2.to.oregon

Athens: Postscript

On of the exquisite marble statures at the National Museum

A Large bronze at the museum

On Saturday we had to leave the boat behind by 9 a.m. We shared a cab with Anil and Malvika back to the O&B Hotel.  They allowed us to store our suitcases while we made one more trek into the city.  We took the Metro to the National Archeological Museum and spent a happy three hours looking at the collection.  Many of the pieces made better sense, now that we’ve had a tiny bit of experience traveling around Greece.  Some of the statues and bronzes were stunning in their condition and execution.  Most of the archeological sites are in ruins that it is difficult to picture what they once were like.  The Acropolis Museum and this one made a big difference in our experience.  

I was particularly interested in seeing the Antikythera Mechanism. This is a device that was discovered on an island near the Peloponnese in an ancient shipwreck.  The mechanism was crafted in bronze and was used to predict the movements of planets and starts and track the calendars of various types.  It was made to a degree of precision that baffles scientists today, with intricate gears that resemble a modern Swiss watch. 

We retrieved our bags from the hotel and took a long metro ride to the airport and checked in to the Sofitel there. We have a flight out at 6 a.m. so it will be an early morning.  

We were trilled with our vacation in Greece and it fulfilled every expectation we had going in.  Athens was a wonderful place to explore. We had an easy time getting around the city on the metro. We were amazed at the vibrant night life and the number of crowded restaurants and tavernas that were willed all evening.  

Captain Patrick was as attentive and brilliant as always.  He knows the islands so well that it

The Antikythera Mechanism

gave us a totally difference prospective that we ever could have gained on our own or in a typical cruise.  He seemed to know people personally on every island and we went to tons of out of the way spots.  Our traveling companions were just what you would hope for, conversational, interesting, adventurous, flexible and generous.  The boat was very comfortable and gave us both thrilling transportation and comfortable accommodation.  We would do the same trip again in a heartbeat. Thanks to Patrick and our travel mates for making this wonderful.

The short hallway with refrigerators on the boat.

The double bed took up most of the cabin

The head and shower for each bedroom on the boat

The 50’ Full House

Malvika learning to tie a bowline.

Kythnos to Athens:The Final Leg

Casting off the mooring lines in Kythnos

This is the final full day on the boat, and most of it will be making passage to Athens. We cast off from the harbor at Kolonos at about 10:30 a.m.  The wind picked up immediately and we had a good sail, but rough ride.  Most people eventually went down for naps and spend a good portion of the day sleeping.  At 3 p.m. we pulled into the harbor behind Sounion. This spectacular point marks the southern tip of one of the peninsulas that extend from the mainland.  It is crowned with the ancient temple of Poseidon. The temple had 15 of 24 columns intact and looked quite grand.  We took the break to eat lunch and recover from the bumpy ride.  

After the refreshing stop in Sounion, we finished with a very strong and smooth sail all the way

The Temple of Poseidon in Sounion

The Temple

A Titanic moment on return to the harbor in Athens

into Athens harbor.  There was a great amount of activity as the shore crew boarded the boat and began to service it for the turnaround tomorrow.  We had just enough food and drink to make a wonderful final meal.  Annie and Malvika made a spaghetti dinner with a tomato and veggie sauce, with broccoli side.  We spend a final night on the boat and then we are off to our next destinations tomorrow.  A sad departure and everyone agreed that two weeks went by way too fast. 

Sifnos to Kythnos: A Memorable Feast

A quick swim to secure the mooring lines to shore.

We departed Sifnos at 8:30 and had a 6-hour sail to Kythnos.  We were headed for the bay at Kolona. The Bay actually an island off shore that is connected to the mainland by a sand bar  that effectively separates the channel into two bays.  There was no mooring, only anchorage along the rocky shore.  Mal and I had to swim long ropes to the shore to tie around large rocks.    After we were tied up, the group proceeded to swim, attempt more paddle boarding and prep for lunch.  The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging and reading, and later on, prepping for a BBQ dinner. Nancy and Patrick set about making up the some skewered veggies and chicken and Kerry finished prepping some salads.   

