Brown as a Berry...full as an egg!

We have a couple of sayings in Newfoundland that fit this situation perfectly... I am as brown as a berry and as full as an egg...Now one might ask... what does this mean?

Well, now let me explain... last night after dinner Don asked if I wanted to get some ice cream...usually the answer would be a resounding yes!

But, I am as full as an egg...which means that I cannot eat anything more...he continues with... but ice cream just fills in the coners! That's when the fight began...no just kidding. I said I am full as an egg (round rather than oval) I don't have corners anymore!

The days relaxing and site-seeing have been all sunny and I have not been adverse to keeping the companies who produce sun block in business! So, even though I have kept up with the sun block I am quite brown...as a berry!

Old sayings come in handy some times to explain the unexplainable...as in why someone would not want ice cream!

Don and the Lamborghini

Well we did not expect that Don would have the opportunity to see let alone sit in the seat and drive a Lamborghini...

When we drove up to our hotel in a very small town (about 100 people) called Tsoutsouros we parked right next to a Lamborghini...Dons eyes nearly popped out of his head. He said our loud "I wonder who owns that?"

Well, we went for our swim, went for dinner, went to town...and when we returned the Lamborghini was still there. Maybe the hotel owner owns the Lamborghini?

Don frets over this all night!

The next morning the two older people sitting on the front porch of the hotel say hello as we go for a morning swim...they are friendly and happy! As we come back to the hotel Don is wondering if he should ask them who owns the Lamborghini...and then out of no where he asks...and they wave him to it and say go ahead sit, sit...he asks for a picture...I am quite purple by this time...they say yes, yes go ahead take pictures!!!!!

So, here it is ...Don driving the Lamborghini...

 

Olive trees and .... have never seen so many!

Greece is a wonderful country full of richness and fruit of every description. We have seen olive trees (forests) everywhere we went. We have also seen oranges, figs, plums, pears, apples, peaches, apricots, grapes (of course) and yesterday bananas... I expected a lot of fruit trees but not ....

greenhouses!

The country is warm most of the year so why the towns of greenhouses? The growing season here is most likely two or even three crops per year. I was amazed at how many greenhouses there are in many places in Greece from north to south...literally greenhouse landscape the size of fairly large towns. Actually larger than some towns here...

 

But then there are always the olive groves...nicely laid out against the harshest of landscapes... this is Greece!

 

Tie up your dogs and let your goats run wild!

On mainland Greece we noticed many times that there were many places where the sheep or goats were watched very carefully by herd dogs...not the ordinary Sheppard we are used to but very large white and black colored dogs that mingled freely with the sheep or goats.  Greek Sheep dog
We were told that a farmer or goat/sheep herder would count the dogs at the end of the day not the goats or sheep. If there was a dog missing it meant that the dog was guarding a missing sheep or goat. The dog will not leave the goat or sheep alone at night. The dogs are raised with the sheep/goats and protect them staunchly.

But, here on the Island of Crete we have seen a number of large herds of goats just running wild with no person and no dogs guarding them! We wondered about this and then we saw that there were dogs tied up at homes and workshops. So, here on Crete the dogs do not guard the animals but are tied up and the animals run wild. Interesting! We will watch to see if this changes...
Well today we did see more goats and sheep on the road but they were fenced into pastures...but still no dogs guarding them.
We have now learned from a few conversations that the herders let the sheep graze up on the mountains and take their dogs out to bring them in... I guess there are no predators here on Crete (other than humans).
 

Up the mountain...down the mountain...to the sea

Day 20 Stavros to Plakias via southern route

Well I think we did the most switchbacks today than ever before. We counted 27 switchbacks and 37 big curves getting from the top of a mountain to the ocean at the bottom. The road in most places was only one car wide and the car coming up the hill had to wait for the car coming down the hill to make the turn before it proceeded around the turn...

The shoreline here is very rugged with a lot of rock and jagged cliffs. But, the sea is like a song with the waves crashing melodically on the shore just meters from our patio door! The deep blue Aegean waters are stunningly bright with the whitecaps rolling toward the shore and breaking on the large black rocks.

 

The power went out in the entire town of Plakias as we were walking from the Taverna where we ate dinner back to the hotel tonight. We had a wonderful medley of samplings of Cretan food at the Sophia resturant.

You are wondering (no doubt) why so many times the food is half eaten before we take a picture...simple answer...it looks so good we forget to take the picture first! I am getting better at remembering the picture but Don still digs in to the food first!

So, we had nothing to do but star watch...Don pulled a big, thick blanket from the cabinet , took the pillows from the bed and put it all out on the balcony. We laid there and watched the stars moving across the dark velvet sky with no lights to be seen at all! It was pure magic....not something that will be easily forgotten.

 

From Delphi to ...Ahhhh beautiful Crete!

