There wasn’t enough time to actually get past the barriers and take a look at the stadium up close but there was still a nice view of the structure from the roadside. With the coach only giving us five minutes at the spot only a handful of us actually got off the coach to take a few photos. The position of the sun wasn’t ideal for photography but the venue looked like it might be interesting to take a wander through if we were to visit the Greek capital again.

Our week’s holiday cruising on the Mediterranean aboard Royal Princess came to an end as we were dropped off at the airport. There we had quite a while to wait until our flight as we’d booked a late one to make sure we’d be able to take in some kind of tour of Athens before leaving. We had expected that we’d be able to get our cases dropped off reasonably early and pass through security in order to relax and read in the departure lounge but the Greek authorities had different ideas and we – along with many others – had to sit around on the floor until any of the few seats in the main hall became available while the check-in desks refused to permit anyone to drop off their luggage until what seemed like the last minute.

The flight back to the UK was fine and made slightly more interesting by flying over the top of a thunderstorm as we passed Albania. With it being dark by this time it was quite impressive to see the huge clouds being lit up by lightning from beneath and within.

As I’ve stated in my review of the Royal Princess for this cruise holiday we had some issues with the ship and its staff in particular but the itinerary was top class. Europe is, of course, a great place for fans of history and it’s quite surprising that we haven’t really done more of it with it being so close. Sometimes, you just overlook what’s right next to you. At some point we’re really going to have to explore more of the Mediterranean region.

Whenever we’re flying back from a cruise we always try to arrange the flights late so that if these sorts of excursions are available we can get a last bit of sightseeing in and know that our luggage is being taken care of at the same time; we’d rather not have the hassle of trying to sort out getting ourselves and our cases to the airport and we’ve got no problem with sitting around and reading while waiting for a plane back home so we’d rather extend our holiday time by a little bit than be rushed or simply get off the ship and head straight back to the crushing reality of having to work for a living.

We left the ship early (sad, naturally, despite the problems we’d had on board (see: Review: The Royal Princess Cruise Ship)), picked out our luggage from the terminal, made our way onto the coach, and with everyone else on board soon after headed off for a short drive through Athens. In hardly any time we had arrived at the parking location near the base of the Acropolis and the moaning from fellow passengers had started as some realised that when the excursion mentioned there would be walking up slopes and steps to get to the Greek landmark they hadn’t realised that meant there would be slopes and steps they would have to walk up. An easy mistake. Nevertheless, most persevered (some stayed behind to explore some shops) and we headed up to the historical site.

The walk up allowed for a number of stops to examine some of the stone walls and arches visible on the approach, give the less-mobile-but-determined members of our excursion the opportunity to catch up, and allowed some of us to take some shots outwards and towards Athens from a higher elevation.

The Acropolis is a citadel comprising a number of ruins of buildings of importance to the ancient Greeks. Situated above the capital it is easily seen from miles around and naturally a very big tourist draw. Fortunately, thanks to our early arrival it wasn’t too busy when we got there and there wasn’t a long wait before we got inside for a proper look around.

Our tour guide gave us some history of the main buildings, including of course, the Parthenon temple which was covered to some extent by scaffolding. This was due to the necessary replacement of supporting metal that had been placed in the temple in decades past but which was rusting and in danger of causing more damage. Tip: if you want to see the Parthenon without scaffolding then you ought to wait about a decade. We didn’t think it detracted too much although it makes for slightly less appealing photographs. The important thing is being there and seeing it, though.

On the walk around the Parthenon there were plenty of chances to take advantage of the commanding views over Athens. There was a little haze in the distance as the temperature was starting to rise. One thing we spotted was the Theatre of Dionysus which my wife recalled visiting on a school trip when she was younger. Both of us had been to Athens before – her on the aforementioned school trip and me, passing through for a flight home after hopping around some of the Greek islands with some friends in my late teens – but neither of us had been to the Acropolis itself prior to this excursion.

One of the other, more attractive temple ruins on the Acropolis was the Erechtheion and its Porch of the Caryatids with columns formed from the figures of women.

We continued looking around the various temples and other buildings on the Acropolis as time permitted but with the rising temperature came the realisation that we hadn’t brought any water along and had packed our suntan lotion in our suitcases. There was little we could do about the latter issue as shade was severely limited on the citadel but there were a number of public water fountains dotted around the Acropolis so the need for water was curtailed. I would recommend bringing water with you, though, as it’s far more convenient than the fountains, useful though they are.

Before we headed back down to the base of the Acropolis where we were due to meet up and head towards the coach I grabbed a few more shots looking out across the city towards some of the other ruins in the distance. There is certainly a lot more to do than just the Acropolis in that small area of Athens but our time was limited out of necessity. Opposite the entrace to the temples were a few places selling food and drink so we grabbed some ice-cold slushies and wandered back to the meeting point.

