MORE, SHE SAYS

Going the Distance

On the move with everything ~ 

Athens by Bus, To the Airport 

via the Holiday Inn Shuttle - 

hey, it's free -

(the day I almost lost my camera bag 

when I left it on the bus at the airport).

Mindy watched our stuff while 

Lisa and I went

after it. Speaking Greek helps 

when you're in a panic.

Sunday Swim ~ Paleochori 

Fancy Building Blocks

"On the Blocks" - Pollonia

Yours Truly and Company

'Merica  Belongs

The best pizza we found is at her owner's corner Ice Cream Shop in Pollonia.
Prociutto and Capers Pizza.

Around the Block ~ Morning Jog ~ Adamas

That light is sunrise.  Around 7 A.M.
After four days of sleeping in we started to realize that this was an ideal time to explore the city at leisure.

Shopping ~ Pollonia

Adamas

Sarakiniko Cyclades

Athens Rooftop View

High and Dry ~ Adamas

Cave Explorers

Sun-dried Adamas Ocotopi ~ 
We chose Angelica's for a scoop of frozen yogurt each.  Wonder Why.

Old Shipwreck - Sarakiniko

A Yellow House - Adamas 

Guided Hiking Group Headed to the Crater of the Volcano ~ Sarakiniko -
Wanted to follow, but Lisa's shoes weren't adequate for a hike.

Convention Sunset ~ the First, the Prettiest.

Greek and English Hymn!  There are many.  Loved the
addition of the harmonica.

Lunch Break ~ Not a bomb, I decided, although it looks slightly threatening.
It didn't occur to me to pay a bit of attention until we were gathering up a long
strand of snarled fishing line.  No ticking and the wires weren't connected to anything.

Yes, that's sunburn, in case you were wondering.

Far Enough For Us

WATERED DOWN

My heart pounds loudly.

Hear it? I’m almost breathless.

My life.  There you are.

Spent the weekend in Arizona.

It rained.

But not all the time.

Star Gazing

What Caught My Eye

Going According to Plan

Our friends, L and D, spent four days with us.  On Monday, lunch was Cream of Garlic Soup with salad, a recipe of L's.  The recipe calls for four heads of garlic gently cooked and pureed to which is added one stick of butter, 3 T flour, a cup and a half of cream, 1/4 cup white wine, 3 1/2 cups chicken broth and two egg yolks.  I only bought three heads of garlic so we added some scallions I had on hand.  I didn't have any white wine, but the soup was very good. 

We planned a possible kayak trip on the river for Tuesday.  Jerry wouldn't be able to say for sure if he could do it until around 2:00 or 3:00 P.M. The weather was supposed to warm up a little, and it did - a sunny 75 degrees was expected but I think it was warmer than that.  On Wednesday, I spent some time weeding the garden and after lunch L gave me a painting lesson.  I don't think you really want to see my project.  Maybe next time.  Patty joined us for lunch.  I made garlic mashed potatoes, grilled zucchini and individual glazed meatloaf in the charlotte tray from Demarle. I cook better than I paint, I guess.  The ladies all liked lunch a lot.

D likes to spend time lake-fishing and boating and L has gone kayaking with her dad a few times, so I wasn't anticipating any problems.  We dropped off the crew cab pickup at the town bridge, piled in with all our boats and equipment in the Toyota pickup and headed for the spot along the river to start the five mile trip. Jerry and our friend were going to share the orange inflatable canoe.  L and I helped pump it up but we were having some trouble with getting the cap tightened on the fill valve.  Finally I let L tackle that problem while I shared the air-pumping duties on the kayaks.  

It was hot, hard work, but we are used to it.  When all the preparations were done, we geared up in helmets and life vests before we carried our boats down hill to the water.  I remembered a past broken ankle so I felt compelled to ask Jerry not to walk too fast because it's gravely and a little steep.  At the water's edge, D was a little concerned about balance getting into the boat, but looked well prepared in her vest and helmet.   Once in the water, I took off in the lead, but kept turning my boat around to see how things were going.

Our friend, D,  was grasping the cord that loops around the boat with both hands.  The canoe looked like it was starting to fold about where she was sitting.  This bend meant that the front of the canoe was pointing up at a strange angle and the side of the canoe was not more than 4 inches above water and sinking fast.  Jerry's eyes were twinkling but with rapids ahead, this did not look promising to me.  Not only was she tipping precariously toward the bend in the boat, but even more concerning from my vantage point was the look in her eyes: round as saucers and her body stiff with tension.  She was losing the battle to stay upright.  Five miles of this would be either miserable or impossible.  She asked us to take her back where she would wait for us.  Going back upstream is not the easiest task and it would be a long wait.  Instead, I offered to have her join me in my boat, and I would sit on my knees behind her.

