semi-random flotsam
In which we put ourselves on a forced march through the city.
Christiana organizes us off the ship in what must be record time, and we are shortly back on the bus and again in the weekday traffic to Athens. Continue reading “Day 10: Final Day in Athens”
We arrive on the tiny isle of Patmos at dusk. We walk up first to the monastery, our tour guide very soft spoken but very clear, which makes her seem very earnest. And thoroughly likable. Continue reading “Day 8: Night on Patmos”
The excursion to Ephesus is included in our package and was noted by both Elena and Christiana as a highlight of our trip.
They were not kidding!
Despite the late night we are all up and on time (good thing too) for our tour of Ephesus, in Turkey. Which means it’s not just another country for me: it’s another continent!
Our tour guide (whose name I can’t spell but it is pronounced like “John”) is delightful. He tells us, on route to the ruins at Ephesus, about his experience over 20 years as a tour guide. About common misconceptions about Turkey, about his family, and about the site we are visiting. Continue reading “Day 8: Morning in Ephesus”
This morning we meet back up with Christiana, for the first time since our intro on the first night. (She’s a lovely person though I think we have all fallen a little bit in love with Elena as our guide, and we miss her.)
It takes a bit longer to get to the port this time: rush hour.
It’s scattered and chaotic at the ship checkin process. To some extent that is par for the course but Christiana won’t know who is who by sight so she won’t realize when some are hung up by security and are lagging.
I am inclined to mother hen a bit.
We get to our cabins. I am surprised to find we have outside cabins, views to the sea. I am less surprised that my single has been set up with separate beds; that has happened at all the hotels for me too. And we have a drinks package.
Once again, we ask ourselves how they can be making anything on this package, with all that is included?
I explore the ship, get lunch, attend one of the shipboard activities and then bump into Connie, who has found a nook in one of the bars where there’s music setting a mood and a bartender sending her stuff that isn’t in our drink package, and I visit with her a while. We know we’re going to be back here again!
The sea is smooth as we sail to Mykonos for our evening stop.
It’s the end of the season, so we are the last ship making this route, and the only one in port (will be the case throughout our sail). So although the narrow streets are busy with cruise passengers, it’s less so than it would otherwise be. I can’t imagine if it was summer and 5 ships in port plus tourists staying. But it’s not summer, so arriving in the evening means we have landed after sunset.
No light, few pics. 😕
We traverse the narrow streets, single file. Christiana takes us herself rather than the cruise line’s fee for the same thing. She takes us around and then lets us free to enjoy what we will of the island before we head back to the ship ahead of its departure.
Connie, Troy & Deana and I grab dinner together, hang out at the bar getting free (on our package) drinks and free (great bartender) shots to all hours, with laughter and dancing and just generally a great time had by all.
The grounds at Delphi, which we saw at a distance from below, are amazing once we get on site. Elena tells us a bit about the history and mythology of the place, about Apollo as god of light and wisdom. Hmm, I wonder who this could be foreshadowing?
After exploring the grounds we go inside to the museum as well. 
Afterwards we get back on the bus to return to Athens, with just enough time to say a warm goodbye to Elena – our tour guide for the cruise portion of the trip will be Christiana – and put ourselves together for our optional (fancier) dinner out at the marina.
Then it’s back to The Stanley to repack, get some rest, and regroup for our departure to the cruise ship tomorrow.
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Happy Thanksgiving to my US readers!
We leave Olympia, stopping first for a taste of olives, olive oil, and Greek wines (Οπα!) and then begin our journey in earnest, crossing the Rio-Antirrio bridge.
Then we trace a path overlooking the Corinthian Bay, water sparkling in the sunshine. We progress to Patras for lunch, where the scenery is the most delicious offering of all.
We press on and stop to see the lower ruins at Delphi, which we will visit in the morning.
Then we stop in scenic Arachova, which in a few weeks will go from sleepy off season village to bustling ski town, before heading to our hotel (the pleasant if rather industrial-styled Amalia Delphi) for the night.
We have a long drive today, starting by passing through the scenic Arkadian mountains (on the Ionic Sea).
Actually it’s a very long drive and I didn’t sleep well last night so… no pics. Just dozing.
Along the way we stop to see local artisans explain the ancient processes that yield the distinctive pottery of the area.
We stop for a delicious lunch en route – it’s a lovely springish day and everything is blooming, considering it’s November and then we arrive at Olympia, to visit the ruins of what was the site of the original Olympic Games.
