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Although there were threats of rain in the morning, it never materialized. We boarded a bus with our guide, Nora, into town to view the beauty close up. The Buda side of the river is full of hills, where wealthy Hungarians choose to live. The Pest side is flat and very prosperous, the financial part of the city. They used to be two different cities, but once many bridges were built to connect the two sides of the river, they became one city.

We walked the Castle Hill, viewing St. Stephen’s Basilica and the Matthias Church. The view of the city below was beautiful. Interestingly, as you get to the area of the churches, there is a Jamie Oliver restaurant. For those who do not know him, he is a famous, creative chef. Many years ago, he went into a school, in Oklahoma, I believe, where he created menus for the school lunches, and taught the students about eating better. The parents participated, losing many unwanted pounds on the way. Going back to the Castle Hill, the tiled roofs of the Matthias Church is amazing. There are statues and lookout spots, too.

We drove near the Jewish Quarter, but we were unable to go in there. It seemed that there were many road closures, perhaps for a marathon or other event. I was there before, in the former Ghetto, which kept the Jews separated from the regular population during the war, but always was a separate enclave of the Jews of Budapest.

The largest Jewish place of worship outside of New York City, the Moorish-style Great Synagogue is one of Budapest’s most eye-catching buildings. Built in 1859, the distinctive structure, with its crenelated red-and-yellow glazed-brick facade and two enormous towers. The Quarter is quite different than it was originally. Built outside of the walls of Pest, it was where the Jews lived and worked. There is a small community still there, a fraction of what was there before WII.

Our next stop was in Pest near the Museum of Fine Arts. Across the street is Heroes’ Square, a beautiful area where many a demonstation was held, given its openness. We then went to the huge food market. Because it was a Sunday, many of the stalls were closed. Fortunately, I was able to purchase some local paprika (of course), for me, as well as our housesitters and housekeeper. There were so many varieties and options, including paprika pastes, both sweet and smoked. I have no idea how to use them, but will enjoy exploring the various ways to use them.

After a wonderful day of visiting Budapest, which we heartily recommend, we returned to the ship for an evening cocktail, relaxing until another sumptuous meal was served on board. It was a good day.

Tomorrow, we go to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.

Our flight on WIZZ Airlines was interesting. This Hungarian airline is a low fare option. However, we were unable to check in online or purchase the fee for our carryon bag. This left us in the position to go to the counter in the airport, finding out that the cost for two carryon bags was 74€ each, much more than the cost of the flight itself! Lesson learned. Of course, anyone can become a commercial pilot in two years with WIZZAIR! This says it all.

Once in Budapest, we were picked up at the airport by a driver supplied by Emerald Cruises. The arrivals area had representatives from several other river cruise companies, including AMA Waterways, and Viking. So far, we are impressed with the assistance we received from Emerald. Lots of river boat cruise ships waiting for passengers.

We arrived to the dock to begin our river cruise on the Emerald Star, a beautiful boat docked on the Buda side of the Danube. The boat holds 178 passengers, but had 168 on this cruise. Our stateroom is very nice, despite not being the largest or fanciest one on the boat. There is a lot of storage for our clothing, full-time high-speed internet (yeah), and very friendly staff.

The passengers seemed to all be English-speaking, from the England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, US, Australia, and us (the only people who live in Mexico!). That seemed to be of interest to some of the other passengers. We had a buffet lunch in the lounge, which was excellent, and then had time to get settled in our cabin, and an opportunity to check out the boat’s amenities. There is a small indoor pool, a gym, and facilities for massages. No casino, no children, and no shops – thankfully. We met a lovely couple at the pool from outside of London, Jan and Steve. We became friends quickly.

Around 6:00 PM, the Cruise Director, Captain, and First Officer welcomed us, giving us a preview of what to expect for the next eleven days. An hour later, we had an amazing meal in the dining room. There was a menu with many options to choose from or items to eat from the buffet. We sat with a couple from southern California who have visited Melaque annually for over ten years, but now retreat to Puerto Vallarta during the winter for a few weeks, Laura and Chris. Again, we immediately clicked and enjoyed our dinner together.

