Last post??

Alert that this is likely the last post of the tour. We will be in Athens tomorrow but for a tour and then Greek evening, pack and short rest then to the airport at 3am. I can't imagine time in there to charge the laptop and get in a post. Please be sure to pick your loved one at IAH per the flights schedule located on the side of the blog below. It's always a wonderful moment to reunite after such a special time away. See you there!

PS..I will continue with the Sailing/Volcano tour in Santorini, last day in Athens and closing thoughts, as well as, uploading a Shutterfly link to my photos, when we are back and have our bearings.

Crete then Santorini: Last day at port before we get back to Athens

We arrived in Crete to find its shorline looking much like Athens (not a compliment). There were two tours offered: Palace of Knossos tour and "A taste of Crete" (a winery tour, countryside stops for Greek "tapas" and more wine tasting, etc.) The historians of the group went to Knossos and the rest of the group were tasting Crete. Might be fun to try and guess where your family member ended up. I am outting myself by telling you all that I went to Knossos. I spend time in art history covering the subject and I wanted to see it in person. There are mixed reviews from the group that went to Knossos and I'll save my bottom line here. The tour is very much from the archeological angle of this Bronze age archeological site. The connection that most would have to this site is the mythological Minotaur/labrynth and King Midas with the golden touch. This civilization, like so many we see on these rich historical tours, display the tremendous engineering skills and modern approach to life, with civic planning, infrastructure, plumbing both indoor and out, "air conditioning," etc. While this place is too much to recap here in the blog, it is worth noting that the mark of Sir Arthur Evans on the site, is indelible. He is the well respected archeologists that oversaw the excavation of the site and the controversial reconstruction of much of what we see today. He has been able to date the earliest inhabitants of Knossos to 8000BC while carbon dating has been able to pinpoint it to approx 6500 BC. Either way....tis old and very interesting.

We went back to the ship and ferried along to Santorini, dissembarking at about 4:30 to tender boats that took us ashore. All of this boat transport happens into the area of the island that is a crescent shape and the point of speculation about this being the place of the lost city of Atlantis. In reality, this speculation has arrisen because of a tremendous volcanic eruption that took a huge center portion of the island below the sea, leaving a crescent shape ocean, with the arms of the island wrapped around it. I had to work very hard to consider any place more beautiful that I have seen, than this. Rum Point Beach in Grand Cayman. Isle of Capri in Italy MIGHT run the races with this place, but definitely nowhere else. We wove tightly to the side of the mountain to ascend to OIA village of Santorini by charter bus. Oia is the white homes with blue domes and shutters that you think of when you think of Greece. This is also where The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was filmed. It's a beautiful site, despite the arid ground that is as much dessert like as it is green. It's very rocky (volcano, duh) and dry, dirt, etc. and intermittent green space. As long as you look through this, at the houses and then off the ocean which seems infinite, it's breathtaking. Mom and I decided to perch on the second story of a taverna and take it all in from there as we only had about an hour. We shared two local appetizers: Fava bean salad (theirs are yellow..this salad was yum!) and a shrimp cocktail spun Greek style. Good food, good company and great food. We were able to see rooftops of the rich, sunbathers, hear the churchbells of the town square being wrung by one man, etc. Oia, is like a stage and and all of these actors are putting on a play for the tourists. In fact, this is how they live and it's as unique as it is charming.

I will have to get a first hand account from the adventure group that went out on a sail boat to a volcanic area to climb up and then ferry out to a place where they could dive off of the boat and swim. I shall save their account for it's own blog as I am sure it's a fantastic story.

We are off to pack "10lbs of potatoes into a 5 lbs sack" as the consequences of our shopping are here and now. We will dissembark tomorrow morning and pray that we can get home with all of our goodies and no extra charge for our luggage.

Karaoke and Speedo's...Say What???

What do these two things have in common? Nothing...but both were important enough to justify their own post.

Derek sings a MEAN Willie Nelson with a 9.5 out of 10 possible points. While Izzy is not quite as musically gifted as Derek, she makes up for any missing singing talent with some serious dancing skills and some serious verve. And both of them together made up the best Karaoke's of the night last night.