Day 18 Part 1: Delphi to Athens airport to fly on Aegean Airlines

Well the day started pretty good with a nice breakfast and then the ancient site of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi Temple of Apollo at Delphi
as well as the Temple of Athena. Temple of Athena
Really enjoyed the climb up and down the mountains. Both sites are well preserved and he paths are easy to navigate. We took lots of pictures as usual and discussed our own versions of what may have happened here 2000 years ago. The museum was also great...

We laughed about walking on the same stones as the ancients did and asked the Oracle what the weather would be like for the rest of our trip... sunny and warm with no chance of rain!

We drove straight through to Athens and ended up at the airport a few hours earlier than we planned but that was OK because neither of us like the stress of trying to cut things to close. The Athens airport as usual was a hectic enviornment. We found the line for Aegean airlines and stood in line for about 30 minutes before we made it to the counter to be told we could not check our bags because this line was only for the flight to Frankfurt...ok go and stand in another line for 30 minutes! Got the bags checked and then found our boarding gate...stand in line for another 30 minutes. Wait no...we cannot go through security because they have reserved this security check point for the flight going to Milan which is late... ok would be nice to know this...some signs would be appreciated... and the lady came and asked if we were lined for gate B1...yes...but no one mentioned the Milan flight!
Ok go get something to eat to wait for the time to go through security for Chania, Crete!
Finally made it through security and made the uneventful flight to Chania.
The airport at Chania was worse than Athens...it was lined three or four rows deep from one end of the airport to the other and out the door and along the complete sidewalk with people waiting to check in for flights to the Scandinavian countries... we couldn't believe the number of people!

The person who delivered our rental car (camel) said it was like this four days a week... oh boy! This was supposed to be a open car... the only thing open abut it was the doors! The roof did not fully open, the bak did not fold down nor did the zippers to take off the windows work,,,it was a mess! We ended up changing it for a closed car!


 

And the Oracle of Delphi says...

Day 17 Volos to Delphi with stop at Thermopolae

Delphi, of monumental importance in the ancient world is now a small town of hotels and restrauants serving the tourist trade. Delphi, Greece
All of us who go to visit the Temple of Opollo and the Temple of Athena at Delphi are still amazed at the structures and the monuments constructed so long ago. Also the long treck most travellers from Athens and all over the known world would make to seek guidance from the Oracle...the mouth piece of the ancients gods! Kings and politicians would consult her about the prudence of fighting a war or about how the city state would fare in an earthquake... and so on. Delphi
Our hotel Arion was great with a nice quiet little room over looking the valley with olive groves as far as the eye could see! Arion Hotel
We had a nice dinner perched on a balcony restrauant that slanted slightly unevenly when sitting down. It made me feel that this may not be the safest place during one of Greece's many earthquakes...and possibly why the floor slanted in the first place! Phivos Restaurant
But we were hungry and I was hoping for a fantastic view with the wonderful lemon pork we were promised. Yes, I said it...lemon pork...this will be included on any future menu as it was succlent, sweet, and melt-in-your-mouth goodness that can only be proven by tasting.

Don had a moussaka (suprise!) and he rated it a clear 7.5 (I was getting worried at one point when he said he would definately order this moussaka again).

A green romaine lettuce salad with dill and green onions dressed lightly with oil and sweet vinigar completed it , and we topped it off with a creamy rich slice of Caramel pie!

So, the Oracle says there is good eating in Delphi! Pictures of Delphi

A Lovely Little Hotel

We arrived in Thessaloniki at rush hour...not good planning! This city has the worst traffic congestion that I have seen yet in Greece. And parking....oh my goodness...some one could make a million just building a four level parking garage and charging half what everyone else does for parking! We actually saw streets lined triple parked...with extra cars with four way blinkers turned on!!Thessaloniki and Pictures

We made our way around the central core five times before finding our Hotel which was tucked in between a bakery and a shoe store...one door wide and very long. It was a bit of a surprise as it was indeed a gem in a mass of a city downtown core! Hotel Atlantis . We checked out the room and choose one at the back of the Hotel. It was clean and nice and the bed/pillow were comfy..with air and fridge and bonus hair dryer!

We decided we had not covered enough miles that day so decided to walk down to the waterfront to check out the restaurants... another miscalculation ... but not to worry we walked until we found one that suited us and finally sat down! Whew...we had a nice but not exceptional dinner. http://www.greecetravel.com/thessaloniki/

I wondered on the way back to the Hotel why I had not brought more than one pair sandals and seriously considered buying another pair as it seemed I was wearing these ones out just trying to find a suitable restaurant. http://www.aldoshoes.com/ca-eng/women/shoes?cm_mmc=Google-_-CEO%20Campaign-_-CEO%20Shoes-_-shoes

We arrived back at the hotel none the worse for wear. Our front desk person was great and knew so much about the town, the sights, the traffic and just about anything else we could ask about. He and Don had a number of long conversations. He told us where we could bring our laundry to be done and picked up after the museum...but we walked around for an hour and couldn't find it...finally there it was...mission accomplished.

