Patmos

Biblical historians believe the Book of Revelation was revealed to John on the island of Patmos.  Situated not far from Turkey, it is one of the many Greek Isles that dot the Aegean Sea, east of the Greek mainland.  It is a relatively small island, and is much longer than wide.  The highest point of the island is crowned with an ancient monastery.

The harbor, used for centuries by fisherman, was too shallow for even the Pacific Princess, so we were tendered to land.  Our tour bus took us to the grotto where the Book of Revelation was revealed.  The is a shrine built on the location and looks like a small church.  After re-boarding the bus, we continued to the monastery.

The location was incredible.  But when it was built, it was also a fort, place strategically on the highest point, commanding a 360 view of the surrounding area.  Once inside it was a maze of hallways and courtyards.  The chapels contain icons from the middle ages.  On one of the upper levels is a museum with artifacts of the monastery, and many religious items.

We then explored the adjacent hilltop town.  They winding streets lined with white-washed houses was the idyllic Greek Isle.  The various owners painted the front doors individual colors, and bouganvilla draped over garden walls added additional color.  One of the stops was a private home that has been in the same family for centuries.  The owner was a charming older woman with family stories of Russian trips, European vacations and times past..

The final stop in Patmos before the required shopping was at a family owned tavern.  We had a delicious snack of local food and the staff did traditional dances.  The family across the table had met our dinner table mates.  The mother had been in a ladies restroom when E arrived.  She proceeded to enter and Out of Order stall and get locked in.  She did not pay any attention to the LARGE sign warning of difficulties.  So she is in the stall pounding on the door and screaming.  Does not surprise me.  The name derived for them was Special Gems of the Sea.

Back at the port, we wandered around the streets with various shops.  It was very quaint and the shop owners were not pushy, always a benefit.  Besides the tourist shops there were some small cafes that catered to the locals.  They were enjoying the sunshine with a small afternoon snack.  After a few little purchases, we boarded the tender to return to the Pacific Princess.

At dinner we discussed our day's adventure.  Since the island is small most of the excursions overlapped.  But the interesting event was that E tried to get on a different bus, she claimed hers had no a/c.  She had taken the bus as a shuttle, and not a tour, so she was asked to leave.  Then J revealed that back in town E got on a scooter with a man she had only met once and rode off for 45 minutes.  CRAZY

Relaxing Sea Day....Sort of....

Since the distance to our next port is so far, we got to enjoy a day at sea.  These are great for catching up on postcard writing, reading or even napping.  About the Pacific Princess and the rest of the Princess fleet, the have the Princess Patter a listing of the day's activities.  These activities range from lectures to trivia games, art auctions or wine tasting and many more options.
The other couple from our dinner table and I liked playing trivia so we were at all of the matches.  We won a few, came in second  some, but was always in the top finishers.  Prizes were Princess gifts, pens, water bottles, etc.
Back to the dinner table.  We are now on DAY 4 of the cruise, and as always the LA women are late.  I'll just use initials for them E & J  The have been late every night, a trend that will be a constant for the cruise.  As usual, they wold order, then mid course make another suggestion, and it was becoming tiresome.  The waiter got to the point of bringing and extra soup for E so there was no need to go back to the kitchen.  At least they got to the point of sharing entrees, instead of just ordering an extra.  But that too was strange..  On night J ordered a beef dish, medium rare, like she wanted it.  After finishing her fish, E cut into the beef, called the waiter over and complained it was not medium.  The waiter replied it was ordered medium rare, BUT I don't like it this way, I want medium.  But you did not order it, J did and it was medium rare.  So E turns to J, why did you order it medium rare, I like it medium.
Listening to the stream of conversation was always interesting.  The story would go off on so many tangents, it was hard to remember what started it.  Conversations about pricing condos would go past martinis, tree house restaurants, Hollywood mansions to hand thrown pizza in the kitchen with the security guard.  But the one common thread was it was about E.  During one conversation, E was talking and J asked a question, E replied...don't ask me things while I am talking, I cannot do two things at once.
At one point during the meal, E asked me to call her travel agent when I got home and get the refund process started for the flight they missed.  I told her the agent would have to speak to her, since I was not her client.  She started over again, and I interrupted her.....BIG mistake.  LET ME FINISH!!  So she asked again and when she was done I looked at her turned to the person beside me and just started talking to her.  At least she did not ask me again.

Dubrovnick

Croatia as we know it today is a new country with a long history, dating back thousands of years.  The current country is part of former Yugoslavia.  After the fall of communism in Russia, many of its former allies also experienced a change in governments.  There was a period in Croatia where the neighboring Serbs were shelling cities and killing the inhabitants.  Eventually peace returned and the country began a renaissance, and tourism picked up.
Dubrovnik's location on the Adriatic made it a major trading port.  It is the only city to have rivaled Venice for trade with the east.  Its walled Old City is a UNESCO Heritage Site and worth a visit.  The new harbor is not near the Walled City, but just a short distance away.  They have a very impressive bridge right on the edge of the new harbor, which makes a great first impression.
Once we were docked, we climbed aboard out bus and headed south.  We drove past the Old City on our way to a restored mill with a brandy tasting.  The countryside was beautiful, a large mountain range to the east and the valley and foothills dotted with small villages.  The rad was close to the coast so views of the Adriatic were constant.  Once the road went almost to Montenegro, we turned east to the mill.
The mill is still family owned and open for tours.  There was a series of mill houses along a quickly flowing stream.  The owner demonstrated the mills operation.  In the past, the miller would not charge money for the service, but a percentage of the milled product.  Considering the technology was a few hundred years old, it still operated efficiently.   By operating ropes, the operator could  start or stop the flow to turn the millstone.  After the demonstration we tasted locally produced brandy flavored with either walnuts or cherries.  For nibbles there were candied orange peels and sugared almonds, both traditional snacks.
Our next stop was the resort town of Cavtat.  Not far from Dubrovnik, but much more laid back, the Croatian version of the Riviera.  Since it was off season the harbor was fairly empty, during the summer it is full of yachts.  The waterfront promenade was beautiful and lined with cafes, some of which reminded me of South Beach.  The city itself has houses built in the 14th century to the present, and its center is car free.
The Old City is a pedestrian only area, so our bus dropped us just outside the wall.  After a brief tour of the main street we were allowed to wander on our own and shop.  We attempted to walk along the wall, but the 'Winter Hours' were in effect and it was no longer open, so wandering the ancient streets was the option.  Many of the shops catered to the tourist trade,  but there were some stores for those who lived in the city walls.






As the sun set we returned to our bus and the ride to the Pacific Princess.  Remember, professional travel agents have experienced many destinations and also take training classes to stay current.  For your travel needs, contact Travel Themes and Dreams.