By this Author: Samchow58

September 15, 2024
Had an uneventful trip to Paros today.

Met a Greek couple from Australia, Effie and Theo. Effie gave me lots of information on Paros, Milos, and Santorini. Checked into my hotel and planned to take a bus to Naoussa, but decided to rent a car instead.

Headed off to Naoussa in my new rented wheels. Stopped for lunch and made my way to Kolibithres beach. This spot is known for its rock formations and coves with granite boulders sculpted smooth over centuries of erosion. The water is very clean but the beach is pretty crowded.

Found a restaurant for dinner and a sunset.

Stopped in at the Holy Shrine of the Virgin Mary Ekatontapyliani. Known as the church with 100 gates. The church complex contains a main chapel surrounded by two more chapels and a baptistery.

September 16, 2024
Stopped at a bakery and had a quiet breakfast on the beach. Decided to spend the day on Antiparos.

The islet of Antiparos, lies southwest of Parosand is less than one nautical mile from Paros. Antiparos can easily be reached from Pounta or Parikia by boat. I messaged Effie and Theo to tell them that I was heading over to Antiparos today. Effie messaged saying they would message me when they got to the island. As I was getting ready to load onto the ferry in Pounta, I noticed that Effie and Theo were in the same ferry. During the 7 minute ride, they suggested I park my car in Antiparos and jump in their car!

Soros beach is a long sandy beach and is located at a distance of 8km south of Antiparos town.This is the largest beach on Antiparos.

A mega boat that you see in around the harbours in Greece.

We met a couple (Donna and Warren) from Florida while in Soros Beach. As a group, we decided to head to explore The Cave of Antiparos. The cave is the number one attraction. Antiparos Cave is the only vertical cave in all of Europe, with a depth of 85 metres. It showcases amazing stalactites and stalagmites and is estimated to be 45 million years!

The views from outside the cave is special. The Aegean Sea sprawls at your feet, you can see Soros beach, the beautiful rocks and Paros.

Headed into town for lunch and another beach before catching the ferry back to Paros.

Dinner and a sunset walk.

September 17, 2024
Breakfast view…..tea and chocolate croissant

Explored Alyki town. Aliki is a smаll village on thе sоuth, less pοpulated coаst оf Parоs. It has beеn developing аs a rеsоrt in the last yeаrs and thе number οf hotels and rоοms to rеnt in the аrea is cоnstantlу inсrеаsing.

Fisherman setting hooks

Aliki has threе beаches. The main onе, which is in the сentеr is nаrrоw, with fine and very sοft sand. Around the bеach there is а mini markеt, a саr rental оffice and а small harbοr for fishing bоаts. Two traditiоnаl tavernas аt thе seafrοnt place thеir tаbles direсtly on a small stоnе pier in the middlе οf the hаrbor.

The other two beaches are at the two ends of Aliki. The one in the west end of the village is a strip of coarse sand and large pebble. However,
Faragas Beach is a large beach with fine sand and crystal clear waters that is protected from the winds and is one of the most popular beaches. Stayed at the beach for about an hour….then a very annoying couple sat right beside me. The man was talking very loud on his phone!

Stopped in Marpissa to take a pic of the house with a pink door.

Next stop was Lefkes. Lefkes is one of the loveliest villages of the Cyclades. It is located in the central part of Paros. The village is built at an altitude of 300 meters above sea level, on a verdant hill covered with olive trees and pine trees. Its location offers a breathtaking view of the neighbouring island of Naxos.

Tried my first frappe (ice coffee). It was pretty strong and left me a big hyper with all the caffeine!

I still had the rental for a few more hours, decided to head back up to Naoussa again (visited the first day). Took a longer walk around the town.

Lunch

Went back to Kolibithres Beach again, as it is my favorite beach here on Paros.

Dropped the rental off. It was pretty beat up!

Showered and headed out for dinner. Donna and Warren recommended Bountaraki Seafood Restaurant, so I decided to try it. Since arriving in Greece I have had Greek salad and/or Calamari, however, today I broke tradition….. I ordered the stuffed aubergine (eggplant).

OMG! Delicious!

Off to Milos tomorrow!

September 12, 2024
Up way before my alarm went off. Headed off to the Piraeus, the Port of Athens via the Metro. It was relatively easy and fast. Boarded the ferry (called Jumbo Jet) at 8:00 am. The loading process is not like what I am used to…..everyone just walks up the ramp, store your luggage on the car deck (and hope it doesn’t walk away without you), then you go up to your assigned seat.

What was a 4.5 hour trip turned into a 8.5 hour trip!

Jumbo Jet made two stops, Serifos and Sifnos to drop amd pick up passengers and vehicles.

Serifos

Sifnos

As we approached Mykonos, I decided to head out to the deck to get some pictures of Mykonos as the boat was pulling away. The Odyssey, Princess cruise ship was tied up at the dock.

The ramp goes down and the passengers start walking off with their luggage.

