Mediterranean Cruise--Crete, Rome and home

I can't resist photos of dolphins, either.
The "Throne Room"---note the stone "throne" to the right.
Ever since I was in college studying the Minoan civilization, it's been my dream to go to Crete---home of the Minotaur, Bull Dancers and the Labyrinth. My brother Jim and I went to the Palace of Knossos which is truly a magnificent ruin to climb around. They no longer let tourists explore the underground rooms because of the earthquakes they have almost daily. We had an excellent guide who took us to the popular places first before the crowds arrived so we could get good photos.

Afterwards, we went back to Herkilion, sat in a cafe for some capuccino and a local cheese pie. Dave and my sister-in-law Debbie took a tour of the Lasshti Plateau and went to an abbey. Jim and I arrived back at the ship before the masses. Debbie and Dave weren't so lucky. Dave is in the back of the line with the black short-sleeve shirt and a cane. We were supposed to be back at the ship at 12:30 which most of us made.

Originally we needed to be back by 2:30, but that had been changed. There were about 12 people that didn't make it back by 12:30. We watched a motorcycle take off and then, a cab zooming to the ship letting people off and the motorcycle would take off again to find someone else. Finally, around 1:15, the ship was told they HAD to pull away because another ship needed the dock. Soon, though, the Crete Coast Guard pulled up with the 4 women who'd missed the boat. They were mortified! As you can see half the ship was hanging off the balcony cheering them on. They actually had to walk across a plank to get on the ship which many thought was appropriate.

The next day we were "at sea"---so, we had lunch at Johnny Rocket's which looked like a diner on the side of the ship.


And, we sat on our balcony looking at the coastline of Italy.
The next day we returned to Roma and the Hotel Cavalieri. Debbie and Jim went shopping in Rome but Dave and I just enjoyed the luxury of our hotel. Later, we ate dinner pool side.
July 21, we headed home. After we landed in New York, Debbie and Jim headed to Connecticut while we waited for our flight back to St. Louis.
We had a great trip with wonderful travel companions. Where are we going in 2010 Jim and Debbie?