No, I am not referring to the Three Musketeers. These were our last three stops on the cruise, and aside from Santorini were not on the original itinerary. The wind and mechanical issues really did wreak havoc with the schedule, but we didn’t care. Syros and Poros were new to Steve and me and were not the glitzy party islands or the “must see” islands on everyone’s first trip. We actually enjoyed them much more than the heavily trafficked spots.

They had Wi-Fi, but Shana wouldn’t let Vic have the password until she saw his hands start to shake.

Syros is the capitol of the Cycladic Islands, and all business transactions for the other islands in the Cyclades are performed here. Need to register your car? Take a ferry to Syros. Marriage license? Ditto. Makes it a bit expensive when you add in travel costs. The architectural influences here are Turkish, French and Venetian, so instead of the square lime-washed buildings and blue-domed churches evidenced on other islands the buildings here are colorful Neoclassical structures and the streets are paved in marble. The area called Vaporia has many mansions built by rich businessmen and loan sharks! Who knew? And of course, we have a pic of our 4 librarians in front of… wait for it… The Library!

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They have a theater, named, of course, The Apollo, that has been compared to La Scala in Milan. Their City Hall has a marble promenade in front with bitter orange trees separating the promenade from covered tavernas. These bitter oranges are used to make spoon sweets, heavily sugared syrupy delights, which I enthusiastically ladled onto my Greek yogurt in the morning. The promenade comes alive at night when families stroll and children play in the cool of the evening.

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The marketplace was bustling and a feast for the eyes, with produce stands and fish and meat markets. The spice store was particularly wonderful.

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There is a beautiful sleeping lion monument nearby, which was erected to honor those who fell during the war of independence against the Turks, and a beautiful church in the center of town as well as the Byzantine style Greek Orthodox Church atop the hill.

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We had lunch as a group in a local taverna, a shady, cool spot with delicious Greek fare, and again, way too much of it. They had Wi-Fi, but Shana wouldn’t let Vic have the password until she saw his hands start to shake.

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After lunch a few of us went in search of the El Greco icon at The Church of the Dormition in the main port. You can’t miss it; it’s right next to the casino. The church has an original icon painted by El Greco.  There was a tiny woman keeping watch at the church. In the summer heat she was dressed all in black, including a sweater, and we couldn’t tell if she was a typical yia-yia (a Greek grandmother) or a widow or if she was a nun. At the end of our visit I put a few Euros in the collection box, and I touched her hand, saying, “Thank You” in Greek. She rose from her chair (and would not be dissuaded) and gave me easily a two-minute blessing. I had no idea what she was saying, but I’m happy for a blessing in any language or religion.

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We made our way back to the ship and after another fabulous dinner watched the lights on the hills over Syros as we made our way out of the harbor.

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Next up: Santorini and Poros. And the dancing Archbishop.

Deborah