Day 11 - Sifnos

The island of Sifnos is part of the Cyclades chain and a bit smaller than Milos. Because of this, I assumed it would be more rustic and sleepy, but it appears not to be the case. In fact, it's a pretty happening little port town, and there were pleasant surprises for us everywhere. First off, the main drag of the town is really nice, with lots of neat shops and food everywhere. Best of all, it wasn't tacky and kitschy, but rather interesting.

In fact, we learned that in the early days, Sifnos was the source of gold and silver for the Greek empire, but that it was now known for it's pottery. The clay deposits make it an ideal location to make all sorts of pieces in the native style, though I'm not sure what that is. Either way, there are ceramic shops all over town, and many of the artists let you into their shops to watch them make their wares. It's really cool and they're super friendly.

Also, there is quite a scene on this island, not just of European tourists, but regular travelers from all over the world. They all seem to come back to Sifnos again and again, and over time, as we learned about this and met the people, we began to understand why. There is a warmth and general cool vibe about the place. It's the people.

Our hotel was the Delphina, with was on the outskirts of town, at the end of the road. This made it a quiet locale, and we are able to walk into town in about 10 minutes. It's a beautiful walk, and we get to see the locals en route and practice saying hello. The hotel is clean, like every place we've stayed in, and the hotel includes breakfast, which is huge for the frugal traveler like myself. The fact that it's included makes me forgive the blandness of the coffee (it tastes like NYC diner coffee) and the fact that the juice is in fact Tang. Either way, I'm grateful for the meal. With breakfast taken care of, we can eat, explore the island, swim, hang with the locals, and then pick up dinner in town. The hotel has a restaurant, but we wanted to explore the local fare.

The first night, we unloaded our bags, then walked to the main drag. The restaurants and shops are just beginning to awaken from their Winter hibernation, and again, not everything is open, and not all of the dishes the restaurants offer are available. Enough to have a killer meal, however. What's cool about Sifnos is that in light of the pottery tradition, many of the restaurants use the old world style of cooking, which uses the pottery to make all sorts of stews. Our first night, we went to one of them, Symos, and had this amazing pork stew and a chicken stew. They were great, and Symos is one of the few restaurants that cooks with meat and veggies that they raise themselves. In other words, local is in on the Greek Islands. I rather like that idea. There are a couple of other places, but we couldn't find them.

After supper, we had ice cream and cookies, trying out the island specialty, almond cookies. Sifnos is apparently famous for them, and some I liked, while others I could take or leave. The kids were in my camp, but R loved them all. They use rose water to make some of them. Go figure.

The hotel has a tiny pool, and we tried to go for a swim, but was it ever cold. Only N was man enough to brave the arctic chill, so we spent the time just hanging out and A and I even practiced our karate katas, though I got a little self conscious with people walking past.

Overall, our first night in Sifnos was really nice, and there were more pleasant surprises to come. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to RIC for the pics.

Day 11 - On to Sifnos

Since I am having some trouble with Blogger, not to mention the uncertainty of finding good internet, I'll try to catch up on this blog and get as many entries in as possible. As you might have guessed, I am hopelessly behind on these posts. We are on day 14 of our trip, so that gives you some idea of where I stand, but that's mainly because we have been having a great time and there's not much time to write. I figured we'd be on the islands, sitting on a deck soaking up the sun, and I would have tons of free time to blog, but that has not been the case. This is not a bad thing, mind you, I'm just behind.

Anyway, enough of ranting. After three days, we were off to Sifnos, another of the Greek chain. I learned there are thousands of islands that are part of Greece, and they break them up into regions. We are in the Cyclades, which is the central part of the Agean. You could spend a lifetime investigating these islands, and we would love to travel them more. I personally would love to check out Crete, but more on that later.

We were sad to say goodbye to Milos, I really enjoyed it there, and liked our hosts very much. We had a ferry to catch, however, and that meant getting to Adamas. We left the car at the hotel, where they said they'd pick it up (no hassles), and then a cab came to get us. It was the same driver who picked us up, and when I tried to converse with him, he'd give me a quick smile, nod, and then return his attention to running over pedestrians. You have to love that kind of focus.

