The Hora and the Bougotsa

So, there we were, sitting at a café in the main square of the Hora, looking at the menu for lunch. Now, on most of the Cyclades islands, the Hora (or Chora) is the main village perched on top of the highest hill over looking the main harbour. The Cyclades islands are those postcard picture-perfect islands in the middle of the Aegean Sea, between Turkey and Greece. Most all the homes and businesses are painted bright white with blue trim (the traditional Greek colours), presumably every year as most are pristine. They really do look after their homes and villages with pride.



The Hora's were built many centuries ago, mostly to afford protection against the pirates that controlled much of the Aegean, on-and-off over the years. There's a long history of seafaring here, but that's another story. What would happen when an unknown ship showed up in the harbour was that everyone retreated to the Hora to wait for them to leave. If they didn't leave within a day or two, they would send an old woman down to ask what they wanted. If she came back alive, they knew it was ok and they could relax and get back to life as usual, trading, tending to their fields and goats or fishing boats.









Part of the protection against attacks was to build close together with narrow lanes. There is also limited room on top of a these steep hills so everything got packed together. Today, there's usually a narrow switch-backed paved road up to the base of the Hora, but from there on, you're walking up steeply stepped lanes. It's all very charming and laid-back. Most all the buildings are masonry to keep it cool in the hot summer. It's also very windy in the Aegean during the summer and stormy in the winter, so everything is built very well.


 
Still today as has always been, donkeys are used to get supplies, food, water, building materials, etc. up to your home. Being a donkey operator is an old and respected, not to mention invaluable business. They can also make an extra buck giving silly tourists a ride. They're lovely animals, gentle but strong, true beasts of burden, a long standing companion to humans. Imagine donkeys loaded with bags of concrete and piles of brick trudging up narrow steep lanes. They're always grateful for an extra carrot you might be carrying in your pocket.



Anyway, back to that menu. It was unusual as it was thick and packed with poems and quotes, mostly in Greek. But the first one was in English by a Greek philosopher.  God (I mean Zeus of course) knows there have been many Greek philosophers over the centuries, but this one is more contemporary. In our travels, I find it all so interesting to try to understand how the local people think, what's important in their lives, their views on life and death, and the daily trials and tribulations they deal with.

So, here's the quote that says it all:

" The Hellenic way of existence denotes 4 types of behaviour.

• To accept the truth that derives from nature, not the quasi-truth that the human mind creates
• To live according to morality of knowledge, not the molarity of superstition
• To deify beauty because beauty is as mighty as your mind and corruptible as flesh
• And what is most; to love man. How else! Man is the most tragic being in the universe."

              Dimitris Liantinis, "The Greek"

On June, 1^st 1998 Liantinis disappeared, leaving a letter to his daughter, Diotima, where he stated his decision to vanish by his own free will after a lifelong and step by step preparation. As it was natural, his unexpected disappearance, evoked public opinion and led to many controversial speculations. After seven years (July 2005), Panagiotis Nikolakakos, cousin of Liantinis, revealed to Diotima the crypt in the mountain Taygetos, where her father layed,as has been instructed to do so by Liantinis himself prior to his "departure".

And so goes life (and death) in the Greek islands, year-after-year, century-after-century, which of course brings me to "Bougotsa". Bougotsa is a Greek speciality, found in most all bakeries in all the islands. It's a cream filled, usually semolina custard wrapped in phyllo dough and baked to perfection. It's usually served hot out of the oven, if you get there in time that is. When you're too late getting to the bakery in the morning and it's all gone, you tend to think about Dimitris as you walk away, shoulders slouched over, and moist eyes. But when you do make it, well, life couldn't be any better and you think Dimitris spent too much time in the city and not enough in the island cafes and bakeries.

So, that's the news from EQ, where the winds are fair (somewhere on the planet), the seas calm (on very rare occasion in the Aegean), and the crew content (that it's finally cooling off after 3 years in the topics).

