I’m finally trying to get some of my video clips that I took while on my trip to London and Greece up on the Internet. This is the first one and is while Richard and I were in London for a very short ten hours. We took the Underground into London where we visited the original gravesite of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, the mother of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein.
Our last day in Greece. We got an early start after a marvelous breakfast in the Hotel Stevens.
Breakfast at Hotel Stanley
Came with the room: link sausage, scrambled eggs and potatoes, bacon, halved peaches, and other fruity desserts. I had this strange feeling that we should not be there. This was definitely not our normal fare.
Our first order of business after breakfast was to check in with British Airways and get our seat assignments. We had to use the Hotel computer because it had a printer, and we had to print out our boarding passes.
Richard at the Hotel computer getting our seat assignments and boarding passes.
We had to ask for paper, and the printer cartridge was running out of ink, but we finally got printouts of our boarding passes that we thought would be good enough to get us onboard. Then we were off to the ruins of the Ancient Agora.
Off to the Monesteriki district.
The Agora is in the Monesteraki district, just northeast of the Akropolis. It is the ancient market place where Socrates used to have many of his philosophical discussions. Plato and Aristotle also frequented the Agora.
Just inside the main gate to the Ancient Agora, Marketplace
Once inside the gate, we tried to get our bearings and plot a strategy for seeing it, and for Richard to select what he was going to sketch. In ancient times, the Agora was the center of Athenian life. It served many purposes for the city: elections, processions, open-air markets, athletic events and dramatic performances. To get an overall view, we decided to walk to the far side of the site, which was elevated by virtue of being on the northeastern slope of the Akropolis.
Ruins of the Eleusinian in the Agora on the slope of the Akropolis.
We walked to the Eleusinian, the place where the procession for the Mysteries of Eleusis started. From here the initiates walked the fourteen miles to Eleusis. At the front of the procession, an official carried the sacred objects in a basket. The initiates viewed the sacred objects during the epiphany. While at the Eleusinian, we had a break in the clouds and sunlight fell on the Hephaestion on the hill at the far side of the Agora. Hephaestus was the Greek god of fire. the Hephaestion is the most complete temple in Greece and stood out in sunlight like a revelation.
On the far side of the Agora. The Hephaestion in the upper left.
Richard located a place to sit while painting the Hephaestion, and I went about my business of photographing and taking videos of the Agora.
The Hephaestion in the Agora.
Once we are finished, we were on our way to the Potters Quarters and the Dipilon Gate. Monesteraki was pretty much deserted when we came here this morning, but is now packed with pedestrians, tourists. We fall into line, but the going is slow with the street-side venders crowding in on the walkway.
Inside the ruins of the Kerameikos (Potters' Quarters).
Soon, we find what is known as the Kerameikos, Potters’ Quarters, in a fenced-in area quite a bit below current ground level. Richard is really hungry, but I have a burning urge to at least get a few pictures of the site.
In ancient times, the Dipylon Gate was the main entrance to Athens. My interest in this new set of ruins is that I plan to have a couple of scenes from the third volume of The Mysteries set at the Dipylon Gate. Both of my principal characters, Theanoe and Zakorus, will enter the city through there but at different times.
One portion of the Dipylon Gate.
After paying the entry fee, I enter a little gift shop, while Richard goes on out to the ruins. I purchase a guidebook and go on out myself. The ruins are extensive and it’s not easy to find the ancient gate, even with the guidebook.
Another portion of the Dipylon Gate.
Finally, on the far side of the site, we locate it, and I snap a few pictures. They will be a great help when it comes time for me to visualize it fully formed while I’m writing The Mysteries.
We once again have to fight the hoards of people to find a quick gyro place, but to no avail. All we can find are sit-down tavernas. We decide to go back to Plaka to eat, and we have brave the crowds again to get to the Metro station. Once there, we take the Metro two stops to the one at the Akropolis. We get our gyros at the little gyro place on Adrianou Street, and take them back to the bench out front of our hotel to eat. This little shaded enclave is our refuge from all the tourists. Then we’re off to the Hill of the Muses.
The Hill of the Muses has a couple of things that we’re interested in seeing. The first is the Prison of Socrates, which is right on the trail up the mountain and easy to locate.
The so-called Prison of Socrates.
Late in life, Socrates was found guilty of corrupting the youth of Athens and was forced to drink hemlock. Although no one really believes that this is his actual prison, it has popularly become the place where he was held. The Hill of the Muses is actually a large park covered in trees and is practically vacant. We certainly appreciate the quiet sylvan scene after the rush of tourists in Monesteraki.
