Blogs from Thessaly, Greece, Europe - page 9

I woke with a start. Where was I? What was going on? It was clear that I was still in my tiny sleeper car on a Greece-bound train, but there was no sound. The rhythmic clacking of the steel rails, the grating, high-pitched squeal of the big wheels, the low rumble of the diesel engine - They were all silent. A glance out my window revealed deep blue skies over a stunning, green countryside with a few farm buildings and a distant ridgeline. It really was a perfect view to wake up to, but it was unlikely that the engineer had stopped the train for us to see it. I looked up and down the tracks as best as I could from my window. There were no official looking structures and no station, just green. I ... read more

It is time to head home. We were all a little down this morning. It has been such a great vacation that it is hard to think about heading back home. Daniel and I had five goals for our vacation and we easily met every one of them. First, we wanted to deepen our relationship with our niece, Rachel. Second, we wanted to guide Rachel through a life-changing experience that would provide her a newfound confidence to explore her own backyard and the entire world. Third, I wanted to learn more about Greek history and culture. Fourth, we wanted to have fun and relax. Finally, Daniel wanted a few more life birds. Mission accomplished! It seems the universe wasn’t ready to have us back home either. Our plane was delayed in Athens, which then made us ... read more

Here we are again on another ferry boat, 45 min drive from Athens and then 45 minutes on the ferry, again full of people going to the big island of Evia. We left the vehicle behind parked somewhere along the driveway. Staying at Papou and Yaya's house an apartment on the hill over a store a block from the sea, with a beautiful balcony looking out to the sea through the houses. How nice, with a nice view of the hills. (unfortunately here again they had a large fire just the day prior and one of the Canadian water planes went down hitting a pole and could not rise and 2 pilots were killed. Those darn fires. Oh I forgot to tell you, during the last 2 weeks the temperatures hit a whopping 43 to 44 ... read more

The ship and its 3400 passengers descended upon and overwhelmed the small Greek fishing village of Katakalon today. It was hard to believe that their quaint port full of modest fishing boats even had a place for the massive vessel to dock. I felt a little guilty taking over their town in this obnoxious, and I felt audacious way, but at the same time the whole town seemed to be about 30 shops supported entirely by tourist business. We walked along the beach and found the first signs of ocean life we’ve seen yet. We came across four fifths of a starfish, a dead eel, and many large jellyfish. This was exciting for us, after being 9 days at sea and close to concluding that the Mediterranean was incapable of supporting life. The reason to dock ... read more

Greece (13th - 19th July, 2007) Visa requirements continue to be very strict! While in Greece it was a requirement to eat gyros, souvlaki, greek salad and greek yoghurt! What else can you do but follow the customs of the country you are in at the time?!! Athens We spent 2 days in Plaka in central Athens. The Acropolis just happened to be closed for those 2 days due to security staff striking. Just as well we were stopping briefly in Athens again before flying back to London. It was very hot in Athens. We did a great walking tour of Athens minus the Acropolis and enjoyed having a good laugh at all the 'whistle blowing' staff at the major monuments who blow their whistle when tourists get too close to monuments or appear as if ... read more