2014 - AEGEAN ODYSSEY - KAVALA, Greece

Today we wake up close to an island .... Looking very spooky & quiet in the distance..

Actually - a peninsula, not an island but you need a boat to land & special permission is required to do that.

We are going to have a sail past.

I don't mention it to anyone at the time, but am reminded of the Costa captain. Lets hope our captain knows what he is doing. Many ships in antiquity were lost around here.

The moon has not even set yet ...

The area is called Mount Athos & has several monasteries --- Male only.

Absolutely no women allowed on the island - really. Look it up.

A monastery emerging from the mist now ---

I mentioned to a couple that no women were out there & expect that may explain why it is so quiet. His wife thought it was funny.

While we sailed past, I was sitting at Lorraine's bar on the top deck. Nice & comfy - watching the landscape roll by.

One of the bridge ladies was with me & she said that she had never sat up here before & was just waiting for a game to start at 9:30.
Another lady joined us and the two were lost in talk for ages.
At 9:25 I thought she may have lost track of time & reminded her about her bridge.

She had not forgotten.

She was enjoying sitting outside too much to go in. Indeed, It was very pleasant.

If you look very closely below you can see a monk on a balcony.

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In the afternoon we did get off further up the coast for a trip to some more ancient ruins ...

Saint Paul gave a talk here ...

and then a short ride to a Baptistery -

beside the stream where Saint Lydia was baptised, to become Saint Paul's first convert in Europe.

Her small chapel beside the stream.

I was wrong about getting off tomorrow as we will be in Lemnos.

I had another treat today.

Grace, the excursion girl usually sits at the back of the bus. On her own I expect but I don't really know.

Today she comes down & sits with me. The guide shut up a bit on the way back to the ship so we were able to chat about her job & life at sea.

She must like it as she will be back again after her contract expires in November.

Grace - the name suits her..