Day 37 (Monday) Riomaggiore

Memorable, beautiful day. Didn't start out that way - woke up to grey sky and by the time it was time to go and meet David and Julie, the rain was pelting down - BUT - we have found how you cure inclement Italian weather - you go and have a coffee and hey,presto! - by the time you finish coffee, the rain has stopped. Brilliant.

Bought our rail tickets to Florence for tomorrow, then took the train for the two minute trip to Manarola, th next village along the coast which we had missed yesterday. Beautiful village to explore by which time the sun was out and the day looking really good. Unfortunately, all the walking tracks were still closed so we took the train to Monterossa (the northernmost village) and headed for a ristorante we had decided yesterday looked pretty good.

We had the MOST beautiful lunch - georgeous spot overlooking the water and the cliffs and Elizabeth and I had seafood spaghetti and David and Julie a fish pasta. This would have to be the best food we have had on the whole trip thus far - absolutely beautiful and the tiramisu the end was also the best yet. Memorable.

Then decided to catch the ferry back to Riomaggiore. Ferry trips at home are nothing like this. There was a condiderable swell running and the ferry leaves from the most amazing spots - the gangplank is on rollers and swivels and the ferry just noses into the concrete platform amongst the rocks and the crew  shout "go-go-go" or "stop-stop-stop" as the boat moves around with the swell. It is absolutely incredible but somehow they get everyone on and off without incident. Miraculous.

Having had such an amazing and HUGE lunch, and having watched a beautiful sunset over the water from a cliff-top bar, we decided to buy some cheese and crackers and sat on the balcony with Julie and David and had them, a bottle of wine and Limoncello. What better night could you have??? This has been a fantastic little section of our trip, being able to spend a couple of days in this amazing part of the world together with Julie and David - truly memorable

Trivia: The Cinque terra is a UNESCO world heritage listed site. There is no normal vehicle access to the area - you must come by boat or train so there are mercifully no tourist buses.

Pictures:
* The village of Manarola from the sea
* a very special lunch at Monterosso (note the size of the bowls!!!)
* the entry to our beaut little apartment "Alla Marina" in Riomaggiore

Day 36 (Sunday) Cinque Terra

Today was the day with everything - weather-wise and scenic-wise as well. In complete contrast to the past 4 weeks, we listened to loud thunder nearly all night. We had arranged to meet David and Julie at the station to work out what to do for the day, but at meeting time - 9.30 - there was a HUGE storm - wind and rain like we've never seen before. We got as far as the tunnel leading to the station (there are tunnels through the mountains everywhere here) but could go no further - there was a swirl of water at the end.

Nothing to do but wait it out and eventually things settled down and we met D & J at about 10.30 and had a coffee. The walking tracks were closed down for the day (wouldn't want to try anyway!!) so we got the all-day train ticket and took the train to each village to check them out.
The villages are Riomaggiore, Manarola,Corniglia, Vernazza and finally Monterosso - each beautiful, medieval and built with a small harbour, cafes all around the harbour and then narrow streets with shuttered villas going up the hills. The coastline is steep, rocky and of course spectacular.

After a very wet walk around Corniglia, we headed for Vernazza by which time the rain had stopped and the sun actually came out while we enjoyed a pizza linch on the harbourside. Off to Monterosso which has the largest township and amazing churches - and it started to rain again so four fairly wet wanderers headed back to Riomaggiore - but it was a great day which we really enjoyed spending with David and Julie and this is undoubtedly one of the "must see" parts of Italy - beautiful little villages with unique character along a spectacular coastline. From Monterosa you can actually look back along the coastal cliffs and see each village perched on the cliffs. Very special.

Trivia: In October 2011 there was also huge rainfall here and it caused massive mudslides which killed about 10 people and caused huge damage to roads, houses, walking tracks and the railway. Sections of the walking tracks are still closed for repair.

Pictures: not too many today as Elizabeth's camera battery died after about two photos. I managed lots of photos but my camera doesn't download to the tablet unfortunately. However here is:
*waiting for the train (short platforms so you often board in the tunnel !)
* Riomaggiore in the rain!
*part of the coastline cliffs

Day 35 (Saturday) Pompei to Riomaggiore

Every day when travelling brings with it its own challenges and today was no exception. It was planned as a "travel" day really - simply to get from Pompei up the West coast of italy through Naples and Rome to La Spezia and across to Riomaggiore, one of the "Cinque terra" villages.

