Delos & Mykonos Islands
What an explosion of wildflowers carpeted the ruins of the Ancient Greek Center of the Cyclades today! The island of Delos is the birthplace of the twin gods Apollo the sun god and Artemis the goddess of the hunt. It was a sacred island and sanctuary to the gods during the apex of Classical Greek civilization, and later became a thriving trade center of the Cyclades. On board Panorama, we were more concerned about Aeolus the god of the winds and the local boat that would take us ashore to the ancient harbor, with a chilly force 5 blowing up spray on our bow.
It was a spectacular morning ashore, as Laura and Smaro brought the scattered arrangements of Naxian marble to life, until we were walking alive through the ancient Temples and down the Sacred Way and Terrace of the Lions ourselves. The colors of the wildflowers were dizzying, and gave foreground and depth to every glance. We were all photographers today, and every turn of the head was a new composition. We took temporary refuge in the stunning museum, where every statue, fresco and mosaic was an original taken from the site, and then we ventured out again for more. Up to the theater, through the House of the Dolphins, the House of the Artists, the Villa of Dionysus, the Temple of Isis and up to the top of the island and the center of the Cyclades we scampered, lost and wild in the throes of history and mythology. Delos etched itself deeply into our minds and memories today.
The afternoon provided some unexpected excitement when we arrived at the neighboring island of Mykonos to find that our expected berth was unavailable due to its occupation by the local ferry, which was apparently not going anywhere that day. Captain Dimitrius and his crew executed a difficult and exciting maneuver by dropping the anchor and swinging the Pan Orama in stern first for a high-wind Mediterranean mooring, enabling us to walk a wildly bouncing “plank” off the stern to make it ashore in Mykonos.
The town of Mykonos was the only traditional Cycladic town found at the water’s edge rather than hidden up in the hillsides, and for this reason it was the gateway to the world’s discovery of the beautiful cubic white and blue Cycladic architecture in the 1970s. Today of course, Mykonos is known as a jet-setting hotspot and cruise ship destination, but Laura and Smaro were able to walk us through the old town in the late afternoon to see the beauty that made Mykonos so popular in the first place.
We finished a big day with a big evening aboard, as hotel manager Yiannis and his crew hosted a festive “Greek Night,” starting with Ouzo and octopus and finishing with the Captain leading the entire ship’s complement in Greek dance. Yammas! (= “cheers”!)
