The highlight of our day in Crete might have been our last stop at a Taverna near the dock. We saw they served the local beer we prefer (Alfa), so we stopped for a beer and a couple of mezes – tziziki and vine leaves. Both were delicious, but the real entertainment was the adorable dog who kept barking to wake up her master, who was asleep on his fishing boat, and a cat and her kitten who were playing near our table. Our friendly waiter explained that the cat was the big kahuna of the neighborhood – she even fended off big dogs when she thought her kitten was being threatened.

We also finally made some use of the ship itself – laid by the pool for a little while, watched an awesome sunset, then ate dinner while we watched a Greek folkloric show. It was also “white night” on the ship – cruise director Russ asked everyone to dress in white, the deck was festooned in white balloons, and the entertainers were all in white. (I love this corny stuff.) Speaking of corny, I had tried to get Russ to dance with me the previous night, but I guess he was on duty so he wouldn’t, but he said he’d take a raincheck for white night. Hence, the dancing feet. Jim and I did our usual thing – stormed the dance floor and only left for the slow songs. I also took Russ up on his offer and danced a number with him. It was loads of fun – but we were happy we had a late port call the next day!