Saturday, May 13, 2006
Greece, May 10-13th
It's been another few, but exciting and unexciting days. I was sick on my birthday, and spent the whole day sleeping.
Weds, May 10th
We left Delphi at 8:15, but took the bus because their was a workers' strike so the train was not running. We drove by the Gulf of Corinth and a large valley with a ton of olive trees. Colin said that there is an estimated 3 million olive trees in Greece. We stopped in Nafpaktos, a town by the sea (2 hr drive from Athens through Attica road) for a coffee break. There is a statue of Miguel Cervantes (wrote Don Quixote) next to the port because he fought in the navel battle of Nafpaktos and lost his hand (or arm?) when he was 23 years old.
After our break we crosesed the new Rio-Antirnos Bridge (built in 2004 for the Olympics), which is by Petras, the 3rd largest city in Greece. On the bus Colin gave us a review of the timeline of ancient history (the different periods - i.e. Classical, etc). He also talked about the local area and gave us background on modern greek politics and history. There is a high voter turn out for Greece, and the Greeks are strongly against the war in Iraq. Greece has elections every 2 years, and there are 300 members of parliment.
For lunch we went to very small village called Plantero where there are natural springs. We ate outdoors under a covered patio over a small creek. We had 2 fresh grilled fish each, greek salad, bitter greens, fried cheese, and a custard dessert that was covered with filo dough and honey. Some people were grossed out by the fact that the fish had the heads on them when they served it to us, but I said, "hey, my family fights over the fish heads" :) and others complained about having to pick out bones. But, when in Greece, do as the Greeks do. I thought it was quite tasty, just needed some rice, but there was bread instead. Even Muir ate some fish, but not a lot. There were a few heards of goats and sheep that went throught the village as we ate lunch.
After lunch we had another stop in Kalavrita, a skiing town. There is a monument dedicated to the villagers who were masscared in the town by the Nazis. They killed males over the age of 15. We spent the night in Ditmansana, which is a town in the mountains. We also went to the Water Power Museum after we got into town. I took a nap while Muir and his mom watched the Greek National Championship for soccer in our room. Every taverna had the game on. We had dinner at a local taverna which had yummy grilled chicken. Our room at the Hotel Dimitsana had a great balcony and view, and comfy sheets, but I didn't think the bed was that great. My back hurt the next day. Also, there were no other tourists in town. The roads are very narrow, and the bus driver Thenasses (spelling?) had to back up a couple of times to get a down a road.
Thurs, May 11th
We left Ditmansana at 8am, and headed towards Olympia the ancient site of the Olympics. We met our tour guide Nicki and went through the museum and the ancient site. We had lunch at a village right outside of Olympia at Taverna Bacchus, where we had veggie appetizers (egglant salad, black eyed peas, bread, tazaiki, spinach, cheese fries) and free wine. We also got some gelato for one euro. There is not much in the town of Olympia - it only exists to service the tourists and support the museum and ancient site.
After lunch we proceed to Kardamyli, a small town 22 miles SE of Kalamata (yes, as in Kalamata olives), which is next to the Messinian Gulf. The water here is very blue! The group was split into 2 hotels because the hotels wanted to have some free rooms for other tourists / hikers. The area is known for its hiking trails. We stayed at Hotel Vardia (for 2 nights), which is a bit of a uphill hike. But, it was quite worth it because the view from the room balcony was terrific - it overlooked the town and the sea. I was a bit queasy and really cold on the bus, and thought it would go away....
Friday, May 12th
This day was our free day on our tour. My flu / virus thingy got worse - I had the chills and hot flashes all day and have diarreah. I slept most of the day. Not a fun way to spend my 27th birthday. Luckily our room had a kitchenette and Muir went to the store (3 times!) and bought food to make me meals. He was also sneaky, and ordered me a yummy chocolate cake in town. He also discovered that the store owner also owned the hotel we stayed in. We had cake and my tour mates at the hotel sang happy birthday to me in the late afternoon. Colin gave me a small bottle of alcohol that is 42% alcohol by volume....pretty intense stuff! Haven't tried it yet, but it will be a fun time when I do drink it :)
Saturday, May 13th
We are now in Gythio, where we will stay for 2 nights. Today we did a tour of Mesa Mani. We stopped at the Church of St. Nicholas, and were able to go inside of it to see amazing 10th century frescos. This was a first for a Rick Steves tour because it is usually locked up. Colin discovered who had the keys to the gate for the church, and he was quite excited. The caretaker was very gracious, and let us take some pictures of the frescos with flash (most museums don't let you do this).
