Santorini - Athens - Istanbul, Wednesday 21 September 2011

Weather – sunny with showers in Istanbul

Temperature:  22 – 26

This morning David and I set off for an early morning walk through Thira and passed the cable car to the top of the hill where the Catholic Cathedral and Bishop’s House sits.  It was a lovely temperature following the old cobbled stoned streets where it was quiet and the busy tourist shops were still closed.  From the top we could see a different view of Thira and where our hotel, Hotel Keti was situated.

Photo:  Looking down from our hotel to the old port:  can you see the donkeys?

As we came closer to the church we could hear Gregorian chants….it would be enchanting to report that real monks were singing inside but alas it was not to be…..some piped music!  It was a serene experience though….

As we were making our way down we met a member of our former tour and told her about our wonderful catamaran trip.  She seemed very interested and took down notes so I hope she follows through.  It’s a small world when you are a tourist.

Photo:  last look at the the little terrace at Hotel Keti.

We packed and then struggled up the steps to the main road for the taxi.  Cameron and David took the brunt of this haul – the price we paid for our well located hotel.

Photo:  Up we go.......

A word about Greek drivers – they are patient, never toot their horns and live by the rule:  who dares wins!  They are also completely reckless.   After surviving the taxi ride from hell from Athens to Pireaus we met another maniac today.  This driver was particularly gifted:  he was using two mobile phones and a taxi radio while driving.  My middle seat didn’t have a seat belt so I wrapped my arms through Desley and David’s!  We arrived safely and in good time.

Our flights to Athens and to Istanbul were quick as it only took 30 minutes from Santorini to Athens and 50 minutes to Istanbul.  It took more time showing our boarding passes/passports/customs and buying Turkish visas.

We were picked up by the hotel driver who is a distant relative of Greek taxi drivers.  There is a significant difference here though:  they are cranky and they use their horns!  My seatbelt had given up being retractable long ago and would have fitted an elephant….but why was I worried….the driver didn’t wear his anyway. 

The journey gave us a good idea just how big Istanbul is with its 12 million inhabitants.  We travelled some of the way along the Sea of Marmara which seems to be a busy shipping lane.

Settling into our hotel was somewhat disappointing as there is very little room to store our clothes and as we are here for six nights it would have been so much better not to live out of our suitcases.

Dinner beckoned and we asked advice from reception.  They were particularly helpful – “there are thousands around here”….most helpful!  So we set out and turned left!  Dining is going to be a bit of an adventure as we discovered tonight as there are touts calling for you all the time and showing you their menus.  They are geared for tourists as they have pictures of the food in case there was any doubt about what we could order.

There was a shop with an amazing array of sweets – and that’s all they serve – lots of Turkish Delight, nougat, baklava, drizzled sweets etc.  We’ve promised ourselves to go back!

We eventually settled on one which seemed to have a busy customer base and we were placed outside while the couple before us were rushed out of their table.  No more had we sat down then it started raining so we were moved up grubby marble stairs to the upstairs room.  After ascertaining whether the menu prices were in lira or euro (it was lira) and then finding it was also no alcohol we were all reduced to drinking soft drink with a mixed platter of meat balls, kebab, yoghurt, carrot, gyros and pizza.  A huge piece of bread had arrived before this which didn’t fit into the bowl and sat mostly on the table.  We hope the table was clean! 

Photo:  the bread!  We ate the lot.

Photo:  Culture shock....no alcohol!

We enjoyed the meal and we were going to do a little exploring but it was still drizzling so we made our way back to the hotel.  Desley went into a lovely little shop with a helpful man who sold her some coat hangers as they only had four in their hotel room and the reception didn’t have any more!  While Desley and I looked around the shop David managed to buy some bottled water as we cannot drink the hotel’s.

