LOUIS AURA (ex-ORIENT QUEEN) Part 2

Sunday 15th September 2013
Today on board LOUIS AURA we have almost a whole day at sea, sailing south from Istanbul overnight towards the popular Greek island of Mykonos, which is one of the smallest in the Cyclades group. We are due there at 6.30 p.m. and will stay overnight, leaving again about midnight on Monday/Tuesday.

Louis Aura deck plan

Again, the weather was hot and lovely, the sky cloudless and blue, and a relaxing day stretched ahead. I managed to get to breakfast before it finished at 9.30 a.m. then gathered my things to spend some time up on Venus Deck 2, doing nothing much other than drinking cappuccino or water and admiring the distant mountains, sea and sky.

View aft

Nel Lines at sea

The sea below me

Restaurant lunch was enjoyable – the food choice is excellent on here, and well presented. A restful afternoon, followed by tea on deck in the shade, prepared us for arriving at Mykonos. The windmills were soon visible on one hillside, and SEABOURN QUEST was also berthed in the cruise ship end of the bay. We came alongside with the usual efficiency from the Pilot and Captain, and in no time ropes were out and passengers were free to disembark. I think some passengers also ended their cruise here.

Arriving at Mykonos

Seabourn Quest

The tug came to stand by

Local craft

Champagne before dinner

Louis Aura stern

Louis Aura at Mykonos

The famous Mykonos windmills

Louis Cruises had arranged for coaches to be available to take people around the bay into the town so the ship soon seemed to empty but many also remained to eat on board and then visit the town.

I did both, and then returned to watch the evening’s entertainment on board.

The moon and Aura

A male magician put his very slender female assistant into a tall box and then appeared to cut her into four pieces. It may be an old stage trick, but when the female managed to wave one hand from the top of the box, and the other hand from one side, whilst the magician inserted seemingly sharp large metal plates through her and the box, it was very impressive. There was no blood and of course she came out almost smiling, so we all applauded. The speculation about how the trick was performed continued for some time.


Ships seen: a Nel Lines vessel at sea,
At Mykonos: a 4 masted vessel, a 3 masted vessel, Seabourn Quest, the tug Ifestos 1, Jetoil, and local fishing vessels in the little harbour astern of us

Greece 2012 Part 11

Friday 7th September 2012
Theofilos/Chios/Blue Star Patmos

Yes, things do look better this morning, if only because we are at sea, the sun is shining from a cloudless blue sky and the sea looks beautiful. I couldn’t wait to get out of the cabin and on deck, so showering/hair wash was a speedy affair despite the weird bathroom arrangements! Cappuccino and a muffin on the aft deck completed the recovery and then I could enjoy the glorious views. The engines of THEOFILOS sound all right, but the season ends in a couple of day’s time and this ship could be going you-know-where…

Theofilos deck plan

Winches and bell

On deck with funnel view

From my shaded viewpoint on deck I saw a passing cruise ship called AEGEAN PARADISE, from Etstur Lines, which was heading north presumably to Istanbul. Heading south, like us, was an attractive little vessel but she was too far away to identify.

Aegean Paradise

Lovely sight, but far away

In the Reception area I noticed a small table laid with a cloth and flowers, a comfy chair each side, and a big blue NEL Lines flag on the wall behind. This looked a brave attempt to smarten the area, and I particularly liked the big poster-size aerial view of Piraeus harbour which was on a nearby wall. It may have been taken in the 1960s so there were lots of ships to try and identify.

Nel Lines welcome

Ships in Piraeus poster

Up on the top deck was a big white container/‘box’, contents unknown, which must have been added at some stage of her career. Dog kennels were also on deck.

On deck

We are due in Chios soon at 11.30 a.m. and could now see land on both sides of the ship as we sailed along; in fact we arrived early, at 10.45 a.m. so were soon disembarking into the heat of the quayside.

Unexpected sight

Two donkeys

As we walked out through the car deck I could see a small covered trailer with two furry heads peering out – it was two donkeys.

We have the day here, before leaving tonight on the new ferry Blue Star PATMOS, which should be in complete contrast with the 1975-built ship we are leaving. PATMOS was delivered from her South Korean builders in June this year.

From the quayside seats at the bus station we watched THEOFILOS leave, and apparently I missed seeing MYTILENE arrive and leave, as she was hidden by THEOFILOS. Oh well, I saw the poster picture and I have sailed on her.

