Cruising to Paxos, Greece
This morning I went on the all-day cruise to the island of Paxos and the small village of Rios. It is a long cruise and I ended up sitting near two sets of young couples. One couple is from Toronto, currently living in Belgium, and the other couple lives in the Netherlands and spoke really good English. I asked the Netherlands couple the “only one month” question and they answered: travel with family and have a big party. In Rios I had a delicious lunch and took my first dip in the Ionian Sea along a stone beach. The water is beautifully clear, has a wonderful turquoise color and is cooly refreshing. I had to get back to the boat so threw my pants and top over the wet bathing suit.
We then proceeded to the Blue Lagoon where many yachts set anchor and swim or snorkel around the crystal clear, aqua water. Cruise guests were invited to jump into the water from the boat and many people did just that, including me! The sea floor was stoney near the beach area and had lovely white sand a bit farther out. The white sand reflects the blue sky, which is how the water gets its deep color. I noticed that as the seagulls fly around, their body and wings reflect the blue color of the water. I also saw a pair of seagulls feeding two gray young ones who were two-thirds the size of the parents.
We then traveled along the rugged coastal cliffs where the limestone has dissolved in places to create caves. One of them, at certain times, can be viewed by the commercial boats from within. Today we were not able to gain entrance as the water was a bit rough.
Reflecting back on the day, I am grateful for being able to travel, to experience friendly people, to swim in amazing waters, to talk briefly with Elton, and for having my travel plans in order for departure early tomorrow morning. I expect to take two ferries to get to Brindisi, Italy, stay one night and continue on by train to a place called Ancona on the eastern coast of Italy.
