Greek Island Hopping and the Peloponese

Santorini - Foleganoros - Sikonos - Ios - Naxos - Paros - Antiparos - Athens - Nafplio - Mycenae - Corinth Isthmus - Olympia - Gythio - Areopoli - Monemvasia - Sparta - Mystras - Athens

G'day youse guys,

Greeks seem to have a distorted perception of distance/time. For example, Greeks never run buses on time - if it ever arrives that is - basically the buses will arrive when it feels like it! A bus arriving an hour later is not unusual. In fact, one should just ignore the timetables and ask the person at the bus ticket office when the bus will arrive.

Though this has it's problems too, as one person's perception of "5 minutes" is someone elses "20". Same with distance. As a general example I found that 200m=600m, 500m=800m, 800m=1.5km, 1.5km=800m, 2km=get a bus/taxi cause it's a 1hr walk!
Also, the more rushed you are to get to your destination to say, catch a bus (that will turn up on time only if you're in a rush), the shorter the distance they claim it is, and the further away the distance it really is in reality!

But Greece is an absolutely wonderful place!

Anyway... left Santorini to go to Paros with some friend called Dave (Canadian). Because the ferry had to stop at several islands (Folendoros, Sikonos, Ios, Naxos), we decided to jump off the ferry at each stop, take photos of each other standing on the island, then hop back on the ferry, so we can say that we had visited the island. From memory, Folendoros was a small rocky island with a tiny white village; Sikonos was a larger version of such. Ios was even bigger with a nice beach visible. Naxos was the biggest, looking a lot greener and mountainous too.

Paros is a smaller version of Naxos. However we arrived to find it pretty quiet - the Greek islands are now practically dead - there are almost no tourists around and most of the shops and hotels have closed for the coming winter. Also the weather has gotten a little chillier and windier (which is why I skipped Mykonos and Delos and went straight to Athens after Paros/Antiparos).

Anyway, me and Dave befriended an Aussie couple at breakfast in a cafe, which was good because they had a car, so we ended
up getting driven all over Paros and Antiparos.

Antiparos, a smaller island close to Paros, has beautiful white beaches and a stunning cave full of stalagmites which went way down into the ground into an abyss - apparently one of Europe’s best caves. Couldn't agree more. Then we went to the beaches, where we found the best rocks to skip into the water. We then built a tiny stone village and temple reminiscent of Stonehenge, and took a picture of it close up so it looks like an authentic ruin. Sorta.

Afterwards we went back to Paros and went to the marble quarries, where they mined all the marble for the ancient Greek temples and sculptures. Played in the quarry and the caves nearby like little kids, then drove to the highest point for spectacular views of the island at all sides, seeing the staggered rock fences along the contours of the island mountains.

Headed back to Athens the next day, where (again) I ended up with hostel folk on the large rock adjacent to the Acropolis, drinking red wine and trying to take photos of our silhouettes against the lights of the Acropolis.

Next day I left Athens for Nafplio, which is considered one of Greece's prettiest towns. It didn't disappoint. Towering over this little harbour town of earth coloured rooftops and white/yellow walls is a huge rock peninsula which on top sits Palamida Fortress. To reach it you have to climb up over 1000 steps. Up there one can climb over the ramparts and walls of the old fortress to breathtaking views of the town below. Nafplio also boasts a castle which is much lower and closer to town. The place is stunning at night when they light up the walls of both fortress and castle. And, if that's not enough, it has a nice pebble beach on the other side of the peninsula.

Did a day trip to Mycenae, which is the old ancient Minoan city where the great Agamenemon ruled. He was the leader of the Greeks against the Trojans in the 10 year Trojan war, where they were trying to get back the famous Helen of Troy, his brother’s wife, from Paris, who was a prince of Troy. As well as gain a bit more land too of course. Anyway, Mycenae has some impressive ruins, the famous Lions gate, the domed graves of Agamenemon and his wife with a almost Egyptian like triangular entrance portal, the circle graves, the old palace where Agamenemon ruled from...

