I saw this scene in Rethymno on Crete. It was one of the many Greek churches reflected in a near by ivy covered window.

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Santorini to Heraklion, Crete - May 29

We were taking the fast catamaran to Crete. I was amazed how many people the ferry holds. I would guess around the same as 2-3 wide body jets. Joan and beth sat together and I ended up with a woman and two young ladies from Dallas. The woman, Helen, is a Greek American who now owns and runs a bed and breakfast in Chania. She also runs private tours for small numbers of people (think 2 or 3) all over Greece. She was traveling with her niece and a friend. We had a great chat and she invited us to look her up in Chania when we are there and she would show us the town. I was surprised that she only gives tours for Americans. She has found Americans to be easy to please which surprised me.

We had not been given good reports of Heraklion by a number of people, but after we checked into our hotel we wandered out to get some dinner. Much of the old town is a pedestrian area. The center square was particularly hopping with night life. There was a good band playing and lots of young people out in particular. I wish I could say as much for the band’s lead singer but she was painful to listen to. The city still has old walls and an old port dating from when Venice ruled here. I would say our impression of Heraklion was more positive than I expected.

When we got back to the hotel we watched some TV. We notice that Greek TV seems to have fewer commercial breaks but they seem to be much longer.

Heraklion to Rethymno - May 30

We got up earlier so that we would be ready to go when they dropped off our rental car at 8:30 AM as it seemed unlikely that they would find a space to park. So we had our breakfast at the hotel and were packed and in the lobby. The driver from Caravel did find a space in a semi-legal parking space and we did all the paperwork and then tried to load 3 suitcases in a very small car. We ended up with one in the backseat. Joan and Liz went and got a Starbucks fix (4 euros) from a Starbucks we had walked by the night before. We drove out of town to a gas station and to the ancient ruin of Knosos without incident.

As we got near to Knosos there were a number of men beckoning us into their free parking lot by their shop or tavern, but we kept on driving to the official (and also free) parking at the site.

The entrance fee was 12 euros for us and free for Liz since she is 18 or under. We opted to do a tour for an additional 20 euros (10 per adult). The tour guide was soliciting people for an English tour and we had to wait for her to get 10 adults. We were glad we had done the tour as it was the difference between “look there is a wall” and knowing that 4 different cities were built on this site. The Minoan is the oldest civilization in Europe. Twice this palace was destroyed in earthquakes caused by eruptions on near by Santorini. After the last time the Mycenaeans came in and took over Crete, driving the Minoans into the hills. Much of what is seen in Knosos is reconstruction by the English archeologist ________ and often is more a tribute to his imagination than to what we really know of the Minoans. Apparently a lot of people come looking for the legendary labyrinth of Knosos, but no such thing exists… sadly. This was the palace of the “double ax” used in Minoan ceremonies, the word for double ax came is the root of labyrinth.

We had some lunch across the street at one of the local cafes. Those cafes are more expensive but we were hungry. I picked up a hat since I have been getting sunburned on my face. Liz, my daughter, says it does complete my tourist look.

We drove around and around trying to get out of town to find the National highway. We would have been better suited to have driven all the way back to the harbor rather than follow the signs that directed us into alleys and then disappeared. We ended up getting out of town as much by dead reckoning and just following random cars as anything else (using the Dirk Gently, a Douglas Adam’s character’s, method).

There were a lot of hills on the beautiful highway from Heraklion to Rethymno. The little rental car we had did not pass many cars on the way but was passed by quite a few. The Crete style of driving means that cars will drive on teh shoulder to let people pass and that people will pass almost anywhere.

We found our hotel in Rethymno fairly easily although the parking on the street confused us as it was obvious that you needed some sort of ticket but it was not clear where to get one. The hotel desk clerk told us to get one from a local news stand. You buy one ticket per hour and then punch out the chads for the correct day, hour and minute. We laid an array of the cards on the dash of the car.

We wandered into the old town which is a wonderful place. It has numerous shops that the ladies enjoyed and picture taking opportunities everywhere for me. We wandered through the streets and alleys and down to the seaside. The city feels both a beach town as well as a historic town. A Venetian fortress looks down on the old town which we will see tomorrow.

We met Goran from Serbia who was one of the people who stand in front of the many restaurants and tries to bring people in (Kamaki - the one who speaks). We talked to him for a while about Crete. He and his wife, who is from the Netherlands, met in Crete. They lived in Netherlands, but that did not work for him, and Serbia, but that did not work for her, and have moved back to Crete.

