Greece - Final Thoughts

Greece held some surprises for us in spite of the preparation we did before the trip.  Athens was interesting and more than just a big, hectic, dirty urban area (which a couple of people had observed to us before the trip).  Naturally the archeological sites in Athens make it distinctive from the normal city, but those turned out to be more interesting than we expected.  In fact the archeological sites in general turned out to be more interesting than we expected.  One of the couples in our group was staying an additional 5 days to do the Rick Steves 5 day walking tour of Athens, and were excited about it.  Clearly there is more there to see.

Crete was really nice and we felt short-changed with not enough time there to really see all it had to offer.  The coastline of Crete was beautiful and we only drove along the northern portion, and saw none of the beaches.  We would definitely return to see more of Crete.

Santorini was everything and more than we expected.  It is spectacularly beautiful along the rim of the caldera and in person exceeds anything you can imagine from photos and brochures.  The lifestyle there is relaxed and the food is terrific with cafés and restaurants in abundance along the rim and facing the fantastic views of the caldera and the sea.  We did not get out to drive along the opposite shore where there are beaches, but heard they were nice as well.  Santorini is definitely on our list for another visit one day.

Mykonos turned out better than we expected as the beaches were great and the water incredibly clear and beautiful.  The Venetian area was really nice and the old wind mills preserved there were really interesting and fun to see.  There were a lot of cafés and restaurants with great views of the harbors and beaches and you could spend a lot of days exploring all of them.  Nightlife is reputed to be great for those into that. But high season was over and we didn't explore that at all.  For a beach retreat Mykonos would definitely be worth a visit.

While Greece is a country nearly bankrupt in the current world recession, we sensed they are determined to fight back and make the adjustments needed to survive.  We were treated very well everywhere we went and the Greek people were appreciative of our tourist dollars and made sure we were enjoying ourselves.  We never encountered anyone whining or complaining about their current state of affairs.

As in Italy last year we found English to be the common language used by everyone.  We had no trouble getting along in English and found English speakers everywhere we visited.  Nationals from other European countries who spoke no Greek used English with the Greeks as well.  

Overall it was a great trip and the time went by much too quickly, as is always the case.  We visited 3 islands, perhaps some of the most famous, but there are over 1200 Greek islands and about 227 of them are inhabited, so there is a lot more of Greece to see if one wanted to explore it all.  We won't try to do that, but we hope to see more of Greece in the future.

For those who have followed along in this blog during the trip, I hope you have enjoyed it.  I have enjoyed writing it and have done so as much for our own record as for anyone else.  The rest of the photo albums will be uploaded soon, so take in as much of that as interests you.  I enjoy taking photos and find that an important part of capturing the experiences from the trip.  I have tried to organize the albums so that you can pick out the ones of interest.  If you have comments, I welcome them.

Until the next trip.... Jim

Athens: The Plaka & Acropolis Museum

Our final day in Athens was on our own as the tour ended the night before after we returned from Delphi.  The hotel offered a free bus to/from the city center, near the Acropolis and the shopping area known as the Plaka.  So we spent out last day doing some last minute shopping and checking out the Acropolis museum.

The Plaka was interesting, but a typical shopping area of narrow streets stacked with shops of all types.  More of a surprise was how interesting we found the Acropolis Museum, newly constructed and open just a few years.  Because all of Athens is built on top of ancient ruins, whenever any construction is done near important antiquities, the archeology people must be involved.  Once a site was selected for the museum, near the actual site of the  Acropolis, the archeology work began and lasted for several years.  The result is a fabulous museum built above active archeology sites being excavated.  What makes this interesting is that the floors of the museum are glass so that visitors can see the work below and so that natural light can be present in the excavation areas.  It was really fascinating to see how that was done.  

The design of the museum patterns after the Parthenon, the key ruin on the Acropolis.  The top floor of the museum is built with exactly the same number of columns on all 4 sides as the Parthenon so that they can display the relief sculptures rescued from the actual site and show them in context as they had originally been used.  That was really interesting to see.  As in all of the other sites we visited, the work is ongoing to rescue statues, carvings, and all other artifacts to restore them and keep/display them in museums where they can be appreciated and preserved.  In many cases they then create replicas of the removed items to place on the actual site.  This maintains the site and preserves the carvings and sculptures.

