A World Family: 2012

On To Dublin

July 15:

We somehow manage to wake ourselves up at 4am to get ready to depart Glasgow en route to Dublin. Can't say we are sorry to leave as this has been one of our least favorite places we have visited - second to Vientiane, Laos. Our taxi arrives as scheduled at 5am and we are somehow able to fit all of the luggage (which seems to have miraculously doubled since we left Switzerland) into the "lorry". The drive is beautiful and rustic. We get our chance to see the Scottish countryside after all....looks like we will definitely have to return as it appears to be very charming. The roads are pretty much deserted at this time on a Sunday morning so we make very good time to Prestwick Airport. Into the terminal we go and check in our bags at Ryanair. We take advantage of the open weighing station and re-arrange our bags so as to meet the VERY strict weight and size limitations. We have added some extra luggage via the website, but they do not seem to find our payment information. Long story short, we end up having to pay and extra $165 to check on bag!!!! Can't believe it, but alas, what are we to do. The flight is very short and we arrive in Dublin at 8:30am, opt for a taxi to take us to the hotel, and arrive shortly thereafter. We pay a small fee to check into the hotel on the early side and we are off to check out the city. The most immediate reaction we have is a huge sigh of relief. Not sure what it was about Glasgow, but here we can feel the tension and heaviness lifting off of our shoulders right away. The bright sunny day probably doesn't hurt our disposition either. We make our way along High Street, past ChristChurch and down into the heart of the city. As it is Sunday morning, most of the shops are closed at present, but it appears they will be opening later. We amble along the cobblestones and find ourselves in the midst of a great walking street just as it begins to rain outside. We duck into a burger joint and have a mediocre lunch before returning to the street to listen to street musicians and enjoy bookstores and window shopping. We discover the bronze sculpture of "Sweet Molly Malone" and photograph the kids with this iconic symbol of "Dublin's fair city, where the girls are all pretty..." We continue past Trinity College, but decide to return another day as the weather has turned pretty gloomy. We make our way back up Dame Street toward our hotel

Gloomy Glasgow and Rainbows

Glasgow - July 12-15

Turns out we weren't able to stay in Edinburgh for any longer and so opted to take the train to Glasgow until our flight out on the 15th. We booked a hotel that would accommodate all of us...no small task and we are heading to the train this morning via taxi. We arrive at the station with plenty of time for those who wish to visit the Edinburgh Castle to see it while a couple of us guard all of the luggage. Hudson and I volunteer to stay in the station with the luggage while Paulie, Annie and Sam go to see the castle. A short time later the group re-unites and it turns out they didn't go into the Castle anyway since it cost too much. So I go with the kids to pick up sandwiches and to buy belts for the boys who have new pants that are a bit too big. We get back in time to catch the train to Glasgow and we settle in for the one hour trip. We arrive at the station around 2pm and wonder how to get to our destination. We go outside the station to look for the hotel owner who has said he will meet us at the station but he is nowhere to be seen. So, we look around for the bus stop that will deliver us to the hotel we have reserved. We are finally greeted by a guy who is the son of the owner who hustles us over to his waiting BMW and gets all of our luggage packed away in the back of the car. He tells us that there is a problem with our hotel room and instead he is taking us to a two bedroom apartment that he has. We drive for what seems a long time and notice that the neighborhoods seem to be going downhill the longer we drive. Finally he pulls up to a dead end street where it looks like we are in some sort of ghetto and says that we have arrived. Hmmm. We go through a heavily locked door and up a musty, moldy staircase to a wonderfully bright apartment....something is very fishy about this deal??? The guy is in a huge hurry and brushes through the directions on the TV and the like and makes a quick exit, leaving us in an unknown city in an unknown location with no means of contacting anyone in the event of a problem...HMMM. We just stare at one another in disbelief and come to our senses and decide to make the best of it. Soon afterward, we meet the next door neighbor whose name is Kathy and she shows us where to go shopping for food and we discover a nice curry restaurant next door. The neighborhood is very sketchy, but we are resigned to living here for the next three days. We find the Lidl grocery store and stock up on goodies that we can prepare in our kitchen over the next couple of days. Paulie locates a great curry place and orders food for the night. We all tuck in and enjoy satellite TV for the movies and "Friends" reruns for the remainder of the night.