Once Richard completes his drawing, we walk on up the hill to the Monument to Philopappus.
The Monument to Philopappus on the Hill of the Muses.
Philopappus was a Greek prince who died in 116 AD. While Richard draws, I rest and walk a bit, running onto one of the natural inhabitants of Athens: a tortoise eating grass.
The Tortoise on the Hill of the Muses.
We then start back down the hill, and Richard finds a location on the side of the hill where he has an amazing view of the Akropolis. He settles down to draw the Akropolis one last time, and I take a few pictures.
The Akropolis from the Hill of the Muses.
By the time Richard finishes his drawing, the sun is getting low on the horizon. Our last full day in Greece is coming to a close. Richard wants to paint a street by Hotel Adams, which was our savior when we first got to Athens, and where we spent so much time, We settle down on a bench by a tree, and he starts drawing.
For our last dinner here in Greece, we decide on a taverna in Plaka that we have passed by many times along Adrianou Street. [The name of which I cannot remember.] We decide to eat inside, and take a table close to the front. Richard has lamb chops, and I have pork souvlaki, again. We split a Greek salad. We both have a Mythos. Our bill comes to 50EU ($75). Quite expensive.
We return to our room in Hotel Stanley, set our iPhone alarms for 04:45, pack our bags as much as possible, shower, and settle into our beds for a few hours sleep.
Richard and I went out for breakfast this morning, our last on Mykonos. In the afternoon we would return to Athens. We looked for a bakery with fresh pastries to no avail, turned into a search for the Holy Grail, and settled for the little bakery close to our room.
Then Richard called hotels in Athens (one of the few times our iPhones could make a connection), but call hotels (Hotel Phaedra, Hotel Adams, Hotel Adonis) were all booked solid. We hadn’t planned on this. Finally, we went out looking for a travel agent who could find a room for us for our last two nights in Athens. We finally found one open that early in the morning (09:30 on Sunday), and the young woman who helped us was gorgeous (dark brunette, olive skin, marvelous cleavage). She eventually found us a room in a large hotel (200 rooms) two metro stops away from the Akropolis. Definitely not in Plaka where we’d been staying.
After all our walking, I stayed in our room to rest while Richard went out sketching. We had the room until 13:30, so I had a while to recover, and I needed it. When he returned, we decided to go on to the dock to await the ferry. We decided to take a taxi this time and avoid the hassle of the buses. Cost us 6EU. The taxi driver was a little heavy-footed, and we made it in record time.
We had an hour or so before it came steaming into port. He sketched while I talked to two British girls. It wasn’t long before the Blue Star Ithaki ferry steemed into port.
Blue Star Ithaki Ferry turning aft end first to back up to the dock to load passengers.
Soon we were onboard and found ourselves a good seat to wait out the eight-hour ride to Athens.
Our seats onboard the ferry to Athens.
We stayed up on deck for a couple of hours, but the cigarette smoke was absolutely suffocating, so we went below deck among the hoards of people, found a table in the crowded room and settled down for the six hours we had left of our trip back to Athens.
When we got close to Athens, Richard and I shouldered our packs and made our way down to the ferry hold.
Down in the Ferry Hold awaiting docking.
Soon everyone was down there milling about, waiting for the gangway to lower.
The gangway lowering.
From the docks, we walked across a footbridge to the metro, where we purchased tickets, and rode the train two stops and got off. Hotel Stanley was right next to the metro, and soon we were in our room, except that the electricity seemed to be off. Richard went back to the front desk, and a porter followed him to the room and showed him how the key card (used magnetic cards instead of metal keys) were used on a device by the door to turn on the electricity. Very modern, and not like the primitive hotels in Plaka at all. We were out of the old city and mixed in with the hoards of tour groups. I purchased ninety minutes of Internet access at the front desk, which cost me 5EU. The room looked very American, and was in perfect condition. Definitely took us out of the Greek experience.
Richard in our room in Hotel Stanley.
Richard started unpacking and getting ready for bed and I got on the Internet to check my email. It had been a long boring day of traveling.
Actually, the traffic was not so bad, the motorbikes not so loud, and I slept fairly well. Richard did too. But when I reached for my iPhone to check the time, I heard a strange noise. I thought at first it was some strange motorcar on the street out front, but then realized that it was rain. Rain is not good for the boats to Delos. The time was 6:56, and we wanted to be ready to leave by 8:00. I dressed and stepped outside to see what I could prognosticate. The rain had already let up a little, and the cloudbank was beginning to break up. We decided to prepare ourselves for the boat ride to Delos, and see if it would indeed happen.
