Well, it's been awhile since we posted a blog and a lot has happed over the course of the past year. You saw the post about last summer, but we haven't posted all winter and we've had some great times!
In late September of 2023, we flew to Athens to meet up with friends on a large catamaran to sail a portion of the Greek Islands, something Sharon has wanted to do for a long time. We booked a hotel in the city for a few days prior to our sailing trip in order to get to know Athens and Greece in general.
Monument Hotel
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| Breakfast |
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| No elevator! |
The Hotel Monument is a newly rehabilitated very old building in a section of the city that is trying to clean up its neighborhoods. The cost was more reasonable than in the nicer sections, but walks to the other parts of Athens took us by a few blocks of graffiti and dilapidated buildings. It turned out that the location was excellent for getting around. Just two blocks away was the central market building that housed hundreds of vendors of meats, fish, vegetables, olives and olive oil and other fresh products. What a treat!
Over the next few days we did our best to see Athens, both its ancient structures and vibrant neighborhoods. We found a handful of sections of the city each with distinct culture, shops, restaurants and homes. As usual, we did lots of walking!
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Our special tour guide for the Acropolis and Parthenon
(thanks to Roger and Chrisy for letting us tag along) |
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| The Parthenon |
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| View from our evening Wine Tasting at Apostolou Pavlou |
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Neighborhoods seen from Parthenon's mountain
Changing of the guard at Parliament
The average annual salary in Greece is only $20,000 US. In the city of Athens it's about $34,000 US. Prices reflect spendable income, so rent, food, transportation, necessities are all much less than in the US. Coming from our own high cost country, Greece is an inexpensive country to visit.
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On day three we joined our friends Roger & Chrisy and Kim & Cathy at the Agios Kosmas Marina south of Athens and boarded our home for the next week. Kostas, our Captain, helped us settle in and discuss our sailing plans. The wind rules and a brisk one was expected, so we decided to sail south and west for a few days, then return on a north east course. These waters were not as exposed to the high winds on the other side of the peninsula surrounding Athens - although we do have stories of bashing through waves for hours in the black of night.
Our first stop was a little cove in the town of Perdika, Aegina Island in the center of the chart above (left of the words Saronic Gulf).
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| Fresh fish! |
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| You want ME to choose the fish? |
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| Expertly done! |
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Perdika quay
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Next morning we sailed between the small island of Poros and the very large island, Peloponnese, on our way to Hydra, another Saronic Gulf island.
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| Our water taxi to dinner |
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| Enjoying the ride! |
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| A lovely evening |
Next morning we headed across the gulf toward Kyparissiou Bay, part of Pelopenese Island. The town, Kyparissi, was a great walking experience. Our anchorage was a couple of miles away from town, so we walked hilly paths along the shore to get there. Nothing like a good walk after a day onboard! This ancient church and its sidewall gave us an opportunity to med-moor alongside for the walk and a cuppa' in the sweet little town.
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| Heading out early |
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Notice how well-balanced Sharon is walking the gang plank!
No hand rails made this a daily group challenge. |
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| High elevations right along the shore |
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| Kyparissi from a bluff |
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Greg stopped to talk to this woman who was trimming bushes and tending her flower beds. He wanted to take a picture of her facing the camera, but didn't want to detract from the conversation. Jennifer, an American, moved to this rather remote Greek island (more remote then) 40 years ago to marry her husband who is from Greece. They chose this location for its peace, quiet and beauty. I told her how much I appreciated all the flowering plants along the trail. She told me that over the years they cut and planted the trails with all sorts of flowers and flowering bushes and have been enjoying them more each year. Her smile matched the results of her work.
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A just reward in the local cafe!
Our captain, Kostas, had gathered us together to make a decision about whether to visit a very special island town called Monemvasia, a 25 mile sail from our current location. This would mean leaving Kyparissi in the early afternoon, arriving in Monemvasia by about 5PM, having dinner, then sailing back to Kyparissi at 9 or 10PM, arriving back in the wee hours! We also knew that the wind was with us on our way to dinner, but not so kind upon our return.
Kostas explained that he only suggested this trip to crews of seasoned sailors because it can be rough, but the weather was pretty good and the island would be unforgettable. We were immediately hooked, and his predictions were spot on. It was the best visit of this trip.
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| The ancient city of Monemvasia as we approached from the sea |
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The entire island is ancient stone
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| The ancient architecture was amazing |
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| Cathy and Chrisy |
Monemvasia Red 300 - a dinner wine that turned out
to be a 14 year old hit
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Monemvasia rooftop dining above the harbor
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Busy harbor
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| Stern lines everywhere |
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Happy crew!
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Our return to Kyparissiou Bay was choppy and uncomfortable. Sharon's stomach revolted and she spent most of the next day sleeping (thanks to Roger for playing nurse maid!) Once back on the hook around midnight, we all enjoyed a very quiet sleep.
Next morning, we started our way back towards Athens. Kostas was very good at sharing his little private spots where we could hang out and swim. First, a short stop at the small island of Spetsopoula where we enjoyed a delightful swim. We then continued on to the island of Spetses. Mooring here meant quite long lines fastened to buildings onshore. So unique to us US sailors. We enjoyed cocktails onboard and then dingied into shore. After a short stroll, we ended up at Mourayo for a local fish dinner, thanks to Captain Kostas, who knows all the best local spots. We spent the following morning walking the island and doing a bit of shopping.
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| Sites on Spetses |
An artisan shop in town
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| The store owner grabbing a snack. Super nice guy! |
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| Dinner along the harbor |
After our morning shop, we headed out to a sweet island called Dhokos for a quick lunch, then on to Poros. We would have never found a spot on Poros, except Kostas had friends! Everywhere we went, he (and us by association) was treated like royalty. We snagged a great spot right along the Quay near all the shops and restaurants. It allowed us a gorgeous walk up the side of the hill for fabulous harbor views.
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Sneaking a smootch!
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The next morning with light wind and flat water, we motored over to the island of Angistri and anchored in Cove Aponisos (which means edge of an island). By this time, the guys had become excellent crew when needed to med-moor. They even assisted a neighboring boat (while Kostas was snoozing) on the process. We finished the day with a very special meal prepared by our Captain - a favorite family recipe - penne with salmon, onion, ouzo, tomato paste, dill and cream! So good!!
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| Kostas making his family recipe for us for dinner - great! |
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| Kickin' back |
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Happy guys
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Happy girls!
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Celebrating Roger's birthday!
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Our last day we made a last stop at a little islet called Metopi which means forehead. Kostas called it a sandbar, and given that it was protected from the north, we had a delightful last swim. Finally, we packed up and motored on back to the marina. That evening we enjoyed take-out from town and whatever was left in the frig.
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| To the airport and our next adventure! |
We highly recommend Athens and all it has to offer and of course - who wouldn't be thrilled to sail the Greek Isles! So fortunate are we.
'Til next time -
Scenes from Hydra
Monemvasia Red 300 - a dinner wine that turned out 
An artisan shop in town
Popular place!
Captain and Crew
