Thursday, September 8, 2011

Kea and Piraeus


Left Mikonos at 4:30 AM and powered out into Force 6 seas.  We threaded through islands, keeping as much as possible in their wind-shadows, the stabilizers earning their keep.  Even so, the ship leaned to port at a consistent 15-20 degrees, perhaps to improve the ride.  Most of us were happy to pull into the tiny port of Kea, last of the Cyclades, for lunch and a ramble on solid ground.  All this under sunny, guileless skies and perfect 25C weather. 

Discovered that my point and shoot camera was no longer willing to focus, possibly due to having eaten too much sea salt from the spray (eyeglasses need to be cleaned very regularly in these conditions too).  Good thing I have a backup!

I asked the captain if this wind was the Meltemi again and he said that it was "just bad weather".  The famous winds like Meltemi and Bora have the decency to die down at sunset, whereas this wind was blowing continuously.

Our motley group aboard (mostly Americans, with two each from Canada, Italy and Rio de Janeiro), we set off in the afternoon for Marina Zea.  Originally the old port of Piraeus, site of many a famous scene including the departure of part of the fleet that sailed off to the Trojan War, the marina is now mainly used for yachts and small tour boats.  Its walls, built by Themistocles in the Archaic era now form part of the pedestrian walkway around the harbour.

We docked for the night next to the M/Y Galileo which we will board tomorrow.

Kalisera!


Backstreet, Kea


Lunch!




2 comments:

  1. That photo of the Kea backstreet is so clean and white tha for a second or two I thought it was a photo taken onboard your ship...LOL!

    Sounds like ideal weather! We are also enjoying some nice temperatures - nice enough that yours truly got the shear and clippers out and started the annual hedge trimming odyssey.

    Continue your enjoyment!

    Cheers and Love,

    Per

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  2. Looks beautiful! Hard to believe that satellite dish gets a signal at the bottom of that narrow street though :-)

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