We then headed to Aeropoli where we stopped for coffee, and Colin gave us background on the Greek Independence War. We visited a small church called St. John's there. Since it was Saturday, there were vendors selling misc. things (clothing, food, etc) at the town square. When we got coffee, we struck up a conversation with an English couple. They are on a driving holiday through Greece, and love coming to Greece because it is laid back. They also asked us about President Bush, who of course, they don't like either. The man's sister lives in Florida.
After Aeropoli, we headed to Gerolimenas a small fishing village, where we had lunch next to the water. Lunch consisted of calimari and grilled anchovies. Yum...but of course my stomach was not up to eating that much. If I had an appetite, I would have eaten the whole plate. The water was a wee bit cold for me when I stuck my toes in.
After lunch we went to Vathia, where there are old abandoned towers along the rocky seaside. We walked around the towers, and there is also a great view of the sea at the top. The tourist complex was closed a few years ago, and there is only an elderly caretaker and her dogs there. I think she was the one yelling at us "No Photos, No Photos!"
From Vathia, we drove to Gythio, which is a small town with busy sea port. It was the port of ancient Sparta. The town is also known as the meeting place of Helen and Paris (Troy), which started the Trojan wars. Our hotel has a great balcony with a view of the sea port, but the hotel itself isn't as great as Hotel Vardia.
Well, that's it for now. We'll post again in a few days. We are heading to the fortified town of Monemvasia tomorrow, and then we will spend 2 nights in Nafplio. After Nafplio, we are taking a ferry to Spetses, an island, where we will spend 2 more nights. We'll be back in Athens after Spetses, but will be going to Santorini with Kristine & Wolfgang's family right after we get back into Athens.
Weds, May 10th
We left Delphi at 8:15, but took the bus because their was a workers' strike so the train was not running. We drove by the Gulf of Corinth and a large valley with a ton of olive trees. Colin said that there is an estimated 3 million olive trees in Greece. We stopped in Nafpaktos, a town by the sea (2 hr drive from Athens through Attica road) for a coffee break. There is a statue of Miguel Cervantes (wrote Don Quixote) next to the port because he fought in the navel battle of Nafpaktos and lost his hand (or arm?) when he was 23 years old.
After our break we crosesed the new Rio-Antirnos Bridge (built in 2004 for the Olympics), which is by Petras, the 3rd largest city in Greece. On the bus Colin gave us a review of the timeline of ancient history (the different periods - i.e. Classical, etc). He also talked about the local area and gave us background on modern greek politics and history. There is a high voter turn out for Greece, and the Greeks are strongly against the war in Iraq. Greece has elections every 2 years, and there are 300 members of parliment.
For lunch we went to very small village called Plantero where there are natural springs. We ate outdoors under a covered patio over a small creek. We had 2 fresh grilled fish each, greek salad, bitter greens, fried cheese, and a custard dessert that was covered with filo dough and honey. Some people were grossed out by the fact that the fish had the heads on them when they served it to us, but I said, "hey, my family fights over the fish heads" :) and others complained about having to pick out bones. But, when in Greece, do as the Greeks do. I thought it was quite tasty, just needed some rice, but there was bread instead. Even Muir ate some fish, but not a lot. There were a few heards of goats and sheep that went throught the village as we ate lunch.
After lunch we had another stop in Kalavrita, a skiing town. There is a monument dedicated to the villagers who were masscared in the town by the Nazis. They killed males over the age of 15. We spent the night in Ditmansana, which is a town in the mountains. We also went to the Water Power Museum after we got into town. I took a nap while Muir and his mom watched the Greek National Championship for soccer in our room. Every taverna had the game on. We had dinner at a local taverna which had yummy grilled chicken. Our room at the Hotel Dimitsana had a great balcony and view, and comfy sheets, but I didn't think the bed was that great. My back hurt the next day. Also, there were no other tourists in town. The roads are very narrow, and the bus driver Thenasses (spelling?) had to back up a couple of times to get a down a road.
