Weiz, Vienna and back to NZ

Weiz, Vienna and home to NZ

This was our guides' home town so we were expecting a local flavour to the end of the trip. As our Hotel Christina was run by the local bakery immediately below our room so we looked forward to great breakfasts too. The first night here we found there was a celebration going on as part of the 'Sommerfest' where all the locals joined in with several bands playing modern music. Young and old were all out in force until late drinking up large and smoking non-stop. Most of the bars and restaurants have 'non-smoking' rooms where our group usually piled in to escape the ubiquitous drifting smoke, in fact one owner was very apologetic as he was offering us a non smoking room, which was greatfully accepted.

Denise and I wandered the crammed streets listening to some really spot on rock'n'roll, usually English. I had to drag Denise back from the brink of dancing when Neil Diamonds 'Sweet Caroline' was played in full force, and an authentic Irish band (manned by locals) played some pretty good ballads in a wonderful Irish lilt, though sounded weird when the intersong banter was all in gutteral German.

We did have a great breakfast though not as many croissants and strudels as we would have wished for. Camp leader had noticed we snaffled the odd extra one for lunch and mentioned it wasnt the done thing, so bad luck for us this time.

The walk today was amogst the high forested, rolling hills of rural Weiz district, known as the 'Alm' prefecture. Its famous because of the pasture fed, organically produced cattle that are raised here, the best in Europe, trademarked as Alm oxen. Sounds similar to NZ beef to me ! Ticks were mentioned as being prevalent along the trail, presumably also with the Alm trademark. Chalet style cafe with all the bells and whistles in the middle of nowhere, Bier und bratwurst, strudel und kuchen. After our typically gross ( = big) meals Denise alone decides to have cake, fortunately the piece cut for her was enough for half our group, with the rest sufficiently impressed to have another couple of pieces to divide amogst everyone else. We waddled to our next stop atop a bitterly cold windy hill beside a power windturbine where I think Silvana took pity on us and ordered a couple of taxi vans to take us home.

Storks put up outside a house where a new born baby has arrived.

Meal was in the Purple Room (non smoking in the back corner) across the road in a Restaurant, though quite a few of our group choosing to wait for the stomach to subside somewhat before cramming more in.

Next day was a walk up to the Gasthof (=guesthouse) with buildings on site since the1300s, originally the residence of the local Lord of the Manor. There was also an impressive cathedral to look at. It was celebrating 100 years as a family run Hotel, Conference center etc. Had the Ompah band playing in the garden along with 100 guests and kiwi gate-crashers. Rained so off inside to hear lots of incomprehensible speeches and many awards awarded to very deserving recipients Im sure. Beer was great and the Wurst sausages even better. The interlopers (us) even got a mention as we stood out like sore thumbs in a txtg competition. More waddling got us home , followed in the afternoon by a walk in the forest to our Guides Aunts house 5 or 6 km away. Wonderful lady of 87 provided us home baking, drinks and a tour of a very old original farmhouse on their property. Last meal together was authentic Austrian, a platter with a selection of cold meats, bread, and excellent cider.

Mozart at the Vienna Concert Hall

Next day was departure day to Vienna. End of the tour already, 3 weeks had just whipped by with an always interesting schedule and a very agreeable and compatible bunch of people.

Early bus to Graz, with a quick goodbye to Silvana and we were on our own. The umbilical cord had been officially cut, albeit we did have pretty specific instructions to get to our hotal (Lucia) in Vienna. All but one were flying out from there, most with a couple of days sight-seeing, us just the afternoon. So we zipped down town to find it buzzing with tourists, mostly American, looking around in wide-eyed wonder at the Austrian architecture all around them, and feasting on scrumptious pastries. We caught the two hour tour of the sights which was quite impressive - a lot of history here. Managed to get back to our hotal just in time to catch up with 3 others of our group, negotiated the underground to the Vienna Concert Hall to listen to a professional Viennese orchestra play mostly Mozart and a little Strauss to our uneducated ears. Acoustics and musicianship were excellent and it was a special concert which enjoyed enormously by all, the evening finished off superbly by hot chocolate and tiramisu at a streetside cafe.
In the morning we packed, then spotted a 'coiffure' over the road from the hotel so called in for a quick haircut. Dodgy little place smelling of smoke and cheap perfume. Didnt help when a small black insect crawled from the combs over the bench and up the mirror. Did a decent job of the cut but time will tell of any additional fauna that might be imported to NZ.

Underground and train to Vienna International Airport then off on the arduous journey home. Auf wiedersehn Austria, we shall return! (as long as I dont get headlice)

Dolomites in Northern Italy and Stubaital Valley,Austria

Selva Wolkenstein, Northen Italy then Stubai Valley, Austria

Gathered everyone early for the trip to Selva Wolkenstein in the South Tyrol, from Monte Bondone. Paulo the owner again took us down and down to Trento where we waited for a coach to take us to our destination. Large 44 seater all to ourselves, very nice. 2 hour journey beside tumbling glacial rivers, then through verdant valleys planted with grapes and the odd medieval castle to enhance the Rhine look. Hotel Europa ( 2 star) in the little village of Selva Wolkenstein, with balcony views to the mountains left, right and in front. Sorted out the washing line and we were ready to roll.
The town was a mixture of Italian and Austrian, but the buildings and scenery was very Swiss really. Mussolini etc tried to Italianise this area but it remains very Germanic. Had a stroll to St Christina, 3km down a disused railway track and back. Very scenic, hard work on the return though which I suspect was good training for the ensuing days.
Next day was the cable car to Langkofel Peak, of which we had a semi cirmcumnavigation. Bigger than it looks on the map (funny that) so the group settled on a 1/3rd the way round with a couple of beer and apfelstrudl stops on the way. On the way down my right boot decided 20 years was sufficent and the sole parted company with the rest of the boot. The cafe owner came up with some insulation tape and Denise expertly applied a figure of eight over the front half of the boot to enable me to descend in safety.
The meals here consisted of an appetiser, primi, secondi and dessert, sounds great and it is except primi & secondi are basically 2 main meals. All paid for so difficult to say no to! Our collective weight has increased considerably again so if we are unrecognisable on return you will know why. Which reminds me I must get a haircut.

Took a while with my limited German but we found a Schuemacher (cobbler) to fix my boot early the next day, so despite a little confusion as to whether its 80 or 8 euro we leave it to him and on to the next destination. Col Raiser is a large skiing basin set far above the valley floor, no snow here as they have warm summers (30deg today), but plenty of walking to skirt the edges and admire the scree slopes and tarns around us. Long day in the heat but manage to get back for my now fully functioning boot before he closes (8 euro) and home for another gut bulger of an evening meal. I notice Denise has become rather partial to the European beer which is probably due to 1. warm temperatures and 2. no Jim Beam. Not neccesarily in that order.