Stage 1: Pompei to Naples by train. All OK except the local train was 20 mins "retardo" (late)
Stage 2: Naples to Rome by "Frecciorosso" (very fast) train - all OK and even avoided the pick-pockets and "helpers". Had nice lunch near museum in Rome in 2 hour gap between trains.
Stage 3: Rome to La Spezia by "Frecciobianco" (half fast) train. long (3.5 hr) trip but OK
Stage 4: La Spezia to Riomaggiore (7 minute trip) - had to buy ticket from machine. Problem. Americans (Michael and Melissa from Minnesota on their honeymoon) in front couldn't get the machine to work in English. I tried and it worked so we agreed to buy 4 tickets on my input. Machine ate all the coins we could muster between us and no ticket. Used 20 euro note and thankfully got change and ticket. Still no sign of eaten coins. We then reached the platform just as the train was leaving. Some searching for details of next train but eventually (more upstairs/downstairs with luggage) found new platform and train, left one hour after arrival at the station. Reached Riomaggiore 7 minutes later. Thankfully, Sandro our B&B owner waiting there with sign.

This is an amazing place - built on side of very high cliff with sea at the bottom. More of that tomorrow, but negotiating steps with the luggage was "quite interesting" but got settled in and contacted Julie and David (my sister and her husband) who had also (by incredible coincidence) booked into Riomaggiore for the next few days as well as part of their Italy trip. Went to a restaurant just beside our building's front door with Julie and David for dinner - absolutely beautiful and a great night.

Weather forecast for tomorrow is not good but if walking is off the agenda we can take trains from village to village.

no trivia - yeah!!! - unless you want to know that "cinque-terra" simply means "five villages" in Italian.

pictures:
*Our favourite dinner spot near the cathedral square in Pompei
*Dinner with David and Julie at "Dau Cila" in Riomaggiore

Day 34 (Friday) Mt Vesuvius (Sfondo del Vesuvio!!)

Whew!! - we made it up and back to/from the crater of Vesuvius without incident. We took the public bus from just near the hotel up to the entrance to the national park, then you walk for about 3000metres to reach the rim of the crater and the track leads around the rim for about half the circumference.

The ride up in the bus is worth the fare of euro10 return. Blind curve after blind curve with the bus sounding its horn almost continuously as it needed all the road to get around. Sitting near the front was quite exciting as the front of the bus seemed to extend beyond the edge of the road with just air between us and a straight drop - over 1000mtrs down!

Steep climb up the track to reach the summit/rim - luckily the Greek ride gave us good
"mountain legs" (and lungs) so we had no problem, but there were a lot of people having "breathers" along the way. Brilliant views of the cities spread out in the plains way below, including the old city of Pompei clearly identifiable. Made us wonder what they pay for earthquake insurance around here as when the next eruption hits (as it will one day) there is going to be incredible damage.

Again, it is hard to describe the size of the crater - and this is small compared with the gap caused by the 79A.D. eruption. The diameter is about 500metres and it is about 240 meters deep - almost sheer cliffs to the bottom (with eroded material making the cone shape). There is steam rising from some parts but no sulphur smell - obviously a fair amount of heat involved though.

Another "discovery" when we returned - had some lovely panini for lunch and at the end the cafe owner shouted us (as they often seem to do here) a "limoncello" - a liquer based on the local lemons which grow on the mountains all around this area - they are a sweeter type of lemon and edible in raw form. Boy is this stuff good (30% alcohol by volume) so we bought a bottle to enjoy over the remainded of the trip. Will need to check if Dan Murphys will stock it!!! Too close to the weight limit to bring any home unfortunately.

Most challenging part of the day was purchasing two postage stamps at the local post office. First the second air-lock door refused to open - stuck between two doors!! Worked out you have to almost push on the door for it to open. Again take a number for service, but there are 5 service options (all in Italian of course) so you don't quite know if you've picked the right counter. (no, my schoolboy Italian is not THAT good) ; number appears, go to the counter and ask for two stamps pe favore, get blank look; ask again, get totally confused look; take out post cards, point to corner; get smile of recognition, "un momento pe favore" and disappears out the back! sounds of conversation, see her go with key to a drawer and eventually comes back with two stamps - worth euro1.70! Trouble is, when we got back to the hotel we realised that we  really need another  one!
 
Another adventure - noticed Giovanni the hairdresser just around the corner, so decided to "pop in" for a haircut on the way back to the hotel. lesson - you don't just "pop in" to Italian barbers. Got the full treatment - shampoo, dry, shave - the whole lot (for euro15!!) - and unquestionably the best haircut I have ever had.

Last dinner in Pompei was whole sea bass -beautiful. On a sad note, while we were having our dinner across from the town square, a huge funeral came past with two coffins. Waiter told us it was a young policeman and his wife killed in a road accident near Rome, leaving a 6 year old and three year old - tragedy.

Trivia: Vesuvius last erupted in 1944 with a six-mile long lava flow still clearly visible and the funicular railway to the  summit was also destroyed.The summit is 1281 metres above sea level. Its other major eruption besides 79A.D. occurred in 1631

Pictures:
* me and Giovanni - the full treatment!
*the crater at Vesuvius
*part of the 1944 lava flow

Day 33 (Thursday) Pompei - Amalfi Coast

What is the best way to enjoy the Amalfi Coast, with its winding roads running along the huge cliffs in the area south of Pompei? The hotel receptionist suggested hiring a car or taking a taxi for a half or full day. As I wanted to take in the scenery rather than watch the road, we opted for a 5 hour taxi ride which was actually quite reasonably priced and so at 9.00 this morning  Rosario turned up in his Mercedes!

