We had smooth sailing all night long from the Greek island of Kos, where we picked up our Greek local guides, all the way to the island of Delos.

This morning we woke up in the center of the Aegean Sea. Delos is a tiny island – a barren rock with a great history. It is said that Apollo (god of the sun, music, harmony, and reason) was born on the island along with his twin sister Artemis (goddess of fertility and wild nature).  Ancient Greeks thought that all the other islands of the group formed a circle around the sacred island of Delos, and for that reason they called them the Cyclades.

Delos, along with the rest of the Cyclades, was inhabited since very early days. During the Bronze Age (3000– 11th century b.c.) the islands flourished thanks to trade and the strategic positions they occupied. The famous Cycladic civilization flourished on Delos. The island then became one of the most famous sanctuaries in the ancient world, dedicated to Apollo and Artemis, and remained a pilgrimage site for thousands of years. It was also a center of political activity, first being the seat of the Delian League, which was founded in 478 BC as a defensive alliance against the Persians. The treasury of the league was kept here until it was later moved to Athens.

The island suffered from the Athenians who passed a law that no one would be born or die on the island. In Roman times Delos reached the peak of its prosperity, especially after it was declared a free port in 166 BC. Delos developed into one of the greatest markets of the Mediterranean, and acquired the grim reputation of being the largest slave market of its times.

The days of Delos were done with the establishment of the Roman Empire. The island was destroyed by pirates and never recovered, simply because trade routes had already changed. In the centuries that followed the island remained abandoned and the city was gradually ruined.

Today it is a magical place: ruins next to the sea at a time when nature is at its very best with abundant wildflowers. We spent a very pleasant day discovering this gem of the Cyclades. Our day continued with some sailing after lunch and the once-in-a-lifetime experience of cruising around the Sea Cloud in a Zodiac while under sail. In the evening we had a nice presentation of the history of the ship, followed by an opportunity to visit some of the original staterooms. What a great day!