We found a restaurant with brick oven pizza. Most of the restaurants have sea food and Greek dishes. As much as we like Greek food we do wonder, coming from a region with a great variety of food, why more people don’t differentiate their restaurant by opening a restaurant with a different menu. Some of the restaurants and bars along the sea side part of the old town have more of the look of a living room (including one called the Living Room) than a restaurant.

I checked the internet for email in the lobby of the hotel after we returned and downloaded more podcasts since I have run out.

Rethymno - May 31

We got up and had a very nice breakfast at the hotel. We checked the internet again to see what life is life in the real world.

We probably would not have stayed in Rethymno for an entire additional day if we did not have a hotel room for another night. As much as we love Rethymno, we have seen much of it already. We had yet to see the fortress and the beach so it promised to be a relaxed day.

We walked to the fortress first. It is quite a large fortress but there were no interpretive brochures or signs so if you have not seen something like this you might not know what you are looking at. It reminded me of El Morro in Puerto Rico so I am guessing it is late 1500s in construction until I learn otherwise. The walls are angled in a way that would indicate it was of post gunpowder construction. There was one bastion that had been turned into a theatre and the ladies hung out there while I looked around in more detail.

We stopped for a crepe break from Crepa Land as they were just opening and then walked over to the beach to the right of the marina which looked great. You can rent an umbrella and two chaises for 9 euros. We returned to the hotel for a nap for Liz, a brief one for me and some time with Joan wrestling with the hotel computer to try and print something from an email.

We changed into our suits and returned to the beach. Along the way we bought a beach towel since we had not brought any (4 euros). Somehow when Joan went into the first store to by a towel she came out with Nutella. What we have here is a failure to communicate.

The beach was very nice. It might be my favorite beach in Europe that I have seen. It is a nice sandy beach with warm water. It has very little in the way of waves so it is more of a swimming beach as body surfing would not work. It is a shallow beach so we saw a number of kids. I would guess about one in ten women were topless without regard to age or body type. We had run into our friend Goran again who suggested going further down from the marina where it would be better. We ended up getting 3 chaises and an umbrella for 7 euros. I am guessing that we may have paid less because it was later in the day.

After the beach we cleaned up, checked the Internet again and then returned to the old town for a traditional Greek dinner at one of the restaurants we had seen grilling over a wood fire.

I moved the car from where I had parked it blocks away in a free area to next to the hotel as parking is not enforced on Sundays. I looked some more for s hotel for our last night in London before going to bed.

Rethymno to Chania - June 1

We had breakfast at the hotel again, checked email, finished booking a hotel for London and then called Helen Swanston who I had met on the ferry to Heraklion. She and her family were planning an outing into the mountains to eat at a great Greek restaurant at one of the highest villages. She invited us along and gave us directions to get to her place outside Chania (well to get close to her house as the directions ended with “you are close, pull over and call from there”).

We drove to Chania without incident which is always a relief given the style of driving on Crete where cars will pass you anywhere and you had to drive as far right in the lane as you can both to let people pass and as a survival mechanism against people passing coming the other way. I did not get through on my U.S. iPhone but called Helen from my new UK cell phone and she came and got us. Her bed and breakfast is lovely with great view of the water from the hills on the Akrotiri peninsula. If we did not already have pre-paid reservations we would have gladly stayed there.

Helen drove Joan, Liz and I in one car and her friend Joy followed with Helen’s mother, niece Sarah, and Sarah’s friend Elena. We wound up and up into the white mountains south of Chania. I could have driven the road but was glad to not have to attempt it in a little standard rental car. I was also glad to be able to look at the beautiful scenery. We drove passed orchards of orange trees (most of them are exported to germany) and olives. The hills were also decorated with the pink flowers from Oleander bushes that grow wild. At the highest point of the road in the little town of Zorva. In Zorva we stopped at the Taverna Amelia where Helen had made reservations.

The restaurant is surprisingly large considering that (at least until some new construction finishes) there are maybe 5 houses in Zorva. The restaurant can hold many more as it is popular with the locals for celebrations like baptisms and naming days. We heard stories of baptism parties with 100 people or weddings with 1000 guests. We had a number of appetizers like a sort of zucchini and potatoes au gratin, bread, a greek salad, a cooked butter (more like cheese). The main dinner was boiled lamb and a rice that is traditionally served at weddings. The name of the rice caused some amusement because it translates into English with a name which I will describe as copulating rice. The term Helen used was of more Anglo-Saxon origin and earned her a slap from her friend Joy. We ate from two thirty to five o’clock in a very leisurely European manor.

We drove down the hills through one of the ravines, past more memorials to people who had missed the turns on the windy road with more goats than guard rails.

