hydra so we had to be back at the boat by 15:15.

Hydra was about one and half hours away and with the sun showing itself again,many of us claimed our stakes on the sun lounges to soak up the last of the Mediterranean rays.

Hydra can only be accessed by sea taxis and we were ferried in groups of eight across the choppy waters. It was not pleasant and probably the only negative of the whole experience with this trip. The breeze had picked up and it was noticeably cooler out of the sun. 

Hydra is a tourist town with many shops, eateries, tavernas and cats. 

After a bumpy return sea taxi journey we were happy to be back on the boat for our final night. The sunset was lovely as we were given Captain’s cocktails of Pistachio liqueur with Prosecco. 

Dinner was a buffet again and I sat with Stefan, Brigitte, Dee and Charlie. It’s always nice to meet people from other parts of the world and I have met some wonderful humans on this cruise.

We arrived at Marina Zea after midnight for a quiet evening.

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I woke just after midnight when I sensed light in my portholes. I then realised that we were not moving so curiosity found me exiting my cabin to investigate. Captain Tasos was leaving the bridge as I made my way to the deck to find that we were docked at Nafplion alongside rows of luxury yachts. Because of the prevailing winds, this was a safe option for anyone at sea. I loved Nafplio last week when I was here on the tour so it was great to have the opportunity to spend some more time here.

Breakfast was the usually buffet with a wide range of options.

We then attended the briefing about what to expect for this venue. 

Dee, Charlie and I decided to explore the town together so we walked down the pretty streets with the wind keeping the temperature down.

We found the Archeological Museum, paid the 10€ entry fee and wandered around the displays of ancient artefacts. 

It was time for lunch so we found an open restaurant on the promenade and ordered Yeros. The servings were enormous and of course there were the obligatory cats and kittens beneath the table. 

I had decided not to go on the Mycenae tour so I spent some time shopping before returning to the boat. 

As part of this cruise we were instructed to leave cash gratuities in the provided envelopes to be distributed amongst the staff. 15€-18€ per day was recommended so around 120€ was acceptable for the week.

The Captain’s Dinner was brought forward to tonight. The sunset was spectacular before we assembled in the dining room for an à la carte meal.

The soup was delicious and I had chosen the Sea Bream option which I enjoyed. My dinner mates were Charlie and Dee plus Stefan and Brigitte.

There was a short speech by the captain who presented each staff member and their specific role.

Then there was a commotion and the staff came out singing Happy Birthday with a cake for Brigette! She had kept that very quiet! Dessert was a deconstructed Cheesecake Baklava and a slice of Chocolate mousse birthday cake.

We were informed that we will remain in safe Nafplio for another night before heading to Ermoine tomorrow.

Kalinýchta

As promised, the rocking was a bit more pronounced overnight but still gentle enough for sleep. I did my usual coffee run and then went out to watch the stars in the clear sky above.  First light began and revealed some clouds in the distance. 

Breakfast was at 8 am and many people took the time to sleep in. 

Today we were invited to go to the Bridge to have a tour by Captain Tasos. It was interesting to see the technology involved in running a boat.

There was a briefing with the Captain about the upcoming weather and reasons for a change of plans. 

We then gathered to meet the bus that would take us to the Monemvasia old town. We walked up the pretty little lanes to the main square where Vaso, the cruise director explained what to expect and then we were on our own.

My new friends from Finland, Brigitte and Stephan were going for an exploring walk while I needed wifi to do the blog, we agreed to meet for lunch at the restaurant recommended by Vaso. 

I firstly went to that restaurant but was met with a curt ‘you must eat here to use wifi’ and not just have a drink so I found a small comfortable taverna who were happy for me to use their wifi and a chair. There are cats everywhere in this community and people with dogs were welcome in all the food places. 

Finally finishing my ‘homework’ I joined Brigitte and Stephan at Kanoni, the cranky man place ( and Vaso’s recommendation) for lunch. The food, the company and the view were lovely while we noticed that rain was beginning to settle in. 

Luckily we were advised to take the provided umbrellas from our cabins. When we got to the bus pick up, the bus was very late until Vaso was told that it was school pick up time so the bus wasn’t coming until later. It wasn’t that far to the yacht so we chose to walk down instead of waiting. Also the Captain had made a call that we were leaving earlier than originally planned so we were keen to get back. 

The rain kept falling and by the time we got to the boat,  my shoes and lower half of my jeans were very wet. All part of the adventure!

We set sail again at 16:00 and had some down time to chat and relax.