Thurs, May 11th
We left Ditmansana at 8am, and headed towards Olympia the ancient site of the Olympics. We met our tour guide Nicki and went through the museum and the ancient site. We had lunch at a village right outside of Olympia at Taverna Bacchus, where we had veggie appetizers (egglant salad, black eyed peas, bread, tazaiki, spinach, cheese fries) and free wine. We also got some gelato for one euro. There is not much in the town of Olympia - it only exists to service the tourists and support the museum and ancient site.
After lunch we proceed to Kardamyli, a small town 22 miles SE of Kalamata (yes, as in Kalamata olives), which is next to the Messinian Gulf. The water here is very blue! The group was split into 2 hotels because the hotels wanted to have some free rooms for other tourists / hikers. The area is known for its hiking trails. We stayed at Hotel Vardia (for 2 nights), which is a bit of a uphill hike. But, it was quite worth it because the view from the room balcony was terrific - it overlooked the town and the sea. I was a bit queasy and really cold on the bus, and thought it would go away....
Friday, May 12th
This day was our free day on our tour. My flu / virus thingy got worse - I had the chills and hot flashes all day and have diarreah. I slept most of the day. Not a fun way to spend my 27th birthday. Luckily our room had a kitchenette and Muir went to the store (3 times!) and bought food to make me meals. He was also sneaky, and ordered me a yummy chocolate cake in town. He also discovered that the store owner also owned the hotel we stayed in. We had cake and my tour mates at the hotel sang happy birthday to me in the late afternoon. Colin gave me a small bottle of alcohol that is 42% alcohol by volume....pretty intense stuff! Haven't tried it yet, but it will be a fun time when I do drink it :)
Saturday, May 13th
We are now in Gythio, where we will stay for 2 nights. Today we did a tour of Mesa Mani. We stopped at the Church of St. Nicholas, and were able to go inside of it to see amazing 10th century frescos. This was a first for a Rick Steves tour because it is usually locked up. Colin discovered who had the keys to the gate for the church, and he was quite excited. The caretaker was very gracious, and let us take some pictures of the frescos with flash (most museums don't let you do this).
We then headed to Aeropoli where we stopped for coffee, and Colin gave us background on the Greek Independence War. We visited a small church called St. John's there. Since it was Saturday, there were vendors selling misc. things (clothing, food, etc) at the town square. When we got coffee, we struck up a conversation with an English couple. They are on a driving holiday through Greece, and love coming to Greece because it is laid back. They also asked us about President Bush, who of course, they don't like either. The man's sister lives in Florida.
After Aeropoli, we headed to Gerolimenas a small fishing village, where we had lunch next to the water. Lunch consisted of calimari and grilled anchovies. Yum...but of course my stomach was not up to eating that much. If I had an appetite, I would have eaten the whole plate. The water was a wee bit cold for me when I stuck my toes in.
After lunch we went to Vathia, where there are old abandoned towers along the rocky seaside. We walked around the towers, and there is also a great view of the sea at the top. The tourist complex was closed a few years ago, and there is only an elderly caretaker and her dogs there. I think she was the one yelling at us "No Photos, No Photos!"
From Vathia, we drove to Gythio, which is a small town with busy sea port. It was the port of ancient Sparta. The town is also known as the meeting place of Helen and Paris (Troy), which started the Trojan wars. Our hotel has a great balcony with a view of the sea port, but the hotel itself isn't as great as Hotel Vardia.
Well, that's it for now. We'll post again in a few days. We are heading to the fortified town of Monemvasia tomorrow, and then we will spend 2 nights in Nafplio. After Nafplio, we are taking a ferry to Spetses, an island, where we will spend 2 more nights. We'll be back in Athens after Spetses, but will be going to Santorini with Kristine & Wolfgang's family right after we get back into Athens.