Our next excursion is a bus trip to the Valley of Stubaital, via Innsbruck in Austria.
We travel via Innsbruck, then up a side valley some 23km away to the village of Neustift. Typically Austrian Pensione we are in, a retired mountain climbing couple ( he has climbed Matterhorn 19 times) looking after us in their 3 storey house in the Alps of Austria. The farmers are furiously getting in the hay and silage from the steep slopes all around us, above which are the conifers which stretch up until they give way to the 3500m rocky peaks above.
When a little cooler (well 25deg) wewalked down past the farmers houses and barns with the cows tucked up inside, for 3 km to the village of Neder, returning via a fabulous eatery (Grobenhof) perched on the hillside overlooking the rural scene below. No English on the menu so its good luck as to whether you enjoy your choice or not. Some people had goat, very palatable they said.
Another morning without a cloud in the sky, we set out in the local bus to Sulzenau, a mountain hut in a hanging valley in the far reaches of Stubaital Valley. Takes about an hour and half to reach the valley up a steep trail in the conifers, suddenly opening out into a valley of eden with waterfalls crashing down from upon high. After a quick bite in an alpen cafe with carved wooden figures (long winters here obviously), 3 of us descend to see if we can get back for a tandem paraglide in Neustift while the others continue up to another yet higher hut. When we get back though, the winds are too strong - maybe tomorrow! However at last I get on the Internet at a cafe, officially renamed the Grumpy Mole Saloon due to the Fraus with an attitude running the place. They keep demanding I buy bier, which I am happy to oblige.
Raining the next day so we head off to Innsbruck for a look around the old city and to make some much needed purchases. I keep telling Denise we have officially run out of room but her answer is to buy more bags!
Shoot back to Neustift to check the 'tandemflug' to find the other two had already had their flight, so I scampered down to see whats happening. Yes fly now OK ! So up on the gondola for an exhilerating glide down the valley for 20 minutes or so, videoing what I can ( actually I accidently taped mostly my leg) when I can, and Denise getting the landing on camera. Great stuff.

Joined the whole group for nibbles then a meal out where Denise had beef soup and I tried the goat, a bit like chinese stir fry without the chinese bit. A fellow paraglider, Ralph, tried nettle soup which he pronounced as completely inedible, but otherwise everyone is experimenting and enjoying the local cuisine, beer and wine.
Early the next day hopped on the internet for a quick update. Caught the local bus then train to Salzburg, Graz and ending up in Weiz. Long day with a couple of changes which increased when one train was late and we missed the connection. Austria Rail had it sorted and we caught up at a later station, although lugging our groaning packs around is not a task for the fainthearted.

Italy

Italy - Cinque Terre, Lucca, Pisa and Monte Bondone in the Dolomites

Our train ride from Zermatt to the Italian coast is a long one, hauling our now overweight packs plus day bags from pillar to post and back. 3 train changes to succesively smaller and less modern trains, including the melee in Milan with hundreds of Italians milling around in organised (maybe) chaos. We followed our intrepid guide as she made her way gallantly across platforms and up and down access ways to our required destination.
Finally found our way to Vernazza, one of the five (= cinque) fishing villages on the picturesue coast just south of Genoa. It is a UNESCO site world heritage site, with the five olde world towns clinging to the cliffs surrounding a breakwater protecting a few small fishing boats.
The last train ride was interesting . A large group of French touristes advancing on our position on the train platform, directed by a flag waving guide who seemed very concerned about giving her troops the most advantageous position on the platform. The old enemy was back and neither side were taking prisoners. We placed our lugagge strategically to prevent any further incursions and held firm until the train raced in and screeched to a halt in front of us. We quickly grabbed our luggage and tried to board the train. So did the French, unfortunately with no luggage they were able to get the jump on us but with a little elbow etiquette and urgently passing the bags up we all squeezed on, held our breath, and were all consequently disgorged at the next stop 3 minutes later at Vernazza.

Vernazza is a little town revelling in the influx of tourists, Italian and otherwise. We made our way down the cobbled streets to the quay where our hotel was waiting. It is set in a series of restored old houses which creep up the cliff. Our rooms could be anywhere, unfortunately ours are up a series of steep steps requiring a wrestling match with bags to get them up to our room.Over the back of the hotel terrace we can hear the surf pounding the cliffs directly below. Such a great place, although lifts would certainly assist overweight and over baggaged antipodean tourists!
Breakfast is scrumptious pastries, freshly squeezed orange juice and 'cafe americano' at a sicilian bakery just out of town. The over friendly owner could 'talk the leg off an iron pot' as Denise would say, but all is forgiven for a great breakfast.
First day outing we took the train to Corniglia and walked back to Vernazza. Its the old track which used to be the only connection between the four towns, going up a couple of hundred metres at times on a cliff edge track. Magic coming down on Vernazza from on high seeing it nestled in the cove. After lunch we caught the train to the furtherest point of Riomaggiore then walked between the towns of Riomaggiore and Manarola, caught the train to the northernmost town of Montorosso.One part of the track was the 'love track' a short 2km section where couples had locked in padlocks onto the fences to ensure everlasting love. Very popular but highly illogical.Montorosso is more of your average Italian beachside village, complete with Gelato, private beaches, umbrellas and sun loungers packed in tightly. The worst part of the beach naturally reserved for the non paying public. Nevertheless a fun place, though one shop we wandered into the high strung manageress was in the process of thowing a bewildered american out of the shop. When talking to her she took offence at nothing and started getting very excited, she sure was a flighty Italian, though in NZ I suspect being considered manic would be more a appropriate diagnosis. We had a beer and tapas in one bar, then found a great Pizza place in a back street bar, eventually sorting out a train back to Vernazza. Balmy temperatures,hot pizza and cold beer make for a great night.
Another early morning train out of Vernazza to Montorossa where a small bus tookus a couple of hours drive to the old world Roman city of Lucca. We have a hotel ( Piccolo Puccini) inside the old city where cars are not allowed so we lug a packs inside past 15th and 16th century houses and cobbled streets to our hotel. 2nd floor in a renovated ( it shows) apartment block. We zip out to Pisa on a train, which is 20 minutes away, to take all the obligatory leaning photos, and bus back.

