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I was a software engineer at the same computer company for 38 years although the name of the company changed 3 times. In 2012 I retired and spend my time now golfing, volunteering and traveling (for fun and on missions). Read more Haymarket, United States
  • The Travels of PaulaGreece 2021
    Day 12

    Epilogue

    September 11, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    As we were getting ready to leave the ship for our flight back to the States, I got a message from Air Canada that our flights (Athens to Montreal; Montreal to Dulles) had been canceled. We then got a message that the new flight would get us into Dulles a day later. While we were trying to find the Air Canada check-in desk we got another text that we were now booked on Lufthansa flights (Athens to Munich and Munich to Dulles). However, the long leg of the flight (Munich to Dulles) had us in coach and we had paid for Premium Economy. We decided to try to resolve the seating issue as soon as possible, but with no Air Canada presence and no useful Lufthansa presence in the Athens airport, we gave up and took the short to leg flight to Munich and hoped we could resolve it there (plus we had more time). I spent a lot of time on the first flight praying for the mix up to be resolved before our flight boarded. When we got to Munich we found a Lufthansa Help section and a gentleman there made many calls and finally was able to get our seats upgraded to the original Premium Economy. I thanked him and God for the hard work and persistence.

    The remainder of the flight was uneventful and we finally landed and got through Customs a little before midnight. It was a long and, at some points, stressful day, but it ended well. And it was a wonderful trip that no amount of airline shenanigans could ruin.    Read more

  • The Travels of PaulaGreece 2021
    Day 11

    Day 11 - Final Day

    September 10, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    Today, our last day of the tour we toured Mycenae and did a wine tasting. There were two tour options today. One only went to the tomb of Agamemnon and then walked around the town of Nafpleon. Twenty of the 26 in our Tauck group went on that tour. The other 6 of us visited the theater of Epicurus where the oldest semi-circle theater exits and is still in use today. Our guide, Vaisile, was the same guide we had when we toured the Acropolis. We also visited a small museum on the side. From there we headed to the tomb of Agamemnon and then to the ancient ruins of Mycenae. The trail up to the ruins was steep and some of the rocks on the trail were a bit slippery, but the ruins and the sights were worth it.

    After the Mycenae tour, we headed to the Sakos Winery. We got a tour of the winery followed by a wine tasting. We tasted four wines, 2 whites and 2 reds. Then we had a lunch of dolmades; a salad with pomegranate seeds and slaw and a mildly sweet dressing; eggplant with a tomato sauce on top; a sausage and spanakopeda (spinach pie) accompanied by our choice of wine. John and I chose the Viogner. For dessert we had a sweet pastry. It was very good.

    After lunch we headed back to Nafpleon. They dropped us off at the port for those who wanted to go back to the ship. We had been given a coupon for gelato at a store in Nafpleon. John and I opted to get the gelato and walk around the town for a bit. Vaisile gave us a lift to the area near where the gelato store was. John got a cone with lemon and mixed berry. I got a cone with Pistachio and salted caramel. They were all good. When we got back to our cabin we filled out the Tauck comment form. Then I started trying to fill out yet another Air Canada form required for check-in. I was able to download pictures of our passports, the web site had a problem downloading our COVID-19 test results. After multiple attempts we ran out of time before dinner, so we just have up.

    We had decided to go back to the Candles Restaurant. I ended up getting the same appetizer, I got the first time. It was really good. I had decided to get the Filet Mignon. When I was ordering, I found out that there was another dish not on the menu - Surf and Turf (lobster and Filet Mignon). I got that. I ordered a Malbec that was really good. The entire meal was great. For dessert I got the Apple torte with ice cream (sort of like apple pie and very good).

    When we returned from dinner we finished packing and headed to bed. Tomorrow we will leave the ship and go to the airport. It has been a wonderful trip.    Read more

  • The Travels of PaulaGreece 2021
    Day 10

    Tour to Monemvasia

    September 9, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    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

  • The Travels of PaulaGreece 2021
    Day 9

    Tour of Mykonos and Delos

    September 8, 2021, Aegean Sea ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Today we went to the island of Mykonos. It was windy and the sea was very rough. We left the ship at 8:35am and took the tender to Mykonos. We took a short tour of Mykonos and then headed back to the dock and took a large "sea taxi" to Delos. We were able to see lots of homes and learned a lot about how the houses were constructed. There is a major effort going on to recover the remains of the major Temple that was destroyed in an earthquake. The major issue inhibiting progress is funding. It was interesting, but it looks like a lot of work and a lot of funding will be required.

