London Bridges Falling Down

Sure I have passed through this world-class city but I have never spent time here. Steve’s friends Rob and Dave let us stay at one of their condos right on the Thames that they were not using. Right out our balcony we were surrounded by century old warehouses that have been unloading cargo since the old sailing ships ruled the sea. Now the warehouses are mostly fashionable residences owned by those that can afford the spectacular views. We used the same waterway by jumping on a catamaran that swiftly takes us to the center of London. Even though it is the first time I have spent time in London, everything strangely looks familiar. It is De Ja Vue all over again. There is Big Ben, and the parliament building, Westminster Abbey, and down the street is Buckingham palace. This is the London that Mary Poppins flew over with her umbrella and Peter Pan lead Wendy and her brothers by the hand as they flew above, on their way to Neverland. The closest we got to flying over the city is a ride on the Millennial Eye. And how can you not visit London without seeing the crown jewels. You gotta love these hunks of precious gems as big as a bar of soap that have been crowning royalty for centuries. We wander up and down the tower of London where Anne Boleyn and Mary, Queen of Scotts, lost their heads. It was like walking through a movie set. I was a bit disappointed to find out that Piccadilly Circus was no circus at all, but just means a circular road where several roads come together. Not a clown in site. And really, Buckingham Palace looks more like some boring government accounting building than a royal palace. I guess the inside is supposed to be pretty nice, but we were not invited in.

The Magic Carpets of Istanbul

We spent a couple days visiting the ancient city of Constantinople, where east meets west. This is a city that was the seat of Christianity until the Turks invaded and imposed Muslim rule. Beautiful iconic gold mosaic Christian domed churches got plastered over and the Muslim images painted in bright vivid colors. When these two major religions meet, it is hard to decide which one should be shown. Do you peel off the plaster that was added to the ceilings when the church was turned into a mosque to reveal the ancient Christian artwork? Or do you keep it the way it has been for centuries with the wonderful Islamic paintings.

The streets of Istanbul are crowded and the bazaars are overflowing with exotic handmade goods. Precious spices of deep rich colors and textures are displayed in mounds on top of wooden barrels. Old men stand shoulder to shoulder on the bridge that crosses the Bosporus river throwing their lines into the water below hoping to pull dinner out of the rough waters below like they have for centuries. Yet there is also something very modern about this city. Few women wear the traditional berka and I am told that those that do are probably visitors from Saudi Arabia. Hamans are sprinkled throughout the city where men and sometimes women gather to spend the afternoon on heated marble slabs pouring cool water over themselves as they discuss the important and not so important issues of the day. Carpet store owners suck you into their shops and offer you ceremonial tea to keep you there while they talk knots and thread count of these magical hand woven carpets. And the sounds of the city also let you know you are in a much different country as the muezzins stand atop the minaret towers that spike from the numerous mosques calling all faithful Muslins to prayer. It is quite loud and they start their calls early in the morning way before you are even considering getting out of bed. As I left this city, my only thought was how soon could I come back here. I am looking forward to my return in April.

Trekking to Turkey

It is just a couple hours’ sail from Rhodes to Turkey. We head to Marmaris, which is a deep bay surrounded in lush green trees and jagged rock outcrops. It is so verdant that I am surprised the difference between the Turkish coast and the rocky arid Greek islands we have been sailing through. We spend our time getting the boat ready for winter and filing all of the government papers necessary to be in Turkey. The marina is one of the largest in Europe with acres of boats drydocked. They are parked so close to each other that it looks like a Walmart parking lot. There are two large cranes pulling boats constantly out of the water. It never stops. They don’t call it dry docking, they call it “having your boat on the hard”. The date they put the boat back in the water is called your splash date. The boating community is quite close here. We are there for a little over a week before flying to Istanbul.

Road to Rhodes, Our last Greek Isle

One more stop takes us to the Island of Rhodes. Its claim to fame in the ancient world was the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The statue represented the sun god Helios, which stood 107 feet tall at the harbor entrance. Ships would sail into the harbor through its legs. You can still envision where the statue stood, but nothing is left of it. After it was destroyed in an earthquake in 226 BC the bronze was sold for scrap.

What makes Rhodes unique in the world today is it’s medieval town that still thrives inside the fortress of the stone walls built in the 14^th century by the Knights of St John. With twelve feet thick walls and a mote surrounding it, the city was protected for centuries while other islands were conquered. At its zenith it had a population of over 40,000 residents. Maybe what is more amazing is there are still 10,000 permanent residents that are living in the exact same apartments built centuries ago. The old town is not a museum that you wander through and wonder how life might have been. It is a living, breathing city where it doesn’t take much of an imagination of how it must have existed 8 centuries ago. The horses and armor are gone, but travelers pass through as they have for thousands of years buying trinkets and memorabilia to remind them of their time on this ancient island.

We spent almost a week there climbing through the stone-paved streets and visiting the museums that document the centuries of history. It rained a couple of days while we were there but when the sun came out; it was still warm enough to head to the beach in the afternoons. One of the days we took the local bus to the town of Lyndos about an hour south along the coast. There perched on the top of a sheer cliffs that plunge into the ocean are the ruins of a once thriving Greek acropolis.