All in all it was an interesting day.  I wonder what lies ahead for us in Istanbul?  More tales to come……

Santorini – Tuesday, 19 September 2011

Weather:  sunny - breezy in the afternoon

Temperature:  late 20’s

People come into your lives for a reason and two Canadians we met at breakfast yesterday morning recommended a sunset sailing trip which they said was the highlight of their trip away.  We decided to take their advice and we couldn’t have agreed more.  What a shame we were never able to tell these lovely folk how much we enjoyed our trip as they have already left for more adventures this morning!

The afternoon trip was arranged at breakfast time after a little bit of searching around for the name of the company recommended by the Canadian couple.  As we hadn’t seen Thira, Desley and I set off for a spot of shopping after breakfast while David did his washing and some shopping and Cameron stayed back at the Hotel Keti and worked on his computer.

Desley and I purchased a few things – souvenirs/gifts and we bought some things for ourselves.  There is a huge array of jewellery shops with an unbelievable array of designs - so far we have not succumbed and we keep saying:  wait for Turkey!  We met David and Cameron outside the Hotel Atalantis and found a great little café for lunch (Greek salads, omelette and club sandwiches).

After organising our things for our afternoon trip we walked to where we were going to be picked up by the coach.

I was a little tentative about going on a sailing catamaran so I took some of my magic seasickness tablets.  The bus took us down to the picturesque fishing port of Armeni Bay which had a backdrop of rock just below Oia.  The crew helped us on board and we were off for the most wonderful afternoon:  swimming and snorkelling in crystal clear water;  swimming near the active volcano to enjoy some thermal warm water and  dining on board looking at the sunset.

Photo:  Armeni Bay just below Oia...our point of departure.

It’s hard to describe the colour of the water- a royal blue with aquamarine perhaps.  The masks helped us see some small fish and the black sand pattern on the ocean floor.

We managed to have three swims in total – one was well out from shore in a small cove where very old fishermen’s huts stood at the shoreline.  The second swim occurred right at the centre of the caldera with the remnants of the large rocks left from the volcano.  This was supposed to be thermal springs however the temperature was very irregular and without any real warmth.  We had a great time in the water though.

Photo:  the catamaran Dream Catcher

Photo:  All aboard!

Our next swimming spot (yes, I can hear you….you actually swam Mum?) was at White Beach which is only accessible from the water.  I think big cruise ships must drop off tourists there as the beach was covered with stacked royal blue sun lounges and cream umbrellas.  The sand on the beach is black with a white rock cliff as a backdrop.  We swam from the boat to a rocky outcrop and swam between two rocks and then onto the shore.

Photo:  the spot where we swam in the thermal water....note the volcanic rocks!

We were able to sit on the front netting of the catamaran and soak up the warmth of the sun which was a lot of fun as well as seeing the water wash between the two hulls of the catamaran.  Unfortunately, there was not a lot of wind today so we motored along.

Dinner was served about 6.30pm and after all our swims we were very hungry.  Firstly there was a cooking lesson on how to make tzartziki which we then sampled with warm bread.  A huge range of dishes were to follow including Greek and eggplant salads with a pork dish, pasta and more!  We watched a hazy sunset which didn’t match the first spectacular one we witnessed as we arrived at our hotel but the views over the water were wonderful. 

Photo:  Obviously when he said "don't steer"...I obeyed!  Actually, it was on auto-pilot.

We all purchased t-shirts to remind us of the lovely time we had.

We arrived back into a port – Vlichada- around 7.30pm with sufficient light to see another gorgeous little harbour.  We were driven back by bus to a spot near our hotel.

This was our last full day in Santorini – a little piece of heaven on earth.

Santorini - Monday 19 September 2011

Weather – sunny

Temperature - around the 30 mark.

We started the day off with a continental breakfast at the hotel and engaged in some conversation with some of the guests who are generally Canadian or American.

We decided to use the public bus system which the guide book said could be relied upon and we headed to Kamari Beach on the other side of the island.  It is a black sand beach and nothing like I expected as it obviously caters for a large influx of tourists in the busy months.  The beach, a very long one, was covered with grass-covered umbrellas and sunning lounges.  As well, there were so many restaurants it was hard to believe that they could thrive – but they must so we guessed in the tourist season it must be heaving with visitors!