Below are a few photos from the museum visit, with the full set in the photo library.  To learn more about the Acropolis Museum, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acropolis_Museum.

The Acropolis at night from below.

The entrance to the Acropolis Museum.

Person doing excavation work under the walkway to the museum entrance.

Marble statue being cleaned using a special laser developed by the museum.

Relief sculptures displayed in sequence as,they were originally used on the Parthenon.  There are 16 pillars along the long side and 8 pillars along the short side, matching the construction of the Parthenon.

Acropolis and Parthenon from the museum outdoor cafe terrace.

Delphi & The Temple of Apollo

Upon our return to Athens from Mykonos, we had an evening to relax and then it was off early the next morning to Delphi, a 3 hour drive from Athens and into the mountains.  Once into the mountains the scenery was beautiful.

Delphi is in lower central Greece along the slope of Mount Parnassus, and is comprised of multiple terraces built along the slope of the mountain overlooking the Pleistos Valley.  Delphi sits high above the valley below, which stretches just over 9 miles down to the city of Kirrha and the Corinthian Gulf.  Delphi is the location of the Temple of Apollo and was the site of the Delphic Oracle, the most important oracle in Ancient Greece.  Extensive occupation and use of the site dates back to the Mycenaean Period (1600-1100 BC), with most of the ruins that survive today dating to about 600 BC.

Delphi was thought by the ancient Greeks to be located at the middle of the earth, who believed the site was selected by Zeus when he sent two eagles flying from the eastern and western extremities of the Earth, and where they crossed he marked as the center.  That spot is marked at Delphi with the navel stone.  At that time Greece did not exist as a country, but was dominated by city- states such as Athens, Corinth, and Sparta.  People identified themselves as Athenians, or Corinthians rather that Greeks.  So, the history of the site is heavily influenced by the people from these city-states.  Each of these city-states built treasuries at the site for storing the gifts brought by their people to the site to dedicate to Apollo.  At one time there were rows of these treasuries.

The history surrounding Delphi is heavily tied into the history and mythology of Ancient Greece and is well beyond my ability to summarize here.  But it is very interesting and if you are interested, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphi to learn more.

We had a terrific local guide who was an expert in the site and in the Greek history and mythology surrounding the site.  We entered the site from the bottom and walked up the many stairs connecting the terraces that defined the sections of the site.  At the bottom were retaining walls and fortifications to protect the site, followed by the market area where animals were sold to visitors to use for sacrifices to Apollo, then the treasuries where gifts to Apollo were housed.  Above that level was the temple itself, and above that the theater carved into the side of the mountain.  Finally well above the theatre as the stadium for sporting events.  It was a challenging climb and many steps, but well worth it for the views and for the experience.

Following is a rendering of how the site might have looked at its prime.  It would have been impressive.

Over the centuries the site was impacted by invaders and earthquakes. The site's treasures were raided many times.  In 66 AD the Roman emperor Nero came to Greece and took 500 of the best statues back to Rome.  Subsequent Roman emperors continued raiding the site until emperor Theodosius I in 395 AD eliminated the oracle.  Eventually the town of Delphi was built on top of the ruins and was ultimately moved when excavations began in modern times.  Now the modern Delphi is located down the road a few miles from the site.

A few photos follow to show an overview of our visit.  The full set will be uploaded to the photo library.

Approaching the site from below, pillars from the Temple of Apollo visible up the slope.

Typical path we climbed.

The navel stone marking the center of the earth.

One end of the Treasury of the Athenians.

Ruins of the temple of Apollo in the background.

The theatre and the temple from above.

Corinthian Gulf from the restaurant where we had lunch in modern Delphi.

Weather Change

Our weather from the start was perfect every day, sunny and clear with warm to hot temperatures.  We had prepared for hot weather and that turned out to be exactly correct.  But out last hot day was, fortunately, our day at the beach in Mykonos.  Overnight that night a front moved through with cooler temps and stronger winds.  Where the sea had been flat, smooth and beautiful on our beach day, the next morning there was a strong wind and swells with whitecaps rolling onto the beach.  It was a remarkable change overnight.  It reminded us of the many times during out years in Virginia that we had gone to the Jersey Shore with our friends Tom and Debbie for Labor Day and seen the weather change from summer to autumn over that weekend.

