Kalinichta,
Cruising on, we docked at Rhodes for the next day. I joined an optional tour of the historic Old City 'it's ramparts & palaces built by the Knights of St John during the Crusades'. Some amazing buildings, mosaics, furnishings, all great to see & wander around. I was the only one from our group to do this tour to the Old City & Philerimos so it was a bit strange to be with other people. You get used to being with the same people each day. But all the others chose to do a tour of Lindos & the Temple of Athena. I chose the tour I did to have a look around a Byzantine church - I really like the Byzantine style. The church at Philerimos had the added attraction of a special Stations of the Cross, but it's not in the church. The Stations are set outside along a pathway, I'd guess about 300m, leading to an extremely large Cross. I took a photo of each of the Stations & the Cross & will eventually do something with them, not sure what yet. I'm glad I went there. Even with all of us tourists, I found it quite peaceful there. There was a flock? of peacocks, peahens & various ages of chicks meandering around too.
A little story about meandering - when I was working in home furnishings in Christchurch there were distinct motifs for various regions, like the bird in a cage for French style. I sold quite a few pieces of furniture with the rectangular Mediterranean motif, also known as the Greek Key, & just took it for granted. In Greece it is known as the Meander design. While there I bought a silver ring with the motif & love it. Anyway the Meander design takes it's name from the river Meander, a river with many twists, mentioned by Homer in The Iliad apparently. Hence the term 'meandering' meaning wandering this way & that, etc. Interestingly when we went to Kusadasi in Turkey & did the tour at Ephesus, the guide kept talking about the Turkish river Meander, which I now know is an historical name for the Buyuk Menderes River in Turkey. That got my attention so I asked our Cosmos guide, not the Turkish guide, how come? She said the river in Turkey was named by the Greeks when they invaded & ruled Turkey many centuries ago. I don't know if the Turks would agree with that, lol.
Anyway, I enjoyed seeing Rhodes & after the tour went back into the town with a few of our regular group, just for a meander & a bit of window shopping. Then it was time to get on board again & cruise away.
Audio!
Friday, September 18, 2015
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Meteora, Athens, CRUISE!
Kalee-spera,
I hope you've seen the photos of Meteora on fb. This was one of my must-sees & was everything I had read about & expected. Meteora is a collection of monastic buildings perched on a set of rising rock formations. The rocks were originally climbed & settled by individual hermits & monks, with all supplies being lifted by ropes & nets. Including people! Finally there was a concerted effort & steps were hacked out of the rock & eventually the monasteries were built. Again the building materials were lifted by ropes & nets with the added bonus now of mechanical assistance. These days most are accessible by road though some are quite narrow. I loved seeing Meteora, a v beautiful area.
After that we had a long drive back to Athens & a free day to relax. Of course I went hiking! Oh, & I went to an apothecary for that so necessary seasickness remedy. Would you believe, the apothecary only sells chemical, pharmaceutical remedies. I asked for something herbal, maybe ginger. No, I needed to find a health shop for anything healthy. A definite demarcation there. I bought tablets 'cos it was Sunday & nothing else was open.
Finally, the CRUISE! We embarked in the morning & cruised through the afternoon. One thing I hadn't thought about. It's windy on deck when you're cruising. It took me a couple of days to feel warm enough to go for a swim. We arrived at Mykonos, described as a granite island with cubic houses, windmills & chapels. We explored the town, stopped for an evening aperitif, a cup of tea for me, lol. Again I loved the place. As in Italy, I like the small towns & villages, prefer them to the cities. I did take one of the seasick tablets that night, the boat was rocking a bit, but went to sleep with no hassle.
Next day we cruised into Kusadasi in Turkey, & I went on the optional tour of Ephesus, with the excavations of the Greek, Roman, & Byzantine ruins. Photos are on fb. It was fascinating & the Terrace Houses & the Library of Celsus were impressive. Did you see the photos of the mens marble latrines? Then we continued on to the island of Patmos, back to Grecian territory & visited the chapel where St John wrote Revelations. Interesting, eh.
More islands next instalment, lol.
Kalee-nikta.
I hope you've seen the photos of Meteora on fb. This was one of my must-sees & was everything I had read about & expected. Meteora is a collection of monastic buildings perched on a set of rising rock formations. The rocks were originally climbed & settled by individual hermits & monks, with all supplies being lifted by ropes & nets. Including people! Finally there was a concerted effort & steps were hacked out of the rock & eventually the monasteries were built. Again the building materials were lifted by ropes & nets with the added bonus now of mechanical assistance. These days most are accessible by road though some are quite narrow. I loved seeing Meteora, a v beautiful area.
After that we had a long drive back to Athens & a free day to relax. Of course I went hiking! Oh, & I went to an apothecary for that so necessary seasickness remedy. Would you believe, the apothecary only sells chemical, pharmaceutical remedies. I asked for something herbal, maybe ginger. No, I needed to find a health shop for anything healthy. A definite demarcation there. I bought tablets 'cos it was Sunday & nothing else was open.
Finally, the CRUISE! We embarked in the morning & cruised through the afternoon. One thing I hadn't thought about. It's windy on deck when you're cruising. It took me a couple of days to feel warm enough to go for a swim. We arrived at Mykonos, described as a granite island with cubic houses, windmills & chapels. We explored the town, stopped for an evening aperitif, a cup of tea for me, lol. Again I loved the place. As in Italy, I like the small towns & villages, prefer them to the cities. I did take one of the seasick tablets that night, the boat was rocking a bit, but went to sleep with no hassle.
Next day we cruised into Kusadasi in Turkey, & I went on the optional tour of Ephesus, with the excavations of the Greek, Roman, & Byzantine ruins. Photos are on fb. It was fascinating & the Terrace Houses & the Library of Celsus were impressive. Did you see the photos of the mens marble latrines? Then we continued on to the island of Patmos, back to Grecian territory & visited the chapel where St John wrote Revelations. Interesting, eh.
More islands next instalment, lol.
Kalee-nikta.
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