At sea and Sifnos Island
We woke up in the great harbor of the island of Milos. The name of the island means “apple,” and some believe it is connected to the story of the “apple of dispute,” the competition where Paris chose Aphrodite as the “fairest” because she promised him the most beautiful woman in the world. He abducted Helen and that was the cause of the Trojan War.
We set sail at 8:30 a.m. and, like ancient voyagers, our sails took us to Siphnos. Upon our arrival, we ran into a movie crew filming a Greek movie called “Island 2.” We all enjoyed watching some of the filming before lunch was served aboard Panorama. After lunch, we had some time to rest or swim from the beach at Kamares.
At four o’clock, we set off to explore the interior of the island. We drove to Kastro, past endless terracing and dovecotes. This year the island is greener because of the recent rains. At Kastro, we walked around the “fortified” village, discovering its secrets. Tiny white-washed churches, ancient sarcophagi, great views towards the Aegean… It was siesta time, so we had the place to ourselves. Before leaving, we refreshed ourselves in the local coffee shops. Our next stop was Artemonas, named after Artemis. We walked down to Apollonia, enjoying the wild capers, the vegetation, the architecture and the charming church of St. John. Our coaches took us back to the ship where ouzo and grilled octopus were waiting for us.
Our Greek dinner tonight thrilled all of us, but most of all, we enjoyed the dancing… Everybody joined the Captain (and Sophia!) in a lively round of traditional Greek dances.