Speedo's... (Nathan Pair, if you are reading this, yes this information applies to you, too.)

The ladies and I have decided that regardless of how attractive a man is, unless he is in a major swimming competition, the speedo just does not look good. We have seen a wide array of physiques and in some cases, my retina's have hurt all the way to my liver. I do want to note that the ladies seem almost as confused about their swimwear but regardless of how off they might be, the speedo is still the worst decision around the pool.

Rhodes...the small, huge island

I can't account for the rest as once we get on a cruise ship, it's every persons vacation and whichever way the wind blows you, is the way you go. Mom and I decided against a guided tour in Rhodes, though I know many of our group did the tour and are all the wiser about what they saw today. We slept until 9am and waited until the touring folks got off of the boat before we rushed down for the last few minutes breakfast was being served. After getting our aesthetic act together, we walked off the boat and right in to the fortified Medieval town refered to as "old town Rhodes"...not very clever but it works as there is indeed a "new Rhodes." That said, the rock walls, buildings, turrets, etc. give away the old town as you come off of the pier. Mom and I decided to follow Irene's advice and simply "get lost" in the streets. It's Assisi (for those of you who have been) but much much larger and the cluster of streets like Venice. There are shops after shops and the vendors are all charming and completely unaggressive. We did some shopping for some more "original fakes" and finished up our check list of those we needed to bring back souvenirs for. This is the appropriate time to note that most of us, by now, are wearing Ray Dan's...not to be confused with Ray Ban's as these look just like them but only cost us 5-6Euros, unless you are Joe as in his case, they are 8Euros. 

Mom and I decided to cool our heals at a sweet cafe that faces one of the many busy squares. We got a front row seat and took our time in ordering some pita and Tzatziki and shared a prawn appetizer that is swimming in a light red sauce/white wine and melted feta. Yum! This was the perfect place to watch the Greeks at work and the tourists wandering in visual overload. There are many tamed Parrots around the square which of course are for photos and to draw people in to the cafe's that own the birds. It works..

We wandered some more, checking out some of the charming archetecture in this medieval fortress and then made our way back towards the pier. The water is blue blue and clear, but a dark blue, not like the clear water we are accustomed to in South America or around Florida, etc. It's a deep, beautiful shade. We skipped the beach even though this was our original plan, and opted to drop our many bags and make our way poolside on the ship. There, we were able to swim in the Aegean just the same and hydrate the mess out of ourselves.

The food on the ship is terrific. It's not like Carnival where it's round the clock eating, which is actually a good thing. There are designated times and two locations to eat as part of the cruise package. Most of us are taking advantage of this by getting back on the ship in time for meals.

Patmos...hmm...it's a mystery.

Today we left Kusadasi at 12:30 and arrived at Patmos at 4:30. While in mind, this tour would overfill our cups, mom and I decided that our body and spirits needed a loooong nap (3 hours!), serious spa time (mom) and/or time laying/dozing/swimming by the pool. So we've made some seriously boring grown up decisions and stayed on board. I will get the full scoop from the group that got off of the boat and let you guys know what they thought of the Grott of St. John and House of Mary tours.

Tonight is Karaoke night on board and I think I heard most of our group warming up their vocals. Should be a big night of fun together. Stay tuned...look for us on Youtube as I'm sure we'll be easy to spot with those millions of hits.

Kusadasi, Turkey: Ephesus= Big Wow!

To keep it simple, Turkey is indeed another country. It's pace and mindset is a little different than Greece in that it feels older and a little more aggressive towards tourists. This is not to say it's any less safe or enjoyable, just different. The peddlers in the big market were in full form today and you had to really be insistent that you had no interest in their shop while maintaining your best Southern Gal mentality. I sense that they would become irritated if not being coaxed easily, if you aren't careful.