    After touring Delos, we headed back to the sea taxi and returned to Mykonos. We searched for a place to eat. We finally found a Souvlaki/gyro fast food shop and got lunch there. Then we had to find our way back to the tender landing. We made sure we continued to go down and followed the streets where the wind was blowing the strongest. We only had to wait about 15 minutes for our tender.

    Tonight we went to the steak and seafood restaurant called Candles. You have to make reservations for the restaurant since it only seats 30 guests a night. The food was wonderful. John got a filet mignon and I got a grilled shrimp dish. For dessert we both got creme brulee. We made reservations there for Friday, our last night on the ship.

    Tomorrow we have our appointment for the COVID-19 test required to get back into the US and also to get on the Air Canada flight. For that flight we have to fill out several forms.

    Tomorrow we will tour Monemvasia. I have never heard of it, but am looking forward to learning about the town.

    Now it is off to bed.    Read more

  • The Travels of PaulaGreece 2021
    Day 8

    Tours of Patmos

    September 7, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Today was a short touring day. We got on the tender at around 8:15 am for a short ride over to the port town of Skala. There we meet our guide, Nikos, and boarded our bus for the drive to the Monastery of St. John in the town of Chora, the capital of Patmos. We were able to see a bit of the Monastery. On the first floor was the chapter. We could see the Markets and a bit of the sanctuary. There was also a case that contained the chains that John wore while a prisoner on Pathos. The case also contained the skull of St. Thomas and also the skull of John Christodoulous (the man who completed most of the monastery). St. John is buried at Ephesus (another reason to be safe that we couldn't go too Ephesus). On the second floor were some ancient Bibles; some icons; some priests' robes and the contract the king wrote up of all the support he, the king, would provide.

    After the Monastery your, we headed for Cave of the Apocalypse. Although small it was impressive it. A church has been erected around the caves.

    Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any pictures at either site. We were taken back to Skala to either head back to the ship or to look around in the town. John and I decided to walk around the town. We had been encouraged to try the two traditional foods of Greece (or Patmos) - Cheese pie and pungi (sp?) that had been recommended by Nikos. Pungi is a sweet pastry. John wasn't interested in either of the suggestions, so we searched around for lunch for him. We eventually found an uncrowded restaurant where John got a macaroni pie and I got a salad. When John had finished his lunch, we went back to a look for a shop that sold cheese pie and the pungi. The pungi was pretty good, but the cheese pie was pretty dry. We wandered around a bit and bought some gelato. It was pretty good. Then we headed back to the ship. We walked around the ship several times and then got ready for the "port talk" about the tour to Mykonos and Delos. We then headed to dinner. I had salmon and John had rack of lamb. Both were excellent.

    Looking forward to the tour tomorrow.    Read more

  • The Travels of PaulaGreece 2021
    Day 7

    Tour of Santorini

    September 6, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    John and I both got up early this morning to watch the ship go through the Caldera at sunrise. The colors of the sunrise over the houses on the top of one of the islands was beautiful.

    The sea was rough/choppy today and getting into the tender to take us to the Athinios Port on Santorini was a bit of a challenge. At Athinios Port, we met our guide, Mariana, and headed to our first stop - The Archeological excavations at Akrotiri. At the site are the remains of a catastrophic volcanic eruption in1600 BC. The eruption tore the island apart. The actual artifacts excavated are in the Museum of Prehistoric Thíra in Thíra.

    The remainder of our tour included some history, culture and photo opportunities for us. Our next stop was Oía (pronounced Ía) at the upper end of Santorini.

    Our next and final stop was Thíra. There we went to a restaurant and had some Greek appetizers (a tomato salad; a fava bean spread; tomato fritters; and meatballs). It was more than enough for lunch for us. After the lunch John and I went to the Museum of Prehistoric Thíra. At the museum we saw the items that had been excavated at Akortiri. After that we headed for the cable car to take us down to the dock to get the tender back to the ship. There had been an option to go down by mule, but we opted for the cable car. At the dock the water was a lot rougher than in the morning. It was a challenge getting from the dock onto the tender. The challenge for the tender driver was to get the tender lined up with the ship. They made several attempts before they got lined up. But what was more difficult was getting off of the tender and onto the stairs to the ship.

    Tonight was the BBQ. There was tons of food - salads; meats & fish; side dishes; and desserts. After the dinner, the staff did lots of dancing and in the end we all joined in. It was a fun evening.

