I have put together an album of pictures from my Greece trip. Even though it is a Facebook album, you do not have to be a member of Facebook or friends with me to view these. Just click on this link:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10209825604742705.1073741826.1410030498&type=1&l=4653737b87
Enjoy!
Bill
Monday, June 6, 2016
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Athens Airport, Greece
Last Day in Greece
Yesterday was our last day in Tinos and our last full day in Greece. We took our time with breakfast and talked with Diana and Maria about what we had done the day before and we were planning to do that day. Later they introduced us to the owner who is a gynecologist from Athens, specializing in in-vitro and from what we later read about him on the Internet is well published in his field. Kirk, being a doctor, could tell you more about him. He told us how he came to build the hotel over 10 or so years, starting with the just a house for himself and his wife and three sons. Two of his sons are now in college at BU in the states. He also told us of his travels throughout the Aegean islands and pointed out the islands we could see from the hotel. Somehow the topic of ruins and antiquities came up and he took us onto the balcony of his house to show us some columns, vases, and rocks he had found at the bottom of the sea somewhere (I'm not really sure exactly how he got them). The two vases were covered in shells and other signs of life, one so much that it was almost unrecognizable. After getting some pictures, he showed us his house, another apartment, and the little room he had built inside the dovecote. He also showed us the chapel that they had built on the property. For all of this he had clearly spared no expense. The chapel had frescos done by a local artist and an alter that was just as ornate as the other orthodox churches we had seen. He was obviously very proud of all of his work. He hoped we would come back and have more time so that we could go out on his boat. I hope I do get to come back someday.
Eventually we checked out, loaded the car, and left for the town of Pyrgoss on the other side of the island. It took about 30 minutes or so to get there, not including the times we stopped to take pictures. At one point we pulled over for some scenic views of the sea near what looked like an old abandoned building. There were two cars rotting away outside covered in brambles, but to our surprise there was a dog fenced in the back. We later saw that it was some sort of irrigation or pumping station and was still working; we could hear the water. But where the dog's owner was we could not tell. Poor little guy. We went on and eventually made it to Pyrgoss. Pyrgoss is the second largest town/village on the island and is situated on hills on both sides of a river. All the buildings are white and most of the doors and trim are blue. It was a little like Santorini but without all the tourists. Actually there was a tour bus there, but it appeared to be mainly Greeks. We made our way through the town, stopped to put on sunscreen, and found the Museum of Marble Arts at the end of the street on the other side of the town. The museum was very modern and nicely laid out with signage in both Greek and English. It showed how marble is quarried all over Greece. I especially like the section on documentation of contracts and rights for quarrying. There were also several exhibits of old tools so I took a picture of them for my Dad.
After going to the museum, we decided to stay in the town for lunch. We we're going to go to another village and a restaurant the hotel owner had recommended but did not have time. So we ate at a cafe in the center of the village where there were several others centered around an old sweet gum tree. After lunch we walked around a bit more. The village had a lot of narrow winding streets and a lot of flowers, especially Bougainvillea. I think I've taken about 400 pictures on this trip. I plan to go through them on the flight home and cull the ones I don't want. I'm afraid the pictures will not do these towns justice. Anyway, we eventually left and drove along the south coast of the island, stopping a few times, back to the main town of Tinos. We returned the car, left our bags at the rental agency, and walked around one last time before we had to catch our ferry. It was quite hot. In fact, just about everywhere it has been very hot and I just had to accept that I was going to sweat most of the time. In some ways all the white building made it worse, but I suspect that keeps it cooler inside.
Our ferry left at about 5pm and arrived in Rafina, a port near the Athens airport, at about 7pm. We stayed our last night in a hotel that seems to specialize in housing folks who come in on the ferries and leave for the airport the next day. After dinner at the hotel, we walked around, got ice cream, and stopped to sit for a while in the main plaza. Being a Saturday night, a lot of families were out with their kids and the square was the center of activity in the town. We enjoyed watching the kids riding not their bikes, rollerblading, eating ice cream, and having a good time. The grown ups appeared to be enjoying it too as they sat on benches and watched. What a lovely way to spend our last night in Greece. And now our plane is boarding and it's time to close this last entry. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my travels. I hope to come back to Greece someday. The people are friendly, there is a lot of history, and the food is great. On top of all that, it is a good deal for the money. So until next time. Kalimara.
Yesterday was our last day in Tinos and our last full day in Greece. We took our time with breakfast and talked with Diana and Maria about what we had done the day before and we were planning to do that day. Later they introduced us to the owner who is a gynecologist from Athens, specializing in in-vitro and from what we later read about him on the Internet is well published in his field. Kirk, being a doctor, could tell you more about him. He told us how he came to build the hotel over 10 or so years, starting with the just a house for himself and his wife and three sons. Two of his sons are now in college at BU in the states. He also told us of his travels throughout the Aegean islands and pointed out the islands we could see from the hotel. Somehow the topic of ruins and antiquities came up and he took us onto the balcony of his house to show us some columns, vases, and rocks he had found at the bottom of the sea somewhere (I'm not really sure exactly how he got them). The two vases were covered in shells and other signs of life, one so much that it was almost unrecognizable. After getting some pictures, he showed us his house, another apartment, and the little room he had built inside the dovecote. He also showed us the chapel that they had built on the property. For all of this he had clearly spared no expense. The chapel had frescos done by a local artist and an alter that was just as ornate as the other orthodox churches we had seen. He was obviously very proud of all of his work. He hoped we would come back and have more time so that we could go out on his boat. I hope I do get to come back someday.
Eventually we checked out, loaded the car, and left for the town of Pyrgoss on the other side of the island. It took about 30 minutes or so to get there, not including the times we stopped to take pictures. At one point we pulled over for some scenic views of the sea near what looked like an old abandoned building. There were two cars rotting away outside covered in brambles, but to our surprise there was a dog fenced in the back. We later saw that it was some sort of irrigation or pumping station and was still working; we could hear the water. But where the dog's owner was we could not tell. Poor little guy. We went on and eventually made it to Pyrgoss. Pyrgoss is the second largest town/village on the island and is situated on hills on both sides of a river. All the buildings are white and most of the doors and trim are blue. It was a little like Santorini but without all the tourists. Actually there was a tour bus there, but it appeared to be mainly Greeks. We made our way through the town, stopped to put on sunscreen, and found the Museum of Marble Arts at the end of the street on the other side of the town. The museum was very modern and nicely laid out with signage in both Greek and English. It showed how marble is quarried all over Greece. I especially like the section on documentation of contracts and rights for quarrying. There were also several exhibits of old tools so I took a picture of them for my Dad.