After dinner, we were regaled with a traditional Hungarian band and dancers. They were awesome. Much of the music sounded like typical Jewish Klezmer music, which always makes you want to get up and dance. It was the music of my family in Czechoslovakia (but of Hungarian heritage). They picked Jim and Chris to participate in a typical “hat” dance. They were a hoot! I took a video of it, but was not able to add it to the blog.

The boat, then, began to go up the Danube to show us the beautiful lights of the Buda and Pest (pronounced Pesht) sides of the river. The bridges and buildings were lit up, giving us a spectacular view of Budapest at night. We went up to the sun deck, which was a little wet from a light rain earlier in the evening, to take many pictures. We were all mesmerized .

Tomorrow morning, we go on a walking tour of Budapest. There are two tour options in the afternoon, but we decided to just stay on the boat or maybe even take a swim while many on board are away. Instead, I worked on getting the blog caught up and will be adding more pictures.

A nice option with this cruise line (Emerald) is the ability to do the regular walking tour at each stop, a more athletic hiking tour, or an electric-assisted bicycle tour. Many people chose the active tours, but we wanted to enjoy the slow pace and guided tour information, rather than using all of our energy to climb and pedal!

Tomorrow, we explore Budapest in depth. It was a good first day.

We left the boat to our hotel in Athens near all of the famous sites in the early morning. The NLH Fix Hotel was a nice surprise, as it not only was well-located, but had a full kitchen hidden away. Since we will only be here overnight, it was wasted on us, but good to know. It would be good to keep it in mind for a future visit.

Today, we will get some laundry done (avoiding the heavy cost of having it done on the boat or hotel), by going to a nearby self-service laundromat. We found it, and it was close to our hotel. An hour later, we were done and ready to enjoy the day.

Our hotel is about a 20 minute walk to the Parthenon and Acropolis. We first encountered the Temple of Zeus arch. Even early in the day, there were many tourists making their way to the ruins everyone wants to see. As you look through the arch, you can see the Acropolis, where we plan to go afterward.

It is an easy walk, although uphill to through the Plaka, a beautiful neighborhood with many markets, and restaurants. As we got close, the view of Athens’ Agora Temple stands out. The Agora was the original market thousands of years ago. From the base of the Acropolis, we could see the huge lines of tourists getting tickets to walk up to the Parthenon, as well as a crowded queue to see it up close. Both Jim and I visited the Parthenon on year’s past, so we decided to forego the actual visit this time. It was a good decision.

Once back at our hotel, we relaxed for a bit before our planned cooking class at 4:00 PM. This class is in a restaurant called The Artist in a rooftop kitchen with Stam, our chef. He was adorable, very funny, and well-trained, to teach us the basics of traditional Greek recipes. All of us were from the US, coincidentally. As we worked through all the steps of creating a multi-course meal, he had us chopping, mixing, combining, and measuring the ingredients, so we all contributed to the creation of the meal.

The menu included an Aegean Salad, Spinach Pie with handmade Phyllo, authentic Greek Moussaka, Tzatziki Sauce, and Galatopita (a creamy custard dessert). We donned our aprons and jumped right in. Once everything was prepared, the food that had to be cooked was taken away, while we made the salad and sauce. By 6:30, we assembled in a rooftop dining room with a fabulous view of the Parthenon. We got to enjoy each course with a wine pairing. It was a very special evening.

By the way, the area near the restaurant is known for amazing food items. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to go in on the way there, and by the time we finished our meal, the shops were closed. If you want cured meats, Greek seasonings, or specialty cheeses, these shops are where you want to be!

We packed in a lot in one day in Athens, but we were ready to fly out tomorrow morning to Budapest to start our next cruise on the Danube.

Today, we docked in Hydra, an island that is one of the closest to Piraeus, the port of Athens. I was there in 1972, meeting my former husband at the end of his time in the Navy. We had a short time in Athens, and then went to Hydra. Truthfully, I had no recollection of the town itself. It looked totally unfamiliar.

We took a water taxi from our yacht to the town, where there were many restaurants, shops, and houses that crept up the hills on all sides of the port. We ate first, and then meandered through the various shops, which had beautiful things. I found a pair of shoes (what’s new) that I bought. I figured that they were light and almost flat by the time I scrunched them in my suitcase! And, they fit perfectly. I will be wearing them at home a lot!

