Greece 2008 - May 12 - Athens

We had some free time this morning, so we decided to walk over to and go up Lykavittos Hill. This is one of the highest hills in Athens and it has wonderful views of the city. Our time was limited, so instead of walking up the path to the top, we took the funicular up and down.

View of the Acropolis

Our walk back to the hotel took us down one of the priciest streets in Athens. There were lots of name-brand shops and classy restaurants and apartments. We got lucky as we passed the parliament building and saw the changing of the guard - a very colorful, choreographed ceremony with guards dressed in traditional uniforms.

Once we reached our hotel, we met the rest of the group and lit out for the National Archeological Museum. This involved taking the underground, walking and riding a bus. We made it together although I had some doubts with some of our less experienced members on mass transit. The museum didn't open until 1:00, so we had time for lunch in a garden cafe in front of the museum. Most of us had club sandwiches. I had an espresso freddo with mine.

There were lots of treasures in the museum. This is the largest museum of antiquities in Greece. Our 2-hour guided tour took us to the highlights.

 

Zeus (or Poseidon -  No one knows for sure) and Copy of Athena

Ann wanted to find a CD of ancient Greek music, so we left the group after the museum and walked back to the hotel, visiting three CD stores until we found the right one. We now have some ancient music that was copied from some really old stones in Delphi.

Our farewell dinner was at a taverna that we had been to twice before. The highlight of the meal was lamb cooked in lettuce (there was lots more than just lettuce in the sauce). Baklava was our final dessert.

Greece 2008 - May 11 - Naxos to Athens

After breakfast, we boarded our bus and went into town to catch our ferry to Athens. We had 1/2 hour to climb the hill for a quick visit to the old town's fortification. Twisty narrow streets took us up, but we got turned around coming down and were very close to missing our ferry. We got there in time, however.

Church with Marble Facade and Part of Old Town

Our ferry ride took us 4 1/2 hours with one stop in Paros. The boat was very comfortable with lounge seats in a quiet, non-smoking area. We were next to the aft deck which had lots of tables and a coffee/snack bar. I spent a lot of time on the deck even though it was overcast, windy and cool. I also got some reading done along with little cat naps.

At 3:00, we arrived at Athens and were bussed to our hotel - The Phillipos. We had some free time to explore and catch up on emails until our dinner at 7:00. Tonight we ate in the Plaka at Taverna Zorba. The food was nothing special, but it was plentiful as usual.

We did some last-minute gift shopping on the way back to the hotel. Even though it was Sunday night, there were lots of people eating, shopping and walking around.

Greece 2008 - May 10 - Mykonos to Naxos

We had a free morning today. This meant that we could sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast. So we got up a little after 7:00 and had breakfast at 8:00. But we took our time at breakfast and even had our last cup of coffee on our balcony overlooking the sea. It was warm enough and calm enough to do that.

At 10:00 we took our bags to the lobby and walked into town. We hooked up with Toni and Joy who were going to the archeological museum with Ann after a short stop at a T-shirt store that they had seen the day before. Unfortunately, they couldn't find the store and began to wander the crooked old town streets looking for it. I bailed right away to take some photos. Ann left soon after to visit the museum.

There was a sports car rally at the port. Old European cars paraded one-by-one along the sea wall until they were finally out of sight. The waterfront turned back to normal after that and it became a very pleasant morning. There was even a local market where they sold vegetables and fresh fish.

Fresh Fish and Vegetables

I was up and down many narrow streets, some of them more than once. I met up with Ann at 12:30 and we found the maritime museum. We walked in and then walked out when we found out the entry fee was 4 euros. From our limited peek at the exhibits, it didn't look like it was worth it. So we sat down at a waterfront cafe and had a beer and a cappuccino freddo while resting our tired feet.

At 1:30 we met our group and had Greek pizza for lunch - tomatoes, olives and feta cheese. Then it was off to the ferry port to catch our jet boat to Naxos. We sat and dozed for 30 minutes while we cruised at 37 mph. Offloading our tour with luggage from the busy ferry was tumultuous as usual, but this time we had taxis waiting  for us instead of a bus.

