We awoke anxious to explore the island of Lesvos. We have now travelled about 1412 miles since boarding the ship. Unfortunately, the winds are very strong and our stop here has been cancelled for safety reasons. It's disappointing but unavoidable. So Its another sea day. I'll just give you some info from my research about this place. Now we're headed for Piraeus, which is the port for Athens.

Lesvos is the third-largest island in Greece, but it has a unique history and beauty not found anywhere else I'm told. Over ten million olive trees share the rugged hillsides with medieval castles, ancient Greek ruins, imposing churches, art museums, and grand 19th century mansions. Known as the birthplace of the poet Sappho, the island is also renowned for producing half of the world's ouzo, Greece's national spirit.  Inhabited since the Bronze Age, Mytilene's location is 12 miles from the coast of Asia Minor.

The city of Mytilene is the island’s capital, and is built on seven hills and crowned by the Gateluzzi fortress, which has preserved important features from its past and its cultural history. Mytilene is an ancient city founded in the 11th century BC and is the capital and port of the island of Lesvos and also the capital of the North Aegean Region. Mytilene is built on the southeast edge of the island. Its emblems are the majestic Gateluzzi castle, the church of Agios Therapon with its impressive dome, and, at the edge of the port, the Statue of Liberty. 

Today, Mytilene is a lively mix of well-restored neo-classical style buildings, superb mansions, colorful houses, impressive churches and archaeological remnants of ancient Byzantine and Ottoman occupations.

We were supposed to get on a bus and drive through Mytilene, past the beautiful Gulf of Gera, through fertile valleys and mountainous hillsides to Agiassos village. Nestled on the pine and olive tree covered slopes of Mt. Olympus, Agiassos is a traditional mountain hamlet famous for its fine potteries and wood carvings. It started in the 12 century as a dependency of the central monastic church of the Panagia Vrefokratoussa (that's a mouthful!). It was built to enshrine a miraculous icon reputed to have been painted by St. Luke. There are narrow stone streets filled with picturesque wooden houses boasting "sachnisias," which are wooden balconies decorated with flower pots blooming with colorful bouquets of begonias, carnations, and geraniums. There are many craft and souvenir shops we have yet to explore.

Next we were to go to the Vranas Olive Oil Museum. Located in Papados village, which is one of the most important villages on Lesvos and the hub of economic activity of Gera - an area with a long tradition in olive-oil production. The Vrana Old Olive Press was built in 1887 by Nikolaos Vranas, grandfather of the Nobel Winning poet Odysseas Elytis. In its heyday, the olive press was a major industrial facility. The Cretian Minoans are thought to have been the first people to have cultivated the olive tree around 3,800 BC. The olive groves in modern Greece date back to 700 BC, when olive oil became a valuable export commodity. According to Greek legend, Athena, goddess of peace as well as war, planted the first olive tree in the Athenian Acropolis. The olive has since become a Greek symbol for peace. There are about 11 million olive trees on Lesvos which are reputed to be the most productive oil-bearing trees in the Greek islands.

We then were supposed to travel to the northeastern part of the island to see one of the most important monasteries on Lesvos. Located in the town of Mandamados, the Church of Taxiarches holds an icon that's steeped in mystery and miracles. It's believed that during the 10th century, pirates attacked the monastery and killed all the monks except for one. The pirates spotted him on the roof and as they attacked him, the monk prayed to the archangel Michael for a miracle. The angel appeared and when he drew his sword the pirates ran away in terror. The surviving monk created an icon-sculpture and dedicated it to the angel who saved him. Today, the icon is kept inside the 16th century church that surrounds the monastery and many believe that it's still granting miracles.

Along the way we were going to stop to take photos of the imposing Mytilene Fortress. Built in the 5th century to protect the island from pirates, this is one of the strongest and largest castles of Eastern Mediterranean.

So instead of all this wondrous beauty we had a sea day . However, Vic is not well today. And, no, it's not from drinking last night. We were in our cabin right after dinner and hit the sack at 10:00 pm to get ready for our early excursion. We think perhaps he has a touch of food poisoning although we're not sure - could just be his IBS flaring up with all the food. The crew is scrambling to get some activities together now that the destination has been cancelled. I went to see a movie, "The Secret Life of Dogs" while Vic sawed logs in the room. It was a cute movie with nuances for adults. It's not just a kids movie, I assure you. I laughed at one part where Max & Duke ended up in an alley and a hundred or so cats materialized from every nook & cranny. It reminded me of all the cats in Rhodes! I've got to say that I'm not really a sea day person. I find it pretty boring, especially today when Vic is in bed and I'm on my own. Speaking of which, he was still not well when I returned from the movie so he decided to go to the medical centre. BIG MISTAKE!!! They are concerned about norovirus. He is now in isolation and cannot leave our room until he gets clearance, which, at the earliest, will be tomorrow afternoon. At least I can leave but I'm not about to do Athens on my own. So tomorrow in Athens is likely a write off, as well.

I've made several tours of the ship to find our friends but I think they are in "private" mode today. I couldn't even find them in the casino and they're avid gamblers. Robin & Steve could sleep all day. In fact, the last sea day Robin said slept for 18 hours straight! She does this often apparently. I'm happy when I can sleep at least 8 hours. I don't know how she goes for 18!!!

The Captain came on the intercom several times during the day informing us of the latest weather conditions. He said it was going to be cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. He, then, went on to explain how that expression came about. Cannonballs, made of iron, on ships were piled in a pyramid shape in a rectangular "container" a few inches tall called a monkey (to keep them from rolling all over the place). The monkey was made of brass. When it got cold the balls contracted and fell out of the monkey. When I first heard him say this I must say I was taken aback. He has been so conservative and staid in his demeanour up until now (as you would expect a Captain to be). A little nautical humour from our Captain to get us through the disappointment of not getting off at port.

So, as if this day wasn't already a disaster, the Captain came on the address system saying because of Barrack Obamas visit to Athens tomorrow we were going to Mykonos instead and Athens the next day. Security in Athens is increased due to the State visit and many of the attractions are closed in Athens.

I went to dinner on my own. Vic had a "medical" menu he ordered from room service - broth, poached chicken, boiled potatoes, veggies, jello, herbal tea....mmmmmm!!!