With Equanimity and Joy,




 

Glorious Greece - Part V: Southern Cyclades and the mouse

packed quay at Serifos

Serifos view to the Chora

We are working our way slowly back east across the Aegean to Rhodes and then to Turkey. We've stopped at Serifos, Sifnos, Kilimnos, Milos, Folegandros and are now sitting at anchor in Ios with the Meltemi blowing strongly. Each of these islands has it's own charms and challenges. Serifos has a beautiful Chora (main town) perched high atop the cliffs and a small harbor town below, but the anchorage was small and we decided to tie up to the quay when the winds looked like they'd come up into the bay from the south. They quay was jam-packed and people were noisy all night... not our thing.

Kilimnos Hora

We anchored in Vathi, a small bay on SW Sifnos island. It has beautiful turquoise green waters but not much else and with good conditions we decided to head on to Kilimnos then Milos. We found a lovely little spot just north of Psathi on Kilimnos and enjoyed a long swim through rock arches and along the coast. We didn't go ashore here either and the following day headed for Milos and to check out a few possible anchorages for the upcoming Meltemi blow. The Milos bay harborfront was generally uninspiring, but we picked up a solid mooring, which we liked. We decided we didn't really want to spend more time in Milos and headed back for a good anchorage we spied along a sandy beach under Kilimnos and happily sat there for a few days until we could continue on to Folegandros.

Folegandros Hora

The "main" harbor of Folegandros is small with a little bay and quay. There was only one boat tied there and we decided it would be better to tie up then to anchor... bad decision. Although it was easy to check in/out and the bus stop was steps from our boat, we had the typical issues of boats muscling their way in and being packed like sardines. And then there was the mouse.

Folegandros

There is always a possibility of getting rodents on board when tied to shore, but there were tons of cats around so I thought it was unlikely we'd have a problem. We took the bus that evening up to the Chora, then walked a zigzag path higher to the summit and enjoyed spectacular views across the island from the church above. We found a place for gyros (yummy!) and a Greek salad for dinner and then returned to the boat for a good night's sleep. And then there was the mouse...

Roger woke during the night feeling something tickling his hair and got up to take a look around. He spied a tiny mouse in the cockpit, which jumped up and through the open windscreen. Although I love mice, having any sort of rodent on board is awful because they love to chew on electrical wires, which would compromise our navigation and other critical systems on board. We needed to get him out. So armed with a fly (mouse) swatter, we moved the dinghy around on the bow, hoping to scare the small beast out and off the boat the same way he came. We discovered mouse droppings on the stove top the next morning so there could be more than one and they could be anywhere. Off I went to the only hardware store on the entire island, to buy a mouse trap. Once back on board we decided to leave the quay and anchor so we didn't acquire any additional unauthorized crew on board and to get away from the incompetent cruisers tied up next to us. We set the trap and our expectations of hearing it go snap in the night, then went to bed. Next morning, empty trap and no droppings. We were considering the possibility that our stowaway thought better of remaining on board and headed to shore. Two days later, still no sign of him. We're still keeping watch but we're hoping he made it off safely. On further consideration, all the cats at the harbor were pretty skinny, so what's up with that?

With Equanimity and Joy,
 

Glorious Greece - Part IV: The Saronic Islands

The Saronic Islands are south of Athens off the coast of the Peloponese. We motor-sailed to Póros and anchored about 1.5 miles west of the main harborfront, then decided to relocate to the harbor by the ferry landing where it would be easier to get to town. Póros Town is picturesque by day and even more so at night. We were delighted to be serenaded by live traditional Greek music from one of the cafés on shore and I danced happily all around the boat.

The archeological museum wasn't much to speak of (2 rooms only) but still enjoyable. We found an excellent place for gyros, which we visited 3 times while there (for one week), and homemade ice cream which was awesome. Our new cruising friends showed up a few days later and we enjoyed one more dinner together with everyone before they all headed back to Athens for the end of the season.

