Crete

We arrived here in Agios Nikolaos under very trying conditions, entering the marina just after sunset on August 5^th with a blistering Meltemi gusting to 50 knots out in the bay. Three weeks later, looking out at the crystal blue water and enjoying the gentle warm breeze, it is quite difficult to remember the Gulf of Mirabella in its darker mood. “Ag Nik” was a great place to wait out the Meltemi and to use as a base for exploring the extraordinary island of Crete.

Approaching Crete

 

We were fortunate indeed to end up in the marina here. Not only does it offer the best protection available on the island, it is also a very pleasant and efficiently run marina, at a reasonable cost. It even has features that seem to be rare in Mediterranean marinas – a coin-operated laundry; a cruisers’ barbecue area; a book exchange; really clean and private showers and toilets – besides good haul-out facilities where people can work on their own boats or draw on the wealth of excellent boat services available here. The staff and the small community of mostly British and German cruisers are friendly and very helpful – Ag Nik Marina is highly recommended. The town is also very pleasant, with a good beach, a lively shopping and dining precinct and a scenic lake right in the middle.

Lake Voulismeni

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and divides the Aegean from the Sea of Libya. It is visible from way out at sea as it is so mountainous – the landscape looks slightly surreal to a couple of flatlanders like us. In legend, the island of Crete was the home of King Minos and his Minotaur – a vicious half-man half bull that inhabited a labyrinth under the palace and fed on the flesh of unfortunate foreigners sent as tribute. The hero Theseus killed the Minotaur and escaped from the labyrinth with the help of the King’s daughter (and the Minotaur’s half-sister) Ariadne. The least likeable of Greek heroes, Theseus then abandoned Ariadne on the island of Naxos (where she took up with Dionysus the God of wine – a much better prospect in my opinion). Continuing the theme of total disregard for others, Theseus forgot to change his black sails as he approached mainland Greece, so his aged father Aegeus leapt from the cliffs at Sounio, as this was to be a signal that his son had perished. The Aegean Sea is named for him.

Knossos is Crete’s most famous site, believed to be the palace of Minos and the Minoans, an extensive estate excavated and restored by the British archaeologist Arthur Evans early in the 20^th century. We attempted a visit but unfortunately four large cruise ships were in Iraklion that day and the site was jam packed with tour buses, cycling tour groups and others – it looked like a packed football stadium so we drove right on by – it will have to wait for another day..

We did manage to get to some interesting places however. Spinalonga Island is situated in the Bay of Elounda, just offshore from the town of Plaka. Originally the site of a Venetian era fort, it fell to the Turks in 1715. During the 20^th century, Spinalonga was Crete’s leper colony where those suffering from the disease were banished and isolated. It is a melancholy place of abandoned buildings, despite the vivid blue water and the lovely views of the nearby coast, but apparently it was quite a thriving community in its day, with a café, taverns, theatre, bakery and other amenities typical of any Greek village. British novelist Victoria Hislop’s book “The Island” is a moving story of a family’s experience of life on Spinalonga. You can easily imagine the outcasts looking across just a couple of hundred metres of water to the mainland, knowing that they would never see their loved ones again.

Spinalonga ruins

 A visit by local bus to busy Iraklion, the capital, was interesting, especially the Archaeological museum with its bronze age Minoan artefacts.

Can't take it with you

After we had attended to a few repairs and maintenance jobs, we hired a car to do a bit of touring, particularly to see some of the western part of the island and the mountains. We stayed for a couple of days in the beautiful town of Rethymnon, set on an old Venetian Harbour where many of the 16^th century buildings are still intact and in use.  The Old Town is a maze of narrow cobbled streets full of cafes, restaurants and some great little shops amongst the usual tourist supplies.

Pigadi restaurant, Rethymnon

A day trip out to Hania (or Chania) the old capital, revealed a similar Venetian port, though it’s a bigger and busier town. The naval museum, housed in an old Turkish prison, was well worth a visit, especially the artefacts and photos from the Battle of Crete during World War II. This happened in May, 1941 when the Nazis landed thousands of paratroopers on western Crete, where, after fierce fighting the Allies were defeated and forced to evacuate. It was the first airborne invasion, and it was also the first time the Nazis had encountered unrelenting civilian resistance, which took them by surprise. It shouldn’t have – Cretans have always been formidable guerrilla fighters against their various oppressors. The first wave of paratroopers were virtually wiped out by New Zealand troops assisted by Cretans – old men using their walking sticks, armed priests, kids with weapons taken from museums. Nazi reprisals were utterly brutal – villages burnt to the ground, civilians tortured and in some cases all the men of the village executed – but this only fueled the fires of the Resistance. The photographs on display are haunting. One in particular shows a group of elderly men and women, the caption stating that they refused to leave the scene of a mass execution: “We will stay to witness you murdering our children,” they said. Another shows a line-up of young men facing a firing squad. They could be any under 18 football team.  Muller, the German general responsible for this thuggery was captured by the Russians at the end of the war and turned over to the Greeks, who tried him and shot him.