After going to the museum, we decided to stay in the town for lunch. We we're going to go to another village and a restaurant the hotel owner had recommended but did not have time. So we ate at a cafe in the center of the village where there were several others centered around an old sweet gum tree. After lunch we walked around a bit more. The village had a lot of narrow winding streets and a lot of flowers, especially Bougainvillea. I think I've taken about 400 pictures on this trip. I plan to go through them on the flight home and cull the ones I don't want. I'm afraid the pictures will not do these towns justice. Anyway, we eventually left and drove along the south coast of the island, stopping a few times, back to the main town of Tinos. We returned the car, left our bags at the rental agency, and walked around one last time before we had to catch our ferry. It was quite hot. In fact, just about everywhere it has been very hot and I just had to accept that I was going to sweat most of the time. In some ways all the white building made it worse, but I suspect that keeps it cooler inside.
Our ferry left at about 5pm and arrived in Rafina, a port near the Athens airport, at about 7pm. We stayed our last night in a hotel that seems to specialize in housing folks who come in on the ferries and leave for the airport the next day. After dinner at the hotel, we walked around, got ice cream, and stopped to sit for a while in the main plaza. Being a Saturday night, a lot of families were out with their kids and the square was the center of activity in the town. We enjoyed watching the kids riding not their bikes, rollerblading, eating ice cream, and having a good time. The grown ups appeared to be enjoying it too as they sat on benches and watched. What a lovely way to spend our last night in Greece. And now our plane is boarding and it's time to close this last entry. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my travels. I hope to come back to Greece someday. The people are friendly, there is a lot of history, and the food is great. On top of all that, it is a good deal for the money. So until next time. Kalimara.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Tinos, Greece
Greece Days Five and Six (I think)
We arrived in Tinos by ferry yesterday around 5pm. You have probably never heard of Tinos. We chose it because it is not popular for foreign tourists, but all the guide books said it was nonetheless charming. Actually, it has significant religious importance for Greeks because of the church of Panayia Evangelistria. Legend has it that in 1822, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to a nun named Pelagia, telling here where she could uncover a sacred icon with healing properties. The icon was found and the church was built on the spot. People from all over Greece come to Tinos to worship at the church and petition the Virgin Mary for healing. It is the Lourdes of Greece. More about the church a little letter.
There were only seven of us to get off the ferry in Tinos, quite unlike our experience in Santorini where several hundred got off. Anyway. We were picked up by a prearranged taxi and driven to our hotel near the village of Triandaros. On the way, we noticed Tino's many farms and dovecotes, or pigeon houses. At the hotel, we were greeted by Maria who welcomed us with orange juice. Actually, Maria was kind of mysterious. She showed us to the pool, sat us down, and then disappeared. Then she came with the OJ and disappeared again. "I'll be back." It was kind of like a James Bond movie where a beautiful woman escorts James to his meeting with the bad guy. What made it a little creepy was that there was no one else here. So if she killed us, no one would have known. Fortunately, she did not kill us. Our hotel is really several cottages spread over a very well landscaped property on the side of a hill. Our room overlooks the pool and the harbor a coule of miles below. The hotel is only a year old and it is obvious that someone put a lot of money into it.
After getting settled we walked down the road to the village tavern where we had dinner. Maria happened to be there and translated for us. This was one of those family run restaurants that one often finds in Europe where everything on the menu is not always available. I took this as a sign of a good restaurant. We each had lamb meatballs as well as some appetizers. Everyone was very friendly and we were almost the only ones there.
This morning after breakfast, one of the staff, Diana, offered to drive us into town so that we could see the church and rent a car. We had thought of walking but she said it was not a good idea as there weren't sidewalks and this was snake season in Tinos. The church sits at the top of the town a little less than a mile from the port. The traditional way of petitioning for healing is for a pilgrim to get off of a boat in the port and then walk on their hands and knees up the hill to the church. There is a carpeted area marked off by orange cones on the road from the port to the church. We were hoping to see someone doing this and we did as we stopped in a little park. She was such that we could see her but she could not see us so we didn't feel exploitive taking a picture. Actually, she was rather young and I wonder what she was seeking healing for and felt bad for her, because no one would do that unless they were desparate for help. The church, like the couple of orthodox churches I've gotten to see was small and square. By small, I mean compared to the Catholic cathedrals I am more familiar with. We saw the icon and walked around the church. The church was extremely ornate: all the walls were covered with pictures of various saints and scenes from the Bible. Overhead were at least one hundred incense burners, each with a symbol of some sort hanging from it, such as a guitar, a house, and a wrench. We wondered if it had to do with trade guilds or something. We saw the icon, or what we could of it, since it is covered in jewelry and virtually hidden. Just before we left a service started and the priests began chanting the liturgy. The chanting continued as we left and wandered around in the courtyard. It was broadcast outside and I had a lovely moment when over the chanting and the birds chirping came the clanging of the church bells. Another lovely authentic Greece experience with no other English speakers around.
After exploring the church, we walked back towards the port, stopping at various souvenir shops. I finally bought some worried beads and asked the shop owner to show me how to use them. Back near the port we rented a car, a very small Fiat, which we have until 4pm tomorrow. It was only 40 Euros for a stick shift. Fortunately, Tom knows how to drive one because Kirk and I do not. We decided to rent a car when we heard how cheap it was and about several places on the island that were too far to walk. The rental company recommended a tavern in the village of Aetofolia, several miles away. The road took us over and past several valleys and small all white villages. Every village has at least one church and there are many churches and shrines just all by themselves. I think there are 50 or so villages but there must be hundreds of churches. Another feature of Tinos is the 1000 dovecotes, or pigeon houses that line the countryside. These were originally built to house doves, both for food and for their manure to use as fertilizer. There seem to many numerous small farms on terraced land and most of the dovecotes are on these farms. On our ride to the village we saw numerous goats and even cows (in fact, two large Holsteins seemed to be charging us at one point, but they just passed on by). Most villages have a small parking area and then you can walk up into the village which we did. The tavern was small and family owned and had only one person working. He told us what he thought the best dishes were and what had been made recently. We had a kind of vegetable pie with feta on top, goat meat with fries, and roasted pork with fries. Delicious. None of us had ever had goat. I was surprised that it was not very gamey, like lamb, although it was pretty though. We were told to eat it with our hands and not to be afraid of getting juice on ourselves.