The Meltemi winds were blowing, so we decided to stay put for a while before continuing on. Much to our surprise, one of the boats we'd met up with returned to Póros to pick up their grandson and cruise for another week. We decided spur-of-the-moment to join them at an anchorage they assured us was good for all wind conditions. So off we went to Dókos, an uninhabited island next to Hýdra. We set the anchor near shore in shallow waters, put the anchor alarm on and hopped into the crystal clear water for a swim. The sunset was amazing and we had an impromptu pot-luck dinner on s/v Christa later under a glorious full moon with a cooling breeze. Unfortunately, the cooling breeze came from all directions and we were spinning this way and that, getting close to the rocky shore and a neighboring boat. Roger was up just about all night checking the anchor and keeping watch. At 4am it seemed that we were dragging some and shortly before 5am we were getting dangerously close to our friends' boat. We pulled up the anchor and looked for a place to reset. Unfortunately, with the waters so deep until close to shore and several boats surrounding us, we didn't find a place that we felt comfortable with. So off we went an hour before dawn into open waters and across the channel to the mainland. It took us over an hour to get there and get situated, but we found a good spot, good holding, with plenty of swing room. That's the flip side of glorious, wonderful, relaxed cruising... middle-of-the-night fire drills. A few days to wait out the winds here and then we're heading back east into the Cyclades again.

With Equanimity and Joy,
 

Glorious Greece - Part III: Athens

Athens - the big city. The marina was a beehive of activity when we arrived on Saturday... charter boats and private boats alike were loading up provisions and preparing their escape for the holiday week. There was no berth assignment and no one met us when we arrived. We picked a place we liked at the end of the pier and checked in at the office. We watched all afternoon as a comical parade of boats streamed out of the basin. By the evening of the following day the place had all but cleared out and enjoyed some tranquility. Aside from washing the boat and doing long-neglected stainless polishing, we planned to visit the highlights of Athens and then clear out before all the boats headed back for the barn.

Breathtaking ruins of Parthenon

Our first day as tourists in Athens was spent at the Acropolis and Parthenon, of course! Although most of the local Athenians had left the city for the holiday, there were still throngs of tourists sightseeing. We arrived at the Acropolis summit mid-day (although we know better than to do that!) and were queued up with hundreds of people on their way up through the gate to the top. Once there we saw the breathtaking ruins. The views were somewhat diminished by the scaffolding, the cranes and the crowds which covered most everything. Still, it was fantastic to see.

Parthenon with scaffolding, cranes and crowds

The Parthenon was amazing, as were several of the other temple ruins. The views of Athens from the summit were spectacular as you look down over an endless sea of new buildings puzzled in amidst old ruins. We walked back down to town and enjoyed gyros and Greek salad for lunch at a nearby sidewalk cafe.

We then proceeded to the Acropolis Museum, a new building situated directly under the Acropolis. Much of the first level was done with clear floor panels to view the preserved ruins of the site. The side of the building facing the Acropolis was all glass, so as you gazed at statues and artifacts within the museum you could look up at their original location.The sculptures were incredible... the flow and drape of fabric, the body's muscles and texture, the windswept locks of hair... softness and curves all magnificently chiseled in hard stone.

Our second day as tourists was spent at the Archaeological Museum. It is huge and impressive with its diversity, and we kept finding more and more exhibits around each turn and corridor. We started with gold and riches discovered in ancient burial sites and then viewed the statues carved over the many centuries. Some of the statues of gods, such as the one of Poseidon (right) were simply amazing. The style went from plain/austere taken from that of the Egyptian's to a more complex and natural expression of the human form (below). We took a short break for lunch at the museum's cafe and then continued on.

Changing style of Greek statues over the centuries

There were two other museums we would have liked to visited, but we were done after this one. We might have enjoyed spending another day or two just walking around the city itself and seeing more of the ancient ruins, but we needed to move on before all the boats came back to the harbour.

Sunset at the Alimos Marina in Athens

We enjoyed one last lovely sunset at the dock and were ready to go. For this season, this is probably the furthest west and north we'll be... unless we change our minds again, and again.

With Equanimity and Joy,

Glorious Greece - Part II: Delos, Kythnos and Kea

We finally pried ourselves off our mooring in Finikas on Syros Island and headed east 23 miles for a day at Delos, the center of the ancient world... or at least of the Cyclades. This small sacred island has awesome architectural ruins of a city that reigned in importance and grandeur centuries ago. The divine twins, Artemis (goddess of chastity, virginity, the moon, wild animals and various other things) and Apollo (god of light and music and more) were believed to have been born here. The mosaics, statues, and the famous Naxion lions (sort of on the thin side, but still fiercely roaring) were all amazing to see.

