Blogs from Greece, Europe - page 6

Geography first. Drove over the Corinthian Canal, pretty close to Kalamata, into the Menalon Hills, close to Sparta and … Well how good is that? But we are here in Stemnista, not big enough to register a mention on the app here but big on the lovely scale. Welcomed into our new home, made to feel very welcome, feed via ‘lunch from breakfast’ program that has been instituted on an almost compulsory basis for quite a while. In Greece it works well as in addition to the cheese, meats and pretty good bread you also get some pastries such as spanakopita which travel surprisingly well and eat surprisingly well cold. Getting here was a 2 hour bus from Central Athens to Tripoli then a taxi with Mr Andrianous. The taxi drivers for the village have their ... read more

You gotta eat but this is ridiculous (almost!). It’s not long after breakfast so the legacy of a few pastries, some fruit, a good measure of yogurt and honey, a liberal supply of juice and of course some coffee have not worn off. The 3 minute walk did not exactly compensate either. But we were off on the Athens Food Tour. After some chicken and cheese, spinach and cheese, ham and cheese and of course some cheese and cheese pastries followed by some donuts with cinnamon and honey (they are seriously good but I could only eat 2 of the 3 we were offered), some Greek coffee, then helpings of beef meat balls, zucchini and carrot balls, tzatziki, stuffed capsicum, fried cheese, chicken cooked in garlic and lemon, some pork cooked in garlic and tomato, some ... read more

Just wrapped up a mad, 9 day dash through 3 Greek Islands after 9 days in Bulgaria (that blog entry a work in progress). Arrived in Pulau Langkawi, Malaysia last Friday after an absolutely interminable trip from Athens via the mega transport hub of Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur. I'm not entirely sure that Samothraki's Mt. Fengari is my 10th Greek Island high point but it's close. SamothrakiSince there were exactly 2 main objectives here, I only needed 2 nights. Some people stay weeks or months. Not long after arrival from Alexandroupoli (a.k.a., Alex/poli), I hitched a ride to The Sanctuary of the Great Gods near Paleopoli. The ruins were awesome, at the base of hulking Fengari Peak (next day's mildly epic adventure) and I strategically missed the tour bus crowds in the afternoon. Would have ... read more

Looks good, is good. No it is not the punch line from some rude joke, well really it is but I’m not using it in that manner. The Acropolis and Parthenon look good and are good from any and all perspectives. We, and a few hundred of our friends, ventured up to the Acropolis and Parthenon and happily took photos of this unique historical and cultural monument. We went at a time with supposedly few others yet it was still a busy place. Using the Western Gate helps as the throng of people use the main, more easily accessed gate. It is a great place to visit, you don’t spend ages there but it is interesting at every turn. There’s a beauty is the symmetry and geometry of the buildings. I read about the golden ratios ... read more

I sleep a little restlessly. I don’t think I was too worried about us getting broken into, mugged and robbed. Our host Mikail told us last night that it’s so safe here that the crime rate is negative. I’m not quite sure what that actually means. I haven’t noticed any criminal types wandering the streets handing out money. I think what I was probably a little concerned about were hazards of the natural variety. Just before I turned the light off I was reading that there was a 7.7 magnitude earthquake here in 1956 that generated a thirty metre high tsunami. Fifty-three people died and more than a hundred were injured. I’m fairly sure we’re high enough up in the mountains to avoid a tsunami, but the cliffs towering above us didn’t look all that stable ... read more