Monday, July 30, 2007
Patras for the Night
Just a stop along the way. Patras is a pretty big city with all the noise you would expect and none of the charm of the islands. It is the largest city in the Peloponnisos and third largest in Greece. We are headed for Athens and this was just a stop for the night. We barbqued chicken and enjoyed the sunset from the back of the boat.
Kefalonia and Underground Lakes
Our journey continues to the Ionian Island of Kefalonia. We slung our anchor out and backed up to the quay of a small little town built around the harbor. The first thing on our list of things to do is visit the caves. They were about 5km away from us. So we decided to rent a taxi. But since there were now 5 of us, (Rebecca’s friend Amanda joined us in Paxos) we wouldn’t all fit in a taxi. The fare was 35 euro to take us to the caves and back. Since we had to rent two taxi’s, the cost would have been 70 euro. That was a little more than we wanted to pay. After looking at renting a car, or scooters or taking the bus, I decided I would just ride my bike and meet them there. So all the girls got in the cab and I followed on my bike. The taxi driver was quite surprised when I showed up just a couple of minutes after he did. The distance was not that far and the road was pretty level.
The first stop was an amazing underground lake. It looked more like a movie set from Phantom of the Opera than a natural grotto. The water was crystal blue and the air felt refreshingly cool to my hot skin. You could see 90 feet to the bottom without any problem. They had us get into a row boat and a guide took us around the lake and into the cave. I asked him if he would sing to us, but he declined. He didn’t want to upset the fish.
The second cave is just up the road about 8km further. This cave was a big underground cathedral of stalagmites and stalactites in colorful hues of yellow, orange and creamy white. They looked like melting ice cream cones. The cave is a very big room that at times has been used for classical concerts. I can’t imagine the wonder and excitement of looking down a small opening and discovering such a wondrous site. I am sure I would vacillate between keeping such a place for myself and telling all of my friends, knowing that it would never be quite the same again.
The next day, we headed to a beautiful beach strung out along the coast. I feel like we are living in post cards most of the time over here. It is everything you want a Greek beach to look like. The water is warm and a turquoise color. Blue and white umbrellas all lined up like soldiers in formation dot the beach.
The first stop was an amazing underground lake. It looked more like a movie set from Phantom of the Opera than a natural grotto. The water was crystal blue and the air felt refreshingly cool to my hot skin. You could see 90 feet to the bottom without any problem. They had us get into a row boat and a guide took us around the lake and into the cave. I asked him if he would sing to us, but he declined. He didn’t want to upset the fish.
The second cave is just up the road about 8km further. This cave was a big underground cathedral of stalagmites and stalactites in colorful hues of yellow, orange and creamy white. They looked like melting ice cream cones. The cave is a very big room that at times has been used for classical concerts. I can’t imagine the wonder and excitement of looking down a small opening and discovering such a wondrous site. I am sure I would vacillate between keeping such a place for myself and telling all of my friends, knowing that it would never be quite the same again.
The next day, we headed to a beautiful beach strung out along the coast. I feel like we are living in post cards most of the time over here. It is everything you want a Greek beach to look like. The water is warm and a turquoise color. Blue and white umbrellas all lined up like soldiers in formation dot the beach.
Diving Through Liquid Sapphire in the Caves of Lefkas
Lefkas is a medium size town that was mostly leveled in an earthquake in 1953. They rebuilt the town stronger and better than ever. It still has a unique character to it. When they rebuilt, they used a lot of corrugated metal in the buildings. Strangely it works pretty well. There is a big downtown street that is just packed at night until about 1am. The Greeks like most of Europe stay home until about 7 or 8 pm. Then the whole family goes downtown and mingles with friends and neighbors. They walk among the shops eat gelato and sit in the cafes until about 1 in the morning.
The next day, we hop a bus to Dessimouon the other side of the island where we rented a boat to explore all the little islands scattered around the area. Across the channel is the island of Meganisi. We found a private beach where we snorkeled and swam and laid in the sun. Then we took the boat further south to these incredible caves. You can take the boat in some of them but most you have to swim into. When you dive into the water here, it is like you are diving through liquid sapphire. The water is crystal clear with a blue tint to it. Streaks of light shine down through making it even more magical. The first cave seemed to end at a wall. I climbed up the wall and looked over. The cave continued a little longer so we swam under the edge and into an opening on the other side. I felt like a kid exploring the wonders of some lost treasure. Light streamed in from the top and lit up this small circular pool of water. Some of the caves you would swim back as far as you dared until light and nerves ran out. It is a little creepy swimming into pure blackness. We took turns so that someone stayed with the little motorboat. It was all fun and games until Lindsay starts shrieking. She saw an eel in one of the caves and that was the end of exploring dark caves underwater. I tried to assure her that eels are very shy and hide from their predators because they are not very protected. Science does not matter when talking to a female that just saw an eel. I will make a note of that.
