My Butt is Sore

I didn't sleep well last night due to the mattress, which had the comforting properties of concrete. Also, as proof that I wasn't lying to anyone about seeing the largest beetle ever, I give you this photo. I first heard it flying around last night when I was outside skyping with Nicole. It sounded like a B-17 flying overhead. Then it randomly plummeted to the ground about 20 feet in front of me and proceeded to wander slowly.




When I got up for breakfast the following morning, it was pretty much in the same spot. Perhaps my photos don't really give the scale, but here you see Spiros holding it up.




Our only real stop today was to a nunnery in Meteora. The nuns are no better than those weasely monks. The nun collecting the money was very unprofessional. She was yakking it up on her cell phone with somebody important -- maybe it was one of the Saints . . . or perhaps she was arranging a hot date with those monks. But once that mother of mine tried to sneak by wearing capri pants, the lady went full nun on us. "Pantalones!!!!, Pantalones!!!," she screeched. Mom was once again forced to wear some sort of skirt apparatus.




The remainder of the day was spent in the taxi. It was a long drive back to Athens. I kept falling asleep. We didn't get into town until 4:00. We figured everything would have already closed since they have a habit of closing at 3, but it turns out that the Acropolis was still open.




It was, however, covered in lots of scaffolding and restoration work. Still, the condition was better than many things we have seen in Greece. My Dad was very excited about all this. We circled the entire complex more than once. It was tough to keep up as he pranced around sassily, hand on hip.



When we have regained our energy and get a decent night of sleep (hopefully), we will be doing a bit more walking tomorrow. But for right now, I need some food. Until next time.

Monks are Weasels

We left Delphi for Meteora today. It is a place with interesting geological formations. Many of these steep cliffs have a monastery on top of it. Each of the monasteries has different opening and closing hours just to make things that much more complicated. That being said, I was far more interested in the views from the monasteries than actually entering them.




As we soon discovered, monks are terrible people. They charge people to enter their monasteries, which frankly are kind of boring on the inside and smell like an old gymnasium. Secondly (and try to follow me on this one), women are required to wear some sort of skirt. My mom, and many other females attempting to visit these sites, were wearing pants. This was not acceptable by the monkey standards. They all had to wrap these heinous looking skirts over their pants. The logic of this was completely lost on me. Thirdly, for reasons I cannot work out, monks have it in for photography. There were many signs prohibiting cameras, but I was glad to see that everyone was ignoring these signs. You see, monks? If you deny people like me the right to practice my art, you get bad press! My influential blog with its 2 readers has exposed you for what you are!




In any event, we visited about 5 monasteries today. We decided to pay for just two, and mostly just to get a better view. After you've seen one smelly monastery with goat pee running down the steps, you've seen them all. I also am allergic to them, and I'm not just saying that. I don't know if it was the mustiness, the ferrel cats, or the goats, but my nose did not appreciate.




This stack of skulls at one of the monasteries reminds me of my final notes for the day. I damn near starved to death. Breakfast again was a bit lacking. The yogurt was especially thick this morning . . . even by Greek standards, and not terribly appetizing. Lunch was completely skipped. Skipped, I tell you! All I had to keep me going was a Luna bar and an old airline croissant. I had gotten real desperate. It was like reaching toward the end of your Halloween candy and realizing all you have left is a roll of dental floss and those candies that taste like Tums. It was almost as bad as Nicole's infamous Colorado road trip of '08, when she was rumored to have eaten an old orange that she found on the floor of a rental car.




Anyway, this is our last night on the road. Tomorrow we may head back up into Meteora, but ultimately we must get back to Athens. I'm actually kind of excited to get back to Athens. In some ways, it seems like it will be more relaxing.

Location:Καστρακίου-Μετεώρων,Kalabaka,Greece

Just some video updates . . .

Since we are still in Delphi, and bored out of our minds, I have been organizing some of my videos and uploading them. First, one I shot this afternoon. As my editing tools are primitive until I get back home, I expect this to look quite nice when I can adjust the exposure.

Next, we have some traffic near the old harbor in Iraklio, or however it is spelled.

Then finally, I was able to get to some of the GoPro footage from back on Santorini. First up, a side mount as we approach the town of Oia.

And last, we have the old Micra taking on the switchbacks leading up to Ancient Thira.



Oh, and there was no hot water in the shower. I have a bit of a chill.

Location:Βασιλέων Παύλου και Φρειδερίκης,Delphi,Greece

Our Hotel Turns the Hot Water on at 5:00. Who's Excited?

We went from Olympia to Delphi today. Along the way, we crossed one of the largest cable bridges in Europe. It was built by the French and has electronic sensors controlling the tension and all sorts of things. I half expected the bridge to electronically surrender to our taxi cab, but it did not.