A shady beach on the edge of town sounded like the ideal place to while away the hours until we could check in for tonight’s sailing, so we walked along and found one. I had a comfy blue steamer chair under a palm-leaf parasol, facing blue sea, under blue sky; it was hot, there was a gentle zephyr, the sea was lapping quietly onto the beach probably 20 feet away on a slight slope, I could see the mountains of Turkey across the water in the distance, and there was a very small beach bar offering drinks and snacks, so I paddled, chatted, slept, rested, photographed, snacked, listened to music, watched the big red bulk carrier come into view and the local tug inspect it from every angle, and did nothing much for several hours – very satisfying.

Navios Hyperion plus a lady swimming with a red hat on

Navios Hyperion and the local tug

Back in town we decided to try a local delicacy called honey puffs, which looked light and full of calories. Where the plan was to share one honey puff, the reality was the arrival of the plate with 5 honey puffs on it, all smothered in white chocolate sauce. We could see other guests in the coffee shop tucking into their plates of honey puffs without stopping their conversations, but it was an impossibility to clear the plate in front of us, so we gave up. They were wonderful to see and try, but so sweet.

Honey puffs

Psara Glory

We had to walk after that experience, and enjoyed seeing more of the town of Chios before queuing to board our overnight ferry: Blue Star PATMOS. She was handed over to the Blue Star fleet only in June this year (2012), so it will be such a contrast to travel on a new ship. She arrived at 10.35 p.m., just half an hour before she is due to leave again, so passengers and vehicles had to disembark very quickly before we could board.

Blue Star Patmos

Welcome (almost)

She was built by DSME (Daewoo) shipyards in Korea, at 18,498 gross tons. She carries 2,000 passengers, plus vehicles, and it felt as if she was fully loaded as we all went to find cabins (326 passenger beds), airline style seating (425) or other places to sleep. She appears well designed and fitted out, with so much light, and labour-intensive reflective surfaces everywhere. I thought the cabins were excellent, with their brand new fittings and so much light. My cabin also had a more conventional shower.

My cabin

So white and bright!

So light and white!

With so many people on board this big ship, to sail from Chios overnight to Piraeus, it was a little difficult to see all of her but she was extremely impressive.

Clever carpet

Restaurant

Self-service seating

Deck seating

Flocafe

Big signs

Bar with blue waves (which reminded me slightly of FINNMAID)

Wall decoration

Builders plate 2012

I liked the chunky letters spelling out the word ‘welcome’ as we arrived in the public area, and the carpet with names and contours woven into it. We are due to arrive in Piraeus before dawn at 6.25 a.m. so it was a short night. Tomorrow will be the last full day of the holiday and promises to be yet another interesting time.

Ships seen: Aegean Paradise of Etstur Lines, small unidentified vessel, Navios Hyperion - bulk carrier built in 2004 in Japan, and a local Chios tug, Theofilos, Erturk 1, Psara Glory, Blue Star Patmos

To be continued….

Greece 2012 Part 8

Tuesday 4th September 2012
I woke this morning in a medieval village house, about 4 kilometres from the sea, but in an isolated village surrounded by mountains, and felt quite disorientated for a moment. There were so many modern items around me, but they were contained in a property originally built about seven hundred years ago.

A cup of coffee at a table on the tiny terrace brought me back to reality, and the day could begin. The sun was up and high above me I could see a square of blue sky, so I made my way to the village square in search of something to eat. One of the café owners provided coffee and suggested ‘toast’, so I smiled and thanked him. What actually appeared was a toasted ham sandwich, which was a bit of a surprise but good to eat.

Harrowing view

Part of the village square

An excited babe in arms

The dog

Mesta medieval village

Then there was good news from the outside world: the little 1956-built Hurtigruten ship NORDSTJERNEN had arrived safely in Bergen on 1st September and was now at the Agotnes AKER Solutions shipyard. Many months ago I had been asked to write a piece for the Ferry & Cruise Annual 2013, and I chose to write about NORDSTJERNEN. I travelled on her last year and she made such an impression on me, that I was happy to research and write something that was now in the hands of the Editors, together with photographs and captions, ready for publication in late October 2012. I was so pleased to know that the ship had done her trips around Spitzbergen during the summer and was safely back in Bergen in Norway, although her future is still unknown.

