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Cathy and Peter celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and invited us to join them on a cruise of the Aegean.

The trip was through Windstar, who do sailing cruises. They pride themselves at being 180 degrees from ordinary.

We had so many adventures and did so many things. I'll break it down by day.

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Arrival in Athens

The plane landed and we disembarked quickly because we were seated right behind first class.

We made it through passport control and once we walked through customs, there were hosts of people standing holding signs for passengers. We found the Windstar people and introduced ourselves. The driver took us outside and a few minutes later came back with the car. Driving in Athens and Greece was unfamiliar. People just drift in and out of the lanes and and stop rather suddenly. But it seemed to be business as usual. Along the way the driver pointed out some of the landmarks. It was my first chance to converse with a Greek speaker. He seemed tickled that I knew some Greek and start asking me total softball questions. “How do you say, ‘yes’?” “No?” “Red?” “Black?” Etc. We scouted out some of the museums along the way. We drove by the national gardens. I erroneously called that “paradise”. He chuckled at that, no gardens. Paradise is for after this life. He took us to the hotel, but it was too early to check in. They did take our bags and we ventured out into the city. It was hot at noon. The first thing we saw outside of our hotel was the parliament building, of course flying the Greek flag. We wandered toward the exhibit on Greek technology. It was warm. They had signs describing their exhibits, but it was very dense on text. We were so tired. I feel sleepy now just remembering that moment. We didn’t get very much out of that exhibit. They had exhibits about sending messages in codes, or hydraulics, even steam power. We left there and found a grocery. Lauren had a list of foods that she wanted to snack on, a very particular list. We were surprised when we found all the fruits on her list. We were even more surprised as we discovered stairs in the back which lead to a much larger lower level we were still surprised to find even pure maple syrup from “vertmont.” We stopped for a bite to eat at Cocona’s “the art of taste”. We both had gozleme; stuffed Turkish flat bread. Jen had minced beef and I had Cretan style filled with feta and drizzled with honey and cinnamon. They were served with Greek yogurt. They were both delicious and quite different. We made it back to the hotel and checked in early. We took gigantic naps. We still had time to visit the National Gardens and scout out our dinner location. The gardens were a nice shady spot in the city with Mediterranean flora and a few animal enclosures with goats. We saw a Roman archeological site with a large mosaic floor right in the midst of the garden. History was ever present in Greece. They have little pharmacies around every corner. We found one to buy some sunblock. “Does this work?” “Yes, of course! It is a pharmacy product.” Jen’s parents and Tim and Laura and Jason and Lauren arrived from their flight. We went out to dinner together. Jen and I ordered plates to share; crispy feta and honey, fava (which apparently has nothing to do with fava beans but mashed yellow spit peas, and kebab with warm yogurt and spicy tomato sauce. After dinner, Grandma and Grandpa went back to the hotel. The rest of us walked down toward the acropolis. Jason managed to push Lauren’s wheelchair all over those bumpy streets. I even saw him ride on one side to jump a large gap in the sidewalk that descended into a below ground tavern. We walked all the way up the hill to Mar’s Hill. There are stairs that take you up to the hill. Those ancient rocks are worn surprisingly smooth for their rough appearance. It was great views of the lingering sunset on one side, then the acropolis lit at night on the other side. The buskers playing rebetiko style added to the ambience on Dionysus Areopagite Street. We walked back past Hadrian’s arch on the return. We stopped at syntagma square. We saw both a civil protest related to a train accident that occurred and the traditional hourly changing of the guard with high steps and shoes clacking on the pavement. We went back to our room to get more rest.

Jen in front of the parliament building

Some pictures in the national gardens

Roman era mosaic tile floor discovered in the gardens.

Our first view of the Acropolis

Syntagma (constitution square) after dark, waiting to watch the changing of the guard

More views of the Acropolis

It is most stunning at night with the lights

The view from Mars Hill

Mars Hill was the spot where Paul preached in Athens- the sermon on the unknown god

Friday, June 13, 2025

Delphi

On Friday morning we had breakfast at our hotel. We had lots of great meals on this trip. Breakfast included spanakopita and kolouri, which are sesame bread rings. We boarded a 20 passenger Sprinter van, but we were only a group of 12. There are 8 in our family and another young family of 4.