Moni Arkadiou was an interesting stop; a 16^th century monastery, it is another potent symbol of resistance for Cretans. In 1866 thousands of Ottoman troops arrived in Crete to crush increasing rebellion against Turkish rule. Hundreds of villagers congregated in the monastery, but it was besieged by 2000 Turkish soldiers. Rather than surrendering, the Cretans set alight the monastery’s gunpowder store, wiping out villagers and Turks alike. (Apparently here it is quite normal for a monastery to have a gunpowder store.) The beautiful church is still in use, cared for by a tiny, ancient lady with one arm – she couldn’t possibly be a survivor from 1866 – could she?

 

Crete is mostly mountains, and a drive through the ranges and gorges is a spectacular, if hair-raising experience. Every few miles there is a tiny village with its kafenion full of old men and its little white church(es). The hillsides are covered in olive groves, some of them dating back to Minoan times, while the valleys have vineyards, citrus groves, walnut trees, carobs, figs and vegetable gardens. It is a real pleasure to go for a walk down a track in the countryside and feast on grapes, blackberries and figs along the way

2000 + year old olive tree

On our last day with the car, we visited the archaeological site of Lato, once a powerful Dorian city (7^th century BC) set on a hilltop with spectacular views to the sea and the distant mountains. These are amazing ruins, with stone blocks cut and set perfectly. With no tour buses to the area, we had it pretty much to ourselves and it is certainly easier to tune in to the spirit of a place that way. Back to the coast for an excellent meal at a beachfront tavern with yet more views of Crete’s glorious blue waters, then back to Agios Nikolaos to do a bit of heavy shopping (beer) while we had use of a vehicle.

Temple ruins at Lato

We could happily have spent more time exploring Crete, but it was time to move on. Next up – an overnight sail to the island of Astipalia, about 90 nautical miles to the north-east. Let’s just double check that weather report …

 

 

 

#10th Instalment of the Beer Tour of the World

Beer, Food & Liquor Reviews

 

 

#10^th  Instalment of the Beer Tour of the World

The food section

 

I was wandering along the main drag in Lampedusa on our last day, provisioning.  Mostly, I needed a sausage.  They come in lengths of about 2’ in Italy so I went to the Macelleria to get one.  He had a nice pork one and I bought it all for about €3.

 I went back out in the street to go to the boat and along came an old cheese seller.  Carol, Olivier and Laura had spoken to him a couple of days before but I had not.  I recognised him because he had a red woollen cap on that he always wears according to the locals and he was pushing an old wheelbarrow.  His name is Giacomino.  Under the cloth on the wheelbarrow were cheeses.  The front half were goat cheeses, hard-ish and €6 for about ¾ of a kilo.  The back were fresh sheep mozzarella, still hot, in plastic bags for €4.  He tips it out of its plastic bucket and into the bag and off you go, with the bag full of whey from the still-ripening cheese.

Carol rates this as the best fresh Mozarella she’s ever had.  Especially on toast with Cherry Jam.

 Anyway, as a banker/economist, I got to thinking.

 The wheelbarrow is your average household wheelbarrow.  Holds maybe 30 goats’ cheese rounds in the front, maybe 40 mozarella sheep cheeses in the back where it’s wider.  30 goats’ cheeses at €6 is €180.  40 sheep cheeses at €4 is €160.  So the wheelbarrow has €340 on it.  Some he will discount to the Enotecas (I saw two) so he won’t get full dollar for them, and some of the fresh will not sell so he keeps them to age, (and sell for €6 later) but let’s say he gets €180 per day.  That is a huge quid in a place where €180 a week would be considered good going.  But, to look at him, he hasn’t got two bob to rub together.  I think maybe he just might not be as simple as the world might see him, either.

He was absolutely convinced I could speak Italian because as much as I tried to tell him I spoke English, he just raised his voice a little bit and repeated the sales spiel – I guess he thought if he said it often enough I would eventually get it in Italian.

 Excellent cheese.

 

Beer

Dreher. 

Seems to be made in Milano.  4.7%.  A lager, so there’s not really much chance to be different from other lagers.  Quite nice – a little bit of sourness to wake you up.  ½ litre can for €1.8.  Originally a Czech brewer, and still made there, but this one was from the Italian production line.

Castello

From the brewery that made Moretti before Heineken bought it out and sold the brewery and the stream it’s on to these people.  What is it with modern corporations who think they are so smart that they can buy a successful product, dump what made it successful in the first place and just market the name?  When Heineken bought Moretti, they didn’t want the brewery or the stream / river it sat on so they disposed of it.  In effect, what is now Moretti is Heineken rubbish and what is now Castello is what Moretti used to be when it was good.  Just so y’all know.

 

Farson Simons Breweries of Malta

Cisk Lager -  Lovely.  Strong hint of sourness from the hop leaf. 

Hopleaf – nice.  Light bitter aftertaste.  Probably my pick of all the Farson brews.

Extra Strong (XS) 9% abv.  Didn’t like at all, nor did my friend Olivier.  All alcohol taste and nothing else.

Amber Ale.  I don’t normally like anything that tastes like fruit but this is nicely underdone in that area, although it does have a smidgin of fruit.  Nutty and perhaps a little on the sweet edge but not so that I don’t like it.  Only saw it at one pub, the Jubilee and nowhere else at all.

