All my life I’ve wanted to visit Greece and indulge my passion for ancient history, archaeology and mythology.
When my husband first broached the subject of marking our 40th anniversary (in 2013) with a vacation, it came to mind immediately.
Thus, we embarked on the trip of a lifetime! Come along for the ride, will you?
This is a continuing series. See other chapters HERE.
Our land tour completed, stage two of this journey would be a
4-day cruise of the southern Aegean, ending in Santorini.
Part VIII: The Louis Olympia and Mykonos Island
Sept. 16, 2013
[Day 1 of 4]
Other than one-day excursions, like the Saronic Gulf tour, this would be my first extended boat trip since crossing the Atlantic as a young child.
I remembered getting seasick and loaded up on patches and ginger Gravol. Lucky us! We had no queasiness at all and didn’t need to use anything.
Our cruise ship, The Louis Olympia was mid-sized and described as a “floating 3-star hotel” by one reviewer. Going by our cabin, which was tiny and utilitarian, I would concur, but the rest of the ship earned a better rating.
The meals were superb and varied, offering fresh seafood (my favourite!) on a daily basis, and the service, impeccable. We only stayed in the cabin to sleep and shower, so it didn’t matter much.
It took several hours to reach our first stop, Mykonos. We arrived at twilight, in rainy weather and short on time. Pity! This is one of the most “touristy” islands, with a thriving nightlife, but it also has several points of historical interest, along with that beautiful Grecian landscape seen on postcards. We will have another chance to explore Mykonos in Sept., for our 45th-anniversary trip.
In Greek mythology, Mykonos was named after its first ruler, the son or grandson of the god Apollo and a local hero. The island is also said to have been the location of a great battle between Zeus and the Titans and where Hercules killed the invincible giants having lured them from the protection of Mount Olympus. It is even said that the large rocks all over the island are the petrified testicles (or, in other versions, the entire corpses) of the giants; this portion of the myth is the source of the slang term “stones” found in most major European languages. – WIKIPEDIA
©Debbie D. & The Doglady’s Den
As mentioned, we didn’t have enough time to do it justice, but we’re going back in a few months. Expect some future travelogues about that trip! (And hopefully, they won’t take five years to complete, like this one.)
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Next stop, July 2:
Ephesus and Patmos: Greek Odyssey IX
Don’t miss these:
May 15th
Battle of the Bands
A Neil Young classic!
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May 21st
A guest post by author
Guilie Castillo-Oriard!
And More!
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Have you ever taken a cruise?
If yes, where to?
If not, would you like to? Where?
Looking forward to your comments!
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
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8 thoughts on “THE LOUIS OLYMPIA & MYKONOS: GREEK ODYSSEY PART VIII”
I wanted to go to Greece when I lived overseas but never made it. We have family in Greece that I didn’t find out about until oh…I guess ten years ago, give or take. Long after we were back in the States. How cool that would’ve been! Fantastic trip! One I hope to do myself one day.
Wow! I would love be on a cruise and take that trip some day. your pictures are stunning. Looking forward to read more.
What a fun and exciting trip. I would love to be able to go this type of excursion someday. I did take a tiny Carnival cruise (the K-Mart of cruises) many years ago when I was married. It was ‘just okay’ but I think I’d like to go again.
I’ve never taken a boat trip that lost site of land or lasted more than a few hours (a harbor cruise for a wedding). I’m not big on being out in the water though I’ve heard some great things about cruises.
It will be good to see you back with a BOTB post and with one of my favorite songwriters featured.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
I’ve always wanted to do a cruise of the Greek Isles and Turkey. Not sure that is in the cards anymore. My one extended cruise of the Caribbean got derailed and rerouted by a hurricane and I have no desire to attempt one again.
I took a Greek Mythology class in college. I’ve always wanted to scold Apollo for all the nasty things he’s done. I’ve never gone on a cruise. I find all the news accounts of illness, fires, and other disasters on cruise ships quite frightening. I’m happy you had a good experience.
Love,
Janie
Nice to see you, Janie! Apollo reminds me of a juvenile delinquent. 😀
Any time a large number of people is confined, the possibility of illness is higher. Diligent handwashing goes a long way to ward off germs. You might find this interesting:
https://quartzy.qz.com/1160465/norovirus-on-cruise-ships-how-it-happens-and-how-not-to-get-it/
There’s a misconception about how often it happens on cruise ships, along with fires and other disasters. It seems like a lot because they’re reported, but it’s actually a small percentage. I’m not the type of person who worries about what COULD happen, otherwise, I’d never go anywhere and that would suck. Travelling is everything to me! ♥ We loved this cruise experience so much, we’ll be taking another in the fall, for a much longer period. It will probably be our last major voyage overseas since these trips aren’t getting any cheaper and we’re not getting any younger. 😛 Sigh….
Thanks for dropping in. Hope to see you around the Blogosphere. 🙂