We spent zero time in Adamas during our stay, but had some time to check it out while waiting for the ferry. Our hosts contacted the travel agent who contacted the cab and had them pick us up early so we'd have time at the port. It's like many port towns, lots of tourist oriented businesses like gift shops, lots of food, and rental car agencies. Business was clearly slow, and many of the businesses were closed, a fact we experienced again and again when we went searching for food on Milos. Many, if not most, of the restaurants were not even open yet.

Also, we had a funny experience with the ferry. The boat was supposed to leave at 1:00, and we got to the dock around 12:00. We had something to drink, and got a snack, and the kids played with the cats while R took pictures and I sat and watched the locals.

The boat was sitting there the entire time, but a large crowd of people was standing around behind a gate. Being the sheep that we are, we simply got in with the crowd and waited. At some point, R indicated that she was a little concerned because the boast was slated to leave in ten minutes, and nobody was getting on. The gangplank was down and open, it's just that all the people were standing there.

R finally took out her tickets and asked some of the people standing in line what the deal was. After glancing at her ticket, the guys realized it was our boat, and it was about to launch. All of a sudden, all these people started screaming in Greek for the ferry to wait for us. It was quite a scene. It turns out that there was a ferry coming right after this one, and that was what all the people were waiting for.

Either way, the guard came over and told us to calm down, we still had ten minutes. He let us through, and we got on, relieved. The ferries run only once every few days, so if you miss your boat, you're out of luck. There are some who embrace the whimsical nature of travel and feel that if you miss the boat, then you get to spend more time on this beautiful island, but us neurotic Americans who feel the need to control our world and live by a schedule often times have a hard time understanding this.

We made the boat, and it was immediately apparent that we were practically the only people on board. Kind of eerie. We had the pick of any seat in the house, and made ourselves at home, though the question ran through my head, why were all those other people not on this ferry. It was redolent of an episode of Twilight Zone. Plus, since the wind has been so bad, the ride was rough, and I encountered some mild inklings of getting seasick. The boat was pitching pretty significantly, though the kids didn't blink an eye. I found myself having to go up on the deck for fresh air, and R spent most of the trip up there. I eventually came downstairs and took a nap, though I woke up with a bit of a headache. The kids got a huge kick out of giving me a hard time for being such a wimp.

Thankfully, the trip was short, and we arrived in Sifnos. Though I was sad to say goodbye to Milos, I would soon learn that we loved and enjoyed Sifnos even more, but that's a story for another blog entry.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to RIC for the pics.

Life in Milos - Finding Our Groove

We have settled nicely into a wonderful groove on the island. If we'd had more time, we could have become even more comfortable, but you can only do so much in three days. We are enjoying ourselves immensely, and were sad to leave.

The section that we are in is called Pollonia, and it is quieter than the main port of Adamos, though clearly you can see that they are gearing up for the tourist rush. Not a bad way to be, actually. You work like a dog for three months dealing with all sorts of tourists, and then you get 8 months off to vacation and travel. How can you beat that? It sure beats working like a dog in America 60 hours a week for a company that will fire you in a heartbeat if it can save money outsourcing your job to another country. There is something to be said about the European way of protecting worker's rights. I know the old argument about the liberal approach to industry lessens a country's competitiveness in the global marketplace, but that argument doesn't hold true for countries like Germany, or even to some degree France, whose economies are competitive with America but also protect the worker. AND, even if those European countries are not the supreme economies of the world, think of how much more the people there enjoy life and get to spend time with their families. The reality is, the state of the American family is eroding, but I'll leave it at that.

Anyway, life sure is good over here in the islands, though if I had to make one adjustment to the whole lifestyle, it would be the presence of waves that we could surf. If there were waves and I could teach the kids to surf, then life would be perfect. The search continues. I'm confident that we'll find our perfect family vacation spot.

Over here on Milos, there are no waves, but lots of other good things. The calm waters are better for the kids to swim in, even though it has been unseasonably cool. As I mentioned, we don't mind, and if it were 100+ degrees, I'd be miserable. The mornings are especially nice, with a cool breeze and quiet streets. I usually get up first and walk into town to the bakery, where they have all sorts of breakfast pastries and fresh bread. The woman who runs it is super friendly, and works from the early morning until the evening because she's the only game in town.

We usually go with the spinach pies and the bacon/cheese pies, with fresh croissants and bread. Throw in some OJ, coffee, and a chocolate croissant, et voila, the perfect Euro breakfast. The only thing we've been having a hard time tracking down is fresh fruit, which is a staple in our home.