Blue Label.  An ale and perhaps a little weak but not bad if you intend having more than one.  I’ve had quite a few, in different restaurants here, and it’s easy to drink.

 

There is a bar here called the Jubilee Bar.  It is attempting to franchise itself and there are offers in the bar for people interested to discuss.  They already sell their in-house food in supermarkets.  We had beer and free snacks there in a lengthy session with Olivier and Lauren before they departed for Gozo and Syracuse.  Then Carol and I returned for dinner and had more beer and some food, too.  I had a steak-and-ale pie and chips.   Carol had an in-house made ravioli of fish and a white sauce which was very nice.  My pie was OK but could have done with more gravy inside.  We both had desserts, me apple pie and ice cream and Cal a lemon sorbet.  Cost for 2 x 600ml Amber Ale bottles, 1 half pint of Cisk Lager for Cal, two mains and two desserts?  €22.95.  Including VAT.  Third time there I asked for gravy and lo and behold, out came a gravy boat for my pie.

 

Wuhrer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peroni_Brewery

 Bought a case of this in the wholesaler in Lampedusa.  It was €12 for a case of 15 large bottles.

It is a little bit sweet for mine, but OK if it’s cold enough to mask that a bit.  Brewed by one of my favourite brewers in the whole world but not a beer I’d go back to

 

Hermann Muller

Made in Poland by a brewery called Gamintojas as near as I can tell.  Found this in a discount store in Sliema, Malta.  4 x 500ml cans for €3.5.  Good deal.  Nice beer.  Crisp, low head and not gassy at all.  Reasonable amount of hop flavor as much as a lager can have.  Like it very much.  Put it on the purchase list.

 We went to our friend Tano Role’s house for a day of catching up and enjoying the company of an old friend and his wife.  Late in the evening we finished up with some liquers and these came out of Tano’s cabinet.

 

Cynar

Italian Artichoke liquer.  Very much like tea.  Can’t recommend it with any conviction.  Trivia:  someone posed a question recently on Carol’s FB that you couldn’t think of a drink without an “e” in the name.  Bet I can.

 

Limuncell of Gozo

Very nice, much more of a tart flavor.  We had a bottle recently (among a few of us, not just us) that was from Sorrento and one would assume was “autentico” but it was very syrupy and ultra sweet.  This one from Gozo was lighter on the sugar and stronger on the lemon.  Very nice. Which is good because I just bought one of their Tangerine liquers and haven’t started it yet.

 
Disaronno

Amaretto to the older ones among us, but it’s been sold as Disaronno for over ten years now.  It was Amaretto di Saronno, then Originale di Saronno and now just Disaronno.  It is the best selling Italian liquer in the world.  It deserves to be – I remember having this in a coffee in the Sheraton in Singapore back in the middle 1980s, with a side shot to go with it.  It was nice then and I still find it smooth and warming.  All class.  And no “e” either.

 John Smith Extra Smooth.

Had this on draft in Gibraltar and thought it was a publican’s beer (see Reviews #8).  Just bought 4 cans to see if there’s any difference.  Tastes the same, i.e. not much taste at all.  Smooth and creamy like a Kilkenny – cans come with those little widgets in them that go off when you rip the top.  Nice head, very smooth but only 3.8% and not much to recommend it.

 

Clausthaler Classic

 This is in RED because it’s a warning.  I bought two bottles of this in the Gala Supermarket, which strangely enough is on the first floor of the Malta Skoda dealership (same family owns both so why waste premises?)

I bought it because on the label is a medal “World Beer Awards”.  Silly me, they must have been in a category all their own.  I took one swig and realized I’d been had.  It’s NON-ALCOHOLIC!  It tastes like that South Australian stuff Southwark with no alcohol.  Thank the lucky stars I only bought two small bottles to try it.  I’ll pass on the reaction of the unlucky soul I foist the remaining one on.

 

Bavaria.

One of the ‘bespoke’ beers that are made for supermarket sale.  5.0%  Nice – large cans, quite sharp and a big seller here in Malta.  Not surprised, would hold its own in most company.

86. 

www.bavaria86.com

This is Bavaria’s “Special Blond Beer”.  Most Australian “blond’ beers are a euphemism for “lo-carb” i.e. low alcohol.  This is 7.9% so it’s no way low alcohol.  Made in Holland, even though it’s called Bavaria.  Very nice indeed but it will set you back on your pins if you have too many.

Skol

Brought to you by Carlsberg/Tetley Brewing.  Tetley make good stuff.  This variety is brewed in Malta under licence by Farsons, who bring you Cisk, Blue Label etc above.  And good stuff it is too.  It’s “By Appointment To Her Majesty The Queen” and she sure knows her beers.  I think that’s courtesy of the Tetley’s link.  Comes in large 500ml cans and you can usually get it around the islands for around €3.50 for a four-pack.

Cody’s

www.codys-drinks.com

Brewed in Bremen Germany, so it is made where they know beer.  5.4%.  Not bad but a little sweetish.  Price? .49c for a 500ml can.

Carl Theodor Lager

Another generic.  Says “produced in Germany” but with marketing language designed to mislead, the term is probably meaningless.  Seems to be a Romanian company.  Nothing to recommend it but equally it is not to be avoided.  Again only .49c for a 500ml can so if you see it at that price, put it in the fridge.  Not as sweet as the Cody’s so it goes up in my listing.

