September 14 – Sifnos

Sifnos is our final island visit.  They kept this visit pretty low-key.  It isn’t a big tourist destination so has only a few shops and restaurants.  Our destination was the small town of Kastro that we got to via a drive over the top of the mountain to the other side of the island.

Kastro was another very quaint, small white-washed village…

with brightly painted doors,

narrow windy streets...

and beautiful vistas.

One of the main sights was the windmills…

and the Church of the Seven Martyrs.

And of course there was time for additional wandering on our own...

and enjoying refreshments at yet another taverna…this one in bright pinks and lavenders instead of blue and rustic.

After some relaxation we headed back to the Kamares Harbor for some more exploring.  

We saw a fisherman pulling his catch out of his net and yelling at the guys in our zodiacs for stirring up a wake.

The water was crystal clear and we could see many fish in the water.

After we got back to the ship they set out the zodiacs and Mary went swimming.  One last swim in the Aegean for who knows how long.

Then the crew hit the riggings and put out almost all of the ship’s sails.  

As a great treat they they set out the zodiacs and took small groups of us out to do a slow cruise around the ship so we could take photos while the ship was in full sail.  Truly magical.

This evening we had a cocktail reception on the deck with a slideshow.  Everyone was invited to contribute their favorite slides and it was a great show.  Then it was on to the Gala Farewell dinner.  It is unlikely that anyone was really ready for this lovely adventure to end. 

We did stay up for a late night showing of an old video “Around Cape Horn”.  The footage was black and white from around the 1920’s.  The narration was vintage of the time and rather fun (and funny) to listen to.

And then it was final packing.