It really was the best way to enjoy this amazing part of Italy. We have certainly never seen such steep escarpments and spectacular coastal scenery  with famous beaches such as Positano and Sorento and Amalfi at the base - all very small, with black rock and some black sand but very glamourous of course. I had to keep Elizabeth out of the dress, shoe and fashion shops or the holiday would have to finish next week from looking at the prices!

Rosario was very entertaining and of course full of information and unlike a bus tour we were able to chat about it all along the way. It was also "entertaining" driving with Rosario as he combined driving along the winding cliff road with telling us with hand gestures all his stories(hilarious), signalling all sorts of things to the other drivers out his window, tooting at other drivers as well as his friends, taking multiple mobile phone calls (twoxmobiles) from all and sundry including his wife who wanted him to pick the kids up from three places - Mamma Mia!!!!  Not a ride we will forget in a hurry.

Got back mid-afternoon so after a late lunch we went up the bell-tower of the Pompei catheral (lift) for a terrific view of the whole area, including a bird's eye view of old Pompei with of course Vesuvius always looming in the background.

One quick story from Rosario (after nearly collecting a lady on a crossing): I only let the pretty girls across the crossings. One day I was letting pretty girl across in front of my brand new Mercedes and justa watching her to make sure she safely all-a the way across and start to move and BANG - old man hits bonnet ofa my brand new Mercedes with his a walking stick. "Whatsa the matter - you letta her crossa and notta me?? Whatsa the difference??"  - I tell him there's a lotta of difference!!

Dinner tonight at Margherita's  Pizza - reputedly the best in southern Italy - no reason to question that recommendation - absolutely magnificent pizza and the genuine article - pizzas originate from Naples as a poor man's food -  flour,oil, tomato and these really redifined our standard for pizza. two BEAUTIFUL full size pizzas plus a full bottle of beautiful local wine = euro 18!!! Believe it or not, we have been in Italy almost a week and this was our first pizza!

Trivia: Vesuvius is mainland Europe's only active volcano - currently "sleeping" - hopefully until at least after we visit it tomorrow!!

Pictures:
*Us above the town of Amalfi
*the "beach" at Sorento
* Rosario our driver - on the phone as usual!!

Day 32 (Wednesday) - Pompei

How many superlatives can you apply to Pompei?? For anyone even slightly interested in history, it is the biggest "hit" you can get.

Fortunately, we headed off fairly early (9.00) and beat the huge crowds for a start but we stayed there the whole day so had to put up with the interminable tour groups and their guides as the day went on. For anyone visiting this site, a word of warning. There are two entrances and we of course went to the nearest to town which does not distribute audio guides - crazy. Had to go to the other entry about a kilometre away at the other end but then found they wanted to keep your passport as security so decided to pinch a map from a friendly tour guide, bought a beaut little book from the bookstore for only three euro more than the audio guide and mapped out the highlights and our tour route from that. It worked brilliantly!! Saw all the highlights, had a full commentary on their features, history etc and did it all at our own pace - and we get to keep the book!!

We have heaps of photos, but if you've never been to Pompei, put it on your "must do" list. You cannot adequately describe the experience of walking into the houses and shops and market places etc and see them as they were two thousand years ago - tables, frescos, benches, jars, shop counters, wool washing baths, gymnasiums with locker rooms etc - all in tact to an unparalled degree. Unfortunately also bodies, animals etc - the destruction was almost immediate and most did not escape.

Got to relate this story - walking around, reading panels explaining details of the various sites and a certain person says "That's amazing, they had disposable plates and cups" - "beg your pardon??" - :"it says here they had disposable plates, bottles and cups!!"  ........... guess who was reading the top of a rubbish bin?

Unbelievable day - didn't leave until after 5 but it wasn't really too bad as it was quite cool and there is quite a lot of shade on the site, which by the way, covers more than 50 hectares - huge. Now home resting the feet before heading out to find another good little "Pizzeria"  with a good "casa rosso"

Trivia: How much do you want?? lots to relate, but interestingly, Pompei had experienced a large earthquake in 62 A.D. which had badly damaged most of the buildings - they were still in the re-building phase when the eruption occurred in 79A.D. - specifically on 24 August and the destruction was complete by 26th. The first archeological excavations commenced in 1748.

Pictures:
*Vesuvius from the forum
*Inside the "fullery" of Stephanus - textile producer
*pedestrian crossing, Pompei style - if you look very carefully, you can see the wheel tracks worn by the wagon wheels as they passed between the blocks of the pedestrian crossing.

