We visit the Diros Caves

One of our beaches today

Diros caves

Gytheio

The wind continues today and we all could use a rest day, so today we decided to check out the Diros caves in the area. They where discovered in 1955 by a dog that crawled through a hole into the caves and returned several days later coated in red clay. His owner followed him the following day and found a vast network of caves, of which some 5 miles have now been explored. The Pirgos Dirou Caves are one of the oldest inhabited spots in Greece. and pottery, bone tools, and even prehistoric garbage have been found here. We rode in a boat through the caves. It reminded me of a science fiction movie or Lord of the Rings worlds. Amazing.

The rest of the day we had time to explore the town of Gytheio. Tomorrow we ride to the southern most tip of Europe and Greece. This is called the Inner Mani .

We rest and enjoy a dinner on the waterfront

Chasing Italians!

Mani Coast
So, it seems today is Saturday, day 16. Of course we had to start the day with another swim.. everyone would be so disappointed if we didn't. Lovely, but, we can see the clouds turning gray and threatening. After our breakfast Yorgos, who's riding with us today tells us today will be our most challenging climb. We're only going 35 k but it's straight up and straight down. We'll climb another 477 meters but the nice little challenge we have to day is.. horrendous swirling wind and a possiblity of rain. So we'll play it by ear.

Who's this up ahead? A group of cyclists on mountain bikes and full paniers. We find out there are 10 of them, ladies and gents, very friendly, bon journo, bon jorno! (whatever) and we seem to keep catching them all morning. There going about 100K a day, and are touring as a group for 10 days. The wind is tough for all of us but they will really have a time of it with 70K more then us. Yorgos says the wind should be coming and going as we go up the switchbacks and the road is quite good and not much traffic. So we start and it is gruelling with the wind, but it does come and go some. The rain starts as expected and we decide to wait it out in a SMOKE FREE!!! Taverna.. it is pouring too.. but stops in about a half hour and we only have 10K to go.

The rain stops and the wind dyes some. We have the last of this "monster" climb, Yorgos states ahead, but we continue.. Tamra chases and finds the Italians at our destination village.. Thank God!!! Today we stop at Areapoli.

The Beaches in Greece are from heaven

Just about enough time for a short swim before our ride today

So I think we're at day 15. Tamra and I wake up each morning and say... do you believe we're in Greece and we have to go swim before breakfast! What would our friends say if we didn't... so off we go.. Helen too... we swim and swim and swim.. do I have to get out? The googles we brought are awesome.. I can see to the bottom and I'm way over my head. Today we're off to a little town called Stoupa. Yorgos and his family say this is the most awesome beach... how could it be!!!

For all you bikers out there this day is biker heaven. Clear blue skies, not a touch of smog...all the smokers are in the internet cafe's..cough, cough. We'll ride 42 K today and two.. challenging climbs.. for 446 meters total.. lots of switchbacks, watch for the traffic, single file, be carefull and stop when you need too... boy we're climbers now. I'm up ahead again and what's this another arrow heading off for a view I'll bet... how can he possibly get the car on this road I think.. probably about .5 mi I go.. rugged but beautiful. I stop and enjoy the view for quite awhile.. pictures to come. I head back to the road.. no sign of our group.. but only one road Yorgos says.. so off I go.. hmmm no arrows, but what's this a dutch couple who speak English, but are LOADED down with the works! The lady (about my age) says they've biked from the Netherlands for the last 5 weeks! The alps where a challange.. I guess!!! but they've only got a few weeks left and then a plane ride home. I follow them for quite awhile and find out Stoupa is not far.. I stop in a nice Taverna and have a diet coke and chat with the owner a bit. I'll bet they're wondering where I am.

Finally I see the van and Yorgos! Yup, he was getting a bit concerned. We are in an even more beautiful place.. unbelievable view.. called The Lighthouse. I hurry to get into my bikinis.. yes you heard right.. I have a bikinis now and serious a tan problem. We're armed with sunblock though. Off to the beach we go... sandy, slowly deeper water, people everywhere. And... in all state of dress or I should say undress!! I'll bet we're hearing 10 different languages here.. all the babies and toddlers are in their birthday suits.. playing in the sand with mom or dad..

several women.. topless, without a care in the world.. all sizes. Tans are all pretty good, except us. We're not in a hurry though... we have 2 weeks to catch up.

