Athens, John & Liz
Gillyb
Wed 15 Jun 2011 15:47
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Position: 37:55.93N 23:39.22E
Hello Folks, Since we last did our diary we
have welcomed John & Liz aboard and seen lots of ruins. Zea marina in
Piraeus was a good place to catch up with the washing and cleaning and shopping
just before they arrived. (A four storey Carre Four not too far
away was a real treat and we bought so much we had to purchase a shopping
trolley to get it all back to the boat!)
With John & Liz we set off by bendy bus to
Athens and the Acropolis. It was a very hot day and as we climbed
the hill to view the site we were met with herds of americans and other
foreigners(!) all from two big cruise liners that had come in. It was very
wearing to trek along behind them all and try to see the parthenon
etc. But we persevered and were rewarded with the most amazing views
over Athens. Some of the views were also of the portocabins erected
by modern Greeks who have been restoring and preserving the site since
1992!! They have a long way to go and its still a bit of a ruin
really!
Fortified by cold drinks back in town we found
and saw the tower of winds (see photo) but then had had enough and opted
for a leisurely lunch in a delightful taverna off the beaten track.
We resisted all the touristy gift shops but did purchase some
postcards.
We left Zea marina next day and have gradually
worked our way round the corner up to the Olympic Marina built for their
Olympics and now partially deserted! They do have a big boat yard and a
lot of repair facilities and some very large and expensive gin palaces here
(Motor Yachts).. but it is all a bit barren. The showers and the
laundry are good though!
On the way round here we went first to a
little fishing village called Perdita, very typically Greek, and then
on to Poros which is a lovely place with lots of holiday makers and
friendly tavernas. (We skyped the family from an internet cafe here)
The photo at sunset shows the view from the waterfront. Can you see
the 'sleeping lady'? Its quite a well known landmark here. We had an
excellent meal in a restaurant along the waterfront but resisted the octopus the
waiter was chopping up and cooking on a BBQ near us as an enticement to
customers!
After Poros we anchored in Monastery Bay but we
could see no lights or action in the Monastery and the hotel opposite was an
ugly building but seemed to have plenty of visitors. We left the
next morning for Sounion at 9 am and for about three hours had an
excellent sail. Just after mid day we saw a big black cloud
- see photo - and shortly afterwards there was lightning and thunder
overhead and the heavens opened and there was a torrential downpour.
All very loud and dramatic! Liz and I sheltered below and John
and Graham manfully carried on in the rain. It didn't last too long
and we reached Sounion in the sunshine. It has the temple of Poseidon
above it (see Photo). We decided to take photos from the boat as it
is now fenced off from the bay and there were lots of coaches and cars arriving
to pay money to visit more ruins. We had a couple of lovely
swims in the bay and the next day set off for the Olympic Marina. The last photo
shows us and our lovely visitors, having survived 10 days with us, dining out in
Lavrion Port (not far from the Marina) on their last evening.
From the marina they were able to take a taxi
to the airport the next day. We will stay on here till Friday as it
is currently blowing hard from the North! And guess where we are headed -
thats right - North!!
Bye for now. Gilly B
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