Helen then also took us to the British war memorial to those who died in the Battle of Crete in 1941 before guiding us back into town directly to our hotel. What a wonderful gift to have such hospitality. There are benefits to talking to your seat mates.

Our hotel in Chania (Hotel Akati) was at 1866 square which is very conveniently located just south of the old town. I was given instructions to drive the wrong way down a one way street to get to the back of the building and down the steep driveway into their parking garage. The staff was very friendly and the room was nice, although we did note with some apprehension that they were doing construction next door.

We walked into the old town and down to the old Venetian harbor. Many of the shops were closed on a Sunday night. We decided to forgo dinner and picked up some Greek cheese dip (we have to find a recipe for this!) and crackers to go with the fresh apricots that Helen had sent with us.

Chania - June 2

We had breakfast at the hotel, checked our email and then went out to explore Chania. This was our last real day of vacation but we are getting ready to go home. We strolled and shopped our way at a leisurely pace. Rethymno may be somewhat more photogenic… or maybe it is just time to go home.

After a light lunch and a rest at the hotel we headed to the beach late in the afternoon. We went to the beach to the West of the old town. It seemed that most of the people at the beach were locals. It was a smaller beach than at Rethymno but also a beautiful sandy, shallow beach. The water was either a little warmer or a little colder depending on which of us you ask. We rented 3 chaises and an umbrella for 7.5 euros and stayed until afternoon changed to evening. A number of men at a restaurant across the street serenaded us with what we assume to be Greek folk songs.

We had a typical Greek dinner in the old town. It seems like you can pick a restaurant completely at random and get a good meal. A Gyro or Souvlaki, a Greek salad and wine cost us around 12 euros. We only needed two of these to feed the 3 of us.

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Athens to Santorini - May 25

We packed up and took the subway to the port of Piraeus again where we boarded out high speed ferry for Santorini. We stopped at a coffee chain called Geoffrey’s (we only figured out the name later as the sign was in a very stylized greek) for some pastries to eat on the boat. We assumed (correctly) that food on board would be expensive. As we waited to board we watched some Chinese tourists enlist others in making strange tai-chi-like poses for pictures.

When you board the ferry everyone stops by a baggage room and stores their larger suitcases on the car deck. You won’t have access to this deck during the voyage. We found our seats in a sparsely populated VIP area. So this is how the other half lives. The seats are similar in style to airlines seats with the economy seats being a bit more weathered. We had a table with a power outlet so I was able to catch up on my journal, some email, some podcasts, and some reading I brought on my laptop. We spent some time outside looking at the view but they don’t want you close to the edge of the ship while the ship is moving. This being a high speed ferry it moves at a pretty good pace and we were soon threading through the islands of the Cylides.

There was a TV on that was broadcasting various shows like Extreme Home Makeover and car racing.

As you approach Santorini your first impression is that the island is snow covered until your eye resolves that it is the white houses at the top of the cliffs. It is as we expected a beautiful and striking island as you sail into the caldera of a dormant (we hope) volcano. Everyone is encouraged to grab their bags and gather on the car deck before the ship docks so that it can upload quickly. As the ship unloads there is a confused scene of taxies, people with rooms to rent, rental cars and buses awaiting a relatively small ship load of tourists. I would guess there were 70-100 of us getting off. We found a taxi that would take us to our hotel in Akrotiri which is at one end of the crescent shaped island. The ride was about 10-15 minutes and 15 euros. We shared a taxi with a U.C. Berkeley student from Sacramento who had just finished a semester abroad in Barcelona. She had been on the island for 2 days and had just seen some friends off at the ferry.

We are staying at the Villa Mathios just outside of Akrotiri which is right up the cliff from the black sand beach but on the other (non-caldera) side of the road. Our host is Costas Popalexis In addition to this family run hotel (momma does the cooking he explained) he runs a travel agent business so we will take advantage of that to book a rental car and at least one excursion here as well as finalize our plans for Crete. We had booked a triple but Costas had upgraded us for free to a Jr suite where the master bed is in a loft. The room cost $100 a night, but $150 after taxes and fees on hotels.com. It is a lovely spot. There are certainly fancier resorts on Santorini with infinity pools overlooking the crater but this has 51 rooms, and two pools with a restaurant in between them. It is clean, attractive and a huge step up from our last hotel. We have heard about Greek hospitality and this is it. As Costas talked about helping us book excursions he said there are a number of more expensive ones but his goal is that we have a great time and still have enough money that we can come back next year.