We stayed here for two nights and the next day we went to the museum. This was a wonderful experience as it was well laid out and very accessible from the parking lot where we (I think inadvertently) parked our car in a secured area! Pictures We joked on the way back to the car that the guards may have let us in because they did not understand what we were asking (where is the Museum parking?) and that maybe the car would be gone if some one checked the plate numbers against the numbers that were supposed to be there! He he he... Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki 

We decided to go out to the town (Neo Roda) where the Persians cut through a finger of land (actually dug a canal wide enough to fit two boats across). It was an interesting ride but not much to see except a sign.   But, Don enjoyed it anyway. Pictures 

 

It was my birthday (and Daisy too) so we decided to have a big birthday dinner and our Hotel front desk person told us a great Gyros place...Express Food and it was merely minutes from the front door. We ordered too much food again and had a great dinner.

 

Then for the birthday cake we ordered two (not one) but two marvelous pastries from a nearby bakery. One caramel and cream and one french pastry filled with cream!!!!!! Oh the absolute decadence...I mean goodness of it!

Back to the hotel to enjoy an Ouzo and have an early night.

Dinner for 2...sleep on a hill!

Further to our previous post about our visit to Vergina and to update everyone on our dinner at the Ktima Kalaitzi I have only one word...this is a must stay! Ok five words...

First glimpse of our Hotel from the driveway.

The portico entrance to the inside dining area.

Our beautiful room.

The lounge area and bar.

The main attraction...the wine!

Well.... dinner at our Hotel was as wonderful as expected. No one goes away hungry. The wine is superb and the food was delicious. This is truly a fine boutique hotel that distinguishes itself with careful attention to detail and flawless execution. Out hosts were attentive and warm and made us feel right at home. It has all the old world charm you can ask for and all the modern amenities you would need. For all those wine lovers this is an experience you would want to consider. Highly recommended.

 

On the road to ruins

Our travel day went very well today and we had a wonderful drive from Meteora to Vergina. We took some winding back roads but mainly stayed on the beautiful highway to Veria. The road is new and very nice to drive. Top down, wind in your hair, and warm fall sunshine...it does not get much better than this!

We arrived at our hotel a little early today and they graciously had our room ready and we were promptly ensconced! Our Hotel Ktima Kalaitzi is fabulous with hosts Thomas and Pan taking wonderful care of us. The grounds are lovely and feel like a sanctuary on top of a vine lined hill. The Hotel itself is filled with old leather and antiques which give the feeling of an old estate. We were welcomed like friends and made to feel completely at home.
We went to do our tour of the archaeological site of the Royal Tombs of Vergina where Phillip ll of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great) is buried as well as another Prince who became Alexander lV (son of Alexander the Great). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vergina

It was one of the best museums we have yet seen any where. The tombs form part of the museum and the museum is built around the tombs in situ. You can walk right up to the rock where the tomb was carved (but they won't let you touch it). I pointed out to Don a couple of places where you can actually see parts of pieces of pottery from that ear sticking out of the clay and earth around the base. The Royal Tomb is a wonderful part of the museum but you also have to go and see the Palace of Phillip ll. The Palace  is massive and well worth the extra time.

Returning to our hotel we freshened up and then went down to the grape vine covered patio to sip some of their house wine and read up on a few places we will be going. The Chardonnay was a 2011 (newly bottled) chipper and a little sweet (great for an afternoon sip) and went well with the slightly salty cheese. We may buy a bottle to take with us on our next leg of the journey!
Dinner is at 8:00 and we are looking forward to the promised dining experience. Pictures to follow.
 

Between a rock and a hard place...we now know the definition

This old adage has had many a usage over the years but we feel we have finally found the 'correct' definition and a have a picture of it! The definition is 'that space which comprises the layer of air between the pillow and the bed mattress' at our current hotel!

Needless to say we did not sleep well. I never knew that pillows could be made of rock! Nor did I know that beds could hurt that much! After sleeping on the ground in Africa I thought that we had mastered sleeping 'situations'. But, I will take the ground in Africa any day or should I say night!
I must say that the Hotel did do a 'nice' breakfast which may be its only saving grace (and only by a small margin).

 

In Meteora the mountains are impressive...the food is not!

The mountains here in Meteora are fantastic looking...looming above everything in the town like giant pinacles.

The food unfortunately (at the recommended restaurant) is less than memorable. Don had moussaka (again! of course) and rated it a 0...yes that is correct... let me spell it... zero! He said he could not rate something with no taste! I sampled it and totally agreed.

The To Centro restaurant did not impress us with the flavor (or lack thereof). The dolmathes were marginal, the salad was ok, the meatballs were covered in a sauce that was good. We were told that pita is only fast food and not served there!
Well we will not be here for another meal!