We started our day once again with a leisurely sail. David Brotherson, our historian, presented “Thunder, Gods & Underdogs: the Greco-Persian Wars,” which offered an interesting analysis of strategies and failings of the ancient Greek and Persian leaders. After lunch and a short siesta, we came into port at Katakolon and boarded coaches to Olympia. It was a lovely afternoon for a ride through the countryside; we viewed sweeping orchards of olive trees, sporadic plots of cotton and corn, and yards full of beehives along the way. This is obviously an important area for agriculture. We visited the home of the original Olympic Games. The grounds were littered with fallen columns (thanks to the seismic activity of the area), archeological excavations, and thousands of years of ancient history — all to be interpreted and brought to life by our guides Effie and Gemma.
9/23/2024
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Sea Cloud
Hvar, Croatia
On the last day of our voyage, we spent the morning on the lovely island of Hvar, known for its fragrant fields of lavender and rosemary. Our walking tour started with the Franciscan monastery, featuring a centuries-old cypress tree and a 17th-century painting of the Last Supper attributed to Matteo Ponzoni. We continued on to tour one of the oldest community theaters in Europe (dating to 1612), the Hvar Arsenal (instrumental in building and repairing Venetian ships), and the town’s stone buildings which often feature the winged lion of St. Mark. This afternoon, after a lunch featuring the famous Sea Cloud pasta wheel, we enjoyed a lecture by cultural specialist Zrinka Šapro on the history of Croatia, focusing on the 20th century. Hearing about the rule of Josip Broz Tito and the wars of the 1990s from someone with personal experience was a particularly fitting conclusion to our tour of this region so rich in history. Our final evening aboard included a cocktail hour and the guest slide show on the lido deck, followed by the captain’s farewell dinner in Sea Cloud’s elegant dining room, after which we bid our travel companions and newfound friends a fond farewell.