The coastal area of Kusadasi is the home of the "original fakes" as Turkey produces a lot of the designer clothing and handbags. So when fashion houses send a design over and order say...100,000 "units" the producers here will make 100,000 to send to designers and another 100,000 to sell right here in Ephesus for DIRT cheap. Let's just say we took full advantage of this today whereas in other travels I've completely avoided this designer stuff.

We disembarked and boarded a bus to ancient Ephesus. I wish I could pronounce our oh so beautiful guides name, but for the sake of ease, let's just call him "Marco." For those of you who followed my blog or were actually on tour in Pompeii in Italy, you know about Marco the absolutely dreamy anthropologist guide who led me on two separate tours through Pompeii and had the women (young and old alike) tripping over themselves to be at the front of the line nearest to him. So today, his Greek cousin, who we'll also call "Marco" gave us a really nice guide through Ancient Ephasus. He likened ancient city planning to the human body with the Acropolis (top of the city) being the head and then various buildiungs making their way down the hill until you get to the "Agora" which is the open air market where people would shop as the rest of the body. Of course today, this is an excavation site and I'd like to say that it's as impressive as Pompeii in Italy with a very similar balance of working, residential, public and places of worship that have been unearthed, while it's covering less area of land at this point than Pompeii. They have only excavated since the 1960's and have only uncovered 20% of what they beleive exists. It's an unreal example of advanced engineering and city planning complete with roads, public baths, TOILETS...photos are the only way to explain these and the most impressive is the "bibliotek" or the enormous public library which would have also served as a university for men during this historic time. The archeological society has done an amazing job of recreating the three story facade in all of its intricate detail, as a centerpiece of the walk along the ancient city.

When we left Ancient Ephasus for the modern coastal area where the ships are docked (seven at port today, oy) we were whisked in to a very interesting lesson about how Turkish rugs are made (double knots as opposed to 1 knot and very very slowly) while being served Apple Tea (VERY VERY good) in hopes that one of us would whip out our wallets and buy a $2500+ rug "but this includes shipping right to your front door!" At that price (though worth it due to the craftsmanship), unless mine came with a magic genie who loves kids, dogs and housework, it isn't happening. I did buy some nice apple tea to bring home for $3 euros. Whoo! After the carpets, we proceeded to be bombarded one stall after another, by the gents selling their turkish goods but we made it out with our wits, Southern sensibilities still in tact and some seriously good "original fakes" and various other Turkish delights!

Side note to my cat loving friends: Like any ancient city I've visited, there are inhibitants but they are the four legged fuzzy variety that love to get attention from tourists. I always feel like they know just how well they bring character to an ancient column, stone, archway, etc. and thus we snap pictures of them as if we've never seen a cat. Today's kitties had a pavlovian response to bags rustling because they must know that food comes from these and I am betting they get treats most days of the week.

On another note: France has it's crepes, Italy has it's Gelato's and yes, Greece has it's yogurt but the treat with the common thread are fresh fruit slushies. These come in a wide variety of flavors, dictated by the fruit that's in them and every time we exit a big tour, we all seem to find our slushy vendor just like little kids find the gift shop at the end of the ride at Disneyworld. It's very hot here so these are hitting the spot and they are delicious!

Mykonos...this is where the pretty Greeks have gone.

Please forget about what I said about the Greek Gods gone missing. They are here...in Mykonos. Perhaps all of the islands will be where we find the gorgeous women and equally handsome men that we think of when thinking of Greece.

This morning we boarded the ship and all was so smooth thanks to our lovely EF Guide. Irene (Eerrreenie). She knows all of the tricks to position us just ahead of all others in most that we are doing. I am almost positive that 10 of our 12 travelers promptly booked spa treatments varying from 1 hour massages, mani pedis and 20 minute upper body massages. It was "team Savage" in the spa from 12:15 to about 1:30 and we were feeling a lot less stiff/sore/cranky after that. THe staterooms are great. AC is fine and yes, we've already lost some $$ at the casino. It was extra fun to see Teresa go from "I'm not sure about this" to... "I am almost ready to go, I am playing three machines at once and about to cash out."

Lunch on the Lido was buffet "meh" but we all got there late due to our spa treatments. Looking forward to what the real options are when we are on time.