The next morning, we do our best to enjoy Glasgow, but truly there is very little to do here. We walk around the town and find Argyle street and walk up and along the narrow walking streets amid all of the standard shopping stores: Accessories, Primark, etc. until we have lunch at a horrible place and decide to return to our little hovel for the rest of the day, but not until we have a little stop by the Lidl and the fruit vendor from Afghanistan. The evening is completed with an ample helping of "Friends", the "Big Bang Theory" and assorted movies.

Our final day in Glasgow is fraught with indecision - should we stay or should we go??? We have reserved a car to go and explore the countryside, but we are freaked out by the reports that this is a very difficult city to drive in given the numerous one way streets and such. Also, we have to be at the airport very early the next day (ie: we have to be on the road at 5am in order to get to the airport which is 1 hour away by 5:45 am) and since we don't know the way, we risk missing the airplane. We research the bus schedule to see if it is possible to take a train or bus to the airport, but alas, the city transportation only begins at 8:00am. So we still have two options: taxi (for $100) or drive ourselves to the countryside and to the airport tomorrow ($108). Hmmm... in order to get to the airport, we have to take a bus out there at a cost of $30 and two hours of time, but first we discover that we don't have our passports that will be necessary to rent a car. So, Paulie boards a bus back to the way out neighborhood where we are staying in order to get the passports that will be needed to rent a car. Once he is back, we conclude that taking a taxi is the way to go and so we venture off to find a pay phone to call a taxi to pick us up at 5:00am on the morrow (like the little Scottish flare at the end there?) We finally find a pay phone and acquire the necessary coins to make a call and lo and behold once we get the taxi company on the horn, a marching band passes by the phone booth in favor of gay rights...everybody paint their faces with a rainbow PLEASE! As I cannot speak or hear the person on the other end except to find out exactly how much ^*@# money it will cost to get a taxi on a Sunday morn (I just did that Scottish twang thingy again) I hang up the phone and join the revelry of the "Gay Pride Parade" of Glasgow. After all the hoopla has passed, I get some more coins from the nearby grocer and proceed to make another call to which I receive a different set of information: "No phone to call up and confirm, No taxi on the morn"...old Scottish proverb. As we are in the corner of the universe without phones thanks to our mixup with the hotel, I am almost in tears as we are swept up in the rainbow-colored flags and escorted into the George Michaelish concert event. Not to worry, we are ejected from the event shortly and I approach the experts (aka; REAL taxi drivers to ask them for assistance) They make a call, we have a taxi scheduled, everyone is happy! Wow! So we are off to enjoy rainbows of a sort. After a while, Paulie, Sam and Annie return to the hovel and Hudson and I venture off on a short jaunt....can't you see us jaunting? We get home and settle in for more "Friends" and off to sleep for a 4am wake up.

Edinburgh - Castles and Cobblestones

Edinburgh:

We awaken feeling refreshed but not very eager to get out into the cold and rain. First things first, we head downstairs for the breakfast buffet and get a surprise....pay for the adults and the kids eat free. We are thrilled! we enjoy a most satisfying buffet breakfast and dine on our first taste of haggis....not too sure whether I could say I "like" it or not. After breakfast, we are deterimed to walk around. We make our way to the nearby bus stop and get onto the 26 bus (which we are now certain is the bus for us) and head into town. Boy, had no idea we were this far away from the center, but at least we get a nice tour of the outskirts of town??? We amid the wonderful stone buildings surrounding the town and walk in the rain along the quais and sidewalks until we arrive at the National Museum of Scotland and enjoy checking out the great European collection until we get a bit hungry and settle on a quick soup and sandwich place. After lunch walk around a bit more until the gloomy weather gets the best of us and we get back to the hotel for the remainder of the day. The following day we are more ambitious and walk to the "Old Town" until we reach the Waverly bridge and catch another bus to Holyrood Palace, the home of Queen Elizabeth II when she is in residence. The Palace has a gallery that houses personal items of the Queen and we enjoy seeing the likes of Faberge eggs and Chippendale furniture. Afterward, we tour the home of the Queen and have an audio tour that helps explain all of the history of this vast house. This was also home to Mary, Queen of Scots before she was imprisoned by her cousin Queen Elizabeth I in the tower of London for 19 years before being beheaded. After the Palace, we walk along the cobblestones streets and taking in the awesome history of the amazing city. We duck into a quaint tea room for lunch and continue along the "Royal Mile" to the Castle of Edinburgh. We spend several hours making our way and by the time we arrive, the castle is closing for the day. We hope to extend our stay here in Edinburgh when we get back to the hotel so we can go to the castle tomorrow. Later in the week, we are heading to Glasgow before flying out on the 15th to Dublin.

