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We were all scheduled to fly from Athens back to Istanbul where the Flynns and Kozleskis were slated to fly back to Seattle while Yvonne and I had to fly to Vancouver as there were no business class seats left on the Seattle flight.  No problem, we simply planned to spend the night at the Vancouver airport and fly home the next day. When we arrived at the Athens airport we saw our flight to Istanbul was being delayed 1.5 hours, not a problem for us but cutting it close for the other couples. However, we later learned that the flight was going to be delayed 3.5 hours, enough for the Flynns and Kozleskis to definitely miss their connection and putting us in jeopardy.  I assumed we would not make our flight and started looking at options. There were no business class seats available to either Vancouver or Seattle for several days. Would we be willing to degrade? Would I get a refund?  I even looked at options to simply fly back business class to anywhere in the US and buy coach class tickets to get home from there. I chose to wait until we arrived in Istanbul to make whatever change I needed to make.

Surprisingly by the time we reached Istanbul we found that our flight from Istanbul to Vancouver had also been delayed and was scheduled to leave in 25 miuntes! Can we make it? Istanbul airport is huge but we walked “quickly” to the new departure gate only to arrive and be told the gate had just closed. Bummer! Then something magical happened. The agent looked at our tickets and chatted with the people at the desk who then said we could board! Why? I think it was because we had business class seats; I have no other answer. Moral: maybe spending extra to fly business class can be worth it!

We made the flight but, as expected, our luggage did not. This is the first time in over a decade that our lugggage has not been there when we arrived. I figured it was going to be a real hassle filing the necessary paperwork to get our luggage back. Surprisingly it was not. A very efficient agent knew our luggage was in Istanbul but the next Turkish flight to Vancouver was not until Tuesday. When she learned we lived in Seattle she said she would try to reroute our luggage to Seattle which would be great. I left the luggage claim feeling better about everything, but still somewhat skeptical about seeing our luggage in any timely way.

I had already canceled our hotel in Vancouver as I had thought we were not going to be there as scheduled, so here we were with no hotel reservations. It was nice to see that there is a Fairmont hotel right at the airport you do not even need to leave the terminal. We stayed there and they provided the few toiletries we needed for the evening.

Our flight home from Vancouver on Sunday was uneventful. On Tuesday we received a text that our luggage had safely arrived- in Vancouver! Turkish immediately sent it to Seattle and I give them credit as we received texts from both the airline about the status and from the driver about when they would be delivered to our home, which they were, safe and sound on Thursday, October 30. All is well.

We did not know what happened to our travel companions until after we all had returned to Seattle. As it turned out the Flynns had to spend two nights in Istanbul without their luggage before flying home on Monday, but accompanied by their luggage. The Kozleskis, on the other hand, had to fly from Istanbul to Washington Dulles where they had a 3 hour layover  before arriving late at night in Seattle where they chose to spend the night so they could arrange for their luggage before coming home. The return flights for all of us were the proverbial “trip from hell”! But at least we all made it home safely with lots of stories to tell.

Steps for the day: 5315 which was surprising!

Epilogue:

– Road Scholar does an amazing job. We continue to enjoy taking trips with them. The groups are small, the leaders are excellent, the fellow travelers are experienced travelers, and you really learn a lot.

– Greece is an amazing country with a mind blowing history. It was almost overwhelming and there is still so much I did not learn about it. It is a country well worth visiting- more than once.

Parting note: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. — Mark Twain

Our cruise was over as we had returned to our starting port of Athens. We had visited some amazing locations, the weather cooperated (except it was a bit cold for the swimmers), and we avoided the crowds and heat of summer. It was a very good week!

Normally we would immediately go home the morning we arrive in port. However, because of questions of whether the vessel would make it back in time we all opted to spend an extra day in Athens and fly home tomorrow. Niki arranged for a large van to take us from the cruise port to our hotel near the old town area, Plaka, so we could do more sightseeing/shopping before departing Greece.  After all the good food we had on the ship everyone was now in the mood for a good old fashioned hamburger. Luckily there was a recommended place (“ best burger in Athens they said”) not far from our hotel. It opened at noon  and we were there. But that did not mean they were ready to take orders then; we had to wait about 25 minutes for the grill to heat up. Had to laugh but we waited! We agreed we would go our separate ways after lunch and reconvene for a farewell dinner at a rooftop restaurant with a view of the Acropolis.