    Tomorrow we got to Patmos.    Read more

  • The Travels of PaulaGreece 2021
    Day 6

    Tour of Milos

    September 5, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    ‍‍During most of the night I could hear engine noise.  I put in earplugs, but they didn't help much.  I am hoping I will sleep better tonight. After a breakfast of yogurt and granola (the guy serving me was kind enough to pick out the chocolate pictures in the granola) some fruit and coffee, I did a few laps around the boat, but it wasn't a lot of distance.  I figured I would need to get up earlier so I would I have time to get more laps in, but I got in plenty of walking on the tour today.  We took the tender (the boat that takes us from the ship to the port in the town we are visiting) to the bus waiting for us in Milos.  Kelly was our local guide and she was very good. 

    Our first stop was for a walking tour of the city of Plaka (evidently there are cities named Plaka on several of the Greek islands).  We made a stop at a little shop for coffee and a watermelon tart.  The watermelon tart was wonderful. It seems that watermelon is a favorite fruit in Greece.  I had a Greek coffee (similar to Turkish coffee).  It was very strong and very good.  Then we were given some free time to walk around.  Then it was back to the bus to go to see Sarakinko Beach. The beach has a lot of caves and crashing waves.  There were a considerable number of people on the beach, but most of them seemed to be there just to be seen.  We had to walk gingerly down to the beach and back up. 

    Then we headed to a restaurant at Paleochori Beach for lunch. On the bus Michael took our lunch orders.  The choices were lamb, pork or a vegetarian alternative.  John and I chose lamb. We sat with another couple from Tauck.  It was nice getting to know some of the passengers better.  First we got some crispy pita bread and some toppings (olive spread, tzatiki, and a creamy fish spread.  All were delicious.  John only liked the fish spread.   The next "course" was a watermelon salad with cucumbers and onions.  That "course" was followed by a basket of bread, which was followed by a basket of zucchini chips and a dipping sauce.  At that point I was feeling stuffed and then our main dishes came out (I had totally forgotten there was a main dish).  The lamb and potatoes were very good.  The lamb was so tender and fell off the bone.  The last course was dessert.  It was a custard like dish.  They said it was similar to a napolian, but with no chocolate.  When we finished lunch, John and I headed out to walk off our lunch.  After our walk we got back on the bus and headed back to the town to get the tender.  John and I took another walk to look at the beach in the town.  The tenders were scheduled to leave the dock at 15 minutes past the hour and 45 minutes past the hour.   However we got to the dock at 3:10 pm and the next tender didn't come to the dock until 4:15 pm.  It was no big deal and we got ice tea while we waited. 

    We we got back on the ship we showered and dressed for dinner and headed down to the lounge to learn about our trip for tomorrow and then up to the Open deck on deck 4 for a Welcome by the Captain and am introduction to the head staff.  Three sisters in our group invited us to join them, their mother and another couple (not on the Tauck Tour) for dinner.  We got the Captain's Table.  John and my food selections today were better than most of our choices last night. I picked the traditional Greek Bean Soup and John got a fried risotto ball for appetizers.  For our main course, I got shrimp and chorizo over couscous.  John and mostly everyone else got the Beef Wellington.  They were both very good.  The sisters had chocolate souffle as a dessert, but John chose a fruit trifle and I chose fruit tart.  They were both very good. 

    I really enjoyed having dinner with the the sisters.  We all laughed a lot.  Tomorrow there will be a BBQ on the Open deck and we are all getting together again for the dinner.   I can't wait. 

    Tomorrow we need to be on the outside upper decks around 6:30 or 7 pm as we sail into the Caldera .  It is supposed to be a sight not to be missed.  John is even going to get up to see it!

    So it is off to bed for me so I can be ready for our tour of Santorini.    Read more

  • The Travels of PaulaGreece 2021
    Day 5

    Goodbye Athens - Hello Greek Islands

    September 4, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    ‍This morning I decided to get a meal off the menu instead of using the Buffet.  I ended up getting an egg overeasy, a sausage, a half slice of toast, black coffee and grapefruit juice. A lot less food and more of what I wanted to eat.   After breakfast, I checked us out of the hotel and we got on the bus to go to the National Archeological Museum.  Our luggage was being moved to the ship as we toured the museum.  The museum was nice.  Our guide took us through several of the exhibits and then we had about 45 minutes to check out anything else we wanted to see.  Then it was off to the pier to go through the process of getting on the ship.  We had to go in and show our Vaccination cards and fill out paperwork to get our COVID-19 tests.  The process was pretty straightforward and relatively quick.  We were negative (again).  Then we got our key cards and got on the ship.  Lunch was ready, so after we got to our room and dropped off our carry on bags, we headed to the the Lounge where lunch was served.   Lunch was a buffet.  I got a chicken gyro some veggies and John got chicken tikka.  Both were good.   I went back to our cabin and our luggage had been delivered.  I went back up to the Lounge and John and I walked around the ship on two levels just to get some exercise and take in the ship.  I was hoping I would get familiar with the ship, but so far that hasn't happened. 

