Mykonos, 9/21/21 and a Sea Day, 9/22/21

We tied up at the pier in Mykonos this morning. There were three other cruise ships anchored nearby. The Apex left Rhodes after we did, but was anchored here already when we pulled in this morning. 

Not long after we arrived, I got this shot of the setting full moon across the smooth Mediterranean.

According to the on-line sources I read, Mykonos has been a popular resort area since the 1980's. There were and, perhaps still are, nude beaches. There are many bars and similar establishments that have historically, and still do cater to the LGBTQ? community. Of course, there are plenty of souvenir shops. Iko and I weren't interested in any of the options so stayed aboard our home away from home. 

A little later in the day, as I was observing the scene from topside, I was glad we hadn't gone to town since the long lines of passengers waiting for the Seabus or water shuttles were looking bedraggled and hot. The ship's personnel recommended the water taxis because the land bus was irregular, more expensive and it took longer to drive around the bay than it took across the water in a straight shot to the town,

Back to the attractions of Mykonos. The diverse bar attractions reminds me of the diverse group of passengers we have aboard for this cruise. More so than on other cruises, Iko and I both remarked on the diverse couples we saw. There were the obvious hetero married couples, the pairs of women or of men who may or may not have been married, older men with younger women, older women with younger men, older men with younger men, older women with younger women, an older white woman with a younger quite tall black man who always wore flowing robes, and various other arrangements. 

I'm not wanting to sound sexist, racist, ageist, or any other kind of "ist" but, on the other hand, I'm intrigued by how much change has been made, at least in some parts of the world, in letting people feel comfortable in their own skins. I'm not sure how these changes will play out long term with the old mores and standards of society. I think we are in a time of flux where changing behavior is weighed against old standards and change advances and retreats in phases. 

The driving force behind most of those old restrictions was the need for procreation, support for the family, and survival of the group by being suspicious of strangers or different people. In most places today we have plenty of people, typically they don't need to be tied to a family to survive, and we mix with strange people from various cultures daily. 

It will be interesting to see how these trends play out. I've seen great changes in my time on this sphere and I expect there will be many more. Too bad I won't be around much longer to see what happens in our future. 

Back to more mundane thoughts. This shot of the setting sun as we left Mykonos reminds me that our cruise is drawing to a close. Tomorrow will be another "sea day" and then we will tie up in Piraeus, pack our bags and prepare for a quick trip to the Athens airport and a return to the real world.

 Our sea day was another pleasant day. Wait staff brought us coffee and breakfast, I logged almost six miles of deck walking, we watched the fairly smooth water, counted the increasing number of ships as we drew nearer to Athens, and most importantly, I beat Iko in today's Cribbage session.