My travelling companion had found this news for me via his internet connection as we sat under the trees and canopies at one of the three village cafés (hooray for free wi-fi). After the coffee we were ready to be tourists and visit the imposing church of Saint Taxiarchis and look at the bell tower beside it. It so happens that we are to travel on a ferry with the same name in a couple of day’s time.

Aerial view of the village square through mesh fencing

In the church of Saint Taxiarchis

Gold in the church

The church was built in 1868 and inside it contained wonderful crystal chandeliers, tapestries, embroidered banners, ornate golden this and that and other things that looked hugely valuable. As is often the case, one cannot help comparing the wealth in this beautiful church with the rather obvious lack of it in the buildings and inhabitants outside.

Outside the church

The Bell Tower

One local lady wanted to make sure that we went and visited the church and I assured her that we had been inside and thought it was wonderful – all this conducted in Greek and English – so she patted my arm and all was well. I wondered what the villagers must think of the Medieval Castle apartments and the tourists, but as long as we bring in some income then I’m sure that must help, but it is a humbling thought. Certainly there was some beautiful hand-crafted jewellery and other items for sale in the tiny shops we discovered in our morning walk. Having found our way around the village (more by luck than judgment) we managed to get back to the village square again, and many of the people sitting there looked up, and I found I was saying ‘For our third appearance….’ as it felt like quite an achievement.

We saw a donkey amble through one street, with several small children suddenly appearing and speaking excitedly with the man leading him. Several young mothers with toddlers in pushchairs met for a chat in the square too, and of course the
usual alert young dog was ever hopeful of food being dropped from the tables.

Walls, wires and wheelbarrow

Medieval Castle Suites offices

Village telephone box

We found another café tucked into a side street house, which had the typical Greek gyros meat cooking on the rotating spit, so that was the obvious place for a tasty lunch. I had the shaved meat with tzatziki and tomatoes tucked into a wrap – delicious.

Later at 5.30 p.m. we were collected as arranged by a taxi at the edge of the village, and taken down the mountain road to the tiny port of Mesta. I knew we were sailing on another ship of NEL Lines, the company created in August 1972 in Mytilene, Lesvos, which was why I was happy to sail on the ship of that name recently. We could see our next ferry, the AQUA MARIA, already tied up at the quayside and moving gently against the mooring ropes. The narrow bay seems a natural harbour, as usual surrounded by mountains.

Aqua Maria and another

Aqua Maria

End of the quay

I think that during the first hour we spent walking around part of the bay we probably saw just two people, but we enjoyed the views and sight and sound of the water in the hot sunshine.

Pontoon and dredger

View

View as the sun went down

We could see a bar/café with seating on the quayside near the ship, so that boded well for a cool drink and then an evening meal before we could embark.

The lady of the house at the café took our food order, from a choice of the usual meat or chicken dish, and then I went inside to find the Ladies facilities. I was so glad I had my camera with me, because these were most unexpected. Like me, the lady of the house obviously loved lavender/purple colours and had enjoyed herself creating a chiffon-draped room and door, with a deep shag-pile patterned rug on the floor. The actual porcelain facilities were perfect and beautifully offset by the colours of these soft furnishings. What a wondrous little room to find in this tiny tiny port.

Memorable facilities

Have a nice trip message from Aqua Maria

More people gradually appeared and came to drink at the café, presumably arriving from unseen hill or country-side homes. We were able to board the NEL Lines’ AQUA MARIA at 8.30 p.m. for the overnight journey from here at Mesta port to the Greek mainland port of Lavrio, which is south east of Piraeus.

Deck plan

One of the bars

Near the bar

Deck seating

Something drastic must have happened here....

Interesting floor tiles pattern

Interesting staircase rail joints

We are due to sail at 10 p.m., call somewhere at 11.30 p.m. and arrive at the small port of Lavrio at 6.15 a.m. tomorrow. This is yet another ship built in Japan in 1975, this time at 3,484 gross tons, so just a little ship but still going about her daily business with the aplomb of many a larger ferry or liner.

Bed, blanket and book holder

Authentic Japanese blanket

Away we go from Mesta port


Ships seen: Aqua Maria, Agio Kypiakh, and dredger NX76 at Mesta port.

To be continued….