Day 31 (Tuesday) Rome - Pompeii

We learnt a fair bit today. For a start the most stunning building in Rome is, for our money at least, the Pantheon. Second, Naples (Napoli) train station challenges Brussells as our worst train station in Europe!

The day started well. Sorted out the Roma bus system (easy when you sort the logic) and took the bus to the nearest stop to the Pantheon as this was one building that wasn't on the "hop-on" route. So glad we decided to give this a go as this is (in our opinion at least) the most stunning building in Rome. It is the oldest building in the world still in use - now as a church, but built by Augustus in about 50B.C. and later re-built by Hadrian after a fire (when it was built it was out of Rome in the country) Just incredible to visit a building over 2000 years old still in use and the dome is just amazing - beautifully proportioned. Massive columns in the portico.

Stopped on the way back to base to visit "St Paul's within the walls" - the first non-Catholic church built in Rome (Anglican) - a real sanctuary in the bustle of Rome with beautiful mosaics.

We then re-visited the church of  S.Maria degle Angeli which was just near our hotel but services were in progress on Sunday when we first visited. It is an incredible building - built by Michaelangelo in the ruins of ancient Roman baths so from the outside is quite confusing but inside is magnificent. It also contains an astrological time -line constructed in 1702 and shows accurate measurement of the equinoxes through a hole in the top corner.

First lesson of day - watch out for women who pretend to help at Rome railway station by directing you to the right platform and then demand Euro10 EACH for doing so. didn't get it.Caught the fast train to Naples in the afternoon and that is when things got a bit frustrating. Briefly - arrived-told by tourist information that the Pompei train left downstairs-went downstairs- told our ticket was for the train that left upstairs-lugged ports back upstairs (literally)-no train on the departures board-went to "customer service" - took a number to wait for service-waited ONE HOUR (while Elizabeth watched the pick-pockets stalking people)  in line before number called-told train wasn't "Pompei" but could be called Salerno or Sapri or Cosenza!! - still no such train on departures board- went and had coffee!!!! - found said train on board, leaving in 40 minutes. Left station at 5.45 and finally arrived in Pompei at about 6.15.  Our poor opinion of Naples Station thus explained.

Pompei is  a lovely little place - nice change of pace from the insanity of Rome crowds. We are doing Pompei archeological site tomorrow, the Amalfi Coast/Capri on Thursday and (wish us luck) going up Mt Vesuvius on Friday. Best fish meal ever tonight but now feeling a little weary after such a "fun" day. Cheers all.

Trivia: As well as being the oldest building in active use, the Pantheon has the largest non-reinforced concrete dome ever built - it was when built and has never been surpassed!

Pictures:
*The Pantheon dome
*The Pantheon exterior
*monitor on the Rome-Naples train - we didn't quite crack 300kph!

Day 30 (Monday) Rome

The plan today was to "do" the Colosseum and the Vatican/St.Peters/Sistine Chapel - and we did!! Verdict summary - Colosseum fascinating, St Peters a bit of a let-down and Sistine Chapel amazing. Want more detail?? - read on!

Breakfast at our hotel is enjoyed on the roof top terrace garden with views all across Rome - a great start to each day. We then headed over to the railway to book our tickets for the trip to Pompeii tomorrow and that was all done very easily. On to the hop-on etc bus for the short trip to the Colosseum where we had booked a tour at 10.15. Its one of those structures that you have seen so many times that it is very strange to see in reality. Beat the worst of the crowds thank goodness and the tour was interesting - and then we were left to wander around for as long as we wanted to. It was constructed in about 50A.D so poor old Julius Caesar never saw it. Rome was one of the last cities in the empire to get such a building so they got the biggest when they did.

We decided to walk to St Peters - went through the old "Circus Maximus" (chariot racing venue and where they filmed Ben Hur) and then walked along the banks of the "mighty" Tiber - a beautiful walk along the tree-lined streets. Lunched on the "Isola Tiberina" island in the middle of the river.

Crowds pretty big at St Peters and had to understandably go through security checks. On the inside, it was a bit of a disappointment for us anyway - it did not have the impact that York Minster, St Pauls London, Cologne or Notre Dame had for me. An exception is the "Pieta" sculpture by Michaelangelo - incredible. Went through the vaults where St Peter's buriel spot plus those of most of the Popes are situated - amazing.

Then off to join the hoardes entering the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel. Takes forever to go through all the hallways and ante-rooms before you reach the chapel itself. The artwork is incredible (Michaelangelo WAS pretty good after all)  - the ceiling well known but even the painted "curtains" on the walls with their folds etc are just unbelievable.  Repeated "NO photos please" from the guards doesn't stop all the i-phones going crazy - even flashes going off! I'll stick with downloading some photos from the net as they wil be better anyway.