Since we were near the end of our trip, the cooler shift was fine.  Out last day in Mykonos was our walking tour of Mykonos Town and it was nice to have cooler weather.  It also worked well for our final two days in Athens.

Leaving Mykonos, the Ferry

We traveled by ferry between the islands, starting when we left Crete for Santorini.  Some of the ferries were large and some were small.  The travel times were generally 2-3 hours, but with time for transport to the port, I am not sure it was better than flying, just less security hassle.  The day we left Mykonos the ferry was late arriving and delayed a bit enroute arriving in port at Athens.  We all we'd a little frustrate that it seemed we spent an entire traveling. For our part we had used the morning for our Mykonos Town walking tour (see previous post), so we didn't feel quite so bad.  But some in th group complained we had wasted a day.  We arrived in Athens about 6pm and it was after 6:30 when we checked in at the hotel.

I didn't take a good photo of the last ferry, but did snap one from inside the compartment where we sat.  It was quit large and by comfortable with a cafe where you could buy food or drink.  You can see below where some guy photo-bombed my shot.

Walking Tour of Hora, Mykonos Town

The day after out full day at the beach was also our last day on Mykonos, as we were to leave in the afternoon.  So we had an early breakfast, finished packing our bags, then rode the local bus to Mykonos Town to shop and look around in the daylight.  There is a nice harbor in town and many shops and cafés around the harbor's edge.  Mykonos also retains some of its old wind mills that were used at one time to grind grain into flour.  The windmills are no longer used, but remain as preserved architecture of a former period.  Following are a few favorite photos from our walk around town that day.

Mykonos: Super Paradise Beach

We wanted to explore one or more of the other beaches on the island but didn't have a good way to get around to them.  We could rent a car, or a scooter, but neither appealed to us.  Then, the desk clerk at the hotel recommended the "fishing boats" that left from the local beach and transported you to any of the other beaches around the island.  We found them easily and for 6 Euros each we could ride to one of the other beaches for the day.  The boats pulled into each beach along the way, so we picked one of the major beaches farther down the line so that we could see several before we got off.

Paradise and Super Paradise are two of the more famous Mykonos beaches, and during the summer high season are packed with the college and 20-something party crowd.  Since we were past that time, we hoped to miss that and find one a bit more laid back than the busy beach next to the hotel.  It was random choice that we picked Super Paradise, but it worked out well.  It had umbrellas and chairs to rent (12 Euros for the day), a couple of restaurants with facilities, food, and drink, but a light crowd.  The beach and harbor were beautiful, the water clear and beautiful, and the atmosphere very laid back.

On the boat ride we met three single girls in their 20's from London.  One was actually English and the other two were Americans working in London.  It was fun talking with them, especially the American girls, and learning about their experiences working in London.  They were on a long weekend from London to Mykonos for one of the girl's birthdays.  They had flown the cheap airline for about 250 Euros round trip.  Nice option for someone working in London!

Linda on the boat to Super Paradis beach.  English girl on the right.

Typical scene along the way.  Notice the sparkling clear water.

View of the beach and the harbor.  We sat on the far end from this vantage point.

Notice the clarity of the water in this photo.  The water here and on all of Mykonos is the clearest we have seen anywhere other than Lake Tahoe.

The beach was actually comprised of very small, very smooth pebbles mixed with course sand.  It felt like you were getting a foot exfoliation as you walked along the beach.  It was actually OK and not uncomfortable, and the sand did not stick to your feet like the fine sand of the US beaches.

Jackie O must have liked this beach, as the resort there is named after her.

Boats to transport people anchored and waiting to depart.

Sunset on the return back to our hotel.

This is a really nice set of photos, so watch for the full set to be uploaded later into the photo library.

We really enjoyed our day at Super Paradise beach.  It was relaxing, the water was beautiful, and the scenery was great.