Our Speed Jet

A wild taxi ride took us to our hotel. Our room is a suite with a kitchenette. It is decorated with antique furniture, brass bathroom fixtures and lamps and the shades are all hand blown glass. The view is of the town and port which are a few miles away.

View from Our Room

We were promised a hike today, so at 5:00 we got into our fleet of four taxis and drove up into the hills. We hiked up a path of marble stones (Naxos is famous for its marble) to see Coroux statues. These large marble archaic style Kourus statues of super-sized men were left toppled on the hillside around 570 BC when they broke while being transported. The huge statue of Apollo that was the Colossus of Delos was made here.

One of the Statues

After the hike, we got into our taxis and drove into town so that we could visit The Portal and take a short walk on the city streets. Then it was back to the hotel for dinner. Harris bought some fresh fish in Mykonos and it was prepared for us. Those that didn't want fish ordered from the menu. It was a good dinner, but we didn't finish it until 10:00. Because we ate so late, we have become unofficial Greeks.

The City from the Portal

Greece 2008 - May 9 - Mykonos/Delos

Wow! What a difference a day makes. We woke to sunny skies, warm temperature and no wind - a complete contrast to yesterday. Up at 7:00 and breakfast at 8:00, we boarded a bus to drive the short distance into town to meet the 10:00 ferry to Delos for our day trip. We heard that the ferries were canceled yesterday afternoon because of the high winds and rough seas, but today was very calm and pleasant.

Our Ferry and the Harbor

We left the ferry along with dozens of other tourists (including the pink lady) and met our island guide. Danae took us on a 2 hour tour of the site which is famous as the birthplace of Apollo and his twin sister Artemis. There are many stories about Delos and its various inhabitants including the Naxians, Romans, Egyptians and others. It was a large city of 30,000 at one time with theaters, agoras, temples, sphinxes,  a hippodrome, etc. The city is about 1/5 excavated with mostly unremarkable reconstructed buildings, temples and other sites. It does, however, give us a good representation of what the city looked like at its prime in the 5th century BC. Danae emphasized the political and commercial activity on Delos whose legendary beginning was beneficial to the coffers of Greeks and later Romans.  The tourist traffic before controlled excavations was partly responsible for the decimation of the ruins here.  Some things never change.

Sphinxes Guarding Apollo's Birthplace and Overall View of the Ruins

We caught the 1:30 ferry back to Mykonos and ate yummy gyros in a Greek deli. Then it was a stroll back to the hotel where Ann took a swim in the beautiful but cold salt water swimming pool.

Dinner was at a taverna in town after a short bus ride, a quick stroll and a stop at at unusual church to view the sunset. It was too early for the sunset, so we went directly to the taverna. A highlight of the meal was a nicely seasoned fish soup. We also had an experience with a pelican. We walked back to the hotel.

The Church

Greece 2008 - May 8 - Tinos to Mykonos

A very loud thunderstorm woke us early this morning. Lots of bright lightning flashes were quickly followed by the roar of thunder. It was moving very slowly, so when our alarm went off at 6:30, it was still nearby. There was some rain accompanying it, but not a lot. There was plenty of wind, though. When we packed up and were bussed to town, we had to wear many layers.

We had about an hour of free time in town before our ferry was scheduled to leave. Ann and I tried to find the local archeological museum, but because all of the signs were in Greek, we didn't know which buildings were schools, medical clinics or museums. So we went to the main church that we visited the evening before. We looked at some sculpture by the local islanders. We also saw where the silver and diamond icon was found. It was in a deep well and because it had such religious significance, the church was built on top of it. The story is that the town has in the midst of a plague. A girl found the well that contained the icon. After she found it, the plaque stopped. Thus, the holiness of the spot.

There were several Greek pilgrims there to kiss the other icons and to fill water bottles with holy water from the tap at the well. Being a sceptic, I suspect that the water probably came from the town's supply. As we were leaving and walking down the street, we saw a woman crawling up the street on her hands and knees on her pilgrimage to the church.

