#3066 The Trip: Corfu, Greece

ussie on the HOHO bus in Corfu

The third port of call on the cruise was Corfu, Greece. The island is off the northwest coast of Greece. We decided to mess around Corfu Town on our own rather than go on a tour off the ship. Did we make the right choice? I'll let you know at the end of this post.

First off, the port is kind of far away from the cruise terminal, so the port has busses to take you from the ship to the terminal. Second, the bus pickup area was kind of haphazard so we spent some time running back and forth from where we thought we would get on the bus to where the bus actually stopped, which was different for each bus. It was odd. Third, there were three or four ships in the port that day, so there were hundreds of people trying to get on these busses. Then, when we were able to get on a bus, the cruise terminal was packed. Old Town Corfu isn't that far from the terminal, maybe a 30 minute walk, but it was already blisteringly hot - that Greek sun is no joke - so most people were trying to get tickets for the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus or getting a taxi. We actually got both. MT stood in the line to get the HOHO tickets, then the line for the bus was so long that he got fed up with the whole thing and paid a taxi to drive us five minutes to the Old Town. It wasn't a great start to our time on the island.

Once we got into the town, it was cute and reminded me a bit of Chania, Crete with all the flowering trees and tiny streets and colorful old buildings.

T and MT in Corfu Town

tiny little street

the church tower reminds me of Chania

a street in Corfu Town

There didn't seem like much to see of historical interest. We did go to the main church, which was quite small compared to the churches we'd seen in Italy. I was hoping to get some Greek food, so we ate at a little place that had covered outdoor seating off the street. The server must have thought I was going to pass out from the heat because he sat us directly in the path of a couple of fans so we had some air flow around us. The food was good. You can't beat souvlaki and fries in Greece. Without a doubt, some of the best fries I've ever had have been in Greece. 

After lunch we were going to go see the old or the new fort - there are two big forts and they both look old. There was one close to the old town, but when I put in the directions, it had us going the opposite way, so we decided to get on the HOHO to take us back to the ship. When we got on the bus, though, we decided to just take a ride all around, but no hopping off. 

The bus took us past some buildings and a beach with an airstrip. It took us past both forts.

New Fortress (opened in 1572)

Old Fortress (opened in 1545)

From where we were in Old Town, it really would not have been a long walk to the Old Fortress, and even closer to the New Fortress, although there is a steep hill to go to that one. We were kind of disappointed that we didn't just wait for the HOHO in the morning because we definitely would have gone to one of these fortresses. 

view of Corfu Town from the cruise terminal

Probably the best thing we could have done was to take a beach day on Corfu. It was so bloody hot, and the beaches looked so wonderful. Missed opportunity. Certainly not the first or the last mistake of this trip. Still, I enjoyed being in Corfu Town, having Greek food, and wandering around the little streets.

Next time I will write about our day in Kotor, Montenegro. It was definitely a highlight of the cruise! Until then, I'll leave you with this pretty sunset pic I took from the balcony of my stateroom.

sunset off the coast of Albania

#2807 The Acropolis

The first morning Lizzie and I were in Athens, we went on a city tour featuring the Acropolis. How could it not? The Acropolis is the heart of Athens, in my opinion. It isn’t on the highest hill in the city, believe it or not, but it is so recognizable and iconic that it draws the eye from wherever you are. 

Like many European cities, Athens is very walkable. That said, I am glad I had the bus to take me at least mid-way up the hill of the Acropolis. It’s a long pull! Even from where we were, there was still some climbing to do. Have I mentioned that there is marble everywhere? The paths to the Acropolis are mainly marble that has been worn down by millions of feet over  thousands of years. It can be pretty slick in some places. Is it worth it? Hell yes.

To be clear, the Acropolis is the actual hilltop. There are ruins of several buildings at the top, most notably the Parthenon, which was a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. There is also the Erectheion, which features the Caryatids, and the Temple of Athena Nike, among others. 

We had a tour guide and she used the whisper tour guide system in which we all had headphones and she spoke into a microphone and only the people in her group could hear her speak. I really like this system because we not only had a large group, but there were gobs of people with other guides up there. It would have been impossible to hear what our guide was saying without the earphones. I had experience with the whisper system in Rome on the Colosseum tour, as well. I liked it a lot on that tour, too.  

Even with the guide in my ear, there are just so many facts and so much history that it was all overwhelming. I don’t remember a lot of what she told me. I do remember feeling awe. The place is just, well, awesome. Here are some of my photos of the Parthenon:

This next photo I took as we were walking up the steps before we reached the top of the hill. I believe these columns are part of the Temple of Athena Nike.

One thing that was on my “must-see” list was the Caryatids. They are the six female statues that are holding up part of a roof with their heads. As I was reading and learning a bit about Athens, I was fascinated with these sculptures. I was looking up at the Parthenon, then I turned around, and there they were!

Heck yeah, I was stoked! You can’t get very close to them here. Those are not the originals, by the way. The originals are in the Acropolis museum across the street. There are only five of the Caryatids in the museum in Athens; the sixth is in the British Museum.