We decided to dress light, just a long sleeved shirt, no jacket, because it felt cool but not cold. We started walking the streets and soon found a bakery where we bought two pastries each, one for breakfast and one for lunch. By the time we reached the dock, it was raining again, but the ticket booth was open, so I bought two tickets to Delos for us. They cost 15EU each. “Looks like we’re going no matter what the weather,” said Richard. We’d have to pay an additional 5EU to enter Delos once we got there.
The rain stopped as we walked on down the dock were the tour boats to Delos were located, and a man asked us if we were going to Delos, “Delos?” he asked. We said yes, and he walked onto one of the boats and motioned us aboard, or so we thought. When he started protesting, we thought instead of going inside the passenger compartment we were to take the stairs to the upper deck, but when we got half way up, he started protesting again. “Delos, Margarita boat,” he said. This boat we were trying to get on wasn’t even the right boat.
We walked back down the pier again, past a group of people also waiting to go to Delos, and then I saw the good ship Margarita approaching out in the little harbor.
The Margarita, our boat to Delos.
The boat we’d been trying to board left dock, and Margarita cozied up to the pier. We all boarded, and a man stood by the gangway tearing off our ticket stubs. The rain had started again.
Aboard the Margarita looking forward at the Captain's compartment.
Once aboard the boat, Richard and I took up positions near the front on bench seats, which had a small, elongated table in the middle. We each broke out a pastry and had breakfast while the rest of the passengers boarded. Soon we pushed away from dock and sailed toward Delos.
On our way to Delos.
Delos is very close to Mykonos, only a thirty-minute ride. I left my seat and went forward to watch the uninhabited island coming toward us.
Passengers on deck watching as Delos comes toward us.
I had been concerned that the bad weather might cause the boat to rock a lot, and possibly produce seasickness, but that wasn’t the case. The water was relatively smooth, and all our thoughts were on seeing the islands float past.
Map of Delos and Nearby Islands
In antiquity, Delos was the most religious site in the Aegean. And the reason was that, according to Greek mythology, Apollo and Artemis, divine fraternal twins, were borne there: Artemis first and then Apollo, with Artemis helping her mother with Apollo’s delivery. During Classical Greece, the site was in perpetual festival. Everyone traversing the Aegean stopped in Delos to participate in the festivals, and dance and sing with the choruses.
Delos with Mt. Kynthos, its highest peak. Ruins visible in the foreground.
During and following the Persian invasion (490 – 479 BC), Delos was the military center and assembly point for the Greek fleet. Of course, in recent centuries, Delos has fallen on hard times, and is in fact now uninhabited, but is a tremendous archaeological site with, according to our guidebooks, ruins occupying the entire island. As we came into port, we could see ruins everywhere. The island seemed to be formed only of rocks, with every rock having been at one time part of some ancient structure.
Once we docked, we were quickly off the boat, paid our 5EU fee at the gate, and entered a small bookstore adjacent the gate.
Ticket to enter Delos Archaeological Site
I had forgotten Richard’s cap that I’d been wearing to protect me from the sun since I lost my hat and knew I’d suffer the consequences.
Courtyard inside the ruins on Delos.
We were quickly out amongst the ruins, which of course was a problem. Where to go first, and what was what? We decided to climb mount Kynthos, the highest hill on the island, first, but couldn’t locate the trailhead. I returned to the bookstore, where the woman told me that we should have picked up a map of the site when we bought our tickets.
Delos Site Map Cover
Once I had the map, I then located the trailhead up Kynthos. I’d lost Richard, but after a while of following the trailhead, I found him among the ruins. We continued on up together, and eventually came to one of the more prominent sites: the Temple of Isis.
Temple of Isis - An Egyptian Goddess of Motherhood and Fertility
Richard decided to stay there and sketch. He even went so far as to say that he wasn’t going to climb Mt. Kynthos with me. So I was on my own, and I started up the trail.
Mt. Kynthos
The grade was difficult but not impossible. It sprinkled on me from time to time, but it never became a downpour.
View of the top of Kynthos from just below.
I had two reasons for my interest in Kynthos. The first is that Artemis took one of her epithets from the mountain because she was born here. She was called Kynthia, which has been “latinized” to become Cynthia. My daughter is named Cynthia, so her name comes directly from this mountain.
The second reason is that forty pages of the second volume of The Mysteries are set on Delos. Two scenes are actually set near the top of Kynthos. In the first, two of my characters, Melaina and Keladeine, notice a warship round the southern tip of Mykonos and is immediately intercepted by the Greek fleet.
