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Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Amorgos August 26th 2023

Today we head two hours east across the water to our next destination, the smaller island of Amorgos. The only two wheels on one of our two suitcases have now both stopped fulfilling their only function in life, that is to rotate. We’ve been dragging that lump of lead of a suitcase around through airports and up and down narrow cobbled alleyways for a couple of weeks now, which hasn’t been doing a lot for our collective senses of humour, or our shoulder sockets. I’m now left wondering a bit how travellers managed back in the days before wheels on suitcases were a thing. I tried picking the whole dead weight up a few times and carrying it, and always gave that up as a bad joke very quickly. Maybe people just packed less back then ... read more
Hotel decor, Naxos

Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Paros August 25th 2023

Today the Rembrandts and I are swapping places; they’re heading off up into the mountains in the middle of the island, while I head across the water to the neighbouring island of Paros. No one seems to be too sure about the details of the Rembrandt’s itinerary. I hope they’re not planning on trying to scale Mount Zas. My body’s gone on strike this morning after yesterday’s climb, and I think its message to me is something along the lines of “you’re not twenty-one any more, what the f**k were you thinking”. I’m trying to put the pain out of my mind, but I’m now forced to remember - four hours spent scrambling up and down hundreds of metres of near vertical rock faces on my hands and knees in searing heat. What was I thinking? ... read more
Panagia Ekatontapiliani side chapel
Paralia Parikia Beach
Panagia Ekatontapiliani

Europe » Greece » Attica » Sounio August 25th 2023

I woke up well rested after my big sleep. Elly and I went to a fruit vendor and the grocery store, and then headed out of town to see the Sanctuary of Poseidon. Elly sat and had a coffee while I went up to the ruins. So incredible what was accomplished about 2500 years ago! The ruins are on the hilltop surrounded by the sea. It was nice and breezy, so even though the temperature was about 35C, it felt fine. When I got back to meet up with Elly, she said she was interested in doing a trip somewhere in Europe. She's a university professor and is off til mid-Sept, so yesterday I had said that if she was interested in traveling anywhere with me, I didn't have any set ideas after I go to ... read more
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Europe » Greece August 25th 2023

The boys dropped me downtown for my 8am bus to Toronto airport. My flight until after 3, but there was no later bus, so I had plenty of time to kill at the airport. I was traveling carry on. The only thing I worried about was contact lense solution. Someone had told me, and I confirmed on the tsa site, that it is an exemption to the 100 ml rule as it's medically necessary, so I had a large bottle along. At the airline counter, they weren't sure about that, buy I went through security, and it was no problem. The first flight to Philly was small and uneventful. It was a fairly short connection, less than an hour to get to my next gate, which ended up changing in number. I found the new gate ... read more
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Europe » Greece » Attica » Athens » Pláka August 24th 2023

CNN asks: Perhaps you have spent the past few days on a cloud over your forthcoming, well-deserved vacation, and will go back to daydreaming about them as soon as you finish this article. And the truth is that the benefits of a good vacation can be felt even before the trip begins. ... read more
The best crew, at Liondi in Plaka, Athens
A motley crew in Croatia

Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Naxos August 24th 2023

Today I’m hoping to tick off a bucket list item. It’s something else that we didn’t quite get around to last year, a climb up the mighty Mount Zas. OK so it’s not Everest, but it is still a very respectable 1,004 metres high, or 1,001 metres or 999 metres, depending on which source you believe, which either way makes it the highest mountain in the Cyclades. I follow Issy and the rest of the Rembrandts down to the port where they’ll be spending their morning producing masterpieces. I then bid my beloved farewell and board a bus for the ride up into the centre of the island to the start of the climb. I’m dropped off seemingly in the middle of nowhere just past the village of Filoti. The first few hundred metres is up ... read more
Looking west from the summit of Mount Zas
Filoti village from the start of the Mount Zas track
Start of the Mount Zas track

Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Naxos August 23rd 2023

Today we head across to the island of Naxos where we start our twenty day art tour of the South Aegean, or should I say Issy’s twenty day art tour. As I think I might have mentioned previously, I couldn’t draw a stick figure if my life depended on it, so I’ve come along purely for the ride. Issy on the other hand is a very talented artist, something she of course denies, and when she reads this I’ll probably be in trouble. So if these blog entries suddenly stop appearing …. We think the party’s probably about twenty strong. Issy knows a handful of them; other than my beloved I know precisely one. As we wait to board our flight it’s a bit hard not to notice a group of ten or so Aussies who ... read more

Europe » Greece » Attica » Athens August 22nd 2023

Today we’ve got a long and convoluted day of travelling from Monopoli to Athens … via Rome. So that would be five hours on a train going 500 or so kilometres in the wrong direction, followed by six quality hours waiting in an airport, followed by a plane flight. And after half an hour of that flight we’ll be back over Monopoli again. So after eleven and a half hours of tiring travelling we will have made zero nett progress. Zero. I call that cruel. It’s an early start, and too early it seems for Monopoli’s taxi drivers. They’d apparently be more than happy to take our money if we were going far enough to make it worth their while, but for the sake of the couple of kilometres to the station it seems they’d all ... read more

Europe » Greece » Crete » Heraklion » Anissaras August 16th 2023

You may or may not follow the Frugal Expat. Neither do I, but once in a while, something strikes me. Here are some of her controversial opinions about solo travel. See if you agree or not. Make a big deal about every activity This applies to any kind of travel. Some activities and historic sites will underwhelm or feel like a waste of money. It is nevertheless part of the history and culture of the place you are visiting. I cannot imagine choosing root canal or cleaning the toilet as a better alternative. Some places surprise, and some disappoint. It applies to the new restaurant you tried last night, or that highly touted bottle of wine. No need for a budget When I travel solo, or the fabulous Mr. Mike, I (we) never have a budget. ... read more
Trans Siberian Railway, Vladivostok
Bangkok Chinatown

Europe » Greece » Ionian Islands » Preveza August 3rd 2023

June 19 – Monday – Left the marina in Zakynthos at 5:40 as had to wait for the 5:30 AM ferry to leave the harbor. Started off with no wind, but put up our mainsail anyway hoping that later in the day the wind would show up. Fortunately, it did and we had a nice sail for a while today. We are definitely getting into an area of Greece that is full of charters. The bays are full of charter boats at anchor and the areas between the numerous islands were full of sailboats. We were concerned that we might have a hard time finding space in the anchorage we were aiming for, but fortunately just as we arrived, a sailboat left so took its spot. By the end of the evening there are only about ... read more
After Waiting for Weather, Now We Have Calm!
Anchored  in Ormos Rouda Bay on Levkos Island
Ormos Rouda Bay Provides Lots of Protection




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