Note:-  Arrived in Sicily last night.  Into the Koala Bar in Porto Paolo (yes, there is a Koala Bar in Porto Paolo, Sicily) and had two Nastro Azzura’s.  It’s nice to be back with one of the world’s best beers in every fridge!  €2 each.

Norbertus Heller Bock

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allg%C3%A4uer_Brauhaus

Strong Lager, 7.5%

In Don Carmelo’s, Syracusa.  Had the house beer first and didn’t like it and opted for this from their “Special Beers” section.

Very nice, double malted.  Tasted a little smoky or peaty.  Complex, but not a lot of fruit thank goodness.  There is some there from the double malt but it is by no means a turnoff.  Big bottle, with one of those wire flip tops on it.  Comes cold but not icy which was nice as it let the taste through.  It is one of the brands made by Allgauer Brauhaus

 

Hacker-Pschorr

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker-Pschorr_Brewery

This brewery has gone full circle, from Hacker, to being bought out by the son-in-law Pschorr, to the next two sons going their separate ways and re-merging in the 1970s.  It is one of the famous “six” located inside Munich and therefore one of the six allowed to sell at the Oktoberfest.  They also own Paulaner (very nice).

I had this on tap in the Camel Bar in Le Castella in Calabria.  I thought it a bit sweet for me but I very quickly add that these guys make many different beers (King Ludwig had Pschorr create some for his wedding) and they’ve got 580 years of experience so there’s more than just this one.

Overall, crisp and nice with a frothy head (barman had to sweep it with his stick) and at 5.5% not to be drunk carelessly.  If it was the tap beer in a bar I went into I’d buy it again.

Hacker-Pschorr Sternweisse

Later, in Piraeus, I was in a chandlery.  We’d bought some stuff there and the chandler gave me a bottle of this – they look after the yacht of one of the two owners of the brewery, and he gives them heaps of beer as a perk.  Not usually a wheat-beer drinker but this wasn’t too bad.  Very large head, which dropped away after a while.  Sour and sharp.  Pours dark and almost brown.  Nice stuff.

 

Willianbrau Pils

The beer by this name on RateBeer is a Belgian of 4.2% alcohol.  The one I have is 4.6% and is brewed in Slovenia for an Italian company.  I have no idea how you can have two beers with identical names being sold when they are completely different beers?

Anyway, this one, the Slovenian one, is a bit on the ordinary side.  Not much froth, but nice and crisp.  When faced with a tap with this on it I’d buy one but I wouldn’t go lookies for it.  500ml can, .69c.  Can’t complain about the price.

 Ceria

Sicilian beer.  Double malted.  7%.  Starting to get a bit on the citrusy side.  Each bottle is individually numbered.  It’s twice to three times the price of whatever else is in the pub and it’s probably not worth that much.  Good to support a boutique brewery and all – maybe with more acceptance and volume the price will come down?

 

I'm about 10 beers behind, or maybe 12, from Albania and Greece.  Some good brews to come.

 

Thermal Runaway - or as they say in England, that was a near-run thing.

Something made me get up this morning at 3am.  Don't know what it was but something.  I wandered around the saloon wondering what I could smell.  Checked the engine bay.  Nope, not diesel.  Checked the garage.  Place was h-o-t hot.  All the toolboxes.  The wood cover over the batteries red hot.  Ripped everything out as fast as I could.  Starboard side battery was fizzing and hissing like all get-out.  Too hot to touch.  Off with shorepower instantly.  Off with the wind generator just to be sure.  Woke the Admiral in case things deteriorated.  Removed all three fire extinguishers from their holders and put them next to the sink.  Opened both lazarettes to let in cool air.

Dialled up the Catalina 42 Technical Discussion Group and keyed in boiling batteries.  There was my answer in one succinct short paragraph - Thermal Runaway.  A battery cell dies and the charger tries to charge it.  The battery heats up and the charger tries harder to charge the battery again.  This is self-defeating and the heat build up is amazing (the battery was still hot 5 hours later).  If I hadn't woken up, chances are big explosion and/or fire.  Not a good wakeup.


Postscript.  Nicos the Sparky came.  Checked the house bank.  Both gone to battery heaven.  Good news - he had 2 x 180ah lead acids in stock in Iraklion, delivered here in the hour-and-a-bit, 210 euros each.  Nicos is a strong boy and though I helped he basically shoved them in.  These things are huge.

Then he extracted the bow thruster, took that away and cleaned a lot of salt out of it and now it too runs.  Which was what he was coming here for in the first place.

Boat is safe, lessons learned as usual.

Greek Odyssey (Guest bloggers Kathy, Leonie and Steve)

Well that's the price you have to pay for a holiday aboard Common Sense - just like the first day back at school after a vacation, or the test after an excursion: you have to write about it! Here is the Saronic cruise from the perspective of our fantastic crew.

After the most amazing two week Greek Odyssey, there are only two questions that remain….

Why did we come back????

Did we ever really go???