Pilgrim and the Well

Our ferry, a high-speed catamaran, left at 10:30 and dropped us off at Mykonos 20 minutes later. There were lots of people on the ferry which originated in Athens. Almost all disembarked with us.

The Ferry and Waiting for the Ferry

We got to our hotel too early to check into our rooms, so we lazed around for awhile drinking cappuccino and espresso until it was time to walk over to the old town for lunch. We ate in a taverna with a wonderful view of the rough sea and the historic windmills. Our typical multi-course meal was highlighted by a paella-like dish with mussels, clams and shrimp. Dessert was sliced apples, oranges and kiwi.

Getting Cappuccino at Our Hotel

We walked around the old town after lunch. The streets are very narrow and meander in no pattern. The objective is to get lost, check out a few shops and try to find your way back to where you started. We did that. While there we stopped at a local artist's gallery and had an amusing conversation with him. Richard North has lived here for 25 years and is from Australia (we think). We also stopped at a shop where I tried on several sweaters attempting to find one that fit properly and would go with my limited wardrobe. Nothing worked. When we left, the old man who was tending the store got very angry with us, sneering and gesturing furiously. This bothered me a lot. I finally calmed down after walking back to the hotel, taking a shower and drinking some ouzo.

Windmills and a Street Scene

We are now (6:00) looking at the view of the harbor from our balcony. A huge cruise ship just came in joining two smaller ships that are similar to the one we took last year from Stockholm to Helsinki. The wind is still blowing very hard raising whitecaps on the sea and pushing large rollers which break on the shore.

Dinner tonight was at a beach chalet very close to our hotel. Our table was outside but it was sheltered by clear plastic sheets for walls.We had the usual multi-dish meal capped by sliced apples, pears and oranges. We have been craving fresh fruit and this hot the spot.

Our Dinner Restaurant

Greece 2008 - May 7 - Tinos

Dark skies, strong winds and rain drops greeted us this morning.  Election buzz on CNN was most annoying and then an uninspired breakfast made worse by absence of coffee made the situation even bleaker.  When a manager came to turn on the coffee machine so the beverage became available the pall lifted, wind changed, blue sky soon appeared and we began anticipating our hike today. 

Ann's impression of the island's stark landscape surrounding our huge almost empty hotel and the many smartly white painted houses with sea blue trim was instantly modified as we headed inland by bus past  the green and lush valleys with charming white villages studding the hillsides.  We left the bus high on a hill and, from a Catholic Monastery, climbed 250 feet up to the top of a peak covered by rocky ruins of the fortress built to defend the the island from various enemies.  The spectacular 360 degree views were enjoyed fleetingly as we were nearly blown from the peak by the strong winds.

 

The View and the Trail Up to the Peak

We descended the peak saying many bon jours to a group of French tourists coming up. Then we started slowly down an ancient path. Our first stop was at a serve yourself  coffee bar where we enjoyed squares of an almond nuggat pastry and Greek coffee made by the Harrises.  Given free time we explored the winding rock paths through the village and then resumed our descent through more rock terraced pastures until we came to the next village where tall Harris found a several workshops of basket weavers who obliged us with demonstrations of their skills.  Here we ate a fine al fresco taverna lunch, the prosciutto like ham slices highlighting  the usual delicious veggie dishes.  Two youngsters belonging to the taverna's owners arrived home from school while we ate and were a hit with our kid starved crowd, especially Carolyn whose talent for cavorting with the kids was a wonderful surprise.

Coffee Bar and a Sample White-Washed House

Carolyn and the Kids

As we continued down hill we passed many dovecotes in the fields where the islanders still raise doves to eat. They also use the excellent fertilizer the doves produce.  One of the unique decorative features of much of the architecture that we saw is the niche patterns copied from the ancient island dovecotes.  Sheep and goats studded rocky hillsides and sometimes met us on our trails. Harris had to push aside one goat and hold onto it while we passed. He also removed a dead or very stunned viper from the trail before we could step near it.