After breakfast, the kids hit the beach and play in the sand while R and I read or I try to write. A&N can play in the water for hours, especially if there is sea life to investigate. There are cool tide pools right in our front yard, so they enjoy that. At some point, we pile into the car and search for a beach. Again, we can spend hours on the beach, swimming and exploring the coastline. After several hours, we're hungry, so we head into town and find a restaurant and have our big Greek meal, which has thus far always included Greek salad and Tzatziki, which is this killer garlic and cucumber yogurt dip that you toss down with crusty bread. We've been trying to eat as much of the local cuisine as possible, and there is a definitely a Middle-Eastern influence. They have these chick-pea balls that are basically falafels, and many of the dips remind me of Persian food, not to mention the kabobs. Great stuff.

After supper, we head back to our cottage and then spend the evening hours on the beach, going for a walk, or if we're brave enough, swimming. Then it's time for bed. You can't beat it, unless, of course, there were waves and we could surf. We have been sleeping like rocks, and we feel amazing rested. Plus, we've been eating fairly healthy, not to heavy, and definitely less in terms of quantity. The biggest thing is no snacking, which when you get down to it, adds a huge number of calories to your diet.

One last note, I've been drinking instant coffee, which what they offer you in your cottage, which is not something I normally do at home, but I have to confess, it ain't half bad. Granted, it's instant espresso, but it's fairly good. Better than the brewed stuff they offer you in the reception, which I couldn't drink. Those crazy cats at Nestles have gotten it right. I've become a believer.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to RIC for the pics.

The Euro Bathroom Experience

One thing you notice when you first stay in Europe is that the bathrooms are different. Not just in size, which is generally smaller, but in style. They look hip and stylish, albeit smaller, with the showers tending to have the hand held head, which can be nice at times. The toilets also look and work differently. In fact, when I first encountered them, it took a few moments, at least it took me a few moments, to figure out how the things worked. The flush mechanisms are often on the wall behind the seat, and there are two settings, a low flush for #1 and a big flush for #2. There is usually less water in the bowl than what Americans are probably used to, leading to an interesting bathroom experience, to say the least. This also sometimes requires that additional flushing ensue after the deed is done.

This is nothing compared to the toilets you see in Asia, and I've seen in France, even Paris. They just have a hole in the ground, and for a guy doing a #1, it's no problem, but any situation that requires dropping your pants down puts you in a compromising position, to say the least. If you're not used to it, it will lead to a wealth of humorous anecdotes that you can share with your friends after the fact, though while you're in the midst of it, it's not the least bit amusing.

However, the one thing that I'm still not really used to is the fact that, in many places, including Athens and all of the Greek Islands, is that you cannot flush the paper down the toilet. It takes some getting used to. I remember in Costa Rica seeing this, but that was 20 years ago in a fairly undeveloped country in Latin America. I figured European countries would have it together by now, but it makes you realize that some of these cities are so crowded and the infrastructure is so old that they just can't handle toilet paper.

Either way, it's a bit odd at first when you toss the paper in the trash can, and kind of goes against all that you're used to in the States, but as they say in the old country, "C'est la vie."

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Day 9 and 10 - Milos

I didn’t know this, but the famous statue, Venus de Milo, which is in the Louvre, was actually discovered on the island of Milos. Kind of makes sense when you think about it. There is a movement to get the statue back to the island, where some think it truly belongs. I’m not sure the French will give it up so easily, not without a fight.

We decided to rent a car in order to really get a sense of the island and to explore. It’s not that expensive, about $25/day, and talk about no hassles. The guy showed up at our hotel, we paid him, and he handed us a key. He said to just leave the car at the hotel on the day of our departure, and suddenly, we were mobile.

There were two main beaches that were recommended to us, and we wanted to check them out, bearing in mind that it was cool, and the water was not as inviting. On our first full day, we drove over to the East side of the island to a beach called something Greek, known for it’s white stone beaches carved into the rocks by wind and erosion. Very striking and beautiful to see, and the little cove offered a nice swimming area for the kids to play in. When we explored the surrounding area, it was a pretty impressive sight, with amazing rock formations in the ocean. There was also this extensive network of caverns that went on and on. I wasn’t sure if they were man made or natural, but they were impressive, though reaked of urine and who knows what else. Consequently, we didnt’ spend a lot time there.

