At The Crossroads of History
Any trip that is worth remembering should include challenges making connections, navigating through international airports, knowing when to ask for help and most importantly a great sense of humor. If these are the benchmarks for the beginning of a great trip, then we most certainly checked those off. Inadvertently booked on separate flights, we parted ways at the Atlanta airport only to meet up in Amsterdam 8.5 hours later. It was an easy flight and we all actually got some sleep. We did not have long in Amsterdam and our short stay was made even shorter when I took us to the wrong gate! My error meant a “brief” cardio workout for the Bullet and as expected, we made it to the gate just before the flight closed.
Our flight into Turkey had us arriving in the new airport in Istanbul. As we deborded the plane, we were amazed at how modern and big the airport was. We then realized we did not have a visa so we had to purchase one before passing passport control. $90 later and we were officially in the country. Unfortunately, only my bag arrived and it took us 2 hours to fill out the proper paperwork and get through customs only to find that our shuttle driver left. No worries, we hired Mario Andretti to take us via taxi to our airport. Julie made the mistake of riding in the back seat and when I turned to check on her she was a lovely shade of green. “Window down, window down, por favor.”……….”Um, I believe that is Spanish and he speaks Turkish”. Luckily, our driver spoke southern sign language and he obliged. As we whizzed through traffic, deeper and deeper into the heart of the city, the culture and history of Istanbul came to life. Honking horns, people on the go, depictions of Ataturk (patriarch of Turkey) and the sound of the call to prayer all came together like a patchwork quilt.
When we arrived at our hotel we were pleasantly surprised with its proximity to The Bosphorus. We were even more pleased when we opened the door to our room. Our reactions were similar to that of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when the gates of Oz opened for the first time. Our room was HUGE and half of the entire room was glass and it faced the Bosphorus. Anyone who travels with me knows what a joy it is for me to see the excitement in my travel companions eyes when they experience something for the first time. To see that in the Silver Bullet’s eyes makes it even more meaningful. The bellman pulled the curtains back and made the view even better and she was stunned with amazement. We totally forgot about the challenges of the day as we sat mesmerized by a 30 km straight that not only joined Asia and Europe but has been a significant geographical point for centuries. As we all checked in with people back home, we were able to FaceTime with Ada (the Bullet’s sister). As I came out of the bathroom, I heard the Bullet say “Oh yeah. We are staying right on the Straight of Boris. It’s beautiful”. I took a quick glance at Julie and we both fell out laughing. “What? What did I say?”………”Well, we are staying on the Bosphorus Straight but I’m sure the Straight of Boris is beautiful too!”…..”Y’all are so bad. Ada knew what I meant”.
Our first full day in Istanbul began by meeting our guide, Unal Ayadin, in the lobby a little before 9:00 p.m. I had contracted Unal after reading several positive reviews on Trip Advisor. We found Unal to be a complete delight. Not only was he patient and kind but also empathetic to our request to “take it slow” so the Bullet felt comfortable and rested. Most of the sites we saw on day 2 were within walking distance of each other so our driver took us to the Hippodrome for the first stop. Once the center of Byzantine civic life, the Hippodrome built by Emperor Septimus Severus in 203 AD and has a 3,500 year old obelisk that was brought to Istanbul by Turkey. From the Hippodrome we walked over to the Blue Mosque where we had to cover our heads with scarves and I had to put on a skirt to cover my legs. I had never been into a mosque so it was pretty fascinating to see how open the space was to accommodate the worshipers. Sometimes called the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Blue Mosque is easy to pick out in the Istanbul skyline because it has 6 minarets.
A short walk over to Hagia Sophia and our history lesson continued. As we were entering, you can not help but notice the similarities in architectural styles of other iconic churches such as St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London. The doors at the entry were at least 25 feet tall and huge! This mosque has a very compelling history that involves both the christian and muslim faith. The first two churches constructed on this site were actually raised and the current Hagia Sophia was commissioned by Emperor Justinian in 360 AD to “outdo” the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. This church would be the largest Christian church in the world for almost 1,000 years. This is where the story gets interesting. Following the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 AD, Sultan Mehmet declared the Hagia Sophia a mosque. Mehmet did not have the Christian mosaics inside the church destroyed by rather covered with plaster. In the late 1930’s, archeologist discovered the mosaics and have been working to restore them up to today.