We docked in Mykonos about 5:30 and off we went with Irene. There were no shortage of "ooohhhs" or places to do the perfect Jump Poses with white houses and the Aegean sea, dotted with yachts/sailboats and fishing boats behind us. It's a post card here. It reminds me of Capri in Italy but much more quaint and less touristy, ironically. This is the island that became the settling place for those who wanted to visit the sacred, smaller, neighboring island of Delos, but did not want to live there (would place a jinx on the island if born there or die there so it got too complicated to try to live there.)

This is a cliffside crescent shaped city that is filled with the typical white homes you think of when thinking of Greece, blue roofs and cafe's shops, where the sea laps against the island. The water itself is easiest to describe if I say it is the same color as blue powerade. Not a very sexy descriptor but I think it paints a good mental image. There are families, babies toddling about, young and old splashing in the water to cool down while tourists are walking by to get to some shops, see the many churches (built so that there are no shortage of prayer spots for the fisherman when heading out to sea) or the famous windmills. Our luck must be thicker than thieves because we also ran in to the famous island pelican that walks about like a dog. I feel certain by his swagger that he knows he's a local celebrity. He did allow us to get close enough to take a few photos with him, while he continued to act aloof. I like him.

I am not sure what the rest of the group did but mom and I knew that the best way to feed our souls while also our bodies, was to find a table that was on the farthest point out into the sea, situated so that we could consume an amazing entree of rissoto, mussels and prawns while watching the sun sink behind the ocean. This goodness was only compounded when our friends Kathy and Tom wandered up just as we were ordering and shared some Octopus Fritters and some fun starters with us. With each item, the adorable gents waiting on us wanted to know that we liked it and then let us know that an aunt or a cousin in the kitchen was working hard to prepare these meals for their customers. The owners everywhere are so happy that we are here, they thank us a dozen times if once. This particular owner brought us Ouzo at the beginning of our meal and another at the end, as we were paying our bills. Thus we all walked beside the sea in a state of bliss, towards our beautiful ship. Bidding Mykonos adieu is bittersweet for only having a short time here today, but with a lot of promise for what is ahead in upcoming stops.

Tomorrow morning we all head to an Island in Turkey, Kusadasi. There we will tour the town of Ephesus which is a holy site. It contains one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Artemis and the place where the Gospel of John was written.

We will get up and have breakfast by 6am, dissembark by 7:00am and off we'll go. We hope you all are having as big of an experience as we are and if not, why not???

Where are the Greek Gods? Can we say unattractive?? I think we brought them with us...

Okay the Greeks...not so much. They are very comfortable with their inner German. We've seen tons of misshapen adults wearing the wrong wrong attire. This couldn't be more true in our sweet seaside Gyfalda, when passing the beaches. I should have packed my bikini, I would have been one of the skinnies. 

So speaking of unhunks...Izzy, has a second option, should Jody flake on her while here. While stuffed like an olive in the public "metro" tram, I got to know her new Beau's armpit intimately, while he flexed for her and showed all of his cards in terms of flirting. this was only made worse by our choice to stand near the entrance/exit of the tram where one person got off and three got on at every stop. Thus, her new beau just kept smiling wider. Thank God he finally got off and Jody is a prince. Not to worry, Izzy is coming home. 

Delphi...now we know what we should do when we grow up.