Coffee and relaxed before finding the metro station to catch the train back to Termini and "home" - hardest part of the day was finding our way out of the underground! We have now mastered another Metro system!!!  Eur 1.50 each by the way - how can Brisbane justify its prices???

Dinner report:There   has been a cheerful little waiter in the restaurant next door who has been trying to entice us in each night so we gave in tonight and had a beautiful meal. There is also a great pastry and chocolate shop on the corner so we went there afterwards and got some decadent things to bring back to the room - when we get home the two "R's" will have to apply - riding and restraint!!

Trivia:
The Colosseum is 50metres high.
A fair amount of the marble which originally lined the structure ended up in StPeter's!!
The "performance" area/stage was made of wood (sitting on top of a complex of underground rooms, passageways, lifts, water systems, cages etc) and it in turn was covered in sand - to soak up the blood! The latin word for sand is "arena" so that is how the word came to be used to refer to a large performance/sporting area.

Pictures:
*Inside Colosseum
* the river walk along the Tiber
* figures on facade of St Peters

Day 29 (Sunday) Rome - "The monumental city"

The Romans throughout time seem to have had one thing in common - when you build something, it should be the biggest. All their public buildings, fountains, memorials etc are massive - the scale of their structures is much grander than anything we have seen anywhere else.

Today we resorted to our usual big city strategy - get the open top "hop-on-hop-off" bus and get an overall picture of the highlights and where things are. Worked OK but the crowds are just so huge here that we found ourselves waiting in lines of people waiting for the next bus and often having to wait for the next one as the first was full. Made it a big day but we saw the things we planned as well as a trip right around the highlights.

After the overview, we headed to "Santa Maria Maggiore" a large church (of which there are scores in Rome of course) with the added attraction that the ceiling is lined with the first gold brought in from S.America - an amazing sight. We then headed for the Victor Emanuele memorial. For those not familiar with Italian history (shame) he was the one who formed Italy into a united country from the 20 provinces that previously existed - ("Il Padre della Patria") - the father of the nation - anyway, they built him a MASSIVE memorial - it is 80 metres high and 120 metres wide - have a look at the people in the photo to get some idea of the scale of this structure.

We then headed for the famous Spanish Steps (anyone remember "Roman Holiday"?)  where there were so many people sitting on them we could hardly find a way through. The "Trinita dei Monti" church at the top of the stairs  is again huge and contains the famous marble statue of Christ being taken from the cross - it is absolutely beautiful.

Along the way we also saw the Colosseum, St.Peters and the Vatican, Circus Maximus etc. from the tour bus. Plan for tomorrow is to visit the Colosseum in the morning (we're booked) and the Vatican/St Peters etc in the afternoon. Hopefully the Monday crowds are a little smaller than the Sunday version!!

Dinner tonight (at 8.30 mind you) was at a little family run ristorante on the corner. Lasagne tonight - home made and beautiful Elizabeth is on a tiramisu crawl - different from last night's but still terrific. I had something the waiter chose for me - no idea what it was but orange and cream and crisp pastry featured. We had a discussion on why all these restaurants are SO good - came to the conclusion that they all just seem so commited to and passionate about their food and their service - they love doing it, it is not just a job. The service is fantastic and the food quickly delivered and fresh - not good for weight control!!!

Cheers all

Trivia: The Spanish Steps (so called as they connected the Spanish Embassy to the church above) were built in 1721 and it is the widest stairway in Europe.

Pictures:
*the Victor Emanuele memorial
*the gold ceiling of Santa Maria Maggiore
*The Spanish Steps

Day 28 (Saturday) Athens to Rome

Just amazing how much you can cover in one day. Started this morning with the alarm going off at 4.50am on the boat so we could be ready for our 5.30 transfer to Athens airport. Catherina and Drazen our cycling guides very kindly got up early to get us a coffee and say goodbye which was much appreciated. All the usual check-in and security stuff and we eventually took off at 9.00. Beautiful flight to Rome - crossed the Ionian Sea with its beautiful Islands similar to the Agean where we had so happily spent the last week. Our flight then took us acrosss the heel of Italy and then up the West coast over the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Naples and into Rome - a spectacular flight.

Rome airport won our title of worst baggage handlers in the world- 40 minutes before we got our luggage. Found out that the train costs Eur14 each and the bus is 5 so we naturally took the bus into Roma Termini, the huge central railway station and transport hub and renowned mecca for pick-pockets. Survived. Our "Independent" Hotel is just down the road so a 3 minute walk had us booked in by 12, got our map and off we set for a bit of a first wander around the Eternal City.

Rome really is beautiful. The buildings are very impressive and many streets tree-lined - some with orange trees!  Huge memorials and fountains everwhere. We walked via the "Plazza della Republica" to the famous Trevi fountain where there were of course hundreds (thousands??) of those damn tourists cramming into the square.