We rested before dinner and then while Liz stayed in the room and read Joan and I walked down to the black sand beach. It is not marked on the road and was almost deserted. Much of the beach is pebbles (as we are told with much of the beaches on the island) but there was a small part with sand. We sat on the beach and watched the sun set over an array of small fishing boats before we trekked back up the hill to dinner.

Dinner was wonderful. We had local beef, greek salad, cheese dip (feta and yogurt), cheese filled meatballs. The vegetables were from the garden and the beef was locally raised. Overall it was probably our best meal so far on the trip. With a glass of local wine and a complementary glass of uzo from our host we lingered in the restaurant. Costas and his adorable young daughter sat with a few other locals when he was done working the tables. I think 4 tables were in use inside and a couple more on the patio. During high season he said the hotel is packed and you need reservations for dinner. He enjoys this time of year when there is actually time to talk to the guests.

Santorini - May 26

We were in no rush getting up and getting going. We started by sitting down with Costas and making our plans for Crete, booking a sailing excursion and renting a small car here on Santorini. The rental car company came and dropped off the car shortly thereafter (around 11 AM). The young Greek man who brought the car was bantering loudly with Costas in Greek and apologized that Greeks are loud. It is kind of a nice change to be in a country where Americans are not considered loud. Costas in particular has an affection for Californians who he thinks are more relaxed than other Americans. This might also reflect on getting good press in two of the San Francisco newspapers.

I brushed up on my ability to drive stick in a small car by Kia (I used to drive a Ford Aspire made by Kia). We drove first to the gas station since the car was delivered empty and should be returned that way. Gas was around 1.30 euros per liter (more than the $4 we complain about). We then drove into Thira and parked at the free municipal lot. There seems to be some inconsistency on whether the name of the town is Thira or Fira but in greek they spell it with a theta so I have adopted the “th” spelling in English.

We then spent hours walking around Thira while the ladies shopped and I shot pictures and video. I also just took some time to sit and look at the amazing view. Joan and Liz both bought some jewelry and Liz also bought some clothes in the many shops.

I found it interesting that al the video I have seen focuses on the views from the towns like Thira so I had a very skewed impression of the island. It is larger than I thought. It takes about 45 minutes to drive from one end of the crescent shaped island to the other. Away from the caldera the island is mostly fields. There are many grapes (grown on the ground instead of in arbors) and a few wineries. The high point (in elevation) on the island is capped with a monastery.

There was a cruise ship anchored in the bay and we watched a number of tour groups come en mass to the area around the cathedral. They were then pointed towards the cable car that ges back down to the port. So that is the part of the island you will see in most cases when you see Santorini from a cruise, basically just the shops of Thira.

After a Gyro for lunch and an ice cream break we drove back to the Akrotiri end of the island in the later afternoon to the beach at Perivolos. On this outer rim of the island you can drive straight to the beach without a hike. Perivolos is a black sand/gravel beach with a number of private chaises and umbrellas. We sat at a pair of the chaises and I went to find the cost. I asked the young man if he spoke English and he said (in Greek) just a little. I told him I spoke a little Greek (in Greek), but we did manage to communicate (mostly in English) that today we could sit for free as his restaurant had just opened yesterday and was celebrating. He did say that the area was just for his customers so we ordered a could of ice teas. He came back in a little while and said he did not have ice tea left. He could offer us coffee or champagne. When I asked the price he said that it was all free today. So let me get this straight… I can sit at your umbrella but only if I drink your free champagne. I can do that.

After a swim in the sea, a sand castle and some sunning (napping for me) we headed back to the hotel for a quick swim in one of the pools. We ate at the hotel again. We ordered a small assorted meat tray, a stuffed zucchini special (which made us wonder why we have not used the recipe we have) and the cheese dip. That proved to be to much food for the 3 of us. They brought us a pie crust like pastry for dessert. I don’t know what it was but I loved it.

We watched one of the movies I brought on the laptop (The Freedom Writers) and went to bed.

Santorini - May 27

The supply of clean clothes we brought or clothes we washed out on the way is dwindling but the hotel has asked that we not wash out clothes in the room. Santorini gathers all the water it needs during the Winter months and stores it for use during the year so water is in short supply. The water in the room has a salty taste so we have been buying bottled water to drink from the market next door. Costas advises that laundry will be cheaper if we can make it to Crete because water is not in short supply there. Electricity is also a bit erratic. To save electricity the room key has to be inserted in a slot to turn on electricity when you are in the room.

