Cruise

Mykonos:
We started our cruise on Friday and set sail for Mykonos. When we got there we had nothing but free time. It was amazing to see all the white buildings. The main attractions of the island were the windmills and the giant pelican, which I never actually got to see. When we got to the island my friend Sam and I got separates from the group because he had to call his dad. So the two of us and dr. Cox tried to find the group but we ended up just getting lost, So Sam and I went off on our own. We climbed up to the highest peek of the island up by one of the windmills so we could take pictures of the island and he ocean at sunset. After we came down we ended up finding some people and we all just sat down on the rocks to watch the sunset until we had to be back on the cruise ship at 10:30. That night on the ship we all went to karaoke and then to a disco dance. The best part was the old people dancing to pop music, they were just kind of running around.

Ephesus: Saturday we got up at 5:30 to get ready to disembark the ship for turkey! So we got off the ship in kusadasi, Turkey and drove to Ephesus. There we toured the ruins of ancient Ephesus where Paul traveled on one of his missionary journeys. Ephesus is a city that was all about the worship of Artemis, we even got to sit in the giant theater/ stadium where the Ephesians chanted great is Artemis for 2 hours, as it is mentioned in Acts. We drove by what used to be the temple of Artemis, which is now just one pillar. This temple used to be one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Ephesus is the island where John took the virgin mary to care for her after the death and resurrection of Jesus. We didn't get a chance to see the house they lived in but we did drive by the mountain that they lived on. Ephesus is also the place where Mary died and was buried until her body was taken else where by the catholic church. Before getting back on the ship we got to go see how rugs are made. They are all hand woven of silk or wool from sheep, goats, or camels. Some rugs take up to 36 months to be woven, it was incredible.

Patmos:
Saturday afternoon we arrived at Patmos, where we had to board muster boats to get to shore because the ship is too big for the port. Once on shore we got on our bus with our awesome British tour guide. We drove up to the cave of the apocalypse where John wrote the book of revelations. Then we went up to the monastery on top of the hill. This monastery is basically like a castle and in the past acted as a safe haven for the island. There used to be a lot of pirates in the area and towns people would run along their flat roofs up to the monastery to get protection. There is a space at the entrance of the fortress where they used to pour boiling olive oil on their enemies. This island is made purely from volcanic rock so it is vey barren. The roofs of the houses are flat so that they can collect rain water and store it in tanks under the houses. Patmos also has water brought to them via ships 3 times a week. And again tonight back on the ship we enjoyed some karaoke and disco partay!

Crete: 
Well today we got up at the crack of dawn to disembark onto Crete. We went and toured the ruins of the palace of king Minos.  This is where the mythological labyrinth with the Minotaur were. this ancient palace was 5 stories high, which was unheard of in that time. The kingdom was destroyed by earthquake and fire but has been very well restored. 

Santorini:
Sunday night we arrived at santorini. Again we couldn't pull up to a dock so we had to board other ships out at sea and be brought into port. The city is on top of a cliff so you can walk, take a cable car, or ride a donkey. This island is unique because it is made if volcanic rock and has an active volcano. The worst eruption they ever had caused the entire center of the island to fall into the sea.

Highlights:
One of the best parts of the cruise washers drunk people. The last night one guy singing karaoke was changing the words and it was historical. 
Watching the old people dance at the disco to top 10 unedited pop music, most of which was in Spanish.
Creeper Turks
Awesome waiters that pose and take pictures with you.
Sam some how spilling his drink all over the top and bottom of the table, his face, the floor, the couch, and Austin.
People watchin in the hallway around midnight.(the shucking British lady, creepy, bag sending workers, and the crazy Asian lady that looked like she was doing charades. 
Protests in Crete 
The mounted falcon that was in our shower when we got back. Along with the water balloons in bras and pads in shoes. 
The guy who sang crocodile Rick every night on the cruise.
Jeremy air guitarin