Fighting the current, we aimed for a shallow spot on the water's edge where we could make the switch.  We moved the seat of the one man kayak forward, and despite her trepidation, got her settled into it. I climbed in behind and taking my paddle, assured her we would steer around the rapids as much as possible.  What I found out is that a kayak meant for one but loaded with two gets swamped with water easily.  The water slid me backwards repeatedly every time we tackled the bigger rapids, and when I was forward, I had only just enough room to paddle between us.  The water was somewhat low and riding the rapids would have been great, but I was as determined to keep my promise and try to avoid them as I was uncertain of being able to handle them.

Our friend, D's fear vanished with the new seating arrangement. After repeating that this was her first and last boat ride on the Shoshone, she started having fun. Bobbing up and down over the first rapid to show her enthusiasm for the bigger rapids to come,  we took the first waves easily and were on our way.  Jerry, now in the canoe alone, had figured out that the air valve lid wasn't seated properly.  With that problem identified, it was easily solved.  With only one person in the canoe, he was doing fine, too.  He, and L in the other kayak, had more control and headed for all the rapids.

We were riding a little low in the back, so it didn't take very much whitewater to swamp the boat. The drainage holes were not keeping up with the onslaught and I was sitting several inches deep in water.  This wasn't a problem except that combining a boat full of water, an extra person and minimal space to maneuver the paddle meant that paddling was both hard work and also a constant necessity.  I could steer fairly well, but I wasn't having much luck actually propelling the boat where I wanted to.  Hard as I tried to paddle, we were sucked right into the center of the rapids.  All my efforts had to go to bringing the boat around to face them and just keeping it as straight as possible. 

We talked about basic instructions while we floated in the quiet areas. Nose and toes in the air to avoid getting stuck in rocks.  Your life-jacket will hold you.  Just float until you can get your feet under you.  If we hit a rock, lean toward it.  I told her that if I didn't stay in the boat and took the paddle overboard with me that she should just stay with the boat and someone would come to help her.  

We took a couple of sideways hits as I struggled to maintain control, and took on more water.  The little kayak is a valiant vessel, but it was a full frontal attack that threw us sideways into the next wave and I almost lost my seat on that one.  I was pretty sure that if I stayed on my knees  the water would lift me right out of the boat, so I folded my legs Indian style.  With the kayak tipping up in front (and down in back), my whoops and squeals were irrepressible.  I struggled to stay forward in the boat for balance, gasping as the water hit my face, blinding me for a few seconds, and kept paddling.  Thankfully this didn't seem to cause too much concern on D's part.

D relaxed enough to make a few glances at the beauty of the area. Red cliffs, green riversides - and she noticed deer feeding within a few feet of us.  And last of all, the sight I was quite relieved to see - the town bridge!  We did it!

Riding Legal

Greek Goodbyes

Gate In Plaka

Athens ~ Graffiti

Special Old Friends.  
Okay.  I love this. So impressed with this lovely Armenian lady who slept next to us.

Aruth and George

A great many laws in a country, like many physicians, 

is a sign of malady.

Voltaire

Chick Pea Salad with Feta Cheese ~ Enalion, Pollonia  

Adamas ~ Could have stared at the water all day.  

Pollonia Studio

Sarakiniko Caves

In general the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one class of citizens to give it to the other.

Voltaire

Beach Feet on the Coffee Table

My New Camera Bag

Greek Style

Amphitheater and My Best Girl

Fashion Sense

Fresh Figs Finally Found - Athens Street Vendor

Adamas ~ Church Bell Tower

Packing.  I've never done it so carefully or taken so long.  My practice has been to toss things in a bag about 10 minutes before I leave on a trip and take mental  notes for next time.  Nice clothes for four days of convention, beach time, biking - who knew what all we would be doing on Milos - and then some city-living for two or three days - with all of that to be ready for, I did not want to carry around things I did not need or use.  I picked out my favorite clothes and then tried on every one of them.  This resulted in mostly changing everything...and thinking I need to pay a little more regular attention to my wardrobe.  My sisters know this, but the problem with shopping is it takes time and money, so don't mention it to my husband.  Even the suggestion of shopping seems to make him all jittery.  

I learned on my last trip to Arizona that black is a very nice wardrobe basic for traveling, and if you throw in a skirt (Cabi - thanks to one of my sisters), a couple of colorful tops -( thank you TJ Maxx), a lightweight blazer (shh-Goodwill), a couple sets of work clothes, some undies, toiletries (in a separate bag, sigh, so it's very clear I don't intend to blow up airplanes - why would I blow up a plane I'm on and why does a separate container make it harder to do? *shakes head - obviously I don't have a degree in chemistry and no interest whatsoever in making bombs) and three pairs of shoes, you're done and good. Everything goes together, so you are set.  Black, however, wasn't going to work for Greece.

An oppressive 40 degrees centigrade for Athens was duly noted upon a quick search over the internet. Although it was expected to cool a few degrees for a few days, black clothing was out and cotton was in.  Incidentally,  Athenian or otherwise, they did not believe this news when I delivered it. 