My poor school-boy Italian is coming in quite handy - amazing how a "bon giorno" or "grazie" and "va bene" change the attitude - they get quite friendly very quickly. Back to the hotel (really terrific room) after the excursion for the luxury of a soak in the hot bath - a luxury not available for the past week on the boat. Wonderful. Along with putting the toilet paper down the toilet - a practice banned on the boat (it had to be placed in a bin and collected by the crew each day) - the joys of boating in Greece. This was also required in most of Turkey - just thought any prospective Turkey visitors might like to know that!

Dinner tonight was at a terrific little side street ristorante just down the road - roast lamb for me, calamari for Elizabeth with tiramisu for sweets - sorry to report, all absolutely gorgeous. With 500ml "casa rosso" - eur45! Good night.

Trivia: The Trevi fountain was built on the site of an ancient Roman Aquaduct. It was built over 20 years in the mid-1700's. The word "Trevi" simply means three (tre) streets (via) as the square is the meeting point for three streets.

pictures:
*fountain at Piazza della Republica - plus reclining Madonna???
*first view of St Peters
*Trevi fountain (of "Three coins in a Fountain" fame) - the legend is that if you throw a coin over your shoulder into the fountain you will surely return to Rome - its HUGE.

Day 27!!!!! (Friday) -Kea to Piraeus

As said before, no two days are the same!! Woke up in the port of Korissia (on Kea)  this morning and after "early" breakfast (8.00) we set off for our last ride - and of course they had saved the steepest/longest/most "challenging" ride for the last!

Up a very long, continuous and in parts VERY steep climb to a beautiful village by the name of Loulis - complete with lots of donkeys being used by the workers and magnificent views. Fortunately also home to some great bakeries and coffee shops so more "cappacino Freddo" was sampled before we took to the longest/fastest/most enjoyable downhill so far - but very sad to get to the end (about 12.30) of our riding in Greece.

Lunch on board while we set sail to return to Piraeus (Athens) - a trip of about 5 hours - plenty of time for sorting things out ready for leaving the boat early tomorrow morning for our 8.45am flight to Rome. Along the way we stopped off at a little bay near the cliffs below Poseidon's Temple for a last boat swim -  an activity we will always remember with the clear blue water and refreshing temperature always.

Fantastic but a little sad dinner all together on the boat tonight - Nondas the chef (who with his long unruly hair and tall skinny frame looked nothing like a chef) excelled himself with a beautiful seafood meal. Our guides, Catherina and Drazen were fantastic and with their German speech were highly amusing but incredibly well informed and looked after us really well. ("Today ze climb vill be very long and ze vezer is quite hot but you vill enjoy it, ya?") The crew - George, Alfi, Lorenco, Nellie and the Captain Gerasimos were also great.

A truly memorable trip!!

Trivia: the port of Korissia is "famous" as the ship "Britannia" - sister ship to the Titanic - was torpedoed in the harbour in 1916. One of the nurses on board (who survived) had also been on the Titanic when it sank.

Pictures
* view from Loulis - height of about 500metres above sea level
*donkeys still in everyday use
*climbing through the narrow streets of Loulis to (of course) reach the highest point

Day 26 (Thursday) Mykonos to Tinos

Every day is different! Short trip from Mykonos to the island of Delos where we once again shuttled to shore via the dingy. Delos is the Mythical birthplace of Apollo and as such was the site of much temple building and became a city of about 30 000 people in the Hellenistic period (6th -4th century B.C.) We had a 3 hour guided tour of the site which is actually the largest archeological site in Greece. Lots of more examples of water storage, sewerage systems, magnificent mosaics and lots of statues, columns etc.

Lunch while we set sail for Tinos - a farly lenghty voyage of 4 hours. After we arrived we visited the Evangelistria church  - the largest church in Greece. Tinos is Greece's "Holy Island" as a result of a Nun's vision concerning an ancient icon later found where she said it would be. Thousands of pilgrims come here.

Even though it was pretty hot, we set out for our 20km (450meter) ride and the first part was pretty tough going, but by the end (about 7.30) it had cooled down and was really a good ride. The boat left Tinos tonight to sail to Kea and we have had a beautiful bar-b-que tea on board. After tea it was Greek dancing lessons which were great fun until Mum kicked her toe on the saloon pole. What on earth is going on?? I hear you ask but best no further comment at this stage!

Hard to believe tomorrow is our last day of this bike/sail. We have had an absolute ball and it will be very sad to say goodbye to all these wonderful people and no more hills for a while! We will also miss the wonderful reaction of local drivers as they see us all struggling up the huge hills with shouts of "Bravo!!" and other uninterpretable Greek words of (presumably) encouragement.

Trivia: The actors in the theatre at Delos were known as "hippocrits" as they were pretending to be someone who there weren't.