Leaving Switzerland & Onto Scotland

July 9:

Today we are departing after several wonderful weeks here in Switzerland. First thing, I am off to return to a bead store where I have found a much sought after tid-bit for the new pieces I will make upon my return. After a short bus ride, I am back at the store and pick up my package, return to the apartment and we are off to the tram stop and onto the train to Geneva where we will catch a flight to Edinburgh. The travel is fairly uneventful and we arrive in Geneva without problems. After a very touch and go checking of our much too heavy bags, we wait for the flight and head to Scotland around 6:00. When we touch down in Edinburgh, we are thrust into a whole new climate....cold, rainy and grey! Not sure we have the right attire for our final leg of the journey and with not an inch to spare in our suitcases, we most likely will not be buying any new cloths. We manage to find the bus into town and hop a ride into the great unknown. We are told to depart the bus on Drum Brae Road and do as we are told. After that, the directions get a little murkey....take the 21 bus, no, take the 26 bus, not sure, hmmm.....well, well. Finally, we hoof it a little ways up hill to the 26 Bus stop and are lucky to learn we have chosen wisely. After a short ride, we are let off on the side of the road in the cold rain, but luckily we only have a short walk to the hotel. The place is quite a comfortable place. In fact, one of the best family rooms we have encountered. The kids have a set of bunk beds and well as a large pull our sofa and Paulie and I have a very cozy king-size bed with "don't want to get out of bed" soft linens. At this point, it is around 9:00 pm and our stomachs are calling for food. The restaurant bar offers a variety of good eats and we dig in. After our meal, it is back to our comfortable room for a very restful evening.

Summary of our visit to Switzerland

In the nearly four weeks we were visiting family in Switzerland we had time to see many of the beautiful sites and gorgeous landscapes that the country has to offer. We traveled to the canton of Bern and visited the Wednesday market in the city, the Paul Klee museum, the Zytglogge (musical clock) and walked in the steps of history to the city's "muenster" (city church), the newly designed bear habitat and under the covered arches of the shopping district. We also ventured further west and drove through the small villages of Langnau, Wasen, up to the LudernAlp, Thun, Spiez, and onto Interlaken where we spent a couple of days at the "Funny Farm" (a hostel located in an old restored hotel). Onward, we traveled to Grindelwald and visited a home cheese-maker where we bought some of the best cheese ever! We passed through the Alps and over the Goddard Pass into the south of Switzerland. We spent a couple of days in the Tessin/Ticino (Italian part) in the small town of Locarno and enjoyed the stone covered houses and small alleyways that are typical of this area. Paulie and I stayed in a very cozy Nouveau Style hotel where we watched Italy defeat Germany in the European Finals of football....quite exciting! Around Zurich, we visited the Rapperswil Kinderzoo which was a great experience to visit a "neighborhood" zoo where you could really get up close with the animals. We took a couple of day trips to visit the German town of Konstanz, on a beautiful lake, and also to the towns of Hergiswil to visit a glass-blowing factory, to Engleberg to see cheese-making in an old abbey, to Lachen,with Chris Kaelin, our friend we met in Beijing to see a traditional Swiss festival where we enjoyed Pig Knuckles, Alp Horns and other Swiss past-times and also with Chris to the town of Einseideln, home of one of Europe's only Black Madonnas. We climbed mountains, rode on ancient "gondolas" to the top of the snow-covered peaks, hiked the hills, and walked around the beautiful lakes that dot the country.

Most of all, we had a lot of fun, food and family time with our Swiss cousins. There were hours of Soccer played, kittens petted, and many wonderful meals shared. We couldn't have asked for a better or more relaxed time and are so appreciative to them for making us so welcome.