    Then we returned to our cabin and unpacked.  At 3:30, there was a safety drill.  Evidently, they are required to have several of them while we are sailing.  They don't take long so, no biggy (I hope).  We also found out that Greece Government is now requiring that we be tested this coming Monday.  So at that point John and I will have been tested 4 times in three weeks. But it's all good. 

    As we  were "setting sail" we got to watch the sails being unfurled.    That was impressive.   And within a few minutes we were out of the "seabreak" and into the Mediterranean sea - our cruise has begun!

    Before dinner we got a briefing about Milos, our first "port of call". We also learned that because of weather forecasts we will be swapping the days we go to Santorini and Mykonos. 

    Dinner was pretty good.  I had a tomato tart for an appetizer that was excellent.  John's steak was very good, but my shrimp and scallop risotto was just so so (it initally came with no scallops). I mentioned the "oversight" and they brought me the scallops for the risotto.  The panacotta we had for dessert was excellent, too. 

    I am still *very* confused when trying to get around on the ship. I just can't remember where everything is.  I have taken a picture of the ship's deck plans.  Hopefully, I will get oriented before the trip is over. 

    I am excited about this trip.  It has been a lesson in flexibility and I am sure there will be additional opportunities to be flexible.  The flexibility aspect makes this more of an adventure.  I like that.    Read more

  • The Travels of PaulaGreece 2021
    Day 4

    Free Time After the Tours

    September 3, 2021 in Greece ⋅ 🌙 72 °F

    After the museum we headed back to the hotel and John and I headed for the Terina Restaurant.  I was still full from breakfast, but John doesn't get up in time for breakfast.  He decided on a pepperoni pizza and I ate three of the 8 slices.

    When we got back to the hotel we showered and started packing up to leave the hotel tomorrow.  We get on the bus at 8:45 am and our luggage gets picked up at 9 am to be taken to the ship while we tour the National Archeological Museum.  

    We ate dinner at this Restaurant called Public Cafe.  It is in this small department store.  The store has 5 floors.  The 5th floor is where the restaurant is.  We sat out on the small balcony that surrounds the restaurant on all three sides and looks down on the square where our hotel is.

    The food was very good.  I got a salmon pasta dish and John got a beef orzo dish.  While we were there a protest march started on the side of the square where the restaurant is located.  Traffic was blocked to keep it off the street where the protest was happening.  The waiter told us that it was a group of doctors protesting, but he didn't know what they were protesting about.  The police  seemed to sympathize with the doctors' issue.  In fact, there were as many, if not more, police as doctors.  After dinner we returned to the hotel to finish packing up.  We will say good-bye to Athens after our tour of the museum.    Read more

  • The Travels of PaulaGreece 2021
    Day 4

    Morning Tours in Athens

    September 3, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Today we visited the Acropolis and later the Acropolis Museum.  I realized it is almost 49 years since I was in Greece.  It doesn't seem as if that much time had passed.  We got to the Acropolis will before the crowds.  There is a lot of renovation being done.  I couldn't remember any renovation when I was there before.  It turns out the renovations began in 1983 almost 10 years after I was there.  I remember the two temples but not the theater.  We walked up  when I came all those years ago and it is possible we came by a different route and never passed it.  Who knows. It is still amazing. 

    After the tour the women in our group (probably all 17 of us) headed for the restrooms.  Well the were only 2 of the 4 stalls that were working.    The of us decide to use the men's restroom.  Of the there, only one was working.  So one of us went in while the other stood watch.  A man came to the top of the stairs where the line ended, but we told him none of the stairs worked and he turned around and left.  Being able too use both restrooms helped stopped up the process considerably. 

    Then we all headed back to the meet up point to walk down to Acropolis Museum.  It is impressive.  The building is the same dimensions as the Temple of Athena and the interior has two rooms as the Athena Temple and positioned the same.  On the top floor there is a section of the floor is all glass. They had to put little black dots on the glass to reduce the uneasiness of people who are afraid of heights. That same flooring is outside the museum near the entrance, too.    Read more

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