We drove to Delphi. This involved some mountain roads, but Jen did great with the help of 24 hour meclizine. (It did make her sleepy, though. She slept for a lot of the bus ride.)We stopped at a travel center along the way. I had been telling her about a recipe that I found for Greek pastry that called for a flavor that I hadn’t heard of, but it was some kind of tree resin from a certain island in Greece. Anyway, she was looking at the souvenirs and showed me some candies flavored with mastic. “That’s the name I was trying to recall!” So we got some and shared it around. A new kind of flavor, slightly piney. It was fun to discover things together. After a few hours we finally made it to the historical site. Our guide gave us a walking tour of both the site and he museum. The site was impressive, especially the views of the sacred mountain, Mt. Parnassus. We had a late and long lunch in the village of Delphi. They served us salad and dolmades and smoky eggplant and stewed beef. The view from the restaurant was gorgeous with pleasant breezes in the open air cafe. We continued on to Kalambaka, close to Meteora.

We stopped at the Leonidas memorial along the way. A small group of Greek hoplite soldiers held off the entire Persian army for days at this pass. They only fell because a traitor lead the enemy around their flank by a secret mountain pass. The site is probably located on the wrong side of the highway. Because the bay has significantly receded it is difficult to see what the size of the pass was at Thermopylae.

We made it to Kalambaka. We did not go out for dinner. We did not go out to wander the Main Street. That night we went directly to bed.

In Delphi with Mt. Parnassus in the background

The theater at Delphi

These columns are the remnants of the ancient temple to Apollo and the oracle at Delphi.

That funny shaped stone is a marker of the navel of the world. Zeus wanted to find the center of the world, so he released eagles from the East and West and this was the spot where they met.

The sphinx is now in a museum, it was along the sacred way as you approach the temple in Delphi.

A beautiful spot for lunch, and great Greek food

King Leonidas

The pass at Thermopylae, where 1000 Greeks held of the Persians for days. When they finally fell. 300 Spartans stayed behind and perished which allowed the other 700 soldiers to safely retreat.

A scenic overlook

The Athenian treasury in Delphi

The polygonal wall is part of the sacred way.

The Greeks really mastered the perfect angles to get the best views of their monuments.

Saturday, June 14, 2025

Meteora

Saturday morning I awoke early and sat on the balcony. Kalambaka was quiet. I listened to the doves

At breakfast I experienced yogurt with cherry spoon fruit. A fantastic combination which was worthy of being served as dessert, and it was later that day. We drove past all 6 monasteries and visited two more closely. Beautiful places, especially the courtyards, which were well maintained with trees and flowers, and the various chapels. The monks that built these places had great faith to start something like this in a place so remote and inaccessible. They used to lift everything up with nets and pulleys. But I guess the original monks did it as a free climb. They tied their fate to their faith in God. We had lunch at a local tavern. They served us stuffed vegetables. Tomatoes and peppers filled with herbed rice. I loved it all. Cathy and Peter were less interested in the vegetables, and Cathy passed her plate to me. I ate up all the extra veggies. But it turned out I was not going to go lacking for great food. They were also able to take care of Lauren with her various dietary restrictions. We made the long drive back to Athens. In the evening we went out to dinner again. We went to a restaurant that Peter had picked out before the trip. Jen and I shared a plate of moussaka. This happened to be the night of the Pride Parade in Athens. The timing worked out that just after dinner the parade was gathering right outside of our hotel. There was no way to get around. We had to go through the parade. We moved about a block down and then put Lauren out in front with her wheelchair. The crowd just parted to let us through. I will always remember the night that I marched in the pride parade with my in-laws!

Then Jen and I with Tim and Laura and Jason climbed up to the base of Mt. Lycabettus. We took a funicular ride to the top for some amazing views of the city and an after dark adventure walking back down the mountain. The days were hot and it was delightful to go about after dark.