We got in the car and decided to first drive to the lighthouse past Akrotiri but we missed the turn off (almost directly across from our hotel) so we ended up driving towards the closed Akrotiri ruins instead. We parked in the parking lot for the well known red beach and hiked until we could see that beach. It was too early for us to do the beach so we backtracked to the road to the lighthouse and drove out to it. It sits on on end of the island. It has a nice view, but where on Santorini doesn’t. We got more entertainment from a group of 8 French tourists on four ATVs trying to maneuver all eight vehicles without hitting one another as they tried to park the unfamiliar machines in a narrow space. A number of people rent ATVs or scooters on Santorini. The ATVs are small enough that one of the women just picked up the back end and pivoted it around to park it.

We headed slowly to the other part of the island and Ia. Our goal was to be at Ia for dinner and the sunset but since the whole drive would only take 45 minutes we were in no hurry. we stopped at a few art studios and ended up buying a print of a watercolor of Santorini. We also stopped at the Gavala winery and sampled 5 of their locally grown wines. The family run winery has been in business for 4 generations. We enjoyed the whites we tried (the one red needed more time to my tastes and the dessert wine was, as expected, too sweet for our tastes). We bought two of the wines with the hope that they will make the trip home.

We stopped in Pyrgos on the road to ancient Thira. I wandered into the back alleys to take a picture of one of the beautiful blue domes churches. I kept going in and up a little further to try and get a picture without electric wires in the frame. It is a beautiful little village that seems relatively un-trampled by tourists.

As we reached the road to Ancient Thira we were struck by how many many switchbacks made their way up the hill. We started to drive it but quickly became intimidated and backed up to get more information before continuing. It was good that we did as it was already 2 PM and the site was closed. Pictures did not seem to show that much was visible of the Roman settlement so we probably won’t try and get there on this trip. You can take a mini-bus up and back for 10 euros or up for 7 euros. It is a 2 hour tour.

Instead we went to Kamari beach where we read, worked on sudoku and crosswords and napped. We did not end up going into the water as the sand/rocks were both hot and hard on my feet when I went down to the water barefoot. We watched with fascination and fear as some kids (at least some of them American) jumped from a nearby cliff into the water.

We drove back to thira and on to Ia. We did get lost on the way back to Thira on a road that was not well marked. The good news is that with the shape of the island it is hard to get very lost. The road is spectacularly winding and high between Thira and Ia. I was not looking forward to driving back this route in the dark.

We parked in the first lot we came to in Ia although it was 3 euros. I was relieved to be off the road so it seemed like a bargain. Ia is a beautiful town, probably the prettiest we have seen on the islands. The shops were more expensive (it reminded me of Carmel) so the shopping was not as good as in Thira. I took what would have been 2-3 rolls worth of film if I were not shooting digitally. We saw a couple different wedding parties and one model shoot taking advantage of the beautiful scenery. We found a perfect spot at the Sunset restaurant and ate pasta, greek salad and a chocolate souffl� as we watched the sun going down. It was a lovely sunset but since we are from the west coast a sunset over the water may not strike us as unique. The people watching was the real show. There we some tensions as people jockeyed for position.

After the sunset we wandered back to the car and drove back with a caravan of buses back to the other part of the island. It was difficult to see any of the signs at night be we made it back to the hotel and parked the car with no major incidence. I was glad we had waited a day to do this drive as I was less rusty driving a stick and the drive back involved starting from a full stop on a hill more than once.

Santorini - May 28

We had signed up to do an excursion today to the volcano islands in the center of Santorini. A van picked us up at around 11 AM and took us to the port of Athinios. Here we boarded a traditional greek sailing vessel (although we did not use the sails) in the bustling port. We laid claim to a table in the sun on the top deck. The passengers represented a number of nationalities and we were impressed when te tour guide gave every announcement and informational presentation in English, Greek, Italian, Spanish, German and French. He did so without notes. We made a quick stop at the port of Fira to take on additional passengers. We noticed he was definitely saying Fira instead of Thira. He told us the real name of the island is Thira and of the town is Fira although they get confused is all manner of ways according to him.

We motored to the larger of the two volcano islands called Nea Kameni (new brunt island). We hiked up the volcano to the top which is about 120 meters. We stopped at 3 points where we could both catch our breath and learn more about the volcano. It was a hike but people at least 20 years our senior made the hike. The volcano has a high amount of silicon in the lava so it is very viscous and when it erupts it does so in violent explosion in the fashion of Mount Saint Helens. Our guide dug down a few inches at the top of the volcano and dug up hot wet soil. The volcano is still active and pulls in and heats sea water around it. The soil is mostly the pumice type of lava (What the Hawaiians call Ah Ah versus the flat smooth black lava called Pahoihoi). Many of the lava flows on the volcano still looked jagged and fresh. Half of the island had been created in the last hundred years. There was very little vegetation on the island. Santorini has had numerous volcanic eruptions as well as earthquakes. We learned that the earthquake in 1956 flattened much of the island except some of the troglodyte houses (caves dug into the rock). The Greek government needed to intervene which brought the first roads and electricity and setup in that way the infrastructure for tourism.