The Downhill Path and a Dovecote

We finished our enchanting hike in a church courtyard overlooking another small village where we watched for our bus to wind up the hill to take us back to our hotel.  We learned that the many churches we saw belonged to either  Eastern Orthodox worshippers if the bell tower faced the East or  Catholics if the towers faced West.  Apparently the  island population is divided equally between each denomination.  We returned to the hotel by about 3 for free time until dinner.

The Last Village

We bussed into the town for dinner, first visiting its most important Greek Orthodox church with its outrageous icon decorated with silver, diamonds and pearls. A service was in progress when we got there so we heard a little of the liturgy. Traditionally, they passed out bread to the parishioners as they left. It was flavored like Christmas spice bread.

Our dinner in a small cave-like taverna was our normal multi-course meal. This time it was topped off with fresh sauteed  fish. It was very yummy.

Greece 2008 - May 6 - Athens to Tinos

We got up way early this morning - 5:15 - to take a bus to catch our ferry to Tinos. Our guides, Harris and new Harris, talked the hotel into giving us a early breakfast. Yes, we have two guides now, both named Harris. I call them Harris landscape and Harris portrait because one is tall and thin and the other isn't.

Harris and Harris

Our ferry ride took four hours on calm seas with sunny but windy weather. The boat was huge and we took the opportunity to wander on the spacious decks. I was able to compose yesterday's journal and get in some reading. There were lots of places to sit around both inside and outside although being outside was a little too windy and cool.

 

Sailboat Race and View of a Mid-Ride Port

Another bus met us at the ferry port and took us to our hotel which is about 4 km from the center of the small port town. After a huge lunch, we lazed around for the rest of the day reading, catching up on email and taking a short walk. Ann swam a few laps in the pool but she said it was a little too cold to do more.

Our Lunch (and Dinner) Taverna

A couple of interesting things happened today. The first was Janet and (the other) Ann's encounter with a nude man while they were out for a walk along the island's coast. He helped them with directions on how to get back to the trail leading to our hotel. The other was the herd of cows that walked down the street in front of the taverna while we were waiting for dinner.

Greece 2008 - May 5 - Kalambaka to Athens

We awoke in our B&B to blue skies and moderate temperatures along with a melody of bird songs and cat calls. The view from our room was exceptional. The unusual geological formations and the rock-top monasteries looked close enough to touch. After our basic breakfast at  the B&B, we began our hike up to one of the monasteries and found that the sites actually were touchable.

Beginning of Our Hike and a View of One of the Monasteries

When we reach the top of our climb, we visited the Monastery of Grand Meteoron. This large complex is perched at the top of one of the rocks. It has several buildings and serves as a museum as well as a Greek Orthodox monastery. It also served as a defensive fort during WWII. Because of its location, there is no way that an army could successfully raid it. Tourists are the new invading force and it gets very crowded. Short pants are forbidden and women are supplied with wrap-around skirts if they are dressed in pants.

 

Monastery Entrance and Women Putting On Skirts

After perusing the monastery buildings (sanctuary, old dining hall and kitchen, several small museums), we gathered as a group and began a hike back down the trail. Those that rode the bus up the hill to the monastery joined us. At the end of the hike, we had a Greek picnic in a small meadow while watching rock climbers scale nearby cliffs. Our picnic lunch consisted of a cornbread-type pie containing local greens that were gathered in the fields. We also had yogurt and pound cake. This was totally different from the huge multi-dish lunches that we have been having. It was a relief.

View at the Start of Our Hike and Our Picnic

After the picnic, we walked back to our bus. We had a new bus today. Our previous driver and his bus were called back to Athens because of a pending bus drivers' strike. He wanted to stay with us, but he was afraid that he would be fired from his job, something he couldn't afford at his advanced age (60-something). Our new driver was 20-something and, refreshingly, didn't smoke in the bus when we were gone. The new bus smelled much better. We found out later that the bus drivers did not go on strike but the truck drivers did instead. We couldn't figure out why there were still many trucks and busses on the road. You would think that a strike would involve everyone.