Southern tip of Mykonos in the distance. Taken from the top of Mt. Kynthos.
The scene preludes the Greek fleet making the decision to cross the Aegeon to fight the Persians.
After spending a few minutes at the top of Kynthos, during which it starts to sprinkle fairly hard, I descend the mountain and trek across the ruins to the Temple of Isis where Richard is sketching.
Richard sketching the Temple of Isis.
From time to time, the clouds still sprinkled a little, and I held the umbrella for Richard to keep it from ruining his sketch. Thankfully, we didn’t have a lot of wind. After Richard finished, he and I walked to the northern portion of Delos to see the Sacred Lake.
The actual Lions removed from the Terrace of the Lions beside the Sacred Lake.
According to Greek mythology, Apollo and Artemis, divine fraternal twins, were born on Delos. Their mother, Leto, gave birth to them at the Sacred Lake while leaning against Mt. Kynthos and holding onto a palm tree. The lake was drained in 1925 to get rid of malaria mosquitos. Today, the circular lake area is filled in with small trees and shrubs, with a gigantic palm representing that Leto braced herself against while giving birth to Apollo and Artemis.
Terrace of Lions guarding the Sacred Lake.
To the west of the Lake is the Terrace of Lions that guard the sacred quarter.
One of the Lions guarding the Sacred Lake.
We walked through the Sacred Lake area, and then to the north east where Richard settled down to sketch.
Richard's object for his sketch.
I walked back toward the visitor center and sat down along the ancient courtyard and rested while leaning back against an ancient marble column. I took out my iPhone and started playing George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass.”
The Sacred Palm with Kynthos in the distance.
This was really sad for me, because I realized how much Richard and Cynthia’s mother, my ex-wife, would have loved to be here in Greece with us to see all this. She had passed away on Christmas Eve 2007. When Richard finished his sketch, he joined me and I told him about this sad moment of mine, to which he replied, “Well, maybe she is here with us.” Then he went off to sketch some more, and I went back to the visitors’ center to talk to some of the other visitors to the site and await our boat back to Mykonos.
In The Mysteries, I have many scenes set on Delos. Two of my character’s, Melaina, the priestess, and Kallias, the Dadouchos or torchbearer of the mysteries, come there to convince the Greek fleet to cross the Aegean to fight the Persians. They are there for a couple of days and end up in all the places I’ve visited while here myself. During all my time on Delos, I was constantly thinking of my characters and what they were experiencing while on the island themselves, their lives and that of thousands of other weighing in the balance of their actions. Delos was a sacred island and in constant festival. I felt the weight of bringing it back to life as it had been in 479 BC weighing on my shoulders. Could I do it justice?
The boat back to Mykonos.
We left Delos on the 15:00 boat, the last, returned to our room.
On our boat ride back to Delos.
On the way, we came across one of Mykons’ most famous citizens. He or she is a rather large pelican that frequents the tavera kitchens in search of a fresh fish or two. Like all celebrities, s/he always draws a crowd.
The Pelican, arguably Mykonos' most famous citizen.
The pelican, playing it cute.
The Pelican
That evening we went down to the docks to see the sunset along with the windmills.
Sunset on Mykonos
As crowd was there to watch it with us. The tavernas were bustling with activity but not yet packed.
A Taverna at Dockside. (A little blurry. Taken with my iPhone.)
And gradually the darkness overtook the bay creating a gorgeous setting with the ships in the harbor.
Mykonos Harbor
Mykonos Beach at Sunset
On the way to our room, we again ran onto the Pelican. He was getting more aggressive with his begging.
The Pelican trying to get into a taverna kitchen.
Finally, a door opens.
He knows right where the goodies are located.
Up early to see about our trip to Mykonos. At 08:00, we checked with the travel agency about the hydrofoil, but he said to check back at 09:00, so we went to a bakery and got a couple of cream filled pastries. I had orange juice, and Richard had coffee. After we ate, I hurried back to the pension to shower, and Richard stayed at the bakery to sketch. After my shower, I started back to the bakery, but Richard was on his way down. When he saw me, he said, “Dinner out is a go.” (A pop culture reference from the movie Spy Game.) The hydrofoil was already on its way to Santorini from Crete.
The wind had calmed considerably overnight. We then went straight to the travel agency and bought tickets from Santorini to Mykonos, and also bought tickets from Mykonos to Athens for Saturday. We still didn’t have hotel reservations in Athens, and we were considering just taking our chances that one would be available. However, that will be Saturday night, and in the past, the hotels in Athens have filled up fast on Saturdays. We’d decide what to do about this on Mykonos.