Jen waiting for the tour to begin and enjoying the mountain breezes

Peter at Meteora

Awesome spaces on the tops of those mountains. The geology was amazing and the culture and architecture in the same place.

Originally these locations were only accessible by by hauled up in a net on these ropes.

Views

Athens at night. That is the Acropolis in the center of the photo.

Sunday, June 15, 2025

Acropolis

The Acropolis is without a doubt the most sought after and iconic site in Athens. It was a great monument, but also gobs of people. The Acropolis museum offered some context. Then we made it to our ship, or yacht, or four-masted schooner. The Windstar experience was classy all the way. The state room was so cleverly appointed with storage spaces tucked away and space was so well used that it never felt cramped. We had our first meal on the ship. They had a buffet every day with a different theme for lunch. Greek food, Italian food, Asian food, etc. We explored the yacht from the pool deck to the fore deck. We went back to our room and enjoyed some rest in the middle of the day. Then we left the harbor of Piraeus and set sail. Every night as they gradually unfurled the sails they played music. It was magical and epic and majestic. We had dinner that night in a separate dining room. We had most of our meals as a family. They were 5 course meals if you order an appetizer, a soup, a salad, a main course and dessert. That’s exactly what I did most nights. There was always a seafood option which I would enjoy. The favorite dish that I had was boiled clams with chorizo. But I also enjoyed lobster tail and octopus and shrimp and fish. Everyone enjoyed the meal each night. There was something for everyone. I remember Cathy with her buttered bread, what Tim called her Strategic Butter Reserve! Dinner would last at least two hours. We enjoyed going slowly and spending time together. We did quite a bit together, but the dinners are what I remember best as family time.

Jen in front of the Parthenon

The Erechthyon

The olive tree was considered a sacred gift from Athena

On the yacht

Excited to be underway

Monday, June 16, 2025

Mykonos

We awoke in the harbor of Mykonos. We had a special excursion planned. Because the port seemed so busy, we booked a boat tour of the local islands. First we went past Delos which has ruins from the classical period. It was an important spot particularly because it was regarded as the birthplace of twin gods Artemis and Apollo. We then went to nearby Rhennia island. We explored some of the coves and beaches. We jumped in for a swim in the chilly Aegean. I had thought Mediterranean was would be warmer. In fact that day was the chilliest day we had with an excellent fresh breeze. We also saw Mykonos from the water. He took us on a tour of all the southern coast .

I got to speak with our boat captain in Greek for a bit. Then we finished up and they took us to a beach restaurant for an unexpected lunch. We had sort of filled up ahead of time, so we definitely had more than we should after that meal. It was delicious with pork skewers. We got to spend about two hours soaking up that beach vibe. That was all I needed. I can’t imagine planning an entire week holiday with nothing to do but hang out at the beach. Yuchk!

On the beach there were merchants walking around to sell goods like handbags. We particularly likes seeing a guy with a dozen sun hats on his head. It was just like the children’s story, Caps for Sale. We made it back to our yacht and enjoyed some private time in the middle of the day. I started reading a novel. This is something I actually enjoy, but do very little in my day to day life. That evening we made the farthest crossing of the trip and we had some rough seas. The rocking was much more prominent. The waves looked much more epic. We decided to skip dessert this night and head back to our cabin. Jen did fine this night and on every part of the trip.

Mykonos

Touring the islands on a motor boat

Rhennia is an uninhabited island next to Mykonos

The water was colder than we expected it to be.

See Jen's toes? The water was crystal clear.

Another meal in a beach side restaurant

"Caps for Sale"

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Turkey

We had one day on our itinerary in a nation other than Greece. We went to Kusadasi Turkey. This was our only port we’re we could actually dock instead of a tender to transport us to the harbor. We took advantage of that and disembarked three different times. First we did a guided tour with the family. We toured ancient Ephesus and the associated archeological museum. There were a couple of sites connected with Paul, like the theater where the riot took place. “Great is Diana of the Ephesians.”