Stoupa Street and tower house

We have a bit of a walking tour before dinner. The town just a few K before Stoupa is Kardamyli. Yorgos family comes from the area. This is the Mani peninsula and very rugged and untamed. The town has an area that is preserved and very isolated and is considered a good example of old Greece. This area is famous for it's tower houses and fortified family dwellings. They date from the time of the revolution in 1821 or earlier. This area is also where the Greek writer Kikos Kazantzakis met Alexis Zorbos and part of the story Zorba the Greek took place around here. A great story about Greece and a great film.

Lela in her kitchen

Dinner tonight is really special we eat at Lela's... the restaurant is famous all over Greece for the setting.. on the rocky ledge overlooking the ocean.. and the food. Traditional Greek food, with Lela supervising everything, still. She stopped by to talk to Yorgos and Pete... she was the most lovely 90 yr old I've ever seen. She was all in black, as the older women dress here, with a gold cross on her neck and a black scarf on her hair. She had wonderfull soft looking skin, that was aged with lovely wrinkles, from obvious smiling for all her life. She kindly allowed a photo which I will post as soon as I can. This meal was still even more different dishes... fried cheese again, rice and spinach with mint I think, baked lamb and potatoes, fava beans as a dip, yogurt eggplant and garlic dip, fried meatballs again with fried potatoes, bread of course, and more wine. The moonlight is incredible, but we are very tired.. the late nights and heavy meals are a challenge to us Americans. But we'll suffer if we have too.

Rest day at Kalamarta: Some pictures are up on the Blogs!!!

Kalamata

Today we rode to Kalamata, Yorgos's home town. We got to experience the modern side of Greece. It's busy, narrow roads, lots of construction!!! We have a beautiful hotel overlooking the sea. We all went for a swim and where glad to have a nap. After our nap Yorgos picked us up and we had a wonderful dinner at their home.

The people here are so gracious and welcoming. Dinner was prepared on the back yard stone stove. They have a gas burner that is placed in a opening in the stone. They have a stone on the gas burner to fry with very little oil. This is a traditional cooking place for a family in Greece. It would be very warm to do all the cooking inside. We are introduced to all the family as they prepare the feast. Vegetables roasted on the grill, fried fish, greens, potato salad (a wonderful combination of potatoes, peppers, onion, olive oil, vinegar and herbs, wine (homemade of course), bread, OLIVES from their orchard.. and a wonderful desert that I can't remember the name of.. but it was made with semolina flour. We got a chance to call our families and to relax under the trees and stars.



I was able to put up some photos on my other blogs from the trip so be sure and take a look!!! I still can't attach my camera so nothing current.

A Venetian Fortress on the sea

Today is Tues, I think. We've lost all track of time and place. We're meeting people from all over Europe. I guess Greece has been a vacation spot for centuries. We've met people from Austria, Switzerland, England, Albania, Australia, France.

We started today from Piros Greece. A beautiful city in a natural cove. Yorgos says it is the Ionian Sea. It is a little harbor with several boats and fishing. It looks like a storm is coming in over the mountains. This is usually a perfect time of year for Greece. The tourists are minimal and the weather is in the high 70's. The winter is usually a few months off and usually they have rain like we've had for the last few days. Hard rain, pouring rain. I'm sure it has washed out many of the roads we've traveled on in the mountains.

We did about 50 K today. We have some really steep climbs today, but we're in no hurry. There are LOTS of hills in Greece!! Just like Steve Largent warned me. But the views make up for the work. We walked to town for dinner tonight. We ate by the water in one of the many restaurants. We where able to order from the menu and found several dishes we knew, so we had our own meze. We took pictures of the town as the sun went down. Tamra and I stroll back to our hotel and shop for lunch for tomorrow and for post cards. The town keeps going well into the late evening. The towns have such contrasts. In the square the people gather for coffee and traditional snacks, small children play in the open square well into the evening, in the bathrooms you must put tissue in a basket, not down the toilet because of the small old pipes, lots of solar panels on the roofs, many small "smart" cars buzzing by on roads that are about 6 feet wide and 20% grade, it seems, old farmers with their produce hanging off the back of their scooters. Never a helmet is seen.

The next morning we off again through olive groves and acres of farms of all kinds of food, Tomatoes, eggplants, and Pomegranate trees. Tamra is scavanging again for our breakfast. She says pomegranates are one of the new super foods we should all try and eat, along with almonds, Kiwi's and more I'm sure she'd fill us in on. They're full of antioxidents and is the new natural prozac! Ok with me.. I'm sure it will be pretty tasty with yogurt and honey in the am.