We checked on the bus that went to the port to catch the Hydrofoil, but the bus was leaving at 09:30, and we hadn’t packed yet. We’d have to take taxi, but back at the pension, when Richard asked about checking out, Petros himself was there and said that he’d take us down since he was going anyway. We could save a little money. He would leave between 10:00 and 10:15. The hydrofoil left at 10:40. We’d also have a little extra time. We went back to our room, and Richard showered, and we finished packing. When we went down to try to pay our bill, the woman would only take cash, no credit cards, so I had to run back (up hill) to the exchange for more money. Not long after I returned, Petros loaded us into his wife’s car and drove us to the port, all the way asking us about our travels, where we’d been, where we were going, and also bragging on his wife’s car, a Toyota Yaris. Looking down from the caldera, we could see the hydrofoil steaming into port.
Hydrofoil
At the dock, we unloaded our packs, thanked Petros for the ride, and walked to the departures terminal.
Hydrofoil
The hydrofoil was larger than I expected. I thought it was a small little thing with seats on deck exposed to the elements, but it was quite large, not anywhere near as large as a ferry, but a good sized ship and held probably a hundred passengers. We stowed our packs and walked to the front of the ferry so that we could see forward, just incase we experienced a little seasickness, which can happen on a hydrofoil.
Inside the Hydrofoil, looking out toward the front.
The passenger compartment was completely enclosed, with windows all around. Soon we were on our way to Mykonos.
The hydrofoil sailed north, skirting the western coast of Ios and docked at its port town. We were docked only a short time, and then we were on our way to the western coast of Naxos where we also docked. Then we were on to Mykonos. We docked at about 13:30, at the same dock were I’d gotten off the ferry sixteen years ago. Neither of us had any problems with seasickness.
Arrival in Mykonos
The woman at Pension Petros had given Richard a recommendation for a good Mykonos hotel, one name Orpheas. We looked for a sign and short saw a little woman holding one with large letters “Orpheas.” The rooms were 40EU.
The woman loaded three people from France and the two of us into her small car. A very tight fit. She drove us around the dock to the east and up into the little town.
Entrance to our room in the Orphaeus Hotel in Mykonos.
She showed us our room, which was quite nice, but said that we could have another that was larger for 50EU. We took a look at it and decided that we’d rather have the larger room.
Richard's Beds
It has a small bed for Richard and a large double bed for me. Richard had gotten the double bed on Santorini, and I’d slept on the smaller one. This time we’d switch.
My Bed
After getting our key, Richard and I walked down through the labyrinthine streets (all whitewashed) to see if we could get a seat on a boat to Delos tomorrow morning. We found the dock and saw the boats, but they will not take passengers to Delos until tomorrow morning. The ticket booth was closed.
Ticket Booth for Boat to Delos
Times for departure: 09:00, 10:00, and 11:00. If the weather doesn’t get worse over night, I’ll finally get to see Delos.
I have a major chapter in the second volume of The Mysteries that is set on Delos. During the Persian invasion, and after the Persians’ defeat at Salamis, the Greeks mustered their fleet on Delos, be were afraid to venture further into the Aegean because of Persian warship. That fall, as the battle of Plataea was occurring on the mainland, the Greeks held a council on Delos to decide if they should venture further into the Aegean and fight the Persian fleet for control of the Aegean. My chapter in The Mysteries concerns this council and how the Greeks made to decision to cross the Aegean and fight the Persian fleet.
Walking the streets of Mykonos.
That evening, we walked the streets of Mykonos a bit, and then ate at a nice restaurant. Richard wanted a pizza, but I wasn’t very hungry, so I just had a Greek salata. Both were good, but not exceptional. When we got the bill, Richard asked the waiter to explain the charges. Seems that the bottle of water that he served cost us 2EU, and we were charged a cover of 4EU for the bit of bread and olives. We didn’t leave a tip. First time we felt screwed after eating.
Lighthouse in the dark on Mykonos.
After dinner, we walked the docks looking at the lighthouses all lit up and also the city lights reflecting off the water in the bay.
The lights of Mykonos in the harbor at night.
That evening while getting ready for bed, we wondered if we’d get any sleep at all. Our room was right on the main artery, and the motorbikes were so loud that we thought that we might never get to sleep.
Wednesday was our day traveling Santorini by car. The weather was good but still a little breezy. We got a pastry at a local bakery,
Breakfast
and then walked up the street to Hertz car rental. Richard had wanted to drive one of the Smart cars and Hertz had one parked out front. Shortly we were Smart-ly motoring about the island. The first thing on our agenda was Ancient Thera, but along the way we stopped to take pictures of a couple of churches.