The Firestarters in full warpaint

Patrick had done the shopping for the BBQ earlier in the week, including getting charcoal and a  grill. He took Annie, Mal and I to a nearby beach to get the fire started and then returned to the boat to pick up the cooking supplies and the rest of the group. Before getting down to serious fire-starting, we added charcoal to our faces as WarPaint to make sure we were successful at our mission.   We had just started gathering stones for a fire pit when a Greek couple down the beach flagged us down and let us know that they were nearly done and we could use their pit that already had a nice fire going in it.  They were a lovely couple, but they spoke no English at all. The one thing the man made a big point of was that we must douse the fire when we were done.  His wife even gave a mini demonstration of how to do it with a water bottle.  They took their finished meal and swam back to their boat that was just off shore.  

The Greek couple who turned thieir fire pit over to us.

The fire was perfect when the remainder of the group arrived. We had grilled sausage, veggie kabobs, chicken kabobs, and grilled halloumi cheese, also a couple of couscous salads to go along with it.  For primitive conditions it was a gourmet meal and tasted even better for being outdoors.  

After dinner we walked down the beach to a natural hot spring  The Cyclades are very active geologically and there are many hot springs. Kythnos is particularly known for hot springs and has even been the site of hot spring spa hotels, especially around Loutra. The island was once known as

Dinner on the grill, almost ready.

Thermis.  Annie, Malvika and I walked down to check it out and found a group from a nearby boat enjoying a long soak.  A couple of them turned out to be from Portland and one was even from Hillsboro, with a house not far from ours.  After dinner we returned for a long soak as the sun set.  The setting of the hot tub was spectacular, if rather primitive, and gave us a soak to remember. 

Our last action before leaving the beach was to douse the campfire, which brought a rousing cheer from the Greek gent who gave us the spot, thanking us for putting

Our group gathered for the cookout on the beach at Kolona Bay

the fire out properly.  The Greeks love their country, and as we learn every day, for very good reason.  

The natural hot spring at Kolona on Kythos.

Taking the mineral bath ‘cure’ on Kythos

Vathi, Sifnos to Kamares, Sifnos: Chimney Pots

Cherronisos

The morning dawned very windy, after a night of high winds.  There was enough of a blow that it made it hard to sleep.  We set sail at 8;30 a.m. and headed north for one hour from Vathi to Kamares.  The harbor was full when we arrived so we had to anchor out.  That mean that Patrick had to stay with the boat, so we were on our own for the tour of the island.  We caught a bus up the valley from Kamares, through Apollonias to Artemonas. There we transferred to another bus to a tiny bay of Cherronisos. The trip was about an hour combined and took us along a nice valley, then up over a considerable rise in elevation and then back down to the bay at Cherronisos.

Annie on the bay at Cherronisos

The bay was fairly quiet and we spent a lazy few hours swimming and having coffee and then a nice lunch at a taverna on the water.

One feature that seemed quite unique was the pottery chimney pots that crowned the stove flues on the roofs of houses.  They were all terra cotta and had an assortment of wild designs.  “Sifnos is rather unique in the variety of ways its people decorate their chimney pots, called flaroi locally. The Sifnos chimney pot has to have at least three exits because it is from three main directions that the island winds come from, so the smoke will be properly dispersed. ”

  We caught the bus back at 4:25 p.m and rode to Artemonas again.  We decide to skip the next available bus and take a wander through Artemonas and Apollonias.  The streets looked very charming, but sadly, everything was closed for the afternoon break.  When we got back to Kamares the boat was still in the harbor, but Patrick was quick to bring the dingy to shore and start ferrying use back.

Chimney pot examples

After a bit of a relax and a few beverages, the crew split up, with some going back into town for    Italian dinner and the rest staying on the boat eating leftovers!