We heading to the city of Vounaria which is on the coast again. We stopped at the fortress of Methoni. This is an incredible structure. It was built in the 15 century by the venetians. This point of Greece is obviously another stategic point. The fortress is just like a mideval castle with vantage points, moats, a turkish bath! It is on a high rocky ledge and you can just imagine the battles that happened here. I met a very nice couple from UK who tell me they use to just through their prisoners off the ledge to the sea and their death. I probably took 50 pictures here and Tamra took more. The water is so clear you can see to the bottom. (we're still unable to up load any pictures.. so what you see is all from other web sites.)

The Venetian Fortress at Methoni

We continue along the coast line now. More up and down. We pass through small villages and everything seems to be under construction, especially on this coast. We see farmers with their produce all along the roads. We stop at a secluded beach for a swim and lunch. I meet more travelers.. Austria, Switzerland, all of them mention Obama, thumbs up whenever I tell them we're Americans. Everyone should experience swimming in the Mediterrarean at least once in their life. The water is as clear as can be, warm and gentle lapping waves. We swim and swim. We brought our goggles so we can easily see the bottom and the few fish below. I'd love to spend all day here but it seems we're packing up again... off to our next stop.

We ride through the mountains of Greece

WE're off to \lampia today up over the mountains to Olympia. The road is through a rather remote area with small farms and villages. The mountains are very rugged and rocky. There are small pines and grasses, and herbs, you can smell them. The contrast of the countryside here is so dramatic. Just the other day we where by the warm beautiful ocean and now we have rugges mountains and sheep and goat herds. It is very quiet and very little traffic but we can hear the clanking of the bells on the sheep and goats.

We are climbing today. The grade reminds me of Buford but Greece offers a nice touch to these mountain climbs, every few kilometers they have a fountain for fresh running water. The goats use it as well as passersby. Today we stopped at one of the fountains just accross from a woman tending her garden. It was such a beautiful garden bull of ripe tomatoes, cabbages, eggplant and grapes. I greeted her and complemented her on the tomatoes. We chatted for a bit, which of course has a lot of sign language but we where able to get information about where we where going.. she was so impressed. She insited we all take a handful of tomatoes..(domatess in Greek) now we had part of our lunch. What a lovely county.

We stopped at a small remote village Arieso for lunch. Yorgos meets us. This small village has the most beautiful stone building everywhere. The square is all done in stone, as is the church, the school and tavernas. We are greeted by a lovely lady who owns the restaurant.. She says we are the first Americans to visit their village. She is from Romania, I believe, and she speaks English well. She chats with Yorgos and us for quite awhile. We sit and rest and enjoy this quiet lovely place. She tells us that most of the people have left the town and Yorgos supposes there may only be about 30 living there now. (still having trouble uploading pictures from my card, but I have most on CD)
We continue on our journey to our destination Lampia. I happen upon a small building that looks like a medical clinic. I'm a bit ahead of our group and as Yorgos says it's all about meeting the people. The Dr. who is working at this 2 room clinic is Ioanna Koniari. She works for the ministry of Greece and is only 8 mo. out of school. She was working in Stockholm but the ministry called her back to staff this very small remote clinic. She said she doesn't deliver babies here, just sees villagers with problems and goes to emergencys. She is planning on specializing in cardiology. we talk a bit about newborn cardiologic problems of course. She is very interested. She says they have many problems with newborns in Greece, they must be transported out and they have only 3 sites in Greece for NICU's. She would talk on and on and we exchange e mails and she will look for my blog.

We are staying tonight at a beautiful old in in Lampia. This is another small village in the mountains that is one of 6-7 small communities in a mountain side. We have the entire 2 nd floor to ourselves. It even has a kitchen for our use.
We are in for a very special treat tonight. Yorgos is cooking us dinner. If you think he is passionate about the Greek countryside he is even more passionate about Greek food. So tonight he is making us one of his family specialities