The planned Tsaziki demonstration started at 16:00 where we learned about the ‘secret’ ingredients of vinegar and lots of garlic.

Grate 2 cucumbers and add to 300g full cream Greek yoghurt, add good teaspoon of salt, drain the excess liquid, add 10 cloves crushed garlic, 3 tablespoons olive oil, another teaspoon of salt, then 3 tablespoons of white vinegar. Delicious!!

Next was the demonstration for the souvlaki. I volunteered along with Barbara from the USA. Billie (Basil), the ship manager guided us through the steps. They couldn’t BBQ today because of the weather so we were shown how to assemble Yeros(which means around) the traditional way.

Dinner included fried eggplant which I added to my pork Yeros. Yum!!!!

Conversation flowed nicely  during and after dinner, for the evening, as the boat set sail for Nafplio. Weather reports were a concern so safe harbour was the priority.

Kalinýchta

The seas were not as smooth tonight and the waves splashed along the portholes of my cabin. We sailed right through the night and docked at Rethymno, Crete at around 7:30am. Greece showed off another awesome sunrise.

After indulging in another delicious breakfast,  we had to assemble for the Knossos tour by 8:45. 

A bus drove us to Heraklion passing lovely beaches and landscapes.

Gethsemani was our guide and she explained that when choosing olive oil look for extra virgin with 0.2 – 0.6 acidity. 

She regaled us with information about Crete and Cretan history. She was very knowledgeable and made this tour very interesting, although I was distracted at times because I took the opportunity to catch up on my blog posts using the site’s wifi. Here are some photos from Knossos.

The bus relocated us and then walked through Heraklion to see various historic landmarks before settling into a restaurant to enjoy the best of  Cretan food.

We finished with a Rakia. There was so much food and it was so amazing!Absolutely the best food of my trip!!! 

We got back on the bus for the trip back to Rethymno. 

Fun fact – the Aegean Sea means “sea with the goats’  because the little white choppy waves look like goats. 

The reputed northerly winds had picked up and the weather changed but not in a bad way … the wind was annoying but not cold.

I wanted to dip my feet into the sea so when we returned to the boat ( for a welcome back ginger tea drink and refresher towel) I decided to go for a walk. 

The beach is different than we are used to because there are many sun lounges set up on the beach. 

The sand was fine and not grainy. I walked to the shore where small waves were breaking. The water was not too cold.

After a quick shopping trip to buy some gifts I returned to the boat for the Ouzo party and Greek Feast night. 

We were entertained by traditional Cretan dancers on the upper deck. It was lively, fun and windy. Participation was compulsory for the traditional Greek dancing.

Dinner was a delicious buffet of lamb cutlets, traditional salads and cheeses.

The captain then announced that there will be a change of plan.  

We were informed that the seas would be rougher than last night and the boat will head to a more sheltered location off the mainland in the Peloponnese area, Monemvasia.

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We anchored in a lovely little outlet and started the day with a breakfast buffet at 7:30 am. 

This morning’s first activity was a swim off the boat. Many guests took the plunge into the cool Aegean Sea. I enjoyed the Mediterranean sunshine on the sun deck and had a lazy morning. 

Lunch was an Italian spread with pizza, caprese salad, tortellini and tiramisu as some of the choices. We sailed along the coast of Santorini observing its high cliffs and white & blue buildings clustered high up above.

We were picked up by a water taxi after we docked at the port.

Our tour bus drove us up the steep zigzagged road to the top. 

Today’s tour consisted of the excavation museum first which displayed the ruins that were the result of an earthquake and then a volcano eruption a few weeks later. The fact that no human remains were found indicated that people were evacuated from this site before the eruption.

We learnt that only public churches can have blue domes.

We were escorted through the town of Megalochori to see where the locals live away from the touristy areas. 

The bus then made its way to the famous white and blue village about 30 minutes away.

The bus wound down some narrow streets but the views were spectacular.

We travelled from the south part of the island to the touristy northern end.

Oia (eee- ahh) city was established by boat builders in order to sell wines to nearby countries. 

It is also the place of the white houses with blue roofs. 

We settled into the Flora Cafe and ordered drinks and traditional tomato fritters.

On the bus again , we travelled to the capital area of Fira to watch the sun set and enjoy free time.

We settled in a restaurant high on the cliffs to enjoy a beverage and watch the remnants of the sun set.

As the night descended it was time for us to take the cable car down to the old port. 

We ordered meals for dinner.

We boarded another water taxi to take us back to the boat.

