We were asleep early last night and so I was up early and in the Club Restaurant for breakfast. I have been dealing with a growing discomfort each day that dissuades me from lingering in bed. I knew when I first sat on it that my mattress was way too soft, but gave it a go. Well, today, I was in a world of hurt. I knew that I would either have to sleep on the floor or try G's mattress tonight. As he likes a soft mattress, we ended up switching them this afternoon. We'll see if I continue down the path to agony or awaken tomorrow morning showing signs of improvement.
I went up to the library to publish my blog post from last night (the crew jokes that I am the one whose walks around looking up at the ceiling for the WiFi booster boxes) and by the time I returned to the cabin, G was up and ready to go to breakfast. I followed him up to the Panorama Buffet and had more of that delicious melon while he ate an omelet. We were able to sit on the Panorama Terrace; it was a breezy day, and chilly, but it was somewhat protected back there, and felt warm in the sun.
Khios is a tender port, so we waited until about 10am to go to the tender boarding area. We hadn't heard 'open tender' being called, but surely it had been as our tender was mostly empty. We could have used a few more people to wedge ourselves in; the tender ride was so rough as it rounded the breakwater that we were holding on for dear life inside the boat. Luckily, once we reached the tender pier, it was fairly calm again, which made exiting the boat much easier.
The wind hit us as soon as we disembarked the tender. If we were in the sun, it was tolerable, but in the shade it was downright cold. We stayed on the sunny side of the street (the boardwalk fronting the semi-circular harbor) and began to walk around it. We finally found a taxi stand and asked about a taxi to the "new" monestary, which supposedly houses the largest collection of Byzantine mosaics outside of Turkey, but we were told (alternately) that it was a 20 minute drive and a one hour drive. Given that it might be the latter, and that it closed for the day at 1pm, we decided to save that for our next visit. We can get more exact information from our port lecturer, Deb, (and might even rent a car, which were widely available today).
We continued along the waterfront all the way around the harbor, looking for a road that led to the Khios Anthropological Museum, but it was not readily apparent. Every so often we'd duck into a small grocery store to warm up and look at the local items for sale. Many of the offerings were a derivative of mastic, a gummy substance found in abundance on the north end of the island. It is used to make a sweet dessert food, but I was not convinced enough to try it.
We had no idea what this was, but it was a large one.
The Pacific Princess at anchor
At the end of the harbor we looked to the right along the bay and saw for the first time a refugee settlement, a sobering sight if ever there was one. It appeared that the people living there in tents (they must be so cold in the wind) were not free to leave to travel in the city. It was a stark reminder of the realities of today's world. We turned around at that point and headed back toward the main street in town. We peeked into the small alleyways and narrow streets for which Khios is known but, honestly, any time we left the sun we were freezing due to the wind. Finally, having almost given up on the archeological museum, G spotted a road that looked like it continued up a hill for awhile. He stopped into a travel agency on the corner and found out that, sure enough, that was the way to the museum.
We climbed a short hill and found the museum at the top. Admission was only 2€ (1€ for seniors), so we weren't expecting much but we were very wrong. It was a wonderful museum with exhibits dating back to the 6th century BC, wonderfully displayed and labeled in Greek and English. We spent far more time there than we had anticipated; G even said it was so much more enjoyable than the Vatican Museum with its crowds. There were only four of us in there (our next door tablemates were the other two) and we took our time enjoying the exhibits, seeing how the media and intricacies of the carvings changed over time. It was exciting to see the first use of glass and metals, to see how pitchers changed from being bowls with handles to the shape more resembling what we use today. Jewelry then was not that different from jewelry today (which makes sense...the human body hasn't changed). And an entire wing was dedicated to architectural elements. There were large photos showing the displayed items as they were when they were discovered, and when most of the busts were in multiple pieces. Someone (I believe it was the British Archeological Society) had clearly done an enormous amount of work.
It was after 3pm when we made our way back to the tender dock. The tender ride back was just as bouncy as it had been in the morning, and it was a relief to reach the ship and be stable and warm once again. We went up to the Panorama Buffet for a late light lunch and then returned to the cabin. Tonight was this cruise's first formal night, so we took a little extra time getting ready for the evening and then went to the PES Lounge where I enjoyed my first Breeza Marina of the season.
For dinner I had a flakey pastry tapas with olive and roasted vegetables and tuna and then beef tenderloins medium rare. Marco seemed shocked that I ordered beef. I am almost, but not quite, a pescatarian, but enjoy beef once every cruise or so. We ordered a Spanish wine that was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, merlot and Pinot noir and it was excellent. I should have skipped dessert (I had the dark chocolate raspberry mousse; G had the bananas foster) because it was just one thing too many. Tomorrow...salads. Oh wait, it's MTP luncheon. OK, no breakfast, MTP and then salad for dinner.
We went directly the the Cabaret Lounge where Steve and the Pacific Princess showband was doing a musical set and immediately afterward the production show Stardust was being performed. This new cast is amazing. Of course, they had several days to practice during the cruise that wasn't but we really are impressed. Tomorrow is another sea day, our last of this cruise before over a week of consecutive port days. I'm hoping that I awaken tomorrow after a good night's sleep on a firmer mattress. Please....