Kokoras Meheelopites or Chicke with Pasta.
He went to the local butcher and bought a rooster. This is the traditional meat for this dish. The rooster is Very Fresh.. includes his legs! Tamara insits this is for her.. Yorgos says this is important to eat the legs as it honors the rooster. Well there you go. So here is the recipe:
Fry the meat in olive oil... quite a bit.. maybe 1 cup or so, until the meat is browned well.
The meat goes in a large pot, with about 1 sliced red onion, 1 can of chopped tomatoes, about 1 cup of canned sweet peppers, red wine.. a few glups.. or to be technical about 1 cup I'd say..salt, pepper, the oil from the fry pan, some oregano, cloves and cinnamon. This mixture is them low boiled for about an hour or until it's tender. The meat is removed, and the pasta is added. Yorgos uses a very small stamp shaped pasta and this cooks for about 10 min. The aroma is heavenly. He prepares the wonderful Greek salad with feta and his olives, a loaf of fresh country bread and of course.. more wine! It's now about 8-9 pm and we enjoy probably one of the best meals I've ever tasted. We sit and chat and eat slowly.. for another 2 hrs or so, it's too good to go fast. Yorgos suggests this site for Greek cooking:
www.kalofagas.org


We chat on the long climbs and we stop e
Yorgos thinks of everything for us.. we have great markings to follow and he points out hazards as well as steep downhills. He even stopped and petted a rambunctios doggy as we rode by so he wouldn't chase us.

Siesta time in Greece

These little goats where getting some water at a roadside spring

Kalavrita, Greece

We arrived at Kalavrita about 4 pm yesterday. Our hotel looks like an alpine chalet. The little town is very high in the mountains and is the local ski hill. The streets are very narrow and it looks like a mix of Swiss country and renissance Greece. We where going to try and get a pastry or something when we arrived but everything is closed right now. Yorgos says this is the siesta time and nothing will open again until about 6-7 pm. I took my drawing pad out on our balcany and spent the afternoon drawing and just listening to the quiet. We Americans have a lot we could learn about life from the Greeks. Everything is quiet, no dogs barking, no children playing in the streets, no scooters buzzing around. The air is still and dark like a storm coming in. The only sound you hear is the breeze in the trees. Tamra and Helen are reading and trying to nap. There is a peace that everyone takes in. As the clock gets close to 6 pm I can hear a bit activity. A child calling for mama, a dog barking, someone sweeping... slowly all the noise comes back and the people begin to open for business. I hear a scooter going down the street and a distant sound of thunder. Siesta time... Yorgos says it's the custom everywhere to cope with the heat. Many people don't have air conditioning, people have a late snack and prepare for the evening. The retaurants are full of locals sitting and enjoying a drink or coffee.

Yorgos meets us about 7:30 to fill us in on our rest day tomorrow. Even though we are suppose to be resting from riding he has several places for us to see. Tonight we walk around the town square and he tells us the tragic story of this town. During WWII the mountains around Kalavrita where a stronghold for the resistance. The Germans took the region and wanted to teach the people a lesson so in Kalavrita on Dec. 13, 1943 they gathered up all the males over age 13, and led them out of town to a ravine and shot them all. They then gathered all the women and children locked them into school and set it on fire. They where able to break the windows and doors and many escaped. The Germans let them go without shooting at those escaping. We visited the memorial this evening.

Very somber, the sculpture below the memorial picture is of a grieving woman. Such horror. One of the inscriptions is a prayer for an end to war.

Kalavrita Place of Sacrifice Memorial

This is a beautiful area. Friday morning is cool and foggy so we all decide to go visit the caves in the area and a beautiful grove of trees called Planno trees (spelling?). We lunch on another wonderful Greek salad... we all love the fetta cheese and olive oil now. After our strength training via Helen.. Helen has always been so fit and into training. I finally give in and join the group.. we're all growning but very ready for lunch. Now Tamra and I head off for our mini bike ride to the local monastary. of Agia Lavra tucked away in the hills. This little chapel is where the Greek revolution against the Ottoman Empire was launched in 1821.

Monastary at Agia Lavra

Grotto shrine at Monastary of Agia Lavra

Tamra and Helen both want me to say hello to all. We are all having a wonderful time. Ah soo. (by by) The town is full of activity right now.. about 9 pm. Helen is enjoying a note from Bill and Tamra is off exploring the gypsey bazaar in the streets.. she's found some plastic bowls etc. for our now daily shopping for bread and greek salad and baklava feasts!! I'm going off to find that local gelatto shop.