Milos to Sifnos: Bania

Evi Lazou, conservationist and owner of the super yacht Zaliv III has anchored near us a couple of times on this trip. When she is not on her yacht she works on a converted oil platform supply ship collecting plastic waste from the shores of  hundreds of Greek islands.  Growing up in Greece, she said in an article that it is traditional to determine you health by the number of swims (bania) you’ve had in the sea. 

A great, quiet night on Milos. We had some morning shopping to do, loading groceries for the next couple of days, as we don’t hit any towns with large markets for a while.  We also have a couple of meals on board, included a beach bbq coming up. 

At the mooring Patrick asked me to swim out and check the anchor, as there are some heavy chains that run parallel to the dock.  I put on fins and mask and swam out, but found that it was laying well and clear of all the heavy chains.  

As we were weighing anchor I let the starboard line loose, but the loose end got drawn under the boat and wrapped around the propeller.  Luckily I still had my suit on and I managed to dive down and get it unwound from the prop.

We had a long sail/motor past Kimolos and Polyaigos to the Vathi harbor on Sifnos.  There is little dock space here, so we anchored out among a number of other boats in the harbor. As we were finishing up, a boat came by that had a home port of Portland, Oregon on its stern!   We had some lunch and waited for the sun to go down a bit before taking the dingy to shore for a swim.  Annie worked with Anil on swimming once again and he is getting more and more confident. He has progressed to snorkel and googles, swimming with is face down and making powerful strokes with his arms and legs and setting  up quite a wake with strong kicking.  He swam 10-15 meters at a time. Amazing progress.

We spend a lazy afternoon, drying out from the swim, with many catching naps or reading.  At 8 p.m. we took the dingy onto the shore to a small taverna for dinner.  It was an idyllic spot, right on the beach with people strolling along the sand past us.  A small girl in a blue dress was engaged in picking up small rocks and running to the end of a small wooden plank pier and throwing them into the sea. Her grandmother was watching her carefully as she ran back and forth.  On her last trip back some other kids were walking out on the planks and she slipped off the edge as she tried to get around them.  The water was shallow, but she came up crying. The only consolation I could think of was she was one bania closer to good health.

Polyaigos to Milos: Our Own Personal Venus

Off early again as we sail to Milos around the south side of the island.  We made one stop on the south side for a swim and dingy tour.  There was a spectacular small bay that was lined with a number of caves and arches in the cliffs standing so tall above them. I decided to snorkel over to the caves from our boat and made a tour of one set of three caves and then into an adjacent bay for a couple of more.  The bay was crowded with tourist day trip boats that were of all sizes and shapes, from one that looked like a pirate ship to catamarans to small monohull sailboats. Patrick took the rest of the crew in a couple of loads to see the caves up close and motor through a couple of the arches.  

The island of Milos is decidedly less of a tourist or jet set destination, although that is changing.  It has a history of extensive mining. It was a source for obsidian and precious metals in ancient times, which made it rich.  Today the primary mining is for bentonite (used in paper production and kitty litter) and perlite (used as soil amendment).

Colorful houses along the waterfront going in to Milos harbor

We weighed anchor and had a two hour trip up the coast to the main harbor on Milos. We moored the boat and went off for a lunch stop on the harbor front.  Annie and I had our first gyros in Greece and they were terrific.  The chicken was roasted on a rotating bbq and the sandwich was made of fresh and delicious fillings. Annie made big purchase of a wonderful modern sculpture by a local artist at a small gallery. A small, modern ‘Venus’ to remind us of the trip. They are shipping it back to the US for us.  After a quick trip back to the boat for gear we caught the bus to the hilltop town of Trypiti.

