Almost ethereal

Friday September 30, 2011

I am sitting on a mountainside in Greece looking down on the lights of a sea port on the Gulf of Corinth. The stars are beginning to peek out and the sliver of moon is hiding for a moment behind a cloud but I must say this is heaven! I can smell the olive groves , the air is still and warm and I just heard the faint neighing of a goat. We awoke this morning to the crowing of a rooster in another mountain side setting almost as perfect as this. Our morning was not quite so early so we had time to relax a little. We have been traveling through rural Greece where most towns are small with a combination of beauty and quaintness. The people are mostly friendly and hoping you will spend your money in their establishments.

Our first explore this morning was Ancient Olympia, home of the first Olympic games. Our guide Dora really brings everything to life and as she explained what every building had been for and described exactly what the experience of participating would have entailed for the athletes. We just felt like we were getting a glimpse back to 300 BC. I had no idea there would have been so many different buildings and how sacrificing animals before the games was such a big thing. They had training centres for pre-olympic practicing and hotels for the important guests. The area was huge. I felt a thrill as we walked through the arched walkway that lead to the stadium where the starting blocks of stone still sit imbedded in the ground. I ran the length of the stadium and could hear the crowds cheering. There were not benches like the stadium in Athens but grassy knolls surrounding the field where spectators would crowd in to watch the competitions. The walk back in time was then sweetened with a view of replicas and in some cases, originals, of many of the artifacts and statues that were apart of the site and were housed in the museum. The art work was stunning.

We enjoyed lunch in Olympia where I just had to have stuffed tomatoes again and shall make that something I master when we get home. Dad had Olympia's version of gyro. Which meant instead of the meat being wrapped in a pita it is served with toasted pita quarters on the side- also a delicious lunch.

The drive along the west coast of Greece was like reading the description of some exotic place in a romance novel. Each little town had its own beauty. We crossed the bridge that was opened in 2004 to connect the Peloponnese to mainland Greece. It is a thing of beauty and I thought of Colin and wished he was here to comment on its structure. We took lots of picture. There were plaques showing the project had won several engineering awards. It is called the Rion-Antirion Bridge and at a distance looks like a row of elegant sailing ships.

We took a rest stop in the town of Nafpaktos. As so many of the towns, it has a fortress on its acropolis and a high stone wall surrounding the ancient part of the city. The fortress came right down to the waterfront where we stopped for our break. Battered, yet colourful, fishing boats sat in the harbour with their waiting nets piled on the old wooden wharf, children ran through the sand on the beach as watching parents sat under umbrellas sipping cool drinks. A couple of young locals were fishing and along came an old man carrying a bucket. He had soon set two fishing lines and sat down to wait. As we walked through the streets to get a picture of the wall I watched an older lady in a dark dress pull plastic bottles from a bag and fill several of them from the water-fountain by the square. It is a tap coming out of a stone sculpted basin that is constantly running a stream of water and is there for drinking water. The whole place was calling come explore. It was a place I could easily spend a few days.

We stopped quickly for a photo op of another very beautiful port town- Galaxidi and then we wound our way past the sea of olive trees to Delphi, 574 meters above sea level. Our last picture-op was at the sanctuary of Athena. The setting sun brought out the beauty of the marble pillars and added to the mystique of the almost ethereal spot.

Our hotel has large spacious meeting room with a wall of windows showing off their greatest asset- the amazing view. Tomorrow we visit Delphi, the place everyone in Greece came for wisdom.

