Mezzes in Monemvasia

Dottie, our Cruise Director, scheduled the third lecture for 8:30 in the morning, not my preference but a time which actually worked well since we were scheduled to anchor off Monemvasia at 10:00 a.m.   and everyone was aboard ship.  The question became whether or not they would be awake and interested.  Dwight counted about 40 people as they wandered in…not a bad crowd for the time and situation.  The talk was on Minoan Crete and the Bronze Age Mediterranean.  It was well received and set the stage for passengers’ visit to Knossos.  Several people have told me since that it provided them with some meaningful context for their visit.

As usual, we anchored right on time; I don’t see how everything on the ship is run so punctually since there are no clocks visible.  Monemvasia is a tall rock island and its small port town located on the southern tip of the Peloponnese Peninsula.  It’s connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway.  Our ship tender let us off in the middle of the causeway and the question became which way to go:  to the small town or onto the island.  We opted for the town remembering a pleasant time sitting in a café by the shore on last year’s voyage.  We found the same café, had a seat by the water, and ordered an assortment of mezzes.  A few people we had met on the ship dropped by for a short visit, and at one point an assortment of cheeses intended for the next table was delivered to our table.  That triggered a round of sharing dishes that added to the buffet.  I was relieved to get through the third lecture and was happy to sit by the sea and enjoy the afternoon of wine, mezzes, and conversation.  We wandered back to the ship for a long nap, dinner at the Terrace Café, and early to bed to watch Zorba the Greek.