Yvonne and I chose to take one of our other favorite tours in a city: riding a hop on- hop off bus tour of the city. They are usually educational and you get to see all parts of a city. Best of all, you get to ride, not walk!

Later that afternoon I saw that we were very close to the area where the changing of the guard occurred every hour in front of the Parliament and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  I went to watch it and was impressed by the solemnity and complexity of the event. The way the soldiers move and hold their “pose” during the choreographed execution of the event was impressive. I am glad I got to experience it.

The evening farewell dinner was dampened by the lack of John joining us. The bad cold he caught on the ship had him under the weather and he chose to remain at the hotel. The restaurant was only a 6 minute walk from the hotel. It was a beautiful evening and we experienced a grand sunset during our dinner, while watching the moon rise over the Acropolis. It was a fitting end to our trip.

Tomorrow we return home.

Steps for the day:  9,364. A Good day.

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None of us had ever heard of Hydra (pronounced EEE dra) but what a pleasant surprise once we arrived this morning. It is a tiny island (population 2,070). Wheeled vehicles are not allowed on the island; only garbage trucks and emergency vehicles are welcome. Even bicycles are banned! Transportation is by walking, donkeys, horses or boats. As expected, it is mainly a tourist destination. It turned out to be an idyllic visit!

Niki led us on a short orientation tour of the town and its history. One of the interesting stories she shared was about the maritime tradition associated with Hydriots (people of Hydra). They have always been known for their ship building and training of maritime sailors. In fact they played an important part on the Greek war of independence of 1821. Hydra had a fleet of 130 ships ( and 10,000 sailors)  at the time and used them in their war against Turkey. Their use of “fire ships” were an important part of their success.  Fire ships were basically striped down ships loaded with explosives that were purposely detonated when interacting with Turkish ships. To this day Hydra is noted for its training of seafaring personnel and it boosts the oldest mariner training academy in the world.

After Niki’s tour we were left to explore the island and create our own memories of it before having to board the ship by 4:45 PM. Our group separated and agreed to reconvene for lunch at a somewhat famous island restaurant that has been frequented by the likes of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Onassis, and Brigitte Bardot. If it was good enough for them we simply had to go there!

Tourist season was over so we had no problem getting an outdoor table at the surprisingly tiny restaurant. It was a lovely way to finish our visit to a simply marvelous island. I would certainly enjoy spending more time there one day!

The weather was fabulous as we began our sail back to Athens. There was a farewell cocktail hour followed by a special dinner. The crew was reintroduced to us and thanked us for sailing with them.

Steps for the day:  6,714.  Admirable.

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We have been exploring the ancient Minoan civilization so far on this trip. Now we will be visiting sites associated with the Mycenaean civilization, the last phase of the Bronze Age in ancient Greece, spanning from approximately 1750 to 1050 BC. We are going to Nafplio to visit a Mycenae site. Nafplio is a small popular tourist town (population 14,532) on the west side of the Peloponnese peninsula of mainland Greece.

This morning we are headed to see the ruins of Mycenae, an archaeological site near Nafplio. Mycenae was one the the main centers of Greek civilization during the 2nd millennium BCE, a military stronghold that dominated this part of southern Greece. The period of history from about 1700-1100 BCE gets its name from Mycenae. The Mycenae site is connected the the era of Homer epics and the evolution of the Greek languages because of artifacts known as “Linear B”. Niki walked us through the remains of the ruins of Mycenae and gave us time to wander through the museum there that contained artifacts that had been found in the complex.

The accomplishments of the Mycenaeans in art, architecture and technology, which inspired other European cultures, is evident in the displays in the museum.  Again the museum was wonderful but overwhelming! From my pictures you will sense I found myself more interested in the stories about their civilization rather than the artifacts themselves.

Returning to the waterfront town of Nafplio we were led on a brief orientation tour of the local area before heading back to the ship for lunch.

