Aegean Cruise - Day 4

On the Thursday of our trip the boat was anchored near Chania in Crete, but we had already decided to stay on board. So we just had a day by the pool! We had quite a big breakfast, as I recall - scrambled eggs for me for one thing! I was wearing these Lucy and Yak shorts for breakfast, I got them at a clothes swap in 2023 and wasn't sure if they would fit me, but they do, and I think they're great for holidays! We could see jellyfish from the boat which was pretty cool! 

We went down into the cafe and I had an iced decaf latte I think. The blue llama was outside one of the windows in the cafe, it was so cute! We got into our swimming things and spent the day in the sunshine more or less! I'm not sure what we had for lunch, but possibly a sandwich again from the Snack Shack? Lee and my mum and I went into the indoor pool in the Glass House but the water was really cold compared to the one outside! So we decided we wouldn't bother again. 

We had more drinks, of course. It really is a hard life. About 4pm we were all too hot and bothered so we went downstairs to the cafe again, all four of us, to play a game that Lee had played previously. It was pretty fun. We had a hot drink each and some chocolates - they were handmade and absolutely delicious! We sunbathed for a last little bit before going to get showered and changed. 

We had booked a table in the Surf and Turf restaurant for tea. It was the second of the restaurants that you have to pay for, but it was so worth it. It wasn't much per person either, and the food was good and the service was amazing. I had French Onion soup to start with, and cauliflower steak for mains with chips and greens, I think. Then my mum had ordered a cake for me for dessert! As the trip was for my 40th, she had that put on a cake and the staff brought it to the table and sang to me! It was very embarassing! The cake was delicious though. We ate about half of it and took the rest back to our cabin to eat the next day. 

After food we went to the shops for a little bit and I bought myself a Pandora charm of a little ship which is just so cute. I'm not sure where we ended up for a drink but by the end of the night we were on the pool deck. I was wearing this Lindy Bop dress that my mum bought for me in a charity shop recently. It was brand new with tags and I think it's a second because it's got a few runs in it and a couple of other flaws, but it's hardly noticeable. It's lovely! I love the pattern. 

Thursday was a lovely and relaxing day for sure! 

I'll post this photo here even though I took it before we went - here's what my nails looked it. It's an Essie polish and it's such a lovely colour. The pool absolutely wrecked my nails though, unfortunately, so the polish really didn't look that nice by the time I got home!

My mum had also put this message into the cruise newsletter for me, which was lovely of her

Jellyfish in the sea!

 

Lucy and Yak shorts and my My Little Pony t shirt to wear for breakfast

The blue llama outside the cafe

Here I am in my aviator shades and using my cover up as a means to be able to see my tablet properly in the bright sunshine!

My mum told me I was cosplaying as Steve van Zandt like this

I dunno what this dirnk was but I'm sure it was nice!

This was the indoor pool. It was nice, just cold!

But here I am back outside sunbathing

This is the game Lee made us play, it was pretty good fun

Coffee...

...and handmade chocolates!

My mum and I in Bar Eleven before we went into the Surf and Turf restaurant. I think this was the most make up I wore all week

Lee and I 

And all four of us! A woman told me she really liked my dress/look too, which was nice

Looking out of the restaurant on to the Glass House below

I didn't get a photo of my starter but my cauliflower steak was so good

And here's my cake!

Look at the really cute little charm I got. It has an anchor on it too

The sea and some stars again

And finally my new to me lemon print dress with black shrug and my sandals

Aegean Cruise - Day 3

The Wednesday of our holiday saw us get up really early because we were going into Athens! My mum really wanted to go to the Acropolis and I said she couldn't go by herself, so I said Lee would go with her (I'm good at volunteering him for things). Then I decided to go too. I knew I wouldn't be able to walk all the way up to the top (it's a long way with no resting and lots of steps) but I knew I would be fine staying by myself at the bottom. So the three of us booked to go. 

We got off the boat around 9am at Piraeus, which is Athens' port really, it's not too far at all. We got on a coach with a really nice guide, and first of all we had a bit of a sightseeing tour. They showed us some of Athens government where we saw the guards changing, we saw a big library, and we saw some of the Olympic stadium from over a hundred years ago. It was a good tour - we each had a little earpiece and she was a really good guide. 

The bus stopped in a big car park at the foot of the Acropolis. In the car park was a souvenir shop and a cafe, so I knew I would be absolutely fine by myself. However, the bus didn't come back to the same car park and was instead a good ten minute walk away. I wish the guide had told me where the bus would be, because I could have made my way by myself to there and could have had a look round the medieval parts of Athens that are here, and it wouldn't have been such a long walk for me at the end. But as it was, I didn't really dare move from the car park! It's fine, I was absolutely fine, but I wish I could have done that! Athens is really beautiful!

When my mum and Lee left me I walked a little way up the hill from the car park, to where there was a little shrine that was interesting to see, and there was also a better view of the Parthenon. It was so cool to actually see it even though I couldn't go up close! I walked back down and went into the cafe. Everywhere in Greece has 'cold chocolate' which is like melted ice cream and is absolutely delicious! I also had a Coke Zero Zero which I wish everywhere in the UK sold! 

I just enjoyed sitting in the shade enjoying the view and people watching, but when I had finished my drinks I went to the souvenir shop and bought some bits - a coaster each for Lee and my mum, some postcards, a magnet, and some cold water which I knew we would need. Lee came and found me when they came back down the hill and we all walked together back to the bus. I had bought a cross body bag prior to the holiday so I could just put a few things in and not worry about losing everything or getting my stuff stolen. Before we set off I took photos of our passports (needed to get off the boat) and our phones, so that if the worst would happen we would be prepared. But Athens felt very safe and I certainly felt safe even when by myself. 