We saw the ichthus, an ancient Christian symbol carved in the pavement stones. It is a combination of ΙΧΘΥΣ which stands for Jesus Christ God Son Savior. Basically a combination of a circle and cross and an X. It looks like a pie cut into 8 slices. The symbolism in this name and shape are powerful to me. One of which is the number 8, just like I’ve been talking about at the Richmond Temple.

Later on Jen and I walked about and bought some souvenirs. Jen bought a new pashmina or scarf. I got a shave and a haircut with a real Turkish barber. We got off the main streets and wandered into this guy’s shop. He did not speak English. He just showed us the prices on a sheet. He never asked me how I wanted to cut the hair, he just started cutting. I was thinking to myself, “what did I get myself into?” He kept trimming and in no time he had a well sculpted hair cut. Then he lathered me up with hot lather and started to shave with a straight razor. He pulled and stretched my face to get all the spots. He even trimmed inside my nose. Everyone agreed that I looked much younger with the smooth cheeks and trim hair.

We had a special dinner that night. They took everyone back to Ephesus under the ancient ruins of the Celsus library and served a white glove dinner with live chamber music. It was a pretty fancy evening. Every night when we come back from dinner our room was made up and there was something like a chocolate on our pillows, which Jen loved. One night we got a bottle of Ouzo. I thought that was a waste, but Jen saved it to take it home so we can make vanilla extract from the alcohol.

Touring Ephesus

The ichthus

This lone column is all that remains of the temple of Diana- once one of the seven wonders of the world

A Turkish bath since Roman times

Kamil Atta-Turk is everywhere.

The pagan statue to Diana of Ephesus

This ancient theater is mentioned in Acts where they had a riot.

The Library of Celsus

Trying to read Greek

Ancient origins of gnomes

The old Caravan stop

Scott is wandering off

Turkish barbers have a reputation for their skills

Hot lather for the shave

Looking a bit more groomed

Definitely in Turkey

The castle in Kusadasi

Dinner and chamber music at the steps of the ancient ruins. They literally served us with white gloves on.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Patmos

I think this was my favorite day out of a lot of good times. Jen and I took off early. We caught the first tender off the boat. The tour guide asked us to wait, but then we explained we were not with any tour and we just walked off to explore Patmos, totally free. The city was still very quiet. It felt like we had it all to ourselves. The Aegean charm was just for the two of us. We hiked up to the cave of the Apocalypse. We missed the main entrance and had to climb back down to find the way in. There were signs, but only in Greek, so it felt very uncertain. When we arrived there was a crowd, but not the tourists. We walked in during morning worship. The priests were chanting. I thought it would be harder to understand singing but actually it was a bit easier, they sang slowly and distinctly, obviously well rehearsed. I understood a few basic words like “thank you,” “God,” “Christ” and such. But just a small amount. We couldn’t actually see much except when some one walked across the room, but we got the best spot right next to the window. We could look out upon a view that would have been pretty much unchanged since the days of John. Also the breeze was very welcome. The cave was filled with people and burning candles and incense. It was hot. The breezes were a blessing.They had communion. The people took a piece of bread. They were rather enormous. They would hold it in two hands and it filled their hands and they were still eating after they had left the sanctuary. Finally it was our turn to walk through the sanctuary. There are 7 lamps dangling from the ceiling and they have a spot where supposedly John laid his head. I don't think it looked comfortable at all to lay your head. It was too quick. We came out to some stairs but the door on top was closed. So we went back down and filed through one more time. I didn’t have a sacred experience, but I did feel the spiritual nature of the place. Watching those monks and all the worshippers helped reinforce that. After that, we continued up the road. We walked along the side of the road. The roads are narrow so it felt dangerous, but the traffic was pretty used to pedestrians. On the way we passed a traffic stop where police were pulling people over. We came upon a small chapel and said, “let’s explore.” I saw the cleaning lady had just left and we had the small chapel all to ourselves. As we turned to go, the cleaning lady came back around the corner and was surprised to see anyone there. We started a conversation. She spoke no English except the word “boat.” She was very patient with my Greek. First she told us all about the Chapel of St. Barbara. She explained the icons, then she asked about our trip and our family back at home. She told us about her two children and her late husband. While we were chatting, Tim and Laura showed up. They had left later and took a completely different path along the beach but happened to show up at just that time. We introduced everyone and toured the chapel again, then her daughter showed up. She got a ticket from the police! We said our farewells and continued together to explore the monastery. I liked seeing the monastery, the chapel, the bells. We discussed the early Christian symbols that we saw. We split up again after the monastery. We did some souvenir shopping. I bought a Greek fisherman’s cap. We found the perfect ring for Laurel. It looks like a crown or wreath of laurels. The whole experience felt so authentic and so perfect.

