Change of Plans Leads to New Experience in Ancient Greek Harbor

Days 98-100, 2025 European Odyssey

Saturday to Monday, Oct. 4-6, 2025; Piraeus and Katakolon, Greece.

Sometimes when I wing it, I don’t end up where I thought I was going. Saturday I thought I was heading to Athens. I ended up still in Piraeus. In retrospect – serendipity.

I had hoped Holland America would offer excursions for the 300 of us staying for the next cruise. They didn’t. I had wanted a transfer to Athens to visit my favorite bakery there.

No worries. There is an express bus from the cruise piers to central Athens for just €4.50. With six ships in port, I wasn’t sure where to find it. I planned to ask at the tourist information booth in our terminal, except there wasn’t a terminal – just a semi-permanent tent covering the baggage pickup area for departing passengers. I was directed to turn left at the exit for a tourist information booth.

I never found anything like it, just a drive that led me to a narrow sidewalk along an expressway. Eventually, I realized my search for information was futile. So, I kept walking, mentally switching to Plan B and the old harbor in Piraeus, just under two miles from the ship.

I actually had a wonderful morning, apart from the boring walk along the expressway. The circular Zea Harbor is the ancient harbor of Piraeus, where even today archeologists are seeking submerged remains of ships in what more than 2,000 years ago was the largest Athenian naval base.

Today the promenade circles modern marinas sporting everything from small fishing boats to megayachts. Locals walked their dogs, enjoyed a bench in the sun or took a jog. Merchants had yet to open their booths and stores, but of course the Starbucks was open, offering a latte, a sesame roll and a toilet. I sat down at a yet-to-open sidewalk café to sketch the boats and buildings.

Back on the ship before the 2:30 p.m. all-aboard, I found a lively group of new passengers trying to find their cabins and get settled.

And that serendipity? Holland America has added a transit to Athens for our next turnaround day, and I’m booked.

We docked early Sunday morning in Katakolon, Greece, where most passengers would head for the site of the ancient Olympic games. I visited it almost 20 years ago, so opted for my failsafe backup plan, a winery tour. This area of Greece isn’t known for its wines, but the small vineyard we visited had a Assyrtiko dry white wine I liked. I left with a bottle to enjoy later. (Holland America’s $20 corkage fee is waived if you are on its wine tours.)

Our tour guide told us the busy port village was open just for us – the ship passengers – and closed down when no ship is in port. That surprised me, as shops selling clothes, straw hats and Greek souvenirs were interspersed among a dozen or so cafes with generous outdoor seating. Most of the diners and shoppers were not from the ship.

I chose a sketching site based on the view rather than the menu, resulting in a mediocre glass of wine and a plate of cheese instead of the gyro lunch I wanted. But a colorful boat was tied up in front of this waterfront café, and for a change I wasn’t sketching old buildings, so I enjoyed the challenge of the boat harbor.

Today with most of the 2,600 passengers still trying to find their way around, our first sea day of the voyage seemed busier than usual. I managed to find a table on Deck 10 overlooking the Lido Pool and spent the afternoon painting. I’m enjoying my 4×6-inch sketch size better than the 8×10-inch size I painted last fall in the Mediterranean.

I’m also finding I have more free time on these sea days. I join the roll calls for each voyage on Cruise Critic, and when I started this odyssey in June, I had roll calls for 19 upcoming cruises to follow. I check them often so I don’t get too far behind and miss opportunities to join private tours before they fill up. With my plans set for the last of these 10 back-to-back cruises, my morning check-ins go much faster. But I realize that the 2026 World Cruise starts in less than three months, and I need to get busy planning for it.