The final port of call on our NCL cruise from Venice to the Greek Isles was Katakolon, Greece, from which most passengers visited Olympia, the site of the early (776 B.C.) Olympic games. The ruins are about a 40 minute bus ride from the port of Katakolon.

I was surprised at what a cute little town Olympia is. Same goes for Katakolon.

Below is a shot of Oscar, my little traveling companion, sitting on some ruins in Olympia. The rest of my pictures from this port and our return to Venice can be viewed here.

Nora Ephron’s character Rachel Samstat in "Heartburn" when asked “Why do you feel you have to turn everything into a story?”

After missing Santorini due to high winds, I was worried we might not be able to tender at Mykonos, either. Our itinerary listed Mykonos as a tender port but it turns out that they have room for two cruise ships and we got one of the spots. In addition to the two ships that were docked, there were at least 4 ships anchored nearby. In spite of that, it didn't seem as crowded as I expected it would.

Mykonos exists because of tourists -- cruisers, primarily. The town is filled with plenty of restaurants and shops to keep the tourists busy spending money. But you don't mind at all because as you wander around, you are just in awe of the place. It is so white and clean and the sky is so blue and the water such lovely shades of blue and green that it almost feels fake. It's like the Disneyland of Greek islands. But I mean that in a good way. :)

When you get off your ship, you take a 5-minute ride in a free shuttle bus. Once you are dropped off, you walk the equivalent of a few blocks to the town. When you are ready to return to your ship, you can take a taxi if you are too tired to walk back to the shuttle buses.

If you like to take photos, you will be in heaven in Mykonos. If you like to shop or sit at little outdoor cafes and watch people walk by, you will have a lovely time in Mykonos. If you want ruins, you can take a ferry or guided tour to the nearby island of Delos and get your fill of history. If you want museums, you will have to look elsewhere.

Bottom line: Mykonos = Cute! Cute! Cute!

Pictures from our visit to Mykonos can be seen here.

Next: Olympia and our return to Venice.

Corfu is to a Med cruise what Gothenburg is to a Baltic itinerary: a nice enough city but probably included only because it is a convenient place to stop. Corfu has one claim to fame: Achilleion, the summer palace of Empress Elisabeth ("Sisi") of Austria. You can visit the palace in the morning, spend a little time shopping in touristy Corfu Town, and still make it back to the ship for lunch.

Santorini … well, everyone says it is wonderful. And I will have to take everyone's word for it, since the winds kicked up and prevented us from tendering to the island. Port of call cancelled! Yes, I was disappointed. And still am. Some of the passengers said well, we'll just have to come back. But I am less likely than some to return to Greece. Nothing against the place, but when you don't start traveling until you are in your 50's, you can only fit so many trips into the time you have left. There are a lot of places on my "to do" list and I would have to get to all of them before I head back to see what I missed in Santorini.

Pictures from Corfu and Santorini can be seen here. Mykonos and Olympia will be up in a day or two.

… and finally over our jet lag. We sailed a 7-night cruise to the Greek Isles R/T Venice on NCL's Norwegian Jade. I'm working my way through 1200+ photos. An album of Venice can be seen here.

Pictures from our ports of call to follow soon.

Short-ish review:

We spent two nights in Venice pre-cruise and then sailed to Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos, and Katakolon (Olympia).

We loved the Jade. I did sort of miss having a set dinner time with the same wait staff every night. However, there were nights when we really appreciated NCL's "freestyle" dining which allows you to dine whenever you like. The buffet had a wider selection of food than I recall seeing on other ships. The entertainment was excellent. We booked an aft balcony (on the back of the ship) because so many people rave about them. The views from our cabin were fabulous but you do feel the movement more at the back than in the middle of the ship. A couple of nights were pretty rocky!

Instead of staying in a hotel on the island of Venice, we booked a hotel in Mestre. Our hotel was directly across the street from the train station. It costs a euro or two each way to ride from Mestre to Santa Lucia station in Venice. The ride takes about 12 minutes. We saved hundreds of dollars by NOT staying on the island plus we had the added benefit of NOT having to drag our luggage across pedestrian bridges in Venice. (There are no cars on the island of Venice. Be prepared to do a lot of walking!)

For those who crave American junk food when traveling, there is a McDonald's in the train station in Mestre and at least one in Venice. The one in Venice has free wifi, too.

My opinion of Venice: It is a very interesting place to take photos and they have the most amazing Murano glass for sale in the shops! Other than that, two days was more than enough for me. Venice and Mestre are both very crowded and I didn't find the people to be especially friendly. Oh, and some of the restaurants have toilets in their ladies rooms with no toilet seats. You have been warned.

The ports we visited in Greece were a different story. They are small villages where most people depend on tourism for their living and they are much friendlier to the hordes of people who visit for the day before heading back to their cruise ships. More on our ports of call when I post pictures from those visits.

Stay tuned.

... that are designed to look like something else. Like Randy’s Donuts in L.A. which is shaped like a giant donut. Or this adorable ice cream shop in St. Pete Beach, FL, that looks like a chubby little ice cream cone itself. Too too cute!

... but I'm not sure that accuracy is their strong suit. From the NY Daily News:

"Can baby Louis get any cuter?! The adorable adopted son of Sandra Bullock has a blast while playing with his mama at a Soho playground."

Yes, he is cute. But does it look as if he is having a blast? In fact, I've seen lots of pictures of this baby since Ms. Bullock went public with her adoption a year or so ago and I have never seen a picture where he is smiling or laughing. Never. Not once.

Why do you always look so sad, little Louis?

iTunes is currently playing: Tranquillo (Melt My Heart) from the album Boys In The Trees by Carly Simon.

... or is it just considered a plus?

What is the point of writing "SPOILER ALERT" below the winner's name -- especially when his picture is also included at the top of the article?

iTunes is currently playing: The Name Of The Game from the album Mamma Mia! by Amanda Seyfried & Stellan Skarsgard.