After Hagia Sofia we walked over to Topkapi Palace, home to the Ottoman sultans for 400 years. It was commissioned by Mehmet the Conqueror. The palace has 4 courtyards, harem and an Imperial Council room where the Sultan would meet with his viziers. Loaded with incredible tile work and gold fixtures, the palace sits high above the waters edge and the restaurant offers some incredible views.
After lunch we hopped into a cab and went to a private demonstration of carpet weaving where we learned how the yarn is pulled from the silk worms, dyed and woven into incredible works of art. The afternoon took a funny turn when Julie decided to bargain with the salesman and he did not quite know how to deal with a southern woman on a mission. “Lady, lady, please give me calculator back. You don’t know how to use it.”……”Oh yes I do. You can sit right here beside me and call me precious but I AM going to hold this calculator and tell you what I will pay for that rug”. I fell out laughing and just sat back to watch the rest of the show. By the end of the demonstration we had purchased 3 rug and made a new friend. After we took our group picture and began to depart, Julie reminded our friend (pronounced AB - DOO - LAH with a drawl) that he had friends in Georgia, not the country, if he ever made it back to the US.
A short walk through the streets and we were at the Grand Bazaar. I have wanted to go to the Bazaar for a long time and did not really know what to expect. Over the course of history, you read about farmers and merchants traveling from far away places to sell or trade their goods at the Bazaar. On the inside, it’s a bit crazy. Packed with 4,000 shops across 52 streets, you can buy just about anything in there. If I heard “hey lady” once, I heard it 1,000 times. I was reminded of several places I have visited before in some way or another like Chinatown in NYC. We did not stay too long as we were all tired and ready to get off our feet. We picked up a few thing like Turkish delight and a backgammon set before heading back to the hotel. Unal was pretty entertained at our bargaining methods and said we actually did pretty well for first timers. We enjoyed Unal so much that we hired him for a 3rd day.
After we rested for a few hours at the hotel, we met a friend (Belma Hasserbetci) for dinner. We sat and reminisced about Darlington and the experience her daughter Servet had there as a student when I was a Head of House. Belma was a remarkable host and ordered us the most amazing food. We had lamb chops, chicken, ribs, kaftka, and kebabs among assorted sides. We finished with pistachio baklava with vanilla ice cream and were miserably full by the end of the meal. We said our goodbyes and waddled back to the room where we crashed pretty hard.
The next morning we met Unal downstairs and departed for Dolombahce Palace, home of the last six sultans dating from the mid-1800’s to 1924, when the Caliphate was abolished. Power was transferred to the new Turkish Republic and its founder and 1st President (Mustafa Ataturk) moved into the palace. No flash photos were allowed but I did manage to capture a bit of the opulence that is consistent with a sultan’s palace. Beautiful tile, marble Hamam, and incredible views of the water. There is a HUGE hall at the end of the tour with a 4.5 ton chandelier that is enormous. Outside, the gardens are immaculate and are colorful.
After the palace, we walked about 3 blocks over to the pier where we took a boat for a cruise on the Bosphorus. It was quite interesting to see both the Asian and European sides from the water. There were quite a few “summer houses” on the water for the sultans that were no less than 1 mile from each other. We turned around under a huge suspension bridge that connects the two continents and made our way back to the pier where our driver was waiting to pick us up. Unal wanted to show us Taksim Sauare, site of several political protests as well as to take us to one of his favorite spots to eat, Haci Abdullah. As the doors opened, the smell of fresh spices and herbs escaped and we drifted in like cartoon characters. We made our way to the back and found a buffet of entrees and sides that all looked delicious. I chose the lamb shank, Julie had a rice dish and the Bullet chose lamb for the 3rd straight day. It was by far the best meal we had had so far and I did not leave one bite!