Church on Santorini
Another Church on the Way to Ancient Thera
Richard drove and I navigated as best I could with my sixteen-year-old map of Santorini. The map was fairly accurate, and though we made a couple of wrong turns, we were soon going up the switchbacks. I had gone up on a small motorbike when I was first here, and I was skeptical that the little car could get the job done, but it did just fine. It was a white-knuckle ride for me because I’m afraid of heights, and the drop off at the side of the road kept getting steeper and steeper. Very few guardrails. The picture below is of Kamari as seen from the parking lot at Ancient Thera. Note the Santorini airport in the upper left. The ancient town was built on the top of a mountain to make it safe from pirates.
View from the Parking Lot
When I was there before, I they had was a dirt parking lot. Now they had an actual visitors’ center, and we had to pay. Before, it was free. They also had a paved walkway up to the beginning of the ruins. First, we saw the small stone church.
Stone Church on the path to Ancient Thera
Entry into Ancient Thera
Ruins of Ancient Thera Overlooking the Aegean
More Ruins of Ancient Thera
Ruins of Ancient Thera with the Aegean and an Island in the Distance
The mountain upon which the ruins of Ancient Therea reside separates the towns of Kamari and Perissa.
Looking Down upon the Town of Perissa
After Richard finished his artwork, we made the trek back down the mountain to our car and drove back along the road to a red sand beach, after which we headed north.
Red Sand Beach on Santorini
We drove to the northern part of the island to the town of Oia. Instead of trying to describe it, I’ll just provide you with a series of pictures:
Oia
Oia
Oia
Oia
Church in Oia
Shop in Oia
Oia
Oia
Oia
Oia
Oia
Oia
Oia
Oia
Oia
Oia
Oia
Oia
Oia
We ate an early dinner at a taverna in Oia. I had a very delicious 4 cheese tortilini, and Richard had dolma (stuffed vine leaves). We both had a Mythos beer. At home in Healdsburg, I had recently been drinking non-alcholic beer (<.5%) because my system (with CFS) won’t tolerate alcohol. We determined that Mythos seems to have less alcohol that non-alcoholic beer in the States, so I regularly had a Mythos at dinner to no effect.
After we got back to the hotel that evening, I went down to the travel agency and again asked about the hydrofoil to Mykonos. “Come back tomorrow morning. We will be able to tell you then.
Slow to get going. It had rained a little during the night, and when I ran up to the Laundromat at the end of the street to deposit my dirty clothes, it started raining a little again, just for me, I thought. I have to pick up my laundry after 05:00 this evening.
We got a couple of pastries from a local bakery and sat at an outside table to eat them. Richard had a crème-filled pastry, and I had an apple-filled one, or at least it had a little apple in it. The wind blew so hard that it almost took them off the table. After eating, we went back to our room to discuss what to do with the rest of the day. We had planned to rent a car, but it was obvious that we couldn’t go to Ancient Thera as we’d planned with the wind blowing so hard. The archaeological site is on a high promontory and susceptible to winds. We had to latch our shutters to keep them from banging. We decided to delay renting a car for one day, and that I would stay in our room and write blogs while Richard did a little shopping and took some pictures, maybe even sketch a little if he could find a place out of the wind.
While he was gone, the wind blew so hard that it sounded as if it might blow the roof off the pension. Early in the afternoon, Richard returned to say that he’d not sketched much but had located an exhibit of the all the wall paintings of ancient Akrotiri, so I hit the streets with him again to see them. It was in a large museum not far off the caldera, but hidden within the maze of streets.
Corridor Inside the Museum (Photo by Richard Sheppard)
The exhibition contained replicas of all the frescos from the walls of ancient Akrotiri.
Beautiful Girl in Akrotiri Wallpainting (Photo by Richard Sheppard)
Akrotiri is the name given to the ancient city uncovered by archaeologists.
Akrotiri Wallpainting (Photo by Richard Sheppard)
It was destroyed in 1635 BC by a major volcano eruption, which covered the ancient city in many meters of volcanic ash.
Akrotiri Wallpainting (Photo by Richard Sheppard)
What characterizes their culture and differentiates it from other cultures of the Mycenaean era is its emphasis on women’s activities and on the flora and fauna of the area instead of war.
Akrotiri Wallpainting (Photo by Richard Sheppard)
Akrotiri appears to have had a peaceful culture.
Akrotiri Wallpainting (Photo by Richard Sheppard)
Also shown among the wallpaintings was a replica of one of the boats show in the wallpaintings.