Besides my skirt and top combos, I also took two pairs of shorts and then noticed a lot of women wearing light, pretty sundresses everywhere, probably with swimsuits under. We saw a rack of sundresses, but didn't see anything that I cared to bring home - until Athens.  And from there, decided it would be easy to make one just like that Greek Goddess-type we saw.  One very skinny lady was dressed in black head to toe, with black and maroon colored hair in a huge frizz.  It oddly out of place in beach-y Adamas, but it might have looked out of place anywhere except in an 80's rock band.  That is a country girl born and bred speaking, of course.  Oprah, on the other hand, has an amazing 'fro for her magazine cover this month. Take a look when you're standing in the line at the grocery store this week!

After our wind-surfing lesson, we didn't have anything else planned but we noticed the bus headed to Plaka had just pulled in.  My eyes met Lisa's, we checked to see that Mindy was following closely and hopped aboard.  Plaka was inland and up the mountain, we learned.  We managed to fit in some quick shopping, good ice cream - maybe not quite as good as their competitors proceeded to demonstrate with a taste test a few doorways up the street- and a quick hike to the Kastro (castle).  I'm sorry to say  we caught the bus back to Adamas only two hours later, but one of us was still wrapped in the latest Greek island fashion: a blue and white striped beach towel, not quite as cool as the ancient citizens of the land.

The best choice and most unexpected win of the packing game was my blue athletic t-shirt.  As we became more and more beach bummy I used it constantly as my swimming cover-up.  I had missed my chest with sunscreen and had a sunburn that worried my co-travelers. Due to my elaborate use of vitamin lotion it was much improved after a couple of days, but I didn't want anyone to worry so I continued to wear the shirt in and out of the water just to make sure it didn't happen again.  It dried quickly.  Blue shorts were a last minute addition to my suitcase - literally the last thing in - and a great choice because they matched the t-shirt.  

Sand.  It was everywhere. In my bed, in my shoes, in my suitcase, in the shower, on the bathroom floor mixed with a shameful amount of water - clearly things were getting out of control! Beach hotels need to provide something for sand cleanup in the rooms other than single layer toilet paper, for heaven's sake. I emptied it out of my suitcase over the edge of the balcony, thinking sand was the only thing left in it.  There was one small item left in one obscure pocket and it fell out on the roof below us but was retrievable thanks to Mindy's agility. It was a net pouch with an exfoliating glove.  Never used it once - not sure why I thought I should take it along. One of those little mysteries of life.  I still brought home sand, but not as much.

In Awe of Sunrise - Pollonia

 Most Elaborate Sand Castle

We're All Tied Up Today

 The Point of Pollonia 

Do Overs   

• Eat more celery, fewer Cheetos and  less chocolate when I'm at home. Everything looks better, even head-to-toe all black, on slender people.  Well, maybe not everything, but definitely swim suits.  
• Let Mindy pack for me, or just follow her example.  She made it look easy 
• One white skirt is plenty.  Really. The one that is very light and versatile?  Take it.  But if you must, take two.
• One swim suit is enough.
• No more than four skirts altogether - they can be cycled for 17-18 days, including the time zone travel, quite easily, because we were in beachwear so much. Preferably three - one white.  It is Greece. 
• Five tops - but both purple and pink is overkill.  Once I was in vacation mode there wasn't anyone to try to impress except the cute young Greek teaching me to wind-surf but it was pretty clear that he was less interested in wind-surfing fashions than our balance and comprehension of wind direction. 
• New low-light camera lens was superfluous but would have enjoyed my telephoto lens that I left home because of its size.  
• Three picture taking devices made me feel well supplied, but one good, small camera is really sufficient. Be prepared to keep everything charged up.  After Mindy's new multi-plug adapter quit working we found a single plug replacement for a couple of euros on our mission to retrieve the next day's breakfast.
• Do consider bringing an extra SD card.  I forgot but had plenty of room on the three devices.  Someone on our bus to Paleochori was desperately trying to buy a spare one, though.
• One pair of shorts - but two is okay.
• T-shirt dress for everything including over wet swim suit.
• Room on your credit card for clothes shopping and gifts.  
• Greece is too hot for scarves.  Okay, one bright, very light cotton for adding color, but that's it.
• Pajamas are out.  So are sheets until about 3 a.m.  Then a wool blanket might even be nice.  Unless you're Greek, then you may want two wool blankets all night long.  Unless you are in Athens sleeping on a roof-top.  Then even a mosquito net is too much.
• Don't over-do flashlights -  I took two besides the one downloaded on my phone, but only used the one I got from Costco which wraps around the neck, kink of like a stethoscope.    Why did I pack three flashlights?  Um, well - that's a good question.  I wasn't counting?

Windsurfing Bruises, Dessert

What's left.  They don't build them like they used to.

It is not enough to conquer; one must learn to seduce. 

Voltaire 

Seen Just Standing Around Athens -  Significance To Be Determined.