The largest known eruption was the one 3500 years ago that buried the Minoan town of Akratiri and sent tidewaves as high as 150 meters high that also destroyed much of Minoan Crete. The tour guide said that some people think that Santorini may be what Plato referred to as Atlantis (although Plato put Atlantis past the gates of Hercules which is Gibraltar). He also said that some has speculated that the 10 plagues from Genesis may have had their origins in the eruption at Santorini. The map he had of Minoan Santorini showed an almost circle island with one opening which would been have a natural harbor and would explain why this was a major trading port.

We then sailed to the smaller of the two volcanos Palea Kameni (old burnt island) where there are hot springs. Warm springs would be more accurate as there is an inlet warmer by 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 Celsius) than the sea water. The springs are high in iron and the mud is a rust red (and the water left was very metallic taste in your mouth). We anchored near the hot springs and you had to swim 30 meters to them from the boat. The water under the boat was 8 meters deep but, as another tourist pointed out, after the first couple of meters it does not matter. I had brought my underwater camera so I was able to shoot some video during the swim. Some people were using the mud to give themselves a mud bath. We would have loved to stay a little longer as it was nice to be in the water.

The next stop was Thirassia. Joan and Liz decided to stay down by the port while I made the hike up the hill into town. I made the mistake of forgetting my water bottle as was starting to overheat by the time I got to the top on a warm day. I did find a small shop where an elderly woman sold me water. I was glad I had done the climb but there was not much to the village. It was not as picturesque as some of the other villages we had seen. There were a couple of restaurants and one was grilling some meat that smelled very good. After looking around and downing .75 liter of water I hiked back down to find the ladies. I ended up just grabbing an ice cream to supplement the water and ham and cheese sandwich we had bought on the boat. The “beach” at Thirassia was very rocky so none of us ended up getting the water.

We sailed back via Ia, where most of the passengers got off to watch the sunset, and then back to port. There was some confusion as there was no bus for us to take but we ended up getting a ride up the cliff on another bus and met our bus driver at the top. When we got back to the hotel we swam and then went to dinner. We ordered a meatball dish that was not on the menu but that the people at the next table had ordered and souvlaki. That still left room for a candied fig which was the complementary dessert and for a chocolate souffle. After all the hiking, sun and a second glass of wine complements of Costas I crashed pretty early while the ladies watched a movie on the laptop.

Santorini to Heraklion, Crete - May 29

With no excursion planed and no rental car we checked out and then grabbed the bus to Fira. The system took us a little by surprise since we did not pay until we got off the bus in Fira so we stood there for a while we our money waiting for someone to be interested. An older gentleman on the bus would cross himself 4-5 times each time we drove past a small church which can keep you very busy in Greece.

We bought some time at an Internet cafe to catch up on email. I only had 700-800 new messages (not counting another 800 spam caught by my filters). I also downloaded some podcasts since I was all caught up. We then went to the post office for stamps. I don’t know if our experience was typical but if it was you might want to pack a picnic lunch before heading to the post office.

We walked through Fira doing some shopping for gifts as we hiked up towards Firostefani. What looks like Fira is actually 3 different villages that have grown together. The other two villages are uphill from Fira. There is a lot of new construction all over Fira but in particular there are a number of new looking and nice looking hotels clinging to the cliffs in Firostefani.

We took the bus back to the hotel and then got a ride to the ferry from Costas. On the way there was saw 4 cruise ships off the coast of the island. Costas said that in the high season he has seen as many as 15. The port of Athinios is a crazy place with ferries, bus, trucks, vans, and taxies all coming and going within a fairly small space.

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London to Athens - May 23

We flew out of Stanstead airport north of London on Aegean Airlines. To make a 10:20 AM flight we set an alarm for 5:30 AM. We took the underground to the Liverpool station and a caught the 7:40 AM Stanstead Express. We arrived at Stanstead at around 8:20 and by the time we checked in and made it through security we only waited a few minutes before our flight boarded. I was surprised how busy this airport was. We stood in line waiting to check in looking at all the other wonderful places that people were flying.

Flying into Athens the landscape reminded me of the golden (brown) hills of Northern California.