There were many donkeys saddled up to take you on a tour of the town, and many boats of all sizes in the port. Every alley and open door offered a view into the lives of the Greek residents there. Some of the jewelry and clothing were incredible, and so were the prices. One group of necklaces looked like they could be copied by me once I was home. We’ll see how it goes. I am never averse to sealing ideas!

We were only there for a few hours before we took the water taxi back to the boat. The choppy water was no fun. I can’t imaging what they do to maneuver during storms. I wouldn’t survive.

When we returned to the boat, we cleaned up and then went to our final Captain’s dinner. It was very special, sitting with new friends, remembering how much we enjoyed each other’s company. After dinner, we had the pleasure of hearing Jennifer sing again, this time songs from “Oklahoma,” “West Side Story,” and finally a little opera. Her beautiful voice radiated smiles and tears from everyone – and a standing ovation!

The Captain said that he had piloted tankers and huge cruise ships for over 60 years, as well as now guiding this wonderful yacht. In all that time, he never had a guest give a concert, let alone one that affected everyone as it did. We were all so proud of her, particularly because she didn’t know she had the talent and confidence to perform in this way.

After dinner, we packed and got ourselves ready to depart in the morning for Athens, our final stop before going to Budapest. Going on a small boat, a yacht for sure, was a good experience. You become part of a family, with smiling faces wherever you went on the boat. And, the staff, especially our cruise director, Sophia, was incredible the entire time. She couldn’t have been more helpful in every way.

The other nice surprise is that one of the passengers, Crystal Yang, is an amateur photographer who documented everywhere we went in great detail. She offered her website to everyone to enjoy and use, to create a lasting memory of the trip for everyone. That was another wonderful treat for us all.

Tomorrow, we start another adventure…

This morning, after breakfast, we had a swim stop off of the back of the boat (of course we all waited the required 20 minutes before jumping into the water Not!). The water was warm and crystal clear. A few folks went on a kayak that was on the boat. I was hesitant to jump in, as I am a warm water girl, but it turned out to be a great experience. Afterward, we relaxed until it was time to dock in Napflion.

This island is charming. As we approached, we saw a fort in the middle of the bay. We had to gingerly dock the boat, so progress was watched by Captain Andreas, who was a lovely man. He came to the dining room daily to meet the passengers and share his experiences being a captain of tankers, and huge cruise ships. But, he found that being the captain of a large yacht like ours with fewer than 50 passengers, sallowed him to mingle and get to know each person on a more intimate level.

Across the port from our boat was a yacht that dwarfed ours. Supposedly, it is owned by a very wealthy person from the Emerates. It looked there was a landing spot for a small helicopter. Of course!!

We wandered into town a bit and saw lots of shops with beautiful linen clothes, souvenirs, hats, and more. There were some tempting items, but I am holding out for some shopping during tour riverboat cruise in Europe. After lunch, we took the Hop-On/Hop-Off bus to see the town and visit the Palamidi Fortress at the top of the mountain overlooking the town.

Once we saw the view of the town, we were amazing about how large the town was. The buildings looked very modern, mainly white-washed with red tiled roofs. Navigating the castle walkways, which had shiney cobblestones, made us very cautious. There was another way to go to the highest point, but it included almost 1,000 steps. We went the other way without the stairs, and were just fine.

Upon returning to our boat, we relaxed for a bit and decided to have an early dinner at one of the many restaurants. A number of people went on another tour to the tomb of Agamemnon. We opted not to go, but heard that one of our fellow passengers regaled everyone there with her beautiful operatic voice in the beehive shaped tomb. The accoustics were so awesome that even from a distance, you could hear Jennifer’s beautiful voice. Fortunately, one of the other passengers from our boat recorded her mini concert for all of us to experience. She may even sing again tonight after our final dinner.

Another excellent day!

After a night of tummy issues, I was exhausted. Truthfully, I couldn’t think of any food that could have triggered it, since I ate the same food as Jim and others. The crew had something that helped me, and I have been well ever since. The morning nap helped a lot, too.

The boat headed to the small mountainous island of Kythera or Kythira, without the crowds of large mega-ships. It had a quiet beach, some small shops, and some other attractions. However, we decided to stay on board to relax, and for me to re-group. Friends who visited the island said that it was charming, and low key.