Akrotiri Boat Replica (Photo by Richard Sheppard)
After viewing all the ancient artwork, we left the quiet, empty halls of the museum and went back out into the wind raking over the island. We walked through the winding streets to the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Akrotiri.
Santorini Today - Ruins of Ancient Akrotiri at bottom.
Santorini experienced an eruption of the volcano of which it is formed sometime around 1635 BC. The earth has not experienced such an explosion since.
Before the Erruption in 1635, After, and Current Day Configuration of Santorini
This museum contain not replicas but the actual artifacts themselves taken from Akrotiri, all dating to the time of the eruption of the volcano that destroyed the ancient civilization on the island, and buried the artifacts.
One of many exhibits in the museum.
Curiously, the hardware used for catching fish has not changed much up to the present. Notice the fishhooks below.
Ancient Fishing Hardware
Nor have our basic cooking utensils.
Ancient Bronze Baking Pan
The museum contained some of the wallpaintings found at Akrotiri.
Actual Portion of an Ancient Wallpainting at Akrotiri
Many vases, large and small, were found in Akrotiri.
Ancient Akrotiri Vases
A recent, unusual find at the archaeological site is the animal figurine shown below. It is hollow and made of hammered gold. The legs, neck, and tail of the animal were soldered on after the removal of the core. The significance of the figurine is not yet known.
Hollow Gold Figure of an Animal - Unique - Recent Discovery
After our visit to the museum, we came back to our room to discuss how we might spend our last days in Greece if we can’t get to Mykonos. They only way to get to Mykonos from Santorini is by hydrofoil. But hydrofoils are very susceptible to weather. With the wind blowing as it was, Mykonos looked more and more doubtful. We could go to Naxos instead, but I’m really intent on visiting sites that pertain to the novel I’m writing, The Mysteries. We may just simply return to Athens, if Mykonos isn’t a possibility.
That even we went to a rally nice taverna and have what was hands-down the best meal we had all the time we were in Greece. It was souvlaki (Greek shish kabob). Richard had the lamb and I had the pork.
My Dinner - Pork Souvlaki
We went to bed that evening wondering if the wind would stop so we could get to Ancient Thera.
We rose about 07:30, and had breakfast at a little crepe shop just up the street. We had chocolate crepes, coffee and orange juice.
Novelsmith with Crepe and OJ
Then Richard took off to walk the city and sketch, and I returned to our room to work on my blogs. During the afternoon, Richard returned with gyros for each of us. After lunch, we both walked north along the caldera. Rather than bore you with words, let me wow you with what we saw.
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Boat on Santorini
Sunset on Santorini
The End (for today).
We woke at 06:00, packed and made it down stairs in time to wait a few minutes for the taxi. It was on time, and the drive to Piraeus took about forty minutes. When we arrived, it was still dark, but the ferry was already boarding automobiles and people. The taxi’s meter said 12.50EU but the driver demanded 20EU, claiming taxes required the extra. We argued, but he wouldn’t take less, so we got screwed out of 7.50EU. What a lying bastard. If we’d had time we could have called a policeman, but we were in a hurry to get on the ferry, which the driver knew. Just one of the little extra adventures that are a part of traveling Greece.
Since we already had our tickets, we waked up the gangway where the attendant tore off our ticket stubs. The ferry was already crowded, and they ushered us into the large coffee shop on the third floor. We were not allowed into the posh area where the airliner-type seats had televisions. We could, however, upgrade our seats, which we chose not to do. Smoking was not allowed in the coffee shop, so that was an advantage.
The ferry started moving just about sunup. We stepped outside to the rail to check the air temperature, which was quite warm, and noticed that most people were out there. The cigarette smoke, even outdoors, was unbearable. We stayed in the coffee shop for an hour or so, and then went outside to the front of the ferry, where we took a table and settled down to watch the islands float past.
Once past the tip of Attica, the ferry skirted the western shore of Kynthos, then turned east to the north of Serifos.
Aboard the ferryboat, out in the Aegean Sea.
The sea was calm with hardly a wave to rock the ferry.
Inside the ferry on the way to Paros.
After a couple of hours we docked at Paros, spent only a few minutes, and then we were on our way again.
The Island of Paros
We skirted the northern shore of Paros, then continued east to Naxos.
The Island of Naxos
After a short stop, we then turn south past Ios and headed toward Santorini. The weather was good although the sea became a little choppy. After an hour or so, we saw Santorini in the distance, coming toward us.
Santorini coming toward us.