Grecian Dream

Thursday September 29, 2011

It was an early morning as we were up at 10 to 6, almost as bad as a seminary day. We left Athens headed west. Today we were headed for an explore of the Peloponnese. Our first stop was the Corinth canal which was dug through the narrowest neck of land between the Peloponnese and mainland Greece. It is 6.3 km long and 79 meters down to the water and 8 meters deep. It was dug so ships could get from the Ionian gulf to the Aegean Sea without having to go all the way around the South tip of Greece. It looked like a big “make work” project to me. It was started in 1881 took until to 1893 to complete. It is 24.6 meters wide at sea level. Before this time they transported the ships overground or big ones sailed around. It was much like looking down into the Colorado river at Page Arizona. Straight walls on both sides. Our next stop was the prettiest little town in Greece according to our guide and I really couldn't argue with her It was much cleaner than Athens with beautifully quaint narrow marble streets. I am always amazed to see cars drive down these streets, dodging the wares that are setting out begging bargain hunters to come dicker. I am learning to have my ears open and move close to the shop at the sound of traffic. Nafplion had two walled fortresses above the city. One was on a very high hill so we did not have time in our hour of exploring to climb up to the top nor did we have time to walk below to the long shore of the beautiful beach with clear turquoise water that beckoned for swimmers to take a plunge. We did however climb up to the first fortress where apparently unpopular political leaders had be imprisoned from time to time. The view of the town and the ocean was so picturesque I just wanted to pull out some water colours and have the goddess of ability sprinkle some magic dust on me and I would spend the day, paintbrush in hand, creating the magic I could see and feel.

Our next stop was Mycenae, a fortress like settlement built on a high spot now in the middle of vineyards and olive groves. It has huge stone walls and two lions standing above the gate. The area is huge with much excavation still to be done to uncover all the secrets of a civilization that begun in the 16^th century BC. I was reminded of the wonder of the cave dwellings at Mesa Verde, as we looked and listened and learned about a people who have influenced much of the human race. They must have had some real engineers for the Beehive tomb they built to house their kings body after death. It was 46 feet tall, the doorway about 20 feet high with a lentil on it that weighs approximately 120 tons. The tomb is a perfect dome inside built with blocks of rock fitted tightly together. They must have had a lot of patience and some pretty intense man power and some rather advanced tools of some kind. They really don't know how they got such a big rock situated in the right spot. We stopped for lunch in a little town near the ruins and after walked around a bit to explore and got some picture of the disparity seen in just a short block. A classic Mediterranean villa here and a crumbling hut there. The last three hours of the trip was driving over the mountains with Sparta to the south and the Olive groves of Kalamatra to the north and finally arriving at the Ionian Sea and going up the coast and inland to Olympia. Our hotel is on the hill with a wonderful view of the village. We were fed a delicious traditional meal, enjoyed conversation with new made friends and were entertained by Bernie on his mini bagpipes . It was a perfect ending to another Grecian dreams kind of day. No wireless here so not sure when we can post this.

From Dad -- Internet access is 1 euro for 5 minutes so I am able to post this but this is all you get.

Back to the beginning

Wednesday September 28, 2011

As a teenager I dreamed of being an archeologist and studying history by going back in time through my research. Today was a fulfilled dream as we went back to the start of so much of history, civilization's roots!

Maneuvering through the crowd reminded me of the Expo 86. There were tour guides speaking a myriad of languages. Luckily we were some of the first wave of the throng so we did actually get pictures and see what we wanted to. The remains are impressively huge. The guide said even back in 400 BC they built cranes much like the one helping with the repair but slave powered. The Parthenon is completely under restoration so it was filled with scaffolding. I guess this has been going on for years and will continue for another 40 years or so. We took pictures of Mars hill but did not have time to go climb on it so that is saved for another day. You may see on the news tonight pictures of the protests of the striking transportation workers. We could hear their speeches on top the Acropolis. I was amazed at how well sound carried. I was disappointed not to be able to see any of the protest march or peaceful demonstration and by the time we were in the downtown district for lunch everything was quiet, no sign of anything. The only noticeable thing was not one yellow taxi but instead everyone had brought their car to work so the streets were busy but no worse than Deerfoot at 4:30. We then went to see the Pantheanic Stadium built in the fourth century BC, then restored by the Romans in 200 AD and the restored again for the first modern Olympics in 1896. In 2004 it was the stadium used for the grand finish of the Marathon. The guide said 60,000 people can fit in the stands – the book claimed they packed 80,000 in. It was huge! We then went to see the temple of Zeus. It must have been an amazingly enormous and unbelievable in its day, The foundation is huge and our guide Dora said there were 104 pillars the original temple. Only 15 still standing and one laying on the ground. We had a driving tour of the downtown area where we saw the first library and university.Both very neat columned buildings. After a wonderful lunch of stuffed tomatoes and briam, we took a bus tour along the coast for a 65 km trip to the temple of Poseidon. It is a very beautiful ancient structure on a high rise of land overlooking the Aegean sea. We saw the summer homes of the wealthy Athenians and drove through several small tourist towns. It was breathtaking and I just wanted to stop and explore each of the little coves with clear turquoise water. Fabulous day ended by a wonderful 5 course Grecian meal in a little taverna in the Plaka. Just a Grecian Dream.