Julie , Denises cousin, is working in Pisa as a teacher so we arrange for her to come over the next night for a meal. Day time was a bus/walk to a vineyard, lengthened somewhat by our bus driving completely in the wrong direction for half an hour, a walk in the stifling heat for a couple of hours around rural tracks followed by wine and olive oil tasting. Back late for Julie waiting patiently in the hotel. Kiwi accents she hadnt heard for 3 months coming through the door and she knew we had arrived.
Out for tea to the original roman amphitheatre, not a trace survived but it was hereabouts somewhere! Anyway had a very average meal ( give me back street tavernas anytime) , enjoyed a gelato on the way to the train station to find the last train to Pisa had long departed. Ducked over to the bus station but no luck there either. Getting late ( and tired) by now so back to our hotel for a think. We decided to come clean with the manager and see if she could bunk with us for the night. 'no room, no room' which was a bit disheartening until he said she would have to sleep in our room on a spare mattress. Excellent result. She hardly snored and didnt complain too much about no fan. Early start to the station for the 6.53am to Pisa whilst Denise and I did the 5 km circuit of the massive defensive Roman -Medieval walls which surround Lucca.

Had a leisurely morning wandering the shops then after pizza (what else) lunch in an old square near where Puccini lived we caught the train to Trento. Bit of a mission, bags in a couple of taxis with me looking after the luggage at the train station whilst the others walked out of the old town to the railway. Bit of a dodgy place if someone had whipped off with sometthing I couldnt really leave the rest to chase after them. No probs though with everyone turning up safe and sound in a few minutes.

Dolomites, Italy

Long trip up into Northern Italy and the Dolomites to Trento. Much cooler here now in the mountains with a glacier fed river running through town. Paulo the owner from our hotel Monto Bondono picked us all up and bussed us  halfway up a mountain to his ski lodge. Fabulous view of the Valley way below and the road twisting and turning on its way up. Every year there is a car rally from Trento to the top pass, must be an amazing spectacle although Paulo tells us it is a drinkfest rather than sportsfest.
Three Peaks trip the next day which we are informed is the hardest on the trip entailing some serious climbing. A couple of us turned back high up but Denise did very well and got to the top. Returned to Monte Bondono for a high class meal with great wine from the local vineyards. Had a walk early next morning through a forest trail with the white dolomite rocks strewn over the path and trees appearing to grow directly out of the rocky terrain. Glimpses of distant peaks and craggy cliffs in the haze through the trees complete the picture.
Next stop Selva Wolkenstein in the Val Gardena Valley in southern Austria where Winter Olympics are either due to be held or have been held, not sure which but plenty of snow in winter either way.

Switzerland

Switzerland

England and Wales

England
Found a hotel adjacent to the motorway near Arundel Castle and a BP station and MacDonalds. Great to see the green countryside, narrow lanes and passing showers again. Real Beer too though I was not in a fit shape to partake just yet.
Public Holiday (long weekend) so the traffic was pretty heavy. Didnt help when 4 lanes of traffic belting along had to be squeezed into a single lane due to a truck break down ahead of us. When we finally got passed the #$@# thing, it turned out to be a Highway Maintenance truck! No bonus for you this week.
Cruised down past Abbotskerswell and met up finally with Bryan Juliet Sylvia and Jason at Fernway Garden Center. Wonderful to see them all, B and J the same, Sylvia a little taller but Jason has shot up into a wee lad now. Big hugs all around then we jumped into our cars to check BJs new house to be in Ipplepen, a few km down the road. Bigger house, detached and room for the kids to grow. Excellent purchase I reckon.

BJ have sold their house in Abbotskerswell already so are staying with Juliets Mother in her half a house in rural Little Hempston, near Totnes, Devon. Huge house so we did fit in OK, much thanks to Sylvia and Jas for vacating their room and all fitting into BJs bedroom. The cats remained inside too to prevent them being lost in the interim so it was very cosy all in all.
Great to get our washing washed and dried, excellent weather too. Had lunch in a Garden Center, the kids had tremendous joy fun splashing in the water trough there. Old church next door which had people dressed in their best turning up to, so we had to wait for the bride who was suitably late - the bells rang out (a little out of tune I thought) and everyone was happy. Sylvia was a little disappointed with the dress I think.
Off to ???? Estate. Beautifully maintained grounds, old as - Roman origins - and naturally haunted. Juliets sister who had studied here swears she had seen a ghost in the grounds after a night out. Then everyone came out with their ghost stories so it was an interesting afternoon sitting in the gardens supping on english ale (and Bourbon & coke). Another wedding inside the Grand Hall so Sylvia was excited too.
Next day we had a day out taking the Devon steam train from Totnes to ???? beside the River ??? up to a Butterfly farm and Otter refuge. Steam engines are a huge thing here with wonderful display of some of the originals and everything in keeping with the age of steam, including some of the weird characters who run the place. Butterfly farm was warm and wonderful, the flying things werent too bad either. Otter refuge was a high light, a commited had 8 pens with otters from all over the world, feeding them as he went pen to pen with a bit of background on each. One wasnt hungrey as he had just caught a seagull, maybe we should employ them in New Brighton for a bit of pest control there.
Monday was over to Dartmoor to the wee village of Widdicombe in the Moor where we had a great old fashioned Pub Meal and a pint at the Rugglestone Inn. The white ducks beside the creek running through the garden really made the scene into one from the Puddleducks. No sneaky foxes but lots of weird chickens cleaning up the grounds. Juliets sister, Helen, and her Mother had joined us so it was a real family get together, I suspect Bryan has a lot to do with Juliets family as they are pretty close knit, good for the kids to have a lot of family support.
Tuesday was settiing out for Wales via Exeter after sorting out our money.Said our goodbyes and left our temporary home. Bit of a worry navigating our way out of the maze that surrounds Little Hempston. All the tiny lanes look the same, especially if you are lost. Fortunately no large white vans this time and everyone is polite, backing back to the last passing bay for you most of the time. Eventually found our own way to town, meet up with Bryan one last time then off to Wales via the M4 past Exeter and Bristol. Missed a few turnoffs so saw some scenery three times but all was good.
Cruised up to Abergavenny in mid Wales and found ourselves in a Paraplegic unit with so much room.Had a meal in the hotel, probably the worst ever, but maybe we were spoilt by the excellent French cuisine aboard La Belle. I still wasnt that great next day so we found a medical center and managed to get some antibiotics. Then off to see the sea at the furtherest point, zooming along various roads finally reaching ???? where thousands of tourists obviously flock to every year. Nice sandy beach but windblown much like Waimairi beach at home. The return plan was over the Brecon Beacons and back down to Abergavenny to stay another night. Rolling countryside and cute villages every few km with unpronouncable Welsh names made it seems quite foreign. Up and over the high bleak hills of the Beacons with rain and mist swirling around it seemed appropriate to come across a castle, Craig-y-nos, with a pub and hotel. Naturally popped in for a pint and a chat with some Poms who were staying in the haunted room. They seemed pretty relaxed about it really.