After lunch, we walked up through the village and ended up eventually on top of a hill where we took a lot of pictures of the surrounding countryside and villages. We eventually made it back to the car and headed to the beach at Kolimbithra. The beach was at the end of small cove and had crystal clear water and a slightly pebbled beach. This was the Greek beach we had been looking for in Santorini. We all got in the water and I can now say that I have swum in the Mediterranean, although I guess technically it's the Aegean. Tom and Kirk laid out in the sun while I walked around a bit. I explored the rocks at one end of the beach and then later went to a cafe at the other end. Tom and Kirk eventually joined me and had a local beer called Nisos, while we watched the sun go down behind the hill overlooking the beach. We then took a winding way back to our hotel crossing the width of the island. As we got higher and higher the sun kept coming up and so we got several pictures of "sunsets." One area where we stopped for photos was a giant valley littered with rocks. There is another legend I think about how the rocks got there, such as one of the gods dropping them from the sky, but I'm not sure. Now I am back at the hotel taking it easy. When we returned we told Maria where we had been and she said we went to the best beach on the island. So it looks like we made a good decision to come to Tinos. We are here most of tomorrow before our ferry leaves, so I look forward to exploring some more. For now, it is just wonderful to be off the beaten path and seeing some of rural life in Greece and the beautiful scenery.
We arrived in Tinos by ferry yesterday around 5pm. You have probably never heard of Tinos. We chose it because it is not popular for foreign tourists, but all the guide books said it was nonetheless charming. Actually, it has significant religious importance for Greeks because of the church of Panayia Evangelistria. Legend has it that in 1822, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to a nun named Pelagia, telling here where she could uncover a sacred icon with healing properties. The icon was found and the church was built on the spot. People from all over Greece come to Tinos to worship at the church and petition the Virgin Mary for healing. It is the Lourdes of Greece. More about the church a little letter.
There were only seven of us to get off the ferry in Tinos, quite unlike our experience in Santorini where several hundred got off. Anyway. We were picked up by a prearranged taxi and driven to our hotel near the village of Triandaros. On the way, we noticed Tino's many farms and dovecotes, or pigeon houses. At the hotel, we were greeted by Maria who welcomed us with orange juice. Actually, Maria was kind of mysterious. She showed us to the pool, sat us down, and then disappeared. Then she came with the OJ and disappeared again. "I'll be back." It was kind of like a James Bond movie where a beautiful woman escorts James to his meeting with the bad guy. What made it a little creepy was that there was no one else here. So if she killed us, no one would have known. Fortunately, she did not kill us. Our hotel is really several cottages spread over a very well landscaped property on the side of a hill. Our room overlooks the pool and the harbor a coule of miles below. The hotel is only a year old and it is obvious that someone put a lot of money into it.
After getting settled we walked down the road to the village tavern where we had dinner. Maria happened to be there and translated for us. This was one of those family run restaurants that one often finds in Europe where everything on the menu is not always available. I took this as a sign of a good restaurant. We each had lamb meatballs as well as some appetizers. Everyone was very friendly and we were almost the only ones there.
This morning after breakfast, one of the staff, Diana, offered to drive us into town so that we could see the church and rent a car. We had thought of walking but she said it was not a good idea as there weren't sidewalks and this was snake season in Tinos. The church sits at the top of the town a little less than a mile from the port. The traditional way of petitioning for healing is for a pilgrim to get off of a boat in the port and then walk on their hands and knees up the hill to the church. There is a carpeted area marked off by orange cones on the road from the port to the church. We were hoping to see someone doing this and we did as we stopped in a little park. She was such that we could see her but she could not see us so we didn't feel exploitive taking a picture. Actually, she was rather young and I wonder what she was seeking healing for and felt bad for her, because no one would do that unless they were desparate for help. The church, like the couple of orthodox churches I've gotten to see was small and square. By small, I mean compared to the Catholic cathedrals I am more familiar with. We saw the icon and walked around the church. The church was extremely ornate: all the walls were covered with pictures of various saints and scenes from the Bible. Overhead were at least one hundred incense burners, each with a symbol of some sort hanging from it, such as a guitar, a house, and a wrench. We wondered if it had to do with trade guilds or something. We saw the icon, or what we could of it, since it is covered in jewelry and virtually hidden. Just before we left a service started and the priests began chanting the liturgy. The chanting continued as we left and wandered around in the courtyard. It was broadcast outside and I had a lovely moment when over the chanting and the birds chirping came the clanging of the church bells. Another lovely authentic Greece experience with no other English speakers around.
After exploring the church, we walked back towards the port, stopping at various souvenir shops. I finally bought some worried beads and asked the shop owner to show me how to use them. Back near the port we rented a car, a very small Fiat, which we have until 4pm tomorrow. It was only 40 Euros for a stick shift. Fortunately, Tom knows how to drive one because Kirk and I do not. We decided to rent a car when we heard how cheap it was and about several places on the island that were too far to walk. The rental company recommended a tavern in the village of Aetofolia, several miles away. The road took us over and past several valleys and small all white villages. Every village has at least one church and there are many churches and shrines just all by themselves. I think there are 50 or so villages but there must be hundreds of churches. Another feature of Tinos is the 1000 dovecotes, or pigeon houses that line the countryside. These were originally built to house doves, both for food and for their manure to use as fertilizer. There seem to many numerous small farms on terraced land and most of the dovecotes are on these farms. On our ride to the village we saw numerous goats and even cows (in fact, two large Holsteins seemed to be charging us at one point, but they just passed on by). Most villages have a small parking area and then you can walk up into the village which we did. The tavern was small and family owned and had only one person working. He told us what he thought the best dishes were and what had been made recently. We had a kind of vegetable pie with feta on top, goat meat with fries, and roasted pork with fries. Delicious. None of us had ever had goat. I was surprised that it was not very gamey, like lamb, although it was pretty though. We were told to eat it with our hands and not to be afraid of getting juice on ourselves.
