Saturday, 20 July 2013
A Special Meal
This is our last day in Greece. After 3 weeks of travel through the Peloponnesse, Crete, Santorini and the Southern Islands, we have come at last to Athens, capital of this troubled modern state, original home to the ideals of the "demos", the common people (who today tried to march on the Greek Parliament to voice their protest at the presence of the German Finance minister and were thwarted in the attempt). In our time here, we have come to love the land, the sea, the people and the food(!), so what better way to mark this end than with a special meal at the foot of a sacred site. Our gratitude goes out to the people of the community at Sylvan United, whose generosity provided us with the means to enjoy this fine dinner. But for now, farewell to Hellas. We shall return!
Sailing the Aegean Sea
The Greeks are people of the sea. With thousands of miles of coastline and 6000 islands within its borders, it made sense that we spend as much time as possible on the water.
We have spent time touring Greece on small boats: a snorkel and island cruise out of Chania, the boat ride over to Spinalonga, and our last day on Thira (Santorina), a 6 hour boat cruise around the caldera.
Santorini is made up of 5 islands that are the remnants of an ancient volcano. We boarded a 2 masted schooner in the morning and spent the day with about 80 other passengers and our tour guide Ingemar, who was fluent in at least 5 languages. First stop was Nea Kameni, a small volcanic island that was made entirely of chunky black volcanic rock. It was quite anexperience getting off our boat as there were a number of boats moored side by side at the same dock. we had to walk on and over the decks of 4 other boats before reaching the dock. We hiked (in the heat) a couple of kilometres to a number of view points and to a natural crater where Ingemar gave an excellent talk about volcanism and the geological history of Santorini. Anyone who knows my love of geology, and all things to do with rocks, knows that this was a great day for me.
Next stop was to Palea Kameni, where there is a hot spring that comes up through the ocean floor. Our boat anchored and we were able to swim into the hot spring cove to warm water. Our last island stop was to Thirasia, where there is a traditional village perched up on the cliff. At the shore were a number of tavernas where we could take some lunch before exploring the island a little. Large swells made our return trip to Thira very exciting as there was lots of rocking and rolling of the ship and great sprays of water for those of us sitting on the forward deck. The last portion of the cruise was spent motoring from the tip of Thira (directly below the town of Oia) all the way back to the main port. The high cliffs with their layers of rock and small caves and outcroppings made for a very scenic voyage. A fantastic day! (Susan)
We also spent time on big boats. We rode ferries from Piraeus to Chania, from Iraklio to Thira and, as a grande finale, from Santorini to Ios to Sikinos to Folegandros to Kimolos to Sifnos to Piraeus (what we called our "poor man's cruise on the Aegean"). We were struck by the sight of so many working boats coming and going from harbours large and small, loading and unloading people, bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, cars and trucks and goods of every description. Chaos reigned on the docks! While BCFerries would have been shocked at the lack of protocol, the crews were adept, the crowds were relaxed and the captains jockeyed their boats as they would a car on the streets of Athens. As we rode a heavy swell to our final destination, I realized something in the end: the deep blue and the stark white of the Greek flag echoes the troughs and the tips of these waves. From now on, whenever I see that flag flying in the wind, I will think of these waters. (Murray)
We have spent time touring Greece on small boats: a snorkel and island cruise out of Chania, the boat ride over to Spinalonga, and our last day on Thira (Santorina), a 6 hour boat cruise around the caldera.
Santorini is made up of 5 islands that are the remnants of an ancient volcano. We boarded a 2 masted schooner in the morning and spent the day with about 80 other passengers and our tour guide Ingemar, who was fluent in at least 5 languages. First stop was Nea Kameni, a small volcanic island that was made entirely of chunky black volcanic rock. It was quite anexperience getting off our boat as there were a number of boats moored side by side at the same dock. we had to walk on and over the decks of 4 other boats before reaching the dock. We hiked (in the heat) a couple of kilometres to a number of view points and to a natural crater where Ingemar gave an excellent talk about volcanism and the geological history of Santorini. Anyone who knows my love of geology, and all things to do with rocks, knows that this was a great day for me.
