Day 9: May 8, 2015 - The Last Day at Sea and Bingo!

We slept in until around 11:00, we were a little tired I guess. I put my cruise leisure outfit on and we headed out to the top deck to do some reading and sunbathing. I even painted my nails.

I got a little sunburnt again. Jess thought it was funny. 

We just had a chill, relaxing day at sea. Around 4:30, we headed to the Spinnaker Lounge for Bingo! We got six cards, two for each round. It was fun but we didn't win anything. I guess we used up all our luck on Deal or No Deal. 

We then tried to pack up all of our new stuff so we could be up and off the boat at a good time in the morning. I didn't realize how much we had bought until I tried to repack my suitcase. Thankfully, somehow, I got it all to fit. 

Try to focus on all the stuff I bought versus how attractive I look in this picture please. 

As the cruise is coming to a close, I have truly enjoyed it! I wasn't sure about a cruise at first but it ended up being awesome! The water was super smooth and I couldn't feel the boat moving at all. The food was good, I wish they had Dr. Pepper haha some of the entertainment and stuff was a little strange but it was entertaining. My little bunk bed didn't collapse and kill Al so that's good. I think we will definitely be doing another cruise. 

Day 8: May 7, 2015 - The Birthplace of the Olympics and a Greek Genie

We arrived at port at 9:00. We had to meet up with our Shore Excursions Tour at 9:30 and then headed up to Olympia. Once we got there, the tour guide got the tickets and we headed in. It was really hot and my legs were on fire! We went through the ruins and she told us all about the different activities that they used to do. We learned about the huge statue of Zeus that used to be in the temple. We learned that they used to have a separate olympics for women to compete in which I thought was interesting. We saw where they used to keep the torch and the archway where the athletes would enter the amphitheater. We saw the ruins of the gym they would train in. They were a bunch of bugs everywhere that were gross. 

It is a must to race on the ancient olympic track. However, it was way too hot haha so we just pretended and got a few pictures. We had a while to ourselves to look around so we took a few pictures. 

We pretended to box in the gym ruins. Alex had snuck the Gollum bobblehead in to give to Cory and we were taking pictures with it and apparently that is offensive to the Greeks because some worker guy came over and told us to put it away. 

We got some gelato from the little stand and then walked down into the city a little bit. Dad got this super cool chess set - it is circular! 

We got back on the bus and headed back down to the city of Katakolon. There was a street right by the port with lots of shops. We did a bunch of shopping. I convinced Mom that leisure pants are the best things ever and she got a pair. We found a jewelry shop with super cute rings with blue opals and the four girls each got one. 

I found a shop that had Greek dresses but they also had like a Greek jumper and it was the last one. I wanted one ever since I saw a little kid one in Santorini. So I totally bought it, and it is epic! It’s really itchy but it’s hilarious. I like to call it my Genie onesie. 

We shopped for a long time then headed back to the ship. As we were heading back to the ship, this salesman guy on the street asked us where we were from. We said Utah. His response was "I have the Utah bible! Stop by my shop!" Uh thanks? 

We went out on the back deck of the ship and had some snacks. Jess used her Deal or No Deal winnings to buy us all Pina Coladas which were super yummy. We then just chilled and read, took a little nap. I am digging the cruise life! I could get used to this. 

BRAIN FREEZE!

Tomorrow is our last day at sea as we sail back to Venice! Then it's onto Austria!

Day 7: May 6, 2015 - Mykonos and My Legs are on Fire!

The ship pulled into port at 8:00am. We got up, got ready, had breakfast, and headed off the ship around 10:00. The port was a little ways away from the city so we took a little shuttle into the city. The water was amazing! It was so clear and beautiful! We played in the water for a bit then did some shopping. The city was kind of in a u-shape so we made our way around.

It was super cute - while we were in one of the shops, Cory felt baby girl for the first time! It was a special little moment in Mykonos. 

We checked out one of the white chapels with the blue roofs that Mykonos is so famous for.

We then found a spot of beach and hung out for a while. Dad had to change into his swimming suit on the beach AGAIN. Cory fell asleep for a while, we had to cover his knees so they wouldn't get burnt. Like I said before, the water was absolutely beautiful! It was really cold though haha

After a while, Al and I went up to the shops for a bit. I got Mom and I matching Greek dresses, mine in blue, hers in Coral for Mother's Day. We packed up our stuff and headed to a little seaside cafe for lunch. Dad and Cory decided to be adventurous and get something Greek - they got chicken and pork souvlaki. Mom, Al, Jess, and I stuck with cheese pizza haha the waiter was super cute and funny. He even told Mom to enjoy Mykonos and have sex on the beach haha I was able to get a little bit of wifi while we were at the cafe.

After we finished eating, we played in the water a little more then headed back to the shuttle that took us back to the ship. Once we were on the ship and in indoor lighting, I realized my legs were very sunburnt! Haha and they hurt really bad... so Mom and I went to the cruise gift shop and found some aloe which helped.

We decided to eat dinner at the Tucanos-like restaurant. The meat was yummy and they had these really yummy garlic mashed potatoes. The maitre d' found out that Mom was allergic to pork so he kept bringing her out special meat, it was really sweet of him. While we were about to leave the table, Dad said, "Just a second, I'm having a meat orgasm". Sometimes he really surprises me haha we decided to have another hot tub night. I seemed to think that getting in a hot tub with hot water would help my sunburn... ya it killed haha but the pool felt really nice. I absolutely loved Santorini and Mykonos. They were the epitome of Greece for me. They were beautiful and full of fun places and shopping. It was a wonderful day (minus the sunburn)!