The other beach, also called something Greek, on the South side, which was recommended to us by Mika. He said if you go to only one beach, go there, and sure enough it was beautiful. Maybe the most beautiful beach I’d seen on this trip, very quiet and pretty. Also, it is sheltered from the wind by the cliffs, so by noon, it was warm and nice, making swimming that much more enjoyable. There was also a beautiful sailboat docked just off the beach, adding to the aura.

Because it’s the off season, and unseasonably cool, the beach was fairly quiet. I’m guessing that once the busy season sets in, these beaches get inundated with people, which if fine when you’re young, hip, and look better naked, none of which applies to me. For families with kids, it was just right, and the kids had a blast all day swimming, playing in the sand, and looking for rocks and shells.

After the beach, we headed back into the town of Pollonia, where the restaurants are gearing up for the busy season, and ate at one of the restaurants recommended by Mika, where we had grilled anchovies, pork chops, Greek spaghetti, and of course, Greek salad, which has been a staple for us on this trip.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to RIC for the pics.

Day 8 - Athens to Milos

I am having trouble with Blogger, so my posts have been inconsistent. Sorry about that.

We spent our last half day in Athens scrambling to find myself a patch with the Greek flag. In the past, I’ve collected pins with the national flags and pinned them to my backpack, and then proceeded to lose them all, which is a bummer, because the pins are cool, and we gotten them from some pretty cool places, but such is life. My new plan is to buy patches, and then sew them on. Problem solved, as long as I manage to actually sew the things on.

The city was really nice in the AM, again, not unlike NYC. Cool, quiet, and peaceful, though only a handful of vendors were open at that hour. The ones that were open were much less aggressive, and were even helpful in my quest to find a patch, steering me in the right direction. After about 15 minutes, N and I managed to score a flag, and then it was back to the hotel to meet R&A and await our cab.

We had two cabs (again!) coming to pick us up to take us to the harbor where we were to catch a ferry to the island of Milos. There are hundreds of islands, some big enough to have an airport, but most accessible only by boat. The ferries are actually fairly affordable, about $20 US, and they run regularly, though apparently they go on strike now and then, leaving you to scramble to find alternate transport.

The cabs were sensible enough to send the second driver home, so we all piled into the car and headed to the dock, where we got an interesting view of the city. It definitely gets a little rough and seedy towards the docks, and you could see a preponderance of sex shops and strip bars as you got closer to the water, not to mention people selling all sorts of stuff on the sidewalks. Not drugs, mind you, but the kind of stuff I kind of like, and one of the reasons I loved living in NYC. It’s like an open market bazaar, though quite a sight for the kids to see.

The ferry was huge. The company we went with was Agean, and they were slated to go on strike while we were in Milos, so the travel agent had to book us on an alternative carrier when we left for Sifnos in a few days. Either way, the boats are huge, and fairly comfortable inside. The ride was smooth, and there are food and drinks available onboard. There is even internet, though you have to pay for it. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

The ride was fun, the kids enjoyed it, and nobody got seasick. The ride was about 4 hours long, which wasn’t so painful because the kids got to explore the boat and there were even some interesting things to watch on the big screen TV. Since the boat was only about 1/4 full, we were pretty much free to roam about. Keep in mind, it is slow season, and things really start to cook around June/July/August, the busy season.

The harbor in Milos is called Adamas, and it’s the main part of the island where you can get a hotel, rent a car, and get all sorts of food. We were staying in the town of Pollonia, which is a little quieter and on the other side of the island, about a 15 minute drive. The cab picked us up and drove us over there, and like most cab drivers we’ve encountered, drove way too fast and nearly ran over about a dozen of the locals. From a passenger’s POV, it can be fairly entertaining.

The first thing that strikes you about the island is the beauty. The islands strikes me as a bit dry, not much in the way of lush grass or trees, and lots of scrub brushes, much like California. They have water shortages in Milos, and use desalination but still ask guests to conserve. The towns are the typical white-washed buildings and houses with the deep blue trim, just like you see in photgraphs. Really striking, especially against the backdrop of the ocean. They’re really nice to see.

We settled into our hotel and it was beautiful, and not really a hotel, actually. More like guest cottages, like visiting a friend. The owners are a really nice couple, Mika and Roula, and they were super friendly. The first thing we did was get on our swim suits and jump in the Mediterranean. It was cold.

