We finally made it inside, presented our passport (since the cruise will go to Turkey which we skipped) and then we boarded the AQUAMARINE. The ship is smaller than the ones that go for 7 or 14-day cruise in the Mediterranean but still huge. We deposited our hand luggage in our cabin (really nice size with a double bed) and then walked around the check out the rest of the boat.


MYKONOS
We left at 11:00 in the morning and arrived at our first stop at around 6:00pm: the island of MYKONOS. It is very pretty and quite popular. And you can immediately see the typical greek houses/buildings of BLUE AND WHITE. There is a section of the shore they call Little Venice. We didn't go with any of the walking tours as this is only a few hours stop and the town is just by the marina. We walked and looked at the typical shops, relaxed at a taverna and enjoyed a nice cup of greek coffee before returning to the ship.

Don't these squids look yummy???
Aquamarine left around 9 pm for the overnight cruise to the island of Rhodos. We did have a quick dinner at the pool side taverna since the reserved dinner seating was not until the next night. The temperature was wonderful and not humid nor cold. They served typical buffet meals and no greek food. We had a light meal and then checked out the show at the theater. The Ukranian "sing and dance" group was okay. They did a New York to Paris show and the costumes were interesting. But both Matt and I, even after a quick nap in the afternoon, were tired and sleepy so we retired after enjoying some greek sweet snacks that some waiter was walking around with.
I must say that we both slept very well. There was hardly any movement. The sea was so calm. I woke up at 4:00 am., watched the news on the TV (we at least got EuroNews in English via satellite) and then took a walk at the top deck by sunrise. Breakfast starts at 6:30 so I had a few minutes to check out the gym (yes, I did check it out but that's the extent of my interest). It was so calm and the sea air was refreshing so I walked on the top deck until the bistro opens for breakfast.
RHODOS
Our next stop is Rhodos and we will be docked all day. We were booked on a half-day tour which was cancelled so they put us on the "almost full-day" tour instead. Matt wasn't complaining and was game.
The itinerary included a visit to the Old City and then to Lindos (which is about an hours ride by bus) where the Acropolis of Rhodos is located. The drive to Lindos was fascinating. The island of Rhodos is surrounded by the Aegean sea on one side and the Mediterranean sea on the other. Check out our photos.
OLD CITY


THE ACROPOLIS OF LINDOS
This acropolis is quite a climb. We disembarked at the town of Lindos and then took the free shuttle that will take us to the foot of the Acropolis. Our guide warned us about the 300 steps to get to the top. Not from the town but 300 steps from about the top 1/3 part of the climb! She did say there were donkeys available for those who cannot walk or refused to walk. But the donkeys will take you only from the town part to about 2/3 of the way, then you still have to climb the steps to ge to the top. We figured we already climbed the Acropolis in Athens, how hard could this be? As long as we have the bottle of Ibuprofen in my purse, we'll be fine.
The donkey station at 2/3 the climb and the acropolis viewed from the town of Lindos.

Shops line the way to the top. How anyone can think of shopping and dragging their wares up and down is beyond me! But there were people who were happy to do so. Go figure.

This is where the 300-step climb starts.
Finally at the top to enjoy the view and a bit of history. I say it was worth all the effort!!!


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