David and Cameron went for a swim at the black pebble beach a little way up from the black sand beach while Desley and I sat at some seats from a café over the road taking in the view.  The beach obviously  gets very hot as there were planks from the boardwalk to the water and they had one traversing the width of the beach as well.  As we had our coffees and teas we listened to some great 60’s music from the café:  Spanish eyes;  It’s Amore (Dean Martin);  The House of the Rising Sun;  Oh, Carol etc….yes, maybe it should have been bouzouki music but it was great to hear familiar and loved English songs. With morning tea dispensed with we headed up the street and decided that an afternoon/evening tour was a great way to see the island so we had lunch in readiness for the two oçlock departure.

Santorini is much greener and has much more vegetation than Mykonos.  They have an interesting way of growing grapes:  the vines are grown on the ground however they are wrapped up like wreaths to protect the fruit from the elements.  The island also grows tomatoes and capers – it is the only Greek salad served with capers, a salad we enjoyed at lunch time.

Photo:  the boys at Parmari Beach!

Santorini was destroyed by a very severe earthquake in 1956 measuring 7.1 which resulted in 156 deaths and many people leaving the island.  Mesa Gonia in the centre of the island has quite a few houses that have been left as shells.  The floors were covered with a very pale and fine volcanic ash. 

Photo:  deserted house after the 1956 earthquake;  one of the many blue doors on our walk up to Pyrgos.

A little way further we visited the delightful hilltop town of Pyrgos.  We wound our way around to the highest points to take in the views and some private churches with the famous blue domes.  We were able to visit one private chapel – the chapel of St George – built in 1680.  All the way we could see the traditional houses – some restored beautifully and others in need of significant repair….probably worth a fortune though!

The volcano we could see in the distance (active but not noticeably) has had three eruptions in the 20^th century.

We then drove to the northern most town on the island - Oia.  On the way we  passed by a large cream home surrounded by black stone fences – Angelina Jolie’s house….didn’t spy her though!  We were able to take quite a few pictures of the blue domed churches and the houses nestled on the sides of the hill.  We could also look over to Thira, where we are staying, to see it perched high over the cliffs.  Oia has very narrow lanes and we found it to be very busy.  It is famous for its sunsets, but in truth the sunset from our balcony the previous evening was pretty hard to beat!  We ended up finding a café for pizza, rose and beers and had a quieter and less picturesque view of the sunset but a lot more comfortable.

Photos:  various shots of beautiful Oia....including a jewellery shop!

Mykonos - Santorini 18 September 2011

Weather – sunny and breezy

Temperature – pleasant in late 20’s

We spent the morning at the hotel packing and on the internet.  We had to book out at midday so we stored our bags at the hotel and walked down into town for the last time.

With a stroke of luck and some of the boys’ inner compasses we found the little café where we had our savoury crepes yesterday and Desley’s recommended coffee.  Yes, the coffee was the best I’d tried in Greece as generally cappuccinos are made on water and tend to be very strong.  This one was more like home.  Suitably sated we strolled around a little more and finally left our hotel for the port. 

Photo:  our first sunset on Santorini taken from our balcony! 

The weather was quite windy with some white caps on the water so Desley and I were a little worried about seasickness even though we had dosed ourselves.  Coming over to Mykonos we had taken the large ferry however this time we were catching the flycat. 

The journey took over three hours from Mykonos to Santorini and it was a smooth ride.  Desley and I felt fine and both of us managed to snooze.

There are advantages to choosing both methods of boat:  the flycat is fast so less time is wasted;  the ferry is slower but you can move around the boat as there are not allocated seats as in the flycat.

Our first glimpses of Santorini as we came into port were not as I’d expected.  The cliffs are huge and rocky and enter the water so the towns are built high on the top.  We caught a bus for five euro each – very cheap considering the walk up!  As the Hotel Keti is located on the side of the cliff we were dropped off at a nearby hotel and had to struggle down with our bags to reception via narrow steps.  All the time we could take in the sunset as it was now about 7.15pm.  What a lovely introduction to Santorini.

