25 years ago I visited Ρόδος for the first time. A cute oldtown, a castle, 5 hotels along the beach. My friend Lisa and I rented a scooter, we drove around the island, it was a quiet, relaxing vacation.
It looks very different now, not 5, but what seems to be 100 hotels, all the streets paved, cruise ships in the port, bus loads full of tourists shipped to all the beautiful destinations.
We signed up for a wine tasting + cooking class + 10-course meal and we loved every bit of it! Together with 6 other people from our cruise we headed out to a 45min drive to a winery where our host Jason waited for us and walked us through the vineyards where his small family winery grow 7 different varieties if wine. Some from France (Merlot, Chardonnay), some old varieties from Greece. The following winetasting was delicious, informative and prepared a relaxed mood to start the cooking class. Tzatziki, dolmas, and an eggplant dip was what we made.
The 10-course meal topped off everything in the best way possible; one dish after another, one better than the previous, wine and more wine was poured – we all were very happy!
Limassol (Lemesos) is the second biggest town in Cypress (after Nicosia in the center, which is divided between Turkey and Greece). Limassol is on the south part of the island, whereas Turkey owns the north part.
Cyprus Medieval Museum (Lemesos Castle)
I’ve been on many different islands in Greece and multiple times on the mainland, so it surprised me quite a bit, that the taxi driver we hired at the port entered the car on the right side and started driving on the left side of the road 🥶.
Later, on the way back to the ship, we learned the reason behind this: England used to occupy Cyprus for 50 years. They left and what they left what traffic on the left…..
We spend the day floating around the old town, visited the Limassol museum, the market, we are not Greek, but Cyprus salad, walked along the shore and enjoyed another warm sunny day at the Mediterranean. The war in Israel dimmed our mood and made me feel guilty of playing tourist, where – not far from us – people explode in hatred and kill each other…
Yes, there is such thing as cruise ship art! Like cruise ship music, that consists of poorly paid, uninspired, overworked, tired looking professionals, that can be heard in 5 different locations, cruise ship art is everywhere. It is right in your face and it is painful. They have artwork in every hallway, staircase, elevator. And they have an art gallery!
So this art gallery has a collection of very interesting / amusing paintings and sculptures, all of which fall under the category: “the Alps, the roaring elk, the sunset”! But it is modified towards the cruise ship art lovers, who happen to have left their taste at home. All those pieces are very bright (primary colors, mixing colors is overrated, right?), very interesting (caricature Mickey Mouse in front of a naturalistically painted romantic forest setting – wait a minute, wasn’t there gonna be a roaring elk?) and extremely ugly (abstract blizzard in orange, red and black).
What surprises the most is, that the so-called art gallery is busy. Very busy! People are standing in line to get rid of their money; I guess they have too much of it! And then – from day 1 on – there are “sold” stickers on a few of those art pieces! That makes the art lovers get their elbows out and try to skip the lines and purchase quickly! Of course it’s all one-of-a-kind – indeed and thank god there aren’t any more! Hush hush, quick quick! The so-called art experts give you professional advise and recommend paintings according to your decor at home. Yikes 😱
So I’d already been in Rome, Napoli and Sicily. Zakynthos, or Zaki as the locals call it, was the fist “new”. And it was a good one! A beautiful little island with lots of little farms growing mostly olive trees. The main summer income for the islanders is tourism, the main winter income is olive oil. No wonder that they sell all kinds of olive products everywhere: oil, lotions, along with honey, wine etc.
Our friends Yuki and Bill, Ted and I joined a day-long tour by bus & boat. Half of the day we drove around the island, first on the westside, where most of the 20,000 people live, then on the eastside with its high cliffs and gorgeous views.
The most famous view is down to the shipwreck beach. A group of cigarette smugglers had a problem with their ship and – instead of being caught by the coastguard – they just abandoned their vessel and ran off. The ship ended up on this beach and is falling apart ever since this happened (in the 1980s). Unfortunately the beach is closed and you are not allowed to go ashore because of falling rocks from the cliff surrounding the beach.
We had a few more stops with views to other beaches, one of which had sulfuric gases bubbling out of the water near the beach, making every public restroom small like a perfume store. But it is healthy apparently… On top of the cliff above the stinky beach is a little bar, where the people on the beach can order food and drinks, that then is transported down by an interesting gondola basket
The second part of the day we spent on a boat, moving along the coast and it’s many little beaches, coves and grottos. We drove inside a few of them, we swam in the Mediterranean we had a lot of fun!!! The crystal clear water has all shades of blue and turquoise – like heaven to me ❤️
It is slowly getting dark, the soccer game between Croatia and Brasil is about to start, and we are getting ready to leave Patras, Greece, to catch the ferry to Venice at midnight. It’s been a very interesting visit in Greece: for once it’s been a culture shock, coming from Morocco, where prices are low, handmade work is the usual way of making things, where nobody was begging and we felt very safe.