Pictures:
*a wall drawing from Delos - thought Claire might like this one!
*A "Dove Palace" from the island of Tinos - these structures were built all over the island as homes for doves - they are used for meat, to provide fertiliser and whitewash for their walls!
* returning from our ride with a magnificent sunset

Day 25 (Wednesday) Cyclades (still)

Woke up in Ermoupoli this morning (don't worry about all the funny names, they are mainly for our reference when we get home and start sorting photos!!!) - on the island of Syros.

Another day, another island ride but in fact each one is different and with its own charm and beauty. Syros is greener than most of the other islands and is economically quite reasonably well off with industry and tourism and agriculture.

Again had the option of extended or shorter ride and we both opted for the extended ride today and the views were worth it - the "mountain" legs are back and we can face the hills quite well now. We had a morning tea stop-over at Poseidonias beach - really beautiful of course - and then the usual climb up to about 450mteres for the views and mountain top villages. Back to the boat by 1.30 for a boat swim  in  a beautiful little bay just out of Ermoupoli harbour. Bliss.

Note for any cyclists in the "audience" - would we recommend riding in the Greek Islands?? - ABSOLUTELY. Only to issues to be aware of (1) the bikes are set up opposite to ours - front brake on opposite side so if you brake in the usual left-right sequence you will end up head over heels! (2) you have to get used to the fact that you always start at sea level in a harbour and are immediately faced with 10-15% climbs with no warm-up - somewhat daunting + the roads are built on the old donkey trails so 15-20% inclines are not uncommon. BUT - the downhills are just fantastic!! Summary - some of the hardest cycling we have done but also the most rewarding.

After the swim, lunch while the boat set sail for the famous Mykanos Island with some more windy weather threatening. Fortunately, the wind came to nothing so we anchored in Mykonos harbour late in the afternoon. This is quite a famous tourist spot and "parked" beside us in the harbour was the "Costa Pacifica", sister ship to the "Costa Concordia" - looks exactly the same!!

Great afternoon and night in Mykonos - went to a bar in "little venice" to watch the sunset and had our first ouzo - only mildly impressed but ok. Beautiful grilled fish for dinner. Quite funny as we were transfered to shore via our ship's little dingy while the Costa passengers were being t'fered in much larger craft! Great time had by all.

Trivia: "Mykonos" comes from a Phoenecian word meaning "poor earth" - very barren. Depends largely on the huge tourist industry

Pictures
* us on the scenic view above the beautiful city of Ermoupoli - about 450 metres (30km ride)
*Us (again!!!) at Mykonos - "Little Venice" in the background
* sunset at Mykonos - our little boat anchored in the harbour

Day 24 (Tuesday) Cyclades Islands

A different start to the day today. The precicted wind came up with a pretty wild storm last night so it was just as well we had changed plans - the harbour at Kamares was more protected but we still had to stay indoors rather than venture out. When we left there this morning, there was a considerable swell so breakfast was notable for the number of absentees! We were feeling quite "queezy" by the time we got to seriphos at about 10.00.

After that, the day was just beautiful. We did a short but very steep ride up to the main town (Chora) where the group split into those who wanted to stay and explore there and those who wanted to take the extended ride around the rest of the island. Elizabeth did the first option and had a great morning and I took the other option and had a fantastic ride. The climbs were really challenging (the Greeks have outdone the French when it comes to putting villages on top of huge mountains) but it was really cycling heaven on the huge downhill runs - the beautiful Agean Sea on your left, often cycling alone and downhill "serpentine" roads that just kept going.

Got back to the boat at about 1.30 (ride was 35k and reached 460meters for those with cycling interest). The boat then left the harbour, went around the corner and anchored for us to have a swim. Best swim ever!! Lunch (beautiful of course) on board as we set sail for Syros where the regional capital for the Cyclades (Galissas) is situated. They stopped for another swim just before we berthed in Galissas.

We did a walking tour of the beautiful city which is very different - quite European and obviously still prosperous with beautiful shops and restaurants - we had dinner with Sue from New Zealand - great mtraditional Greek meal with wine - about Euro 8 per head. fantastic.

Trivia: Gallissas is the central government town of the Cyclade Islands - everyone who lives on the islands has to come here for all their government business - birth and death certificates - everything. There are therefore ferry services from here to every island.

pictures:
* Galassis from the harbour on entry
*view from Chora back towards the boat ( Seriphos Island)
*the town hall and church in Chora

Day 23 (Monday) the Cyclade Islands (pronounced sick-la-dees)

How much of this can a man (and woman) take???  As per yesterday's blog, we headed off to an organised Greek meal with the whole group last night - lost count of the number of courses that just kept coming out to share but suffice to say we are VERY impressed with Creek cuisine - lots of fruit, vegetable, lamb, fish, yoghurt, garlic, olive oil and the flavours are very strong but beautiful. Slept in this morning!!