They have had very unusual weather this year, and without exception, all of the locals we’ve talked to comlained about the cold. They say by Easter you can swim, but it was too cold when we had arrived. Not too cold for Vermonters, of course.

One last piece of interesting information. At the beginning of our trip, before we had even left the bus terminal at Dartmouth Coach, there was a travel article in the Valley News about Milos. Talk about coincidences, how cool is that?

We have three days hear until we head to Sifnos, so until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to RIC for the pics.

Day 7 - Touring Athens

How could we come to this city and not succumb to some degree to the consumer spirit? The kids are interested in some of the kitschy memorabilia, and we've had to be mean and stingy parents as we constantly tell them that they can't have rubber balls with the Greek flag on them or snow globes with the Parthenon in them. It doesn't snow here... actually, that's not true. I learned on this trip that it actually does snow in Athens, and for that matter, much of Greece, but don't tell that to the kids.

The hotel we are at includes breakfast with the room, which I know I've mentioned is a quality that I love in a hotel. You just can't beat it. In Turkey I developed a routine where I make it obvious that I'm from the States by pigging out at the breakfast buffet, while all of the Europeans simply have a croissant and cup of coffee. I don't know how they do it, but with a big breakfast, I can make it until supper, and have been surviving well on two meals a day. It's the way to go, plus you save money. Anyway, I love breakfast buffets, I can't help myself.

After breakfast, we went up to the roof again to see our goal for the day, the Acropolis. The plan was to hike up hill, see the Parthenon, and take a picture of it with our Grateful Dumpling sign to show why we worked so hard all Summer. The culmination of our hard work, so to speak. We packed our stuff and went on our way. To get to the Acropolis, we had to walk through the heavy tourist section, and I couldn't help, once again, but wonder how these guys make a living. They all sell the same stuff. Why go to one over the other? How do they compete, and how do they survive? They are all desperate to sell you their t-shirts and trinkets, and their shops are all in a row, literally dozens of them. I will say this, they are all very friendly, and when you let them down easy, they are very nice about it. If anything, it makes me feel guilty for not buying anything... hey, now it all makes sense.

We hiked up to the Acropolis, and it's pretty impressive, especially in light of the fact that they built the thing without a single machine. Those slabs of marble weigh tons, and some poor worker, or slave, pushed it up some ramp to get it here. Simply amazing. We had plenty of chances to get a good pic, and the place up there was packed with people. There were actually a lot of school groups, probably Greek school kids learning about their heritage and how it literally created Western civilization. Not a bad way to make your mark on the world. They should be proud.

We also got busted by the Parthenon hall monitor. There was this lady walking around doing who knows what, and when she saw us taking a picture with the sign unfurled, she flipped out. She started blowing this whistle and screaming at us, "NO SIGNS!" How embarrassing! We apologized and got out of their fast, but not before we got our pic. It was all so James Bond of us.

We headed down the hill to see other important ruins, most of which I was not familiar with, but of course R knew all about because of her interest in art history. Really cool artifacts, and still in such good shape. There are ruins all around the city, and they've done a fairly good job building the city around them. In that way, it's not unlike Rome, where all these fabulous old buildings are amongst the rest of the modern, functioning city. Somehow, however, Rome does a nicer job of mixing things in together. Maybe it's because the historic buildings in Rome are from the Renaissance era, and are thus not as old. Either way, it's neat to be walking amongst these ruins.

As I mentioned, there are tons of American tourists out here, and we actually met a bunch of young guys who graduated from UVM. They were visiting the city, maybe doing the after-college Euro tour thing. I knew a lot of people who did that after college. After seeing the sites, we decided to brave the crowds and eat amongst the masses. We chose a restaurant amongst the many and ordered a bunch of seafood, which I love, but the kids took with a grain of salt. Something about the tentacles of squid and octopus that didn't go over too well. The octopus was killer, though, so tender and delicious. I like it cooked plain, with maybe a little olive oil and vinegar, not too heavy on the sauce. We also got whole anchovies and sardines, complete with the heads. This, too, didn't make everyone at the table too happy. However, we were able to stash several of the fish in our napkin to feed the cat family across the square, which the kids really enjoyed. There are feral cats everywhere in this town, not to mention Istanbul, as well. It's amazing how many you see.

After supper, we went back to the hotel to gaze at the Acropolis and eat ice cream and chocolate. It was our last night in Athens, and we are off to the Islands in the morning. Until then, thanks for reading.