POPO (wow in Greek)

Super Hero's at the Citadel of Corinth (I think)

Lions Gate at Agamemnoms Fortress

Tuesday and Wednesday:

Streets of Nafplion

We started our history lesson today. In Greece that means eons.. We headed off yesterday from Napfoli. On our road today we planned to go to Agamemnon's fortress and tomb. The road was difficult to say the least but the weather was pleasant, cool and a bit overcast. We had miles of country roads with acres of olive trees, grapes and figs. Every once in a while we'd stop and snack on the delicious grapes. We finally arrived to the archeologic site after a 7 mi. climb up.

Yorgos met us at the site and we started the climb up to the huge fortress. You'll have to look up the story of Agamemnon and the Atretes family... famous for the Helen of Troy story. The movie 300 now has new meaning. Yorgos tells us the story of the cursed family as we wander around the huge grounds of the fortress. The view and the ancient structure just takes your breath away. This was in 1400 BC!!! They have unbelievable achetecture and structures.

Agamemnoms Tomb and fortress

We take many pictures as Yorgos tells us the story of the Greeks from this period, the Bronze age 1400 BC to the classical age... the Acropolis perieod which was about 400 BC. Amazing. The history is unbelievable. Corrie was right... everywhere you go there are ruins. Excavating, marble, huge sites from one period to the next... the romans are known for their public works... the baths, the aquaducts, the roads, the Greeks for their temples one age built on anothers ruins. We finish our tour of the fortress by getting a picture under the lion's gate... as we where getting the picture the little daughter of the lady taking our picture asks us: "Are you super hero's?" I guess it was our biking clothes... we all just chuckled.. We felt a bit like super hero's after climbing up the mountain!

Mycenae: Temple of Zeus

From this site we went to the site at Mycenae.. even earlier then the bronze age I think... this site has a stadium for athletic games and a temple of Zeous. We had a wonderful picnic lunch here.. fresh tomatoes, olives, salami, cheese and fresh peaches... all from the local road side stands. We had a short ride from this site through acres and acres of grapes...all kinds of grapes. This is harvest time so there where many workers picking and grapes lying out under tarps to concentrate the sweetness we're guessing. We arrived exhausted in Ancient Corinth. About 6 miles from our hotel Yorgos hit an obstacle... seems they put in a high speed rail system that cut off this side of town from the other!! He was... temporarily flustered!! I was done in.. trailing around the gypsey village in Corinth over roads that ended in ditches etc. but not Helen and Tamara!! They're ready and excited about everything!! So I climbed in the van... and they followed for the next 6 mi. Yorgos finally says... "now I know where I am.. as we turned the last corner to "Mama Elizabeths". Finally... I nap!!

Mama Elizabeth's

Wednesday

We slept like babies last night... seems my room mate buddies didn't even snore last night. They has a symphony going the night before.. of course I never snore.. check out my hubby on that one.

Helen Tamra and I head down the street for a coffee and pastry. The morning is full of comings and going.. we see little old ladies in black with their little bags, farmers driving a rototiller turned into a cart... Tamra keeps taking pictures of these... getting all excited and saying "Rori has got to build me one of these!!!" So Rori.. start looking around for the oldest rotiller you can find!! We find an open air bakery.. pick out our patries and watch the world go by... we see everyone buzzing around on scooters.. our jaws drop as a woman with three children on their way to school!!! on the scooter.. hanging on for dear life.. no helmets or seat belts here!! After our morning coffee we head back to our hotel for... another breakfast.. cheese, coffee cake, melon, hard boiled eggs.

Acropolis of Corinth

The View from Citadel of Corinth

Tamra and I suit up for the morning climb.. up to the Citadel of Corinth. Helen, anticipating her knee not liking the climb stays in the van. It's only about 4 mi. up but is it ever up!!! The fortress is on the highest peak in the area and overlooks both the Agean and Ionic (not sure?) sea. Unbelievable. We make the trek panting and stopping every K or so!! I end up pushing the bike and swearing I've got to lose 20 lbs.!!! We make it to the base of the fortress. From here we hike up and explore the fortress... Yorgos now fills in the Greek history of the Byzinthian era.. war after was, but this citadel is the strategic hold for any conquerer... they all plan a canal, including that bad boy Nero.. emperor of Rome.. yeah the guy who let Rome burn. When we reach the summit you can see the strategic advantage they would have here.

