Mykonos

If I could change my blog to the Moggys Mykonos Madness I would! We loved Mykonos. I guess having no expectations or plans may have helped but we had a great time. Swimming in the Med, Greek feasts, great beer, stunning town and the most fun wind ever! Yep! The wind was awesome! It smashed the magnificent green Mediterranean waves into the sea walls and much to our delight, all over us! We went a little crazy but gee it was fun to let loose. Greece has firmly established itself as one of the perfect holiday destinations for us. Now, must go buy that lottery ticket!

Istanbul, Kusadasi and Athens

Well we are well and truly in the swing of things now. Any jet lag is long gone as we fall into bed each night as the boat gently rocks us to sleep. The vodka is a bonus. I was very excited to arrive in Istanbul, Turkey. Nick has been a few times but it was a first for me. It was beautiful. Hot, but beautiful. We spent the morning with the kids taking in the sights of the Blue Mosque, Ayia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar and the ancient cisterns which now have the kids obsessed with the story of Medusa. As we were overnighting in Istanbul we dropped the kids back inboard and went back to town for dinner. Finishing with some baklava and apple tea. A great way to to finish the day. We left Istanbul the next afternoon and docked in Kusadasi, home to the ancient city of Ephesus. I did not know too much about it so we took the opportunity to hire a private guide and driver. Turned out a great idea. Who knew the Virgin Mary saw out her days here? We made many wishes to the mother of all mothers including writing a wish on paper and putting it with thousands of others hoping for a miracle. Ephesus was "oh my god" hot. I swear we nearly melted! It was extraordinary to show the kids such wonders. A lovely lunch under the fig trees after sitting through the obligatory carpet sales pitch. We just let the kids run over them all and they could not get us out of there quick enough! We sailed over night last night and arrived in Athens this morning. The kids were shattered so we decided to just head to Plaka and have a nice lunch and get some washing done. Having been here before Nick and I felt comfortable enough not trudging up the hill again and were happy to observe from below. As I type we have set sail again and will arrive in Mykonos in the morning. A day by the ocean on the cards and we can't wait.

Santorini

After boarding Celebrity Equinox in Rome on Monday afternoon we settled ourselves into our staterooms. The boarding process all went very smoothly and by the time we sailed away at 5.30pm we were sorted. I'm sharing with Scarlett and the boys are 2 doors down. Having never cruised before it was all a bit strange. Everyone else seemed to know what they were doing and we just staggered around, jaws dropping that something so big and beautiful could float. The next day was a full day at sea. The kids spent the morning at the kids club which they loved. The afternoon saw us all by the pool which reminded me of a human soup! That evening was the first formal dinner so they went back to the kids club while we enjoyed date night on the high seas. They are loving cruising so far but they are exhausted. So much to do and see! We arrived at Santorini about 2.00pm the next day. After some consideration and discussion we decided to leave the kids aboard. (Read.....they begged to stay on board). Sounds strange I know but they were adamant they did not want to come and once they have made up their minds they would have been, shall we say, quite vocal with their protests all afternoon. We only had a few hours there so with everyone happy Nick and I set off for a Greek lunch. I had forgotten how many steps there are around Oia but we were silently high fiveing ourselves for leaving the kids on board to have fun. It just would not have been enjoyable for them. For us however.......magic. Santorini is, well, Santorini! Simply amazing. We took the local bus from Fira to Oia for €1.60 each and spent a few hours eating, drinking and just BEING in Santorini. One of my favourite places in the world. Back on board we watched the sun go down with the kids on Celebrity's signature real grass roof, sipping wine and nibbling on cheese. To full for dinner we retired to our rooms where we had our own private room party, ordering room service and watching....what else...but Mamma Mia! Phew. What a day. A day at sea today as we make our way to Istanbul, Turkey.

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