After lunch we stopped by a ceramic showroom where we were given a demonstration but didn’t get sucked in to purchasing anything before we made our way to the Egyptian Spice Market. Much like the Grand Bazaar, the spice market is loaded with people and very friendly salesmen. We picked up some nice tea and almost made it out before Julie caught her eye on some nice linen pieces in a store. As we entered, the salesman was quite funny and immediately taken with Julie’s approach to bargaining. She wanted to pick up a few small pieces of jewelry for her nieces and the game began. As the Bullet and I sat and watched the show, we were offered Turkish tea, which generally means “thank you for stopping by. We appreciate your patronage”. As the bargaining would down…….or I should say, as Julie wore him down, the salesman kept repeating “ok lady. But be fair. What is your price?” At this point, Julie grabs the calculator (known as the Southern Death Nail) and says “this is what I’ll pay you”. Head down with a wry smile, the salesman counters with “Ok. How about you give me $200 and I give you 2 kisses?”…….”Um. No. How about I give you $100 and no kisses.”……Completely defeated, the salesman says “you are worse than Turkish lady to bargain with” which I am taking as compliment. Winner!!
20 minutes later and we are in the van headed for the hotel. Unal was completely entertained and complimented us again on the success of our bargaining. As we arrived back at the hotel, we said our goodbyes and offered him a place to stay if he ever made his way to Georgia.
On our last full day in Istanbul, we had some housekeeping items to attend to before we set out to see the sites. We grabbed a cab up to the Apple store to get Julie’s phone repaired which did not take too long but was a success. A showtime later and we were headed south to a percussion store I had looked up to buy a Turkish riq (tambourine) for a friend. As luck would have it, we stumbled onto a super cute neighborhood with several boutique shops as well as music shops. I was able to find the riq and we continued to walk south towards the water. We rounded the corner and dead infant of us was Galata Tower. Built in 1348, this 220 ft. tower was originally built to control the northern end of the sea chain by the Golden Horn. The line to get inside was crazy long so we took our pictures and kept walking. As we defended down the steep streets, I happened to notice a small restaurant with a Trip Advisor sign on the outside. We decided to give it a try for lunch and it ended up being very good. If you are looking for great food in a unique setting, give Bankalar Lokantasi a try. It’s tucked into a side street down by the water and when you enter you’d swear you were entering a wine cellar.
We had a very pleasant drive to the airport. Our driver and valet spoke very good English and we discussed pre-Trump Turkey and current Turkey and how current politics make it difficult for them to travel to the US. It was an interesting conversation and offered me a perspective I don’t usually have as citizen. Our valet assisted us through security up to passport control where we said our goodbyes and proceed into the nicest airport I have ever been through. Not only is it huge but it has all the high end shops like Hermes, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. The place was packed with people but extremely clean an incredibly beautiful. We made it to our gate where we met a young missionary from Kentucky who was traveling to Albania to meet his wife. We laughed and fellowship with him for about 30 minutes before we boarded the plane to Athens. Julie gave him 2 of her missionary bracelets to share the Word with others and we parted ways.
Through passport control and customs like nobody’s business, we found our driver and were headed to the airport in under an hour. The drive was only about 35 minutes and our sprinter van was super comfortable. Our hotel, the St. George Lyccabettus was in a great location and offered some pretty amazing views of the Acropolis. We checked in, dropped our bags, made a reservation for a private tour guide for the next day and caught a taxi over to the National Museum of Architecture. The museum has hundreds of artifacts predating Jesus by 9,000 years. I can’t even wrap my mind around that!
After the museum, we caught a cab down to the Acropolis where we found a nice restaurant with a view. We were early so they let us sit on the roof before the dinner rush. We enjoyed a wonderful meal of goat with gruyere cheese, lamb with roasted veggies and calimari. We ate til we were more than full and then ordered dessert. Our server recommenced what he called Milk Pie which turned out to be a fancy Greek Chess Pie in phyla dough but it was very good. A typical of the culinary world in Greece and Turkey, we asked for take away boxes because the food was too good to leave on the table. Our return trip to the hotel with our driver, Chris, took us by the Olympic Stadium where several Greek flags welcomed us to the birthplace of competitive sports. We snapped a few pics and kept making our way to the hotel where we quickly changed and crashed when we arrived.