Home to Abergavenny where we ate out. We had a relaxing morning next day and off to Bristol Airport to find a pub to stay the night. Getting the hang of this Motorway driving with only one mistake which cost us a lot of time as we went back into rush hour Bristol! Finally found our way and found an old Pub (The Crown) with no rooms no patrons but great atmosphere. Drowned our sorrows then went to another pub which was very rough then finally slept in a featureless airport hotel which did the trick.
Flew out to Zurich via Amsterdam early the next day. The flight from Amsterdam was stopped for an hour while we changed planes as our one was missing a part. KLM Airlines is not on my list of preferential airlines anymore. We were then delayed further as the plane taking off prior had a bird strike and had to land again. Crikey time to go by train I reckon.
Finally up and away and landed in Zurich shortly thereafter.

Mljet to Jolly Ol England

Mljet, back to Dubrovnik and then onto Jolly Ol England

After leaving the port of Korcula we chugged off into the rising sun for Mjlet, a supposedly fabulous green haven mostly comprised of a protected National Park. We slipped passed the usual barren rocky islets, peninsulas and reefs sticking out of the Adriatic. Tricky navigation I would have thought, I am glad the weather was nigh on perfect for such excursions. The ancient Greeks were originally here and named the island Melite which is much the same name as today. Romans and Byzantines were followed by the Bendictine Monks who built a magnificent Monastery. Great.
We anchored offshore and clambered onto the Tender to go ashore. The French on board seem very dogged in their determination to be first off, however with us Kiwis usually bringing up the rear anyway it wasnt an issue.
Mjlet was indeed a forested island, we were greeted on the quay by a friendly 'greenie' who had taken the protection of the islands fauna and flora to heart. Good news there are no snakes here and the bad news is the reason why - someone had released Mongooses on the island which after knocking off all the snakes were now knocking off everything else they could get their greedy little paws on. Familiar story ?
Undaunted by all that our guide enthusiastically lead us on a merry chase through the sparsely wooded terrain to two secret lakes in the middle of the island, one of which contained the 1151 Monastery on its own islet. We were to have a boat trip across but the boat was delayed, it arrived in due course and we wandered around the island after checking out the old Monastery. Small but well preserved. It had been converted into a Hotel (shock horrer), but had recently returned to the Monastic Order who had kept a little income from having a restaurant and people to stay. Winners all round and we get to see a lovely little Monastery on its own islet in Mjlet. Most interesting thing was bumping into a bunch of Kiwis doing a cycling tour of Crotia. NZers are everywhere!
Back to the quay, reboarded and off to Dubrovnik. The staff all sang something cute in French as we arrived for the last meal. The ships company had planned a Gala Evening with a fabulous surprise at the end. Denise still not feeling 100% but we made the most of it.
Five courses with various wines, finished off with a flaming baked alaska being presented to the guests. We were suitably impressed and finished off a week of the best cordon bleu french cooking ever. Not exactly sure if thats the right word but it sounds good.
Early morning start for the airport; we had taken the kiwi style, sussed out the local bus and figured ou thow to get there. Only we hadnt figured on Croatian Customs when departing the port. The direct route out to the bus station (which I had walked thru 30 minutes before) was now VERBOTEN. We had to lug our packs (heavy - still containing Denises free Bourbon) all the way back past the boat (laughing at us Im sure) around to the main exit and back to the station, naturally missing our bus. Fortunately there was another to the airport arriving in plenty of time for the flight to Gatwick. The French arrived en masse a little later, threw out a cordon and secured half the cafe airport for Gaul. Bon voyage and good bye.
It was a direct 2.5 hour flight to London Gatwick except I wasnt feeling that good now so was glad to get on the ground. Excellent customs except we were in the 'Other Passport' queue, one officer, and truckloads of elderly,infirm and disabled types all scooted thru asap ahead of us, it took a while to get through. Anyway we struggled around the massive place with our packs etc finally finding the Hertz Rental car. What now - we were missing a vital number so couldnt confirm the car was prepaid. At least we were speaking in English, albeit to a non-English person. Half an hour got that one sorted then as I was unwell Denises driving was unleashed on an unsuspecting public. Roundabouts were true to name, several times around the same one on occasion.Denise said a few choice words though I suspect worse was said in cars and trucks adjacent to us. Although in her defence she hadnt driven a manual for a while, and stalling every now and then in a busy roundabout or intersection is to be expected. After she had had her fun she decided it was my turn.
So I had a crack at it, could drive Ok but not sure where to go. Eventually after much ado found a motorway going in the direction of Bryan and Juliets place in Devon and zoomed off at a great rate of knots to find somewhere to sleep along the way.

Hvar to Korcula

Hvar to Korcula
Cruising to Hvar through the night - we did have a midnight pause there somewhere which after having difficulty getting to sleep, woke us up when it stopped, off to sleep again then reawoke when our boat restarted. Noisy ship compared to the Odyssey which you hardly knew you were on board a boat most of the time, but this one has a low monotonous drone which is very irritating, but this may be due to sensivity of its occupants ( i.e. us) rather than proximity to the engine room. See through curtains also ensure we get woken rather early which wasnt appreciated much either. One can however compensate to a certain extent with the endless wine and fabulous food. One aspect I must mention are the Filipino staff, 90% of waiting, cleaning and general dogsbody types are from the Phillipines. They are great and while they may not be as coolly efficient as the Odyssey, they are lively and add a lot of character.

Hvar had been written up as the new St Tropaz. Lots of sunshine (2,700 hours pa) and little rain. The Poms on board where rather enthusiastic about Hvar, considering their climate. Actually to tell you the truth the Christchurchians were too.
We caught up with our guide and wandered off into the old town, via the Fransciscan Monastery. Nice just to poke around the old twisted streets seeing whats what and getting the odd cold can of coke zero to remind us we are in the 21st century. Plenty of money tied up at the wharf too, very nice for some.
Not a lot of room to manoevour for the big boat in departing for the Island of Vis, the Captain getting a bit dramatic with the horn when a small cruiser/yacht got in the way whilst completing his 3 point turn. There are a lot of hire craft out there so I suspect a part timer wont be crossing paths with our Belle again.
Vis I cant remember. Its an island in the Adriatic where we had lunch. Didnt rain.
On board after Vis we settled in for a snooze in the afternoon sun on board the Sundeck. So did a few French types, although I have to say the sight of a 70 plus year old woman (actually several men and women) strutting their stuff with saggy bits all over was not a pleasant sight. Geriatrics with bikinis and budgie (or canary?) smugglers! - please get on your fluffy slippers, dressing gowns and shuffle back to your resthome. Made even worse by one particularly bad offender snoring loudly as he lay asleep in the sun getting a little extra tan on his leather hide.