I've got the bug!!!

Tuesday September 27, 2011

Yes, to those of you noticing the blog posted time, we were up much too late trying to figure out the wireless connection with password etc. but luckily, and 12 euros later, I think it is figured out, though not Canadian free. I guess wireless is free on Syntagma square downtown but who has time to blog in the middle of the day. We were wide awake by 7:30 and ready to start the day. The buffet breakfast was wonderful and then we were ready for the shuttle ride downtown. We climbed on the shuttle bus with some older American women and a group of Asian tourists who were looking as ready, for a day of perfect photo hunting, as Dad. The radio was blaring Aretha Franklin's RESPECT and I knew this day of incongruities was going to be the best adventure ever. I was not disappointed. Ancient Greek Ruins and Roman columns surrounded by crowded streets plugged by a sea of yellow taxis and motorcycles, honking horns and sirens, all the noise, noise, noise, noise of five million people and a million tourists.

Downtown just in time for the changing of the guard at the Parliament Building. Standing amid a huge flock of cheeky pigeons we watched the most dramatic tap dance routine I've ever seen. Really, the guards have a metal cleated boot that they stamp on the ground in a high stepping march. I loved the big pom poms on their shoes. Every move is precise and very dignified. Both the kilt they wear and the shoe pom poms date back to the ancient dress of ancient Spartan and Mycenaean soldiers.

We then followed a walk through old Athens with Rick Steves as written in one of his guide books. This really made it Rex and Bet style, as we were able to read a little about everything we saw. We photographed at least seven old (pre 13^th century) churches with the domed roof of the Greek Orthodox style. The insides were amazing with the walls and ceiling completely covered in paintings of iconic representations of Christ and other saints with golden borders and all sorts of intricate designs. No pictures allowed inside. The walk took us past the blocks and blocks of little shops with a constant barrage of “come and buy”. We then saw the well know Hadrian's Arch, the welcoming arch to the temple of Zeus. We will see much of these ruins tomorrow with the tour so we hurried on to explore the narrow streets that lead up to the Acropolis. This was the best part of my day as we saw one picturesque scene after another of places you can't ever imagine seeing in real. I was giddy. We walked through some areas that were so narrow there was only a brick wide sidewalk and barely room for a smart car to drive and still cars zoomed by and honked at anyone in their way. We then found Anafiotika. This is an area built on the hillside of the Acropolis. The little homes and narrow walkways are built like a Cycladic Island town with white stucco houses with bright doors and winding walkways. The guide said it now is an area for those better off to have a summer cottage. It was romantic novel little cottages with the blue or red roof and flower boxes and cats lazing in the sun. It could have been a movie set but as we walked past, I could hear radios playing and other sounds of domestic living and wondered who lived there, did they have the same hopes and dreams, what was their biggest challenge, what would they think of Lethbridge Alberta? I just couldn't even get my head around it. I wanted to knock on a door and ask them, then tell them about the prettiest and cleanest little city in the west. I mention clean because Athens is not! Graffiti is prevalent everywhere- luckily I couldn't understand any of it so apologies if we post something rude. We walked past the Acropolis but are saving that for the tour group tomorrow. Electrolux salesmen do not have the corner on pressure sales. I came home with a beautiful hand embroidered tablecloth that I had no intention of buying but saying no, ohi, no ohi 57 times was not enough and, after I looked it over, I felt guilty only paying 20 euros as it is so beautiful. We ate a late lunch in an open air restaurant right on the road beside an archeological ruin of the Roman forum and what is called Tower of the Wind. The tower has carved reliefs around the top that depict the winds as winged humans who fly around causing weather change. Look at me having moussaka, looking at ancient ruins with the man I love more than anything. Wow what a day. We met our tour group this evening and had supper with a couple from Windsor who are about our age. There are two couples from Edmonton so we have lots of Canadians to get to know. The other big contingent are Australians. Maybe we will go there next to visit new made friends. Oh yes I have the travel Bug!!