We had a very pleasant drive to the airport. Our driver and valet spoke very good English and we discussed pre-Trump Turkey and current Turkey and how current politics make it difficult for them to travel to the US. It was an interesting conversation and offered me a perspective I don’t usually have as citizen. Our valet assisted us through security up to passport control where we said our goodbyes and proceed into the nicest airport I have ever been through. Not only is it huge but it has all the high end shops like Hermes, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. The place was packed with people but extremely clean an incredibly beautiful. We made it to our gate where we met a young missionary from Kentucky who was traveling to Albania to meet his wife. We laughed and fellowship with him for about 30 minutes before we boarded the plane to Athens. Julie gave him 2 of her missionary bracelets to share the Word with others and we parted ways.
Through passport control and customs like nobody’s business, we found our driver and were headed to the airport in under an hour. The drive was only about 35 minutes and our sprinter van was super comfortable. Our hotel, the St. George Lyccabettus was in a great location and offered some pretty amazing views of the Acropolis. We checked in, dropped our bags, made a reservation for a private tour guide for the next day and caught a taxi over to the National Museum of Architecture. The museum has hundreds of artifacts predating Jesus by 9,000 years. I can’t even wrap my mind around that!
After the museum, we caught a cab down to the Acropolis where we found a nice restaurant with a view. Our cab driver was a 60 year old spaniard who was slick as owl shit and very loud. “America…….Coke Cola……..I love you guys……”. Somehow he managed to dropped us as a flea market where “his friends” worked which consisted of all kinds cheap trinkets. We dodged the bullet and told him to take us to the restaurant and bid him adieu. We were early so they let us sit on the roof before the dinner rush. We enjoyed a wonderful meal of goat with gruyere cheese, lamb with roasted veggies and calimari. We ate til we were more than full and then ordered dessert. Our server recommenced what he called Milk Pie which turned out to be a fancy Greek Chess Pie in phylo dough but it was very good. A typical of the culinary world in Greece and Turkey, we asked for take away boxes because the food was too good to leave on the table. Our return trip to the hotel with our driver, Chris, took us by the Olympic Stadium where several Greek flags welcomed us to the birthplace of competitive sports. We snapped a few pics and kept making our way to the hotel where we quickly changed and crashed when we arrived.
Up and out early, we took breakfast on the balcony facing the Acropolis. It was pleasant and the view was pretty spectacular. Off the elevator we were greeted by a woman wearing a flowing purple dress with matching neon purple mascara complimented with red eye glasses. “Helloooooo. I am MEE-SHELL. I will be your tour guide today”. We introduced ourselves and I explained to her our need to take it slow as we waited for our taxi. Almost all of the taxis in Athens are Mercedes sedans so they are pretty nice. Loaded up and ready to go, Michelle began her presentation and BAM!!!! We hit a moped in front of us. Our taxi driver, much like all of the drivers in Athens, drove like a bat out of hell and greeted others with the same passion and enthusiasm as a pissed of New York cabbie at rush hour. Ten minutes later and a small payment of restitution to the moped driver and we were on our way. As we came to the intersection of Zeus’s Temple our driver made the mistake of hitting the breaks hard again and I may or may not have let and expletive slip. At this point, Michelle started giving him what for and there was no need to interpret her Greek. We knew exactly what she said and he was less than thrilled. It was hilarious!
We arrived at the base of the Acropolis around 9:00 a.m. and it was already really hot and crowded. The walk up is pretty steep and slippery at times. We paces ourselves and took breaks so the Bullet was comfortable. As we made our way to the top, we passed the Odeon Theater, site of many famous performances and concerts. It’s and open air amphitheater dating back to ???? Continuing up to the top, you can find the Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike, Proplyea and Erechtheion. The Parthenon was dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos and is considered the birthplace of democracy. At the top, there was quite a bit of restoration going on one side so we made our way around to the opposite side. Further on around we saw the Cariatids, sculpted female statues that support the porch of the Erechtheion. Further on around as we decended the steps we pass by the Areopagus rock where the apostle Paul preached to the Athenians, as mentioned in Acts. 17:16-34.