After lunch, we walked up through the village and ended up eventually on top of a hill where we took a lot of pictures of the surrounding countryside and villages. We eventually made it back to the car and headed to the beach at Kolimbithra. The beach was at the end of small cove and had crystal clear water and a slightly pebbled beach. This was the Greek beach we had been looking for in Santorini. We all got in the water and I can now say that I have swum in the Mediterranean, although I guess technically it's the Aegean. Tom and Kirk laid out in the sun while I walked around a bit. I explored the rocks at one end of the beach and then later went to a cafe at the other end. Tom and Kirk eventually joined me and had a local beer called Nisos, while we watched the sun go down behind the hill overlooking the beach. We then took a winding way back to our hotel crossing the width of the island. As we got higher and higher the sun kept coming up and so we got several pictures of "sunsets." One area where we stopped for photos was a giant valley littered with rocks. There is another legend I think about how the rocks got there, such as one of the gods dropping them from the sky, but I'm not sure. Now I am back at the hotel taking it easy. When we returned we told Maria where we had been and she said we went to the best beach on the island. So it looks like we made a good decision to come to Tinos. We are here most of tomorrow before our ferry leaves, so I look forward to exploring some more. For now, it is just wonderful to be off the beaten path and seeing some of rural life in Greece and the beautiful scenery.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Santorini, Greece
Days Four and Five (sort of)
We're now waiting on the dock at the port in Santorini for our ferry to Tinos. The small port is crammed at the bottom of a cliff and is really more like a wide road than a port. The area is lined with restaurants and shops at the bottom of the cliff and you can sit and eat while you wait for your ferry. That is what we are doing now and the cafe has WiFi so I thought it was a good time to blog.
We spent the rest of the day Tuesday lounging by the pool in Santorini. Our hotel is one of the 100s of hotels perched on the cliffs overlooking the caldera. Our room is basically a cave in the side of the cliffs, as are most hotel rooms in Santorini. It has its own patio and jacuzzi and the hotel has a pool and bar/restaurant. Each morning we had breakfast on our patio. We put in our order the night before and then they brought it up at the time we specified. The main staff consisted of a mother and her three daughters and each of them went out of their way to make sure we had a good time. In fact, everyone in Greece has been extremely friendly. Tuesday night we ate dinner at a restaurant the hotel recommended that had a lovely view of the sea while the sun went down. This was our big splurge meal so far, but it did not disappoint. We had all heard of Mousaka but didn't know exactly what it was, so I just decided to try it. Turn out, I like Eggplant. At this restaurant like several others we've been to, after your meal, they bring you a shot of a liquor called Tsipouro. Very strong, but very good and went well with the chocolate pastry that was also complimentary. Another way the Greeks show their hospitality.
Yesterday (Wednesday), we took our time with breakfast and finally around 11am decided we wanted to go to a beach. Santorini has several, but we really wanted to go to one that was more popular with locals and not full of tourists. Our hotel recommended one called Minothilos and arranged a shuttle for us. We were a little disappointed when we got to the beach. It wasn't exactly a black sand beach as we had been told, but was more of a grey sand beach. Some would just call it dirt. It was in a small area about the length of a football field with rock walls going out into the sea on both sides. Beyond the right wall was the airport and beyond the left wall was an anchored tanker of some sort. At least there wasn't broken glass in the sand as I had seen in Honduras. Nevertheless, we decided to stay since the umbrellas and chairs were free. We got in the water a little and it was quite cold. I mainly read my Nero Wolfe book and relaxed. After an hour or so we decided to have lunch. There were a couple of cafes/restaurants across the street from the beach so we picked one. Turns out the owner is a fisherman and they have fresh fish every day. We each had sword fish and Greek beer. This meal made the whole beach trip worth it. There was almost no one there but we had a nice view of the beach through a grove of trees. And it felt like we were in a remote Greek village even though we were actually on the most visited island in all of Greece. At that point we were all glad we had gone to the beach. By the way, the sword fish was only about $11 each. Everything in Greece has been cheaper than it would be anywhere else in Europe. We prearranged our shuttle back to our hotel around 3pm.
We rested at the pool for a bit. The weather was quite hot and the sun unforgiving so it was nice to take a dip in the very cold pool. After freshening up, we decided to hike to the village off Oia to watch the sun set. If you think of Santorini as a backwards C with the points facing west, our hotel is in a village slightly north of the middle and Oia is a village all the way at the top end of the backwards C. It was about a four mile hike on foot paths that went up and down and was sometimes smooth and sometimes rocky. We passed several small churches on our way, but they were all locked with no signage about services or anything. I'm guessing these are more like shrines, but it seems the Orthodox Church could make some money by opening up all these little churches. After a couple hours we finally made it to Oia, along with everyone else in Greece it seemed, pouring in on buses to watch the sunset. The village was much more charming and high brow than the other ones in Santorini. The main thoroughfare was a marble walking street lined with high end stores. The path seemed to get narrower and narrower as we and everyone else made their way to the end of the island to watch the sunset. People lined the walkways and railings facing west. This is supposed to be one of the best sunsets in the world, but last night there was a bit of low lying haze so the sun disappeared a little bit above the ocean. Oh well. It was still neat to see the spectacle of the whole thing. We ate dinner at a small restaurant on a side street which happened to be close to the local bus stop and so we took it back to our village.
This morning we ate our breakfast quickly and then hiked to the rock of Skaros. This giant rock sits on a promontory that juts out from the side of the cliffs. To get there involves hiking down a ways and then back up. We chatted a bit with a couple from Australia as we walked around the rock and down to a small church on the cliff overlooking the caldera. We got a lot of good photos and then we back to the hotel, packed up, and took a shuttle to the port. We are now waiting for our boat to Tinos. I look forward to blogging more later. Thanks for reading.
We're now waiting on the dock at the port in Santorini for our ferry to Tinos. The small port is crammed at the bottom of a cliff and is really more like a wide road than a port. The area is lined with restaurants and shops at the bottom of the cliff and you can sit and eat while you wait for your ferry. That is what we are doing now and the cafe has WiFi so I thought it was a good time to blog.
