Mykonos - Day 4:
We returned to the Greek Islands after spending two days in Turkey. Today was absolutely gorgeous! This was my favorite of all our activities though it actually had nothing to do with the island itself. We found a Viator activity where we rented a private catamaran for most of the day. The captain took us about an hour away. We enjoyed laying on the front deck and on the nets on the way; he gave us a wireless speaker so we could play our own music which was enjoyable. The first mate also gave us a little history lesson of the area, including Delos which we passed by.
We anchored in a little bay where there were only one or two other small boats nearby. We then got to enjoy several hours of playing in the incredibly gorgeous Aegean Sea! Here are several pictures from our time onboard and in the water.
Eventually, the first mate called us in to enjoy the wonderful feast of a dinner he prepared for us. The items included a traditional Greek salad, shrimp pasta, meatballs, spicy chicken, dolmades, and bread. Every item tasted so fresh and delicious!
After dinner it was time to pull up the anchor and start heading back. We cruised a little more slowly on the way back so we could enjoy the beginning of the sunset.
Once we returned to the marina, we headed back over the Viva; this was the sunset view we enjoyed from our balcony there. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day.
Day 5 was spent at sea. We had lots of fun all over the ship, but that's all covered in the Viva post.
Sicily - Day 6:
We didn't book any excursions or make any plans for Sicily. We decided we would walk off the dock and look around town for a bit. As we looked over our balcony after docking, we all decided exploring the town wasn't what we wanted to do. It was a beautiful day, and I'm sure there were lovely things to see, but it just didn't appeal to us.
Instead, we threw on our bathing suits and headed to The Haven's infinity pool. We had this entire area to ourselves for close to five hours. We enjoyed playing in the pool, eating lunch on deck, and reading/relaxing by the pool. It was an incredibly chill day, and we loved it.
We were docked right next to a Coast Guard ship. At one point, they came over the loudspeaker to say the gangway would be closed for 30 minutes while the Prime Minister drove by. She was attending an event on the ship. She also gave a press conference on the port which we watched from the infinity pool, so that was cool.
This was a beautiful and relaxing day!
Naples - Day 7:
We headed over to the port of Naples the next day. We had a fun excursion planned through NCL to enjoy two very different activities.
First up was taking a bus over the beautiful town of Sorrento. Ryan and I love this town! We visited on our 20th anniversary trip a couple of years ago, and we couldn't wait to return. We headed straight over to a limoncello shop that we loved from our last visit. They also have lots of great hard candies and other goodies that make great gifts for friends. We were happy to simply walk around and explore the town after we made our stop here.
I always love seeing the fresh produce out everywhere. It's difficult to see from this picture, but the citrus they grown, especially the lemons, are huge. Like, really surprisingly huge. I pointed it out every single time I saw one first out of amazement and then out as a running joke. Really though, they were huge.
Gelato break time!
From here the bus drove us over to the city of Pompeii. We actually started by having a little lunch here. How can you not get a slice of pizza when you're in Napoli!
Soon we were able to follow our guide Fabio through the ruins of Pompeii. He kept saying "C'mon Fabio's family!" which made us laugh. I had visited this city my sophomore year of high school, and it was really neat to see how much more they have uncovered since then. Here are several of the pictures from our time there though they are not in any particular order.
Towards the end of the tour here you walk through a museum which has several artifacts that have been recovered which I find fascinating.
There are also several casts from people they've uncovered here. I remember seeing this man last time, but I do not remember the family that is also there now.
As we left the port, Mount Vesuvius looms large in the background. You can see where the top was pretty much blown off as it erupted in 79AD. Unbelievable destruction followed, and we're able to study and see the details of that today.
This was quite a day; it was filled with both the beauty of Sorrento and the sorrow from Pompeii.
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