All the rooms at the hotel face the caldera so we spent our first half an hour soaking up the atmosphere of the sunset, taking photos of the township to our right and getting our bearings.

Photo:  standing in front of our hotel door with the township in the background.

We made our way up the narrow steps to a little restaurant, ordered traditional Greek food including souvlaki and a prawn dish, toasted Dionysus and looked forward to tomorrow's adventures!

Mykonos - Saturday, 17 September 2011.

Weather – sunny and very gusty

Temperature – late 20s

We had no need to rush today and Desley and I decided to hit the Myknonos shops after a 9am breakfast.

We met at 11am and wandered down with David to the Hora – centre of the town at the waterfront.  On the way David and Desley had a look inside one of the old windmills high on a hill.  I took a photo from this site but I could hardly hold the camera it was so windy…and it remained like this for the rest of the day.  I was grateful we weren’t heading to Santorini with all the white-capped waves in the distance.

Desley and I wandered the little alley ways for several hours until we met up for lunch with the boys.  David had managed to find a barber so he is sporting a close haircut.  We’d decided to have lunch in town and then order dinner at the hotel to have with drinks on our balcony.

We happened across a fairly nondescript café which served all sorts of crepes and waffles.  The savoury crepes we ordered were delicious and Desley had a second coffee declaring it the best coffee she had had in Greece!  Unfortunately, the many winding alley ways means we will probably never find it again!

Desley and I bought a few things however we could have gone completely rabid with the wonderful original jewellery here!!  Desley, in particular, found two lovely pieces but common sense prevailed in the end and we didn’t manage to rescue Greece’s economy on the day.

We had a lazy afternoon after returning at 4pm and then met up on Tree’s balcony for our favourite drinks -  Makedonikus Tsantali  rose and Mythos beer while taking in another spectacular sunset.  The last ember of a vivid sun slipped behind Syros Island in the distance followed by an orange haze for about half an hour.  It was our last sunset on a magical island.

Next stop Santorini!

Mykonos - Friday 16 September 2011

Weather – sunny with a breeze

Temperature – late 20’s

I knew I was on holidays when I was speaking to two women at breakfast and we all concluded it must be Thursday…..only to learn later that it was Friday! 

Over a latish breakfast on a balcony overlooking Mykonos town we decided to hire a car for the day and explore the island.  After investigating where to hire a car (next door!) we picked up a Nissan Micra and gave David the task of driving on the right hand side of the road as he had the most experience. 

Photo:  On the breakfast balcony with Mykonos in the background.

We ‘tootled’ (a good word for the 30 kph speed limit which the locals don’t obey) around with Cameron navigating and Desley and I directing in the back as to when to stop for photographs.  Driving around was fairly easy although many of the streets were abutted on both sides by dry stone walls so there wasn’t a lot of leeway for passing cars in opposite directions.

The island is very barren with small clumpish bushes which are very thorny.  Not much else grows on the island although at some stage I wondered if they had kept animals as there are dry stone walls everywhere dividing up the rugged landscape.

We stopped at the first beach, Kalo Livadi and dipped our toes in the water.  There weren’t many people and the water was a beautiful blue.  We moved on and stopped at a high hill overlooking Kalafatis Beach where the wind nearly blew us away!  Once again the views were spectacular albeit rugged and barren.  The white houses with blue shutters, windows and doors were dotted here and there and all placed strategically to take in the views.

We drove into the only other town on the island – Ano Mera – and walked around the beautiful ancient market square.  A wonderful old church (the Monastery of Panagia Tourliani)  in the centre had a tall marble bell tower and housed many icons.  The front altar screen was hand carved and held many icons…..this church was completely over the top and for a little church it was such a delight.