Went to the Corinth Isthmus to see the beautiful man made Isthmus canal. This canal was made to create a shipping lane right through the Peloponnese, effectively separating it from the mainland and making it technically an island. The result is a narrow strip of bright blue water streaming in a straight line between tall white vertical cliff faces. Pretty cool.

Olympia was next on my list. There is pretty much nothing left of Olympia standing, most of it is just pieces of rubble, though the ancient gymnasium has a corridor of thin pillars standing which looks like something could have been there. Also saw the Temple of Zeus (the floor anyway, and one standing column), without the famous Gold and Ivory 12m statue of Zeus - one of the wonders of the Ancient World. Apparently the Greeks moved it to Istanbul to stop it from being destroyed through war, only to have it destroyed in Istanbul by fire. Greeks must be kicking themselves for that one.

Oh, also ran down the old ancient Olympic stadium, a large rectangular area of dirt/sand basically. And saw the Temple of Hera where they light the Olympic torch.

Anyway, went all the way south to Gythio, which is the port of Sparta. Very picturesque buildings line the harbour, as well as a causeway leading to a little islet where allegedly Paris and Helen consummated their affair before eloping and causing the start of the Trojan War. Some trees, some shrubs, a little Byzantine white church, an old medieval tower, and an old lighthouse currently sits on the islet.

Went down to Areopoli, which is a town in a region south of Peloponese called the Lakonian Mani, famed for it's stone towers dotted along wildflower covered coastline. No wildflowers due to it not being spring, but a nice enough town to walk around noting the architecture.

Then I went to Monemvasia, which is one of my favourite places I’ve been to! Staying in the town of Gefyra, which is a picturesque coastal town with nice beaches, one could look across the ocean to see a huge towering outcrop of rock sitting in the middle of the waters, with a causeway linking the two. Walking across and then behind the rock you come across a dark tunnel. Walk through the tunnel and you emerge into a beautiful semi deserted/ruined Byzantine town, which is hidden from view from the mainland. Couldn't stop taking photos of the place as it is very picturesque, especially climbing up to the top of the rock where an old ruined fortress sits. Most of the houses are in ruins due to a massive earthquake which separated the town from the mainland in the first place.

Went to Sparta, which is where I've always wanted to see after learning about the Spartan civilisation in high school.

The planting of vast multitudes of palm trees in an area where palm trees are not normally found does not detract from the fact that Sparta is a uninspiring boring town. The ancient Spartan ruins themselves at the north of the town are merely disappointing piles of rubble, with no entry fee, no staff, and no security (I climbed over the fence to get in because it was locked up - at 3pm!)

One thing did amuse me though, in the main square of modern Sparta there is a gym, right on top of a fast food restaurant! Crazy Greeks.

Did a day trip to Mystras nearby, which is a large Byzantium deserted city of churches, palaces and a castle on top of the mountain on which the town follows down the slopes to the fortified walls at the bottom. Quite fun to explore amongst the ruins along the dangerously broken down paths to magnificent views at the top of the castle walls.

And Now I'm back in Athens, for my last night in Europe (for a while), before heading to London to catch a plane back home to Melbourne.

So, thus ends this particular chapter of my life. It's been an interesting and memorable 14 months away from home, learning heaps about life, myself, and all that sort of thing that one sees on soppy Academy Award winning movies. Or something like that anyway...

Anyway, looks like I’ll only be home for over a month or so. My plans for the future are to go back to Germany in mid December this year for a German Christmas and New Years, then go back to get more work in Bristol, England until my working holiday visa runs out in May. I will then travel to Egypt, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Moscow, St Petersburg, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, possibly Norway, Denmark, North Germany, Netherlands, then back in England in time to start a teaching degree, which may last a few years including teaching in the UK for a while. Then who knows... Of course all this depends on time, money and luck, but fingers crossed hey?

Until my next adventure,
Adios!

James Lee