Tour to Monemvasia

Today our tour didn't start until noon.  However, we had to get our COVID-19 tests at 10:15 am. We got our results in the evening - negative.  This is the test we have to have to get back into the US.

We had lunch on board the ship before we headed out for the tour.  The weather report was for cool temps and rain, so John and I wore long pants; I wore a long sleeved shirt with roll up sleeves and we took rain jackets.  It didn't rain and it wasn't cool - so much for weather reports. 

For this tour we took a tender to the dock and then a bus to the entrance to Monemvasia.  Monemvasia is a small walled city on a rock.  It has been an active city since it's inception in 583 AD.  It is considered an active Archeological site.  There are currently 10 people in residence in the town.  Others that have shops or eateries live elsewhere.  There is only foot traffic within the town.  We got a short tour of the city and then stopped by a store for a wine and olive oil tasting.  Then we headed back to the area to get the bus to drive us to the tender.  We wanted to change to cooler clothes for the Windstar Destination Event at the Liotrivi Mansion. 

We changed into shorts and short sleeved shirts and headed back up to wait for our time to take the tender across.  When we got upstairs on the ship it was pouring, so we rushed back downstairs, put back on long pants and grabbed our rain jackets and an umbrella that had been provided in our cabin.  Everyone in our Tauck group ended doing the same thing. Then it was back to the tender and then on to the bus driver to the mansion.

The rain did stop when we got to the mansion, but the tables for the meal were all under tents.  When we arrived we were greeted with a glass of wine and a glass of Ouzo.  Then we got a talk on how olives is grown, harvested and eventually pressed into olive oil. We also got a demo of how to make traditional Greek bread (called Propyra Bread) along with the recipe. 

Then we enjoyed a buffet dinner.  It was really good.  Since it was mostly vegetables, John had a limited meal, but between bread, feta cheese, a salad and a sausage, he didn't starve.  He declined the dolmades, the spinach pie and the olives that I enjoyed.

After the meal, traditional Greek dances were performed for us.  During the dancing it started thundering and then the rain started with a vengeance again. So we said our thank-yous and good-byes and headed back to the ship.  Despite the rain, it was an enjoyable event and we were so glad we had changed back to our "rain attire".  

I am off to bed.  Tomorrow we have an 7.5 hour tour.  We will be leaving the ship at 7:40 am.Read more