"Everything moves, nothing stands still." - Heroditus

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The past two weeks have been eventful, as Kim and I roamed the streets of Athens, island hopped in the Cyclades, visited my cousin in Lamia, and trekked around Central Greece.

Alone no longer!

Despite a 25 hour trip to Athens, Kimberly was eager to unload her pack at the hostel and conquer the city. We began with a visit to the agora, then ascended the Acropolis, and finally visited the Temple of Olympic Zeus. The afternoon was highlighted by visiting the Greek National gardens and the Panathenaic stadium, which was the location of the first modern Olympic games. Bright and early the next morning, we departed Pireaus which is the main ferry hub in Greece and largest port in the Mediterranean. Our destination, Milos: a volcanic island in the Cyclades chain.

Cyclades-Milos

I read about Milos a few months back in a travel magazine, which touted it as one of the best kept secrets in Europe. It didn't take long to discover that Milos lived up to all the hype and more with it's 77 beaches, beautiful caves and rock formations, and inexplicable lack of tourists. Two-thirds of the tourists that we did encounter were Greek, and in three days we did not see or hear one other American.

Upon arriving, we immediately settled into the town of Pollonia on the Northwestern side of the island, and went for a swim in the crystal blue waters of the Aegean. Being California born and raised, it is remarkable to see the contrast between even the clearest water in California (sorry Lake Tahoe) and the Aegean. Here, you really feel like you're stepping into the blue. The next two days were spend exploring several different beaches, and finding different caves and rock caverns. We also braved our way to Tripiti, the locations of some of the most important catacombs in Europe, only to find them closed. In doing so, we ended up hiking to a couple churches, one of which had a majestic view of the surrounding towns and islands.

The sunset in Milos was magnificent: red and powerful, its hue was even breathtaking long after it had sunk below the horizon. The combination of the reddish-purple glow, and the crescent moon was a sight that I will not soon forget.

Naxos-Koufonissi

Naxos, the largest and greenest of the Cyclades islands was well worth the seven hour ferry ride. Although a far cry from the dizzying crowds of Santorini or Mykonos, its main town was still packed with tourists from all over the globe. Beach front cafes, restaurants, and shops line the beautiful harbor street. Naxos is known for it's beautiful fishing villages, Venetian castles, Byzantinian churches, and temple ruins.

Our first full day was an interesting one. We rented an ATV (sorry mom) with the intent of getting a glimpse of the island's mountainous interior. After gassing up, we ascended 20 minutes on a windy road until we noticed a sign for a Venetian castle. After a failed attempt at reaching the castle I started up the ATV, and much to my chagrin the accelerator was stuck on full-throttle. Despite my best efforts, the thing just would not ride properly. We were outside a small town called Mesi Potamia (no joke), which was literally in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, we had passed a small Tavern a mile back, and the owner was gracious enough to let us use his phone to call our rental company.

Niko, the owner of our rental company, picked me up 45 minutes later and took me to the ATV. All the while I was holding my breath, hoping I didn't make him ride all the way up here for a stupid reason, such as my mechanical ineptitude. Lo and behold, there was a problem with the the carburator, and the accelerator was having issues as well. Allegedly, this exact problem had only occurred one other time in five years. Bummer. After 30 minutes of taking things apart, and replacing the floater in the carburator, we were ready to go! (Or so we thought). No sooner than I had picked up Kim from the tavern and driven 100 meters did the same problem recur. When Niko came back, this time he had a trailer.

Kim and I spent the rest of the afternoon at a nearby beach, swimming and soaking up some sun. I have to say that I have a newfound respect for sun bathers: It is not as easy as it looks. On my time on the islands I continually found myself falling asleep while laying on the sand and wanting to jump in the water before my tummy was finished roasting. While on Naxos, we treated ourselves to some really, really good Greek grub. Seafood, Saganaki, Roasted Lamb, Gyros, Souvlaki and of course, a Greek Salad with every meal.

Our last day in the islands, we took a day-trip to nearby Iraklia and Koufonissi. Koufonissi, far and away, had the most beautiful water I have ever seen. Even the other Greek islands paled in comparison when faced with the light turquoise water stretching out for hundreds of meters off the coast.

Family Ties and The navel of the earth

After a day recovering in Athens, we set out to Lamia to visit my cousin. Brian grew up in the States, but moved to Greece 11 years ago to pursue a career in basketball. Since that time he has played professionaly in the Greek Basketball League. Catching up with someone you haven't seen in a decade was interesting, but definitely worthwhile. Also, meeting Brian's wife, daughter, and In-laws was probably the highlight of my trip thus far. They are all warm people, who are very patriotic in regards to Greece and our family history, and definitely gave Kim and I many lessons on Greek history and culture.

It was a very different experience seeing how relaxed the Greeks were here. In the summertime it is unbearably hot (116 F the day we arrived!), and Lamia virtually shuts down. Those that don't head to the ocean for the summer spend most of their time socializing at cafes, drinking frappes and smoking cigarettes.

Delphi was next, what the Greeks regarded as the "navel of the earth." Perched on a mountain slope with a stunning view of the Gulf of Corinth, and valleys full of olive groves, it is no wonder the ancients lauded it's sanctuaries and oracle.

Bon Voyage

Kim and I spent our last day together shopping and checking out Athen's biggest mall. On our way back from the mall, we noticed a futbol game going on at the new Olympic Stadium, and somehow ended up in the stands with thousands of crazy Greek 'AEK' fans. This impromptu "date" was ironically on the one year anniversary of our very first date! This morning, Kim and I parted ways, her to San Francisco and me to Turkey via Chios.

Four weeks down, five weeks to go!

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