Arrived in the town of Korcula in time for a Folklore Show. About 8pm we were all herded down the gangplank and into a modern theatre for a stylised sword fight. Real steel swords slashing left and right, sending sparks flying in a carefully choreographed show, all accompanied by an orchestra. One mis-hit though and you would know all about it. Makes the English Morris Dancing look like pansies waving their hankies. I would suspect violence is not too far under the surface here with the Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian war and its alleged genocides within the memory of most people that we meet. There seems to be a quite a need to appear to be normal here now.

Korcula is a wonderful medieval old town, much retained from the Venetian days, and supposedly the birthplace of Marco Polo. The Marco Polo Shop is run by a NZer who had run away to do a Shirley Valentine imitation and live a life in the sun. The streets run off the spine of the main street like a fish bone. designed so to reduce wind and sun! Another superb example of craftmanship in the building of the local cathedral, which also has a couple of Tintoretto paintings of the usual Virgin Mary, Last Supper etc. The Church must have totally dominated lives then as 1. All painting were as above - no exceptions, and 2. Nothing much else of importance was ever built ( except fortifications)

Dubrovnik and Kotor

Dubrovnik,Kotor
We awoke early in Dubrovnik to an enormous buffet breakfast. This was a French boat, 80%Frenchies, with the lingua franca being French. Gina we need you! Actually they put up with us English and Germans on board, even with our lack of dress sense, no manners and crass behaviour. Our designated dining seats however leave something to be desired as we are stationed behind the Sous chef and adjacent to the hallway where everyone passes. Fellow passengers do tend to help themselves to our condiments and aperitefs as they pass, which I can quite understand considering our advantageous position allowing for self selection.
It seems we had been booked onto all tours going every day so hope we can keep up the pace. Dubrovnik first, its a 1,000 plus year old city which has managed to keep out of all conflicts which destroyed most of its contempories, apart from a destructive earthquake (wouldnt you know it) in 1667. Massive stone walls dating from the 13th Century surround the old city, which is full of grand houses plus gothic, renaissance and baroque churches and monasteries.
Not a great start however when we delay the bus by Denise not having her passport or photo ID with her, although who would have thought you needed photo ID to go from the port to the city! Made worse by another officious official insisting we go through 'proper channels' to get back on the bus. Everyone on the bus seemed to enjoy the delay (not) and I fear we now have a reputation to live down to. Mental note - must try to speak Aussie henceforth.
The French groups have their own Tour Guide, so we are left with a guide who must alternate between English and German to get the message across. Does well really.
It has kept its original character and stone work where it can, and has obviously made a huge effort to recreate everything as it was prior to the damage. I suspect the tourist trade now drives everything in Dubrovnik, its like a toy town with hordes of gee whiz and wow look at that tourists thronging the streets. There were three massive ( several thousand people each) ships in port disgorging onto a willing partner in Dubrovnik. Only 176 in our wee bateau so we dont really count.
Pretty warm here so we soon catch the bus back. Denise is not well so has a lie down whilst I wander around the port ( with passport).
Superb food for tea (whole fish! Denise does better with this one) and wine with everything. No NZ wines which was disappointing as the whites werent that great. I thought we might be in for a bit of a gastronomic delight when we found most days tours were fashioned around dejeuner and diner. Bon apetit !
Our Ship departed at 2330 for Kotor in Montenegro, duly arriving 10am next day. Noisy where we are however so I suspect the person who selected our dining spot also had a hand in cabin selection. Cest la vie. Slept OK after a late night previously.
Kotor is a town of 500 in fjord type country, so we wind our way in seeing some impressive scenery. Similar to Marlborough Sounds on a grander scale. Dotted along the seashore on each side are numerous villages dating from medieval times, each with its own church, now and then overlooked by an abandoned monastery. The neck of the inlet is only 250m wide so no superliners here. Unfortunately Denise must have picked up an infection with a sore throat and headache so has confined herself to bed, she is dizzy too so is unwilling to go up on top to look so I guess my videos will have to do for her.
We have a tour of the old town of Kotor at 10 - for which I am late! Reputation reinforced ! So I tell em slap another prawn on the barby and crack open a Castlemain XXXX. The town itself is a medieval gem with its churches and monasterys well preserved and a defending fortress perched 200 or 300m above it. Our guide does a good job double describing everything, although there were only four hardy individuals left at the end. Makes it a little difficult avoiding the semi-compulsory tip but I lost him in the Maritime Museum. Which was the greatest little museum ever - Kotor was practically impregnable and sported an intact maritime history as the Venetians gave Kotor a licence to free trade. Protected from pirates they did very well and it shows here.
Back on board and departee 1500 en direction de Sibenik. I wasnt late.

Athens to Dubrovnik

Athens to Dubrovnik.
We arrived back in the Port of Pireus surrounded by heaps of ferries going to every Greek island and then some. Eventually found our dock, backed in and whammo everyone scrambles off. Amazingly quick turnaround for these big ships, they would have 3 car decks plus a couple of passenger decks.
Our man with a sign was waiting in a yellow taxi, Mercedes as they all seem to be. Passed only one smash up between a couple of the taxis they seemed pretty calm about it. Common occurence no doubt with lanes being irrelevent to most drivers.
Arrived at the Herodion Hotel around 3pm. Nice hotel although you could be anywhere in the world, there must be a universal template. We found it was only 10 minutes walk to the Acropolis so after a short break ( it was 29C out there) out we went. First right first left and there it was towering above us. Walked to the front gate by 4.30pm arrived in time for a couple of hours wandering around, although eating an ice cream delayed us as no food inside. I can see the headlines now - "Ice Cream Assault on Acropolis" Just as well they stopped us really.
Good time to go we thought as the crowds would have abated somewhat and the temperature cooler. The first thing we noticed was the glaze on the rock and marble paths around the Parthenon. Slippery beyond belief due to the uncountable tourist (millions?) over the millenia who have come to see the sights. There are half a dozen buildings there, the Parthenon was built about 438BC, by Pericles. The entance gate, the Propylaia, is pretty massive as well. The Caryatids (maiden types) in the Erechtheion showed us how skilled the Greeks were even in such monumental scale. Big cranes and railways to cart the massive blocks of marble around were all around the site but that didnt seem to detract from the inspiring sight.
Denise was getting a bored by all the masonery so we left at 6pm for a top up of Bourbon and Coke. Checked out the roof bar, lo and behold there was a fantastic view of the Acropolis and Parthenon from the roof garden with a jacuzzi. Excellent so got that sorted towel togs on etc only to find there was a 5 euro price tag. Not for us so we sat around the jacuzzi and enjoyed the vista. Plenty of pics you will be pleased to know, even a few of the Acropolis.
With inside information on the best place to eat (from the souvenir shop man), we tramped around the corner to the ultimate tourist trap! Still he said it was good food so we stayed and actually had a pretty good meal. We were the old hands now so it was nice to know what it was we were eating.
Next day slept in, had a bit of a txt chat with Gina and out for a cloudy day to The National Archeological Museum via the Underground/Metro. Denise does insist on asking all and sundry where everything is - I think she has lost her trust in my sense of direction somehow. Still we managed to negotiate the Metro, out Omonia Square into the chaos of big city small time venders and general hub-bub, along to the Museum. Wonderful collection of Archaic to early Roman artifacts, sculpture mostly, much of it orginal. The statue of Zues was made all the more relevent with loud thunderclaps and lightning immediately above us, made us both jump!
Back to our Hotel to pick up our bags and catch our drive to Athens Airport. Two flights, initially to Zagreb, capital of Croatia, then back down again to Dubrovnik. Arrived about 11.30pm. Interesting detente at the Croatian border with a little French madam who got into the wrong queue then decided to stamp her pretty little french sandals and push in ahead. The customs lady made her apologise then made her ask (in English) if she could please be let in. Which she did - then had to wait for her husband who respectfully waited in line. Ha.
Anyway once out we had to ask a taxi to take us to Dubrovnik Port where La Belle d'Adriatique was waiting for us. So after midnight, 40 euro and a security check later we had checked in and were being waited on hand and foot by a Filipino waiter with a cold meal and wine. I can see over-eaters anonymous will be lining up a couple of new members shortly. Shown to our cabin; more compact than Odyssey, hard beds, no champagne, and showing some signs of wear. 3 star rather than 5 star, but comfortable enough. Bed and sleep.