Further down the Dionysiou Aeropagitou (walkway), the Acropolis Museum was amazing. As we entered the museum, we walked over glass walkways that had entire settlements still intact below. It was a great introduction to the museum and the fantastic exhibits inside. Our tour guide was quite knowledgeable about greek mythology and history which proved to be quite captivating. I was not aware that the Parthenon was the first structure to be built entirely using the pythagorean method of ratios of 4:9. This is why there are 15 columns along the sides and 8 in the front and rear. Other things we learned were:
1. The symbol of the owl is often used when referring to the Acropolis because it denotes wisdom.
2. Minerals were crushed and used as pigment for many of the statues and sculptures. White was actually poisonous.
When we finished at the museum we said goodbye to Michelle and headed over to Plateia Monastiraki to do some shopping. We found some beautiful linen items and picked up a few things for loved ones. Our last stop was at place I had read about called Melissinos Art / Sandals where they will make you a custom pair of sandals on the spot. It took as a bit to find it but this tiny little gem was worth the hunt. Once a few people departed, we wiggled our way in and found a seat next to two delightful women from Ireland. As we made our acquaintances, a family from Jacksonville, Fla. came in and we played 6 degrees of separations only to figure out that we had mutual friends in Burgette Mooney’s daughter. Our Irish friends were super friendly and we exchanged contact information so they can give me some pointers on my upcoming trip to Dublin in March with my students. They were quite taken with the Bullet and even remarked “Oh my God. You are the cutest Blanche DuBuois”. With new sandals on my feet and new friends in my contact list, we stepped out of the store and hailed a cab back to the hotel. None of us were even remotely hungry so dinner was not a topic of conversation. When we arrived back at the hotel it took us about 10 minutes before all of us were fast asleep for a solid nap.
We spent the first half of the day down in the village looking for a roller bag because Julie and I purchased too much stuff! It was a bit of an Easter egg hunt at first but I am happy to say we were successful after we offended some women who said they were from a monastery and tried to shove a cross necklace onto us but when we did not give them money they certainly did not offer us any blessings.
At 1:00 p.m. we boarded the bus to head to the boat. The trip was short down to the dock and we were on board and in our cabin by 2:00 p.m. The ship is intimate and small and we had to be a bit creative in unpacking to get our bags out of the way but we managed. At 5:00 p.m. we set sail for Mykonos and the sunset was amazing.
We woke up this morning anchored in the harbor of Mykonos. Know for it’s vibrant nightlife and beautiful beaches, it’s hard not to fall in love with this islands located in the Cyclades. The buildings are all painted bright white, by law, and are accented with doors and windows painted in various shades of blue to represent the Aegean Sea. As we made our way around the village we meandered in and out of some shops of local artists and merchants. We sampled some baked goods that tasted similar to divinity with an almond on top and some baklava. The alleys were narrow and clean and as we passed each shop we were greeted with a very pleasant smile and “Yasas”. One of the most beautiful things we saw all day was the bougainviliea that was tucked into the alley ways. At one point, we turned a corner and both sides of the alley way had one on each side which made for a colorful tunnel to pass through as we shopped. Our tour guide showed us a 300 year old bakery, a church of St. Mary and 16th century windmills.
Later we boarded a bus to see the other side of the island where we toured a vineyard and sampled some authentic Greek wine. Of course, we bought a few bottles to bring back home to share. After our tour of the winery, we hoped back on to the bus where we went into town for a snack of mezze and ouzo. Let me just say that if you don’t like licorice you will not like ouzo. They poured us each a small shot and we all toasted with a loud “OPA”……and then knocked back what looked like a milky white shot. I immediately regretted my participation because there is nothing I dislike more than licorice! The Bullet did not care of it either but was much more diplomatic about her dislike than me. We were serenaded by two gentlemen singing traditional Greek songs playing a guitar and bouzouki. Back on the bus and headed back to town, we decided to walk back through the alley ways of town on our way to the boat tender. Julie made a new friend (shocker) in a merchant who happened to travel to Buckhead quite frequently. After a small snack of fried cheese with fig jam on top we boarded the tender and we’re on the boat in no time.
