Saturday, October 31, 2015

Would You Like Greek Salad...or Greek Salad?

Rental Car 4

We managed to set a personal best for number of cars rented on a single trip --five.  We picked up our latest little number (4) at the Athen's airport after unceremoniously dumping off the sons for their flight stateside.  We then set off for Delphi (which they pronounce Delfee and spell at least four ways) and left the land of sea and sand for the mountains. I never knew that they skied in Greece but they do -- well, obviously not when we were there.  I mean have you ever heard someone say, "Why, yes, we'll be skiing in Greece during winter break"?  As I was pondering the oddness of the Greek ski scene, Michael rounded a curve and before us lay Delphi.  Well, actually it towered above us and is very, very vertical. But in a nice way, not a phobia #1 way.  The photos will do the job for us but just a quick couple of things:  1) This was where the Oracle hung out.  They just recruited a village woman who sat on a fuming (literally) throne and a priest "interpreted" her utterances.  Rubes. 2) Ancient people traveled a lot. Folks routinely did a Pilgrimage from Athens and all over Greece to Delphi.  It took us 2 and 1/2 hours in a CAR, up and down mountains, to get there from Athens. There was this one guy, Patria the Traveler or something like that, and EVERY place we went on the mainland there was a plaque that said "Patria the Traveler" was here....in like 200 B.C.  We only had one night in Delphi but had a wonderful dinner overlooking the Corinth Canal as the sun was setting. Photos now.


This is an omphalos. In Greek the word means navel. Zeus sent two eagles across the world to meet at its center, the "navel" of the world.

This was the treasury building at Delphi.

There seemed to be no shortage of cats wherever we went throughout Greece, and Delphi was no exception.

More of the ruins at Delphi.

A portion of the theater at Delphi, showing a little "wear & tear" over the ages.

Another view of the theater, giving you an idea of its size and showing how it is set in among the mountainous terrain.

These were the seats for the judges in the stadium, which was located above the theater. The judges had backs on their seats.

The Sphinx of Naxos sitting on an Ionic column was a gift of the people of the Aegean island of Naxos to the oracle of Delphi in the sixth century BC.

The twins of Argos at the Delphi museum, demonstrating that arms were not the only vulnerable appendages on the statues.

A recreation of how Delphi looked in the sixth century BC.

Everywhere we went in Greece we spotted olive trees such as these.  There are about 143 million olive trees and over 100 different types of olive trees. This works out to 12.85 trees for every person in Greece.

This is a picture of the scenic town of Arachova, just 12 kilometers from Delphi.

A view of Arachova from afar.

Mt. Parnassus looms over Delphi and the surrounding area.



To The Coast Once More!

From Delphi we were off to Napflion which is on the Peloponnesian Peninsula.  It is a beautiful old port town with pastel houses spread throughout an Old Town that is totally pedestrian.  There are three forts built by the various occupying forces throughout the centuries with the Venetian Fort that has seven bastions being the most impressive.  It was built in three years.  THREE YEARS!  On top of 600 foot cliffs!  All by hand! I think the scaffolding around the Capitol Dome in DC has been there more than three years....

This was the fort in Nafplion harbor, which is undergoing some renovation.
This is a view of the fort just above Nafplion from the fort built by the Venetians. The harbor fort can be seen as well.
One of the seven bastions of the Venetian fort. This gives you an idea of how high the fort is above the town.

The stone work to support the walls were very impressive.

Each bastion of the fort was at a higher point than the previous bastion.

A good view of the town below the fort.


Using the telephoto lens, this is the central square of the old town, which is restricted to pedestrians only.

While in Nafplion I ran into my brother-in-law walking toward us in the square depicted in the picture above. My sister Patricia and Deirdre were both in shops. A totally unplanned and random event, since they were staying in Athens at the time.


A ramp leading up to the upper reaches of one of the bastions. You can get an idea of the scale by looking at the person on the steps below the tree.

A century plant (yes they have these in Greece too) clinging to the cliff.

The top bastion, with the gun ports pointed down. When the Turks took over the fort from the Venetians, they failed to complete the back wall at the top of the fort. It was only five feet tall, and led to its later downfall in the battle for Greek independence.

We did mucho interesting things around Napflion.  We went to see the Mycenaean settlement nearby. These were the guys that took over  from the Minoans and they were much more feisty. They ruled much of the Mediterranean from 15000-1100 BC.  They mostly did farming and trade but did indulge in the occasional raiding of towns and other warlike acts that resulted in their needing to build massive fortifications.  The size of the rocks they used in construction was amazing and the concept of MOVING them...well, what can one say.  The Mycenaean civilization disappeared mysteriously. Pick one or more from the following: drought, earthquake, invasion and/or economic collapse.  By 1100 BC Greece was entering their Dark Ages in which writing became a lost art and many cities and settlements vanished.

The Lion Gate entrance to Mycenae. At its peak in 1350 BC, the citadel and lower town had a population of 30,000.

The opposite of the Lion Gate entrance. The size of the stones was quite impressive.  They are termed cyclopian.

A lintel above a pathway through the town.