Paros to Athens

Paros
This is a similar sized island enroute to Athens.
From our Naxos Resort Hotel we were picked up and caught the slow ferry to Paros. Its about an hour so we managed to nab some first class seats to ride in some comfort. Stowed our packs and settled in for the ride.
These island are really quite close and the weather great so the passage was smooth until we reached Parikia, port of Paros. Another placard waving ( the only one on show) tourist guide caught our attention with our name so off we hopped into another large bus to our hotel in Naoussa, half an hours drive away. We had the bus to ourselves so I thought we were extra special, however we were soon brought to earth.
Kanali Hotel, is built into the side of the hill and naturally faces a nice beach and harbour, unless you get the cave room. Now did someone tell them we enjoyed Cappadocia or what because we got the worst room in the hotel. No sunlight, dark and (if its possible in Greece) damp. Reminds me a little of Port Douglas - Kerryn will know what I mean.
Naxos had its shortcomings ( e.g. a portable, takehome safe) but this is not up to standard. Living off past glories I suspect. Not sure how much we paid as it was 'all inclusive' but I will write a short note to the architects of our Odyssey Abroad.
Anyway we accepted our fate and took off for centreville. We wandered around town, its wee port crammed with dozens of small fishing boats tied up. Couldnt believe the number of cafes with acres of chairs/seats/sofas displayed in front to entice the odd stroller by into their web. Yes and we fell headlong, ours though only with a dozen or so exceptionally hard chairs and scruffy tables, so sort of authentic. No spiv trying to corral us in either so that was a bonus. Actually we had only sat down for a drink, and out comes the tablecloth, bread and olive oil plonked down in front of us. So I guess it was tea at 3pm, although there were a few Greek speaking people around us doing the same thing so maybe we are getting into the local swing of things here.
We ordered Greek salad and local fish; great salad as usual, fish was dried, salted, pan fried and served whole. Pretty good really but Denise didnt enjoy the eye of the fish watching her while we ate it I have to say. The local cats forever hanging around did well out of the scraps though.
Next day was a beaut again. After catching up with the family via skype, we caught the bus to Crysi Arkti 'Golden Beach'. Lovely beach, relatively deserted probably due to the wind whipping off shore. A couple of wind surfers going, plus some brave swimmers (Germans no doubt) doing some laps. Actually its better than 90% of Canterbury beaches 90% of the time so mustnt grumble.
Strolled back to out hotel and found a wee patch of sunshine in a landing above our level. No one staying here so we hung up a line for our washing, found a chair and watched the washing dry, all while keeping an eye on the setting sun. Seems a suitable Grecian activity. We opened our bottle of Champagne (real thing) from our Odyssey Cruise so decided to watch the washing dry in style, sipping on expensive Champers. Had a dip in their picturesque pool too, which was pretty cold. It was deep and mostly in shadow so didnt warm up much.

Next day up early to catch the bus to Levkas via Parikia up into the hills. The plan was to walk the Byzantine Trail Levkas to Prodromas about 5km. First bus 8.30am, no bus. Next bus 9.30, no bus. Next bus 11am, no taking chance ! Walked to town to central bus depot and caught the bus there. Hobby farming countryside with rectangular haybales, stone walls the odd windmill, however derelict farms and paddocks abound. Tourism is definitely no 1.

View over Levkas

Walking the Byzantine Trail

Bus to Parikia, then next bus to Levkas. Fortunately there is a second bus so we get there OK. Wonderful countryside, pulling into another picture postcard white washed village clinging to the hillside. Perfectly positioned to catch the view, and breeze, up the valley. We catch our breath, then after a coke and OJ in the cool of the tree shaded town centre, we set off down the trail. Levkas was the ancient capital and the trail served as a means of communication between town and port. Well signposted (yes!) we quickly made time over the rough shod road, turning now and then to see cute'n'quaint Levkas recede behind us. Reached Prodromas well before time, so set off down the Main Road to Marpissa then the beach resort of Piso Livadi. Narrow roads cars, bikes and off roaders all over the show. Scary enough but then you realise they are probably chain smoking and talking on the cellphone at the same time as driving. At least I havnt seen anyone texting whilst driving yet. Well deserved ice cream then caught the last bus to Naoussa. Another refreshing dip in the cool pool and a sit in the sun to make sure our washing is drying correctly to finish off an eventually satisfying day.

Paros Harbour

Thunderclaps and rain awoke us, time to get going. Talk about Karma, I snaffled a boiled egg from breakfast, only to find the yolk was runny as I found out to my cost with a crushed egg in my pocket! Aboard Blue Star Ferry to Pireaus, a 5 hour trip. What a commotion, there is a Greek party all around us people shouting nineteen to the dozen, old mamas and papas, young bambinos all having a go. No goats, though one canary in a bamboo cage. You dont have to shout you know - loudness isnt a sign of effective communication. A guy behinds us stands to excitedly yap into his cellphone, obviously gesticulating whilst sitting just doesnt get the message through.

Afters 4 and a half hours we are in Athens !

