3rd Report, Italy, Greece Cruise

Italy, Greece Cruise 3rd Report On Monday the 29th we went on a tour of Athens using a hop on and off bus. It was a morning tour and consists of a 3 1/4 hours bus trip. Linda and I stayed on the bus the entire time and listened to a tour guide over small microphones which plugged into the bus near us. It was mostly difficult to hear the guide and was of little value to understanding what we drove past. Both of us did manage to take many pictures which were not close ups of the tourist attractions of the ancient past. Linda needed to rest in the afternoon so we did not get off the bus. We did get to see a lot of Athens and it was an acceptable experience. Fortunately, we had seen enough YouTube presentations of these sites where we did not feel it was necessary to get off the bus. We drove past the Acropolis and Parthenon archaeological sites. May 30, Tuesday We paid 9,000 to 10,000 for this trip including both of us, airfare, free drinks and some wifi (we paid for more wifi). This includes all we can eat. There are 23 bars on this ship and we note that many people are drinking excessively. Today we arrived in Mykonos, Greece with a ferry boat ride to Delos where we had a 3d tour of of Delos (another Creek Island). The tour also included head phones where our guide spoke to us. The tour also issued us an IPAD where we could see the various sites we visited in 3d replicating how the site we were looking at would look like in its original form. Our tour guide is named Marian Helena. One of the very best guides that I have had ever. She knew her stuff, was enthusiastic and kept talking rapidly for hours at a time. She described the houses in Mykonos as being restricted to two floors, and painted white only. There are 28 surrounding islands. We walked the excavation of the ancient City of Delos which is in ruins and is being restored. Many of the dwellings there have been destroyed over time. Archeologists have spent substantial time taking individual pieces and putting them together to represent how they were originally built. It is a rocky alcove, and is 3,000 years old. There are temple and shrines, houses, beautiful mosaics. The Romans declared it a tax free zone and as a result, was mecca of business activity with permanent resident population of 20,000. A Greek King killed all of them and later settlers left the area because of pirates in the area and it becoming unsafe. It is considered a protected area now and has 2 million visitors a year. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Five cruise ships were in the port while we were there. May 31, Wednesday. Today we visited the original site of the of the Olympic Games and a grape field and winery. This area is believed to be started as an area of athletic competition 776 BC. It was a site of competition for 1200 years in the name of Zeus a Greek king of gods. The Romans in the name of Christianity destroyed the area. The whole area is littered with what remains of buildings, columns. There has been little or no effort to rebuild it as it once may have appeared. My knowledge of the Greek government is they do not have the money and have been recently bailed out with massive loans from the European Union. Our guide did a good job of describing how the area once appeared. He described also a temple to Zeus that once stood in the area that was spectacular. It was a good area to walk through. We took pictures the famous Olympic stadium. Linda and I expended over 9,000 steps walking it. The area is filled with olive trees. The guide told us that their olive trees were exported to California. When we lived in Apple Valley we had two olive trees that looked like the ones here. It was demanding for me to trim them. One year I actually made green olives to eat with some. We ate them. The process is demanding using strong acids. I did not repeat it. Easier to go to the store and buy them. The wine tasting was OK. I am allergic to grapes and still managed to participate in the tasting. June 1, Thursday. Today was a trip to the Greek Island of Corfu. Really, I did not expect much. It was terrific. Some of the very best views of the trip. Our guide, Urainee gave us a good lecture all through the trip and also information on the culture, education, tax systems of the country. They are very heavily taxed and have a 22 percent unemployment level. School is free up to bachelor degree level. To get to the mainline of Greece from the island takes two hours by ferry. The island was colonized in the 7th century BC. We saw old fortresses which were mainly built by the Venetians who were afraid of the Ottoman turks. The streets are very narrow here and this was the first time I tipped a driver. We were inches away from walls, other cars and yet managed not to hit any of it. Seven percent of the population is employed in the tourist industry. They receive one to three cruise ships a day. Greece joined the European Union in 2002. There are 10 million Greeks and one half of them live in Athens. We stopped at a Kum Quat farm and were served a variety of alcoholic drinks (samples) and Ouzo. Very good tour and wonderful views.