Citadel of Corinth

After our climb we all start on our next ride to Xelocastro.. a very easy ride along the coast. No climbing at all. As we're rolling along at our leisurly pace we come upon some tourists!! Where are you from, I ask? France! Mom and dad with a 14 mo.old and 4 yr. old little boy in a trailer. They've been traveling around Europe for 6 mo. camping!!! Mom is a pediatritian and dad is an EMT... they speak excellent English and tell us all about the perils of camping and carting little ones around Europe!! We exchange blog sites ( I left the address in my bike.. I'll be back later and add it) and invite us to come to Lyon... they'll show us all the great biking spots! Tamra and Helen and I start planning!! check out the site: warmshowers.com. We're having so much fun.. all we can say is PoPo (Greek for Wow!!) Please post any comments, I love them.

French family touring by bike

We're not in Kansas anymore

The Acropolis

Athens Streets at 7 am

Friday

I was awake at my usual 5:30 am and I could smell the bread baking. Tamara was awake reading so without waking Helen we both tip toed out for an early run. We waited until it was light of course and headed toward the Acropolis, which is a landmark for the city. It was quiet and abandoned. We started up, up, up the little bungalows are stacked one on top of another, little open shops with leather, jewelry, bakerys, stamps etc. just beginning to open. The balconys and patios have every inch covered with flowers or colorful pots. Up, Up winding, intersected, very narrow streets with cars parked on the curbs everywhere... how in the world do they manage these streets!

Ruins are everywhere in Athens

A small group of doggies join us, very friendly group as if to say.. what fun, running humans, lets play.. Up, Up Up.. at some point we deciede it's probably a good idea to start down.. we do have our hostels address and I've found that Tamara has a remarkable sense of direction.. I stop to buy a few pastries and before you know it there's our metro stop and after a few directions from a friendly hotel manager we make it back!!!

Pete (Yorgos's brother) Tamra, Helen, Me and Yorgos

Yourgous... our guide extrodinare meets us at 10 am with our guide for the morning. Nikos takes us off to a walk from our hotel to the Acropolis... we climb the stairs that have been there since antiquity.. nothing compares to seeing this grandeur. To imagine this group of people created this... beauty beyond description and all at the very top of the hill. We are surrounded by thousands from all over the world. Democracy began here.. and almost everything else if you talk to the Greeks.
Me, Helen and Tamra at the Acropolis
The stage at the Acropolis

Later, after a nap and lunch.. Yougous has planned a traditional Greek dinner at one of his favorite local restaurants.. we have to wait till at least 8 or 8:30 to hear the music as well... so we begin our feast.. Yourgous picks out about 6 different dishes.. meatballs.. made with cinnamon and cloves.. okra.. baked... rice, a baked mix of potatoes, eggplant and tomatoe with of course olive oit... it is all WONDERFUL.. we talk and sip wine, listen to the bouzouki... and guitar ( did I tell you I'm the designated drinker.. whatever Yorgous has I say.. I want one of those) Ok so I want to trade in my irish heritage to Greek now..

The Streets of Poros

Outside our hotel in Poros

Saturday

We wake to a torential downpour!!! Yougous loves it.. he says the sky is "letting off steam" he has a greek word for it.. we ride a ferry to Poros.. small island resort community.. today we get our bikes. Helen get a greek bike, Tamara a bran new Cannondale and I get a little Italian bike..

My little Scapin

the 48" size was a real problem for him to find, but with lots of tweaking of seats, handlebars etc. we proclaim them ok.. and off for our first ride.. your right Greece has hills!! but when your looking at the Mediterarean coast who cares. We pass the Greek Navy doing drills and they throw us kisses.. women on bikes. Up and down we go.. everything is very quiet right now.. crowds are small.. mostly just greeks with wedding parties, christenings all celebrating in the tavernas and of course music everywhere. We did about 20 miles.. not sure in KM but we went for about 2 hrs. We are all very similar in our riding speed so it makes us all stay pretty close.

Sunday.

Breakfast before our ride

I wake for a sunrise run.. Helen and Tamara are sleeping sound and we don't have to get going for a few hours. I'm doing this run for Camille... sunrise on the coast of Greece. No words to describe it in English.. the greeks say Oraomera... not sure of course the spelling... Yorgous says think of orea plus mers (day)... beautiful morning.. We get on the bikes Yorgous gets the van ready and we're off to get on the ferry.. probably only 5 min. away... well, is it possible for 3 women to mess this up.. YES... Yorgous is on one ferry and we just realized we're at the wrong one, we figure it out and rush to catch the right ferry... only to see the gangplank with Yorgous in the van gesturing to the ferry workers STOP, stop, so we all laugh and get a quick phone call to him on his cell... thank goodness the ride is only a 10 min. ride to the shore about 1/2 a mile away... well, we are the only 3 on this tour so.. no problem really.

