My lovely travel buddies from winter break had stumbled across an amazing cruise deal during the dates of our Easter vacation. The boat would be traveling around Italy, the Greek Isles and Croatia, offering ease of access to food, lodging and transport, as well as many fabulous destinations. This all won out over my initial concerns over being on what was an atypical student vacation (as well as the prospect of properly seeing the coasts with which Greece is blessed), so it was off to the sea!
Kitsy and I flew into Venice the night before and caught a little sleep at a b&b (which did not in fact serve breakfast, but we decided if it had to miss a B, we were glad they kept the bed part) before meeting up with Emily and Ashley at the train station the next day for a little stroll over the truly breathtaking canals of Venice, checking out the sites and eating some scrumptious food. We also had amazing weather which made the city's colors and atmosphere all the more warm. Then it was off to the boat.
Venetian canals and last views of the city from the deck of our boat
Our first night on we met up with some more SciencesPo internationals, most of whom attend the same uni as Kitsy, then sat down for the first of many 6 course dinners, a thankful break from my usual cooking fare, as well as a surprise bday cake and champagne (thanks again ladies for a fabulous birthday) before some chatting and exploring of the entertainment the ship had to offer (I think we found the magic show funny for all the "wrong" reasons, but amusing is amusing). ;)
The next morning it was more exploring of the ship before an afternoon in Bari, Italy, a cute town that had none of the touristy feel of Venice. We traipsed through the backstreets a bit and I relished being able to wear my sandals for the first time in months!
view of a sunset, as seen from the window next to our dinner table and the table itself, along with the whole 'crew'
The next day was a leisurely breakfast buffet then the first of our Greek isles, Katakolon and the city of Olympia. We had heard tell of a train that would go from the port to the old ruins, unfortunately we missed the train, but did come across a taxi driver who was willing to take us, wait 2 hours, then drive us back. Only downside, Greek drivers are not exactly concerned with rules like driving on the right side of the road or not passing a line of 10 cars to speed through a stoplight. Needless to say it was a memorable voyage (what I did see of the countryside while not squeezing my eyes shut). Finally in Olympia in one piece if a little shaken, we promised, somewhat hesitantly, to see the driver again in a few hours, then off to the historic stuff! We spent a somewhat rainy afternoon climbing over ancient ruins of the site of ancient Olympics and marveling at the beauty of the local foliage, as well as a run through the museum filled with antiquities and more cultural education. Then back into the car for another wild ride to the boat, where we enjoyed another fabulous dinner, a show starring Hungarian acrobats and the discotheque (and the ever popular cocktail of the day).
Olympia's ruins and us hiding from the worst of the rain under a tree (and we had all applied sunscreen that morning) ;)
The next day was an early one as we were hoping to jump on a 7 a.m. tour (last minute decision) to properly see the isle of Santorini (home to Oia of the blue and white, many pics below). Unfortunately the excursions were popular and the coordinator sadly informed us that all english ones had been booked and only french ones remained. We laughed in relief and said it would not be a problem as we all spoke french! And we were off, cutting through restaurants and running past waistaff to the other side of the ship in order to jump on the last of the boats heading off to the lovely isle of Santorini(thanks again to the France coordinator Romain for helping the Americans)
Santorini was BEAUTIFUL. There is a reason so many people flock here, and it is evident from the unbelievable views from every bluff and walk way of the houses perched on the cliffsides down to the sparkling sea. I'll let the pics speak for themselves (and hopefully tell the parentals that we should most definitely do a fam trip here). When not snapping away shots, or simply staring dreamily at the pristine beauty, we did a little shopping and discovered the (in)famous donkeys which one can ride back down to the port (we walked down the donkey trail, stepping on many a surprise)
As the sun passed its zenith, we floated on to the next Greek isle of Mykonos for an evening in the city. Walking down the brightly lit streets bathed in lamplight, made all the more striking by the many white walls and stone walkways, was an amazing end to the day, not to mention the view of the sunset over the sea from our dinner table. We also discovered (if our french is correct) that just before Easter (which was this past weekend in the orthodox church) everyone paints their homes white, giving us an incredibly pristine and striking view of the famous white and blue houses of Greece.
view from our dinner table of the sunset over the water off of Mykonos and the appetizers of Tzatziki
Next it was on to a full day on the isle of Rhodes. We checked out a bit of the old city including Aphrodites' temple with plans to see the Acropolis, but despite the tourist's office assurances that bus number 5 runs every 5 minutes to the historic site, a half hour of waiting yielded no bus, so we contented ourselves with an afternoon on the sandy beaches and a quick dip into the sea (water was freezing, but well worth a short swim in the crystal clear water, just a bit sad I had no snorkel gear). Then we stopped for a quick shot of ouzo before rushing back to the boat, and another evening of fabulous food and entertainment.
some sandy feet as well as Ash and Em enjoying the sunshine (and ouzo)
Finally, after a day of travel by sea we arrived to the Croatian town of Dubrovonik, on the Adriatic sea, who's old town is surrounded by a 2 km long wall made of limestone. Which is where we spent most of the day climbing along as well as some last minute shopping, which was made all the more exciting by trying to rid ourselves of the local currency before leaving.
Dubrovonik, as seen from 2 different parts of the long wall.
All in all, a most memorable vacation! I wish I could include all the moments here, but time runs short as school beckons, so I shall conclude with much thanks to Yunyan, our lovely cabin steward who always had a kind smile and word at the ready, to my lovely travel ladies who are always unbelievably great to voyage avec and of course to new friends, to the lovely Greeks, Italians and Croatians and to everyone who was praying I wouldn't fall overboard :) much love!
xxoo
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