COURTESY Holland America Line: Seattle, Wash., May 5, 2021 — Working in close coordination with the government of Greece, Holland America Line has received approval to restart cruising from Piraeus (Athens) in August with four departures aboard Eurodam. Bookings for these cruises will open May 6. Read more...

Part of the pleasure of cruising is getting to try different foods and regional specialties. It is also a bonus when a ship’s chef shares recipes.

One of my favorites on a recent cruise aboard the Astoria was the delicious olive bread. The warm bread arrived at my dining table with olive oil to accompany it. In fact, that special ACAIA Olive Oil was on my dining room table the entire cruise. And I certainly looked forward to enjoying it. Read more...

As Geoffrey Chaucer said, “Time and tide wait for no man.”

Or woman.

Flights can be delayed or cancelled so it is best not to plan to arrive the day of a cruise, especially when it is an international flight to board a cruise ship. I’ve been on cruises where a passenger didn’t arrive on time and the ship had to sail anyway. Sometimes a delayed passenger can catch up with a ship at its next stop but what an expensive hassle that could be.

All was well on my flights from Indianapolis to Athens, Greece, for my “Iconic Aegean” cruise on the M/V Celestyal Olympia.

I flew Air Canada for a 90-minute flight from Indy to Toronto, then connected for an almost 10-hour flight to Athens. Doesn’t seem like sitting could be so tiring but it is.

Even though I slept most of the way, I was worn out when I arrived in Greece and checked into the impressive Athenaeum InterContinental Hotel. As part of my trip, I am spending one night in the hotel before my cruise and one in the hotel after the cruise. Wonderful plan!

Built in 1982 and renovated in 2009, the hotel is sleek and modern with interesting art work. It is also very clean and staffed by friendly courteous folks. The 5-star hotel offers 543 guestrooms on nine floors.

I settled into my comfy room about noon, checked my email, took a nap, a shower and a slow stroll around the Athens hotel area. Then I met up with fellow passengers to walk about 10 minutes to the Hytra restaurant for a leisurely dinner.

Located on the rooftop seventh floor of the Onassis Cultural Centre, Hytra offers classic Greek recipes prepared in an open kitchen. The name “Hytra” refers to the Greek word for a cooking pot.

The Michelin star restaurant is known for its spectacular setting and its contemporary take on traditional Greek dishes made with local fresh ingredients.

Since I don’t eat airplane food, I was really hungry for the five-course dinner which started with chilled cucumber soup. Next was a green salad, then asparagus with sea greens, rocket and roasted hazelnuts. The entrée was sea bass with orzo pasta scented with wild fennel and fish roe. A decadently delicious chocolate pie was dessert.

Another 10-minute walk back to the InterContinental and I was ready for bed. No need to even unpack.

From my hotel room and from the Hytra restaurant, I could see the awesome Acropolis and Parthenon watching over the city. I’ll visit those after my cruise but, as another traveler said, those historic sites are an awesome reminder that we are in an ancient cradle of civilization.

Tomorrow, I’ll have breakfast at the hotel, check out and meet in the lobby for a short van ride to the port of Piraeus to board the Celestyal Olympia. I’m leaving my hotel room draperies open tonight so I can bask in the moonlight glory of Athens.

Now that’s the way to start a cruise.

Story and Photo by Jackie Sheckler Finch

How could all these horrific things detailed in the Book of Revelation have been written in such a beautiful place?

Although our Celestyal Olympia cruise ship stopped for less than six hours on the island of Patmos, I was eager to visit the cave where St. John the Evangelist was said to have written the Book of Revelation, the last book in the New Testament of the Bible.

To reach Patmos, we took tender boats from the Olympia to the island, then had a short shuttle ride. We climbed winding alleyways halfway up a hill to the sacred cave. The Greek island has a population of about 3,000 and is difficult to visit except by ship.

Patmos was designated a “Holy Island” by the Greek Parliament in 1981. It also was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.

“St. John was exiled here from his home in Ephesus by the Roman emperor Domitian,” said tour guide Angela. “It was his punishment for preaching the gospel. One of Jesus’ disciples, St. John was more than 90 years old when he was exiled here and it was very very difficult for him.”

Sent to Patmos in 95 AD, St. John was exiled for about 18 months. Praying in a cave, St. John was said to have been visited by God with visions of what was to come to pass.

“God’s voice was so loud that it cracked the ceiling in the cave in three places,” Angela said. “It was a symbol of the Holy Trinity – God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Angela also pointed out a natural rock desk where St. John was said to have written Revelation and a hole in the wall where he reportedly rested his head. Another carved-out hole in the cave wall is where St. John would place his hand.

Dark and incense scented, the cave does seem to be filled with a strange yet peaceful feeling. No photos are allowed in the cave so I can’t show you what it looked like. However, I can tell you that stepping back out into the brilliant azure blue of the island sky and Aegean Sea was a relief.