Greece was like waking up from a dream! 70% of every shopping or downtown area is filled with stores you can see everywhere in Europe or the US: Starbucks and McDonalds, Mark & Spencer, Zara, H & M, Pandora, etc. Beggars everywhere and a few pickpocket thieves, etc. Prices are like anywhere in Europe, a dinner for 2 with wine will end up ~$ 40-50 (compared to $10 in Morocco). Same for taxi, bus or train tickets; comparable to the rest of Europe.
A funny thing we recognized are a few stereotypes about Greek style (And please don’t get me wrong – I love Greece, always loved it, always will!):
Men hang on to their curly long hair, even if there are only a few left (hair, not men!)
Women live to dye their hair red. Dark red. Like cherry / Mahagoni / burgundy, whatever you call it, it does not exist as a natural haircolor
The Greek nose is an actual feature and if you don’t know what I’m talking about – travel to Greece!
Greek dancing is an interesting activity to watch. On one side there are those dances where a few people stand next to each other, arms wrapped around the shoulder and you and everybody else follow a given sequence of steps. It looks a little like line dancing, but with a physical connection.
Then there is this dance where a single man or a single woman dances and nobody else is „allowed“ on the dance floor. It’s „his / her“ dance and other people can stand around, clap their hands and kneel down and show their appreciation. The dancer chooses a creative sequence of movements, usually not very fast, he / she twists and turns and pretends to touch the floor once in a while where the arms are usually up in the air most of the time. I have no idea about the rules and the fine tuning, but both dances look like a lot of fun!
Today Edith and I wanted to clarify what we need to do for tomorrow at the New Port of Patras. We know that the ferry to Venice was leaving at midnight and that we had to be on board before 10pm. We still needed to check in and know exactly where to go. Edith had to get ready for work tonight …. so I was volunteered to walk over to the New Port (3.5K) and attempt to check in and get our tickets. Once I found the ferry company office, they quickly told me that we cannot check in or get our tickets until Friday after 11:30am.
Thus with no tickets only information, I proceeded to explore 3 ancient archeology sites here in Patras, The Roman Stadium, The Roman Odeon and the Patras Castle.
The Roman Odeon (Ancient Greek: ᾨδεῖον. “singing place”) is the name for several ancient Greek and Roman buildings built for musical activities such as singing, musical shows, and poetry competitions. Odeons were smaller than Greek and Roman theatres.
The Roman Odeum is located on the west side of Patra. It was built before the Odeum of Athens in front of which stands the statue of Apollo. The Odeum of Patra was severely destroyed by successive invasions, wars, and earthquakes. It was almost buried under the remains of other buildings and ground. It was in 1889 when the Odeum was found by accident while some workers were digging up the ground for the construction of the port.
The restoration of the Odeum continued till 1956 when it regained its original shape. Along with its restoration process, the nearby areas were declared as archaeological sites. The Roman Odeum today functions as the chief venue for Patras International Festival held every summer and other cultural events. The Odeum has a seating capacity of 2,300 people with all the basic facilities of a theatre such as hollow, orchestra, proscenium, scene and wings.
Seating for 2300 Summer events Unfortunately, the Odeon was closed this was as close as I could get!
The Roman stadium is located in central Patras. The stadium (three sided) was used for sporting events (as in foot races/ Olympic (?)) vs Colosseum (gladiator). The monument has not been fully unveiled and the gradual expropriation of the site is expected to complete the systematic excavation. It was built in the 1st century AD during the reign of Emperor Domitian, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Roman colony in 14 AD, i.e. around 86 AD. The stadium has an elongated shape and has two petals or slings. Its dimensions are estimated at 200 m long and 90 m wide.
The Patras Fortress (Greek: Κάστρο Πατρών) was built around the mid-6th century A.D above the ruins of the ancient acropolis of the city of Patras, on a low outlying hill of the Panachaiko Mountain and ca. 800 m from the sea. The castle covers 22,725 m² and consists of a triangular outer wall, strengthened by towers and gates and further protected originally by a moat, and an inner compound on the northeastern corner, also protected by a moat.
The first castle on the spot was built by Byzantine emperorJustinian I after the catastrophic earthquake of 551, re-using building material from pre-Christian structures. One of these spolia, the torso and head of a marble Roman statue, became part of the city’s folklore, a sort of genius loci. It is known as the “Patrinella“, a maiden who is supposed to have been transformed into a man during Ottoman times, guards the city against disease and weeps whenever a prominent citizen of Patras dies.
In 1205, in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, it was taken over by the Franks, who strengthened it further, opening a moat on all three sides. In 1278, the Principality of Achaea pawned it to the local Latin (Catholic) Archbishop, while the Pope leased it to the Venetians for five years in 1408. The Latin Archbishop remained in possession of the castle until 1430, when it was taken by the Despot of the Morea and future last Byzantine emperor, Constantine Palaiologos, who made extensive repairs to its walls. The castle fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1458, and remained one of their main seats of power in the Peloponnese throughout the Tourkokratia. The Venetians took the castle in 1687 during the Morean War, and kept it until the Morea was retaken by the Turks in 1715.