We spent the rest of the day Tuesday lounging by the pool in Santorini. Our hotel is one of the 100s of hotels perched on the cliffs overlooking the caldera. Our room is basically a cave in the side of the cliffs, as are most hotel rooms in Santorini. It has its own patio and jacuzzi and the hotel has a pool and bar/restaurant. Each morning we had breakfast on our patio. We put in our order the night before and then they brought it up at the time we specified. The main staff consisted of a mother and her three daughters and each of them went out of their way to make sure we had a good time. In fact, everyone in Greece has been extremely friendly. Tuesday night we ate dinner at a restaurant the hotel recommended that had a lovely view of the sea while the sun went down. This was our big splurge meal so far, but it did not disappoint. We had all heard of Mousaka but didn't know exactly what it was, so I just decided to try it. Turn out, I like Eggplant. At this restaurant like several others we've been to, after your meal, they bring you a shot of a liquor called Tsipouro. Very strong, but very good and went well with the chocolate pastry that was also complimentary. Another way the Greeks show their hospitality.
Yesterday (Wednesday), we took our time with breakfast and finally around 11am decided we wanted to go to a beach. Santorini has several, but we really wanted to go to one that was more popular with locals and not full of tourists. Our hotel recommended one called Minothilos and arranged a shuttle for us. We were a little disappointed when we got to the beach. It wasn't exactly a black sand beach as we had been told, but was more of a grey sand beach. Some would just call it dirt. It was in a small area about the length of a football field with rock walls going out into the sea on both sides. Beyond the right wall was the airport and beyond the left wall was an anchored tanker of some sort. At least there wasn't broken glass in the sand as I had seen in Honduras. Nevertheless, we decided to stay since the umbrellas and chairs were free. We got in the water a little and it was quite cold. I mainly read my Nero Wolfe book and relaxed. After an hour or so we decided to have lunch. There were a couple of cafes/restaurants across the street from the beach so we picked one. Turns out the owner is a fisherman and they have fresh fish every day. We each had sword fish and Greek beer. This meal made the whole beach trip worth it. There was almost no one there but we had a nice view of the beach through a grove of trees. And it felt like we were in a remote Greek village even though we were actually on the most visited island in all of Greece. At that point we were all glad we had gone to the beach. By the way, the sword fish was only about $11 each. Everything in Greece has been cheaper than it would be anywhere else in Europe. We prearranged our shuttle back to our hotel around 3pm.
We rested at the pool for a bit. The weather was quite hot and the sun unforgiving so it was nice to take a dip in the very cold pool. After freshening up, we decided to hike to the village off Oia to watch the sun set. If you think of Santorini as a backwards C with the points facing west, our hotel is in a village slightly north of the middle and Oia is a village all the way at the top end of the backwards C. It was about a four mile hike on foot paths that went up and down and was sometimes smooth and sometimes rocky. We passed several small churches on our way, but they were all locked with no signage about services or anything. I'm guessing these are more like shrines, but it seems the Orthodox Church could make some money by opening up all these little churches. After a couple hours we finally made it to Oia, along with everyone else in Greece it seemed, pouring in on buses to watch the sunset. The village was much more charming and high brow than the other ones in Santorini. The main thoroughfare was a marble walking street lined with high end stores. The path seemed to get narrower and narrower as we and everyone else made their way to the end of the island to watch the sunset. People lined the walkways and railings facing west. This is supposed to be one of the best sunsets in the world, but last night there was a bit of low lying haze so the sun disappeared a little bit above the ocean. Oh well. It was still neat to see the spectacle of the whole thing. We ate dinner at a small restaurant on a side street which happened to be close to the local bus stop and so we took it back to our village.
This morning we ate our breakfast quickly and then hiked to the rock of Skaros. This giant rock sits on a promontory that juts out from the side of the cliffs. To get there involves hiking down a ways and then back up. We chatted a bit with a couple from Australia as we walked around the rock and down to a small church on the cliff overlooking the caldera. We got a lot of good photos and then we back to the hotel, packed up, and took a shuttle to the port. We are now waiting for our boat to Tinos. I look forward to blogging more later. Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Santorini, Greece
Greece Days Two and Three
Good afternoon and greetings from Santorini. It's a been a few days so I want to catch you up with what we've been doing. After my last entry on Sunday afternoon, we walked to a neighborhood that Kirk had read about that was off the beaten path called the Gazi, not to be confused with Gaza which is something completely different. We got drinks at a cafe called Soho and seemed to be the only tourists there so it was nice to see how the modern Athenians spend their evenings. We had dinner at a restaurant across the street and also appeared to be the only tourists there, even though they had English menus. As we ate, we watched a man next to us play with worry beads. Greek men like to hold these in there hands and toss them around to pass the time. They are kind of like the beads on a rosary but they carry no religious significance. We have seen them just about everywhere and they seem to be used by young and old men alike. Kirk and I have decided we want some, but we haven't bought them yet. I personally don't want to spend too much on them, but I don't want to get them at a mere souvenir stand either. I could certainly use them though as I am a bit of a worrier myself.
Yesterday was our second day in Athens and we spent the day seeing more ruins and visiting the Acropoliis Museum. We started the day at the Ancient Agora, just downhill from the Acropolis. This was the marketplace of ancient Athens and today is basically a large field filled with ruins, most of which are foundations and some columns from old buildings. This is where Socrates and other Greek philosophers taught. One of the old buildings, the Stoa of Attalos, has been completely restored thanks to John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and is now the museum of the Agora. The museum is full of vases and other antiquities from Ancient Greece. We saw an ancient machine that the Athenians used to pick juries for criminal trials which I found particularly interesting. Most impressive, perhaps, was an exhibit on the practice of Ostracism used by the ancient Athenians to protect democracy from despotic tendencies. With a quorum of at least 6000, those assembled would use pottery shards to write down the name of someone they found most unpleasant. The "winner" would be banished from the city for ten years. When Tom, Kirk, and I read this, we all thought of writing the same person's name who will go unmentioned as this is a nonpartisan blog.
