After two days of travel, we were exhausted. The Acropolis was undergoing renovation and was closed, so we decided just to go to the ship and get some shut eye. We only saw Athens from the harbor as we were leaving. We'll have to return to Athens for another visit.

Out first stop was Mykonos. Mykonos is one of the Cyclades islands. Each of these
islands has its own character as we shall see. The island is the gateway to the
neighboring unoccupied island of Delos, the scared center of the Cyclades.

Mykonos itself has more than 400 churches and chapels. At the same time, there are
many nude beaches, as well as striptease and drag joints. One can find fashion
models wandering the streets as well as the old ladies dressed all in black

Santonini was probably the most scenic place I have ever visited. Then again, some of the other stops on the cruise were close as well. When you see postcards of the Greek Islands, this island is probably what you're seeing. From the cruise description:

Santorini, the legendary island of all Greek islands. Sailing into the Caldera is like floating inside of a giant open-air geological museum. With towering cliffs stretching before you and a stark mystic of this once circular island, it is the postcard perfect island of Greece.

The island was born of a volcano during prehistoric times. The inlet where we anchored was the caldera of the volcano. Many believe this island is all that remains of the lost continent of Atlantis

Katakolon is a quiet seaside Greek fishing village, located on the northwest coast of
the Peloponnese peninsula. These days, the village serves as a gateway for cruise ship
passengers enroute to visit the ancient site of Olympia.

Olympia is the site of the ancient Olympic Games. Ancient Olympia was not a town, but
a sanctuary with buildings associated with the games and the worship of the gods. We
visited the ancient ruins of the village and stadium and the four of us took a lap
on the track where ancient Olympians competed.

The most celebrated temple was the Temple of Zeus, dedicated to the father of the gods.
In this temple was a statue of Zeus made of ivory and gold, the masterpiece of the
Athenian sculptor Phidias. Next to the Temple of Zeus ranked the Heraseum, dedicated
to Hera, the wife of Zeus.

Phidias created the Statue of Zeus in about 435 BC. The statue, stood in Olympia and
was perhaps the most famous sculpture in ancient Greece. The statue disappeared and is
thought to have been stolen in pieces by treasure hunters. All that remains are models
and various clay and glass molds used to create the statue.

Excavation is an on going process and we were shown an area that had only been
uncovered for about 6 months. Most of the excavation is being done by Germans because
(according to our guide), they are more meticulous and have more money than the
Greeks!

Ah, Rome. What can I say about Rome? From the ancient Colosseum, to the Vatican, to
Trevi Fountain, Rome has it all.

Rome is known as the Eternal City, not because it has merely survived for nearly
3,000 years, but because it has retained political, religious and artistic significance
througout that time. Visiting Rome and its ruins really brought back the amazement I
felt during our trip to Israel 10 years ago when looking at the ruins and history of
5,000 years ago. I still am amazed that we were looking at things that were 2,000
older than what we saw in Rome, and Rome was surely amazing!

During our visit to Rome, we managed to visit St. Peter's Basilica, where our guide
pointed out that most of the marble in the temple was looted from the more ancient
ruins in more "modern" times. When we toured the Colosseum and other ruins once
adorned in marble, the guide made a specific point to say something like "you see no
marble here, because it is in ...." and everyone else finished the statement for her.

We visited Trevi Fountain, one of Rome's more "modern" fountains (only a few hundred
years old) and made famous by the movie "Three Coins in a Fountain". From there, we
walked the streets a bit and ended up at the Spanish Steps. On a prior trip to Rome,
I was sitting on the Spanish Steps and noticed someone staring at me for a bit. After
looking back at her for a few moments, I realized she was a classmate from my home
town. That really brought home the adage, "It's a Small World" after running into a
friend half a world away.

We wandered and shopped for a bit and decided to have lunch at one of the many outdoor
cafes. After lunch, we wandered the streets a bit more before stopping for afternoon
coffee. That would become our habit for the trip ... walk a little, eat a little (sounds
a little like a song from "Music Man" in there somewhere)

Julius Caesar established Florence in 59 BC as a military post along the banks of the
river Arno. He christened the town Florentia, or "the flourishing one", but the city
did not truly come into its own until the 12th and 13th centuries, when a few merchant
and banking families began to distinguish themselves in the world market. Many street
names in Florence refer to the colorful figures that shaped its extensive history.
Florence is best known as the city responsible for the birth of the Renaissance.

It is here n this once great city state that the patronage of the de' Medici family
brought the great minds of Italy together to create one of the principal centers of art
and education. The Renaissance brought here genius such as Michelangelo and Leonardo.

