2012 - Aegean Odyssey - Spring/Fall

2:00–3:00 pm embarkation. After you board, you’ll enjoy a Welcome Aboard cocktail. Your ship sets sail for Delos that evening, passing Cape Sounion in the distance, where the white marble pillars of the Temple of Poseidon stand on a high promontory and are illuminated at night. Overnight at sea.

The ship sails to the white and Cycladic islands. Enjoy an optional visit to tiny Delos, the mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. On an optional guided tour, you’ll visit the archaeological ruins of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, unearthed here in the 19th century. Delos is a true open-air museum with many ancient monuments and buildings that are remarkably intact.

Next, we sail to one of Mykonos most beautiful bays for a nice swim stop and lunch, weather permitting. Later in the afternoon we will sail into Mykonos to allow you to discover its brilliant white houses and stroll in the narrow streets. While exploring the town you can visit the archaeological museum or the maritime museum, and don’t forget to visit a bakery that has been turning out bread in wood-fired ovens since the 15th century. We suggest ending your evening as the Mykonians do and enjoy a glass of ouzo and traditional "mezedes" appetizers or enjoy Mykonos world famous night life.

At daybreak we leave Mykonos to reach the island of Lipsi for a revitalising swim stop and a barbeque on deck. In the afternoon, we set sail for Samos. Overnight in Samos.

Today our explorations of ancient civilizations continue with an optional tour to Ephesus, the greatest archaeological site in the Aegean region. As you tour this remarkably preserved Greek and Roman city, you may feel as if you’re about to encounter a toga-garbed resident or hear a chariot clattering down the main avenue, the same avenue down which Cleopatra and Mark Anthony rode in procession more than 2,000 years ago!

After lunch, you will have some free time at the Kusadasi’s bustling market before we sail for Patmos the tiny yet spectacular island featuring whitewashed houses with colourfully painted shutters and doors, stone-paved streets, and narrow alley. Overnight in Patmos.  

Your optional Patmos excursion includes two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Grotto and Monastery of St.John and the historic center of the medieval town of Chora. After lunch we will set sail for the picturesque island of Amorgos which we reach in the evening. Overnight in Amorgos. 

In the morning, we stop at Manganari Beach/Ios, one of the most beautiful beaches in Greece. Later at noon, we reach Santorini, formed by the half-submerged crescent of a volcanic caldera. You will go ashore and take a cable car to the town of Fira, a stunning cluster of white buildings atop a cliff. Here, you’ll enjoy a guided optional walking tour among Fira’s narrow, picturesque streets. You’ll also visit the Prehistoric Museum, which houses fascinating artifacts from Akrotiri, a city buried in the eruption that created the caldera in 1600 B.C. In the evening there is time for a visit to Oia, famous for its sun set. Overnight in Santorini.  

In the morning we will arrive in Kythnos iIsland where you will enjoy a swim in Kolones Bay. In the afternoon we sail for Marina Zea where we will arrive in the late afternoon. Overnight in port.