Our new ‘venus’

Trypiti is a suburb of the main town, Plaka, and is the site for some interesting archeological sites.  We walked down a long hill to see the Ancient Greek catacombs, dating from the 1st century AD. They were a massive network of underground tunnels dug into the soft volcanic rock. The various galleries were lined with arched tombs that held up to 7 bodies each.  The catacombs were viewed as temporary resting places, before the dead rose to heaven.  The Greek word for them was coemeterium, which derives from their word for ‘dormitory’.

After that we hiked on to a partially reconstructed amphitheater that was nearby at the base of the ancient kastro that sits on a tall volcanic cone above the harbor.  There are still remnants of the walls that surrounded the site, which in various eras was an acropolis with a temple, a Venetian fort, and several churches.  On the gravel road leading up to the kastro is a plaque marking the site where the Venus de Milo was excavated, found in a cave by a local farmer in 1820. It later ended up in the Louvre in Paris.

Marker for the site the Venus was found.

Catacombs of Milos

We finished the evening by walking back to the main town of Plaka for a drink and a wander.  It had the festive character of many of the hilltop towns we’ve seen. Lots of charming shops and restaurants, flowering tree canopies over small squares and long winding paths that wind through the town.  Annie found a unique Museum of Sand and had a long chat with the proprietor. He had samples of sand from around the world, include one he showed us from Cannon Beach, Oregon.  He had a number of pieces of sand art for sale and an exhibit of sands glued onto board and mounted on the walls of the small museum. 

We returned to the boat late in the evening and had a celebratory night cap before calling it a day.

Tourists photographing the sunset on top of a church

The Ancient Greek Amphitheater

A View of Plaka on Milos

Folegandros to Polyaigos: Torpedo Man

Mutlicolored cliffs towered over us on Polyaigos

Started sailing at 9:30 a.m. and made steady progress in 10-15 kts wind.  We had the main sail and genoa both up.  It took about 3 hours to reach Polyaigos, a small, uninhabited island near Milos and Kimolos. We anchored for a couple of hours at a small bay that had fantastic cliff formations.  The colors ranged from a brilliant white to shades of tan and ocher and lowered 30-100’ feet in a sheer rise from the water.  Annie, Mal, Kerry and I snorkeled to the cliff and swam in and out of the caves. We saw relatively more fish, but they were still rather sparse.  After our swim we had a nice lunch of spanakopita and tomatoes.

The cave we swam though was only 35-40’ feet deep.

In the afternoon we sailed a short way to another bay on Polyaigos, this one in the area where there was an abandoned gypsum mine.  Patrick took us in a couple of groups to the beach.  Annie continued her lessons teaching Anil how to swim.  Today was a major breakthrough, as she had him put on a mask and snorkel. He saw what was beneath the water for the first time.  He soon became comfortable face down and kicking to go forward.  He has an amazingly powerful kick, looking like a stern-wheel steamboat on the Mississippi River for all the world. Then he added arm strokes and was like a torpedo in the water!

We ate dinner onboard, roasted vegetables with couscous and a green salad with pomegranate vinegar dressing.

Finishing roasted garlic

When it got dark enough we did some stargazing. This harbor is well away from any major towns, so the light pollution was minimal.  A perfect end to this day of being in amazing natural landscapes.

Gypsum laced cliff front.

Remains of the old gypsum mine

Kerry and Annie applying watermelon facials.

Cave entrance on Polyaigos

 

Ios to Folegandros: A Monk on a Mortorbike

Entrance to one of the squares in Folegranddos

Annie, Patrick and I were up early and look a swim in the bay. The water was perfectly calm so refreshing after a long sleep.  The perfect way to start the morning.  We pulled up the anchor and set off for Ios Town for a quick resupply. We also dropped off Anil and Malvika at the waterfront for a separate excursion.  They wanted to go to Santorini since we are so close.  They will take a ferry from Ios to Santorini and then ferry back to join us on Folegandros.