We walked up to the top of the hill to the sanctuary of Zeus and Athena, and looked east to Mykonos and west over Rinia Island to Syros in the background. The small spec of a boat in the middle of the photo (right) is EQ.

We motored back west the following day to Kythnos, anchored overnight, and then continued on to Kea, where we met up with our new cruising friends. What a delightful little harbor and another favorite place. We enjoyed our homemade pizza, with pasta and salad (Greek, of course) for six on board EQ the first evening and then took the bus up to Ioulidha, the town on top of the hill, the next night. It was lovely to walk through the winding streets with traditional houses and tavernas. The sunset beyond the church domes and houses was enchanting.

Onward and onward, we parted company with our friends (but will meet up again shortly in the Saronic Islands somewhere) and we set out for Athens. We took a deep breath and prepared to move from the tranquility of the lovely Cyclades Island group to the big city of over 11 million. We will be arriving on August 15th, a huge holiday week and we think we should have the marina just about to ourselves while everyone else sails out to enjoy their time off!

With Equanimity and Joy!
 

Glorious Greece!: Part I - A Stay in Syros

We checked into Greece two weeks ago at Kos, but it wasn't until we arrived at our fifth island/stop in Syros that we both had the feeling we had arrived to our Greek destination spot. Admittedly, we didn't spend much time at the first several places - Kalimnos, Patmos, and Naxos - as we were making tracks to get across the Aegean and out of the Meltemi winds as quickly as possible. We didn't even get off the boat in Kalimnos or Patmos except for a swim. We planned to sail the Adriatic all the way up to Venice before having to turn back down to lower latitudes and then Turkey by mid Oct, so needed to move quickly on the way up.

However, when we arrived in Syros, we found an extremely nice (read: strong holding and well situated) mooring buoy available and Greek neighbors (who have sailed these waters for over 35 years) who told us that this was one of the best spots around all of Greece and they visit here often. They also told us that in August the Ionian Islands, Croatia and Italy were even more crowded (everyone in Europe goes to Italy in August!) and expensive than the Aegean islands, and recommended we not rush to go there this season. In fact, he suggested not to rush out of Greece and the Med period. We liked it so much on our mooring in front of the Finikas basin that we decided we wanted to follow Dino's advice and stay. We've traveled over 6000 miles since the beginning of the year and we felt that taking a break in a lovely spot like this was the thing to do. We may (and likely will) change our minds a dozen times again, but for now, we're loving Syros and are planning to stay here for a spell. At some point we'll meander to a few other nice recommended places on our way back to Finike, Turkey... unless we decide to stay in Greece, or...?

Ermoupolis (or Hermoupolis) is the main town on Syros and the capital of the Cyclades Islands, located right in the middle of the Aegean and just west of Mykonos, the more popular of this island group. A short bus ride away from Finikas where we're calling home for now, Ermoupolis is a lovely town and because there isn't an airport on the island it feels real and isn't too touristy. Only those traveling by ferry or on their own boats make it here so it doesn't have the vibe you get from big charter tourism on other islands. The town has lovely Venetian architecture and alleyways, lots of steps up the hill to the famous Greek Orthodox Church of Resurrection, and pleasant little outdoor cafes to sit in the shade, relaxing and people watching. 

We happened upon one of these on our first excursion into Ermoupolis, the Belle Epoque "cafe and more" is just off the main square in front of the Town Hall. Owner Eric, half French and half Greek, prepared a delightful brunch of eggs, warm rolls and a croissant with Greek coffee (my first) and custom brewed ginger tea. Everything he served was created from local ingredients and with loving care. The water in Syros is considered the best in the Cyclades and it makes everything taste better here... and we believe that. And speaking of water... the waters surrounding Syros island are crystal clear turquoise and cobalt blue. Every afternoon we jump off the boat and into the refreshing seas to cool off then take a sunny/breezy back-deck shower... heavenly!

The small west-coast town of Finikas is perfect for us. It's pretty quiet as the beach resorts are further to the south. Despite that, there are several excellent tavernas (restaurants) with terraces and views of the bay. One of these made a great pizza for us one evening and another prepared possibly the best-ever grilled calamari. It's easy when deep fried, but when grilled tender calamari requires more skill. There's also a little supermarket that not only has most of the things we need, but also has low-fat goat milk (a favorite) and sure sign we're in the right place.