THUD!!!  The sound of the wall you hit when you realise the aquamarine blue of the Agean has been replaced by the cloudy winter grey of Bunbury, the water we were immersed in for the past two weeks is now leaking from the sky and the local wine, olives, feta and yummy red, red tomatoes have become cups of Nescafe and cracker biscuits in the staff room…………….

Cloudless blue skies, warm, crystal-clear sea, the company of multi million dollar super yachts, cheap coffee, food and wine everywhere, and 5 great friends with nothing else to do except enjoy every experience.  Under the competent direction of Captain Terry and his most accomplished Admiral Carol, the ‘motley crew’ didn’t really have a care in the world…….or we weren’t trusted to assist.  Sailing the Greek Islands is one of these idyllic holidays that everyone ‘gasps’ at when you describe where you have been.  Well, we are here to tell you that it absolutely is everything that you think it is going to be, plus more. 

The local ‘Adonis’ and ‘Artemis’ of the Greek population were friendly, relaxed and welcoming, except the keeper of the ‘beach lounges’ who was determined to collect his 3 Euros for leaving our belongings there while enjoying our daily dip!!  In fact, we created an ‘Adonis scale’ for our own entertainment, pre-Adonis, Adonis, post-Adonis and Archimedes….Archimedes appeared on the beach on our first day and it was clear that a couple of decades on from attaining Adonis status, and after years of good food, wine and the traditional afternoon ‘siesta’, the body shape of many mature Greeks assisted with the displacement of water theory made famous by the Greek mathematician.  But the Greeks love their beaches and it is refreshing to see that these people of the sea continue to fully utilise their beautiful surroundings, no matter which stage of the Adonis scale they are on!!  There should be more of it.

The super yachts in the lovely Zea Marina, our meeting point with Common Sense, may well be modest in comparison to those in the more pricey marinas to the east of Athens but we were gobsmacked by their size and opulence (from the outside), and many an hour was spent looking and speculating as to what and who lived on them, or if they were having as much fun as we were – which was not possible really. Our front and back ‘yards’ were magnificent, and did not require lawn mowing duties, or weeding. The ‘patio’ was comfortable, everything was within reach, and there was more food and wine/beer than these 5 people needed. The company was magnificent and with the Mediterranean tradition of staying up until all hours of the night, your neighbours did not complain about the noise. Not that we made any because the gentle rocking of the yacht put us soundly to sleep every night. For us newbies, far were the worries of anchors holding, running aground, wind changes or anything else that might have had the Captain and Admiral scrambling checking during the night.  Fortunately, we were blessed by perfect weather as well.

A daily dip, or 10, straight from the stern of Common Sense, was one of the many simple pleasures available to us, particularly when anchored in the countless bays around the islands in the Saronic Gulf.  The islands of Aegina, Poros, Ermione and the town of Epidavros on the Peloponnese coast were our landing pads and the villages were postcard perfect, the tavernas plentiful along the sea walls and even remote beaches, and life was languid.   Strolling through the small squares and streets, stopping for refreshments or provisions and investigating where we might have dinner that night were about the most demanding things we had to do.

 

Except….when our exploring and enquiring minds got the better of us, plus adventure is the spice of life, so a day of scooter hire across the hilly landscape of Poros brought about a couple of challenges!  Without much scooter experience, or licences, plus driving on the opposite side of the road, we still decided it was for us, otherwise the delights we encountered would have been unattainable.  In the traditional Greek way of riding a scooter, helmetless, we set off to the highest point on Poros, the Temple of Poseidon.  A dry, overgrown ‘patch’ with the appropriate ruins, it could have been anything, except for the magnificent view over the kilometres of Poseidon’s kingdom, the sea….Downhill to a beautiful bay below for a swim and a beer, and then  our circumnavigation of Poros, something akin to the ‘Mod Squad’.  Each turn of the winding, elevated roads unveiled another astounding outlook across the Saronic Gulf, it was absolutely breath taking.  We were riding like professionals by the end of the day, we had encountered local traffic, pedestrians, gravel tracks, double fuel tankers, unknown road rules and still were grinning from ear to ear.  To end our exploits, a beer with fellow sailors, Olivier and Lauren, friends of the Captain and the Admiral, and back to Common Sense for a cleansing dip and a late bbq dinner on the ‘patio’…..what a magic day!!

 

We had the exploring bug, and were also determined to visit some of the amazing historical sites that surrounded us, so our plans were made to visit Epidavros and make our way to the Palace of Agamemnon.  We negotiated the hire of a very comfortable Volvo and appointed bag boy (beer boy, wine boy, anchor boy, ropes boy….you’ve got the idea) Steve, as our ‘land skipper’ with Captain Terry and his ipad as our navigation system.  All went according to plan in the early stages, and a comfortable trip to the palace was very worthwhile.  As confidence crept in, we decided to broaden our horizons as we headed back toward Epidavros to visit the largest Amphitheatre in Greece.  Well, one wrong turn in a foreign country, already on the wrong side of the road, and you end up on the ‘scenic route’.  Apart from the state of the road, its many switchbacks and no other signs of life (almost), this proved to show us a little more of Greece than we had planned.  ‘Nav’ was confident he knew where we were and eventually the olive groves and dry river beds gave way to houses, tavernas and road signs.  Back on track, we found our way to the Amphitheatre, where a rendition of Advance Australia Fair was essential. Another wrong turn saw us rewarded with the most awesome view, looking out on to our idyllic bay with Common Sense moored just beyond the church, and then on to the beach, of course, and an opportunity to snorkel over a very well preserved sunken village ruin.

