Oh, NO, no pix!!!

Well, it looks like the lack of photos on the blog is going to continue as long as we're on the ship. I talked to the cruise coordinator today to voice my complaint about being locked out of both the USB ports and the CD drive on the computer. She told me that their computer system functioned out of England and they were very, very afraid that one of the passengers would infect their system which not only runs the passenger computer room but the ship's systems as well. As idiotic as that sounds, I suppose that I'm not going to be able to circumvent them. I thought about unhooking their computer some quiet night and hooking up the laptop, but I suspect that I wouldn't be able to get out anyway. So, I'm going to have to wait until we get to our Rome B&B before I can post the cruise photos. Sigh!!!

Today we had our first experience with riding small boats into the shore since the ship could not approach the land due to shallow water. I have to tell you that it immediately took me back to 1973 and my voyages on the good ship, MAR. The smell of the diesel, the salt spray, the rocking of the boat, all thrust me right back to my 20-something years on an ocean-going, 60-foot ketch. Damn, I found that I really missed those feelings. There's nothing like living aboard a boat, nothing in this world.

Once on shore, we boarded buses that would take us to the site of the ancient civilization of Mycenae which flowered circa (c. 1600 BC – c. 1100 BC). Mycenae is a cultural period of Bronze Age Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece. These dates correspond to the last phase of the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece, it is the historical setting of much ancient Greek literature and myth, including the epics of Homer. This was really impressive stuff here when you get to view jewelry and toys and weapons and tools that were crafted several THOUSAND years ago.

Lunchtime found as back at the nearby port city (whose name I've misplaced) for a fantastic lunch in a bougainvilla-festooned patio amid a wonderous labarinth of tiny alleys filled with exotic shops, pergola-shaded restaurants, and a host of other colorful sights and smells. We wanted spanakopita (spinich pie) but they were out. So, we had the cheese pie instead. We finished off with our absolute favorite, Greek yoghurt and honey.

After lunch, we boarded the buses for a 40-minute ride to the ancient theater of Epiduarus. Wow, just like you've seen in those Rick Steves travel shows on Greece, their stadiums are awesome. The Epidaurus stadium was constructed entirely out of cut stone, sat as many as 20,000 people, and had acoustics so fine that the actors could be heard easily in the loftiest seats. Those seats were a fair distance above the stage, let me tell you. I know because I climbed all the way up there to take a picture. Awesome is just too mild a word. It was just incredible!

We had quite a ride on the little boat described above when we wanted to reboard the ship this afternoon. The wind had kicked up quite a bit and our boat, filled as it was with thirty or forty people, was bobbing around on the those waves like the Mad Hatters Tea Party. But Concetta, prone to seasickness sometimes, came through it just fine. Having lived aboard a boat for a year, I realized what we were in a tight spot more than some of the passengers I imagine. Still, everything turned out all right and the boat and deck crews did their jobs admirably.

Concetta and I finished out the day out at the fantail restaurant where we could eat dinner and watch the lights of the Greek mainland receed in the distance. The service on this boat is absolutely outstanding. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. Most of the employees appear to be from the Philippines. We questioned our waiter tonight and he told us he has a wife and 4 kids at home, but that there's not much employment. So, he works here on the ship eight months of the year and is home for four months. This particular waiter has singled us out for exceptional treatment and is just the happiest guy you could find. We certainly wish him well.

The last thing we did tonight is have lifeboat training -- the training that we missed last night because tour was so late getting back. I had to reflect that I spent three years in the Navy and one year aboard the yacht, MAR, and had never had a life preserver on. Life can certainly be ironic.

Well, that's all for now. The ship us gliding through to night to our next appointement with history. We're going to be on Crete in the next day or so, one of my favorite islands in the Mediterraean. For now, it's going on 11:00 here and I should probably toddle off to bed. Ciao, tutti.