Waiting for the ferry we missed!!

Off we start.. we quickly start our climb on the coastal road. Up and down we go..... Yorgous promises us this is our toughest day we several tough grinds.. I felt like I was doing MacIntosh Grade, but this sweet little bike with it's compact chain rings is sweet... no problem... We stop in for our first break in a small village..

Epidauros

Our ride today finished with Epidauros.. an ancient Greek site of the first theatre. It could seat 13,000 it was incredible. It also has the first recorded healing site. Epidaros was the first physician of sorts.. records of treatments for all sorts of conditions, they called it a hospice...amazing for us nurses.

Tamra Picking Figs

Today... Monday was our easy day.. only 30K, we wind around orchards and vineyards.. Tamara stops every so often to pick figs! They're in season now.. and they're WONDERFUL.. then she finds grapes.. her own personal farmers market.. Yourgous says its perfectly acceptable to pick a few handfulls of fruit along the way. Our first stop today is at a marble quarry.. Yourgous gives us a tour.. he knows everyone it seems.. from all the tours he's led through here. We see the hills that they have retreved the marble, wash and polish it, cut it and the colors!!! Pink, pure white, black and a gorgeous veined amber color.. amazing. We go out to the back and are invited to pick out samples from the through away piles... It's beginning to get warm now, we only have about 10 K to go to our lunch and swimming beach. The beach is in a small cove that locals frequent but it is mostly deserted today. There are sailboats and fishing boats in the harbour. There are tavernas and little tables and benches along the beach. It doesn't take us but a minute to get out of our shorts... suits underneath and into the water we go. Clear as can be.. we see little shells and fishes.. salty of course.. no waves or surf to speak of. We swim and play as long as we want.. we are in no hurry to get anywhere.. this is the ultimate vacation.

Tenderizing an Octopus

Now for lunch.. well after we watch a local fisherman pound the *&%# out of an OCTUPUS!! yes you heard me right... it is his hobby to fish for these off a little island... he was happy to tell us all about it.. I have him on video. He was beating it on the rocks to tenderize it.. so his wife could cook it... she will cook it with tomatoe sauce and of course olive oil he likes it in spagetti. For lunch we get a mixed grill... calamari (squid) deep fried in...of course olive oil, greek salad, yummy yogurt ( mix of cucumber, garlic and olive oil) fried cheese, huge fried shrimp, octupus.. really yummy!!! lemon juice on everything.. and bread. I can't begin to tell you all that we've been experiencing. We are not in Kansas anymore.

Mixed grill : Shrimp, octopus, squid, ziziki, meatballs, lots of other stuff!

Traveling across the world

We started out early today. I was up at 4 am and Helen picked me up at 4:50. Off to Greece and what do I do, but get all the way up to the airport and realized I left my money belt and passport at home. We had about 30 min to boarding and I had to call Corrie to bring me my passport. I did get an extra kiss good-by from him, but talk about stress. Tamara had her new hubby to say goodby to but even that was cut short because of all the security to go through.

Tamra and Helen trying to Sleep

The flight was about 24 hours. We went to Seattle, LA, then to London, Heathrow. The plane was huge but we managed to all sit together. We all had books to read and snacks but we all found ourselves stuffed into the seats and feeling like pretzels. Our flight went across Canada, New Foundland and the Atlantic to Greenland. The plane had individual DVD screens that you could follow the journey, watch movies, or listen to CD's. The food was good and offered from a chipper crew that saw us off with a Cherrio. The night proved very long and uncomfortable. Sleep was in short bits. Tamara and Helen hadn't slept but a few hours the night before so they where resembling zombies by the time we got to London. The highlight of the trip was watching the sunrise as the UK came over the horizon. Heathrow is huge. The airport is bran new and manages to get people moving pretty well. It was two hours of sit/stand/wait in line with hundreds of others from all over the world.
Heathrow Airport


The flight to Athens was an older smaller plane but just as cramped. What day was it now? We'd been taking an herbal supplement that Helen had gotten for the jet lag. It didn't do anything for sleep deprivation we where all feeling. I was able to get advice from a very nice couple who was on their way to a wedding, they said none of the remedys work, but the secret is to stay up the day you arrive and get as much sunshine as you can during the day. We didn't have much trouble staying up when we got to Athens. Our next "adventure" turned out to be Tamara bag which didn't seem to make it on the plane to Athens. We where able to track it down and it would be coming to Athens on the next plane. Poor Tamara, if she wasn't so tired she'd have cried, but Helen comforted her by telling her tales of her many "adventures" while traveling, missing luggage was nothing compared to landing in San Paulo instead of Rio.