The empty space is for the one that is in London. Notice the poor one in the back has no head.

Each of them have different hair styles.

I totally love these statues. Maybe it is because they represent strong, beautiful women. I love the way they each have a knee forward as if they are about to walk toward you. I love the way the clothes seem to drape on their bodies. I think they are spectacular. I know I could have gone back and stared at them a whole lot longer. 

The Acropolis Museum is stunning. It is so beautiful, both inside and out. If you are ever in Athens, you will almost certainly go to the Acropolis, but please, please, do yourself a favor and go to the museum as well. The main gallery is so gorgeous with all of its natural light and the marble statues. (Photos are not allowed in this section.) Then you go around the corner and there are the Caryatids. You go up another escalator to the top floor which is a recreation of the Parthenon, which you can plainly see right across the way through the giant windows. The display is set up to mirror the Parthenon in every way. Basically, you walk through this museum and all the art and treasures that were up on the hilltop are on display, then the top floor recreates the Parthenon and shows you how all the art you have seen earlier was displayed in or on the Parthenon itself. 

The Acropolis Museum is the only museum we had time to go to in Athens. I have heard that the Archaeology Museum is also wonderful. Next time.

Here are a couple of other things I saw in the museum:

Bluebeard daemon

This three-headed snake monster is weirdly charming to me. Look at their smiles. Did you know there is a name for this smile? The same smile shows up on many sculptures of the time. It’s called the Archaic Smile. 

 You probably know that Athens is named for its patron goddess, Athena. She is the wise virgin warrior goddess, and the owl is associated with her. There are owl statues all over the place in Athens, including this cool carving in the Acropolis Museum. You can read more about Athena and the owl here. 

Read more about some of the amazing works in the Acropolis Museum here.

I could have spent way more time in the museum, but since we were with a tour, we had to go when they did. We took the bus back to the hotel where we started, (not our hotel)  then Lizzie and I went for a walk through the National Garden that was conveniently right across the street from where the bus dropped us off. I do love to wander through green space in the heart of a city. I didn’t take many photos, although the gardens featured very nice, wide trails. It was so wonderful that you couldn’t hear the sounds of the city when you were in the garden. Another great thing? Walking around the garden is free.

I would be happy to go back to Athens someday. It is a remarkable place, and there are more things I would like to see and do there, and even places that I would revisit. I did some research about the place before I went, but it is so epically Athenian that I don’t know if I could ever be really prepared for it. I mean, there are thousands of years of history there. The timeline of events that have happened there is mind-bending. I feel so fortunate that I got to see even just a little bit of it. It whetted my appetite for more!

#2806 streets of Chania

It is cold and snowy here in Salt Lake tonight. I have had a long work day, and I am in the mood to remember strolling through the streets of Chania, Crete. No words, just photos.

#2804 Botanical Park of Crete

You must know that I love a botanical garden. I spend dozens of hours in the summer volunteering at Red Butte Garden, which is technically an arboretum, but with definite garden qualities. I was excited to have the opportunity to go to the Botanical Park and Gardens of Crete. I was curious about what it would be like. Looking back, I am certain that the reality differed greatly from my expectations, and the reality was spectacular.

Our group took a bus from the hotel in Chania to the Botanical Park. The ride was somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes. I lost track of time as we wound our way up the mountain road, leaving the sea far behind. The visitor center looked small from the outside, perched on the side of a mountain with steep hillsides all around us. 

Inside the visitor center, it was surprising large, with a nice gift shop area and a beautiful open-air restaurant looking out over the hills. We were greeted with a nice cup of herbal tea and a variety of honey to sweeten it, then we were ushered to the amphitheater so that the owner, Petros, could talk to us about the Park, what it represents, and his vision for the gardens. He talked about how there are young people who don’t know where food comes from, whether from a plant or a tree. He talked about the importance of “getting out of our boxes” - homes, cars, offices, to experience nature. He was passionate about the place, and so well-spoken. It was inspiring. 

He encouraged us to explore the park, which is very natural. The trails are packed dirt with rocks and meanders up and down the hillsides. There is an enormous variety of plants and trees growing there, some that are not native to Greece, but that come from South America, other parts of Europe, and Africa. There are several different micro-climates in the mountains of Crete, and that is what allows for so many varieties of plants. Fascinating. 

Lizzie and I borrowed walking sticks that were available from the visitor center, and we set off to explore. There is one trail through the park, but there are shortcuts where you can veer off to return to the visitor center if you don’t want to walk the whole trail. It’s not a very long walk, maybe a little more than two kilometers. We took our time, stopping often to take photos, to look at the plants, to listen to the sounds of the hillside, notice the scents all around us, and basically, just try to soak it all in. There is a lake on the property, maybe man-made and kind of a zoo by the lake. We chose not to go down there. I think we spent about an hour or so on the trail. 

The weather was warm that day, and we worked up a sweat on the walk. It did feel good to get out of the town and into nature. It was beautiful there.

