D4 - Patmos OPA!

 Beautiful views of the Skala port area.

A quiet yet traditional island, I like how there's less tourists here roaming around.

After visiting the Holy Cave of the Apolacypse, where St. John heard the voice of God talking to him, we went to the Monastery of St. John.

Aww, big dreams for this little one

Time to sample some more appetisers and cheese pies =) *yum

The father, son, uncle and brother-in-law owns and works at this restaurant and they all kinda look like George Clooney..

Αντίο ειδυλλιακό νησί - goodbye idyllic island~

D3 - Ruins of Ephesus

Our third stop and probably my personal favourite on the cruise: Kusadasi's on Turkey's Aegean coast. 

House of Virgin Mary, now a modest chapel where Virgin Mary supposedly lived during her last days..

Ephesus, the ancient Greek city of Asia Minor and once the trade centre of the ancient world, a religious centre of the early Christianity.

So many cats lazing around in the shade.

Nike, the winged Goddess of Victory and messenger of Zeus.

Inside the Ephesus terrace houses and its amazing to see how much has been preserved over time. The houses are still undergoing significant archaeological work and being excavated slowly but surely. You can walk through these ancient homes that were once inhabited by wealthy Ephesians.

Celsus Library - the library had three entrance doorways flanked by four statues. These figures with inscribed bases represented four qualities: wisdom (sophia), intelligence (ennoia), knowledge (episteme) and virtue (arete).

The Grand Theatre of Ephesus.

Moving on to the next site, the Basilica of St. John and his tomb.

Some appetisers followed by this cripsy Turkish pastry with cheese.

Grilled seabream with a genererous squeeze of lemon.

Doing a bit of shopping at the bazaar and looking at beautiful art work with inlays of geometric designs. Persian micro-mosaic inlay work is called Khatam, made with materials such as bone, mother-of-pearl or metal pieces. We got two small jewellery boxes while our parents bought some beautiful new backgammon sets.

Have started learning how to play about 1-2 months ago, quite fun on a chill weekend..

Sampling the Greek inspired buffet for dinner. Love the calamari and baked cheese.

Good night Kusadasi :)

D2 - Mykonos, serene blues

Arrived in Mykonos with the clear blue waters as we gaze out from the deck. 

Yay, breakfast time with fruits and usually some toast, pastry or cereals :P

Mexican for lunch and a side of caesar.

So onboard the cruise, one of the highlights everyday was the food and boy was it plentiful like all-you-can-eat goodness. Although I eat like a bunny (sometimes), it takes alot of self-control not to over-eat and just stop when you're full. Anytime you give me a spoon, I'm bound to nibble away.

Walking through Little Venice and almost blending in with my blue + whites.

Closeups of the Chora windmills. Most of the windmills in Mykonos were built by the Venetians in the 16th century, but construction continued into the early 20th century to help locals mill wheat.

#happiness :)

Pure serenity at dusk~