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The bed was very comfortable and the gentle rocking of the boat ensured a good night’s sleep.

The breakfast buffet started at 7:30am and there were ample choices with the staff toasting the bread or bringing coffee orders as required.

It promised to be a perfect day without a cloud in the sky.

We were asked to leave our keys at reception and collect a blue card to take with us whenever we left the boat. This is a safety measure to monitor that everyone returns to the boat.

I met the only other Australians, a couple from Victoria who bred horses and just had a foal sired by one of the Coolmore stallions from the parade we attended in August….small world!!

The cruise continued across the Aegean Sea to the island of Delos. We set anchor and then we were ferried to the island in the tender, a bit of a fun ride in a speed boat.

We were given Life jackets which were very clean and did not smell of mould.

The museum held the original lion statues from the ruins and we were invited to view the artefacts before walking down to the spot to meet our tour guide.

It was very warm as we wandered amongst the ruins with many other tour groups.

Back on the tenders to return to the boat and we were handed a welcome back cold drink of cranberry juice plus a warm towel to clean your hands and face.

While we were away, the cabin was tidied, beds made and the rubbish bin emptied.

Lunch was a nice buffet while we sailed on to the island of Mykonos.

After the briefing and time to gather our items we docked at the wharf and alighted to wander past the water’s edge and into the narrow streets of ‘little Venice’. These laneways were lined with many shops, restaurants and cafes.

I found a lovely Cafe with a tiny balcony that overlooked the windmills so I could use the wifi for blogging.

It was here that I met a young Aussie couple from Yeppoon who knew my cousins!!

After this I kept wandering down the alleyways when I saw a nail salon which also included a Hairdresser !!!

As I made my way back I saw Charlie and Dee from Cincinnati sitting in a cafe enjoying the atmosphere. They invited me to join them and we passed the time chatting while we watched the sun set.

We were back onboard before the 23:30 curfew and I welcomed a rest after a big day!

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It was a late sleep in, the bed was very comfortable and sunrise wasn’t until nearly 7:30am.

Breakfast was nice and some our my fellow tour members were there so we said our goodbyes. To get to the marina Zeas, I called an Uber and it was there in no time.

The trip took about 40 minutes because the traffic was very congested, especially approaching the marinas. The taxi driver knew exactly where to go down the narrow access roads and dropped me right at the boat.

It is a very busy marina but the process was fuss free, checking passports and labeling suitcases to be delivered to our cabins.

Vaso was the female cruise director who greeted everyone as they arrived. The welcome drink was orange with a splash of cranberry. Redy was our barman. Looks like I am the only solo traveller on this ship.

Nyoman is from Bali, so is Redy the bar man and Diah my attendant. All lovely!!

Wifi costs 20€ for 2 gigs so it is prudent to find a cafe on the islands and use their free wifi as well.

Our Ship Manager is Billie (Vasily) and the Captain is Tasos.

We sailed out of Athens with the awesome vista of the white buildings along the Riviera and the port.

We had to attend the safety briefing with our life jackets …. Practical workshop!!!

After that we had canapés and welcome Prosecco cocktails as we mingled and sailed along basking in the mild weather. There were people from France, Switzerland, Belgium, Finland, one couple from Australia and many from the USA. Everyone is lovely and excited to be on this small group cruise.

My cabin has 2 beds so I can use one to put my luggage on and sleep in the other. It was nice to not have to pack everything up for a daily checkout. Coffee, tea, fruit, cookies and water can be accessed anytime.

The room also has a private bathroom. No paper is to be put down the toilet so a bin is provided. This was emptied discreetly twice a day. The water in the taps is not for drinking but free water is available 24/7. 

At 5pm we had a briefing about the itinerary for the next 2 days.

The tap water on the islands is also not for drinking.

At 6pm dinner was served. The food was delicious with ample sized servings. 

We stopped to view the Poseidon Temple at Cape Sounio.

If you buy a bottle of wine from the bar, it is kept at the bar for whenever you want a glass. They keep a close watch on everything you order and you sign as you go. 

The stop tonight was Zea and you could go to the island as long as you were back by 23:00. 

I went up and watched the stars and the Milky Way as we docked into Zea.  It was magical! 

My bed had been prepared for the night. Luckily I got the last firm pillow. 

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Dinner last night was tasty and the service at the Platanos Tavern was friendly and efficient. 

The bed was very comfortable and the accommodation was in a special place of the world.

