Mykonos, Greece

Now here's a description that will definitely grab your attention:
 

"This Greek island that lies between Tinos, Paros, Naxos and Syros in the southern Aegean Sea is everything it's cracked up to be - pure paradise."
 

This was (again) a replacement stop for Turkey, so not on the original itinerary. While certainly everybody's hometown is special and unique, I wouldn't classify it as "pure paradise" or anything remotely close. Mykonos encompasses just 33 square miles and according to the waiter who proudly charged me $4 for a small cup of coffee, they have about 7,000 year 'round residents. This same little cafe was advertising their lunch special also...fresh fish for two, $69. They say Tom Cruise frequents the island. I can understand why. It's the last place I'd look for him!
 

We docked well before dawn. I'd already been up a few hours trying to pick up the VP debate, without success. To date, we've had excellent TV reception - that is, MSNBC, Fox, & BBC. For some reason, we couldn't pick up a signal - very disappointing. I woke Cheryl early so we could beat the morning breakfast crowds and by 7:45, we were off the ship and ready to enjoy "pure paradise". The port itself is pretty isolated. You can see the small city, but the only way to get there is via Sea Bus - only $2 each roundtrip. Best deal of the day, I assure you. It was windy and chilly as the sun hadn't quite cleared the hilltops yet, but the Sea Bus was enclosed and it was only a 15-minute ride. There were two other cruise ships in for the day also - they too had been diverted from Turkey - so thousands of folks devouring this tiny community on a Wednesday morning. Sea Bus drops you in the old port, adjacent to city center. The garbage collection point for that part of town is...you guessed it...the old port. Six huge dumpsters next to each other, lids open, and the overpowering scent of processed fish hitting you in the face. Good morinng!!!
 

As usual, we headed off in our own direction. We walked the seawall for about half-mile, then stumbled into a residential neighborhood, though not a typical cosmopolitan neighborbood. These were merely winding alleyways - so narrow that my outstretched arms could touch both sides. It was like a maze, and after 30 minutes or so, managed to find our way out. We just kept our noses peeled trying to find the direction of the port dumpsters again...and we were successful. We then walked another direction, through the small shopping area, a stop for coffee, a trip to the water closet (toilet) for a mere $2 and along the beach we strolled - all 50-feet of it. It was close to 1pm by then and the three ships had off-loaded most of their pasengers. It was a conjested, chaoctic mess. We decided to bail at that point. So back to the Sea Bus for the return trip to our ship. Cheryl and I were the only two passengers on this huge transport!
 

I'd decided earlier in the day to make a return visit to the ship MD. I wasn't geting much better, and our long hikes from prior days were apparently taking their toll on me. The 'hospital' was scheduled to open at 4pm for two hours. I was first in line. The doctor was surprised to see me, and immediately ordered a couple procedures. First, a chest Xray - routine stuff. THEN...a couple nurses walked in and said they were going to do a fluid test. I was OK with that...sounds pretty simple...but then they both apologized IN ADVANCE of the procedure, saying it was going to be very uncomfortable. All kinds of things going through my mind at that point.They pull out a long Q-Tip, and said they needed to run it up my nose and halfway down the back of my throat...and that it MAY BE gagging. MAY BE??? Now actually, between you and me, the procedure WAS uncomfortable, but not that bad - not what I imagined. But I described the procedure to Cheryl as not a Q-Tip, but a torpedo...that it was the male version of childbirth...that I was just wreathing in pain! Well...no sale - she didn't buy it! And the test itself? They were checking for flu, which came back negative.
 

Unfortunately, the Xrays didn't look good, and I knew ahead of time they wouldn't with all my pre-existing issues. The doc put me on yet a stronger regiment of medication that I'm scheduled to begin later this morning. Hopefully, that'll clear things up to the extent that we'll be able to really enjoy our few days in Rome next week. Once again, great folks downstairs here - it's obviously not fun feeling punk on a trip like this, but truly a pleasure to deal with the medical staff onboard here.
 

Oh...and the military helicopters! Several of them flying overhead all day. We're close to Syria - I have no idea whether that may have something to do with it or not. Maybe it was Tom Cruises' entourage?!