Our afternoon was free and people went their individual ways to sleep, shop or tour the town in more detail. I chose the latter and even took a local “tourist train” on a 20 minute tour of Nafplio.

After seeing the lovely seaside restaurants on the waterfront and looking for something different the six of us had agreed to go out for pizza for dinner, rather than eating on the ship. We were dismayed to find that it began raining lightly (the very first rain we have seen on the trip) which forced us to eat inside a restaurant rather than outdoors. It still was a tasty meal!

Tomorrow is our last stop on the trip before returning to Athens.

Steps for the day:  11,324 Wow, a diamond day!

Now, these are not commonly known destinations for visitors to Greece. I certainly had never heard of them and had to rely on the Internet to educate me.

Our first stop in the morning was the tiny island of Kythira (also known as Kythera, Cythera and even Kithira ). It lies off the southeast coast of the Peloponnese peninsula of mainland Greece. It is one of the seven main Ionian islands. It is strategically located between Greece and Crete and so it was an important trading center in medieval times. Greek mythology says  Kythira is where Aphrodite was born. We were bused to the small village of Kythira where a short walking tour was held in the sleepy little town. Word got out that there were tourists here and several shop owners hurried to open their shops while we were here.

Those with more energy could walk up to the remains of the fortress overlooking the town.  The three men in our group did, while the ladies relaxed at lower elevations. We walked back down and explored the village a bit more until it was time to leave.  It was a delightful visit to a very laid-back community.

We were back on the ship by noon to have lunch as we sailed to our next stop, Monemvasia. Because we had extra sailing time the other tour leader, Tassos (a trained archaeologist), gave a lecture about Greek archeology in the afternoon.

We arrived at Monemvasia about 4 PM and immediately went to see the ruins of yet another medieval town/fortress. Monemvasia is a”tied” island (island connected to mainland of Greece with an isthmus of beach material). It is one of the oldest, continuously occupied fortress towns in Europe and is often referred to as the “Gibraltar of the East”. It was occupied from the 6th century by inhabitants from ancient Sparta. It is another of the ancient mountaintop fortresses where we had to take a bus to the entrance of the medieval town which has the definite appeal as a tourist destination- tiny cobblestone streets, restaurants with drop dead views, tiny boutique hotels where your luggage by taken by wheelbarrows through the narrow streets and plenary of souvenir shops. Niki led us through the town on an orientation tour, then gave us some free time to explore on our own before returning to our ship for dinner. I really liked the town and definitely would have liked to spend more time there.

After our too short visit we were back on the ship for dinner and sailing to our next location.

Steps for the day: 7,131. Not bad!

Our guide, Niki, was excited because we are visiting the island where she was born and still lives, when not guiding tours. One of her great redeeming values is she shares stories about her family and childhood. Her family has always been in the olive oil business, currently owning over 500 trees. They do not commercially sell the oil, it is only for their and close friends use. She said this dates back to generations she knows nothing about!

Crete is famous as the foremost location of the Bronze Age, Minoan culture that flourished from 3500BCE until about 1100BCE.  Our first visit will be to Knossos, one of the major palaces of the Greek Minoan civilization period. The palace itself is known as the palace of Minos and is noted for its relationship to the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.  It was first built around 1900BCE before being destroyed around 1750BCE.   The complex was rebuilt and again destroyed around 1450BCE probably by earthquakes. After that the area was ruled by the Mycenaeans who had arrived from mainland Greece. It is often considered to be the oldest city in Europe and is the second most visited archaeological site in Greece (after the Parthenon).  I find the timelines fascinating. We are talking about advanced civilizations from 2 millennia BCE. We spent a couple of hours at the Knossos site as Niki told us about its history. It would take a lot more time to really understand what it was all about. I did buy a book on it; hopefully I will find time to read it one of these days!

We retraced our steps to the city of Heraklion, the capital of Crete (population 179,000) and the location of the archeological Museum that happens to contain most of the artifacts from the Konossos Palace and other places that had existed on Crete. Again it was one of those “oh, my gosh” displays of ancient art and life. I am astounded by the age of these artifacts, the technology available to these cultures at that time and the quality of many of the pieces. It is truly amazing!