We ate lunch at a sidewalk cafe near the Agora. These cafes are everywhere in Athens as in much of Europe. After lunch, we made our way to the new Acroppolis Museum. Built on top of ruins from the ancient city of Athens, much of the floor of the museum is clear and so one can view the excavations below which admiring the artifiact above. On the top floor of the museum, they have assembled all the artifacts that they have collected from the Parthenon's doorways and the freeze. These are arranged around the top floor in the same manner that they would have been on the building. In some places they have have filled in missing pieces based on previous drawings. But they never seem to assume what anything might of looked like, so there are plenty of gaps. This exhibit is surrounded on all sides by glass overlooking the Acropolis and the Parthenon. Well done, Greece! The museum closed at 4pm so we spent the rest of the afternoon meandering through the narrow alley ways and shops of the Plaka district. Later, I went back to the room and changed into long pants so that I could visit the Orthodox Cathedral. Like the Vatican, you can't go in in shorts. I wanted to see this church mainly because it is where King Juan Carlos of Spain married Sofia of Greece sometime in the 1950s. The church was more elaborate than the Catholic cathedrals I have seen but much smaller. There were a lot of mosaics and frescos of Christ and the apostles. I wish I knew more about the Orthodox tradition.
We ate dinner at a restaurant we had spotted in the Plaka, but then got back early enough to pack and go to bed. This morning we got up a little before 5am in order to get ready and catch a 5:30am taxi to the port of Piraeus for our ferry to Santorini. We stopped at Mikonos and Naxos on the way and repeatedly went outside to take pictures. We arrived at the main port in Santorini about 12:30. Fortunately, we had arranged our "transfer" to our hotel, as the Europeans call it, and so did not have to find a driver. It seemed to take an hour to only go a few miles as the roads are narrow and there are a lot of cars and a lot of tourists. The main town, Fira, was a bottleneck and swarmed with tourists. But just a mile or so north is the village of Imperiovigli which is more isolated and quiet. There was wine and cheese awaiting our arrival and we spent the day lounging on our balcony and at the pool which overlook the caldera of Santorini. The island is the rim of an ancient volcano which erupted thousands of years ago. When it erupted the center caved in and filled with water creating the harbor that is before us. The island has almost no trees and is covered by several villages of typical Greek white washed houses. I will write more about Santorini tomorrow. Amazingly, there is almost no one at our hotel and so it is quiet and peaceful. Nice to be away from the tourists. We're looking forward to dinner and the sunset and possibly hiking a little bit tomorrow. Until then...
Good afternoon and greetings from Santorini. It's a been a few days so I want to catch you up with what we've been doing. After my last entry on Sunday afternoon, we walked to a neighborhood that Kirk had read about that was off the beaten path called the Gazi, not to be confused with Gaza which is something completely different. We got drinks at a cafe called Soho and seemed to be the only tourists there so it was nice to see how the modern Athenians spend their evenings. We had dinner at a restaurant across the street and also appeared to be the only tourists there, even though they had English menus. As we ate, we watched a man next to us play with worry beads. Greek men like to hold these in there hands and toss them around to pass the time. They are kind of like the beads on a rosary but they carry no religious significance. We have seen them just about everywhere and they seem to be used by young and old men alike. Kirk and I have decided we want some, but we haven't bought them yet. I personally don't want to spend too much on them, but I don't want to get them at a mere souvenir stand either. I could certainly use them though as I am a bit of a worrier myself.
Yesterday was our second day in Athens and we spent the day seeing more ruins and visiting the Acropoliis Museum. We started the day at the Ancient Agora, just downhill from the Acropolis. This was the marketplace of ancient Athens and today is basically a large field filled with ruins, most of which are foundations and some columns from old buildings. This is where Socrates and other Greek philosophers taught. One of the old buildings, the Stoa of Attalos, has been completely restored thanks to John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and is now the museum of the Agora. The museum is full of vases and other antiquities from Ancient Greece. We saw an ancient machine that the Athenians used to pick juries for criminal trials which I found particularly interesting. Most impressive, perhaps, was an exhibit on the practice of Ostracism used by the ancient Athenians to protect democracy from despotic tendencies. With a quorum of at least 6000, those assembled would use pottery shards to write down the name of someone they found most unpleasant. The "winner" would be banished from the city for ten years. When Tom, Kirk, and I read this, we all thought of writing the same person's name who will go unmentioned as this is a nonpartisan blog.
We ate lunch at a sidewalk cafe near the Agora. These cafes are everywhere in Athens as in much of Europe. After lunch, we made our way to the new Acroppolis Museum. Built on top of ruins from the ancient city of Athens, much of the floor of the museum is clear and so one can view the excavations below which admiring the artifiact above. On the top floor of the museum, they have assembled all the artifacts that they have collected from the Parthenon's doorways and the freeze. These are arranged around the top floor in the same manner that they would have been on the building. In some places they have have filled in missing pieces based on previous drawings. But they never seem to assume what anything might of looked like, so there are plenty of gaps. This exhibit is surrounded on all sides by glass overlooking the Acropolis and the Parthenon. Well done, Greece! The museum closed at 4pm so we spent the rest of the afternoon meandering through the narrow alley ways and shops of the Plaka district. Later, I went back to the room and changed into long pants so that I could visit the Orthodox Cathedral. Like the Vatican, you can't go in in shorts. I wanted to see this church mainly because it is where King Juan Carlos of Spain married Sofia of Greece sometime in the 1950s. The church was more elaborate than the Catholic cathedrals I have seen but much smaller. There were a lot of mosaics and frescos of Christ and the apostles. I wish I knew more about the Orthodox tradition.
We ate dinner at a restaurant we had spotted in the Plaka, but then got back early enough to pack and go to bed. This morning we got up a little before 5am in order to get ready and catch a 5:30am taxi to the port of Piraeus for our ferry to Santorini. We stopped at Mikonos and Naxos on the way and repeatedly went outside to take pictures. We arrived at the main port in Santorini about 12:30. Fortunately, we had arranged our "transfer" to our hotel, as the Europeans call it, and so did not have to find a driver. It seemed to take an hour to only go a few miles as the roads are narrow and there are a lot of cars and a lot of tourists. The main town, Fira, was a bottleneck and swarmed with tourists. But just a mile or so north is the village of Imperiovigli which is more isolated and quiet. There was wine and cheese awaiting our arrival and we spent the day lounging on our balcony and at the pool which overlook the caldera of Santorini. The island is the rim of an ancient volcano which erupted thousands of years ago. When it erupted the center caved in and filled with water creating the harbor that is before us. The island has almost no trees and is covered by several villages of typical Greek white washed houses. I will write more about Santorini tomorrow. Amazingly, there is almost no one at our hotel and so it is quiet and peaceful. Nice to be away from the tourists. We're looking forward to dinner and the sunset and possibly hiking a little bit tomorrow. Until then...