We woke to another beautiful day, early start, quick breakfast, bags stacked like Tetris into the car to deliver to the bus and then we were on our way up, up, up the rocks to the monasteries.

MK informed us of the hermits who settled here and then the development of the monasteries. Rock climbing is obviously a common activity in Meteora.The towering pillars were shaped over millions of years by geological processes and erosion. Some rise hundreds of metres above the surrounding countryside, creating a landscape that almost looks unreal.

We stopped at two monasteries. These buildings are at dizzying heights. The first was accessed up a set of steep steps.

We made a stop between monasteries to take some more photos of the spectacular scenery.

Women have to wear a long skirt so I packed my green scarf that served the purpose. Saint Stephan’s was the nun’s monastery. One of the easiest monasteries to access because a bridge connects it to the rock. 

We then had some free time in the town of Kalabaka. 

Back on the bus we started the 4 hour journey back to Athens Riviera. We made a stop at Thermopyles. MK explained that this is one of the most famous places in ancient Greek history. It is where King Leonidas of Sparta and his warriors made their legendary last stand against the enormous Persian army in 480 BC.  In ancient times, the landscape formed a narrow passage between the mountains and the sea, making it a strategic defensive position.

We continued on our way with another rest stop that charged exhorting tourist prices. On to Athens and its traffic! This slowed our progress but we got to our next accommodation, the Blue Sea Hotel, by about 7pm.

We gave Christos and MK their gratuities with much appreciation for a great trip. 

The 4 star hotel was a bit tired and lacked easily accessible power  outlets or even enough of them. I asked for a double adapter so I didn’t have to unplug the TV to boil the kettle. 

Judy and I wandered down to the President restaurant and ordered Chicken Yeros. They were delicious. 

We looked forward to having a sleep in as there was no check out early tomorrow morning.

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Breakfast was provided again and the Greek offerings were just as delicious.

Today we went to the Delphi museum first which was a 5 minute bus ride from the hotel. We had to check out at 8:30, then meet the bus down the road with our luggage, loading quickly to ensure minimum traffic hold ups.

The weather was mild as we disembarked and started the museum tour. There were already other groups there but not as crowded as the Acropolis museum. We enjoyed historical commentary and explanations of this part of Greek history.

We then walked about 5 minute up the path to the outdoor site. We marvelled at how lucky we were with the weather. Firstly we walked along a rocky but flat path to some of the ruins. We stopped at Athena’s temple before moving on to the Apollo temple ruins.

The next part of the tour was the amphitheater but the steps were uneven and somewhat steep so may be a challenge for some. There are no railings so many decided to wait in this area while others ascended even further to the stadium. It was a good pace with a variety of options to suit everyone.

Lunch was in a Tavern not far from the site which was much better organised and run than last night’s dinner. We were given choices from the menu and could order our drinks. We watched as the place filled with more tour groups but the staff were a well oiled team of efficiency.

Of course we are seeing many stray dogs and cats as we travel around this lovely country who are very chilled and happy to see people. When it was time to travel on the bus to our next destination, Maria K had to coax the dog from its unsafe position.

We were very high up as we traversed across the mountains, venturing into alpine territory – the Greek ski fields and resorts. The scenery changed to more green trees and chalets as we zigzagged out of the mountains. 

With this tour we have done a lot of driving but it has been a great way to see all the amazing scenery. The pace is  comfortable with plenty of activities in between. 

Once out of the mountains, the flat plains of Greece revealed fields with crops of cotton, corn , grapes and greens. This enormous valley of plains was surrounded by mountains in every distant direction and was the food bowl of Greece.

After a good 3 hour travel time we could see some interesting rock formations looming in the distance. This was where the monks built monasteries at the tops of these conglomerate rocks. It was our destination for the night and tomorrow’s activities.

The streets were narrow in this village and the bus was met by a couple with a small grey car who were ferrying our luggage to the hotel. The bus could not navigate the final avenues. The car was packed with all our suitcases, an impressive feat like a game of Tetris. We were escorted a short way to the hotel by foot while being overshadowed by the enormous rock formations. 

The hotel was very comfortable and my room had a little balcony that took in the view of the rock and the monasteries perched high above.

Some of the group had larger balconies so we gathered for a chat and a drink before getting ready for our provided dinner.

The restaurant was about a 10 minute walk away, closer to the village centre and the service and food here was very good. 

The walk home was welcomed after a plentiful meal and a lovely night temperature.

We agreed that it was another wonderfully planned itinerary and would recommended this tour and company.

Kalinýchta