After the cave, we walked to the monastery founded in 1088 by a monk named Christodoulos to honor St. John. There, black-robed monks keep an eye over the museum’s treasures – an amazing collection of icons, sacred relics, original manuscripts, and vestments embroidered with silver and gold threads and bejeweled with precious stones. Again, photos were not allowed.

Walking back down the narrow streets lined with glittering whitewashed houses, we browsed through some of the crafts and other items for sale. One of the popular gifts is the “evil eye” charm said to ward off curses. Sold often in Greece and Turkey, the bright blue eye charms are available in necklaces, rings, keychains and wall hangings.

Catching the tender back to the ship, we enjoyed a Greek barbecue by the pool for dinner. That happy event was a welcome fun finale to a day spent walking through the heavy images of St. John’s Book of Revelation.

Mesmerizing Mykonos is definitely one of the most popular and most-visited Greek isles.

“The first cruise ship docked here in the 1920s,” tour guide Amaryllis said.

But jet setters really put the spotlight on Mykonos in the 1960s. Some say Jackie Kennedy and other luminaries like Grace Kelly, Liz Taylor and Marlon Brando helped introduce Mykonos to world travelers.

Today, Mykonos has a year-round population of about 10,000 and draws almost 1.8 visitors a year, Amaryllis said. July and August are the busiest months and, although the island has a reputation for partying, you can still find a quiet place to watch one of every day’s highlights – the sunset.

People begin lining up hours beforehand at their favorite viewing places, usually with drinks in hands to watch the sun slip from sight. According to mythology, Mykonos was formed from the petrified bodies of giants killed by Hercules. The island took its name from the grandson of Apollo – Mykonos.

The island even has a mascot, Petros the Pelican. The story goes that a pelican was found wounded by a local fisherman after a terrible storm in the 1950s. When the pelican was nursed back to health, the bird decided to stick around. He was given the name of Petros or Peter and soon was a beloved sight around the island.

On Dec. 2, 1985, however, Petros was hit by a car. The island went into mourning until, it is said, Jackie Onassis donated a replacement pelican. Anyway, the newest Petros can usually be found surrounded by a group of tourists with cameras clicking away.

Mykonos is a very walkable island and that is probably the best way to see it.  Visitors stroll through Mykonos Town where the streets are lined with little shops, boutiques, art galleries, cafes, stylish bars and restaurants. There’s also Little Venice, an 18th century district with grand sea captains’ mansions whose balconies perch over the sea. Most visitors make sure to walk up to the lovely windmills set on a luminous blue backdrop on the hillside above.

“We have had windmills on Mykonos since the 1500s,” Amaryllis said. “We have over 330 days of wind on Mykonos each year. The winds come from the north and are a lifesaver. They keep us comfortable.”

Jackie Kennedy’s favorite boutique hotel called Theoxenia is still a popular place to stay. It was June 10, 1961, to be precise, when America’s First Lady set foot on Mykonos for the very first time. She was said to be there for a quiet visit courtesy of Greek Prime Minister Constantine Karamalis.

Theoxenia is also where Jackie and Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis had an affair, according to the hotel clerk who showed me around. Truth? Who knows.

After John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963,  his widow did marry Onassis on Oct. 20, 1968, on Skorpios, Onassis’ privately-owned island.

Theoxenia itself seems stuck in the ‘60s. It felt very pleasant and sort of weird to be walking around the hotel. Built about half a century ago, Theoxenia is a very plush place as befitting all the celebrities who have stayed and continue to stay here.

Theoxenia has 52 rooms with Pop Art and dramatic colors like orange and deep turquoise. It also has a restaurant, named simply The Plate, plus the Breeze Out pool bar and Breeze In indoor bar. The BHealthy Club has exercise equipment and offers personal fitness training as well as spa treatments and the original impossibly-blue swimming pool outside. Of course, the hotel has all the modern amentias that weren’t available in the ‘60s, like large flat screen TVs and speedy WiFi.

The hotel name is said to honor a theme in Greek mythology of extending hospitality to any guest as though he or she might be a deity in disguise. Theoxenia décor is rather simple and sixtyish as though Theoxenia knows that it can’t compete with the natural beauty of Mykonos. And it shouldn’t want to. After all, the views on this island are amazing and the hotel has one of the best sites on Mykonos – right next to the famous windmills overlooking the Aegean Sea.

It isn’t hard to sit here in a comfy lounger sipping whatever cocktail the young waiter is serving and imagine what it must have been like back in the ‘60s. Serene and stylish, Theoxenia seems a portal to another time.

Story and photo by Jackie Sheckler Finch

Enjoy this mini-slideshow of her trip to Greece, and start thinking about your next trip too!

Looking to visit Greece? It’s a great place to visit on a cruise, and there are lots of Eastern Mediterranean sailings to choose from. Just click here to start your journey!

You can also take a tour to Greece too. Trafalgar offers some amazing options. Check out what they have to offer by clicking here!