The cruise portion of the adventure started yesterday with a longer than expected two-mile walk from the Piraeus Metro to the cruise terminal where the Norwegian Getaway was docked. Not fun with a 40lb bag on my back lol

Once onboard it was nice to fully unpack my bag for the first time since Paris. I’ve been on many Norwegian cruises, so I know the drill (both literally and figuratively). Unsurprisingly, the ship is quite full since we are in the height of European vacation month. 

Between when I boarded and when we sailed away, horrific wildfires had kicked up on the other side of the mountains from Athens. Greece has had many issues with wildfires over the last few years and it was staggering to see how quickly the smoke engulfed the city. 

This morning’s stop was the island of Mykonos. I’d been here on a cruise in 2021 and did the awesome excursion to the ancient seat of the Delian League, the island of Delos. So this time around, I did a walk of Mykonos which was fun. Saw the windmills, Little Venice, and the meandering lanes. 

I stopped for lunch in a place I’d been to in 2021 – Paraportiani Tavern. There was a pelican wandering the restaurant last time, but he wasn’t here this time around. What thankfully was still here was the kleftiko – lamb stew wrapped in phyllo dough. As tasty as I remembered. 

Back on the ship, will spend this afternoon studying my guidebooks for tomorrow’s stop: Istanbul 🇹🇷