Naxos

Naxos

Temple of Apollo, Naxos

Had the morning to relax in Santorini then trailed up to where our bus picked us up. Our very earnest Bell Boy carried all our heavy luggage up on his shoulders. Admirable seeing as a fellow camper/tourist was videoing every single step down to the hotel!
The large bus then took off for Thira Port via cliff edge roadway that is very reminiscent of the roads around Akaroa, which is also a caldera although much older than the 1650BC Santorini caldera. I didnt tell Denise there was a 7.8 earthquake in 1956 which devastated much of Oia, but you wouldnt know it today. It looks old without even trying which I guess is the sign of an excellent rebuild. Picking up a few ideas for our own Mediterranean rebuild !
Zigzagged down to the Port where we had a fast Vodafone ferry to take us to Naxos,which is a large island an hour by ferry heading back towards Athens.
Much like an areoplane service without the interesting bits. Great announcments over the loudspeaker system, the Greek is spoken very fast and the announcer thought English should be too. She would make a great horse race announcer and Im sure I heard Kiwi winning by a nose (again)
I had a cold by this time so wasnt feeling 100%. Toilet paper is a very useful multipurpose product though perhaps not in the way intended, bit rough on the snoz. We were met at Naxos and taken to our standard room in a resort style hotel. Package tours from colder climes would be the go here. We were spoilt indeed at Santorini. Everything worked though, including a hot shower which is No. 1 in my book. The 'queen' bed was 2 seperate single beds pushed together which was ok.
Next day we had an enormous breakfast (hotel standard) and wandered around town. Naxos has an impressively abandoned Temple of Apollo on a peninsula adjacent to the downtown hubbub. It also has an old Venetian Kastro or castle, they ruled the Islands hereabouts from around 1200 to 1500AD. Its almost medieval within Kastro walls with a Venetian Museum describing life in those days. Amazing seeing how an enclave of Italian nobility lived in those days, very different to the Greek civilisation. Actually they bombarded the place with Cathedrals and Basilicas, many of which were converted from the multi god and godess temples of the previous rulers.

Octopus for tea tonight.

Oasis Restaurant was our stop next, eating outside underneath the grape vines enveloping the pergola above. We had stuffed aubergine and souvlaki, plus a bonus ouzo with ice afterwards which we had inside as smoking at adjacent tables was getting an issue - I just want to eat my meal in peace! I am sure smokers thruout the world have united to force a last stand in Greece. Denise is very impressed with the amount of pink and purple the Greek men wear here, which I hadnt noticed at all, but then a local guy walks along in a bright purple tracksuit. Must be true - they are obviously very comfortable in their masculinity, or maybe pink/purple is the colour of the real man in Greece.

Next day was good weather again so we after all the food we decided to have an active day to counteract the flab rapidly forming and threatening to bust out. We took a local bus up to Mili a village 30 minutes up into the hills. The bus driver looked at us funny and even checked with the ticket seller when we told him where we were going as there were no return buses that day, but we had a plan. Once there via usual hairpin turns we checked out the local 'kouros' a 2m high marble male statue, made in 500BC but abandoned, possibly because it broke as they were transporting it out of the quarry. After that it was a 40 minute walk over a very old trail to Ano Potamia (Mesi Potamia was an adjacent village - for real). ; goats, stone walls and ancient olive trees made agreeable company. At one stage a goat popped his head over the stone wall to see us, so I went over to see him.We eye balled each other from a couple of inches then he made a quick movement towards me and I swear he was either going to kiss me,hongi me, or bite my nose off. I thought disrection the better part of valour and jumped off, allowing him to be king of that particular stone wall.

Mangaged very succesfully to lose the trail within Ano Potami, a village consisting of about 40 people, for an hour but eventually located the entrance way and head up hill to bypass the local castle 'apano kastro'. A real castle built by the Venetians on a craggy point commanding the local area. It was now a desolate area of marble and granite, one could imagine a Minotaur waiting to pounce around the next bend. Felt a bit like a Labyrinthe at times too as the trail had vanished into thin air. We plugged on valiently especially as we had a bus to catch at the other end!

Heaven in Halki

Came out to a village by following a goat which had adopted us, then refound the trail to our destination, Halki. This trail seemed to be a couple of metres below the surrounding country side so it was a great relief to turn a corner to see whitewash houses and a friendly taverna owner awaiting us with a cold beer and an adjacent bus stop with 20 minutes to spare.

After an uneventful bus journey back we headed out for tea. Denise had spotted a 'meal deal' which included bread and dip, 2 moussakas, wine and greek salad. This meal was enormous, after finishing it all we really did feel sick. Seemed like nice food at the time. When will we learn.

Santorini

Athens to Santorini
Early docking in Athens saw us in port and tied up by 7am. Plenty of activity as the 'past their use by date' passengers were efficiently off loaded ( our group being 'pink 4') in strict sequence. We delayed our departure by as much as possible so found some LaZeBoys to stretch out in, and loaded up on the last of the free croissants and cappachinos. The packs had been picked up the night before so when the loudspeaker announcements were getting a little too insistent we wandered down, surrendered our pass cards and out of the gilded cage into the real world.
The vultures (disguised as taxi drivers) were waiting. We grabbed one to the nearest express bus stop then an hour or so on a bus through Athens to the airport. Tried checking our bags in early, however because of glass bottles containing > 100ml liquid, ( defintely not Jim Beam,Champagne or Wine from the ship) our baggage went as especially fragile at the outsize counter. Fingers crossed it arrives in one piece - can Greek freight handlers read 'fragile' - would they know or care? time will tell.
The flight wasnt until 5pm so we had a day up our sleeve in another big Airport. Not my favourite occupation but interesting watching people. Eventually I fell asleep in a plastic chair ( Denise said I snored but I doubt that). Flew out 10 minutes late (high level of security-Denise had her half used tube of toothpaste confiscated) to Santorini Aiport in a big 300 seater aircraft - tourism is big time here. Half an hour later we were in Santorini, our bags arrived quickly and thankfully intact. Our name was on our drivers board (spelt correctly which was a first) and off we sped to Esperas Hotel at the town of Oia arriving at sunset. We walked down several zig zags to our room perched on the edge of the cliff. Think eagles nest and luxury resort. Vertigo sufferers need not apply.
What a hotel and what a position. Special thanks to Andrea and Larry for letting us in on this one - fantastic. Took a few pics of the setting sun then off to bed.
Oia
Pronounced eea. We had a late start then took plenty of pictures of the Hotel and surrounding scenery. Toilet facilities are interesting however- used paper is placed in a basket beside the toilet, fortunately diarrhoea was not an issue at the moment.

