The summer heat of the previous days broke this morning with the beginnings of a meltemi wind from the north. This gave a brilliant light and transparency to the air for our visit to Delos, the ancient sanctuary of Apollo and Artemis and one of the most sacred sites of antiquity. After a leisurely guided tour in the morning, guests had the opportunity to explore Delos further. Some chose to climb to the island’s highest point, Mount Kynthos, for expansive views of the Cyclades Islands. In the afternoon, Sea Cloud sailed smoothly across the windy seas to reach a calm anchorage for evening at the small port of Katapola, Amorgos.
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.