Next stop was to Palea Kameni, where there is a hot spring that comes up through the ocean floor. Our boat anchored and we were able to swim into the hot spring cove to warm water. Our last island stop was to Thirasia, where there is a traditional village perched up on the cliff. At the shore were a number of tavernas where we could take some lunch before exploring the island a little. Large swells made our return trip to Thira very exciting as there was lots of rocking and rolling of the ship and great sprays of water for those of us sitting on the forward deck. The last portion of the cruise was spent motoring from the tip of Thira (directly below the town of Oia) all the way back to the main port. The high cliffs with their layers of rock and small caves and outcroppings made for a very scenic voyage. A fantastic day! (Susan)
We also spent time on big boats. We rode ferries from Piraeus to Chania, from Iraklio to Thira and, as a grande finale, from Santorini to Ios to Sikinos to Folegandros to Kimolos to Sifnos to Piraeus (what we called our "poor man's cruise on the Aegean"). We were struck by the sight of so many working boats coming and going from harbours large and small, loading and unloading people, bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, cars and trucks and goods of every description. Chaos reigned on the docks! While BCFerries would have been shocked at the lack of protocol, the crews were adept, the crowds were relaxed and the captains jockeyed their boats as they would a car on the streets of Athens. As we rode a heavy swell to our final destination, I realized something in the end: the deep blue and the stark white of the Greek flag echoes the troughs and the tips of these waves. From now on, whenever I see that flag flying in the wind, I will think of these waters. (Murray)
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Santorini
Yassis!
Today we are in Santorini and with yet another pool to relax in. And even if it is the deepest of the three pools it still isn't my favorite because of another no diving rule. However, Santorini is much more scenic than our pool. All of the views we have seen from balconies and patios, have been fantastic and beautiful. Last night we saw an amazing sunset from a restaurant on the south side of Thira. A big glowing ball of fire falling slowly into an abyssimal pool of water; what could be better! Although it is a pretty island, I wouldn't live here due to tourism and traffic that increases every afternoon. Enjoying the trip and will be excited to reach Athens.
See you soon,
Isaac
Today we are in Santorini and with yet another pool to relax in. And even if it is the deepest of the three pools it still isn't my favorite because of another no diving rule. However, Santorini is much more scenic than our pool. All of the views we have seen from balconies and patios, have been fantastic and beautiful. Last night we saw an amazing sunset from a restaurant on the south side of Thira. A big glowing ball of fire falling slowly into an abyssimal pool of water; what could be better! Although it is a pretty island, I wouldn't live here due to tourism and traffic that increases every afternoon. Enjoying the trip and will be excited to reach Athens.
See you soon,
Isaac
Sunday, 14 July 2013
Spinalonga
I'm not sure how it happened that we decided to stay in Elounda on Crete. Part of the decision was based on Murray's desire to visit some ruins that lie to the south. Part was to visit the north coast of the island and yet not be in a large city like Hiraklion or Rthimno. Elounda looked like a place that might work. On a friend's recommendation (thanks Sarah) I read "The Island", a novel by British author Victoria Hyslop that focuses on the lives of some people who were sent to live on Spinalonga. Spinalonga is a small island that sits at the mouth of the bay near Elounda. In the late 16th century, the Venetians built an important defensive sea fortress on the island. Over the years, the island was occupied by Turks, Venetians, and Muslims. In 1903 it was established as a leper colony. Originally, lepers coming only from Crete were deported here but once Crete became part of Greece in 1913, lepers from all over Greece were sent to Spinalonga. When the leper colony closed in 1957, it was the last colony of its kind in all of Europe. It made us think of D'arcy Island, off the southern tip of Vancouver Island, which was also used as a leper colony for Chinese immigrants between 1894 and 1924.
We took a boat from Elounda's harbour and sailed to the dock at Spinalonga. Walking through the tunnel which was the entrance to the leper colony, it was humbling to think of all those folk who had been sent through the same tunnel to live out the remainder of their lives on this small, arid rock in the Mediterranean. Numerous people--men, women, and children-- lived, worked, married (some even had children), and eventually died on the island of Spinalonga. For us, the visit raised more questions than it answered about leprosy, exile, community and hope.
Susan
We took a boat from Elounda's harbour and sailed to the dock at Spinalonga. Walking through the tunnel which was the entrance to the leper colony, it was humbling to think of all those folk who had been sent through the same tunnel to live out the remainder of their lives on this small, arid rock in the Mediterranean. Numerous people--men, women, and children-- lived, worked, married (some even had children), and eventually died on the island of Spinalonga. For us, the visit raised more questions than it answered about leprosy, exile, community and hope.
Susan
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