Well, three days after The Lexington (Woodland) show, we hopped on a flight to Athens, Greece for a trip we have been planning for months. I know everyone is scared of flying and getting in COVID’S way, but if you don’t mind going through all the necessary hoops, I recommend it. We had to get PCR lab tests and of course we had the vaccine but we were checked at every leg of the flights. We had to wear a mask for the whole time, but I would have anyway, luckily, traveling on a Wednesday isn’t quite as crowded as most other days and we had room to stretch out.
We got into Athens in the morning and went to our car rental place. We were on a 15 day trip but we only brought carry-ons so it was easy. I’ll tell you truthfully, 20 years ago, we wouldn’t be able to do this the way we did. Google maps is a god-send and we were able to get where we were headed without knowing many of the street signs or language. Although I had studied enough to get by, David didn’t utter one Greek phrase. I guess I was the interpreter but English is spoken widely everywhere now so it isn’t as hard as it used to be. I have been eight times before this, and it wasn’t always so easy.
Our first stop was Vivari in the Peloponnesus and it was heaven. Our air b&b was right on the water, coffee shop next door, and the dinner tables two inches from the water. Beautiful sunsets, ouzo and whole fish, just brought in, with the head and tail attached…it was incredible… can’t forget the fabulous salads and the saganaki, which is fried cheese and one of my faves. I don’t think I have ever eaten so clean and fresh. Lemon and olive oil and crusty freshly baked bread… that is all you need in life. I don’t have to tell you much else about meals because this is what we lived on for the whole trip.
We first hit Epidaurus, which was the Greeks medical center. The god Asclepius would come to you in a dream and the priest would interpret it and cure you. In the museum it was interesting how many medical instruments that they had to use. They must have done some pretty detailed operations, even back then. Actually I am never surprised at how advanced the Greeks were, until Christianity threw everything into the dark ages. This was a freaking working hospital… crazy-huh. In the afternoons we went swimming, it was 92 most days and the water was wonderful.
The next day we headed to Mycenae, where we climbed a mountain and entered through the famous Lion’s Gate. The home of Heracles, Agamemnon, Clymenestra, Antigone, Perseus and so many others, this was the heart of the golden age. You could just feel it…sacred ground. An amazing city in the clouds. We then headed to Argos, but there wasn’t much there, as the city had grown over much of the sights. We happened upon Tyrens, the home of Hercules and Perseus and granted, it was the middle of the day and hot as hades ( a pun) but we were the only ones there and it was fascinating. Laden with stairways throughout and like Mycenae made with the crazy hugh Cyclopean Rocks, it felt really special. We then headed back to swim-it was really brutally hot and water was appreciated.
We headed to Nafpilo for a spectacular dinner and to walk the old town. With three castles lit up at night it was magical. It was originally the port that all the Greek ships left from for the Trojan War. Which means it was where Agamemnon’s first daughter Iphigenia was sacrificed so that Artemis would kick up the wind. I kept thinking about that as we walked the docks. It is a Venetian town, not like the white Cyclades towns but lovely, reminded me of Rhodes.
We left Vivari on Sunday morning. We were headed to Sparta, Mystra and eventually Momenesia. We traveled over the craziest switchback mountains I have ever driven on. No guard rails… skinny roads almost made only for one car at a time, but majestic, ethereal and incredible. We had lunch in Sparta, a medium size city, but much like Argos, built over the ruins. Sparta is one of the few civilizations that left no history. Lots of stray cats around that led me to buy a 5 pound bag of cat food to hand out rations to all the furry friends I found. Mystra was haunting. The biggest Byzantine city after Constantinople that was totally deserted. Beautifully destroyed with a million churches and paintings in various stages of decay. The switchbacks continued, I never realized how mountainous Greece was.
When we saw Momenesia it was a shock. Lit up like a firecracker-the Gibraltar of Greece. Our Air b&b was more like a hostel, but it was Ok for one night. We headed across the causeway, to the ancient town. A fortified town once Greek, then Byzantine, then Venetian , then Turk… a melange of cultures in an ancient city. It was amazing. So many twisty paths mixed with small restaurants and shops. A beautiful castle on the top of the rock, a city up there that was no more… It was on a path, David and I thought better of. We were clocking in walking over 8 miles a day but that was a strait up climb. Sometimes you have to realize you are not 25 anymore… harder for me than I think for David. I am always the edgy one-he, the voice of reason. We had another wonderful dinner on the towns promenade. This was a fabulous Italian/Greek meal. A spaghetti with mussels and shrimp with the heads attached. Nothing like eating a shrimp that’s looking back at you.
