CORRECTION: It’s four ports in four days, not five in five.

If the scales in the gym are to be believed (which is a fairly big IF), I lost over two kilos between Motril and Palermo, just from all the walking we do on board. I forgot to weigh myself today. I’ll try and remember tomorrow.

So, today is Piraeus. The energetic are off on coaches to Athens, to go up. They’ll go Up the Acropolis. They’ll go Up the Parthenon. They’ll plough through Athens traffic, in their (hopefully air conditioned) coaches. They will tootle around in ever decreasing circles while the various coach drivers of the approximately 7,000 cruise passengers and crew*∑ currently moored in Piraeus try not to all arrive at the same sights at the same time. That is, if they made it out of Piraeus at all, as there is a bicycle road race today and much of the port’s roads and transportation are out of commission for the day. Even the Hop-on/ Hop-off is cancelled. It is 24 degrees and very overcast. Not a breath of wind. Very pleasant to sit in, but probably a bit warm for racing. However, Piraeus is now a MASSIVE port, compared to when we came here all those years ago. There is a LOT of concrete here now. Mind you, it’s so huge, it may simply be that we are not in the same location as last time, and it’s all so expansive now, we cannot even see our previous mooring. In fact, the port is so busy with ferries and cruise ships that the sea outside our breakwater is actually calmer than inside.

Apparently, those on the Bridge can see the Acropolis, with binoculars!

Either way, I have had fun using what little Russian I remember to read the names on passing boats and ferries – Saints Cyril and Methodius (Bulgarian brothers, both monks), who invented the Cyrillic writing system in the 9th century to write down Slavic languages, used Greek letters to do it!

Being Greece, both the roads around the ports and a good majority of the passing boats and ferries have names like Poseidon, Antigone, Gaeia, Apollo and so on. But the tug that is going to guide us off our berth is the Christos 42, so either the captain is a Douglas Adams fan, or he’s got through a LOT of previous vessels and is a rotten driver!

OH MY GOOD LORD. WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE TELL ME ABOUT ACUPUNCTURE BEFORE?! Just TWO sessions and my right shoulder has 90-95 per cent recovered. Whereas, three days ago, I could not lift my right arm high enough to scratch my nose, now I can raise my arm all the way up and wave it over my head. I have enough pain-free movement to tie up my hair, reach across for things and even carry things. I’m still nervous about pulling or pushing doors, pressing and holding for the water dispenser, and so on, but the difference is staggering. And not a single needle went into the affected arm, just both knees and ankles and my left hand. I am a convert. At over 100 quid a throw, it isn’t cheap, but it is absolutely worth every penny. And Joel, the acupuncturist, is a Pet Shop Boys fan, despite being an American (it’s okay, he’s from California). Which is nice. Turns out he’s a month older than me.

Things I have learned today #1: The Norwegian Pearl does an annual KISS cruise, for fans of said rock band. Joel has treated a lot of rock stars on various ships over the years, so we never lack for conversation. We both agreed that Alice Cooper is the nicest person of those discussed so far. There’s plenty of chatting in an acupuncture session, as they try to distract you from the needles being put in. They don’t hurt, so I have to watch where they go in, so I don’t damage myself when his back is turned!

The P&O Cruises ‘worldy’ brochure has just come out. January 2027 looks good… 75 nights with ten ports we’ve never been to before. 2028’s only has four new ports.

Heraklion will be 26 Celsius tomorrow, apparently. I’m hoping to get ashore. I’ve never been to Crete, and to be this close to Knossos and not go would feel very wrong. But Dad hasn’t felt very good today, so nothing is set in stone.

Transmission ends.

*MV Aegean Odyssey 396 pax, 180 crew; MV Callisto 34 pax, 18 crew, Us 2358 pax, 866 crew, MV Pegasus 44 pax, 18 crew, MS Galileo 50 pax, 18 crew, and the Norwegian Pearl 2,344 pax, 1072 crew (7,398).

∑ Obviously, not all crew are allowed off at the same time, but you get the idea!