Opa!!

Hey everyone. Apologies that I have been MIA for a bit. I am just finishing up my cruise through the Greek Islands. Let me backtrack a bit to catch you up. I went to the Isle of Capri and Ange, Linda and I took a single seater chair lift to the top of the mountain. It provided amazingly goregeous views! Our friend Georgio took us around the Isle of Capri and Sorrento to show us some of the sights. That evening in Sorrento, Heidi, Jorge, and I took a horse-drawn carriage around the town center to check things out. Our hotel had a huge outdoor pool, and because it was on a hill, we overlooked the whole town and watched the sun set into the ocean. After Sorrento it was off to Pompeii. The city of Pompeii was buried on August 24th of 79 AD by a volcano that erupted for 3 days straight. The city was rediscovered in the 16th century but excavation didn't begin until the 17th century. It is mind-blowing what they have uncovered in this city, especially given that it was created thousands of years ago. They had speed bumps on the streets, copper piping for water, a fast food restaurant, bakery, and supermarket. There were at least 6 brothels and they would mark directions to them by chiseling penis's in the stones on the street. (I'm not kidding) The actual brothel would have a giant penis sticking out of the wall above the door to indicate that it was the brothel. Actually, many people hung penis's in their homes as they were supposed to ward off evil spirits. This was one place that I didn't buy any "artwork" to bring home. After Pompeii, we drove across the Italian penninsula to board an overnight cruise to Patras. That night on the boat, Melanie, Stephanie and I built a roadblock in one of the hallways between the bar and the cabin area with ginormous foam lego pieces. It was hillarious to try to watch people manoever over or through the roadblock. Especially the oldies. Its suprizing how many granny's were willing to scale our wall. The dj at the bar started playing techno music (which nobody wanted to dance to) and the "roadblock" became a destination for people to continue their partying. Steph, Mel, and I were legends that evening. Even the ships crew joined in on the fun. The following day we went to Athens and hiked to Acropolis. I think I've mentioned the heat wave that they are experiencing over here, and personally, I can't think of anything better to do than to hike up slippery marble steps to the top of a mountain when it is 42 degrees celcius. Good times. It was truly stunning though. The following day we sailed to Mykanos. It is such a beautiful city. Brilliant white houses with blue doors and windows. It is actually law to have blue shutters and doors - you have to request a special permit to paint them any other color than blue. I watched some little Greek boys play soccer in the street, then witnessed the most amazing sunset. In Mykanos, there are 3 pelicans that live there and have pretty much become the town's mascots. The oldest is Patros, and while I was doing a bit of shopping, he came strolling down the little cobblestone walkway and right up into the tavern. 'Atta boy...I love a cold beer on a hot day too buddy. Anyways, being the crazed animal lover that I am, I followed him and was petting him like a dog. Patros and I are bestest buds! Everytime Jorge tried to reach out to touch him, Patros snapped his massive beak at him and tried to remove a limb. Either Patros prefers the ladies or I am some kind of Pelican Whisperer. After an overnight cruise, we arrived on the island of Rhodes. Heidi, Jorge, and I hit the beach and enjoyed a day of lounging in the sun and floating in the ocean. We opened bottles of wine and received full body massages from this cute little Philipinno lady. Add a bit of shopping on our way back to the boat and that equals the perfect laid-back day. We sailed overnight again to have an early arrival in Patmos. I failed to mention that my friends and I purchased the unlimited drinks package for 18€ a day...so that early arrival meant that I didn't even set foot on Patmos but did have enough energy to peer out my port window to have a gander. Early that afternoon we arrived in Turkey. I bought some exquisite pieces of jewellery in Kusadasi and then drank local Turkish beers at a seaside cafe. Today we went to view the Oracle at Delphi and then headed back to Patras to have an overnight cruise to Ancona. I will be on my way to Venice in the morning and am beyond excited to be going back to Italy. I love love love it there!!! Yamos! (which means "to your health" in Greek) Giff