On the island of Lefkada in Greece, we took two cruises: the Star Gazing cruise (on another post) and the “Onassis cruise”. The Onassis cruise was a “bucket list” event for me because I’ve always wanted to see Skorpios--which had been the private island of Onassis. Ari Onassis married Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis “Jackie O” on the island of Skorpios. This cruise’s captain had worked for Onassis as a youngster and was able to tell us anecdotal tales. He had photo albums onboard with newspaper clippings of the famous couple…and of Maria Callas (the opera singer) too!
We visited 4 islets, swam in a cave which was rumored to have hidden a submarine (?), went to an islet with an ancient olive press “factory”, had a picnic on a beach and snorkled and ended up on Skorpios –a public access beach on the private island.
We drank espressos when we started, mojitos in the afternoon, and had Greek “caviar and champagne” which is really olives and ouzo shots.
the captain let our son pull the masts up….
I looked out onto the turquoise blue Ionian sea with the wind in my hair, the sun on my face, in our bathing suits, relaxed on beverages, my arm around my husband and my gaze on my sons dancing and steering the sailboat which was a pirate ship replica and I thought, “This is a perfect moment of life.” People were Greek dancing in their bathing suits, everyone was relaxed and intrigued at the same time for what was around the corner as we toured 4 islets. Sailing, walking, hiking, drinking, eating, snorkeling…..
Click on excursion http://www.lefkadaslowguide.gr/en/business/activities/travel-excursions/cruises/Odysseia/?region=
reading scrapbooks, steering a boat, pulling masts, learning about an olive press, taking photos of native island women in their traditional dress….it was an assault of the senses in the best way.
http://www.odysseia-lefkada.eu/excursions.html
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