A typical ferry in the Cyclades

After loading in the groceries we set off and found enough wind for a sail.  We made way slowly to the SW along the coast of Sikinos. Along the way, Patrick pulled in alongside a small islet just south of Sikinos so we could snorkel along the shore.  The rock formations were incredible, but no fish to speak of. We past by a large hollow in the cliff that Patrick said was a spot for diving.  He and his friends have stopped there and dove in from up to 60’.  They nicknamed it Rocko de Muete (rock of death!) From there we continued on to the harbor at Karavostasi on the island of Folegandros.  

We arrived in port at 4 p.m. so we had the afternoon to kill while we waited for Anil and Malvika to return on the ferry.  We walked around the head of the bay and had a nice round of beers and milkshakes (not for the same person) and chatted the afternoon away.  At six or so,

The winding path up to the church

Annie, Patrick and I had a refreshing swim off the bow of the boat. When the ferry arrived we caught the bus up the hill to the Chora (main town). Folegandros Town is perched 1000’ above the harbor and offers a commanding view of the sea.  It was perched on a cliff edge to give views so they could spot approaching pirates. The town consists of a 13th century Kastro (fort) and four main squares that make up the village.  All are connected by a winding series of paths and lined with block houses with wooden porches, all painted various colors of blue. The squares all have large flowering tress that form a canopy over the entire square and give them a magical quality.  Everything looks like a Disney version of the perfect Greek village.  

Before dinner we split into two groups, with one going to a spectacular cliff side bar for a cocktail and the rest of us hiking the zigzag path up to a church at the very top of the island. The

The town of Folegandros perched high on the cliffs

church, Koimisis tis Theotokou, was founded when a silver icon stolen by pirates was recovered when they died in a storm.  The path up was a steady climb, but the switchbacks made for an easy assent.  When we got the top there was a Greek Orthodox priest sitting on the steps, so I sat down for a chat.  He said he had been there for a year.  He was a grandfather of four and knew where where Oregon was he asked where I was from. I asked him if he minded climbing the long path every day. He said he wasn’t stupid, he rode a motorbike to work, with special permission from the police! After we watched the sunset at the top, he passed us on the way down, looking very comfortable, if incongruous, coasting down the perilous walkway. 

We enjoyed a very pleasant dinner in one of the squares. Annie had stuffed cabbage rolls and I tried goat again, both were excellent.  Mine came with matsuka, a coarse pasta noodle, which is a village specialty.  They served an excellent sorbet as a finish to the meal.

When we got back to the boat we had a birthday party for Nancy, complete with a cake and assortment of liquors. She said it was one of her best birthdays, and we all

Some of the residences in the old Kastro

One of the colorful block houses

We ran into the ‘monk on the motorbike’ later, in town.

enjoyed sharing it.  

Schinoussa to Iraklia to Ios: The Biggest Catch

Unloading gravel at 6:30 a.m.

The entire boat was roused early as a cargo ship carrying gravel docked right next to us at the end of the pier.  It had a backhoe loader that started offloading gravel into small semi trucks at 6:30 a.m. It was a noisy night all-around with various dock movements and moorings.

We left around 9 a.m., headed for Irakleia, a small but pretty island not far from Schinoussa.  The plan was to stop for a swim and then head on to IOS. We anchored near a buoy marking a submerged wreck of an airplane. Mal, Annie and I donned out snorkel gear and headed out to the wreck.  We had superb views of it as we floated over the top. A report online detailed the history of the airplane.

The Arado wreck in Alimia Bay

“In the beautiful bay of Alimnia, at a depth of about 9 meters, there is a German seaplane from World War II. The Arado Ar196, a lightweight two-seater, was used by the German Air Force during World War II as a reconnaissance for coastal patrols, and especially for the defense of the German fleet. It was a seaplane that was based on ships.The plane crashed after a battle with British aircraft in September 1943. The seaplane was shot down but its crew was rescued.

The Arado AR196 in 1938

The seaplane was spotted in October 1982, at a depth of about 91 meters when it was caught in the net of local fishermen. The fishermen dragged it to Alimia, where, with the help of a fishing boat, they untangled the seaplane from their nets, and immersed it there so that their fishing gear would not be entangled again. 