In Delphi, we walked around more ruins. These at least were a bit more intact. Delphi also sits in the mountains, so the view down into the valley didn't hurt either. Delphi is the site of the ancient Greek oracle that would essentially act like an ambiguous fortune teller, or maybe even a life coach.

At one point, Delphi was considered to be the center of the earth. There would be a priestess there, who was high on crack, and she would mumble and flail about like a cast member of the Jersey Shore. This incoherence would then be "translated" by the priest at the oracle . . . though vaguely. You could read into it as you chose. I feel like it would be similar to when United Airlines used to have a horoscope page in their magazine and all the horoscopes dealt with "going on a journey" or "traveling."

The sky today was mostly overcast which fit with the whole mystique of the site. Alas, our visit didn't take very long. We are also staying in the town of Delphi for the night, and there is absolutely nothing to do, and I've been to Baker, CA, so I know when there's nothing to do. At least Baker has the world's largest outdoor, free-standing thermometer.

The problem with Delphi (the town, not the archaeological site), is the problem with Greece right now. The archaeological site closes at 3:00 meaning the tour buses have no reason to stay for dinner or the night. Yet, the entire town consists of tourist shops and tavernas. Nobody is shopping. Nobody is eating. Nobody has any reason to visit the town. So, if their logic is to close at 3:00 to "save money" by reducing the wages they have to pay their workers, they do not realize that those extra hours could mean thousands of dollars in extra ticket sales, souvenirs, food, drink, and lodging. Perhaps I am thinking too rationally.

Location:Φιλελλήνων,Delphi,Greece

I finally got a meal.

For anyone who cares to know, I got my first meal of the day. I took this picture while sitting at our table at the Best Western and eating lamb and potatoes. This all happened just in time, as the folks damn near killed me off today. When I get hungry, I get mean, but this can easily be avoided.




At the completion of my one meal today, I was able to catch a nice sunset over the plains around Olympia. Tomorrow we go to Delphi to see the site of the ancient oracle. It's a long drive, but as long as I get fed, I'm sure it will be ok.

Location:Αρχαίας Ολυμπίας-Κρεστένων,Αρχαία Ολυμπία,Greece

A Lazy Day

Today we toured Olympia -- it being the location of the ancient Olympic games. I thought this might prove interesting,but at the risk of sounding unappreciative of being in Greece, it didn't really stand out. It looked like the other ruins we've seen, if not worse. It was really not in good condition. We would see something like 4 stones lying on the ground and it would evidently be the temple where the torch was lit. This would have been impressive had it been more than 4 stones.




Much of the site was like this. We saw where they did the running events. I would have considered running 100m or so, but I really didn't sleep well last night. The mattress was thin, yet hard as a rock. I think I slept better on an overnight train in Vietnam. The hotel breakfast of a piece of bread was also a bit lacking.




This combination of being tired and hungry made me a very weak boy. Olympia was the only thing on our itinerary for the day, which is probably for the best because I was already falling asleep in the taxi.




We spent a good portion of the afternoon relaxing by the pool at our Best Western, which is actually quite nice. The photo here is the view from our balcony. I'm greatly looking forward to dinner as it will be my first meal of the day.

Location:Αρχαίας Ολυμπίας-Κρεστένων,Αρχαία Ολυμπία,Greece

Touring the Mainland in a Taxi

Today we began our travels around the mainland. We are driven around in a taxi cab by a man named Spiros. We made our first stop in Corynth to see some ruins and then saw its old fortifications on top the mountain.




Then we continued to Mycenae, the location where the famous mask of Agamemnon was found. After that, we saw an ancient, but very well preserved amphitheater in Epidavrus.




The acoustics were very impressive. At the top, we could easily hear someone talking in a regular speaking voice down below. I too, briefly stood down below. I had some gas building up from my lunch of chicken souvlaki, but fortunately it behaved itself when in the amphitheater. The French tourists would have no doubt taken offense to the reverberation.




We ended our day in the town of Nafplion, a town that would be more at home in France or Italy - mostly due to its Venetian roots. It had a lot of narrow streets with shops and cafés. It also had a major storm go through it. This was exciting for me because I don't often get to hear thunder. We got caught in the rain and were forced to sit under umbrellas at a street café for drinks.



The rain and clouds parted just long enough for the sun to show itself for a bit before disappearing for the night.

Tomorrow we go to Olympia. Beyond that, I have no information on our activities for the day.

Location:Κωνσταντινουπόλεως,Navplion,Greece

Back in Athens

We got on a very early flight out of Crete today. "How early was it?," you ask. Well it was sooooo early that we flew from Crete to Athens, got picked up by a taxi, driven all the way from airport to the hotel, and they were still serving breakfast.
It was a big day in Athens that began with laundry. €5 to use a washer. And you thought your laundry was expensive! Our first real item of the day was a trip to the Acropolis Museum. The picture above was the most interesting part. It's the remains of the neighborhoods that once surrounded the area. This, however, was not really part of the museum. The artifacts present were mostly replicas because the original pieces are in London, Vienna, or various places in Germany. Lame. We were going to go to the acropolis right afterward, but apparently things close at 3 on Saturdays.

