Hunkering in a Bunker & Other Adventures

Maybe sometime I could write about some of our funny incidents, like how both Marie and I have been stuck in toilets and have had to be released. When it happened in Turkey it meant every male in sight joining in the endeavour! The Turks just love to be involved, and will drop everything to help, most usually with a big smile. Trying to find where you need to go on a map almost leads to a stampede.

Now in Greece, we've spent 5 days in Rhodes, 10 days in Milos and 2 days in Santorini. It's hard to know what to focus on in particular as it's all been noteworthy, fascinating, intriguing, absorbing - and in all, worthwhile!
 
I'm writing this on a bus heading for Delphi and Meteora, a visit that Marie and I are making without Darcy, as he's planning his trip up north and may even have left by the time we return to Athens.

It's a shame Darcy isn't here to have his say, as Rhodes (Rodos) was a real highlight for him. Marie and I had fun exploring the Old City, walking around the walls, visiting the shops in the narrow cobbled streets, and thoroughly enjoying the food! Although Darcy really hasn't taken to Greek food, he absorbed every site and monument that he possibly could and I'm sure he will have some intriguing and captivating video footage for everyone to see.

Arriving in Milos early in the morning, after a 21 hour ferry journey from Rodos, we settled into accommodation associated with Rod & Petrinela Feldtman's kayaking and B&B business in Triovasalos, an 'up' village (as opposed to a coastal village). Four days of exploring fascinating Milos were followed by our kayaking circumnavigation of the island.

Marie here:  four long wonderful days of caves, arches and tunnels - going through one tunnel would get us through to a small sheltered grotto, with yet more arches and caves to come. We experienced all types of paddling conditions, from very calm to quite big seas, where I could only see the top of someone's hat, and sometimes not even that. The waves created by the backwash from the cliffs around the Capes were very muddled and scary, and I felt like I was in a washing machine! We three were the lucky ones as we had booked boats with rudders, and could control our boats, but as for the other six paddlers, they had to cope as best they could with rudderless boats - and it was very hard for those with little experience.
Jillian again: the rock colours and formations alone were worth the trip. Hopefully we'll be able to post a photo that will show them. We enjoyed sleeping out on the beaches again, but this time had to do our own catering. It mightn't have been up to Vedat's standard in Turkey, but we managed pretty well. (I'd prefer a catered trip in these conditions; too hard when you don't know what's available). Our final day the wind blew up to Force 6, and we had a challenging and rough ride into a narrow sheltered beach, hunkering down in an old WWII German bunker for the night! Better than being out in the open, like some of the others were, listening to your tent flap all night. The fifth day turned out a disaster for an American girl with us. Kathy was trying to avoid a double kayak as it was blown off the top layer of the trailer, tripped and broke her lower leg in two places. We didn't feel like paddling after that, so it was the end of the paddle - we only had two hours to go anyway, and in the event no-one could have done it because of the wind. 

Two full on days in Santorini saw us enjoying a wonderful sunset from Oia, visiting little villages and deserted houses, plus a boat ride to the volcano island and a swim in the hot springs. We're left with memories of blue domed churches and incredible panoramic views. Not to mention the food and the wine!

And now Athens! Marie and I had a great afternoon up on the Acropolis, admiring the Parthenon and other amazing ruins from every possible angle, trying to get photos that were of the actual site, as opposed to a reminder of every Tomasi Ricardo and Harry from who knows where on Planet Earth. 50 years (yes, fifty) years since I was last up there, and I was so excited to be visiting it again. I hadn't remembered how golden the sandstone is, but the sheer grandeur blew me away, just the same as last time. A true marvel. We are now driving back to Athens, after an intriguing and interesting visit to Delphi and Meteora. The monasteries of the latter are built on the top of tall towering rock spires and are inspiring, both to look at, and to visit. There's a wonderful sense of calmness and serenity inside, together with vibrantly beautiful Byzantine type paintings and icons. And! Yesterday it rained; our first rain since 14th August; two calendar months. 

Just for the record, we had a fascinating visit to the new Acropolis Museum, an amazing architectural wonder by itself, even without the wonderful items on display. There's a breathtaking view of the Acropolis from the top floor, and through the glass bottom floor you can see excavations being made below - the floors on all levels are glass. 

It will take us 6 hours to drive back to Athens, including navigating the Friday night rush traffic out of the city. Darcy is now on a bus for a 2 day visit to Delphi and Meteora, and as for Marie and me, well, we're off to Paris in the morning (just had to write that!)