The thing I like about cruising is that I can unpack. I even found some jocks which means I don’t have to wear them inside out or back to front or upside down. The thing I don’t like is that all the cruise passengers converge on my tourist spot at the same time. We’ve boarded the Celebrity Infinity cruise ship for a 7 night cruise which includes some Greek Islands and some mainland ports.

Santorini

Santorini in the Aegean Sea is famed for its dramatic landscape shaped by volcanic eruptions and is a photographers paradise. Fira town is perched nearly 1,000 feet high atop the cliffs. Fira Port is where the ships tender dropped us. We had a choice of joining the queue for a cable car to the top or a donkey trek or climbing the 588 steps! The queues for the cable car were huge and suddenly we had a brainwave! Let’s catch a speedboat to the town of Oia where a bus would take us to Fira Town so no climbing needed.

So glad we did. Oia Town was spectacular.  Pristine white with blue dome rooves and the views over the water indescribable. Certainly very busy with tourists along the narrow cobblestone lanes but you could just imagine how magic it would be when the tourists had left.

The bus took us back to Fira atop the cliffs. Cable car or trek back down to the wharf? Ruthie and I were feeling youthful so opted for the 588 steps down! We could’ve opted for a donkey down but I’m sure that would’ve resulted in a sore ass.

It was a great workout and we rewarded ourselves with a swim and spa back on the ship. That evening we were invited to the ships helipad, which isn’t usually accessible to guests, where we witnessed a magnificent sunset before sailing off.

Rhodes

Today should be easier. The ship is docked and Rhodes old town is directly across the road and most importantly, flat. Rhodes has been around since 5th century BC. Famous for its Colossus of Rhodes (a giant bronze sun god statue) and in later years, the Knights of St John, who transformed Rhodes into one of Europe’s most fortified cities. It has been through the Roman and Byzantine periods, also through Ottoman and Italian rule before being handed back to Greece in 1947.

The old town is now a UNESCO  World Heritage Site where you can walk amongst the ancient ruins and medieval streets.

Of course, everything is aimed at the tourist and throngs of people crowded the narrow streets eager to purchase a souvenir bargain. Ruthie and I were relieved when we got out of the crowds and into the back streets of the old town. Naturally, we got well and truly lost and we loved it. Occasionally, we glimpsed inside the homes and wish we knew the stories these ancient walls would tell. The narrow back streets were lined with really small cobblestones. Walking on them I was pretty sure that they were aligning the chakras of the soles of our feet.

We took in the beauty of the ancient city and then rewarded ourselves with a refreshing swim in the Mediterranean Sea. Bliss. In the evening, we had an invitation to the Captain’s Club welcome party. It was nice being able to talk to the ship’s officers and the free alcohol didn’t go astray either.

Kusadasi

This cruise stop is actually back in Türkiye. It is the gateway for tours of the ancient city of Ephesus, which we had already visited as part of our Türkiye tour. 

Ruthie and I decided to walk to a beach we’d been told about, Ladies Beach. On the way a delightful elderly Turkish lady stopped and asked us “swim?” using her arms. When Ruthie nodded she proceeded to give us very long winded directions which we couldn’t understand a word of! Off we went in the general direction of her arm signals. She was spot on and we found a very busy beach with certainly more than just ladies there. We still managed to find enough water to have another beautiful swim in the Mediterranean. It was nice to get out of the mainstream tourist strip and have some interaction with the locals.

Tonight on the ship, we’re invited to music and mixology. You may well ask what is that? Well it involves a band in the background fronted by a bar person. Not just any bar person. It was like Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail. He made a variety of coctails. Oh of course, then we got to drink them!

Mykonos

There are the beautiful and famous people in Mykonos, wearing their white cotton outfits and bling, blending in to the whitewashed Cycladic buildings framed by blue, red and green doors and window frames and colourful bougainvilleas. Then there is us, cruise ship passengers not color co-ordinated at all. Don’t get me wrong, tourism is what keeps these island economies alive. On Mykonos, the population swells from 15000 in winter to 50000 in summer. Interestingly, there is a strict colour code that requires doors and windows to be painted blue, green or red. This dates back to a tradition where the sailors painted their doors blue, farmers painted them green and everyone else used red! 

The sands of the sun drenched beaches meet the jewel bright aquamarine waters of the Aegean Sea. The famous Mykonos windmills stand high up on the hill in an area known as Little Venice. Apart from being windy, the weather was very pleasant today, around 25 degrees.

The labyrinth of streets that snake through the port town were once intended to confuse pirates in the 18th century. Shopping including all the big names now line these narrow streets and yes, they still confuse the pirates of today. There is always the opportunity to savour fresh seafood and ouzo but I just didn’t think they would go down so well with my morning greek style strong coffee. To date we honestly have not seen a cloud in the sky on this cruise.

Thessaloniki

For the first time during this cruise, we awoke to some clouds on the horizon. Founded in 4BC, Thessaloniki has a lot of history and boast’s 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is Greece’s second largest city.

We chose to do the hop on hop off bus or as Ruthie named it, the Hot On Hot Off bus. It was pretty warm and no shade on the top level of the uncovered bus but I think even hotter on the un-air conditioned bottom level. We nearly survived a full lap before alighting and finding the Kapani shopping markets stop. The fish markets showed off the fresh catch of the day and the clothing seemed good value. 

The back streets were very windy and busy, graffiti was very popular. It was apartment living with shops on the bottom levels. At least the historic buildings and ruins were spared from graffiti.

There were plenty of shopping outlets and we enjoyed having a local beer along the waterfront. 

A late sailaway gave a lovely view of the harbour lit promenade.

We have thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and I know it has only given us a small tourist taste of the Greek Isles but it certainly is a beautiful part of the world.