We went back to the yacht. We jumped out the back of the boat and went swimming in the Aegean. We did some kayaking. Then we got ready for dinner. That night was the special dining experience they called candles. I put on a bow tie, but honestly, the dinners are always so top notch that I feel like they had a hard time taking it up a notch.

Kayaking in the Aegean

That's our 4 masted schooner

The streets of Patmos were empty first thing in the morning.

We found the cave of the apocalypse. This is the location where John received the Revelation.

That sign says "the path, the will" It is a picture of John dictating the Revelation to his scribe.

Jen's combination of modest skirt and hiking boots was worthy of a picture.

The Greek word for exit is exodus. Nothing grand about it, just the exit.

The bells of Patmos

A bit of Greek music and dancing and traditional costumes

Playing games

What a fun town

Beautiful views

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Santorini

Our guide Georgina made this into a great excursion. We had a private van for Peter and Cathy and Tim and Laura and me and Jen. The first thing she asked was where we want to go? Blue domes, right? No not really. We want to avoid the crowds. Then the beaches? No, that’s not a big interest. The wineries?

We perplexed her. We said we wanted to go to the out of the way locations and gems. The trip did not disappoint. First she took us to Megalochori to avoid the early rush at other sites. It was the perfect town, and she slowed down to show us the grape vine nests and the pistachio trees, and capers, etc. The town was cute. We saw some blue dome churches after all. We saw some cave houses. The driver dropped us off at the top of the hill and we toured through town, downhill the whole way and he picked us up at the bottom. By the way, every driver in Greece seems to be named Dimitri. Next we went to the excavation at ancient Akrotiri. She was trying to explain the ancientness of the site and it was have trouble sinking in. I explained that this was the same era as Joseph in Egypt. The place just looked like a pile of rocks, but Georgina was able to explain it in a way that it came to life. She had pictures of all the paintings and artifacts that have been taken from there and reside in different museums. For example, all the precious metals were taken when they evacuated the city, but they left one gold ram statue. She said this was a bribe to the gods that they left behind. (But it really didn’t work) Then she talked us into going to a black sand beach, so we could say we did. And we did. I suggested we also make an ice cream stop. I had a flavor called kanaifi, which is a Greek pastry, like spaghetti baklava. It was good. Then we went to the top of Mount Profitis Elias. The Greeks traditionally name their highest mountains after Elijah. The breezes were so nice. There was a monastery and chapel up there as well. She explained more about icons and saints. Greeks celebrate their name Saint’s day much more than they celebrate their own birthday. We walked back through Fira and down all the steps past the donkeys to get back to the tender. The harbor in Santorini is a volcanic crater and it is so deep that the ship cannot anchor there, so they just putter around the harbor all day as slowly as they can go. That night was barbecue on the pool deck. Another dinner, but we ate much faster than usual. We got to watch the sunset during dinner. The sunset wasn’t the show, but the waning sunlight on the cliffs of Santorini was a special experience. You can only see that from the water. We learned how to play mah jong with family and some other games.

The blue domed churches of Santorini

The Greek flag is blue and white - the colors of the sea and the sky.