Our group had a big table in the restaurant. Lunch was on our own, though we all sat together. Lizzie and I ordered a couple of appetizers: dakos, which is barley rusks that are topped with fresh tomato and herbed mizithra cheese. It is a typical Cretan appetizer. We also had some fava dip, which is a split-pea dip topped with onions and olive oil. Delicious. 

While we were there, we did art, of course. It was challenging for me, as I mentioned in a previous post, but the place was just so incredible, that I kept trying. 

Here are some photos I took that day:

The patio of the restaurant

Our group sat at the table where the guy is standing

This is a type of milkweed called balloon plant, or hairy balls

Just as we were leaving the trail, there is a sign with a quote from the Canadian astrophysicist Hubert Reeves.

As a person who finds “God” in nature, this quote struck a chord with me. Let’s take care of our planet. It’s the only one we have, and it is full of amazing things. 

#2803 Adespoto Music Taverna

Sometimes you go to a cafe, a bar, or a restaurant, and you just kind of fall in love with it. It’s happened to me at least twice. One such place is Els 4Gats in Barcelona. The first time I walked in there with Mamacita and Lizzie in 2015, I was hooked. I loved the way the place looked, the food and drink, the history, and the vibe. It was the first place I took MT when we visited Barcelona in April. He dug it, too!

In Chania, the place I fell in love with is Adespoto Music Taverna. Lizzie and I walked past it one evening while we were out for our evening stroll. There was energetic Greek music coming from the open space, and lots of people sitting at black tables with painted green chairs, clapping along to the music and smiling. The entire space was extremely appealing. We paused for a couple of minutes, then continued along our way. I didn’t know if we would happen upon the place again, but for those couple of minutes, the place made me really happy.

As luck would have it, I did get to go back to the place again just a day or two later. Our creativity group had a writing session there one afternoon. The place was even better once I was sitting inside the space. It is an open-air restaurant. There are walls, but there’s no roof other than a tarp that looks to be made of a sail,  and there isn’t glass in the windows or a door in the main entrance. The walls are pink, and there is a tree growing right there by the little stage. Flower-covered branches form a canopy. There are little spaces in the walls that hold candles which are lit in the evenings. Cats roam freely, as they do in Chania, across the stone floor, rubbing themselves on the chairs and table legs. The place is just freaking charming.

Our group spent a couple of hours there. We wrote from prompts, had snacks and drinks, and had a grand afternoon. Toward the end of our session, a young man who was sitting at a nearby table came over to ask what we were doing. One of the women explained what was going on, and the guy seemed pretty delighted by the answer. He was sitting with a couple of women who also exclaimed about the joy they got from seeing a group of women enjoying themselves and having such a great time. So fun!

When our group broke up and went our separate ways, Lizzie and I decided to stay and have dinner. It was very early for dinner by Greek standards, but the server, a pleasant, jolly fellow, was more than happy to accommodate us. Lizzie and I each had a skewer of chicken souvlaki with fries, and it was supremely delicious. The chicken was flavorful and tender - you could cut it with a fork. Of course, the fries were obscenely good. The wine was cold, light and crisp. For dessert, we shared a slab of orange cake that was sublime. 

The musicians came in and started playing. One man was playing an acoustic guitar, and the other was playing a bouzouki. I remember that the instrument had a beautiful inlay on the body. Lizzie and I sat and enjoyed the music for quite awhile before we realized we had been in Adespoto for several hours and decided we’d best be moving on. I think I could have ordered another bottle of wine and hung out for a little longer!

The next night, Lizzie and I were walking back to the hotel after a marvelous dinner at a restaurant on the Old Harbor. We ended up walking past Adespoto. The musicians were playing - the same guy on guitar, but a different guy on the bouzouki. Our server from the previous night spotted us walking by and came out to greet us. He pulled on Lizzie’s arm and invited us to come in for a glass of wine. We almost didn’t do it, but then thought, “What the heck?” The place was pretty busy, so we sat at a table in the section below the stage, ordered a small bottle of wine, and got busy enjoying where we were. Soon enough, a woman from our creativity group, Annie, walked by, saw us sitting there, and came in to sit with us! It was really fun to chat with her because we hadn’t really had a chance to have many one-on-one (or two-on-one, I guess) conversations with our fellow participants. Annie is a professional flute player, and she talked about working as a musician in London. She is a fascinating person. 

Another fun thing that happened that night was that a woman known to the staff and the musicians, came in and started dancing when they started playing. It all felt very magical. One of the servers that we had been joking around with - not the pleasant, jolly fellow who pulled us in that night, but a different one - took the bouzouki player’s place. He was really good! Our server told us that the next night was their final night of the season. The restaurant closes in the winter, so that probably had something to do with the magical atmosphere of the night. 

When our wine was finished, we left Adespoto for the final time. If you ever find yourself in Chania, do yourself a favor and find Adespoto. Have dinner. Drink some Greek wine. Enjoy the music. You won’t be disappointed.

One more thing: a movie was filmed there about 10 years ago called The Two Faces of January. It is currently streaming on HBO Max. I think I’m going to take the time to watch it this weekend!

Can’t leave without a pic of some gatas.