Time was closing in on us to head for home and sadly our return leg back to Athens was planned.  Unfortunately, the weather forecast the Captain had worked toward came a day early, and we motored our way back to Piraeus in strong winds, gusting up to 45 knots at times, with a reasonable bow wave as well.  We noticed we were quite lone sailors on this day!  However, after a highly skilled manoeuvre into a very slim berth at Zea Marina, the bumpy ride was over and the crew abandoned ship for a well-deserved shower, coffee and comfortable (land) couch.

 

We spent the last of this day exploring the wonderful markets of Monastiraki and being wowed by glow of the evening view of the Acropolis looming over this part of the city. It is always difficult to comprehend the magnificence of such ruins when we live in relatively young country. It was also astounding to us the number of restaurants and tavernas that abound everywhere, but I guess that the Greeks live a different life to us, eating out more often and strolling the streets late into the night, even the children and the babies.

 

Our last day together ended up slightly different to what we had planned. Back on dry land we were at the mercy of the 4 million Athenians, or at least those who were protesting at the parliament, necessitating a two hour detour of the streets after an incredible walking tour of the Acropolis.  We had a very hurried return to Common Sense just in time for our departure to the airport. It definitely made one long for the wide open water we had been blessed with for the past 10 days.

Sometimes hurried farewells are the best, as it doesn’t give anyone too much time to get emotional, usually!  However, it was certainly with deep regret, and many, many thanks, that we piled into our yellow getaway taxi, left Terry and Carol and headed home to reality.

Big, Fat Greek Ideas

I'm afraid this one sounds a bit like a lesson and it has nothing boaty in it at all, so stop now if you want to.

Western culture began in Greece. Everybody knows that, but until you spend some time here, you don’t fully appreciate just how true that is, nor how incredible it is. Incredible, because it just seems so unlikely that this rugged land with its scattering of mostly barren islands should have been the birthplace of so many of our big ideas. Here are just a few that come to mind:

Mathematics. Of course other civilizations had systems of calculation for trade, but the ancient Greeks developed Mathematics as a disciplined system of abstract thought. This is the foundation of all our science and technology.

Physical Culture. The training of the body, not just for war, but for fitness, health and beauty. The word ‘gymnasium’ is Greek, of course, and so are the Olympic Games (and so are nearly all the keywords in this list!)

Aesthetics. Another Greek word for the appreciation of beauty. Greek ideals of beauty, in nature, art and architecture are very much alive in what we still think of as beautiful. 3000 year old Greek sculptures are still attractive in a way that is difficult to find in say, medieval art.

 

Democracy. A revolutionary idea from 5^th century BC Athens, that citizens had a right to participate in their own governance and that decisions could be reached by public debate and election. Pericles was the leader who developed Athenian democracy to its fullest; it is difficult to comprehend just how new an idea this was in a world of tyrannies large and small. Lots of places still haven't got the hang of it.

Theatre. The remains of theatres are everywhere. It was an important forum for both entertainment and education. The fundamental forms of tragedy and comedy, and many of the conventions of Greek theatre can be seen in any film or TV show today. And the theatres themselves are the archetype of every sports stadium since ...

Narrative. We think of it as natural that a story should have a beginning, middle (where various complications happen) and an end (where they are resolved) but this is actually Aristotle’s idea. You only need to read the traditional narratives of most non-Western cultures to see that this is not universal.

The Rule of Law. A system of laws, overseen by a criminal court, was a Greek idea.

Medicine. Every society had its traditional cures, most of them religious, but the Greeks developed Medicine as a systematic discipline. And gave us the Hippocratic Oath.

Philosophy. Disciplined thought in the service of improving the individual and society, and grappling with the meaning of existence.

Education. The standard classroom 'discussion', where the teacher asks the students questions to which she already knows an answer, is the legacy of Socrates. Another thing we take so much for granted that it is invisible until you experience a non-Western culture.

And there you have pretty much the basis of the modern western world - and there is so much more that could be included, if you wanted to go into detail (pizza, showers, sewerage systems, libraries ... ). What links all of these ideas for me is an entirely new vision of humanity, quite different from anything that had happened before. The big new idea is that the ordinary individual matters – that their lives have value and significance in themselves, not just in terms of their utility to a king or warlord. For example, contrast the pyramids of Egypt, where thousands laboured and died to ensure the immortality of a deified pharaoh, with these beautiful grave stele, which depict the dead individual as he or she appeared in life, being farewelled by those who loved them.

 

 

Apart from a few details of dress, these could be any modern family.

The scary thing is that enlightened ideas can be lost or suppressed, as of course these were for centuries - the Renaissance of western Europe was a 're-birth' of classical Greek ideas.