While we ate lunch on the boat, it headed toward our next island, Menomvasio. This island is famous for its many Byzantine churches, good seafood restaurants, and unique food items. It is notable for being a huge rock, kind of like Gibraltar.

The sea was very choppy, as the Captain warned us it might be. In the end, the boat hardly rocked as we passed many islands in the Pelopenesse chain. We went to the uppermost deck to read, to sit on the sun deck, or in the comfortable salon that offered drinks, coffee, games, and snacks at all hours. Many of us enjoyed the quiet time.

We headed in around 6:30 PM into town, and had dinner on the island. The town was built on a hill, with the main street made of cobblestones a bit shiny and possibly slippery. After Jim’s mishap in Matera, the thought of falling again was daunting. However, we did okay. We had dinner with two of our favorite ladies onboard and learned much about each other. Dinner was pleasant and food okay.

After a short walk around, it was time to return to the boat for a wonderful sleep.

Tomorrow, we will go to Hafplion, an island on our way back toward Athens. The trip will include a swim stop, which will be good, since we haven’t had our bathing suits on as yet. The schedule said that Hydra will be another stop, which I visited in 1972. Known for its charm, it will be interesting to see how or if it has changed.

Overnight, the boat traveled to Rethymno, Crete, arriving around 8:00 AM. This is a smaller city than Heraklion, Crete’s capital city and financial center. After another excellent breakfast, we took a van, along with about 18 others, to the east side of the island to see the Knossos Castle. It dates from 2,000 BCE, but we were told that there were inhabitants there from 5,000 BCE. That is hard to believe, although there is evidence to prove this. The drive with our guide, Maria, took a little over an hour through beautiful mountains, dotted with olive trees. Although it seemed crowded, we were told that this was a good day to be there, with minimal visitors.

Walking with our guide, we could hardly hear her due to the cacophany of noise from cicadas in the trees. Sadly, although the ruins have been partially preserved, many frescos that adorned the walls have disappeared due mainly to neglect. Many of the original frescos have been moved to museums, fortunately leaving replicas at the site. This is the oldest castle in all of Europe. Still, it boasted an amazing plumbing system and many modern elements unknown in other civilizations outside of Greece.. The Greeks were far and away ahead of the Romans or Phoenicians.

The guide knew her information, but her delivery was difficult to comprehend. Maybe it was the external noise. The pictures don’t adequately give you a sense of what we saw. It is a Bronze Age archaelogical site, a major center of the Minoan civilization known for its association with the Greek myth of Theseus and the minotaur. Excavations were begun in 1900, revealing a palace that was very sophisticated, as it was built about 1600-1400 BCE, and some parts as early as 2000 BCE. The first human inhabitants probably came there from what is now Turkey in the 7th century BCE! An elaborate systems of drains, conduits, and pipes provided water and sanitation for the palace and had paved roads.

We returned to the boat around 2:00 PM and decided to have a light meal, since we were having dinner on the boat later. We enjoyed being with Kristine and Dixie, two lovely women who are traveling together from the Tyler, Texas area. Dixie’s partner of 20 years, Alan, does not travel as much as she does, and Kris has been traveling since the 1970’s, both on her own and previously with her husband, who passed away in 2017. She has touted the fun and benefits of traveling solo and recommends it to any woman who wants to experience travel in a unique way.

Once we returned to the boat, we relaxed until 6:45 PM, when we were regaled by a local dance troup, in traditional costumes, with dances common to the island. After they did their first set of dances, they changed into simple outfits and begin taking us all onto the dance floor to enjoy the music and fun. Even Jim danced to the songs you hear of typical Greek music. Everyone was smiling and laughing. We took a group picture of everyone, still with our happy faces.

At 7:30, we had dinner, which again, was delicious. Eating that late has its downsides, though. For some, it was difficult to fall asleep, especially after the complimentary ouzo cocktails. If you have never had this Greek drink, it is heavy with black licorice and ginger flavor. It is an acquired taste, at least for me. Now, if they had a red licorice flavor, I could handle that much better!

The boat left at 8:00 PM for our next destination, Kythira, traveling while we slept. Another day, another island. Every day is a new adventure!

After an overnight of travel, the boat made it to Santorini, one of the most beautiful, and beloved islands in the Cyclades chain. It is known for its whitewashed buildings and blue domes, but it turns out that there was one building I saw in Pepto Bismal pink! In my next life, I would love the white paint concession, as it would be an annuity for life!