Dad's comment

I do not have time to say much, except that it was thrilling to be tagging along with such an excited companion through the streets of history.

On to Athens

Monday September 26, 2011

So our flight left Amsterdam about 20 minutes late. Not too bad. We actually boarded just after I posted the last blog. This plane was not as roomy or fancy as the Trans-Atlantic one but still OK. The service was still good. They brought us an omelet on a sesame bun for lunch along with a drink and then a piece of cake. Later another drink and then just before we arrived in Athens, a treat. By then I had been sawing logs for while. A nice nap, but I found it hard to wake up and I wanted to see Athens as we approached. I have to say that this flight was more scenic, if you can say that when you are not in a window seat. But the mountains as we flew across Europe were fantastic! First gigantic rugged mountains, far below the clouds which were far below us, completely covered in snow and ice. And then gigantic rugged mountains with no snow and then smaller mountains with little villages nestled in the valleys and then no mountains as we crossed onto the Mediterranean sea. And then, well I do not know what then, as I went to sleep. Then the descent into Athens and right on time. Mom was so excited she could hardly sit. Everything went smoothly. We found where the luggage was to come, then it came. Yippee!!! Then entered the main concourse and saw the guide with the Insight sign. A bus trip of almost 45 minutes from the airport into our hotel. Mom jumping up and down and pointing continually. We are definitely in a different part of the world. It is great. We checked into our hotel room. Nice! Then went for dinner and a walk. A wonderful day

Pinch me!! (Mom)

Monday September 26, 2011

My first glimpse of Europe was the patchwork green fields bordered by ditches and neat farmsteads. Then we over Amsterdam with lines of red roofed row houses and lovely green spots with a river winding through. Unfortunately I didn't have a window seat so my curiosity was peaked but not satisfied. After a bit of delay, we landed and walked into the huge airport. Schiphol airport makes the Calgary airport look like Lethbridge County airport in comparison. These two, not so savvy, travelers were thankful for friendly info help and very useful signage ( in English), that even told us how many minutes it would take to walk to various spots in the airport. So fun to people watch and hear the chatter in languages that I couldn't understand but wished I could. Why didn't I learn a few different languages in my youth, when the brain could catch onto and hold such in it, much easier than this sightly worn out and outdated memory card?

Amazing !!!! Not only did we make it to Athens Airport in one piece but our luggage did also. :) The whole "first" airplane flight was great... very friendly service and pampering. We were brought hot towelettes three times during the flight and fed pretty good food. I was impressed with KLM airlines.

Athens is a huge city of apartment complexes. It looks like a city built in a hurry and then rethought and rethought again. No high rises that we saw today on the way from the airport to our hotel. some of the apartments are real nice, many are older and some just empty buildings with no windows -- all in the same few blocks. Most of them have the roof covered with solar energy collectors. I love the olive groves, palm trees and regal cypress trees. Mediterranean beauty in little pockets everywhere. We had a lovely salad bar with Greek salads, smoked salmon and lovely little dessert sweets in our hotel restaurant. Tomorrow we are checking out the old downtown: Plaka, ancient Agora, shops and Syntagma Square - where the striking transportation workers may be hanging out. No buses are running but the hotel has a shuttle. :) Pinch me. Am I really in Athens?!!!!!!

In Europe.