Because everything was closed, we hiked up a large hill called Mt. Lykavittos. It was quite the task for my locals. When we got to the top, we were rewarded with some nice vistas. It was tricky to get this shot due to the scheißy German tourists perpetually blocking my view, but I managed. It figures that the warmest day of the trip so far occurs while we are far from any nice beach. I had to zip off the legs of my pants. I was forced to hike in short shorts for a spell. Nobody I knew saw me. We grabbed a drink up top before heading back down.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped in front of parliament to watch the changing of the guard. They wear fun outfits. I'll have to see if I can acquire one at a vendor and wear it out next time I go to Venice Beach. Unlike the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, this all took place in about 5 minutes.

The routine consisted of a lot of high, exaggerated kicks. Then some military guy with a mustache adjusted their uniforms and posture, and it was over. Tomorrow we leave Athens for Mycenae and end in Nafplion for the night. Wifi situation doubtful. I am currently blogging from a cafe since our hotel wants to charge €6 for the day. Weasels.

Location:Leoforos Syngrou,Athens,Greece

Crete to Athens

Just a quick update: I am flying from Crete to Athens today.  Our hotel does not have free internet.  I know this for a fact.  Hopefully I can work something out.  After our day in Athens, we begin a sort of tour around the mainland.  I am not 100% on the internet there either.  We shall see.  . .

A long drive . . .

Today involved a lot of driving around Crete . . . Some better than others. Our first stop was on the far end of a peninsula. We went on a hike down a gorge, passed some abandoned monasteries, and eventually made it to the sea. I liked this hike quite a bit because there was always something to look at. There were caves, goats, ruins, and the occasional Russian tourist.

The hike began outside a real monastery, which had posted signs saying not to take pictures anywhere along the hike. I found this to be a bit extreme. After I took my first shot and wasn't struck by lightning, I figured that there probably wasn't some hidden bible passage about Jesus being anti-photography. After all, the scenery was too impressive to ignore.

After our hike, we continued southwest toward an elusive beach called Elafonisi. I say elusive because there is no good way to get there. We had maps, but the roads that were depicted in bold yellow (and implied a major road) ended up being a single track dirt road through the mountains. One knows they are not on the best road, when they have to yield to goats.

After a couple hours, we finally arrived at Elafonisi. It is a unique area of pink sand under shallow, clear waters. I strolled out to an offshore island with water barely reaching my knees. It was really an impressive site. The water was warm and blue like a travel promotion.

Sadly, we were a long way from our hotel, and we had about a 3 hr drive ahead of us. Driving on Greek roads is no picnic. Their rules are a little different than those in the U.S. Since there are typically no passing lanes, it is standard procedure to drive on the shoulder to allow the car behind to get around. If you're passing, you're putting your trust in the person who just pulled over to the shoulder, and the oncoming car to pull over to its shoulder. People pass on curves, mountain switchbacks, or whenever they feel like it, so there were some hairy moments. I can honestly say that today was the first time I thought it was a good idea to pass a Fiat on a downhill curve over a double white line. When in Rome, . . .
We had dinner at the same place as last night and same amount of free food. This was actually factored in to our menu choices. We were banking on getting dessert and drinks for free. What is up with that? And to think that it is such a production just to get free bread at California Pizza Kitchen. Shame.

Location:Λαβύρινθου,Heraklion,Greece

Crete is Neat

I was able to catch sunset from out hotel window. Not too shabby. After sunset, we went to find dinner. We ended up at an informal place by the water. I had some gyros and a glass of ouzo. When we were finished, the waiter brought out glasses of raki for us to try. It's a very strong drink . . . on par with what I bought in a plastic water bottle from a Vietnamese man last year. We were served a similar drink (for free) at lunch that was called Rakomelo and had honey in it.

Ah, but for dinner, it didn't end after the Raki. Then the waiter came out with fresh fruit, and then . . . Greek donuts and ice cream!




This spread was entirely free of charge. This has to be some sort of Greek cultural thing. I've received an absurd amount of free food and drink here. At first I thought it was my charm and good looks, but I'm beginning to think its just the Greek way of doing business. Well, no wonder the country's broke.