Then the ramp starts to pull away from the dock as people are still walking down! The ship’s officer notices it and start to run back on the ramp yelling at everyone to get back! Pandemonium begins…..three ladies are starting to slide off the ramp as the ramp is going into the water, suitcases are falling into the water. The officer manages to get the three ladies up to the safe part of the ramp. We all see a stroller roll into the water! Didn’t know if a baby was in it!

Then we all notice we are moving closer to the cruise ship….

They staff on the dock finally get control of the boat, they secure it and the ramp comes down. All the passengers are running down the ramp to disembark! The parents of the stroller come down the ramp with their baby, but mom is just irate yelling at everyone!

We were told that the boat was going to be delayed because the Port Authority had to do inspections. 3:5 hours later we left Mykonos! Next stop Paros, then Naxos. All passengers were given a full refund for the trip as a courtesy and appreciation.

Unloaded, I walked to my hotel, Hotel Katama, about 10 minutes. Checked in, got changed and headed to the beach and stayed for the sunset.

September 13, 2024
A former colleague reached out to me while I was in Athens. We are in Naxos at the same time and will be getting together! Tegan and Joe (her husband) met me at my hotel for breakfast. We then hopped into their car and went to see the Temple of Apollo.

Naxos’ Temple of Apollo – Portara is a huge marble gate is the island’s emblem and main landmark. Standing on the islet of Palatia, at the entrance to Naxos harbour and is connected with the Naxos mainland via a paved footpath. The spot offers one of the amazing places to see the sunset.

Walked around Naxos town

A huge basil plant….just wanted to climb into the plant it smelt so good.

The Castle of Naxos Town is actually the old Venetian town, is a Naxos sightseeing. It is a labyrinth of narrow backstreets and vaulted alleys.

Q

There we was a monastery within the castle that hosted two separate schools - for boys and girls.
The kitchen

There is a restaurant at the top of the castle, we stopped for a drink.

Next stop was Filoti, a semi-mountainous village of central Naxos. Filoti is located at the foot of Mt. Zas (Zeus). People hike to Mount Zas for two reasons; 1. Mount Zas is the highest peak in the Cyclades region and 2. Mount Zas also referred to as Mount Zeus is the childhood home of the Greek God himself. What makes this hike even more special is that you can visit the cave Zeus is said to have grown up in. I did not do the hike!

Sights around Filoti.

Thank you Teagan and Joe for inviting me along today. Very special memories were made.

I headed out for a light dinner and the sunset!

September 14, 2024
Today is my last full day in Naxos. I had thought I wanted to rent a scooter to explore the island, but I decided against it. I decided to get on the local bus and explore some of the top beaches.

After breakfast, I bought my tickets at the bus station. I don’t think it was a great day to go because of the heavy winds.

First beach, Agios Prokopios Beach, ranks as the island’s most acclaimed.

In this area, you will find a salt lake with a distinctive pink colour that is home to birds and other wildlife. The pink- red colour of the water is very salty due only to the growth of microorganisms.

Agios Anna Beach was a disappointment! It’s not only a beach but it’s a port. So there are boats tied up in the bay. Last one was Plaka Beach. This is a long stetch of beach. I walked for a bit to look for a good spot to set up but I decided to leave instead. There were so many nude European men…. I am not a prude busy any means! Also strong winds pushed the water line very high up on the beach.

I boarded the bus back and came back to St. George’s beach. it was still blowing but I managed to find a dry spot on the beach. Had an early dinner and caught the sunset.

September 7, 2024
Well, it’s been a month of stress and changes! I can say “ I AM HERE!”

My trip started with attending the Pink concert the night before! This concert was canceled a year ago.

I was lucky to have a friend drive me to the airport, so we had a whole day in Vancouver. We drove around reminiscing and exploring where I grew up! My old house on is still standing! We went for a walk in IKEA, and stopped at the River Rock Casino! I grabbed a quick won ton soup and won $100 before I headed to the airport!

September 8, 2024
My Munich flight to Athens was delayed by about 1 hour. Took the Metro to my Airbnb, grabbed a Greek salad then walked around!

September 9, 2024
Headed out early, grabbed a tea and cinnamon bun for breakfast!

Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens

Little Kookland and Umbrella Alley….kinda a weird place

Walked to Monastiraki Flea Market.

Eplored The Agora of Athens. The Agor was one of the most important parts of an ancient city of Athens, the marketplace and civic center. In addition to being a place where people gathered to buy and sell all kinds of commodities, it was also a place where people assembled to discuss all.

Bought a ticket on the Hop On and Off bus. So much easier to see the sites.

Headed back to my Airbnb to take a nap! Exhausted because I didn’t sleep on the plane or last night. Slept most of the day away.

September 10, 2024
I love these sidewalk cafes! Breakfast and tea was delicious in the morning rain.

The Acropolis is an UNESCO site. An acropolis is defined by the Greek definition, Acro meaning “highest; edge”and polis meaning “city.” It served as a highly functional form of protection, a fortress, and as a home to the royal of a city and a centre for religion through the worshipping of different gods.