A continuation of the pathway between two walls.

Looking up from the steps leading down to the underground cistern.

The entrance to the underground cistern.

This Northern postern gate shows the sophistication of the masonry work of the Mycenaens. The gate was closed with a double wooden door, bolted by a sliding bar.

This gold mask and other artifacts show the sophistication of the Mycenaean culture...

and the sophistication of their artisans.


We also had by now discovered the delights of lying on sun beds (as they so Europeanly call them) at the beach while sipping cold libations delivered to us by young, underemployed Greeks. Everything they say about the water and the beaches is true so I won't belabor it. The 4km beach at Napflion was a prime example. One day, we hopped a boat and took a trip out to the islands of Hydra (EE-dra) and Spetses.  After the frenzy and chaos of Mykonos and Santorini, these islands were havens of peace. On Hydra no motorized vehicles of any kind are allowed.  Everybody gets around on donkeys or walks.  Very civilized.  On Spetses they allow motor scooters but still not too bad noise-wise.  I was determined to see Spetses because it was the island that served as the location in the author's mind for The Magus by John Fowles-- one of my favorite reads of all time.  We went to a bunch of other places but I'll just ask Michael to throw a couple of his favorites photos in and we'll let you off the historical verbiage hook.

The wonderful sun beds with umbrellas to shelter from the sun (if you wish).


This is the famous theater of Epidaurus, built in a canyon in 340 BC. It is the best preserved example with a capacity of 13,000.

While Michael climbed the steps of the theater, Deirdre found a friend.

On the island of Hydra everything is delivered by horse or donkey. No vehicles are permitted, but obviously cell phones are allowed.

A view of the harbor at Hydra, with the houses on the hillside above the harbor.

The doors of Hydra were fascinating and each different as can be seen in this series of photos.


The Turkish (Muslim) influence can still be seen in the hand of Fatima door knockers. We also saw these in Morroco.



Notice the hand of Fatima on this door as well.

The latest in local transportation.

This is a great example of the Aegean blue waters.

The Poseidon Grand Hotel in Spetses, which first opened in 1914.  Known as the Philadelphia Hotel in The Magus.
(This one's for you Al, fellow Magus lover)

Some interior shots of the hotel...

with an old jukebox...

and antique furniture.

A statue of Bouboulina on Spetses, heroine of the Greek war of independence. She was a widow of an owner of a fleet of ships.  When war came, she outfitted them as warships and led them into battle.  She won.  She was like 50 something. She came home and was killed in a family feud.  So Greek.



To A Different Coast Once More!

To celebrate Michael's 65th birthday (albeit months late) we rented a house in Marathon with one of his sisters and his brother and their respective spouses.  While we wished the whole clan could have gathered (missed you Lang's and Gadberry's) we were lucky enough to get the youngest clan member (Archer) and his parents to come.  The house was near Marathon.  You know.  Like Marathon.  The plains of Marathon were where the Greeks won a battle against the Persians (against long odds) in 490 BC.  Really excited, one of them ran all the way to Athens to let folks know and fell over dead upon arrival.  It makes one wonder why, after that sad incident, they decided to make it a sporting event.  But I digress.  The house was perched far above the Aegean (very far) and was essentially built into a cliff.  From this base, we launched many expeditions throughout Attica.  The most adventurous was to the Temple of Poseidon which was about 3 hours away in driving rain, BUT, it cleared up when we arrived.  We also went to the Kaisariani Monastery which I only mention because: 1) We drove past it three times; 2) on one of the times we ended up atop the high mountain with amazing views (see photos) of Athens and 3) It was very small which made me think that they have the smallest churches/chapels/monasteries that I've seen anywhere but gazillions of them. There are some big ones I think but we never saw them.

One wing of the villa we rented with our family members.

The other wing of the Stone Castle Villa.

The central stairs between the two sections of the villa, which will be featured later in the blog. These became a virtual water/mud fall.  But read on.....

Our niece Carrie & her son Archer hanging out at the pool.

The Temple of Poseidon, or what remains of the temple.

Dian, Brian & Carrie at lunch before touring the temple. Brian is my brother, Dian is his wife and Carrie is their daughter.

Another view of the Temple of Poseidon.

A view from the temple to the Aegean and the rocks below.

We have noticed in our travels recently that the site does not matter, but rather having your picture taken at the site....

or taking a "selfie" at the site as can be seen from these next series of photos.





On our way back from viewing the temple of Aphrodite (not much left) below the temple of Poseidon, we spotted these quail in the bushes.

After the Temple of Poseidon we visited the Sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron. Every four years the Athenians celebrated the Brauronia, an event in which girls between the ages of 5 & 10 took part in arcane ceremonies, including a dance in which they were dressed as bears. It was unclear why. Well, at least to us.

In our travels we came across this most interesting rock formation.

This Ionic column commemorated the victory of the Athenians over the Persians, which was at a totally separate spot from....

the tomb containing the bodies of the 192 Athenian warriors who lost their lives in the battle. The invading Persians lost 6,400 soldiers.