Breakfast on till 11am so that was a break. Wandered along the Tourist Blvd looking at strategically placed postcard shops and cafes/restaurants, from 2pm everything slows down except for the gangs of tourist mafia tightly bunched behind a placard waving guide. Had a stop at a cafe and tried out a Spanokapita. I dont believe there was rubber added to the recipe but it sure tasted so. Merely blasted to oblivion in a microwave I suspect. Actually the view made up for any shortcomings in the fare.
I walked down to the port and up the zigzag for a look around. 300 steps, except they dont tell you every step up requires 3 extra steps to reach it. In short a long hard walk for someone who had eaten far too much whilst on voyage. Refreshed in the pool then scoffed our secreted away goodies from breakfast for tea. Denise is a whiz on sorting out ways and means to extend breakfast to all day sustenance. (pls dont tell hotel management)
Next day in Oia dawned clear and beautiful. Late start again, then off to the local beach, Kathyros. Headed down to the bottom of the Hotel, then through the Blue Door, track continues down the road and to a rocky beach. A bit like Gore Bay on a bad day. However this one had its own Greek Restaurant ! So we had something here, then off to the Ammoudi Port, directly below Esperas Villas. The scoria and ash cliffs towering above us were quite intimidating, an earthquake just now would be most inconvenient.
Seafood speciality here as all the eateries had live aquatic fare waiting to be chosen to meet their fate. The Crays were pretty small compared to Kaikouras finest I thought. Just around the corner is a swimming beach, quite sheltered, deep deep water. Fantastic swimming if a little warmer. Actually there seems to be quite a large proportion of same sex couples around the place, maybe not having the upkeep of a family allows them some discretionary income to escape the cold climate.

View from our Balcony

Back up to the Hotel, 900 steps this time especially as it was hotter than yesterday. Out to tea to a real Greek taverna, none of this plastic food. Set off round the back roads, via another stunning sunset, to travel the lesser known trails. Past the bus stop, diesel fumes et al along to a run down cafe serving what seemed the real deal. Ordered Moussaka, dolmades and tomato soup. The real deal I reckon - it was loaded with olive oil but great. Finished off with what we think was raki - a sort of wine liquor. Tasted good anyway.

Rhodes Patmos Milos

St Johns Monastory Patmos

Milos

Patmos



Another tough day on board the good ship 'Odyssey'

Rhodes Central

Rhodes, Patmos,Mylos
We woke in the morning to find us in the process of docking at Rhodes. It was quite neat to see us cruising past where the Colosus of Rhodes once stood. We docked just where the old Greek Triemes once lay poised for battle. The Rhodians did a pretty good job aligning themselves with whover they thought might win the current battle. Invaded by all and sundry incl. the Crusaders who arrived in 1309 and stayed for 200 years.
From up high we could see the outline of the old fort the Crusaders built. They did a grand job keeping the Ottomans out for a while who eventually gave way to the Greeks in 1947.
After another lets -eat- enuf-breakfast to last all day kind of meal we toured around the old city. We found a non-tourist entrance and promptly got lost down some quiet back street alleys, but found some interesting stuff. The Jewish Synogogue we found had 4000 Jews originally but the Nazis carted them off to Germany, with only 30 left now.
We found cats too, in need of some TLC - They are everywhere but quite often someone is feeding them left overs etc. Got back to the commercial areas then climbed a clock tower to get a view over town. Free drink with every entry! Checked the local museum ( Aphrodite of Rhodes plus inumerable other Greek & Roman artifacts. Its getting like 'another 2500 yr old statue'
Headed back for lunch, after which I shot out to get a couple of photos before the Ship departed for Patmos.
Patmos
After cruising all night, a little rocky due to the wind, we anchored off Skala,chief town of Patmos. St John was banished to here from Ephesus in AD95, stayed in a cave up the hill and had a revelation from God (via 3 cracks in the roof representing something significant that comes in 3's to you religious types) and wrote a book about his adventures. About 1000 years later an Abbott built a monastory on the hilltop above to celebrate the fact.
We decided to climb up ourselves to the Monastery via the Byzantine path. Pretty rough path really, I reckon the Romans could have done better (with 10000 slaves) to finish the job.
Anyway we found ourselves hiking up with a couple from Perth - a Pharmacist. We had plenty in common to talk about, bad and good. After constantly hearing the nasal drawl of a lot of loud Americans the Aussies sounded almost human! Best not get too carried away tho.
A howling gale at the top so quickly ducked inside the Monastery - to find peace, tranquiilty and half priced trinkets. Excellent little white washed village surrounding the main building, which had an amazing Treasury/Museum with priceless ecclesiastical treasures, incl. a hand written book (parchment?) from 941, beautifully decorated.
Back to the wind blown path down to see St Johns Cave The cave itself is a real shrine to St John, so big time earner for them. Full of god fearing italians or spaniards so we moved on.
Returned to the good ship to find a Spa we could use. We found an almost empty deck with 2 free spas ( one each) so grabbed a couple of cocktails and watched the sun go down. Magic
Fine Dining that night again, altho I was a little disappointed they managed to mix up our meals, big faux pax for these guys. Fantastic food yet again. Must get the recipes for Denise.
Mylos
Venus de Milo here we come. Actually the 4th Century Greek Statue was nicked by the French who apparently broke her arms en route to the Louvre!
Anchored offshore again and caught the Tender (ugliest boat in creation)to take us from the Odyssey to the port of Adamas. Taxied 5km with the Aussie Chemist to Plaka the original Greek town where the Athenians slaughtered the locals for siding with the Spartans. Fun fun fun. Its another labrynthe of white houses and laneways which is great unless you actually want to get somewhere.
There was an old church high on a hill above Plaka so we made our way up there for 360 degree views. You will see it on the video. Nice beaches with crystal clear bright blue water miles below. Real Greece ( postcard anyway)
Managed to fluke the bus going back down to the Port then back to the Ship for a well deserved rest. Managed to find our favourite spa spot again, grabbed a couple of drinks to enjoy watch the Island departing behind us in the setting sun.
We had booked a very special meal out at Restaurant 2. Classy nouvelle cuisine, matched wine and forbidden flavours. For once we may eat out without having to feel slightly nauseous from overeating! ( not to mention over-drinking)
I knew we were in for something interesting when a fellow diner was taking pictures (macrozoom) of each dish as it arrived. I think I would give a miss seeing his film evening of 'My Adventures in Europe'
Anyway the very nice waitress presented with a flourish long thin plates with several tiny tastes on each ( eating left to right of course). Cant remember any of them ( maybe a camera was a good idea) and before you know it we were having dessert. Main course non-existent, altho our waitress did stress we could re-order dishes we enjoyed if we were hungry still. Interesting Experience would sum up that one.
Wandered up to the evening Cabaret, which was formulaic again so left early to bed.