After another incredible breakfast, we took a large tender to take around 46 of us, to Santorini, where we then boarded a bus to go into Fira, the main town. You can take a chairlift up the mountain, but our bus took us up the switchback road to the top, where the towns are located. You can see the road in the picture. How the buses maneuver the switchbacks, I have no idea.

Our first stop was a tour to Akrotiri of Thera, the amazing excavations that have been uncovered and continue to be uncovered, with Yanis, a trained archaeologist and our guide for the four hour visit. He was excellent. He gave a wonderful tour, exhibiting his vast knowledge, and participating in many of the work to unveil more and more of the history of this island.

We went to the site located in a covered building built exclusively for the purpose of protecting the ancient ruins of Santorini dating back 4,000 years. We found out that this civilization was very advanced, with a matriachal society where women had a high level of autonomy and power. the island was incredibly advanced. It had indoor plumbing (even using using bathtubs), light wells (skylights) in the homes, unique ways to store food, and the ability to make beer and wine.

Due to the geographical location of the island, the gateway from Africa Crete and beyond, it had a very prosperous economy, with many wealthy inhabitants. The island was much larger than it is now. It is actually a giant volcano, with the majority of the island below the water. In 1600 BCE, there was a catastrophic eruption, triggering tsunamis and ash fallout that blew most of the island away, leaving a crescent shape with two smaller islands (actually the center of the volcano) still evident. The bay inside of the crescent and center islands is called the caldera, with warm water that is still fed from the volcano far below. It is in the shape of a crescent. The eruption also caused the decline of the Minoan civilization on Crete, Greece’s largest island only 83 kilometers away. The area is still active, with small earthquakes regularly.

Santorini had many names, although the one that is remembered is Thera (or Thira). It was changed to its current name by the Venetians during Medieval times who wanted to honor Santa Irini (Saint Irene) referring to a church dedicated to this saint on the island.

After our tour, we went to Oia, a town near Fira, to see the iconic blue domes that you see in all the ads. It is a small, charming town, with minimal crowds. As it turned out, it is not uncommon to have three or four giant cruise ships at the island, with busloads of tourists descending on the streets. Today, there were no cruise ships in the morning, although one stopped there in the afternoon. We were fortunate to miss the busloads of people that came later in the day.

After a little time in Oia, we went to Fira to enjoy the capitol of the island, as well as have lunch. Sofia, our tour director, suggested a restaurant that offered excellent food, without a water view, at reasonable prices. Six of us found it easily and had a wonderful meal. Jim had moussaka for the first time and really enjoyed it. He is normally not an eggplant fan, but he hardly even noticed. I forgot to take a picture of it, but suffice it to say that it was presented beautifully.

Time to return to the tender for our return to the yacht. The harbor’s choppy water made the trip back to the boat challenging, as it was moving from side to side. A short time later, it was time for dinner, and it didn’t disappoint. It was Italian night and there were many choices, including chicken cacciatore, three types of pizza, tiramisu, and panne cote, not to mention salads and sides that were delicious. Our table companions were very interesting, allowing us to get to know more people on the boat.

Tomorrow, we will be in Crete, going on a tour of Knossos Castle. We planned to skip it, but after hearing more about it, we opted to go. Breakfast will have to be fairly early, as we start on the tour at 8:30. I need the sleep, since I was up for a few hours last night! Ugh!

We got up early to enjoy the morning. So far, we have been fortunate to have incredible weather, and not too hot, either. When we went down to have breakfast, some folks took the time to have a swim in the warm water off of the back of the boat. We decided to wait for our next swim stop to check out the water.

The buffet breakfast offered many choices, and all were good. The staff was very responsive and helpful, noticing when you needed a refill of coffee or other beverage, bringing whatever you needed. Sofia, our tour coordinator, provided more information about our tour today in Delos.

We will be taking a tender (small rubber boat) to Delos to meet our local guide. No one lives there, except a zillion cats, but it is supposed to be the birthplace of the mythological Apollo and Artemis. It was a prominent trading post as it grew from the 3^rd century B.C. It also had one of the first banks in all of Greece. Numerous pieces of sculpture were transferred to many museums in Greece and throughout the world. Excavations on the island began in earnest in 1873, with intensive work from 1958-1975 by the French School of Archaeology. They discovered many private homes, as well as significant pieces of ancient temples. And, the excavations continue to this day, with scaffolding erected to continue the work.