We arrived in the Athens airport and were immediately hit by the smell of cigarette smoke as we entered the terminal. I guess Greece has not joined the anti-smoking bandwagon yet. Joan’s suitcase lost a leg somewhere between London and Athens (for the second time as it broke but was fixed by Holland America last November). We had to try a second ATM to get euros as the first one required a smart chip in the ATM card.

It was simple to get on the Athens Metro at the airport and ride it into town although since we got in around rush hour the train got very crowded by the time we got downtown. We rode the subway to the Metaxourgeio station in the neighborhood where we were staying which was not the nicest neighborhood in Athens. We saw more of it than we should have because my “short cut” led us 5 blocks out of our way.

Our hotel was inexpensive (around 60 euros a night) but that was probably a bit too cheap. The Hotel Albion smelled of smoke of course, but the elevator and room also had more of a mold or mildew smell. The elevator had a very definitive way of stopping and starting that worked better if you bent your knees to cushion the shock. The room had 4 beds and a large bathroom, but the bathroom had no shower stall, just a shower and a drain the the floor. At least two of the beds had cigarette burns on the sheets. There was a quite large balcony and the room was better when we opened the 3 sliding glass doors. The hotel did have a fast Internet connection, the air conditioning worked, and the TV got at least one channel in English (and a few porn).

We ate out at a local restaurant which was almost empty but my Souvlaki was good. The bill came to the right amount but strangely had nothing to do with what we ordered. The waitress had done this intentionally, much to our surprise. We walked some on the busy Konstantinou street which was well lit and well trafficked. It was a mixture of shops, restaurants, the national theatre, a porn theatre and a sex shop or two. At night a few of the newsstands at Plateia Omonoias spread out their porn displays.

When we got back to the room we shared the laptop and the Internet connection and watched some old Steven Segal movie because it was in English. We found out that with the schedule for ferries and flights to Santorini we either had to leave in the middle of the night on Monday morning or catch a ferry earlier than we had planned on Sunday afternoon. Could we see everything we wanted to see before then? Our hotel did encourage a faster departure. We also were unable, to our surprise, to actually book a ferry online. We found a hotel in Santorini we liked but needed to work out our travel plans first.

Athens - May 24

The hotel served breakfast from 8 AM to 9 AM so we got up at a decent time and ate the full (if uninspired) breakfast of bread, a boiled egg, a small croissant, cheese and ham. We were the only ones at breakfast.

We got a day pass for the metro which only cost 3 euros each. We never saw anyone checking tickets on the Metro. We grabbed a train to the metro station in the Monastiraki neighborhood. We strolled through the flea market area on the way to the Ancient Agora. We bought a day ticket to all the ancient sites for 12 euros (vs 3 euroes for each site). Liz was free because she is a student.

We decided, on Joan’s recommendation, to hike up the Acropolis first before the day got any warmer. It looked quite far up and the day was already warm. We were surprised that it did not seem like that bad a hike. Smart vendors sold cold water, parasols and postcards to hot tourists. There were places to stop like a large marble (slick) rock with a view of the Agora and city. We saw Mars Hill where the book of Acts talks about the Apostle Paul speaking to the Athenians. We also stopped to look at the ancient theatre (Herodes Atticus). Between the breaks and the ever swelling crowd of tourists the hike was slow enough that we did not get winded. We did get separated in the melee with large tour groups. Smokers and the very over-weight seemed littered along the side of the route. Once the climb was over there was plenty of space at the top of the acropolis for all the tourists. There were also facilities, drinking water and a nice breeze. I was glad we had come in May instead of the heat of August. The Parthenon is covered with scaffolding as they effect repairs on the structure but that did not distract from the fact that we were at the Parthenon! This seems like one of those places to see before you die and did not disappoint. The view of Athens was also incredible.

We hiked back down. Joan’s knee was now sore and swollen (she has had knee surgery to try and grow more cartilage). We explored the Agora some before we found a lunch place just off the Agora. The people watching alone was worth the price of admission as we watched the stream of locals and tourists alike. We ate at a restaurant that featured crepes but seriously suspect they might only have one crepe pan as the crepes came one at a time at ten minute intervals. Liz was fashion shopping for dresses on the passersby.

In the early afternoon we shopped our way through the Plaka. Joan and Liz both found affordable jewelry but did not end up buying any of the sandals for 5 euros. Meanwhile I would pop in a out of the other ancient sites along the route like the tower of the winds in the Roman Agora and Hadrian’s Library. After shopping from one end of the Plaka to the other we stopped for ice cream and then headed through the National Gardens to Syntagma square to watch the guards (and show of tourists) at the tomb of the unknown soldier.