As we waited for everyone to arrive we got talking to some fellow passengers. For some it was their first cruise, for others it was their first Princess cruise, and there was one older couple who were elite passengers and had been in a suite on board. There was a definite split in opinions as to how our time on the Royal Princess had been with those new to the cruiseline and cruising in general thinking it was incredible and those of us more experienced having serious concerns about the service we’d had on board and the ship’s design decisions. At some point we’ll return to a Royal-class ship and see if things improve because sometimes you just have a bad experience.

There would be one more stop before reaching the airport: a photo opportunity at the olympic stadium.

• the sun loungers on the beach were not free,
• anybody who was wet would not be permitted back on the coach and would need to phone for a taxi.

This last point in particular got some people grumbling as they’d apparently expected they’d be able to swim in the water and drip all over the place and on the seats of the coach immediately afterwards. Entitlement is a common trait amongst cruisers. As for us, neither was a big deal as the beach held little interest for us. I suppose that for people who live far from the sea then any chance for a splash in the water is one to be taken but we’re naval port-dwellers and a stretch of coastline in which you can paddle or swim as you see fit is ten minutes away; beaches are not draws for us.

The actual location we were dropped off at along the beach was by the Thalassa restaurant. There was a small gift shop and a large, concrete area on which chairs and tables were set (and probably many more could be added).

A stone sculpture of a boat (white, like almost everything on Mykonos) provided a point of interest for photographers. In particular, it caught the attention of a group of Asian tourists (not part of our group) who proceeded to take – from memory, and this is just approximate – five hundred million photographs of themselves posing in front and on top of it. Meanwhile, I stood nearby, camera in hand, hoping that maybe, just maybe they might spot that someone else wanted to take one photo and that perhaps twenty minutes of hogging that single location was excessive. I’m not exaggerating about the twenty minutes. They finally fucked off with just a couple of minutes left before we were due to return to the coach.

Back on board the Royal Princess we showered and changed for the evening and I grabbed a last couple of photos of Mykonos as we headed out of the port and one shot of the sun starting to sink towards the horizon as the ship set course for the last port of call, Athens.

The excursion we’d taken was a full day one with the highlight being the boat trip to Delos. If I were to return to Mykonos I’d be happy to return to that islet and spend the rest of the day in Mykonos town, exploring it more fully as I’m sure there was far more there than we got a chance to see.

We sat outside but in the shade where we could get some breeze to help cool us down. Plenty of water, some wine, and some very reasonable food was then taken in before we had a bit of time to explore the village.

We had been told that we would be able to visit the adjacent Monastery of Panagia Tourliani, built in the 16th century and restored in the 18th, but a funeral service was being held at the time of our trip. While our tour guide said they probably wouldn’t mind if we entered in ones and twos for a look around so long as we were quiet it didn’t seem to be very respectful so we declined and I’m happy to say that everyone else in our group did as well. I made do with a few shots of the surroundings before we hit the coach for our final stop on our full day excursion.

The first stop was Panagia Paraportiani, a Byzantine church, whitewashed like almost every other building on Mykonos. This was a popular spot for tourists to congregate with many people grouping together and posing for shots or taking selfies. As our tour guide explained a little of the history of the building I made use of the time to perform a half circuit of the church and snap a handful of photos featuring fewer people in the way.

After only a few minutes we all set off again at a reasonable pace through often congested alleys and somehow nobody managed to lose track of our tour guide which when you’ve been travelling on as many cruises as we have is a minor miracle. With the sky being clear, the sun being high, and those white walls of the Mykonos buildings reflecting a lot of light everywhere it was fairly easy to take fast photos at a reasonable aperture size and with low ISO as we made our way through the town. For the most part I simply lofted my camera up and clicked at random in the general area of buildings as we passed trusting to chance to take some shots with interest in the lines and contrast between the sky and structures.

Our second chance for a short rest and the opportunity for some photos was just between the famous locations of the Mykonos Windmills and Little Venice. The windmills point back to the island’s history of producing bread and both locations, being so close together and facing west, are popular spots for watching the sun set on the Mediterranean.

Our next stop would be the coach which was due to take us off to a restaurant for lunch followed by a visit to one of the island’s beaches. With the coach being to the northwest of Mykonos Town in the direction of the cruise ship this meant retracing our route for the most part. Again, amazingly, nobody got lost.

Mykonos Town had its fair share of churches. Whether they were all still in use I couldn’t say and the photos I took probably only represent a small percentage of the ones around.

Nearing the coach pickup point after negotiating our way through the town was a narrow strip of beach as well as a small port for some fairly expensive-looking yachts.