In the years that followed, almost all the parts were removed from the seaplane, and what was left at the bottom was the frame of the fuselage with the engine and some pieces of the trawl net that had fished it.” ALLOVERGREECE.COM

We spend a happy couple of hours in the bay.  Patrick launched the dingy and transported people to the very nice beach.  Annie worked with Anil again on swim lessons and we all played in the wonderfully clear water.  Malvika and I swam back to the boat as the others took the dingy. Once we were secured, we hoisted anchor and sailed for Manganari bay on IOS. The wind got stronger and stronger as we approached Ios.  By the time we anchored in Manganari bay it was gusting 15 to 20 kts. 

We were able to have a long afternoon catching up on chores and emails. Kerry was in charge of dinner and made an excellent shrimp & pasta dish and salad.

Naxos to Schinoussa:A Day of Firsts

Schinoussa

I got up early, despite the noisy night.  We have a bit of time this morning for some trips around Naxos town for chores.  We went on shopping trip where we found a most helpful clerk, who directed us to everything on our list and arranged for delivered to boat.  The seas were dead calm for we motored to a small island behind Naxos called Schinoussa, it is one of a small group called the back islands.

Malvika and Nancy working on salads.

On the way, captain Patrick said there was a sunken shipwreck that we could snorkel over.  Mal, Annie, Nancy and I trapped mask and fins from the locker and got ready.  Patrick just slowed the boat and we look giant strides off the stern.  Half the boat was clearly visible and was only 20-25 feet below the surface. We had a good look at the stacks and the superstructure.   Schinoussa had a beautiful mall harbor and we arrived early enough to find a great mooring spot on the harbor wall.

The harbor in Schinoussa

Anil has been a non-swimmer to this point and has always had a hard time going into the water. He is a ‘sinker’ so it makes it harder to learn the basics of swimming.  Annie has some experience as a swim instructor, so she volunteered to work with him a bit to see if she could get him more comfortable in the water.  They went to a sandy beach and went right in the water.  Annie had Anil use the buoyancy of the very salty water to float on his back and get used to the sensation.  Anil was able to use his extensive background in yoga to quiet his breathing and stay calm in the water.  He ended.up doing a gentle backstroke for 20’ or so, all on his own.  An amazing success in the water for a hesitant swimmer!

We have a couple of 10’ paddle boards on our boat so I took one of the out on the calm bay.  It was a perfect day to try them out.  No wind and little boat traffic in the harbor and the water was clear and a bit warmer. I had a bit of trouble at first, but the boards are quite wide and stable, so after a bit of shaky, new-born calf legs, I was able to stand up and paddle around the bay.  Mal joined me and took to the paddle board for the first time ever.  He spent some time paddling on his knees, but after a few minutes was able to stand up and had a nice long paddle, looking like it was something he had done all his life!

Mal and Michael on the Paddleboards

We spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on naps, reading, cleaning and sorting out gear. 

At eight o’clock we took a stout hike up the hill to a nice restaurant, called ‘Deli’. It had an open air dining room that looked out over the Aegean, with the harbor, some of the other small back islands in the view and in the far distance, the lights of Santorini. We had a very nice meal of Greek salads, fave bean hummus, a fruit pastry, vegetable and some dill greens. Out main course was either red snapper or grouper. We had the grouper and it was terrific. Annie and I hadn’t had good grouper since we lived in Washington DC.  The staff was all wearing white t-shirts and I happened to be as well.  I joked with one of the waitresses that I looked like I was on staff and I said I was ready to help. She winked and said they would put me to work. After the meal I went to the W.C. To wash up and as I came out a couple was just getting up to leave. The each gave me a nod and a smile and thanked me for the wonderful meal and service.  I didn’t get any tip though.

A ancient windmill, with lights of Santorini in the background