Escape from the Meltemi

We have been in the Port of Merika on the island of Kythnos, after a couple of days at anchor in Apokriosi, a nearby bay. The dock is free, the harbour master helpful and the island itself a delight. It has fine beaches and rugged scenery – craggy hills criss-crossed with miles of drystone walls. The harbourside town is a pleasant mix of tourist-oriented tavernas and traditional shops. The butcher’s shop has no sign – everybody knows that the old woman with the moustache and no front teeth sitting out the front is the butcher! Best of all, Kythnos was where we caught up with our friends Laura and Olivier on Hephaistos once again.

 

Bouillabaisse with Laura and Olivier

 

Dry stone walls

The first few days were good but on Thursday a departing yacht picked up our anchor and dislodged it from where it had been holding us for three days. We didn't know this and went off to the Chora on the bus. (many Greek islands have a Chora, or central place)

 

Pretty house in the chora on Kythnos

 

Street in the chora, Kythnos

When we returned we had been bashing into the dock and our Turkish friend Barbur had repositioned our fenders to try to stop it.  The anchor kept giving way in the strong winds and we had no choice but to go out from the dock and try to re-anchor in 30+ knots.  That held for 20 minutes and we dragged again.  With the help of the dockmaster Manolas, Barbur and our friends Olivier, Laura and Joachim plus assorted onlookers we went out again.  This time it held, but only overnight.  Next afternoon when the Meltemi really fired up we dragged again. Same deal, same crew.  This time we moved a little to the west and it held.  Today, Sunday, was forecast the same, 25-30 (more of that later) but Monday and Tuesday were scheduled to be worse, 35-40. Hephaistos had left the previous evening, bound for Mikonos. We had originally planned to sail east with them, but the Meltemi is apparently even stronger in the eastern Cyclades, so that was not the direction for us!

 

Hephaistos leaves for Mikonos

 



We decided to head south straight away rather than wait for the inevitable dragging - it would be worse because the harbour is now full, as Greek annual leave began on Friday.  Our reasoning was better 30 knots pushing us down out of this atrocious island chain than being sitting ducks in the port. We carefully plotted a series of day sails, with supposedly sheltered anchorages – Kythnos to Serifos, Serifos to Sifnos, Sifnos to Folegandros, Folegandros to Santorini, then a fifty mile to Crete.

Some days are learning experiences and some days are just bastards.

 

So off we went.  Thank you forecasters, one and all.  Our 20-25 knots very quickly turned out to be 30-40 knots.  Still, with the boom brake holding out the main, and a small handkerchief of genoa we barrelled along at 6s and 7s, lots of 8s and one 9.  We have photos!

 

We arrived at Serifos an hour before we thought we would in 40 to 50 knots and were not happy.  We anchored in the best shelter we could find and had one sustained gust that reached 52 knots.

We decided not to stay – we would just anchor for  a short time to tidy up the mess from rolling downhill all morning and prepare for an overnight sail, but then we couldn't get the anchor up in the howling gale force of this abysmal Meltemi. It took both of us working up front at least 45 minutes to get clear, reclaiming our anchor chain a few links at a time between gusts.

 Then we were off again.  Exiting the bay we were doing 5.5 knots with no sail out.  When we hit open water, we pulled out a little main and a little genoa and choofed off headed for Santorini overnight – so much for the plan.  It was quite pleasant - 5 knots with a little roll but nice enough.

 At night the wind eased and we went to put the flapping genoa away but it was stuck.  Inspection from the foredeck showed that the No1 spinnaker halyard had come free and was wrapped into the genoa.  It took Terry another 40 minutes on the foredeck unravelling it from at least a dozen turns around the forestay. The deck was slippery and we couldn't see the top of the forestay to tell how many twists were in it but eventually it was free.  Better now than in the morning when the forecast is for 30 knots with gusts of 40.   The way these guys call it, it will probably be 60.

Anyway, we have little wind right now and it's 11:30pm. It's still warm-no-shirt-warm and nobody else seems silly enough to be out here tonight.  We're just abeam of the island of Folegandros and should hit Santorini around 8am. The further south we go, the lower the influence of the Meltemi.

 

[Later….]

 

Supposedly.  It came back at 1:30am and heralded the beginning of another hard day.  We cruised along in the dark at about 4.5 to 5 knots with only a little sail out.  It was rolly and uncomfortable, just the sort of conditions Carol hates.  The inevitable occurred and she felt seedy all day.  To add to our problems, the batteries began to show signs of  loss of power, and even the engine couldn’t keep up with them.  Power reading of all 12v manuals on board began and then Terry checked the aft pair of batteries.  This is not easy in a marina let alone on a rolling yacht in a seaway with 30 knots of wind. Everything had to be removed from our tiny “garage” (basically, our shed) including bags, tool boxes, parts boxes etc to get access to the panel to lift off to get at the two massive RV batteries there. Terry began filling them with distilled water and eventually used up 2 litres.  Reminder to check more often.  That helped and they began to hold about a volt more but he was exhausted and covered in sweat and blood – yes, Mr Fixit went and cut something else again.  And the fan belt is loose – perhaps not enough power is getting in – another job when we reach a dock … Still, that crisis out of the way the real fun began.

We had to approach our destination from the north west.  Wind here was no longer behind us but from the West, as was the now considerable swell.  We had about 2 hours of cutting across this, with some very scary rolls and pitches.  Couldn’t use the autopilot and hand steered the whole way.