Delphi is the mythological site that was the home of the most important Oracle in Greece. The most wealthy, or those who could afford the pilgrimage, would venture to Delphi to learn from the Oracle, their future. One of the most common philosophies we have gleaned from here is "Know thy self." This place is a cross between the beauty and hilltop/side of Assisi and the ruins of the Roman Forum with a side dish of Pompeii. It's about 3 hours outside of Athens by bus, which we were glad for. Our legs are aching and we are tired. It's also miserably hot. 100+ and while the AC in our rooms are GREAT the one on the bus and everywhere else in town would be old aunt Sally, if they had a name. We journeyed through the armpit and several mountain ranges today which took us away from the Aegean sea and closer to the Ionian Sea. The scenery became very lush and breathtaking while winding through the mountains. Delphi is isolated like Assisi in Italy with nothing around on the side of Mt. Parnassus. It's staged in several levels, starting with the Agora (shopping market) a Treasury (to house the treasures brought to the Oracle), a theater, tholos, hippodrome, and the castalian spring that is supposed to provide clarity in your life if you drink from here. We shall remain without clarity as it was bloody hot and to gain this wisdom, we would have had to walk 20 minutes in the opposite direction of our destination. If the panoramic from the Acropolis in Athens was breathtaking, this is indescribable other than through photos or a visit in person yourself. It was beautiful no matter where we looked as there are scattered ruins and lush mountains at every turn and elevation.

There is a beautiful modern museum connected to the entry level of the ancient Delphi. Mom, Katy, Tom and I meandered the trail together towards the museum which is a shaded stone trail that connects the old to the new. The museum is not large but it's large in spirit, housing much of the most precious pieces that have been excavated from the site to protect it. the most impressive is without doubt, the Naxian Sphinx.

Derek managed to get in to trouble but with my help. Climbing on to ancient stones and tempting his fate as one wrong move and Derek wouldn't need an Oracle of any kind. However, the photo I snapped while the guide was insisting that he get down, is awesome and I wish I had been the one on the rock and he had snapped the pic.

Many many photo ops here and tons of exercise. Thank GOD there really are Buccees in Greece and we made a pit stop there to unload and refuel and snap some pics of us looking like the locals.

Tomorrow we set sail for Mykonos. Time for bed and up early to pack and have another yummy breakfast and bid the Oceanis adieu. Stay tuned...

Athens is an armpit, butttt......

Updating from behind this evening thanks to a battery drain, late night and tired bones. We got up yesterday morning and had an amazing European breakfast filled with greek yogurt, fruit, breads, jam, honey, juices,coffee, boiled eggs, cereal and plates of cheese and ham. The Oceanis Hotel is one of the better hotels  we've used through EF. Not only are they glad for us to be here, the hotel is clean, working AC's and they are enjoying feeding us well. WE took the bus in to Athens and kept waiting for the scenery to improve but we now know why EF puts us up in Gyfalda. It's a pretty seaside resort town and Athens is a giant armpit.Concrete structures that are not pretty at all, dirty, huge stray animal population (They have a gov' system of fixing stray dogs, as indicated by a Gov't ID tag/collar but then they are turned loose again to continue their stray lifestyle.) The highlight of yesterday was the Acropolis, to be sure. The heat is tough..100+ degrees and the hike was no joke, but we are a good lookin group of Olympic worthy specimens so we all made it. The marble that has been there for 1000's of years is well worn and thus very slick, making footing unsure and the pace is slow. Nonetheless we made it and it's just what you'd imagine. the panoramic from the Acropolis, is stellar. The Parthenon is in a state of restoration but still quite easy to imagine it during its original construction. I was most excited to see the Caryatids that I love speaking about in art history. These are the beautiful columns that are Greek women wearing the typical Greek gown/toga and are absolutely stunning. There are reproductions at the Erechtheion but they are very convincing. The decent is as tough as the climb but definitely worth the effort.

In addition to our time on the Acropolis, we went to the Parliament building and watched the oh so entertaining changing of the guards. I would liken it to London guards, complete with funny little outfits of the Greek variety. This area is surrounded by a beautiful public garden and is well shaded.

Alas, we were able to do a little shopping and sit down at a Taverna and enjoy an authentic Greek lunch. Bottle cokes are hitting the spot along with several varieties of Greek beer and the water is safe and tasty. We all had a wide gulf of cuisine from Gyros to Souvlaki to fish and beyond. The Tzatziki is great on everything I've eaten so far and the Greek salad is unlike ours stateside. It's chunked up tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, sometimes slivers of bell pepper, Kalamatas, Feta and olive oil...no lettuce. It's always in a generous bowl and delicious.

Today we headed to Delphi but this deserves a blog post of it's own. Stay tuned...