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Athens, Greece
Greece Day One
I arrived here in Athens with my friends Tom and Kirk last night after a long day of travel. We left Atlanta at 10:45 on Friday night, flying Turkish Airlines first to Istanbul on an 11 hour plane ride and then on another flight here to Athens last night. We enjoyed the brief time we had in the Istanbul airport sampling Turkish Delight, but were happy to finally arrive here safely late last night. Because of jet lag, we were not tired and so walked around a bit, got a bite to eat and some wine at a small cafe near our hotel, and finished it off with ice cream. We were out past 1am which would normally be very unusual for me, but we hadn't quite adjusted yet. During our stroll we saw several cars getting parking tickets, but not only did they get a fine, but their license plates were removed by the police; we assumed this was to make sure they paid. Ouch.
Today we took a walking tour of the city center of Athens and the Acropolis. The tour included sites of both modern and ancient Athens, such as Sintagma Square, the Temple of Zeus, the Plaka district, and of course the Parthenon. Our first stop was Sintagma Square where our guide gave us an overview of modern Greek history from the fall of Constantinople (about 500 years ago today, actually) to the fall of the monarchy in the 1970s. The guide basically told a tragic story of the Greeks being dominated by outsiders, such as the Turks, and then by the great powers of Europe since their independence in the 19th century. You could hear a little resentment in his voice, especially when he mentioned that while the Greeks are mourning the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, today in Turkey, it is a national holiday. Anyway, we watched the changing of the guards at the tomb of the unknown soldier and then made our way through the public gardens, designed by the first Queen of modern Greece, past the Zappeon hall, to the temple of Olympian Zeus. Not much of the temple is left, only 16 Corinthian columns, but it was still an impressive site. Our guide also spoke with us of some of the inventions of the ancient Greeks, including a machine that some consider to be the world's first computer. He was obviously very proud of his country's history and heritage.
After visiting the temple, we made our way to the Acropolis. Perhaps the most famous archeological site in the world, the Acropolis was the center of ancient Athens and contains several temple to the goddess Athena, for whom the city was named. Surrounding the hill are many other ancient sites, such as the Theatre of Dionysius, where the dramatic arts were born. This was where Thespis stepped forward from the chorus and spoke independently, becoming the first actor. It is from him that we get the word Thespian. The climb to the top of the Acropolis is a steep and somewhat treacherous walk. The rocks have been stepped on for 1000s of years and are therefore smooth and slippery. There are very few handrails and no handicap access. They must not have as many lawsuits as we do, because surely someone over the years has gotten seriously hurt. At the top are three temples dedicated to Athena: the temple of Athena Nike (victory), the Parthenon, and the Erechtheion, the Parthenon, or just "Parthenon" as our guide called it, being the most famous. Here too was another story of Greek tragedy. When the city was occupied by the Turks, the temples were actually in good shape, so much so that the Turks decided they would be a good place to store gunpowder. During a war with the the Venetians, there were several explosions which destroyed much of the monuments. After that, the temples were looted for several hundred years, most famously by a British Lord who wanted statuary for his villa in Scotland. Today, the British refuse to return the artifacts, a very sore point for the Greeks, and our guide.
Following the tour of the Acropolis, we stopped at a large rocky hill where Paul is said to have preached to the Athenians. Although it was neat to be able to stand where Paul once stood, this was another treacherous site and I slipped several times, but fortunately, did not get hurt. I figure that Paul couldn't have preached for too long, since he would have surely lost his balance at some point, wearing only sanders. We then made our way into the Plaka, the old district of Athens on the side of the Acropolis where we stopped for lunch. The Plaka is characterized by winding streets, tourists shops, and numerous outdoor cafes and restaurants. We had gyros for lunch and Greek Coffee, which appeared to be Turkish coffee, but obviously not called that here. It came with what looked like Turkish Delight, but they had a different name for that too, which I can't remember. We talked with a mother and daughter next to us who were traveling from Colorado. The daughter is about to begin law school and I told her to get out of it while there's still time left.
After lunch we wandered through the Plaka district back to our hotel where we are now resting. We plan to go back that way for drinks and dinner later. It is wonderful to be back in Europe again and so far, I like Athens. We had heard a lot of negative things about Athens, and although it is obvious that the Greeks have fallen on hard times, the city has its charms. I'm looking forward to spending another day here. Until then...
Saturday, September 28, 2013
New York City; September 19-22, 2013
I recently went to New York City with my good friend Drew Abernathy. The original purpose of our trip was to go see Patricia Kaas perform at The Town Hall. Kaas is a French singer that I have been following for 20 years and she recently did a tribute album to Edith Piaf, my all time favorite singer. I asked Drew to go with me and we decided to make a long weekend out of it.
We arrived Thursday night by way of Newark Airport. We took a train into New York to Penn Station. Normally, I wouldn't bother blogging about how we got into the city, but on this train trip we had the pleasure to share the car with a crack addict who kept singing lullabies to a baby that wasn't hers. I think everyone was afraid of her so no one said anything. When we got to Penn Station and were heading to the elevator, Drew suggested we take an escalator instead because the elevator would be crowded. I said, "I only see five people, Drew." So we got on and guess who got on behind us? The poor woman from the train. "Sorry, Drew," I said.
We made it safely into the city and walked around to find a place to eat dinner. We ended up eating outside at a restaurant in Bryant Park. The park is situated next to the New York public library and neither of us had even heard of it, even though we had each been to New York numerous times. Turns out, it's where a lot of the events of fashion week take place. We had a lovely dinner outside in perfect weather under Sycamore trees admiring the skyline of Midtown Manhattan.
Friday, I awoke to find myself quoted in the Wall Street Journal. Actually, I knew I was going to be in it because I had been interviewed the day before, but it was fun to read it in New York with my breakfast and see my name in print. The article was in reference to the Affordable Care Act and the online Insurance Marketplace which opens October 1. You can read the article HERE. My quote is about two thirds of the way down. Later that morning I had an interview with a reporter from CBS Radio News about the article, but I never heard the story.
Friday was a low key day. After the media left me alone, Drew met a friend for lunch and I went on a long walk in Central Park. The highlight of my walk was stopping for a Hot Dog and reading my Kindle in Strawberry Fields, the part of the park that Yoko Ono financed as a tribute to John Lennon who was assassinated nearby in front of his home at the Dakota on December 8, 1980. The weather was perfect, a beautiful fall day with blue sky and a cool breeze.