The next morning the girls headed to Milos, one of the top 10 beaches in Greece. I stayed on the boat to meet with an electrician to figure out why our windless was not working right. The windless raises and lowers the anchor. In Greece there are not always slime lines. So you have to put your anchor out and back into the quay then tie off. It works well unless other boats cross your anchor line, and then it can be a bit of a job untangling things. I have learned to just be patient and have the boats leave in the reverse order that they came. It seems to solve the problem. He fixed some cable and we were back in business.
The next day, we hop a bus to Dessimouon the other side of the island where we rented a boat to explore all the little islands scattered around the area. Across the channel is the island of Meganisi. We found a private beach where we snorkeled and swam and laid in the sun. Then we took the boat further south to these incredible caves. You can take the boat in some of them but most you have to swim into. When you dive into the water here, it is like you are diving through liquid sapphire. The water is crystal clear with a blue tint to it. Streaks of light shine down through making it even more magical. The first cave seemed to end at a wall. I climbed up the wall and looked over. The cave continued a little longer so we swam under the edge and into an opening on the other side. I felt like a kid exploring the wonders of some lost treasure. Light streamed in from the top and lit up this small circular pool of water. Some of the caves you would swim back as far as you dared until light and nerves ran out. It is a little creepy swimming into pure blackness. We took turns so that someone stayed with the little motorboat. It was all fun and games until Lindsay starts shrieking. She saw an eel in one of the caves and that was the end of exploring dark caves underwater. I tried to assure her that eels are very shy and hide from their predators because they are not very protected. Science does not matter when talking to a female that just saw an eel. I will make a note of that.
The next morning the girls headed to Milos, one of the top 10 beaches in Greece. I stayed on the boat to meet with an electrician to figure out why our windless was not working right. The windless raises and lowers the anchor. In Greece there are not always slime lines. So you have to put your anchor out and back into the quay then tie off. It works well unless other boats cross your anchor line, and then it can be a bit of a job untangling things. I have learned to just be patient and have the boats leave in the reverse order that they came. It seems to solve the problem. He fixed some cable and we were back in business.
Paxi
We left the big city life of Corfu and headed to the tranquil island of Paxi. Dotted with a few fishing villages, this little island has more than its share of captivating views. We pulled up to the quay of a small town with fishing roots that have long been grafted into tourist catering. It is an easy transition with the quaint village architecture dating back from centuries gone by. We rented scooters for 15 euro and headed to a couple remote villages on the other side of the island. It was the tucked away beaches and isolated beaches that drew us there. And we were rewarded with a day filled with both. The beaches in most of Europe is not the sandy beaches we are used to, but mostly small pebbles of smooth stones. Not quite as soft as sand, but it doesn’t get caught between your toes. Snorkeling right off shore, I see plenty of sea urchins and lots if fish that growing up I thought only lived in aquariums. If it sounds like we are having the time of our lives, well, we are.
Greece is the Word
After waiting for the winds and high waves to calm down a little, we headed to Greece. The trip across the open waters turned out to be uneventful. The water for the most part was smooth as glass and the wind only helped us for part of the way across until it dropped off to a whisper. We headed to Corfu, one of the bigger islands of the Ionian Sea.
Corfu, Kepkypa, Kerkyra, it’s all Greek to me
One of the first things you notice about Greek is you can’t figure out the name of anything. Even the Greeks can’t figure out the name of anything. First there is the Greek itself, which looks like fraternities gone wild. Just the Greek alphabet, which doesn’t resemble anything you are familiar with. You could be looking at the sign for Athens and have no idea what it is saying. On the maps and some street signage, there is a western alphabet spelling of the name. The trouble is, there is typically two or three different western spellings for the same name. Hence, Corfu is also Kepkypa, and also Kerkyra depending on what book you are reading, or what map you have or what some Greek chooses to call it. The old town is very charming with the ubiquitous tourist shops sprinkled with a few nice clothing stores and great restaurants. We ate at a bakery serving freshly made Greek dishes still warm from the oven. A couple of Euro will get you a great lunch. The town has not one castle but two, complete with mote and imposing towers. One is called the new castle because it dates back only to the 15th century. The old castle is a mix of crumbling impressive structures with some relative new university buildings thrown in. I wonder if they offer storming castle walls and archery as PE classes. The second day we rented a car and drove to a blue lagoon Brooks Shields would have been jealous over. Sheer cliffs that young guys could not resist plunging off of into crystal clear blue water that you can see forever in. We snorkeled and relaxed in the island sun. There are some places on this earth that seem to be carved out in the most breathtaking way. This was one of them. When the afternoon sun was more than enough for us, we went to another beach and rented kayaks and explored some deserted beaches and small caves. It does get hot here, but is usually remedied by a plunge into the ocean. We drove up to a near by town high on the hill. They would build up high to protect themselves from pirates in days gone by. This place does not get many visitors, and I am sure they looked at us in puzzlement as we digitized every falling down door and window in the village. We had our first authentic Greek dinner at a family restaurant. Mom and sister waited on us while dad cooked our meal. We felt more like we were invited into their home than their restaurant. It was incredible. I am already in love with Greek cuisine. We bought fresh produce with the locals off a truck and headed back to the boat. We stayed for three days.