My mum and Lee really enjoyed themselves so I was glad they had gone. We got back on the boat and met up with Norman and got sandwiches from the Snack Shack for a late lunch. I really liked this shack and was glad there were smaller options for lunch. Lee managed to get ice creams for us about 2.30 which was nice. Then we went swimming and had some drinks poolside again. The ship set sail about 7.30 and we watched it sail out, which was nice. 

We ate in the buffet that night. We made a bit of a 'thing' of it by having a starter of either soup or salad, and then a main course. I think it was Mexican theme that night, although I can't be sure. For pudding I had cake and fruit and chocolate sauce. 

We must have headed outside because I took some photos of the moon and the stars. We went into the Glass House for a drink , that's where the indoor pool was. We also went into the Atrium Bar which was quite loud, but the drinks were nice. I had Harry's Bellini. I'm not sure what dress I was wearing that evening, but I was definitely wearing my red Saltwater sandals which I love. I wore them a lot and found them really comfortable while we were away.

There's a ton of photos from today! 

Piraeus when we woke up!

And the pool deck before we left

The Olympic stadium

This was some kind of ancient excavation, as the tour guide said you don't have to dig far in Athens before you find something ancient!

The Acropolis and Parthenon! How cool!

Here I am sitting in the car park, just chilling. I'm so glad I took my headscarf because it was HOT and I hate burning my scalp. These sunglasses are just so ridiculous, too. I wore contact lenses nearly every day when we were away

The little church/shrine I came across

And a better view of the Acropolis from further up the hill

Drinks in the cafe

Which came with these very cute little biscuits

Here's my mum and Lee near the Parthenon, isn't this a gorgeous photo of them?

Ice cream after lunch in the Snack Shack

A Mudslide cocktail later on in the afternoon

And then a San Miguel

As we were sailing out

How beautiful was this church?!

Cake for dessert in the evening

Moon on the water

There are stars in this photo, and as you can see we were still near land

This was the indoor pool in the Glass House, the bar area was down one side 

Looking down into the Atrium again

Gorgeous red shoes! I really need some other Saltwaters, I'm sure

And finally here's my delicious Bellini last thing at night

Aegean Cruise - Day 2

The Tuesday of our cruise, our first proper day, was the day at sea. We got up late ish, and met my mum and stepdad in the buffet restaurant for breakfast. This was at the very front of the ship and it was obviously quite busy because all passengers were on board! After breakfast we walked round the whole ship. We found this really helpful last time because it helped us get our bearings. This ship was a lot smaller than we were on last time and I really preferred it for that. There was a lot of walking involved but not as much as before which was really helpful for me. We went into all the entertainment spaces and we saw the atrium and the glass lifts, which were spectacular. We entered a couple of competitions and looked at the shops, all of that. 

We probably had lunch but I don't remember it, but it was probably back i nthe buffet. We were sailing from Marmaris to Piraeus so it was quite a long way, but there were quite a few islands to look at so that was interesting. We had some drinks on the sun deck and then Lee, my mum and I got into our swimming stuff. There weren't a lot of free sunbeds because everyone was on board that day, but I didn't want to sit in the sun for ages anyway because it was STRONG sun. It's a long time since I've been as far south as that (we generally go to France or Spain) and I had forgotten how strong that sun is. At 3pm we had cocktails from the bar. We had paid for the enhanced drinks package but it was only £12 each per day and we definitely drank that amount in cocktails (which otherwise were charged at £3.95 each!). There was entertainment on the deck and we joined in the quiz. At 5pm my mum and I had a 'frose' which was frozen rose wine and some other stuff. She really liked it and declared it the drink of the holiday!

We got showered and changed. Tuesday night was 'dress to impress' night so I wore my purple dress with sequins all over it. I wore it for my birthday but it was long the. I got my mum to cut it short for me for the cruise and it was lovely. We went into the atrium where there was a chance to meet the captain (my mum and I had a photo taken with him) and some other stuff going on. We went into the Squid and Anchor for a drink and ended up joining in with the quiz there, too. Then we headed up to Bar 11. 

Up there, on Deck 11, were the two restaurants you had to pay for. They were Surf n Turf and Kora La. We had pre booked these, and it was Kora La on the Tuesday night. We hadn't been able to get a table until 9pm though, so we were hungry by the time we got there! But the food was amazing! I had vegetable samosas and vegetable marakhani curry which was SO delicious. The sides were good too. I couldn't manage a pudding so I had a hot chocolate with Grand Marnier in it which was one of the most delicious things I've ever drunk! 

We went back on to the sun deck after food, by which time it was about 11pm. Each night there was a film on the sun deck, so we sat further back in the Snack Shack which was closed by then but the seats were cute to sit in. There was a storm happening a little way away so we could see the thunder and lightning. The swimming pool had been emptied - I'm not sure if this was related to the storm but it was a bit weird! 

We were a bit earlier to bed than the night previously, especially as we had to be up early! It was a nice day just being at sea, though. 

See the island some way away? There's so many of them in the Aegean!

The glass lifts from the atrium bar looking all the way up to Deck 10

Cheers! I actually think my stepdad's drink was something they were handing out on the sun deck , it was fruity 

3pm drinks

5pm drinks - this was the frose 

Make up selfie in the Squid and Anchor about 7pm. Not long after this my sandals broke and I had to go back to the cabin to change them! They went in the bin!

The pool deck at about 8.30 as we went up to Bar 11

Looking down on to the pool area from Kora La

Here's all four of us in there!

Veggie samosas

My curry

And my hot chocolate

My mum and I sitting in one of the booths in the Snack Shack

Here's my dress now that it's shorter -  I love it, I'll have to wear it at Christmas!

Finally here's the pool around 11.30pm, when it had been emptied...