Monday September 26, 2011

So we are in Amsterdam. When we landed, my watch said half past midnight but the clock on the wall said 8:30 AM, so that day started quickly. Good thing I had a good sleep on the plane as we flew. The flight was uneventful. I noted that we flew at 900 km/hr (land speed) at an altitude of over 11000 metres and that the temperature hovered between -50 and -55 degrees Celsius. Glad that I was on the inside and not the outside. The sun rose as we arrived at Amsterdam so we could see the city, including canals, roads and houses as we approached. It is very green. We disembarked from the plane and found our way through the airport to the departure gate. Going through into the secure area was a little more interesting this time. In Calgary, they told us to take the laptop out of our bag but not the tablet. So I did the same here. Mistake! They had me open the bag, take the tablet out and then ran it all through the scanner again. They also required me to open my camera bag and take the camera out so they could inspect it as well. They also had mom open her purse and take her camera out so that it could be inspected. All was well and we were through into the secure area. Which is where we are now. It makes the Calgary airport look small. There are signs indicating how far to various gates. And there are shops of all kinds. Mom enjoyed the flower shops and the perfume store. We are now sitting, waiting for our flight which is scheduled to leave at 11:55. But there is no plane here yet. But we are sitting here blogging. We are connected to the world. Who woulda thought? There is starting to be some activity out the window now, so I will post this, take some pictures, pack up and be ready to board, which the sign says will start at 11:15.

We are on our way.

Sunday September 25, 2011

We are sitting in the secure area of the Calgary airport. We went to sacrament meeting this morning in our ward. After the meeting, we said goodbye to Tyson and headed for Calgary. It was a beautiful sunshiny day for a drive. We had to stop at Mossliegh on the way so that mom could take a picture of the grain elevators to show to people that we meet. We arrived at the airport right on time. Garth and Amanda were there to greet us and see us off. We checked our luggage. They told us that the fight was delayed for 45-50 minutes and the our new boarding time was 3:30 instead of the scheduled 2:40. We went back to wait for Colin and Cynthia to arrive from Winnipeg. Their flight was only 4 minutes late, so it was nice to see them before we left. We visited for a while and then said goodbye to the kids and went through security. No hassle there. Which was nice considering some of the horror stories we see on the news. So we are now just waiting. Luckily there is Wi-fi so we are connected. Isn't that amazing. Who woulda thought it??? Mom is checking out Amsterdam and I am, yes you guessed it, blogging.

The night before.

Saturday September 24, 2011

Tomorrow is the day. Our bags are packed and weighed. We have checked in online and printed our boarding passes. The flight is still scheduled to leave on time. We are so excited!! Do you remember the Disney commercial with two little kids jumping up and down on the bed saying "We're so excited. We can't sleep." Well that is how Bet has been the last three nights. It is really going to happen. Tonight was Zoe's 3rd birthday so we went over to celebrate with her. How did she get so old. But she is and it is great to be with her and see her enthusiasm. Michelle is back with her boys so it was great to see them before we leave. Nathan and Chrystal called today to say farewell and wish us a good holiday. We talked with Mandy and Kathryn. We skyped with Colin from Winnipeg, where they are visiting. We will meet them in the airport as they land and before we load up. Garth and Amanda are also meeting us at the airport tomorrow as well, since they are in Calgary visiting her family. We are ready to go.

Almost ready to go!

Friday September 23, 2011

A little over 40 years ago (1970 if you wish to know) a high school girl and her friend planned to take a couple of years of university and then travel to Greece for a holiday. She attended the University of Lethbridge in the fall. In November she met a young man. One thing followed another and in July 1971, they were married. Her friend went on the trip without her. She became a loving wife and mother. I have always been grateful that she chose me instead of Greece. This year we celebrated our 4oth wedding anniversary and, since I was retiring, booked a trip to Greece. We booked the trip last February. September 25th seemed to far away. We have been excitedly preparing. And now it is almost here. After 40 years of waiting, the young lady (and she still is young) will get to take her trip to Greece.