Corfu, Kepkypa, Kerkyra, it’s all Greek to me
One of the first things you notice about Greek is you can’t figure out the name of anything. Even the Greeks can’t figure out the name of anything. First there is the Greek itself, which looks like fraternities gone wild. Just the Greek alphabet, which doesn’t resemble anything you are familiar with. You could be looking at the sign for Athens and have no idea what it is saying. On the maps and some street signage, there is a western alphabet spelling of the name. The trouble is, there is typically two or three different western spellings for the same name. Hence, Corfu is also Kepkypa, and also Kerkyra depending on what book you are reading, or what map you have or what some Greek chooses to call it. The old town is very charming with the ubiquitous tourist shops sprinkled with a few nice clothing stores and great restaurants. We ate at a bakery serving freshly made Greek dishes still warm from the oven. A couple of Euro will get you a great lunch. The town has not one castle but two, complete with mote and imposing towers. One is called the new castle because it dates back only to the 15th century. The old castle is a mix of crumbling impressive structures with some relative new university buildings thrown in. I wonder if they offer storming castle walls and archery as PE classes. The second day we rented a car and drove to a blue lagoon Brooks Shields would have been jealous over. Sheer cliffs that young guys could not resist plunging off of into crystal clear blue water that you can see forever in. We snorkeled and relaxed in the island sun. There are some places on this earth that seem to be carved out in the most breathtaking way. This was one of them. When the afternoon sun was more than enough for us, we went to another beach and rented kayaks and explored some deserted beaches and small caves. It does get hot here, but is usually remedied by a plunge into the ocean. We drove up to a near by town high on the hill. They would build up high to protect themselves from pirates in days gone by. This place does not get many visitors, and I am sure they looked at us in puzzlement as we digitized every falling down door and window in the village. We had our first authentic Greek dinner at a family restaurant. Mom and sister waited on us while dad cooked our meal. We felt more like we were invited into their home than their restaurant. It was incredible. I am already in love with Greek cuisine. We bought fresh produce with the locals off a truck and headed back to the boat. We stayed for three days.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Arrivederci
The winds have calmed down and the sea is a bit smoother. We check the Internet one last time to make sure the weather is in our favor and head out. Our sails are unfurrowed and our course is marked at 83° due east. We leave Italy and the site of land heading for the Ionian islands of Greece. I have grown to love Italy and the Italian people. When I think back upon these past couple of weeks all the sights we have seen are recalled like a photo album in my mind, but the people are recorded in my heart. They are very proud of their country, but are more loyal to their regions. They also have an incredible regard for their monuments of history, but don’t seem to mind spray painting graffiti on the walls of ancient ruins. They view foreigners as an invasion on this little piece of heaven, but welcome you into their hearts without reservation. There is a dichotomy about them that is both frustrating and endearing. Such kindness and love have been shown us all along the way. We could not have made it through Italy without their help and generosity.
Diamonds on the Soles of Your Shoes
Santa Maria de Leuca is at the very bottom of the heel of the boot of Italy. It is the closest port to our first Greek Island, Corfu. The town gets its name from the white limestone cliffs, the Greek Leucos meaning “white”. There is a monumental staircase by the harbor built by Mussolini as a ceremonial gateway into Italy. We plan on spending the night. 5 days later we are still here. The waves and wind have kicked up making our passage in the open sea a bit tenuous. We decide to error on the side of caution and wait until things calm down a little. It is not like it is a bad place to spend some time. We go to the market and restock up, head for the beach, and visit the grottos that are strung along the coast. I take a bike ride up the eastern coast along a beautiful road that clings to the side of a cliff on my left and blue ocean on my right. A string of resorts and quiet road make it one of those rides you don’t forget easily. One day we rent a car for 35 euros and head for the town of Lecce.
Lecce, in my opinion is way more beautiful than Pisa. It doesn’t have a famous leaning tower, but the baroque churches and meandering stone-paved roads leading you through quaint shops are way more impressive. The facades of the churches look like a mad man tried to put as much detail in every square inch only to be followed by an even more insane man who found even more places to carve detailed ornamentation. They look more like wedding cakes than stone buildings. The baroque style spills out onto the streets with intricately carved balconies and impressive entryways. The old gates to the city and strong castle walls are still protecting the area from bad developments. The town is much as it was a couple of centuries ago.
Lecce, in my opinion is way more beautiful than Pisa. It doesn’t have a famous leaning tower, but the baroque churches and meandering stone-paved roads leading you through quaint shops are way more impressive. The facades of the churches look like a mad man tried to put as much detail in every square inch only to be followed by an even more insane man who found even more places to carve detailed ornamentation. They look more like wedding cakes than stone buildings. The baroque style spills out onto the streets with intricately carved balconies and impressive entryways. The old gates to the city and strong castle walls are still protecting the area from bad developments. The town is much as it was a couple of centuries ago.
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