 

 

There was a late lunch (2PM) in a local Heraklion restaurant and then a return to the boat by 5PM.

At 6:30 we were entertained by a local group of dancers who performed some folk dance in native attire,while we enjoyed pre dinner cocktails. Tonight’s dinner was a change of pace in that it featured a Greek inspired buffet. Unfortunately, it came right on the heals of the big, late lunch we had!

And this our visit to Crete and the Minoan civilization came to an end. Time to move on!

Steps for the day:  7,895.

 

 

 

 

 

Thera? I thought we were going to Santorini. We are, but its real name is/was Thera. I have to admit I did not know that either! Santorini is probably the most famous Greek island, noted for its huge caldera and idyllic white-washed buildings with blue roofs! I admit it is magical, especially when the tourists are NOT there. Yes, I know we are also tourists.

But before we arrived at Santorini the ship made a stop in a small sheltered bay on the island of Ios for a two hour swim stop for those who were interested.  About 10 people chose to do so (we did not). Unfortunately about 6-8 people had come down with intestinal issues overnight which  probably affected the number of people who participated in the swim. The ship’s staff quickly implemented isolation rules for those affected and alerted the rest of us to use caution and wash hands religiously.

After the swimming session we continued our way to Santorini. Our destination was to first visit the Bronze Age ruins of Akrotiri located on the southern part of the island. This settlement dates back to ca. 5000-4000 BCE. It was destroyed (like Pompeii) by the volcanic eruption that hit Thera around the 16th century BCE. It has been actively studied since 1967. It was linked to the era of the Minoan civilization, one of the earliest Greek civilization eras, as a result of the artifacts found at the site. Akrotiri prospered for over 500 years with paved streets, an extensive drainage system and even three story buildings. It was an important trade center with other Greek cultures; it was especially noted for its knowledge of copper products and technology and pottery.

From there we went to the major attraction on Santorini, the village of Oia (pronounced “e ah”) where, after a brief orientation walk,  we had several hours to wander on our own through the meandering narrow streets admiring what Oia is known for.

We were bussed back to the landing late in the day and taken back to our ship for dinner and to begin our journey to our next stop, the island of Crete.

Steps for the day:  6,841.

We awoke, still underway, approaching the island of Delos. It is small (1.32 sq. miles) almost in the center of the Cyclades archipelago. It is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. Why? It is considered to be the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Time for a discussion of Greek god hierarchy. Zeus was the “king” of gods. He was married to Hera but had an affair with Leto who caught his eye. Leto gets pregnant with twins (Apollo and his sister Artemis). Hera banishes the pregnant Leto from any land. She ultimately finds her way to the island of Delos which, supposedly was not attached to land or the sea bottom so it did not violate Hera’s orders.  This is where Apollo and Artemis are born and why Delos is so important. Apollo was the god of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the sun and light, poetry, and more.  Artemis was the goddess of the hunt (and the wilderness, nature, vegetation, childbirth and chastity). Greek gods had a lot of responsibility!

After experiencing the Acropolis of Athens the island of Delos is a bit of a disappointment as there is not much to see in the way of still existing temples. It is covered mostly with piles of stone that were once grand temples and homes. At one time the population of Delos was 40,000. Niki says that the attitude of the government is to not try to recreate the old temples. They prefer to simply maintain what remains. The lack of money for restoration is obviously an important part of that decision. There is a small museum on the island that contains some interesting artifacts found there, especially those related to how people lived.

A lot of credit goes to Niki as she got us to the archaeological sites before the other hoards of tourists arrived on the larger ships. It was appreciated by us all. We were back on our ship for lunch as we worked our way to the touristy island of Mykonos.

Mykonos and Santorini are probably the most famous of the Cycladic islands and the ones that most tourists visit. Mykonos has a population of 10,700 and is known for its nightlife and its attraction for alternative lifestyles. It is also known for its old windmills, which are there because of the winds prevalent in the area. Mykonos was an important trading center  in antiquity and was ruled by many including the Romans, Venetians and the Ottomans.

We had a brief walking tour and introduction to the town by Niki and then left on our own to explore the island town (also called Mykonos) for several hours. The town is loaded with restaurants, souvenir and higher end shops and bars, with prices that surprised me!