An immense complex has been uncovered and portions of it restored, and a museum shows some of the original recovered pieces. Elena explains the way the games would have worked in antiquity, as well as the site where the torch was lit, but I have no pics of any of it (for now)… I very inconveniently left my camera/phone on the bus for this outing. Which means, I pretty much felt distracted and discombobulated the entire time.
😦
I will report however that the Europa hotel near Olympia… Fantastic. As nice as some have or will be on the journey, this one is our collective favorite.
The rooms themselves are small but smartly laid out, with a lower level seating area, and bathrooms that feel positively luxurious after some we have had. The dinner and breakfast buffets are both superb as well.
We leave bustling Athens, and head south and west, through the Corinth Canal, connecting the Ionian Sea and the Aegean across the narrow isthmus, to the Peloponnese peninsula.
As we pass by the Bay of Corinth, and the barely visible remains of what was once a dock from which, nearly 2000 years ago, passengers might sail from Corinth to, say, Ephesus.
The apostle Paul, for instance.
We continue on to visit the auditorium at Epidaurus, where ancient plays would have been put on.
We visit Mycenae, where king Agamemnon departed to battle Troy. We see the ruins and excavation site of the palace, the Lion’s Gate, and the Beehive Tombs.
Then we stroll through picturesque Nauplia as the sun sets before continuing to the nearby hotel for the night.
We are all of one thought here: we wish we could have stayed in this little town longer.
We stay the night in the very pretty Amalia Nauplia. We run the waitstaff a bit ragged (not because we want to, but because we want to cluster ourselves in a larger group than planned, and they are super accommodating. So it goes when we all start to bond.)
Ring around the table: Connie Marge Linda Deana Troy and me.
In the evening we meet again for an optional group dinner in the Plaka area. ΤΑΒΕΡΝΑ ΚΑΛΟΚΟΡΙΝΟΣ.
The dinner is various Greek appetizers and a veal stew dish, accompanied by traditional Greek music and dancing… and a lot of fun!
Οπα!
Breakfast at The Stanley leaves something to be desired, but there’s coffee and water, both of which feel a blessing after the night.
Because of how early I went to bed (plus the time change, plus my unnecessary caution about the water day 1) I’m awake and headachy at 2:30. But by 3:30 I got myself resettled and wake up again just minutes before the alarm.
After the disappointing breakfast, I go down to meet the tour in the lobby. I am there early and find my tour guide for the land portion, Elena, but only Ben from my group (a retiree from Singapore on his third visit to Greece) also lingering, waiting. When Elena heads toward the door so do we… most everyone else is already on the bus!
We start with a city tour by bus, with just one stop for photos at the marble stadium, built for the PanAthenian games (a contemporary of the original olympic games – the site of which we will visit later) and then used for the first modern Olympic Games. Now it is used mostly as the terminus for their annual marathon, which will take place next Sunday (or I guess, a Sunday or two ago by the time I post this) – Nov 11.
Then we drive through the city, seeing the old and new Parliament buildings, the university, the remains of the Temple of Zeus and the Arch of Hadrian, and then we stop to visit the Acropolis.
We have our choice at the top of the Acropolis; we can explore for an hour and then take the bus back to the hotel, or make our own way. I chat with Linda, one of the other singles, but she is still adjusting and is heading back. Ben, on the other hand, has been here for days and is going exploring and walking back, so we decide to go together … around the Parthenon, through the crush of people exiting the Acropolis site, to the Hill of Mars (ostensibly where the apostle Paul preached in Athens) and out to the city.
We stop briefly to see about seeing the Acropolis Museum (which is supposed to be fantastic but on a Sunday is also an entry line miles long, so we forego it).
Then we trek through the city, through the Plaka, into basilicas, down again to the Arch of Hadrian: 
We stop for lunch at a little place with desperately needed shade, cool water, and delicious chicken souvlaki, not to mention a gorgeous view back up to the Parthenon:
Then we press on, back through shopping districts, thank heaven Ben has been here for days and knows the city very well. But eventually we are back in familiar areas, and when we see the statue of Icarus I know my way.
The Stanley has a coffee shop on the corner around from the entrance, and he gets a coffee to my cappuccino. (Unusual for me, but so good and so reasonably priced. And a free bottle of water as well. I love The Stanley once again.)
We go our separate ways once we return to the hotel proper and finish our drinks. I need to rest for the optional dinner excursion tonight; Ben is skipping that, so plans to go fill his afternoon.