Following independence, the castle remained in use by the Greek Army until after World War II. In 1973, the castle was turned over to the 6th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities. It is used nowadays for cultural events, especially during summer, and features a theatre with a capacity of 640 seats. *Wikipedia (had to copy and paste because history is complete)
Repurposed Roman/Greek marble!The moat Over looking PatrasRepurposed Greek column!
So going against cautions from our Moroccan tour guides…. I took a bite out of a “bitter orange” or Seville orange or sour orange! Needless to say, the taste was very sour, so much acid that for at least an hour my tongue and lips were stinging!!
Many surprises awaited us in Patras! It is not only the main harbor for all ferries from Italy, it is also a beautiful city with lots of history! Our Airbnb is at the old harbor in downtown / oldtown Patras. Extremely convenient to walk everywhere; breakfast, lunch, dinner, markets, stores, people watching, everything! We discovered the Orthodox Church of St. Andrew, where they keep the relics of a piece of the cross he died at, a part of his finger and a piece of his scull. The cross we found, then we stopped searching; I really didn’t want to see any bones…
It is December now and there are Christmas decorations everywhere! Street musicians play Christmas music, people are out buying presents – I love it!
And the food is a surprise too! As usual, we always try to eat local food, Moroccan food in Morocco, Greek food in Greece, etc. of course there is Eataly, there are burger places and Indian restaurants, but we can eat all this when we are back home. Here we want Greek stuff! So last night Ted found a Greek restaurant on the Internet, but when we found it, it looked closed. But a sign pointed around the corner and a stairway had another sign upwards. So we walked upstairs to the 4th floor rooftop terrace, where a Greek party was in full swing. We sat down, ordered Retsina and octopus, Kebap and Greek salad. Then they moved us 3 floors below, where we ate. The waitress told us that the restaurant used to have 3 floors, but now they’re reduced to only 2 floors, the 1st and the 4th floor. The street level is still closed…
Leaving Ydra was painful. Again. And yes, “next time we should stay a few more days” according to Ted, but I know already that this will not be enough…
7am: On our way to the ferry. Last glimpse of Ydra…
And we arrived in Patras by noon; everything went just smooth and easy. A woman on the bus even walked us to our Airbnb; it was on her way anyway. And there it is, a building with a fancy elevator. Our Airbnb on the top floor with its own private elevator entrance. Instead of pushing a floor number, you push a 4 digit code and it brings you up to the 4th floor and you end up in your entrance hall / kitchen!
Elevator entrance, left. Second bedroom door and kitchen cabinet, rightKitchenLiving room with door to our bedroomLiving and dining roomBedroom
This Airbnb is right at the harbor in the old town of Patras. It has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and 2 extra sofabeds, it is very spacious and has 3 rooftop terraces with views over oldtown and the harbor! The kitchen is fully equipped with everything you need! But there is one odd thing: there are hardly any power outlets. The bedroom + bathroom has 1 single outlet! Think about electric toothbrush / hairdryer / 2 phone chargers / watchcharger / iPad / laptop / and Ted’s CPAP machine 🧐
View from the harbor side terraceAnd towards oldtown
Ydra is my weakness; I just love this little Greek island and everytime I set foot on it, I plan on coming back and staying for one year!
Ydra has everything I want (small villages, quiet life, slow pace, nice weather) and everything I need (quiet, slow, nice) – so what am I waiting for? I’m not sure, but I know, that one day, when I’m sick or old or both, and I haven’t lived on Ydra, this will be one regret. And I tend to live my life so there aren’t any regrets at the end. So far, so good!
View from our Airbnb window, 3m away from the water!
I was here in summer, in the fall, and now it’s winter, December, and many stores and restaurants are closed. And the few that are open are very welcoming; the people working there are talkative, interested, helpful and friendly. They have more time, the off-season has lots of advantages! 2500 people live here and there are 2 nursery schools, 2 public schools and 1 highschool. 164 churches (mostly temples) and 7 beautiful monasteries.
We found a really nice Airbnb right on the Westside of the harbor. It is a cool, airy space with an unusual floorplan and stunning views to the east side of the harbor!
Did I ever mention that I’m a big Leonard Cohen fan?
Leonard Cohen lived here for ~10 years in the 1960s, with his Norwegian girlfriend Marianne. He wrote his best songs while living here…
Aside the garbage truck, there are no vehicles on Ydra. The preferred choices of transportation are 1. your feet, 2. the boat, or 3. the donkey. I like that. It makes life here very quiet!
And beside all the donkeys, there are many cats!
Another important aspect of every place we go is the food. We like to explore new things everywhere we go, but sometimes it is the good old classics that makes me happy. For example Tzatziki! Theoretically, I could eat Tsatsiki with everything (except icecream, but fortunately I’m not a big icecream fan anyway)!