Drew and I met up later for drink before we went to dinner and the concert. Our hotel was in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood just west of Times Square. This neighborhood used to be very rough--hence the name--but is now a trendy place to live. We had dinner at a place called HK and then walked over to Town Hall for Patricia Kaas. The concert was everything I wanted it to be and more. Ever since I was introduced to the music of Edith Piaf years ago, I always wished I could see her in concert. But of course that's impossible since she died before I was born. I have seen dozens of video clips though. She didn't just sing her songs, but expressed them from her heart as well. You can see a classic Piaf performance HERE. Kaas gave it all she had as well and I felt like I was finally seeing that concert in France that I've always dreamed of but couldn't see. Not just her voice, but also the emotion and feeling she put into the songs. Not a big fan, even Drew was impressed. I think we were the youngest people there and two of the only Americans in the audience. You can see Kaas singing a classic Piaf song HERE. I don't think you need to understand French to hear the emotion both women express in their singing.
Saturday morning we ran with Front Runners New York. Front Runners was started as a gay and lesbian running club named after a book by Patricia Nell Warren about a gay Olympic runner. Most large American cities have a Front Runners club and Drew and I are active with the group in Atlanta. While we normally have around 20 or 25 people at our Saturday runs, the New York club has several 100. We jogged with them around the jogging path in Central Park for a six mile run. Afterward, everyone walked over to nearby Rutgers Presbyterian Church for Bagels and Coffee in the church basement. I would definitely run with them again. It was nice to get a different perspective of the park and to meet people who actually live and work in New York.
Later that day, I met my friend Russell Gibson for lunch in Chelsea. Russell was in medical school at the University of Florida while I was in law school. We were good friends but had lost touch and I hadn't seen him in about 15 years. We had a nice lunch catching up and it was as if we had never been separated. After lunch we walked down to the West Village, lined up, and bought cupcakes at the Magnolia Bakery and ate them in a little park nearby. A lovely afternoon, catching up with an old friend.
Later, Drew and I walked on the Highline from 34th street on the west side to the Meat Packing District where we had dinner. The Highline is an old elevated freight railroad line that has been converted into a walking trail. It is fairly new and has become a bit of a novelty so, of course, it was full of tourists. It is landscaped with lawns, benches, flowers, and trees and it was perfect weather for a little walk before dinner. Drew treated me to an early birthday dinner at Pastis, a French restaurant in the Meatpacking district. The area that was once famous for transexual prostitutes is now another gentrified New York neighborhood. The weather was nice enough that we could eat outside, which was just as well, because inside was a bit crowded with a large table for the diplomatic delegation from Ecuador. Later I learned that the UN General Assembly was about to start meeting. In fact, several Ecuadoran secret service agents patrolled inside and outside of the restaurant the whole time we were there. For dinner, I had the veal scallops. I know, I know, it's veal, but wow, was it good. So tender. And with it was a vegetable that I had never had before. I thought it was Spinach but the waiter told me it was broccoli rabe. I don't like regular broccoli, but I'm now hooked on the rabe variety. During our entire dinner, there was a constant parade of young women, dressed in miniskirts and sky high heels making their way to a nearby popular bar over cobble stones! Their outfits were scandalous and I hope my goddaughter Baikal (age 7) never dresses like that. I know here Dad would never stand for it.
Later, Drew and I walked on the Highline from 34th street on the west side to the Meat Packing District where we had dinner. The Highline is an old elevated freight railroad line that has been converted into a walking trail. It is fairly new and has become a bit of a novelty so, of course, it was full of tourists. It is landscaped with lawns, benches, flowers, and trees and it was perfect weather for a little walk before dinner. Drew treated me to an early birthday dinner at Pastis, a French restaurant in the Meatpacking district. The area that was once famous for transexual prostitutes is now another gentrified New York neighborhood. The weather was nice enough that we could eat outside, which was just as well, because inside was a bit crowded with a large table for the diplomatic delegation from Ecuador. Later I learned that the UN General Assembly was about to start meeting. In fact, several Ecuadoran secret service agents patrolled inside and outside of the restaurant the whole time we were there. For dinner, I had the veal scallops. I know, I know, it's veal, but wow, was it good. So tender. And with it was a vegetable that I had never had before. I thought it was Spinach but the waiter told me it was broccoli rabe. I don't like regular broccoli, but I'm now hooked on the rabe variety. During our entire dinner, there was a constant parade of young women, dressed in miniskirts and sky high heels making their way to a nearby popular bar over cobble stones! Their outfits were scandalous and I hope my goddaughter Baikal (age 7) never dresses like that. I know here Dad would never stand for it.
After that amazing meal, Drew and I went to see the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, written by Harvey Fierstein and Cindy Lauper. The musical won several Tony awards this past year and did not disappoint. It tells the story of the son of a shoe factory owner who starts making shoes for drag queens in order to save his late father's factory. As it just opened in April, we got to see the original cast, including Billy Porter who won the Tony for best actor in a musical. I highly recommend it. After the show, we had to run back to the hotel in the rain, the only time it rained while we were there.
Sunday morning, we took the subway down to Ground Zero to go to the 9/11 memorial. We were a little early so we walked down to Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan for great views of the harbor and the Statue of Liberty. We lined up for the memorial in front of the building at Greenwich and Albany where my good friend Davis Candler used to live. Davis has since passed away and seeing his building choked me up and brought back a lot of great memories of visiting him when he was there. The 9/11 Memorial is in the middle of a giant construction site. After going through a metal detector, we walked under numerous construction boardwalks before we got to the main memorial. Where the two towers used to be are now two square shaped fountains in their foot prints with the names of victims around the fountains. We noticed white roses by some people's names and later learned this was done on their birthdays. We walked quietly around both memorials and I tried to read as many names as possible. At one point, a gust of wind blew some of the water at us and I like to think it was the departed thanking us for visiting them. Rising above the memorial is the new One World Trade Center also known as the Freedom Tower, now the tallest building in the United States. Other buildings are also going up around the memorial.
We had a great little trip and vowed to go back soon and more often. Since we had both been several times before, we didn't really have an agenda and enjoyed taking it easy, hanging out, and doing just a handful of sites. I have posted an album of pictures on Facebook of the trip. You can view them HERE if you like and you don't need a Facebook account to do so.
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