When we returned to the yacht, we had an amazing lunch, consisting of several salads, lamb chops, chicken and pork souvlaki, potatoes, grilled eggplant, swordfish, fresh fruit, and, as a perfect end to our meal, a chocolate mousse lava cake! It was very sweet, so even sharing it with Jim meant that we could only eat half or less of it. But, it was exceptional.

The exhausting tour this morning required a rest, which we happily enjoyed for several hours. When we awoke, we found that we now had internet, due to our proximity to Mykonos. Yippee! I was able to download pictures, as well as checking 50+ emails.

By 5:00 PM, we decided to take the sea taxi to Mykonos, only 15 minutes away. Mykonos has an old port, and a new port. Ships and boats now dock at the new port, requiring the sea taxi to get you to the old port and the town itself. We arrived while it was still light, noticing the crowds of women visitors in teeny bikinis with almost transparent cover-ups. I guess I should have taken some pictures of them…

We decided to stop at one of the seaside restaurants for a drink and focaccia, with marinated tomatoes or an olive tapanade. That was plenty as an evening “meal” for us. Afterward, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and headed into town to see the shops and the clubs we heard about. Not surprisingly, we didn’t go clubbing, but I checked out the over-priced jewelry, and other items. Of course, as has become our habit, we shared a gelato (half vanilla and half pistachio). The display in this gelato shop was different than we ever saw in Italy, and truthfully, the flavor was amazing.

Time to return to the yacht, let me catch up with the blog and take advantage of the internet to add the many pictures. It was a tiring, but fun day. At midnight, the yacht heads to Santorini, our next stop tomorrow. We have a tour there to see the little towns and enjoy the sights we see in ads about the island. Sleep will come easily tonight!

We had an early morning flight from Rome to Athens, where we transferred to our home for the next week, the Harmony V yacht. This three-level boat has 25 cabins, for a maximum of 50 passengers, but there were only 48 passengers, from the Colorado, Texas, New Jersey, Denmark, the Netherlands, Greece, and many other places. They seem like a nice group, which will be nice to enjoy getting to know them.

Upon arriving, we were able to get settled in our stateroom, and then had the obligatory safety instruction. We hope never to use the life vest, but it is important to learn about its use. The room is fairly spacious, with a large window to enjoy the sea view. The downside is that there is only one plug in the room (nothing in the bathroom), which was sufficient when the boat was built, but not for modern time, with our many devices. After our many travels, we have learned to bring multiple ways to enable us to charge our phones, iPads, and watches, etc.

There is no WiFi on board, especially while we are moving around the sea. Perhaps we will find internet service once we are n a larger island tomorrow. We have a portable hot spot, which allows us to have access where there are cell towers, hopefully in Mykonos, our first large island stop tomorrow.

We had an opportunity to take a short nap before meeting everyone at dinner. It turned out that we had a lovely dinner at a table with two couples, who were very nice. One couple was from Melbourne, Australia, and the other was a recently retired couple from Denver. The dinner was amazing, starting with a delicious fish soup, a light salad, a choice of entree of salmon or steak (we opted for the salmon), and a cheesecake dessert. All were excellent.

Just before sunset, we cruised past a small island, Cape Sounion, that had the remnants of the Temple of Poseiden, dating from 440 B.C. Eighteen of the original forty-two columns remain, as it sits at the highest point, 60 meters above the water. There were many tourists who climbed the hill to get an up-close look. Since we didn’t dock, we just took pictures from the boat. Afterward, we enjoyed a spectacular sunset.

Around 9:30 PM, there was an opportunity to go into Kia, a small island, that looked interesting. However, we decided to pass on this visit, and it turned out that those who went said it was just okay, not a “can’t miss” opportunity. Going to bed early was a much better option, which we took gladly. Tomorrow, we go to Delos for a tour of the ancient ruins and then Mykonos to walk around and have a light dinner. No partying for us, even though it is known as the place to go to drink, dance, and have a fun time. It will be good to get online, since I am addicted!