It was coffee time and we chose a gorgeous little restaurant with royal blue tablecloths.  We sat indoors to avoid the sun and decided at the last minute to order a doughnut to share….we weren’t being mean as the doughnuts in Greece are huge…and we hadn’t tried one yet!  The owner wanted to know if we wanted icecream and Desley replied in the affirmative.  I said:  ýou said yes to icecream with a doughnut?’  As it turned out once again we were lost in translation and out came deep fried individual crispy doughnuts (not round) smeared with honey and we were grateful to have the ice-cream with it.

Note well:   I had to be quick with this photo - see the forks coming in!

We continued to tootle around the island with a map of indifferent directions and found our way to Panormos Beach where the beautiful crowd lay sunning themselves on cushions or had retreated indoors to have leisurely lunches at restaurants on the sand.  Desley and David immediately were in the water and Cameron (after some serious thinking at the water’s edge) went for a swim in the crystal clear waters.  It was too cold for me!

To provide some respite from the sun the restaurants had placed camouflage webbing above where grape vines are normally.  They provided filtered sunlight for us while taking in the magnificent view of the beach.  All the tables were in the sand.  We had another delicious  Greek lunch – a platter of assorted dips, olives etc and salad.

Desley sitting at our table under the camouflage net on the beach....just before we tucked into some beautiful fare!

Continuing our tootling around we passed more rugged coastline, called in to see the old lighthouse and then made our way back to Mykonos.  There were three enormous ships in port – one ship (Celebrity Equinox) had ten levels above the main deck!

We returned about 4pm and made plans to meet up before dinner to enjoy drinks and watch the sunset over Mykonos town.  It was then onwards and downwards to Little Venice to seek out a restaurant for dinner.

Another great day in a beautiful part of the world!

Athens – Mykonos Thursday, 15 September 2011

Photos:  Desley and I on the ferry with Athen in the background;  view from the Hermes Hotel, Mykonos;  at dinner at the Alekfandra Resaurant;  view from our balcony over Mykonos.

Weather:  Sunny

Temperature:  30+ but cooler than we have experienced!

We left Athens at 7.30am on the Blue Star Ferry Ithaki after a hair-raising taxi ride from our hotel.  Cameron noted he was doing 100 kph in a built up area!

The ferry was very large and held over 1300 passengers.  We called into Tinos and Syros on the way and the journey took five and a half hours.  Desley and I were suitably doped with our seasickness tablets and neither of us succumbed to any queasiness although they may have helped us sleep on board.  I managed to have two hours nod-off time.

We were met at the port by a Hermes Hotel driver and arrived at our picture perfect hotel in a matter of no time.  Everything is white…..white marble floors, walls, furniture and bedspreads!  We are overlooking the Hora, or the main town of Mykonos so we have a wonderful position.  The houses look like white iced wedding cakes with blue (in various shades) windows and doors.  We each have a little balcony so we waved at the Trees who were a couple of balconies over from us on the same level….we then photographed each other. 

We had a laid back afternoon catching up on sleep, internet (emails, facebook) downloading photos and washing. 

It was then time to wander down into town for a sunset drink and dinner.  Desley had received a recommendation for the Scarpa Bar at Little Venice so we wandered around taking in the sights as we went.  The bar faced directly into the sun so we sat at the back, gasped at the prices and settled on two beers and two glasses of wine.  As it was our first night we couldn’t miss a dinner at Alekfandra Restaurant on the front boardwalk and watch the fading sun settle behind a large yacht with the old windmills behind us.  When we were given our bill the waiter gave us some complimentary small glasses of high octane alcohol…not sure what it was but it was sweet and great tasting!

It was then time to set off and explore Little Venice and what a surprise.  The shops were endless (and I mean endless!) – jewellery, dress shops, shoes etc and we were to discover that the shops don’t close until 1am!  The alleys are absolutely delightful with the white-washed shops and stone paths.  We found our way back up the hill which was somewhat dimly lit and only made a few minor errors which we quickly corrected.  It was a memorable day…..we are in a beautiful part of the world.