Day 6: May 5, 2015 - Donkeys, a Black Sand Beach, and a Hole in the Floor

We slept in and got a late start because we weren't pulling into Santorini until around 1:00. The ship anchored because there wasn’t a port big enough so they used a ferry to get us to and from the ship. Once we got on land, we discovered there were three ways we could get up to the city - walk, take the electrical tram thing, or ride a donkey. We picked the donkeys, obviously! We found the donkey place and it was only 5 euros a person. It was crazy - like four old men would help you get onto the donkey super quickly and then they would smack the donkey on the butt (get it - an ass’s ass hehe) and it would start going. They didn’t care if you were actually on correctly or comfortable or whatever. It was amazing! It was such a different experience than it would’ve been in the U.S. - first off, they wouldn’t allow us to ride the donkeys in the first place, let alone on the same pathway that people were walking on, and we would have to be strapped in and have guard rails and stuff. It was SO fun! Mom went first, then Al, then me, then Dad, then Cory, then Jess. Mom kept screaming because Al’s donkey kept biting hers. Dad and Cory were kind of freaking out because Jess was stuck behind another group and they couldn’t see her. It was hilarious! We climbed higher and higher and the view got more and more beautiful. The donkeys were so trained to just go up and down the mountain. I kept having to give mine a little kick to get it moving. Sometimes they got a little close to the wall and my leg would scrape against it. There were people walking on the same trail which was stupid for several reasons - it is a long freaking walk! The pathway is covered in donkey poop which makes the path really slippery. Plus, the donkeys don’t have steering wheels! We can’t control where they go or if they got close to people. Some old guy was like yelling at us because our donkeys were getting too close to his wife and Dad said, “Do you think they have steering wheels on them? We can’t help it!” It was awesome haha when we got closer to the top, this group of hippies were walking down and yelling at everyone riding the donkeys because we were hurting them and we were being cruel and we should just walk. Cory’s response to that was if the donkeys weren’t carrying people up and down the mountain, they would be turned into glue. I don’t think Cory and Dad have an opinion at all, do you? It was a super fun, beautiful, hilarious ride with Mom screaming and Dad yelling at hippies. 

We got off the donkeys and walked around the city for a little bit, took some pictures of the view. 

We decided we wanted to go to one of the black sand beaches so we found a taxi station and a bus station. The taxi was going to be pretty expensive for all six of us so I walked down to the bus station and discovered it would be 1.50 euros each. I pride myself on knowing how to travel cheap, I learned some good skills on study abroad! We got our tickets and waited for the bus to come. 

In the meantime, Jess had to go to the bathroom, of course. There was one on the other side of the bus station. She was gone for a while and we were about to send someone to go check on her when she came out all huffed and puffed. Apparently the bathroom wasn’t really a bathroom, it was a hole in the floor. And the best part is she had to pay to pee in the hole. She said she didn’t really know what to do because she couldn’t really aim… I was dying! She was all grossed out. My solution was we were going to the beach so she could wash off haha moral of the story - just hold it! 

We got on the bus and headed to the beach. Once we got there, we discovered that the black sand was actually little black pebbles which really hurt your feet but it was gorgeous! There were lounge chairs set up all along the beach and when we occupied a few of them and no one said anything or yelled at us in Greek, we stayed. It was so strange - I’m used to a beach that slowly slopes out to the water and deepens as you walk further in the water. This beach was different. There was like a build up of the rocks and right behind it was the water about a foot deep. Dad got to change into his swimming suit on a Greek beach while we held up towels around him haha so that was cool. Dad and Cory got right in but it was a little too chilly for the girls. I collected a bunch of rocks to bring home - they were mostly black volcanic rock that was smooth because of the water but there were a few white or red rocks as well. 

After a while, we walked up to the little beachfront shops and did some shopping. I found some epic leisure pants and a floppy sun hat, I was very excited! The lady was really cute and gave me a little wrapped up prize for shopping with her. I later discovered it was a little magnetic turtle - little weird but cute! 

We packed up our stuff, got back on the bus, and headed back into the city. We did some more shopping. We found this little shop with a bunch of cheap t-shirts and stuff. The girl running it was super friendly and cute. She had a bunch of baby stuff - I bought baby girl a donkey onesie haha the girl kept touching Jess’ stomach. We got baby girl two Greek dresses - one white one and one blue one. They are so cute! Al and I found some cool paintings and I, of course, had to buy a little donkey to remember that experience haha 

The last ferry to the ship was at 9:00 that night. We didn't want to risk it so we headed down around 7:30. We were thinking of taking the electrical tram thing down. Al and I started walking up there but the stairs got steeper and steeper and we were like there is no way pregnant Jess will be able to handle this. So we headed back down. Turns out, Jess and Cory had found a much easier way to get up to the tram and were already down the mountain. So me, Al, Dad, and Mom decided to walk down. The sun was setting while we were walking down and we got some truly beautiful views. 

It was super slippery and I was wearing flip flops so I kept falling haha plus, I have old lady knees and they were not liking the downhill stairs. But we made it back onto the ferry and back onto the ship. 

At 9:30, there was a magic show in the Stardust Theatre with the magician Jorgos. We went down and it was the weirdest thing... he did some pretty cool tricks but mostly just paraded girls around in skanky outfits and bragged about the awards he has received. It was strange... but entertaining. 

It was a wonderful day! I loved Santorini, the donkeys, and the beach. And thankfully, that was the worst bathroom we experienced in Europe this trip!