The boat had left Kythnos at about 6 and made good time to our next stop which was a change to the itinerary as apparently there is some strong wind possible so we came to the Island of Sifnos instead of the scheduled one (which we now go to tomorrow)

We arrived here about 10 and unloaded the bikes straight away for today's ride - an 18km trip from the port of Kamares to the village of Kastro on the other side of the island - only 9 km across but of course we had to go up about 450m as well!! Generally, though the inclines are fairly steady and you are OK as long as you get into low gears and just keep a steady pace - and DON'T LOOK UP! As is now becoming common place, beautiful churches and houses and villages along the way - photoghaphers' paradise.

Had a break in Kastro for what our guide Katalina claimed was "the best coffee in Greece" and it was pretty good. Very steep climb back out of Kastro but managed it fine without getting off to push. We got back to the boat for a late lunch - bar-b-qued whole fish (sea perch we think) and as one of the group was having a birthday, we scored a fabulous chocolate cake for dessert.

Think it will be a small dinner at a cafe tonight after all we've eaten today and then we stay here overnight and see what the Captain decides for tomorrow. Cheers all.

Trivia: Solved two queries today: Everywhere we go we have been surprised by the number of tiny churches in strange places and with the number of houses and buildings that have a church in the yard. The deal is that if you build a church (able to seat at least 1 person) as part of your project (including private homes) you pay no tax for the rest of your life!!! So 2 problems explained (1) the number of churches and (2) the Greek financial crisis!!

Pictures:
* The road into (and out of) Kastro (you might pick out the cyclists on the road)
* A street-scape in the village - it actually dates back to BC in its current form
* Coffee break at "best cafe in Greece"

Day 22 (Sunday) Piraeus to Kythnos Island

Sorry folks, but this really is the life!!

We left Piraeus harbour in the early hours of the morning (we were still asleep of course) for the 5 hour voyage to Kythnos which we reached at 11.00. The boat stopped off at a beautiful little bay where we were given an hour to swim. The water is the most incredible blue (as a result of the depth of the water - up to 250 metres even close to shore), is beautifully clear and just perfect temperature (25) for swimming.

It is noticeably saltier than at home with the advantage that floating is much easier - you can just float around so easily - even floating vertically!! - so we were very reluctant to get back on board when time was up. We were accompanied in the bay by about a dozen huge, beautiful private yachts - not all Greeks are obviously suffering badly from the financial crisis!

The meals on board the "Panagiota" are just beautiful - no chance whatsoever of losing weight. We pulled in to Merichas harbour where we had lunch on board before setting out on the afternoon ride (first one) to Chora (250m above sea level) and then on to Driopida, a further climb of 350 metres, the ride being about 20km but pretty challenging up the hills.

Driopida is just a beautiful typical blue and white greek village high in the hills, narrow streets with beautifully maintained houses and buildings and painted paved roads. After a short break it was back to the mountains for the extra climb which was CHALLENGING to  say the least! - The last section was 15% and just straight up. However, we were rewarded with spectacular views at the top and then a fabulous 7 km downhill (the longest downhill we've ever done) back to Merichas harbour - got back here about 7.00pm with plenty of daylight left.

We are all heading into town for a traditional Greek meal tonight - not starting until 8.30 so thought it best to get the blog done now rather than try it after all that Greek celebration! 

Message is: we're having a fabulous time and this sail/ride is recommended to anyone!!!

Trivia: there are about 5000 islands in Greece!

pictures:
* the view from our cabin window at dawn (I then went back to bed!)
* Elizabeth leading the tough life on board
* from the top of the climb - 550metres

Day 21 Saturday(Pireaus)

Easy day today. Booked out of the luxury "New" hotel and left the luggage at the Amalia where we were supposed to be and had an easy morning going through the beautiful national gardens across the road, enjoying our usual Saturday morning coffee (Expresso freddo) and window shopping around Athens before being picked up by the transfer cab at 2.00.

So here we are on the "Panagiota" a beautiful timber motor-yacht ready to start the bike/sail. we are in the port of Pireaus where the life-style of the rich and famous is clearly evident. What happened to the Greek crisis???

Lovely group on board with a few more to arrive tonight. Been enjoying drinks and getting to know the group - New Zealanders, Canadians, Swiss, Americans, Norwegians - all getting along fine. Tried out the bikes and they are pretty good and should do the job. First cycle is one of the islands tomorrow - 25km.

Small but good cabin - shower and toilet attached and our luggage fits fine on the top bunk. Great crew so we are looking forward to a terrific week. We have limited Wi-fi on board so we should be able to keep up with things.

Trivia: The hotel we stayed in for free was supposed to be Euro355 per night and Euro 30 each for b'fast!!!  More on prices: in the markets they had a pet shop where they were selling (amongst other things) galahs and sulphur crested cockatoos. How much for a galah in Athens???  -  try Euro 2000.00!

pictures:
* some of the private yachts in Pireaus harbour
* our "yacht" in Pireaus harbour!!
*our big cabin (from outside)