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 Good Change...of Plan

The breakfast at the Atlantis Hotel was great for a second day... ate and off to an early start.

 

Day 16 Thessalonika to Volos

Don says "Sometimes I wake up grumpy...but sometimes I let her sleep". Well this was one of the times he should have let me sleep. I woke up in (not a great mood) a bit of a bother! And had a grump on most of the day...but that did not phase Don from tormenting me mercilessly!

Volos and Pictures

We arrived in Volos just in time for the noon rush hour (yeah, yeah, yeah...I know you've heard this all before!) and decided to drive past our Hotel to get a bearing where it was in relation to everything else. Well it was in the middle of everything else! The waterfront was closeby but could not be seen or heard over the din of the traffic. I wanted to stop at the Hotel but Don wanted to continue on...well you can imagine how that went over...not big!

We drove through Volos and decided to continue on to Mount Pelion (where the mythical Achiles trained with the centaur Charon).  Mount Pelion We did a circle of Mount Pelion... Mount Pelion which is not at all for the faint of heart! These were some of the most daring roads we have driven in Greece. They were steep, narrow, with many switch backs but also there were no side barriers to a straight down drop of a few hundred meters. This is a photo of us on the top of Mount Pelion.

 

This is the google map of our route around Mount Pelion: Route Mount Pelion

It seems I was scared out of my grump and felt much better by the time we dcided not to stay at the Hotel we booked but to find a different one near the beach...somewhere.

We drove past Volos, through three nearby villages and no Hotel in sight we almost turned back to Volos. But one last attempt proved successful...we found a wonderful little hotel right on the beach in Nea Anchialos. I walked in, asked for a room, and saw two lovely rooms...for much less than what we would have paid at the congested, downtown hotel in Volos. Happy, happy, joy, joy...we got our bags up to the room and went for a swim! Hotel Opollo

Then the next order of business was to fill the gap created by all that swimming...food!

The restrauant right next to the hotel (Glaxious Fish Taverna) was a fish restrauant (Psyeria...fish). Not much convincing needed here.

The owner was marvelous! He waited on us hand and table! We did not completely understand the correct way to order "snacks and Tsipouro" . Tsipouro is a drink similar to Ouzo but can be drunk with or without the Anise flavouring. We decided to have one of each. It arrives at the table in ...little teeny, tiny bottles (which is all we could drink anyway).

But this is the part we didn't understand ...each bottle comes with a plate of 'snacks'...sardines with capers and a wonderful home made cabbage salad for the one bottle of 'drink' and the other bottle with perch and celery/dill/onions. The bread is always complementary and comes with a superb eggplant dip (similar to baba ganoush but chunkier). So, now we had three plates of food, bread and drink and we had ordered eggplant, zuchini, and two mains of fried and grilled squid...wait a minute...that is enough food for about eight people. Ohhh the food fiasco from Turkey was returning for a second go at us! Had we understood how it worked we would only have ordered snacks and drinks! But take a look at these squid and you will understand everything...

Don's squid were grilled...there were about 4 squid about 8" long...

My squid were fried and there was about a half dozen about 4" long with fried potatos...
A beautiful thick Greek yogurt topped with cherries and syrup was complementary from the owner for dessert!

Well we didn't leave hungery so...back to the hotel to have a good night sleep for an early rise.

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.
 

Roads and signs of Greece...and tunnels!

We traveled from Glyfada Beach today to Meteora.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteora in the north central mountains. We found some winding roads and some tunnels...ok well a lot of tunnels. Don's arm got tired from putting his sun glasses off and on ...

we also did some pretty fast stuff and here's proof! Good thing our car has sticky tires! because these roads are not straight...wheeeeee!

 

We are staying at the Tsikeli Hotel http://meteora-hoteltsikeli.clickhere.gr/kalambaka.htm and our room over looks the mountain http://www.meteora-greece.com/

It is quite imposing to be 'under' such a monolithic pediment!

 

 

3 minutes on the dashboard... a driver's drive

Don enjoyed the drive today with all the up and down mountains and round hairpin turns and all the cut backs in the roads! Any one who loves to drive would appreciate the open air in a top down convertable. It was truely a driver's drive and one that would make most people's skin crawl.
I know, I know you thought you would never get it...well here it is resized and uploaded to YouTube...
http://youtu.be/RgURngdHYWw

 

A drive through town

A lovely little video driving through a small town in Greece. It is amazing how everyone cooperates while driving and how it all works so seemlessly. This would be impossible in North America...
It took a few days to determine how to best resize the video and keep the quality, get it uploaded to YouTube with sporadic internet connections, and get it onto the blog page without a great deal of trouble.
Here it is my first video upload!!

http://youtu.be/iSXFX_X6UEw

Hope you enjoy the ride...

King Nestor famous for his hospilatity

Ancient King Nestor was famous for his hospitality! So, when he had a few hundred friends over for dinner he really put on a spread! Here are a few of the eating and drinking implements from his store room and pantry!

 

It seems that there may have been a few feasts going on in Nester's time as he had store houses of fine pottery made for dining and drinking! Here are a few more of his wonderful place settings.

I will be putting on a feast in honor of King Nestor when we return home....any takers?

The Don Scale 1-10

Don has eaten moussaka just about every night trying to find one that compares to mine at home (good luck with that!) so he has developed the "Don Scale". It is a scientific measurement of a number of variants which comprise the 'perfect' moussaka. They are taste, texture, teeth, temp  and tone.Each element of the moussaka rates a 1 or 2 making the prefect moussaka a 10 (he says mine is 11!)  Below 5 would not get ordered again...!

First moussaka at Cafe Postale - 7
The taste and texture were very good but it had very little teeth. the tone was low but the temp was right.









second at Breetos - 7.5
The Breetos moussaka was good from almost all perspectives except that it had a very soft texture. The taste was very good.

third at Dionysis - 4 This moussaka was recommended from a travel guide and was disappointing at the very least. It has no taste, very little texture, no tone, and the temp was the best part.






fourth at ToSteki - 4.5 (picture to follow) Unfortunately this was also a recommended moussaka but did not live up to the rating! It disapointed on all scale ratings as well.

It seems my moussaka is safe in its standing (for now!)
 

A Mani's home is his castle... no really!

The rugged Mani Peninsula is legendary for it's tower houses.
The homes are made of cut rock and stone and are very much like castles. The history is long so here is a quick link,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mani_Peninsula
We are staying at the Kourmas Rooms tonight right on the beach at Limeni. The sun is setting and it is incredible to look at over here in this part of the world.
 http://www.maniguide.info/
Here is small video clip from Rick Steves:
http://youtu.be/MTQKoFvwHRE



We stayed at the Kourmas Rooms where the sun meets the Aegaean Sea. The rooms are nicely appointed with a private bath (with tub and shower) and a large balcony overlooking the water. It is clean and the staff friendly and helpful! This Hotel was a bit more expensive than the previous two and I would rate it a 7.5.

Fresh fish caught daily was on the menu. It was bar-b-qued to a succlent sensation and served with delicious fresh produce! Here are the stars of today's menu!