The sunset from the yacht

The ancient ruins of Akrotiri

Volcanic black sand beaches

Byzantine style churches

The view from Mount Profitis Elias

All those stairs back down to the harbor

Barbecue night on the pool deck

Photo-op on the bow

Friday, June 20, 2025

Monemvasia

We did a guided tour. The first part was a visit to the olive farm. They showed us the traditional equipment for pressing olive oil. She talked about olive horticulture in the shade of the olive trees. I learned a few new things. The black olives and green olives come from the same tree. Once the olives start to fall the tree is ready to harvest. They harvest all the olives at once, so some are black and some are still green. They comb the branches and get all the olives. It is very labor intensive. Three workers can harvest one tree in about half an hour. During the season, they bring in extra workers to help with the harvest. The rarest kind of olive tree is the wild olive tree. That is because the wild olive was not prized historically. The wild olives produce very little oil and it has a very strong after taste, it burns. So, over time all the wild olive trees have been grafted to become other varieties. Nowadays the wild olives are prized because they are loaded with antioxidants, but you can’t make an olive tree back into a wild variety. We got to taste the different jams and spoon sweets and of course the olive oils and saw how they make the delicious bread that accompanied the meal. Then we visited the fortress on Monemvasia. It was a delightful medieval town. It passed hands back and forth from the Venetians and the Ottomans with elements from both civilizations. They basically rebuilt the whole town from ruins. Back on the boat we went swimming in the pool. That’s right, there is a pool on the sailing yacht and we had the whole thing to ourselves. We watched the town of Monemvasia in the evening light as we pulled away in a lovely hot tub. Just us two.

Olive trees

The olives are first mashed in this crusher

Then the mash is placed in this press to separate the oil.

We tasted all the olive oil varieties.

Scenic estate

The view from "New" Town

Lobster night

We watched the sunset from the yacht.

Saturday, June 21, 2025

Nauplion

This time we did not arrange any tour but just went to explore. We got out early again, on the first tender and Peter came along with us, but this time the town wasn’t all that cute and there wasn’t much going on. We had to bide our time until the shuttle bus started. We took an open air shuttle through the town. Hilariously, the tour mentioned one part as a beautiful part of town, but it was at that moment we passed a run down graffiti tagged building. The Palamidi fortress was awesome. This was also Venetian but built later to withstand cannon fire. We walked into the fortress and turned left up the hill. It was one overlook after another. It was beautiful scenery and tunnels and passageways. We just explored. The majesty of the cliffs was inspiring. We walked down the 999 stairs. Grandpa made it all the way. At the base of the cliff, we found a walking trail that extended along the promontory. Another scenic walk. And we made it back to our tender. They had ice water and chocolate chip cookies waiting for us. Jen was feeling sick so we took it easy and she got a 3 hour nap. Of course the dinner was superb once again. This time I ordered two desserts.

Open air bus

Take the steps to the left. It is a climb but takes you to the road less traveled which makes all the difference.

Beautiful scenes from the ruins of the fortress wall.

Exploring

Spotted

We really got down in the dirt as we explored the fortress.

This walking path follows the coastline all around the promontory.

Octopus appetizers.

stairs

many, many stairs

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Back in Athens

We caught the airport shuttle with all the rest of the family, but did not fly out. We dropped our bags at the hotel and jumped on the metro to go back into town. We popped out on Monasteriki square and visited old churches. These are all orthodox churches. We went to old Byzantine era churches and large modern churches and one so small, it was in the corner of a larger, modern building. We stopped for lunch. We had phyllo chicken pies on the street, just 2.50 euros and goat milk ice creams. I did get mastic again. We went to the Byzantine and Christian museum. They have a great collection of church artifacts. I did enjoy seeing traces of temple symbols. We decided that they maybe came out too far on the side of ornamentation after the split between iconophiles and iconoclasts. We took a long walk through town. It was good to get out of the touristic places. Everywhere we went cafes had tables in the streets and people were gathered to eat or drink. We went to the National Archeological Museum. They had great artifacts and covered all of Greek history with excellent sculptures from classic times. Afterward we had to wander a bit to find grocery store that was open on Sunday evening. Eventually we did. We got simple salads for dinner and we bought some food for breakfast. One item we thought might be yogurt turned out to be something entirely different a sweet submarine. It is a vanilla flavored sugar paste that is meant to be eaten by the spoonful after immersing in a glass of cold water. Totally not yogurt!

We mastered the metro and made it back to our room to rest and enjoy our last night in Greece.