So here we are on our dream cruise in Greece, snug and smitten and staying in Syros.

With Equanimity and Joy,

The Turquoise Coast

Once across the Gulf of Antalya we entered into what's known as the "Turquoise Coast", stretching along the Med with the most beautiful cobalt blue and turquoise waters. We made an unplanned stop at the Finike Marina, deciding to visit at the last moment to see the ancient rock tombs and ruins at Demre and Ayakanda. We are very glad we spent a few days there as this is where we'll likely come back to for the coming winter months. Finike itself is an agricultural center and a real working Turkish town, rather than a tourist resort destination, which we really like. The marina and staff are lovely, and the market in town on Saturday is the best so far!

From Finike we sailed towards Kekova Roads and the lovely hamlet of Kalekoy. The castle ruins perched atop the hill had stunning views and looked out across the bay to the sunken city and beyond. The top of the hill was also covered with sarcophagi.









Continuing west, we spent a few days in a bay near Kas (pronounced "cash"). A lovely gullet was anchored next to us and the captain had a nifty little flying drone which took our picture as it whizzed by. Captain Ergun sent us these photos. He speaks excellent English and if you are planning a trip to the area and would like to spend a few days along the coast on a boat (unless you have your own, of course), contact him on his website at: www.boattripturkey.com.

Then on we went to Fethiye, Gocek and Skopea Limani, all located in a large bay. This is one of the prime cruising grounds in Turkey and the place was swamped with private yachts, charter boats, gullets (Turkish overnight boats) and day-tripper boats... some of which were nothing more than big party boats with pink passengers reddened by the excess of sun and/or drink. With the area so populated, several entrepreneurial souls met the needs and desires of the cruisers anchored out with an ice cream speed boat and a market boat (floating supermarket), both of which we availed ourselves of during our week stay among the islands.

On to Marmaris Bay we went in order to buy boat bits and to take care of some repairs and maintenance for the boat and for us too! We visited the Marmaris Devlet Hospital (gov't/state hospital) for some check-ups, which was excellent. Thanks to Suzanne, who acted as translator and scheduled appointments for us. We were well taken care of. Then, off to see Ata at Aladag Optik with an updated prescription for stronger reading glasses. We covered a lot in just a few days and then were off to continue west and north along the beautiful coast of Turkey before sailing into Greece. We really, really like it here and are glad we'll be back in the fall. Well, unless we change our minds... which of course never happens. :)

with Equanimity and Joy

Cappadocia: Fairy Chimneys and Whirling Dirrvishes!

We found a 2-night/3-day bus tour from Alanya to Cappadocia, one of the top "must visit" sights in Turkey, according to Lonely Planet. Despite our short time here in Turkey and not having seen much yet, we would have to agree. This place is magical. The "Fairy Chimneys" are natural formations created when softer limestone was eroded away leaving tall pillars with harder stone boulders sitting atop them. It's beautiful to see these scattered all over the landscape. With the limestone as soft as it is, earlier civilizations carved out churches and homes in the sides of the cliffs, and dug out entire underground cities for protection against invaders.

On the way to Cappadocia we stopped in Konya at the Mevlana Dervish Museum. Mevlana was a
13th century mystic and the originator of the Dervishes, a spiritual order who believed that all things in this universe are meant to rotate, including us. They developed a 6-part ceremony called "Sema" in which they rotate clockwise with their hands outstretched; right palm facing up to be open to receive gifts from God; left hand facing down to earth to represent loss. They begin with their arms closed and then they open up like blossoms as they begin their whirling motion. We were able to see this ceremony performed in an underground cave theater in Cappadocia that evening. It was as hypnotizing as it was lovely. There were three musicians (drums, flute and harpsichord, though they have different names for them) and the music was beautiful.