As we approached the Bay of Spinalonga, towards our marina (all thoughts of anchoring out had long disappeared), the wind increased with the katabatic effect of the huge mountains on Crete.  The highest gust we managed to see was 56.9 knots, with the majority over 45 up to 53.  It was an hour of intense concentration. [This was a very impressive sailing effort by the Capt. though he wouldn’t say it himself.]

                                                       Capt after a rough night

We arrived in the town/city – as yet, we were unaware of exactly where we were apart from the name of the marina, and of course just as we arrived the wind picked up again.  We were assured by Gregori, the marina security guy that we would be ok and to enter the marina slowly.  With all the fenders out and all the lines prepared, Carol was relaying messages from the VHF (the cockpit extension got kicked out and is not working) and were told to come straight ahead.  A bit of forward/reverse/almost hit the Yankee boat/ manouevring and we had a stern line on.  Then the lazy line on the bow and we at least weren’t moving anywhere.  The wind was so strong we had to winch the stern in to the dock.

Crete in sight

 

Anyway, after all that and a tip for Gregori (these guys are worth their weight in gold) we were all finished with the Meltemi and the Cyclades.  Out to dinner at 11pm (there were still people arriving then as well as us) for a gyros and a couple of Amstel “big”s

We slept until 10am today then began wandering about what we now know is Aghios Nikolaos, and what a wonderful place it is, too.  As usual, Common Sense has found one of the world’s gems, but more about that later.

The past 36 hours has felt like an adventure novel or an action film. The hero and his faithful sidekick battle formidable odds to reach their journey’s end. The setting: craggy Cycladic islands, the indigo sea, the fierce gales of the Meltemi winds; even the narrative structure was there – three major challenges or complications to overcome: retrieving our anchor and chain against the wind in Serifos; untwisting the tangled halyard from our headsail in the darkness on a heaving sea; restoring battery power to the boat, once again under tough conditions. Then, just as you think you’ve reached a safe harbour, the final challenge of docking in a rising gale. And now, the resolution: sitting in an open air tavern overlooking Spinalonga Bay in Crete, a cold beer and charcoal grilled gyros, we enjoy the warmth of the night, the solidity of the ground beneath us and  the chance to relive the adventure in comfort and safety

 

Piraeus (Terry)

Athens’ port is not a good looking city.  It is gritty, dirty and very utilitarian.  Athens itself is little better.  In the daytime, it is busy and bustling with a huge number of shops and restaurants serving shoppers and workers.

Night time is different.  This is when Piraeus is at its most attractive.  It is not the architecture or the streetscapes that make Piraeus, it is the people.  In the night, the citizens emerge to stroll on their nightly Perpata, sit in the bars and cafes, eat in the restaurants, wander along the marina walls and into the mega-yacht row.  Children learn to ride bicycles, older ones learn tricks on the sidewalks, and older people keep each other’s company as they have done for a half century or more.

It is a very inclusive society – all you need do is exactly what they are doing and you feel part of it.  The majority of restaurants are outdoor, or at least with a garden.  Our favourite, Posidonis Café, is on a hill and you are either uphill of your dining companions or on an angle yourself.  It is an unremarkable café from a cuisine viewpoint, but it is special for its quality – everyday Greek dishes done superbly, with tomatoes that are fresh, firm and sharp, chicken and pork that has real flavour, beer that is crisply cold and wine that is rich and cool.  To top it all off, it’s cheap.  Our other favourite is high on the hill to the west of the marina, overlooking the bay and Athens’ suburbs.  On a night with a moon, you can see the odd megayacht anchored out, the lights of Athens twinkling away in the distance and hundreds of people walking along the streets.

By day, you get stuff done – lots of chandlers, skilled tradesmen and shops where you can get anything you want.  By night, you let Piraeus engage you in civil society, as it has been doing for two thousand years.

We visited the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus.  They have a room with some large bronzes, Apollo being the biggest.  These statues were found in a storeroom on the corner of Naxos and some other street.  So someone put them there in 86BC and nobody opened the room for 2,000 years!  They were hidden when Sulla, the Roman General, was besieging Piraeus. I wonder what’s in here?  A statue of Apollo?  Oh, and a few more as well. You wonder how much else is hidden away in a city that’s 3,000 years old.

 

I needed two 8x40 flathead Inox screws to secure a new line clutch and was told to go to Theodosiadis’ place over in the old port area.  I was told that if they didn’t have them, they weren’t in Greece!  I have never seen a shop like it – everything you could ever want in Stainless Steel, including garden tools!  There is a carpet entrance from the street across a patio leading into the shop.  There are anchors in there that cost €5,000+.  I gave the guy behind the counter the part number I wanted – DIN 97 8x40 and he immediately said, sorry don’t have 8x40s but I have 8x50s.  Amazing.  He knows all his stock down to two 50mm screws?

We walked back to the marina through the bustling streets of Piraeus and were entertained for the hour or more it took.

Like Cadiz and not Seville,  like Syracuse and not Ortigia, Piraeus has working charm and not tourist views.

Except at night, looking over the marina and the bay, of course.