The Olympic Countess

The air was crisp and cool as we loaded the bus for Piraeus, a port town south of Athens. Though it's considered a different town, there was no break in the buildings, and it was impossible for me to tell when we left Athens. Along the way our tour guide explained the way things work on the cruise--how we had to leave our passports, check in and out, and how we really don't to be left behind at one of the islands. We arrived early at the departure gate--a long building rather like an airport, with x-ray machines and metal detectors. Within 15 minutes the line of passengers extended out the door. We were the first to board; travelling with a tour group sometimes has its perks! I chatted with a couple from New Zealand and she offered me a lolly. Heh.

We sailed into the Aegean right on schedule. The ship, the Olympic Countess, is not large and the ride is a bit more bumpy than I would like, but the water is midnight blue and islands dot the horizon--silhouettes behind a cloudy haze. It's easy to sit on deck and lose yourself somewhere between the sea and sky. They tell us there are 300 islands in Greece, and i wonder if they don't look just as they did when the historic prototypes for Jason or Odysseus sailed these in very waters.

At 4:00 I picked up a photocopy of my passport and my assigned passenger ID number: 666, which is funny as hell. Somewhere we lost time, because we arrived at Mykonos 30 minutes late, and the sun was already setting. Mykonos is an island famous for its white stucco buildings with accents in blue or red, with stairs everywhere. Slow and steady windmills matched the pace of life here. There were plenty of jewelry shops and postcards--many nude! We didn't have time to see much, unfortunately, and it was back to the ship for a forgettable meal at a table with assigned seating. After dinner entertainment consisted of singing in broken English and a magic show. After that, everyone disappeared and went to bed. Seriously! I stood in the lounge, alone, around 10:30, in amazement. "Mambo No. 5" echoed across the empty dancefloor. This definitely wasn't a party boat!