The second day in Cappadocia was full of panoramic views, churches and homes carved into the stone, and a few local craft/shopping stops... as it became apparent that the very low cost of the tour was due to subsidies from these shops. We narrowly escaped purchasing what we thought was a "sultanite" (color changing) gemstone ring. After deciding to do some research online we found out that it was not the real stone at all, but rather glass impregnated with minerals to emulate the color change. The real stone, found locally only in the Taurus mountains of Turkey, would have been much costlier and just about all of it is exported. But even with the ceramics, gemstones and carpet stops, the tour was worthwhile for the price. The hotel was much better than expected. It was entirely built from stone blocks. Our room had a curved stone ceiling, as did the bathroom. Plus the bed was very comfy, something we especially appreciate after the rock-hard beds of Thailand!

The third day of the tour was basically the return trip to Alanya. It would have been nice if we had come back a different way to see more, but we really enjoyed this "introductory tour". We want to go back on our own and see some of the things we missed!

With Equanimity and Joy

Alanya... We're in Turkey!!!

We arrived in Turkey on June 1st, sailing along the east coast of the Antalya Gulf, past the Alanya castle and fortress, then into the small new marina. It took a bit of time to get checked in, even with an agent, but we're so glad to be here!!! Roger has dreamed of sailing the Turquoise Coast of Turkey for at least 20 years and we are realizing that dream. Alanya itself surprised us, as we had expected a sleepy little village rather than the built-up full-on resort town we found. It's an easy place to get around though, with local buses every 10-15 minutes out in front of the marina. On Tuesdays and Fridays the marina sponsors a shuttle to the fresh produce markets in town. This was our first experience with the AMAZING markets and produce of Turkey. The sights, smells, and tastes were a feast for the senses. Of course we bought way too much and had to store our 1/4 watermelon in our neighbor's 'fridge. I even found fresh goat milk and lots of delicious cheese.

We arrived on a Monday, went to the market on Tuesday and then we took the bus into town on Wednesday and walked up a few km to the Alanya Castle and fortress, which we had seen from the seaside. The views were amazing, but the ruins were... well... ruined. There wasn't too much preserved, but it was good exercise and we enjoyed the walk up and back. That evening, we joined our neighbors, who have lived in Alanya for 13 years and knew the great places to go, for dinner in town at a lovely garden restaurant. They've been friends with the couple who own the "Old House" for years. There is no menu at their restaurant; you get an assortment of meze dishes and choose between two main courses. Everything was delightful and clearly prepared with love and inspiration. Even the house wine was excellent and complemented the food perfectly.

We spent Thursday planning a short trip inland to Cappadocia by bus, while we're as far east as we'll be along the coast. Stay tuned for separate post and pics!

With Equanimity and Joy

Northern Cyprus - Coastline, Castles and Donkeys

We arrived on Saturday, rested Sunday and went to the local market on Monday. By Tuesday we were ready to explore. We took the local bus to Famagusta on the east coast below the panhandle of Karpaz. It is an old walled city with some interesting ruins. There is an old cathedral, which was converted into a mosque (Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque), something fairly unique. And whether you look at it as a church or a mosque, it's a lovely building. We had an expensive but superb mixed grill lunch followed by the best baklava in our travels so far. It was a  fun excursion and we were back by early afternoon and well in time for the marina’s social event - movie night at 8PM… bean bag chairs, free popcorn and “Fast and Furious 7” playing. The movie was heavy on testosterone and light on plot, but the bean bags and popcorn were great! :)

We rented a car mid-morning the following day and drove the northern coastal road to Girne (Kyrenia). We walked along the small quaint harbor front, had a bite in a local kebaperie, then headed from sea level up to the mountaintop and St. Hilarion Castle, a full on fairy tale castle, perched on top of vertical cliffs overlooking the coast and hillsides. This castle is said to have been the inspiration for the wicked witch's castle in Disney's Snow White animation. 

We made the most of our 24-hour car rental and headed to the east end of the Karpaz peninsula early the next day to see more of the countryside and to visit the wild donkeys that roam free there. They aren’t so much “wild” as they are “liberated”, since they were supposedly domestic critters before the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. When the Greek Cypriots living in the area had to flee to the south, many donkeys were abandoned and left to fend for themselves. They seem to have done an exemplary job of it. They were adorable and we made fast friends with several, who were happy to be bed, patted and photographed... but mainly to be fed.

with Equanimity and Joy