A tortoise

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a stone theatre structure that was built by the Athenian magnate Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife in the slopes of the Acropolis. A steep-sloped theatre with a three-story stone front wall and wooden roof it was used as a venue for music concerts with a capacity of five thousand people. Today, it is one of the main music theatres of the city. Artists who have performed at the Odeon include Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavarotti, Sting, Elton John, Andrea Bocelli, just to name a few.

The Gateway, Propylaia functioned as the monumental ceremonial gateway to the Acropolis of Athens.

The amazing view of the City of Athens.

The Parthenon was a temple, dedicated to Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, and it stands as a monument to democracy and history.

The Temple of Athena Nike, situated at the Acropolis of Athens, is a small but significant structure dedicated to Athena Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.

Visiting the Acropolis felt so unreal! The history!

We then moved on to the Acropolis Museum.

After the tour, I went exploring and shopping. Stopped for lunch and postcard writing.

This was dinner - carrot cake and Greek green tea!

My view from the deck of my Airbnb.

September 11, 2024
Grabbed a breakfast, then hopped on the Hop on and off bus.

Temple of Olympian Zeus

Stopped at the Parliament to watch the changing of the guards. The "routine" Change of the Guard take place every one hour 24/7, it involves two incoming and two outgoing sentries supervised by a "Corporal of the Change". The Grand Change of the Guard takes place on Sunday mornings. The ceremonies take place at the Presidential Mansion and at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The soldiers wear Pom Pom's on their shoes and march differently. The pompon on the tip of the tsarouchi is also said to symbolize the tree of liberty. When worn by soldiers, inside the pompon, there is traditionally a small blade that symbolizes the kick that the brave man who wears it will give to every enemy who dares to threaten or hurt the tree of liberty. The nails are beat into the soles of their shoes and creates a metal sound every time they take a step. The sound is symbolic, it's made so that their ancestors can hear that the Greeks are alive and free. As for the different marching, the tale goes that when the young King Otto moved from Bavaria to Greece to take the throne, he could no longer hear the sounds he loved - that of horses. So he made his guards walk in this fashion to replicate the sound and therefore, make him feel like he was closer to home.

Next stop was the Panathinaiko Stadium. The Panathenaic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium and one of the main historic attractions of Athens, it is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. The stadium held the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1896 Olympics.

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Decided to hike Lycabettus Hill. Mount Lycabettus is a Cretaceous limestone hill in the Greek capital Athens. At 277 meters (908 feet) above sea level, its summit is the highest point in Central Athens and pine trees cover its base.

IMG_4338

Home, showered and headed out for dinner to Restaurant Scholarhio. Delicious calamari, a huge Greek salad, a juice and a carrot pie for dessert only cost me $20 Eur.

Sat on my deck for a quiet and cal sunset.

It is my last night in Athens. I am up early to catch a ferry to Naxos!

August 5
We spent the morning at the pool after breakfast on the beach.

Checked out and headed to the airport. Our flight was delayed by 20 minutes.

As we left the hotel, Brad picked up another 1.5 kg of the chip spices that Lou had sent over.

Denpasar to Hong Kong

Hong Kong to Vancouver…slow flight home

Hopped on the skytrain, after many many hours on the plane, to check into the River Rock Hotel.

August 6
Brad headed for his flight to Portland and I headed back to Nanaimo.

I was hoping to have had a few diving pictures of the Molas but the couple we dove with has not sent it. Thanks for following!

August 3
Up this morning and finished packing. Brad was sad this morning because his iPhone stopped working. He got it wet in the pool yesterday and it just stopped working.

Brad and I got another couple massage this morning before we left. Met up for the last time with Lou, David, and Eli. I got my cuddles in today!

We said our tearful goodbye and headed to catch the ferry to Sanur.

We are going to miss Deep Roots Dive & Yoga Resort. Here are a few pics of his beautiful resort.

Checked into the Maya Sanur Resort and Spa for our last 2 days.

While at Deep Roots Dive & Yoga on Nusa Penida, Brad fell in love with the chips they served. He asked Lou where he could get the seasoning for the chips. She sent David ti all the grocery stores in Nusa Penida to look for it…. Nothing on the island! However, she did find some in Sanur and it was waiting for us when we arrived!

BUT…… that wasn’t enough for Brad. We walked and walked to all the grocery stores in the area looking for more!

We found a few more packages.

Stopped at the Night Market for a delicious dinner.

We walked over 19,000 steps!

August 4
Woke up early to see the sunrise.

Had breakfast on the beach, then stopped at a French bakery called Daily Baguette.

We spent the day at the pool….eating our goodies from the bakery!

Headed out for a walk on the seawall. Went back to the grocery store to look for more seasoning!

Some of the beautiful doors here in Sanur.

Back to the hotel to pack after dinner and ice cream. We leave tomorrow for home!