We positioned ourselves at the rail, Richard took my snapshot camera, and I used my little Flip camcorder. Slowly we steamed into the caldera of the volcano.
Northern tip of Santorini. The town of Oia.
Santorini, Oia
Santorini, town of Imerovigli
Richard and I had spent the last two hours going over our guidebooks, Lonely Planet and Let’s Go! to see what we should do to find a room. We made a list of the names of the hotels/pensions recommended that were not too expensive, top among them was Pension Petros, but we thought there was little chance we’d actually be able to get a room at our first preference.
Once we docked, Richard and I scurried to get off the ferry and into the hoards of people standing behind a fence trying to get people to take a room in their establishment. Richard saw a sign “Pension Petro” sticking up among the multitude of other signs, and we crowded through the others to get to him. He told us where his van was parked, and soon we were on our way up the switchbacks to the rim of the caldera.
Pension Petros
The pension was just off the center of town, as advertised, and we took a room that was quite spacious and clean up a long stairs. Cost: 45EU/night.
Santorini, Town of Fira
Once we got settled in, Richard and I took a walk around town and changed some money at a travel agency. We watched the sunset from the edge of the caldera.
We had a fabulous dinner at a large taverna on the main walkway through town.
Santorini, Town of Fira at Sunset
We retired on full stomachs.
Here are some more images:
Santorini at Sunset
Fira at Sunset
Fira
Santorini at Susnet
Fira
Evening in Fira
Shop in Fira during the evening.
We got up rather late Saturday morning after a good night’s sleep. Both of us had slept remarkably well the past few nights. After breakfast, we sat on our beds discussing our excursion to the islands. We were planning to go to Mykonos first and then on to Santorini, but the reason I wanted to go to Mykonos was to take a boat to the nearby island of Delos, which is very small and uninhabited. However, it is an archaeological site, and archaeological sites are closed on Mondays, so it would do no good to go to Mykonos at that time. We decide to go on the Santorini first, foregoing Mykonos unless we can get there from Santorini. But from Santorini, we can only take a hydrofoil to Mykonos, which could be a problem if the weather isn’t good.
We went downstairs and called Irene to see if we were still on for that evening. When we last saw her on Monday, she invited us to her home Saturday evening for dinner. She said that we definitely were still on. We were to be there at 8:30. She said she had also invited her cousins. We will have to take a taxi because the metro line that goes to Kefissos is not working.
After this discussion, Richard left to do some more sketching on the Akropolis. When we visited the Akropolis on the first day we arrived in Athens, he wasn’t able to sketch, and had been anxious to return. I stayed in our room to continue to write my blogs; however, I soon realized that we didn’t know for sure how to get ferry tickets for Santorini. I went down to the hotel lobby and asked the attendant. He said that we should get them before we go to Piraeus, our port of departure. I then walked a few blocks to Blue Star Ferries and bought two tickets for 07:30 Sunday morning. We’ll have to take a taxi because the metro can’t make it to Piraeus either.
At 16:30 Richard returned with three excellent sketches/watercolors of the Akropolis. We then got ready to go see Irene again, this time in her own home. We had to take a taxi because of the problem with the metro to the north. We arrived a little early. Her home is fenced and has a squawk box out front. When we pushed the button, the gate buzzed and came open. She met us at the front door, very happy to see us. She had told me earlier that she would invite some of her cousins. Soon two women and a man, all about my age arrived. One was Irene’s sister, the other woman a long time family friend, and the man, Alexandros, we never quite came to understand if he was her brother or a cousin.
Irene’s home was in one of the wealthiest districts of Athens, and its interior was posh. It was split level with marble floors, paneled walls decorated with expensive oil paintings, and furnished with a huge coffee table surrounded by an off-white, deep-cushioned sofa.
After a half-hour of conversation and pistachios, Irene led us into the dining room, where her cook had prepared dinner for us. Her cook/maid (?) was not Greek but oriental. She was very quiet and hovered in the background, serving and picking up dishes. We started off with a Greek salata and bread. Then came spanakopita and a fried cheese dish. After this was taken from the table, we were served octopus, lamb, calamari, and potatoes.
After dinner, we again retired to the living room where we discussed a variety of issues. I asked them what they thought of President Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Irene’s sister thought that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabian should have won it. According to her, they were the only two viable candidates. We had a lively discussion about family and friends. Soon it was time for us to leave. He had an early ferry to Santorini to catch. Irene’s sister along with the man and other woman drove us south to where the metro was functioning, and we took it on in to the center of Athens. Quite an enjoyable evening.
(Sorry, but we didn’t take any pictures.)