I can see why people flock to this island for holiday. The views are unbelievable no matter what time of day and the people are very more than friendly. We found the food to be fresh, creative and always presented with great appreciation for our patronage. Julie says if she doesn’t make the flight back to Atlanta, you may want to start looking for her in Mykonos.
Up and on the tender by 8:30 a.m., our day in Kusadasi, Turkey began with a tour of the ancient city of Ephesus. Recognized as UNESCO’s most famous historical sites, Ephesus is the place the Apostle Paul preached to the Ephesians. As we toured the ruins we saw incredible examples of Roman baths, jewelry merchants, and even the first water closet (bathrooms with crude plumbing). As we made our way down to the Celsius Library, I was struck by the ornate marble work on the columns and entry way complimented with Greek inscriptions. In ancient times, there were three very famous libraries including the one in Athens, the Celcus Library and that of Cleopatra in Alexandria. To the right of the library we walked down a long path lined with pillars that once led to the sea but were now full of beautiful pine trees. Thousands of years of silt have pushed the sea back 5 miles from where it used to sit at the edge of the city. Further down the path we came to the theater that seats 25,000 people. Although not initially quite so large, the theater had seats and rows added by the Romans as time passed. We departed Ephesus and made our way to the museum in town. It was small but laid out well and we were able to see the busts of statues from the site. Additionally, we saw remarkable statures of Artemis and Aphrodite (Goddess of Fertility) at the end of the exhibit. After the museum, we were taken to ta carpet merchant who gave us a presentation about carpet weaving and how they manufacture them by hand. What initially was a very interesting demonstration turned into an over the top sales pitch resulting in us walking outside to get away from all the pushy salesmen. Our tour guide came out to check on us which turned out to be delightful. Our guide, Zachary, was a history teacher in Izmir who taught Greek, French and Spanish as well. He was very knowledgeable about Islam, Christianity and Judaism which made his perspective invaluable. Zachary was quite taken with the Bullet and her blue eyes and called her “Mama” for the remainder of the tour. After about 30 minutes of fellowship with our new friend, we returned to the ship for 3-4 hours before our evening at Ephesus. Because we were sailing with Windstar, we were granted a unique experience to dine at the steps of the Celsius Library at dusk. We arrived to a beautiful set up for white table cloths and floral arrangements with a 3 piece chamber group playing classical music. At 8:00 p.m. the lights came on and it was magic. The ancient ruins took on a completely different look and dinner was fabulous. We sat with our friends, Erica and Wanda, from Dallas and laughed like school girls for the entire evening. Also at our table, was a nice couple from Scottsdale, Steward and Megan, that we met earlier in the day. Around 9:30 p.m., dinner ended and we all meandered back to the bus where we were almost catatonic from such a full day. As walked down the pier to the ship, we were able to capture some pretty cool images accurately depicting our day between two continents. We all said our goodbyes as we boarded the boat and called it a day.
When we woke up on day 5 anchored in the harbor of Patmos. One of the smaller Greek isles, Patmos is most famous for the Monastery of St. John and the Cave of the Apocalypse, is located in the town of Hora. The place where the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation while he was exiled from Ephesus. The Cave of the Apocalypse, is located in the town of Hora. As we waited for tickets, we introduced ourselves to a nice couple who were traveling with their daughter. Ivan and Blaine Allen and their daughter Taylor were from Buckhead, Ga. and it did not take long for us to figure out that we had a mutual friend in Harold Wyatt. Blaine snapped a picture of us and sent it to Little H and his response was classic. “The Silver Bullet and Sweet P!!” We then made the realization that this Ivan Allen was the grandson of the former Mayor of Atlanta. Small world!