After getting our bags we had to get Euros and somehow the exchange rate had risen to $1.58 for 1 Euro! It all works our Helen keeps telling us. The metro was next which is thankfully sleek, clean, and easy to understand. Helen managed to get us to our hostel somehow.

Helen booked us into the Athens Style . I've never stayed in a hostel before, but if this is any example, they are wonderful. We where able to book our room for 3 at $100/night. The beds are firm, but great, despite what I'd been warned. We had a long day, but we're safe and sound and sleeping like babies.

Planning is half the fun

Linda, Helen and Tamara are off to Greece

I've been planning my trip to Greece for a year now and the date is rapidly approaching. Helen, Tamra and I will be leaving Lewiston on Wednesday morning at 6 am. The money has been wired, the tickets in hand... and the bags are packed.

For many, the planning and anticipation, for a trip is just as much fun as the trip itself. If you're like me, I've had a trip to Europe on my list of to do things for most of my life. It has always been way on the back burner while I've been raising children, working, teaching and just paying the bills. Last summer when Helen was first talking about a group trip to Greece it just seemed like the whole thing could really happen. Then the financial crisis began. The cost began to rise with all of the possible vacationers Helen said would join us disappeared. Tamra and I decided to take the leap anyway. We both got tickets and started putting the funds away. Corrie and I first thought we'd do the tour together. Corrie loves to bike and tours are the perfect vacation for us. Corrie is not a happy traveler. I'm sure it's got to do with all the details, "shopping", hiking to ruins that he doesn't enjoy at all, plus our plans looked like our miles would be pretty low. We talked about the trip and I had pretty much said we just couldn't afford the cost for us both to go. It looked like at least $5000 each... that was last fall! Corrie asked me" would you be disappointed, it you didn't go?" I thought about this and contemplated all the problems I would have to deal with; cost, not having Corrie with me to share this experience, my mother, work, and just the whole idea of living in a foreign country for a month. I thought for quite awhile but I answered yes, I probably would have felt regret if I didn't go. So, from then on he was supportive and encouraging... To have a husband that is supportive and understanding of his wife's personal dreams is the core of a happy, successful marriage.

The planning has been fun. Helen has been working with Yorgous, our guide, planning the itinerary and details. Yorgos is a native Greek who has been a tour guide for several years. Helen has claimed he is the best. She has been on several European bike tours with this company and says we have nothing to worry about.  Greece has been her favorite tour and the safest.

I've been searching the web for Greek travel sites and pictures. Helen gave me a Greek language tape for Christmas, so I could get a few phrases under my belt. We've all had the high school language class experience so you can imagine how little I've mastered, but at least I've got yes, no, excuse me sir, please and thankyou down.

I've been packing and unpacking now for weeks. Helen insists on keeping our luggage to only 1 bag and a backpack carry on. This wasn't too hard for me as I tend to pack light anyway. Picking the right 4 tops and bottoms plus deciding what is essential and what can pass has been a challenge. No long pants for me, a skinny book and sudoku, minimal toiletries and the hardest of all, Helen says leave the purse at home!! Impossible I say. Easy for pick pickpockets she says. A money belt close to your body at all times is all you need and pockets. I have compromised in taking a small bag for just a few things that if lost will not cause any problem.

Really Easy Baklava

Saturday I invited some friends over for a bike ride and a greek breakfast afterwards. It was fun. I found some wonderful Greek yougurt at Rosaurs which I served with fruit and nuts along with bread and cheese and my home made baklava. Helen said it was wonderful, very authentic. Helen brought over a CD of Greek music which added the proper atmosphere. I tried to get the group to do a little greek dancing but I guess we needed an authentic greek to make this work.

Ready or not here I go. I hope I can figure out the internet over seas. I'm sure blogging will help me connect with home and family.