Location:Λαβύρινθου,Heraklion,Greece

Vomit, a Minotaur, and a Beach

Perhaps you are wondering where that title comes from. Refer to the picture of the Megajet aka Vomit Cruiser. The boat that was docked before ours had its gang plank sheared off when it kept banging against the dock. At first, I kept telling myself that the waves were only bad in the port area, and would get better once the engines were going. I was terribly, terribly wrong. Once we started pitching and rolling, I tried to take deep breaths and tell myself that I was going to be ok. This seemed to be working up to the moment that the crew (falling over themselves due to the rocking) came rushing through the cabin distributing puke bags. Almost instantly, breakfast, lunch, and dinner were extracted from my body. This continued for the next 3 hours. Everyone else on the boat was either lying down or holding a puke bag. It was eerily silent. As the boat approached the dock in Crete, two Russian women shared a flask. I don't make the stereotypes, I simply observe them.

Fortunately, today has been much better. We started off by seeing Knossos, an ancient Minoan palace. This was where the legend of the Minotaur was born. Parts of the palace have been restored, while the rest remains as it was found. There were too many tourists there for my taste, though. Especially those Russians. They can't be trusted.

Then we drove to a port town called Rethymno. Our car is now an Opel Astra. It doesn't have much get up and go, but it is infinitely better than that Micra. Rethymno is just a quaint, Venetian style town. There wasn't really much to do there, however. I had a big lunch to compensate for my losses yesterday. The waiter gave us a round of something that tasted like a combination of whiskey and cider. It gave me a bit of a twitch on the way down.

After Rethymno, we drove to a place called Bali Beach. Water was a little cold, but very clear and blue. Unfortunately, I didn't see much in terms of wildlife except for a couple fish.

Overall, however, a much better day than yesterday. Our plans for the evening call for laundry. This will be very exciting indeed. Tomorrow, we will be driving the Cretan roads once more in hopes of finding an abandoned monastery in a gorge, and a beach, where one can walk to an offshore island. Greek roads are terribly marked, laid out, and impossible to navigate, so hopefully we can find these places.

Location:Λαβύρινθου,Heraklion,Greece

The Zombocalypse!

It would seem that the cruise ships unloaded everyone today. It was chaos. It was like dealing with French and German speaking zombies. They were slow moving and looked very confused. The picture here was taken in a large square area, so imagine how it would look when these masses get funneled into the narrow alleyways of the town of Thira. Also, no one gets out of the way when they approach head on. The idea of giving way and respecting personal space seems to be a uniquely American concept. I had my feet stepped on with no apology. The worst.

There are way too many people here right now. We were so flustered by the invasion, that we decided to kill time at the hotel. Our boat seems to have been sorted out, but we don't leave until 5 ish. As you can see by the map, this is a much larger island than where we have been thus far. Maybe we will get another Micra to drive around the island!

*Update*




Our entire day can be summarized by waiting for something to happen. It has been a bit of a waste. Right now we are at a port in Santorini waiting for our boat, which was delayed more than 2 hours. Before waiting here, we spent some quality time at the hotel pool area - bundled up in our jackets along with some sunbathers . . . who were fully clothed.


I was lied to! The movies make everything in Greece look hot and sweaty. Every day, I check the forecast and every day it is wrong. Clouds form over our heads. The winds last night were so bad, I thought I might blow away.




When our boat does finally arrive, we will be on that for another two hours. The waves look a little rough. I deserve a drink when we get to Crete . . . or at least some kind of medal. It has been a long day of nothing, and I've got a lot to say about it.

Location:Προς Όρμο Αθηνιό,Thira,Greece

Last night on Santorini

After dropping off the car, we grabbed some gyros. Parting with the Micra was like that moment you walk out of IKEA and say to yourself, "I made it out alive!".




We took some sunset pictures in Thira. Oia is known as the sunset town, but I beg to differ. Even if the sun had been good yesterday, the only place you can see the sun from is at the edge of the crater. That means my photos could be from Greece, or Hawaii, or Long Beach for that matter. The sun looks like the sun. It's nice to get part of your surrounding in the foreground and you can only do that in Thira.

We found out from the guy that rented us the Micra, that tourism is down about 50%. That's pretty crazy. He also said the weather has been unusual. Maybe they're still recovering from the coldest winter ever recorded. While watching the sunset, we were facing gale force winds. This is evidently not normal. It feels like it could be February sometimes.




Tomorrow we take a ferry to Crete . . . I think. Rumor has it there is something wrong with the boat. With winds the way they've been, the seas may be a bit rough. That's not fun for anybody. Maybe the bartender sensed our concern. She just gave us Ouzo . . . on the house.




On that note, the Greeks have been very friendly so far. One can speculate that it has to do with the economic situation and they're trying to put their best face forward, but they obviously don't have to. Everywhere we've been, someone has gone out of their way to help us. Maybe we are less obnoxious than those European tourists . . . and dress more fashionably. Those capri pants with hiking boots can't impress anyone.

Location:Θήρας-Μεγαλοχωρίου,Thira,Greece