Our first stop on the ride back to Athens was at an icon factory. It was a family run business where they create icons starting from the wood frames and finishing with the painting process. We were not in the market for religious symbolism, so we didn't buy anything. It was interesting, though, how the process works. The painting is free-hand where the artists use a photo to to copy from.

Icon Painting

We slogged back to Athens on the bus with one pit stop and arrived at 7:40. We did a quick wash-up and then had a very good dinner next door to the Herodeon Hotel where we stayed the first night in Athens when we were sans tour. It was the other Bob's birthday so we had a tasty cake for dessert. We got to bed around 11:00.

Greece 2008 - May 4 - Delphi to Kalambaka

Running start again from breakfast at 7:30 to bags out at 8:30 and eager beavers on bus by 8:35  for our 9:00  departure.  Ann, still exploring the town's walking stairs, had to be reeled in  for the quick start.  We arrived at Delphi to start our ascent to the ancient Stadium. We climbed past Apollo's temple, behind which the oracles were proclaimed, and then past the theatre. We climbed steps taken since 500 B.C. in the archaic period of Greece.  Only 1/7th of the immense complex has been reconstructed according to our guide, Angelica, who met us at the theatre. We descended together while being informed by her commentary incorporating overlays of Roman dominance and even the later Christian elements that have influenced this amazing historical site.  Being Sunday,  and free day, our experience included hundreds of Greek and foreign tourists throughout the ruins and in the fascinating, small museum.

 

Apollo's Temple and the Stadium

We were bussed to Arachova where we bought some textile gifts produced in the town and then had lunch where we had our first lamb chops of the day.  The bountiful lunch was followed by a very long bus ride to our next hotel in Kalambaka which is dominated by the Meteors, the mammoth rocks, many of which were topped by 15th c. monasteries which we will hike to tomorrow.

Our hotel, Doupiani in the throes of renovation is pleasant and spacious.  Our room looks out onto the incredible climbing rocks for which the place is famous.    A short walk down the hill took us to  dinner with more succulent lamb chops and green salad accompanied by jugs of house wine.  We were ready to tuck in by the time we walked back with the promise of some rock climbing tomorrow.

View from Our Room

Greece 2008 - May 3 - Olympia to Delphi

We left Olympia before 9:00 after a very good breakfast buffet. Did I mention that Greek yogurt is the best? It's thick and creamy. With honey mixed in, it makes a wonderful side dish. I had cereal this morning for the first time on the trip. I figured that a little ruffage might be appropriate.

We traveled north for several kilometers until we got to the newly constructed Rio-Antirio Bridge. It is the longest bridge of its type in the world, according to Harris. Its has four suspension towers and its cables are fanned out like sails of a ship.

Rio-Antirio Bridge

Instead of driving over the bridge, we took a ferry. This gave us an opportunity to see the bridge better and to experience the strong winds blowing from the Corinthian Gulf. On both shores of the gulf were old fortifications built by the Venetians when they controlled the sea of this area.

Driving on, we stopped for lunch in Naftakpos. This is a medium-sized town with a small picturesque yacht harbor. There was a statue of Cervantes who fought with the Spaniards who were helping the Venetians to try to repel the Ottomans. After viewing the harbor, we walked along the streets paralleling the gulf to our lunch taverna. Being Saturday, there were hundreds of Greeks sitting in outdoor cafes drinking coffee or having family dinners. We joined them and had a good light lunch. This was a relief because we have been overfed by Harris and are beginning to have trouble buttoning our pants.

 

The Harbor and Our Lunch Taverna

After eating a leisurely meal, we boarded the bus and traveled on to Galaxidi where we got out and stretched our legs. This is a small fishing village which now supports itself with restaurants frequented by Greeks from the surrounding countryside. There are some old-style working fishing boats in the harbor.

Old-Style Fishing Boat

We then pushed on to Delphi. At 1700 feet, our hotel room has an excellent view of the valley and gulf below us.

View (sort of) from Our Room