Here, we visted the Duomo, saw The David (I wish I had sneaked a picture, but cameras
were not allowed), and walked and ate some more. Unfortunately, one day is not enough
time to spend in Florence. On my last trip, I'd have to say that Florence was my
favorite Italian city and I think I can say the same thing again. I could spend days
visiting museums and marvelling over the works of Michaelangelo and Da Vinci. But,
alas, that'll have to be for another trip

Ritzy Portofino is on one of the most attractive sections of the Italian Riviera. It
is a cozy little town surrounding a protected bay on one side, and steep hills on the
other side. The ancient Romans called it Portus Delphini, "Dolphin's Harbor". Portofino
is described as a favorite stopover for the international jet set.

We spent the morning on a walking tour of town. Across the bay is Santa Margherita,
which was supposed to be part of our afternoon tour. However, the seas were not quite
cooperative that day. Portofino does not have dock facilities, so we anchored offshore
and needed to be tendered between the ship and the shore. That was a wild ride to get
into town. Santa Margherita was a 15 minute ferry boat ride from Portofino, and we
would have needed to ferry there and back, and then tender out to the ship on those
seas. We decided it wasn't worth it for those of us that are motion sensitive. So,
we headed back to the ship.

Docking the tender was an interesting exercise. The surges must've been a good 3 feet,
but the skipper managed to hook up to the ship without losing anyone! Just after we
"landed", the ship pulled anchor and started spinning circles. It was explained to us
that by running one engine forward and one engine in reverse, we'd stir up the water
enough such that in the area that was roughly a circle whose diameter was the length
of the ship, we'd "flatten out" the water for the other tenders. Sure enough, there
was this smooth region around the ship and the later tenders had no problem docking.
All afternoon tours got canceled, due to the seas, so we made a good choice by
returning to the ship

Monaco visitors all seem to agree that the tiny nation is utterly seductive. I would
have to agree. There is some confusion as to what to call it, but the official name
of the sovereign state is The Principality of Monaco. The kingdom, which our tour guide
described as "one square mile" in size, consists of six departments, the most famous
of which is Monte Carlo.

The principality is a constitutional hereditary monarchy. While the ruling prince must
exercise power within the framework of the constitution, his power is nearly absolute.
While it is a totalitarian state by most definitions, it treats its citizenry far more
benignly than any popularly elected government. It is a propserous nation whose citizens
pay no income taxes.

There really was a magical feeling about Monaco that I can't entirely describe. It would
be fun to live there for a year, but if you aren't a billionare, it might be tough!
I enjoyed sitting on my balcony and watching the mega yachts come into town in the
evening.

You'll notice from the pictures that there are a lot of cow statues (for Sherralyn's
benefit). There is a fund raising activity going on called Monte Cow Low where people
can bid on the artwork and the highest bidder wins the statue

By the time we got to Marseilles/Aix en Provence, I don't think we knew which
end was up! Go ... go ... go!

This area on the French coast westward to the Spanish boarder changed ownership
several times over the centuries, finally becoming a permanent part of France
in the 1600s. For most of its 2500 year history, it has been an important trading
port on the Med.

Marseilles was settled by Greeks in 600 BC. Over the centuries, it rose and
declined as a major trading port, trading with countries in Africa and the Near
and Far East. The city lapsed into decline, but regained importance with the
opening of the Suez Canal. Since then, its fame or infamy has rested on its
location as a crossroads. Its gangster reputation came from the old days,
accented by many French films and the American film "The French Connection".

We toured another ancient church and the tree lined streets of Aix en Provence.
Before the trip, Sherralyn got us hooked on watching Rick Steve's Europe on PBS
and the last shots are from one of the picturesque streets featured in his show.

Our final port of call was Barcelona, Spain, where we spent a few extra days at the
end of the trip enjoying Barcelona. I was fascinated by the architecture of Antoni
Gaudi. I also learned the derivation of the description "gaudy". Prior to this,
using "gaudy" to describe something always had a negative connotation to me. But,
after reviewing a bunch of Gaudi's work and understanding the derivation of the
word, I have a different appreciation for it.

One of the more fascinating structures is the temple known as Sagrada Familia. The
temple has been under construction since 1882 and has another 25 or so years to go,
according to our tour guide. There have been two additional architects that have
worked on the project since Gaudi, each adding their own flair to the project, but
respecting Gaudi's original design to a good degree.

The pictures won't do this place justice, it is just massive. I can't describe it
any other way!