Sometimes I feel so connected to these people that lived on this earth thousands of years ago. When you visit a city like Rhodes, you realize that not much has changed over the centuries. The signs have gone from hand carved wooden ones to neon lit plastic but shop owners are still hocking their wares, couples are sipping drinks and eating in the sidewalk cafes, children are playing in the fountains and chasing the pigeons, adolescents are checking each other out, old women are kneading bread and birds are still eating the scraps that fall from the tables.

Spectacular Santorini

Sailing into Santorini may very well be the most breathtaking place I have ever sailed into.  It is one of the few islands in the Aegean that was created by a volcanic explosion.  And what an explosion.  Experts estimate that around 1600 bc more than 24 cubic square miles of mountain top blew up creating a tsunamis somewhere between 110 to 490 ft high. The aftermath created crop failures and famine as far away as China, so sever that it brought down the Xia dynasty. It is one of the biggest volcanic explosions every on the face of the earth.  What is left in the aftermath is a spectacular volcanic caldron with sheer chocolate volcanic cliffs soaring hundreds of feet high. The old volcanoes steep sided rim and fertile volcanic soil made it perfect for building villages safely from the notorious pirates.  As a result we get beautiful Santorini today with its white buildings rimming the crater top giving it a look of snowcapped mountains in an almost perfect circle.

It is quite a hike up to the towns from the ocean floor.  Most people take the tram to the top or following years of tradition ride donkeys up very winding switch-backed trails.  When you get to the top you are rewarded with perhaps the most scenic villages of the Aegean.  Our favorite was the town of Oia with its softly sculptured white structures that sparkle in the sunlight as you wander through the streets of polished marble.  And the sunsets from the ridge of this natural theater makes everyone stop each evening to watch the lightshow.  The sky becomes ablaze in oranges purples and hot yellow-white light.  Cameras start clicking and don’t stop until the last of the golden orb sinks into the deep blue ocean of Greece. Spectacular. 

The sheer walls don’t stop at the ocean, but continue to plunge over 400 feet deep.  As a result, it is just too deep to lay an anchor out.  There aren’t any real ports because they can’t lay a breakwater, so we tied up to a buoy and the quay.  We stayed for three nights before heading further east towards Turkey.

Rushing Winds and Raging Seas

This time of year, the weather is becoming problematic.  Stronger winds and rougher seas are more common.  We were only on Naxos for a day when the weather turned again to super strong winds.  Everyone in the marina hunkered down by running extra lines from their boats to shore and tying the boats together for added protection.  And the winds came with a vengeance.  The open sea had wave height of almost 10 feet and winds up around 40 knots.  Fortunately in the marina, it was just strong winds and a little rocky.  Nothing like a safe harbor when mother nature decides to throw a tantrum. 

We headed further south and spent a couple of days on Ios.  It is an island much like Mykonos with a town nestled safely at the top of the hill.  This city has the traditional narrow winding streets lined with whitewashed buildings selling postcards and all the souvenirs a tourist may need to remember this beautiful island.  This time of year, the crowds are gone and it feels like you are walking through a movie set that once was teaming with actions.  Lots of bars and nightclubs attest to the pulse of activity that is present during “the season”.

The Cobalt Blue Waters of the Aegean

When you think of the Greek Isles with their whitewashed sculptural houses punctuated by deep blue shutters and doors, you are thinking of the Cyclades.  It is a group of islands whose history goes back literally to the dawn of civilization. We headed from Athens to Siros, the capital of the Cyclades.  It is a busy port with shipyards, and a quaint town.  The whitewashed town starts at the waters edge and climbs like sugar cubes stacked up the side of the hill with a beautiful church crowned in light blue domes.

This group of islands get their name because they all circle around the island Delos, the birthplace of Apollo.  Delos was considered a holy island to the ancient Greeks where no one was allowed to live or be born on.  Still to this day, no one lives on the island and boats are not allowed to stay past 3 pm.

Perhaps the most famous of all the Cyclades is Mykonos.  It is clearly the most popular tourist destination.  While we were there 3 or 4 cruise ships would be anchored in the bay even during this time of year which is considered the off season.  I can’t imagine the crowds that must pulse through the very narrow streets of this small village port during the summer.  The first night we anchored out in one of the serene bays and enjoyed swimming off the boat the next day.  But strong winds were predicted so we headed to the new port that has been under construction for the past 7 or so years.  It is almost completed, but still has not had the power or water turned on yet.  Since we haven’t been in a port with electricity for almost 2 weeks, we were starting wring out the very last of the power stored in our batteries.  The winds did come and though the new port is a little more protected than the old port, it was difficult for most boats to dock safely.  We watched the harbor theater as boat after boat got blown into other boats by the strong gusts as they tried to reach the safety of the berth.  Every available hand would scramble to the decks of the nearby boats and help with sliding fenders or pushing off until finally the boats settled into their slips.  It was hard to watch, but a real lesson on what not to do in strong winds when coming into a berth. 

We rented a scooter for 10 euro a day to explore the island and visit the famous beaches of Mykonos.  While on the beach, we started talking to a couple of Aussies, a Brit and a guy from Philadelphia.  We ended up hanging out together for most of the week, going to dinner together and a couple of the disco clubs in the evening.  One afternoon our international gang all came over to the boat and we sailed to a secluded bay on the north part of the island where we had lunch at a really great restaurant.  Stuffed with traditional Greek cusine, we went back to the boat and hung out toasting in the afternoon sun. 

Towards the end of the week, the winds and sea finally calmed down enough to head out to Paros.  We stayed there for a couple of days and then headed to Naxos.