October 1, 10 a.m.: We've recovered from the shock of the mega yacht, and our group of 10 friends have boarded the Carmen Fontana.
The 125-foot yacht had five staterooms and a crew of eight. The Captain took us on a quick tour, and we were not only impressed, but actually shocked at the lavish interior.
I knew late spring and early fall were easily the best time to travel to a Mediterranean country, so when I started planning the vacation cruise to the Greek islands, I took into account the weather and the overall habits of the general population. Bad weather and overcrowding can really turn a great trip into a struggle.
We started our trip from Piraeus, the port of Athens, and our first stop was Andros, the crown jewel of the chain of islands called the Cyclades. The cruise would only take a couple of hours, which would give us time to go ashore and have lunch, and then return to the boat for dinner. The Captain has informed us that one of the crew is a noted chef, and dinner would be served promptly at 8 o'clock each night. We would have lunch at one of the many seaside restaurants on whatever island we happened to be on.
If you could describe the Greek islands in just a few words, they would be "blue water" and "white-washed villages." The Cyclades are Greece with an exclamation point.
My first reaction when we docked at Andros was to just walk. The small Greek towns all have one thing in common, and it's the overall beauty of not just the town, but the physical charm of the surrounding sea and land. Just strolling through one of the many island villages is a joy that is almost impossible to describe, and it can't be replicated in any of the travels we have made.
I don't know if white-washed buildings are mandatory, but I didn't see any other color, and in the setting of the villages next to the "wine-dark sea," as described by the Greek poet Homer, the white-washed buildings along with a red splash of bougainvillea color is truly breathtaking.
Of all the things we did on the cruise, walking in the villages comes in on the high end of the list, and dining in the village restaurants along one of the many beaches on fresh seafood rises to another level.
That first night, as we sat around the table waiting for our first dinner on the on the yacht to be served, we really didn't know what to expect. Louree, one of our Texas friends, was seated next to me, and she whispered, "I hope they don't serve something exotic."
"Oh, I don't think they will. After all, they know we're Americans," I replied.
Well, a few minutes later they brought out the first course, and as I looked down, my eyes rolled back for a moment. It was octopus. It was about the size of my hand, with tentacles covering the entire plate, and it had been grilled.
Well, Louree is a trouper, and she started whacking off those tentacles, and after a few bites she said, "These are really tasty." And they were.
The food severed on the yacht during our two week trip was outstanding. Our day would start with a mixed breakfast of rolls, etc, and then lunch would be at one of the villages we would be visiting. Picture dining in an open fronted restaurant overlooking at a gorgeous beach, under the shade of a large straw-covered patio as servers put some of the best and freshest seafood imaginable down in front of you. Dinner was always on the yacht, and it was also a variety of fresh seafood along with some Greek items such as a Greek salad with dolma.
The second day, we slowly cruised around the various very small islands, and right before lunch docked at Mykonos. The combination of a gorgeous beach restaurant and a spectacular view from a small hill with a windmill and church adjacent to it are views that are so wonderful they can't be described. It's easy to see why Mykonos is the number one party island in the Cyclades, but in early October, we nearly had the island to ourselves.
One of the best parts of our island hopping were the small villages, where just walking through the narrow streets or climbing a small hill would lead to a surprising sights. Since the islands had been inhabited just as long as the Greek mainland, they were sprinkled with breathtaking ruins. Naturally, the ancient Greeks understood views, and from the vantage of numerous temple ruins, the view was wonderful.
As the trip continued, we stopped at Paros, Sikinos, Milos and Serifos and several other neat islands all tucked away just a few miles from each other. It seems each one, even though they were sometime only a few miles apart, had their own special favor, and whether it was food or views or ruins, it added to the trip. Each island was an adventure. Our weather was perfect, clear, 70s to 80s with a slight breeze, and it was that way for the entire trip.
At our last night's dinner, the Captain announced the crew had a special presentation, and in a few minutes, as a couple of the crew danced in with bazookas playing Greek folk music, the remainder of the crew, including the captain, suddenly danced into the room and entertained us with some great music and very colorful Greek dances.
Then, just a little later that night, after we were in the harbor at Piraeus, the first rainstorm of the fall started.
Richard Mason is an author and speaker. He can be reached at [email protected].