We stopped at a ferry company on way but they only had an early morning ferry to Santorini so we hopped on the metro again to the port at Piraeus where we were able to book passage on a 1 PM fast ferry on Hellenic Seaways. To get seats in Non-smoking we had to buy VIP seats but that was still cheaper than flying and the time was much more convenient. They were not able to book a ferry from Santorini, only from Pireaus which again surprised us.

On the way to the hotel Joan bought a replacement suitcase from a local vendor. By the time we got back to the hotel for a rest before dinner I had sweated so much in the warm weather that I had gone through several bottles of water and had a layer of salt on the back of my shirt. Again, I am glad we came in May instead of the heat of the Summer.

After a break we headed back to Monastiraki for dinner at a restaurant that had been in the family for 6 generations. It seemed like they could still learn a few things as they did not seem to number tables so people would walk around with someone’s dinner calling out “Souvlaki!” , “Mousakas!” or “Pasticio!”. Joan ordered the Pastisio which I think is close to what we used to call “hot dish” where I grew up.

Joan tried to get enough towels for each of us for morning as they only seem to put two hand towels in the room everyday but they said they were out (even though the hotel seems practically empty). The only TV show in English was Rambo when we returned to the hotel, so we watched that, surfed the web and booked a hotel in Santorini.

Athens to Santorini - May 25

Liz was up half the night scratching bug bites which she had received in Athens. We all seemed to have been munched on to some degree.

I got up at 8 AM and skipped the hotel breakfast for a croissant on the way to the National Archeology Museum which was the last site on my short list for Athens. I enjoyed seeing the museum, especially watching the evolution of Greek sculpture from the early forms into the classic period. It is quite a large museum and easy to get lost in. I was able to see some of the murals from the Minoan civilization from the dig near our hotel on Santorini.

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Get Your Photo on the Cover of a Lonely Planet Guide

Pikeo is yet another web 2.0 photo sharing site but this one s having a contest that will place the photos from four of their users on the cover of a new Lonely Planet Guide. The winners will also win a trip from Intrepid Travel. You can bet i will enter my photos from Istanbul, Barcelona, London and Paris.

Author of 100 Things to Do Before You Die, Doesn’t

Dave Freeman, the man behind the famous travel guide 100 Things to Do Before You Die, has died after hitting his head in a fall at his home. The 47-year-old writer passed away in his Venice home, said his father, Roy.

Airplane Crash in Madrid Kills 153

The budget airline Spanair has defended its decision to clear a passenger jet for take-off despite aborting an earlier attempt because of a technical problem.

One hundred and fifty-three people died in yesterday’s air crash at Madrid’s Barajas airport. Witnesses said the plane’s left-hand engine burst into flame as it lifted off the runway and the aircraft broke up and crashed back to earth in flames. Only 19 people survived the disaster.

FAA Software Glitch Delays Flights

The software program in Atlanta failed about 10 a.m. Pacific time. When that happened, a similar facility in Salt Lake City took over. But users continued to try to refile their flight plans, bogging down the system. At its worst, flight delays (mostly departures, but some arrivals) were as late as 90 minutes in some areas of the country. Hardest hit: Chicago (O’Hare and Midway), Baltimore/Washington International, Boston and Atlanta.

National Parks and “Sites” to be Featured on Quarters

On July 9, the US House of Representatives unanimously approved the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 (H.R. 6184). The proposed new commemorative coin series was inspired by, and unabashedly capitalizes on, the tremendous popularity of the 50 States Quarter® Program.

What about poor Delaware, which has no national park? Not to fear, folks. You see, the proposed legislation – a copy of which you can see at this site — doesn’t require a state to actually have a national park in order to qualify for an America’s Beautiful National Parks quarter dollar coin

Crete mayor has had enough of British drunks

The mayor of a Crete town has grown so exasperated with the rowdy, drunken behaviour of British tourists that he has demanded action from the British government.
“They scream, they sing, they fall down, they take their clothes off, they cross-dress, they vomit,” said Konstantinos Lagoudakis, the mayor of Malia, in an interview. “It’s only the British people - not the Germans or the French.”

Chinese Airline Official Sentenced to Death

No, it is not because of flight delays but because they have been found guilty of embezzlement that China has sentenced an official of China Southern Airlines Group to death.

United Airlines to charge up to $9 for snacks

While capital punishment might be overkill it might occur to some passengers of United Airlines when they find out how much the airline will be charging for snacks.

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