The boat ride from Delos took around half an hour and afforded some pleasant views of various bits of the island of Mykonos as we passed with occasional congregations of the typically white-walled Greek buildings along the fairly barren-looking shoreline breaking up the landscape.

As we got closer to Mykonos town it was possible to see many of the places that we would next be experiencing close up on a walking tour through it. It was quite interesting to see the sights from the water – the famous windmills and Little Venice, for instance – as the images you typically see of Mykonos are from a totally different perspective.

Boat Trip To Delos

We’d booked a full day excursion with Royal Princess which started with a gathering on the dock under scorching early morning heat and a not inconsiderable wait to board the boat that would take us onto Delos. We sat on top as the boat made its way out from Mykonos which left us exposed to the sunshine for the voyage, something we decided we wouldn’t repeat when coming back as it proved to be quite uncomfortably hot.

The Island Of Delos

According to Greek mythology Delos was the birthplace of both Apollo and Artemis. This was likely because Delos had already been a place of significant importance in the Cyclades group of islands for a millenium beforehand with its history including some time as the home of pirates allegedly later expelled by King Minos, then as a holy sanctuary. It also functioned as an important centre of commerce, possibly coming through a need to import nearly everything for its inhabitants, then because it was made into a free port by the Romans looking to undermine the trading influence of Rhodes. Think of its planned location and importance as being what Brexiteers think Britain will be like and its current, barren, empty condition as what will come of that.

From the dockside we walked as a group up a slow incline, stopping at the ruins of various houses and important buildings that had been close to the shoreline where we learned a little of the history of Delos as well as what had been found by archaeologists to suggest the functionality of those places we peered into.

Delos Theatre Quarter

Over the top of the incline from the dock area on Delos we entered what was described as The Theatre Quarter with a fair number of fancy houses given over to the arts and the remains of the theatre itself, around which we sat, impressed with the size of what we were experiencing for the first time.

The House Of Dionysos

From the theatre we retraced some of our steps into a location we’d passed on the way up: The House of Dionysos. One of the more complete buildings on Delos it was easily identifiable from nearby by the presence of several, tall columns but inside its walls it was the impressive floor mosaic that attracted the eye. As we walked around the artistic floor decoration we stopped to look into many of the rooms off the courtyard area of the house, some of which retained some of the original plaster and faded wall paintings too.

Temples

Our tour took us back through the marketplace of Delos then onto the more religious centre featuring wider avenues and the remains of numerous temples. Many of the stones in this area bore inscriptions indicating their history or pointing to some part of the history that the rulers of the island at the time wanted to impart to the locals and visitors; religion has always been a political tool.

The Terrace Of The Lions

At this point on our Delos tour we were given free time to either explore on our own (with some pointing out of locations of interest by our guide) or head off to the shop and café. We watched as a huge portion of our fellow cruisers set off immediately for the shop. Despite the heat, despite being almost out of water, we didn’t want to waste any time at the fabulous archeological site so made for the Terrace of the Lions. Only seven of the original nine-to-twelve lions remained but were in position as they would have been two-and-a-half thousand years earlier forming an avenue very much like the sphinxes did in ancient Egypt. Either the artists responsible for the sculptures had never seen lions before or there’s been a huge surge of evolution in the intermediate years but they still formed an impressive sight.

Delos Wildlife

I’ve already said that Delos was practically silent during our visit once you moved away from the tour group and that was what alerted us to the fact that there initially seemed to be no wildlife at all. Admittedly, the island was pretty desolate so didn’t seem to have much that would attract living creatures to its landmass but we remarked at one point that we’d not even seen or heard any birds during our visit. As we looked a little closer, though, we did pick out a few moving things in the form of some lizards and a dragonfly that led me on a merry chase for a while as I tried to get a photo of it. We even spotted a single dove sheltering from the sun at the House of the Trident.

Stoibadeion

From the stone lions we walked among the stone ruins of the agora and past the Minoan fountain, numerous impressive columns, and some fairly intact sculptures on our way towards the Stoibadeion which had a certain piece of statuary that attracted the eyes from quite a distance.

From Wikipedia’s entry on Stoibadeion:

The Stoibadeion contains a rectangular platform containing a statue of Dionysos […] Two pillars, one on each side of the platform, each support a huge phallus, the symbol of Dionysos. […] Three sides of the southern pillar have relief representations: the central scene shows a cockerel whose head and neck are elongated into a phallus, on either side are groups containing Dionysus and a Maenad, with a small Silenus on one side and a figure of Pan on the other. The southern pillar bears an inscription that it was erected ca. 300 B.C. by a Delian named Carystios in celebration of a victorious theatrical performance he sponsored.

