Onboard the Andrea Cay: The Race to the (Greek) Finish

We are down to our last few days here in Greece, and have really packed in the activities! From Santorini, on Wednesday we cruised to Folegandros, a small, steep and rocky island of 600 people. The town sits 1000 feet above sea level and is accessed by visitors from the tiny port only by foot or bus. The small village is an oasis atop this bleak and arid island – flowers and trees deck the narrow streets of traditional white block houses, cafes, restaurants and a few shops. A large, beautiful cathedral sits at the highest point of the town and is another 15 minute hike, but was quite a disappointment since it was locked up tight when Cindy reached the top. That afternoon we were treated to some Greek beach nudity. Must be a reflection of our age… none of us participated or were particularly thrilled.

Thursday we spent on the island of Milos (pop. 4500), another dramatic, volcanic island with much to see and explore. The island is known for its wealth of minerals and was invaded by pirates for hundreds of years. We rented a couple pee-wee cars and set off, driving first to the main town of Plaka, which sits 2 ½ miles above sea level and has incredible views. From there, we drove to a well-preserved 1^st century AD Christian Catacombs. We took a tour down into tunnels that were built into the hillsides and where over 8,000 people were buried over a period of about 500 years. Our third stop on the driving tour was to a visit to a very dramatic and strange area of stark white pumice cliffs and beaches, emptying into the deep blue water. After returning the cars, we headed to the south side of the island where we anchored for the rest of the afternoon and explored stunning colorful, rock cliffs and formations jutting out of the water by tender and kayaks. (P.S. Yes… the famous Venus of Milos was found on this island and is now in the Louve.) Milos afforded kayaking, rock diving and cool cave exploring opportunities.

We cruised for 7 hours last night and are now anchored off of mainland Greece at the island of Spetses. After the barren and stark landscapes of the Cyclades Islands, this one is much greener. Spetses means “piney” in Greek and the island is covered in aromatic pine trees. Today it is a fashionable resort spot for Greeks and for British ex-pats, and there is a ban on cars, except for residents. Most people travel around on mopeds and ATV’s (Sandy called these ATM’s…) so that is how we explored this island. It was a little scary at times, traveling on fairly steep inclines, negotiating the hairpin turns, and detouring on gravel roads to hunt down the recommended, off-the-beaten-track restaurant. We were rewarded with a gorgeous sea-side lunch, but had to curtail our wine consumption, in order to avoid any SUI’s (“Scootering Under the Influence”) on the way back.

After a final dinner on board tonight (top deck, wind permitting), we head to Athens tomorrow for an afternoon of touring and dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Acropolis. Then, on Sunday, we’re all heading back to the good old (or, I guess I should say "young") USA!