It is a lovely Saturday morning and we are just about to take advantage of the winds and set sails. Every day is an adventure on the Sea Cloud, and we get to know her facilities. We felt the magic of sailing the old-fashioned way, but we were still curious about the engine room, so the chief engineer and his crew welcomed us and answered all our questions.
Dr. Rebecca Ingram, our nautical archaeologist, gave us a very inspiring lecture on seafaring in the ancient Aegean, in which we learned more about triremes and Athenian naval supremacy as well as the endless journeys and expeditions of the Greeks.
After our delicious lunch we were tendered ashore in the port of Adamantas, having just reached the island of Milos. The wealthiest Greek island in terms of minerals, Milos has been an inactive volcano for more than 90,000 years now.
Our guides Effie and Eleni led walking tours of the village of Plaka, built on the top of a mountain. From this location we enjoyed a spectacular view of the Aegean Sea and visited the small but very ornate Greek Orthodox church dedicated to the Virgin Mary Korfiotissa. Afterwards, we stopped for a traditional dessert at the pastry shop; here in Milos there are two popular desserts, the karpouzopitta or watermelon pie, and koufeto or white pumpkin and almond spoon sweet, both of which are delicious.
We then drove to the south of Milos and reached the beach of Paleochori for our afternoon swim. The scenery here is amazing and very colorful: steep cliffs of yellow, red, and white reflect in the clear waters below. After our walk in Plaka we needed a refreshing stop and that was the best location, sharing Greek summer moments with the locals and the many vacationers of August.
Late in the afternoon we made our way back to Sea Cloud, and after dinner we gathered on the lido deck for a movie night, enjoying the all-time classic black-and-white film Around Cape Horn, an early film depicting square-rig sailing. The sky was still red as the sun was setting and we said goodbye to another beautiful island of the Aegean.