We began with the cave and then made our way up to the Monastery of St. John. The walk up the hill was hot and steep but the interior was filled with beautiful frescos and works from 1088 AD. The tour continued to other parts of the monastery but the Bullet and I tapped out and opted for a cold beer with a view. We found a beautiful restaurant on the side of the cliff and several of our friends joined us. We ended up with 5-6 people at our table and Jimmie, our new Greek host, told us all about his time as a taxi driver in NYC and Harlem. He was an Iowa Hawkeye and professed to have friends in high places such as the CEO of Coke Cola. Refreshed and back on the bus, our group made our way to the next stop, a local restaurant with greek dancing, We enjoyed a nice selection of traditional greek dishes while the folk dancers twisted and turned their way around the restaurant. It was fun and a good end to a beautiful day.
The night before we arrived in Santorini I noticed there was a fog rolling in and the air was full of moisture. The next morning when we arrived up on deck the air was thick and the sun was out promising for a steamy day ahead. The village of Fira is located in the center of the island and is also the location of the cable car that takes you to the top of the cliffs. You can elect to ride a burro to the top if you don’t mind the smell and are feeling adventurous. For 6 euro each we opted for the cable car and made our way to the top. Just off the cable car, we met our guide (Dimitria Lola) whom I had contracted a few weeks prior. Dimitria and her husband Thomas were both from Greece and now called Santorini home for 8 months of the year as full time tour guides.
We all loaded up in a nice van and headed north to Oia, the most picturesque part of the island. Known for it’ blue domes and white buildings, Oia, sees approximately 10,000 visitors per day, mostly from the cruise ships that are anchored in the harbor. We spent about 1.5 hours taking pictures, shopping and enjoying the views before we headed south to Akrotiri. Akrotiri is knowns for their acidic grapes and wine vineyards. What is unique about these vineyards is that the plants grow in the shape of a basket protecting the grapes that grow on the inside of the basket of vines and leaves. As we enjoyed our lunch of bruschetta, wine and cheese, we met a nice couple from Montreal, Canada. Andre and Olivia came to Greece every two years and his uncle is quite a famous artists all over Europe. Again, the Bullet’s enthusiasm and charm won over new friends. We spent the next 30 minutes laughing and learning about our families and each other’s love of travel and good food. We hugged, wished each other well and parted ways.
Dimitria and Thomas wanted to show us their little village before taking us back towards the ship so we continued a little further south. Thomas dropped us at the top of the street where we saw more grape vines and pistachio trees. As we continued down into the village, it was obvious that Dimitria has many friends because we could not get past a shop without someone coming out to introduce themselves or to greet us with an endearing “Ya sas”. In the middle of the village, we stopped for a scoop of ice cream before Dimitria showed us where she and Thomas live for 8 months of the year.
We wrapped up our day back in the center of Fire where it seemed like all 10,000 people where trying to catch the cable car back to the bottom of the cliffs. We said goodbye to Dimitria and Thomas and exchanged contact information in case they made it to Georgia or Colorado to return their wonderful hospitality. We opted to sit and enjoy the view after saying goodbye to let the line die down. The wait was not near as bad as we thought and we found ourselves back down the hill and on the boat in less than an hour.
Our day in Monemisa began with an eventful tender where the seas were so choppy it took us two times to get everyone on board. Loaded up and on our way, the passengers on the tender (lifeboat) were less than thrilled about the rough ride but were more than relieved when we made it to shore. We had a large group for the day and all made it onto a 40 passenger bus. We had 2 tour guides due to the large number. As we began making our way to the medieval village, one of our tour guides began her presentation via the microphone on the bus. The Bullett was sitting besides me and it was as if I could read her mind so I just leaned over and said “I just want to let you know that the person speaking on the microphone is a female.” With a completely predictable gasp and a “no way” response, she popped up out of her seat for visible proof. We did not quite catch the tour guides’ name but quickly named her Cigarette due to the melodious bass of her voice. Once we arrived to the village we chose the other tour guide because we would not have behaved and the other tour guide was off the bus and ready to go. As we made our way through the tight streets and alley ways, we ducked into so neat shops and admired the endless splashes of the bougainnvllia and olive trees woven into the landscape. The streets were a combinations of marble and cobblestone which required a sharp eye and keen sense of balance at times. We only spent about 1.5 hours in the village before we boarded the bus again and were headed to a local olive vineyard. It took us about 30 minutes to drive out to the vineyard and the topography reminded me of the western slope of Colorado. Rolling hills of dry and arid land dotted with olive trees and grape vines.