The gravestone at the tomb depicts the Soldier of Marathon, a hoplite. This is a reproduction, while the original is now in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

Not far from where we were staying was the rowing venue for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

In touring the site we realized what a shame it is to build these magnificent venues...

with all of the attendant infrastructure...

including all of the buildings and then have it sit idle for most of the time and be allowed to slowly deteriorate.

From the top of Mt. Hymettos, the eastern "wall" of Athens, the Acropolis stands out in the middle of the photo.

A better view of the Acropolis using the extreme telephoto from the top of Mt. Hymettos.



Continuing with the "cats of Greece" theme, even the Monastery of Kaisariani had its cats. This one was found drinking water that had collected in the base of an old column.

The monastery with its cells for the monks.

This was a typical monk's cell with bed chair and desk.

The church where the monks went for their daily worship.

The ever present ikon of the Virgin and Child in the church.

The decorated dome of the church.



On the way to the fountain we came across this tortoise. At one point in the trip I had to stop the car to move a tortoise from the road it was crossing so it would not get hit.
This is the ram's head fountain on the monastery property, which is fed by a spring.

 This is a reproduction of the original, which is in the Acropolis Museum and was part of a roman sarcophagus.

So, back to politics.  The night we arrived at the house, the owner Michael the Host as he was known (there were two other Michael's already) cooked us a magnificent Greek dinner.  And we had a long chat about current day Greece and how it got so screwed up.  I will do the 30 second version.  In the 1980's the Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou vastly expanded the government payroll and nearly doubled the minimum wage.  A diner owner from New York became the tourism minister, a plumber was appointed to run a government shipping post and students were encouraged to appoint their own professors.  That last sentence comes straight from a 2013 NY Times article.  By his third term the coffers were dry and they were running up serious debt.  It was a mess and still is.  Michael the Host (who seemed upper middle class at least to us) was outraged at the property taxes/VAT taxes/Everything taxes he had to pay. Now we were there for the Sept. 20th election.  Michael the Host had to leave that night (the 19th) early because he had to go work at the voting station from 6AM to whenever (as in late) the next day.  And it was the third time in a year that he had done it!  Well, election day came and nobody seemed to care.  Just like any other day.  I'm just saying they are not a happy people.  Oh, one more thing.  Our maids in the hotels on the islands were Indonesians and most of the farm workers near Marathon seem to be Indian.  With youth unemployment at about 50% one wonders.... but then again I don't see a lot of young Americans in California's citrus groves either.

Slip, Sliding Away....Yep, This Is Where It Goes To Hell

I know you guys just wait for this part of the blog.  Or parts.  Where, through no fault of our own, the trip takes a horrifying/ridiculous/demented turn.  So here we go. One morning we awoke to an ominous sky which only grew more ominous.  At about 10AM all hell broke loose.  We are used to violent thunderstorms in Ajijic but this was something else.  The rain was coming sideways, the wind had to be in the 60 MPH range and water was streaming in under doors and through windows (that were closed).  We ran around throwing closed shutters and strewing towels in a vain attempt to thwart the inundation.  I looked out the door and saw Michael Vairin in his swimsuit using a giant squeegee and attempting to direct the water away from the doorways as it cascaded down the multiple sets of steps.  Just as our Michael Ross (you can see it's confusing) and Devin leapt into action similarly clad, I heard Patricia yell, "Oh, God" and saw a large wall of now muddy water with rocks hurling its way towards our men and the pool.   The retaining wall far above the house had cratered in a broad section throwing boulders, dirt and a large quantity of water on to the barbeque deck which then subsequently washed down the stairs headed for the pool.

Pictures of the water & mud from the great inundation above and below...


with Michael Vairin manning the squeegee to push the mud and water away from the entrance.


The rocks, mud and water which flowed...

when a section of the neighbor's wall gave way.

Trying to clean up in the aftermath of the deluge.

Even after the first deluge, in the second heavy rain this water and mud came pouring forth from this wall of the villa.


Meanwhile, Brian (Michael's brother) had left the house to join Michael the Host so he could be led to a car repair shop.  This was required because, while on a grocery jaunt, Brian had backed his van into a huge (but low) concrete pot that had been placed maliciously in the middle of the parking lot.
Patricia called Brian to let him know to tell Michael the Host that his house was washing away. Which Brian did.  As soon as he made sure Michael the Host had translated for him and the car was on its way to being glued back together.  Clever Brian.  So, it was quite a day.  Eventually, the cleaning crew arrived and things got sorted out.  We even got a two day refund which was nice.

So, that's about it.  There was probably a lot more stuff but....well, I think that's enough.  We flew back and saw our pals in Boston and Portland and my brother, sister-in-law and Alex and dragged our weary, yet happy bodies back to Ajijic.  I hate to end this on a sad note, but our very great and ancient cat, Siam, died in her sleep while we were in Greece.  She was the equivalent of 105 (21 human years) and never had a sick day.  We should all be so lucky.  She'll be missed.  So, on to cheerier things.  The next blog will cover our triumphant return to Ajijic and the amazing Mother and Child Reunion between burros.   More soon.