The next morning we headed into the Mani. I think the Mani was probably much like the Deep South. Hard fighters, a little uncouth, sort of like the Greek mafia. They were responsible for the Greek revolution and during WWll, the Germans were unhappy if they had to hassle with them. In fact many of the Greek resistance fighters in WW2 were from the Mani. Hard as nails and with enough family feuds to rival the Hatfields and McCoys. You could see some areas that had been hit by fires recently in this area. We had an amazing drive with many stops at weird little towns. We had lunch in Karmadili and continued on.
We reached Pilos around 5 o’clock. A beautiful little Greek town on the west coast. It was a beautifully charmingly decrepit place that I really loved. Our apartment was so cute and right on the square. Also, We were right on the water and the sunsets were absolutely incredible. We headed to Golden Beach late into the day. It was the first sand beach we were at and it was, like the name, truly golden. We laid in the sand and drank Hellas beer, which in my mind was apropos to the moment. Everything was right with the world. We had a wonderful dinner, you guessed it-fish.., and fed the cats around the square, ate gelato and fell into bed. It had been a long full day. We had intended to go to Nestor’s Palace in the morning and drive up too Olympus befor heading back to Athens. The thing about the Peloponnesus is that it’s not too big… so from Pilos on the west coast it was about 5 hours from Athens. When we got to Nestor’s Palace we were told all sights are closed on Tuesdays. This threw a wrench into our plans to drive to Olympus.
So we decided to head back to Athens with a side stop at Corinth, the legendary home of Jason and Medea. After an hour we hit the freeway and the drive was easy peasy. Corinth was worth it. The museum was excellent and many of the statues still had the remains of wax on them, which was astonishing. We are talking BC here-and some of the wax remained. So cool.
Getting back to the car drop-off place was a shit show-we ended up in some town and way far from the place but by chance David saw the sign out of the corner of his eye and we dropped off the car. We took an Uber into the city and our Airb&b was right in the heart of the Plaka, the ancient lively town. I have been there many times but this was a birds eye view of all the action. We ate olives and drank beer on our balcony looking down on a beautiful cobblestone lane. This Airb&b was amazing and reasonable and if you ever decide to go to Athens hit me up for the address-worth it. Of course, the next day we went to the Acropolis very early around 7am because it was going to be another really hot day. Walking through the empty old, so old streets, I could feel the ancientness of the place. That all my favorite stories played out and were told over time here made me fall in love with it even more.
The shining temple on the hill, dedicated to a woman goddess never disappoints. Nothing in Athens is allowed to be taller than her.., when you look out from that great height you realize that sprawling Athens is a million neighborhoods that span out forever. This was my 4th time in her presence and even though it’s still in scaffolding, things have changed a lot. The entrance is different and the small museum that was behind the Parthenon is no longer in use.
I recently read a book about the Greek resistance fighters in WW2 and when the Greeks finally had to surrender to the Germans in Athens they decided they would have the handing over of the greek flag at the Acropolis. One soldier, was to take the flag down, fold it and bring it to the German general as a symbolic sign of surrender. With all the Greeks and Germans watching, the soldier walked half way, unfurled the flag, draped it around his shoulders and ran and jumped off the cliffs of the Acropolis. So that the Germans would not have the Greek flag. Gotta love a country like that. Achilles isn’t dead, really. That fire is alive in all the people. We then went to the Acropolis Museum and it was magnificent… not quite as good as the National but if England ever gives back the Elgin Marbles they stole from Greece, this museum is ready for them. An architectural masterpiece that has has wonderful pieces I had never seen before.
After we had lunch, David put his foot down and said -no more museums, he has gone to so many I gave him a pass and we just tooled around the Plaka and visited the Angora and the Bath House of the Winds. Dinner was extra special this night at a beautiful bougainvillea laden Traverna where David had lamb and I… had fish…served by a waiter who looked like Bill Nightly and was as charming. A toast of Rakai and a last walk through the Plaka late at night made me want this to never end.
I’m ending this post here as it’s getting long in the tooth but I hope you have gotten a feel for how much I love what I do and why I love Greece. The next post covers the # 1 reason we headed to Europe… to see our daughter Keegan, who lives in Berlin. Talk about two different polar opposites!!!!!! I’ll tackle that one later. On the road right now to Brookside Art Fest in Kansas City…. More later.