At the vineyard we had a lesson on how to bake fresh bread and also on how to prune, harvest and maintain the olive trees. We had a history lesson on how they continue to harvest and process the olive oil in the same manner they did hundreds of years ago. About 10 minutes in to the lesson the Bullet’s head was bobbing and I could tell she was taking a brief cat nap behind her new knock off Gucci shades. Lesson over and food on the table, the three of us snagged a spot and began sampling the local fare. Tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and onions with fresh baked bread and olive oil put a little pep in our step to get back to the bus. Since the tour was an afternoon tour, we returned to the tender when we got off the bus. We were hoping the seas had calmed down for the return trip but weren’t that lucky. Julie got caught on the 2nd boat with our friends Wanda and Erica from Dallas. Wanda was sitting at the front of the boat when it hit a huge wave and smashed all over her. In one smooth move, she opened her purse and downed two mini bottles of vodka. When they made it back on to the boat, Wanda was all kind of worked up from the rough ride. I looked in her purse and there were 6 empty mini bottles. “Wanda, they’re all empty.”……..”YOU DAMN RIGHT THEY’RE EMPTY. BLACK PEOPLE DON’T LIKE THE WATER AND THAT RIDE WAS HELL”. Exhausted and ready for a nap, we all headed to our cabins.
Dinner was a challenge to say the least. When we arrived, Wanda and Eric had already been seated and Wanda was torched. The seas had become worse and the boat was rolling with the waves. Our wine glasses were a perfect bell weather for how much we were moving. After an amazing dinner, the Bullet decided to head to the room so I escorted her down. She sent me back up to check on Julie and to make sure Wanda made it to her room. By the time I came back up, it was definitely time for Wanda to retire and Julie read my mind. We wrapped it up and we told Wanda we would help her get down to the 1st deck. After a challenging stop at the ladies room, Wanda made it down the steps and then decided she wanted to run down the hallway. (Wanda is approx. 5’9’ and 220 lbs). Luckily, Erica heard her in the hallway and stepped out with a look like “You better get your ass in this room right now” and we closed the door after she made the turn. A quick high five with Julie and we headed to our room for the night.
Completely exhausted from a rough night on the waves, we boarded the bus for Epidarus and the Venetian Fortress. When we arrived, a lot us had motion sickness so we made the tour a little faster than usual. Julie went back to the bus and the Bullet and I did the fly by on the ruins and went straight for the theater. It was really neat to hear the acoustics and to see what would become the model of all major stadiums built out of marble and stone. A few pics and videos later and we were on the bus to the Venetian Fortress in town.
Luckily, the bus took us all the way to the top and dropped us off at the fortress. As we entered, the Greek flag billowed in the wind and welcomed us to a beautiful vista high up on the cliffs. The blues and greens of the ocean were indescribable and thin veil of clouds that hung in the air made the picture complete. We meandered around for a bit and enjoyed being on solid ground but mostly we enjoyed the view from up top. We only stayed for about an hour before we headed back down to town where I got off to check out the local shops and the rest headed back to the boat to rest.
Our last evening on the boat, we had dinner on the deck at sunset. As the sun made its way across the sky, we could not take enough pictures to adequately capture its beauty. The wind picked up so we moved our table slightly under cover and as we finished, our friends Joe and Kathy Peer (Greenville, S.C.) joined us to say their goodbyes. We laughed and promised to visit each other, a scene we repeated with everyone we had met during the cruise. It as a perfect ending to our cruise and a great introduction to people from all over the globe.