Conclusion

We concluded our visit to Delos by heading back towards the boat through the temple area and past the Portico of Philip V of Macedonia. As I’ve mentioned before, this cruise around the Mediterranean provided some highs and lows with the service on the ship and the less-than-impressive historical site of Knossos falling in the latter category. The visit to Delos was most definitely one of the high points of the cruise, though, and I can’t recommend it enough if you’re staying on or visiting nearby Mykonos; the disparity in its grand scale and my feeling of insignificance in its history is something that will live long in the memory. I wouldn’t hesitate to revisit Delos and simply retrace the exact same route we took through its streets and buildings but there was plenty we still didn’t see in our time there anyway so if we’re in the area we’ll be back.

Our walking tour took us in as far as Lions Square where the early-17th century Morosini Fountain was located. There were a few street entertainers here (of the “human statue” type) who would hilariously trap people or take items off them until our tour guide told them in Greek what I suspected to be “Fuck off and leave my group alone!” Generally, though, I’d have to say that all the Greek people we met on our Mediterranean cruise were some of the friendliest locals we’ve encountered on our travels. One of our guides explained at one point that they realised that for as poor a country as Greece is tourism is absolutely vital so good humour and manners were equally required assets.

During our free time period my wife and I broke with our tradition of immediately going off for a wander and headed for a café instead to get some beers and something to eat; the heat of Knossos had really taken it out of us. It wasn’t too long, though, before we did stroll around some of the streets off the centre of Heraklion in search of anything architecturally appealing. We didn’t have a huge amount of time, though, and we’d decided earlier that we’d head back on the coach, again, because it had been so hot.

The last point of interest as we made our way back to where the various coaches were parked was the Venetian era Bembo Fountain, built in the mid-16th century and the first time the citizens of Heraklion would have seen running water in the city.

Hey! Remember me saying that the tour guide wanted people to tell him if they were making their own way back to the ship so the coach wasn’t waiting beyond its due time? Well, funny story… We ended up waiting around for twenty minutes after we were due to meet. Ten of those were for a couple who couldn’t tell the time. And the other ten were for another couple who decided to head back to the ship on their own and didn’t tell anyone because it’s their holiday and they’ll do what they like and who cares about other people, right? Nice, eh?

Back on board the cruise ship and after some much needed showering and rehydrating we saw a very pleasing dusk sky beyond the hills surrounding the port of Heraklion.

Knossos was very popular. On our arrival at Heraklion we’d seen a fair number of other cruise ships in the port and it was a fair bet that each of them had sent some passengers to the ancient site with numerous others probably on holiday on the island doing their part too. Walking around the excavation was a slow affair as we frequently waited for other groups to go ahead or move on from where our guide wanted to take us and point something out. We were using radios so that we could hear what he said and this allowed some of us to wander away from time to time to take photos away from the crowds.

Knossos was something we were looking forward to on account of its age and historical importance and there were bits of it we liked – its general layout, for instance, and the scale of the location were pretty impressive – but overall we ended up coming away from this excursion a bit disappointed. It took a while for us to really work out what we didn’t like about the place and it wasn’t that it was rammed with people or extremely hot with very few locations to get out of the direct sunlight (although both of those points are true that’s nothing that is really the fault of Knossos); it was the restoration work. There’s probably a good argument that parts of Knossos look very much how they would have thousands of years ago but the jarringly straight lines of wooden blocks or stone plinths in places against the older stones from the site seemed to be a very unsympathetic approach to presenting the area to tourists. We came away from Knossos thinking that parts of it looked like a childish Disney recreation rather than an adult archaeological site and it was the latter we’d hoped to see.

While Knossos was not as good as we’d hoped the excursion was generally handled well. As I’ve mentioned, the heat and exposure was an issue and we went through the water we’d brought along very quickly indeed and needed to top up on our sun block a couple of times. At one point we queued to venture into a structure to see a throne. This took about twenty minutes under blazing sunshine as every other group was trying to do the same thing. The resulting ten seconds to look at the object before being forced out by the crowd made for another disappointing part (and no photo from me) but it was busy; these things happen.

Knossos is definitely worth one visit, but I’m not sure about two. I would recommend it if you’re on the island because no matter what else it’s still a major historical location but it’s possibly the least favourite site of its stature we’ve ever been to. If the day is warm and cloudless then bring lots of water and sun block and if you can time your visit away from tour groups then do so.

The time difference and time of the year that we cruised with Princess meant that waking up at a sensible time for our bodies was more-or-less at around dawn. This was too early to see Crete yet but we got to watch some of the early moments of sunrise on the Mediterranean from our balcony.

We had time after breakfast to go for a walk around the top deck of the cruise ship under the early morning sun; many of the photos can be seen in the review of the Royal Princess.

A couple of hours later we approached the port at Heraklion on Crete which would form the base for our planned excursion to Knossos later in the day. Aircraft taking off and landing at the nearby airport on the island flew over the ship practically every five minutes making for quite a noisy arrival.