We stopped for an evening drink on the waterfront before returning to the ship and paid 22 euros for a drink!  The big disappointment (to me) was that there are no longer any pelicans wandering through the waterfront restaurants looking for a handout. When we were here in 2008 that was one of the fond memories I had of this island!

It was back to the ship for dinner as we worked our way to the next stop, the famous (and beautiful) island of Santorini.

Steps for the day: 6,118.

If you looked up the details of this trip you would have learned that most of this trip is on a ship. This afternoon we will be boarding the three masted sailing vessel, the MS Panorama for a week long cruise through the Greek islands. However, this morning we are visiting the National Archeological Museum, considered to be one of the great museums in the world, to learn more about the various Greek civilizations that occupied this area over time. The current building was started in 1866 and completed in 1889. Niki told us that during WWII the museum’s contents were boxed and buried to prevent looting. It worked and we were able to view the marvelous collection that dates back to Neolithic times. It is yet another museum that requires multiple visits to really appreciate all that is there. By the way, one modern welcome addition to travel has been the advent of “whisperers” (audio transmitter) which allow us to individually hear what our tour guides are saying without having to stand right next to them, so we were able to hear what Niki was saying without being next to her.

Leaving the museum in late morning we were bussed to the port city of Piraeus where we had lunch at a seaside restaurant and then boarded our “hotel” for the next week, the sailing vessel, ms Panorama.

Accommodations were adequate, although there was not much place to store clothes. I graciously gave most of the drawers to Yvonne and I simply lived out of my suitcase. We have experienced worse; this was adequate. We met the major ship’s staff, the captain, the hotel manager, the chef and some of the service personnel. A mandatory safety talk was given after which the welcome cocktails and appetizers appeared before a sit down dinner was served. My initial impression was the food was better than I had expected.

The ship left port later that evening. There was some apprehension about wind causing ship stability issues but it was minimal and the gentle rocking of the ship lulled me to sleep. Tomorrow we visit Delos to view the ancient ruins dedicated to Apollo and then on to Mykonos.

Steps for the day: 5,587, an easy day.

We are starting our Road Scholar trip with a walking tour of the Acropolis of Athens where the Parthenon is located. The site is only a few blocks from our hotel. The weather is perfect-mid 70s predicted for today.

First, a bit of clarification. An acropolis is a fortification, usually the top of a hill with fairly steep walls to protect it. All Greek cities cities would have an acropolis. The residences of the royalty and temples used for religious purposes were located there. They became the center for community interaction.  In this case the famous Parthenon, dedicated to the goddess, Athena, dominates the site. There are several other smaller temples at the same location.we will be visiting them all as part of our walk.

Athena was the goddess of wisdom, warfare and handicrafts. Athena is the daughter of Zeus and is the patron goddess of Athens. The story of her birth is a bit of a stretch and I leave it to you to research it!

Even though we were in Athens after the tourist season there were still a lot of people visiting the Acropolis when we were there. I would hate to have been there mid-summer when the temperatures would have been 95 degrees with corresponding humidity and a lot more people! We are finding that the tourist seasons have been extended beyond the old normal times obviously to avoid the stifling crowds and weather.

After several hours wandering around the top of the Acropolis we descended and went to visit the relatively new (2009) Acropolis museum, where all the artifacts found on/around the Acropolis are on display. It is a very impressive exhibit and certainly worthy of more time  than we had to explore it. It covers the era from the Greek Bronze Age to the Romans and Byzantine era. The museum is actually built on top of ancient Roman and Byzantine ruins, some of which can be seen by the transparent glass floors in the museum.

A late lunch was at a nearby Greek restaurant where we started sampling the variety of Greek dishes we will be having over the next week. The rest of the afternoon was “free time” and we were on our own for dinner this night. In anticipation of that I sought out a local restaurant that offered not only traditional Greek food, but Greek music and dancing. It was a small place in the Plaka (old town) area of Athens where the streets are narrow and winding with little or no traffic. It seemed like a perfect place to absorb some Greek culture.

Tomorrow afternoon we will be boarding our ship and beginning our week long cruise through the Greek islands.