Selected Photos from Switzerland

Bern on a beautiful, sunny day

Alp Horns in Lachen

Go Switzerland

Interlaken panorama

Goddard Pass panorama

Italian church in the town of Re

View from the "Funny Farm", Interlaken

"Hee Haw" kinderzoo in Rapperswill

Annie feeding the Llama

Snuggly "kid", Rapperswill Zoo

"Here's looking at you"

Walking around the lake of Zurich

Happy Shirt

Visiting the Rigi

Up, Up and Away

Family Photo (minus Hudi) on day of arrival in Zurich

Beautiful Green Meadow from window of train

At the Rigi

"Yodel-lay-he-hoo"

Luzcern by boat

Big bird in the Lake of Luzcern

Smiley Annie

"The Last Supper" & Arriving in Switzerland

June 13

Today we are up early to go to see "The Last Supper" by Leonardo Da Vinci. We were able to purchase tickets online to see the chapel where the painting lives. Only 25 people are allowed to see the painting at a time for only 15 minutes and the time slots are highly regulated...no reservation, no seeing the piece. First, we have a wonderful breakfast at our hotel and one of the best coffees we have had in months. Once we are all ready to go, Hudson's nose starts to bleed and doesn't seem to want to stop. We get the bleeding under control just in time to get ourselves to the metro and off to the church by 8:00. We arrive at the church and are surprised at how small it looks from the outside. We check in and the first time spot is for Paulie, Annie and Sam to go in at 9:00. Hudson and I look around the church at the other works of art and wait our turns to be let into the chapel. Once our time arrives, we stand in line and make our way to an automated door where all 25 people huddle inside and a climate control door closes us into the small ante-room. Then a new door opens and we are allowed into the chapel. It is amazing to be in the presence of such an amazing work of art and the benches provide a great place to rest while contemplating the scene. One reason that the painting is deteriorating so quickly is that Da Vinci tried an experimental technique of painting on dry plaster instead of wet. Wet plaster is much more typical of the time period and has proved to be much more stable over time. After we depart the chapel, we are off in a hurry to return to the hotel and to get ourselves back to the train station where we arrived. We go ahead an decide to walk (I know, I know), but at least we have realized the error of our ways and can get there in about a 10 minute walk. Once again lugging our stuff, we walk briskly through the streets of Milan and we arrive at the station with moments to spare for our train that is taking us to Zurich. Turns out the train is slightly delayed and we go to the ticket counter to print off our tickets. In our haste, we are unable to get our tickets printed and instead just keep our confirmation number handy for the ticket taker. We get on the train and shortly after departure, we arrive at the Swiss-Italy border where we are asked to disembark and get onto a Swiss train. We have to explain the mistake about our tickets to the conductor who says he will try to get the next conductor to explain that we have paid for a ticket, but do not have a printed copy. We transfer all our stuff to the next train and are underway. The scenery is amazing as we pass by the Lakes of Lugano, Como and Maggiore and we continue on through the Italian part of Switzerland climbing ever steeper into the alps until we arrive at the Goddard Tunnel. There has been a rockslide there and we are expecting to be asked to depart the train and ride on a bus around the rockslide where we will resume our train trip. We get all of our stuff off of the train, once again, and packed onto the waiting buses and drive for about 20 minutes where we are dropped off in the pouring rain and fog at the station at Fluhlen, a picturesque lake village. We get back up to the correct track with all of our stuff and wait for about 15 minutes for the train to arrive. We get back underway and before we can settle in, we are instructed to depart the train at Zug and get on our final means of transport to Zurich. After our final leg (four trains and one bus) we pull into the station to be greeted by the smiling faces of family! What a relief to finally be here. While not home, this certainly feels like a great place to simply rest for a while. We get to Carol's house and settle in and enjoy our visit and a lovely carbonara dinner at Baebli's house. It is so nice to be here. We sleep very soundly this night.

Leaving Athens, Arriving Milan

June 12
Today Annie, Hudson and I get up and out early to check one last time on the elusive macrame artist and to revisit a couple of places including our most favorite restaurant one last time. I have decided to purchase a pair of wooden cobbler shoe forms from one of the vendors in the Monastiraki area since they do not make shoes any longer in the USA and I would have no hope of getting them there. We are successful on one front and purchase a pair of wooden shoe forms before meeting up with Paulie and Sam to have lunch at our new favorite luncheon place. We return to the Hotel Delta to collect our stuff and headed off toward the metro to the airport. Underway we meet a really nice man who is originally from Iran, but is now a British citizen living in Brighton. He is on a sage searching for his two nephews who have disappeared (ie. run away) and are traveling illegally without passports. We has been searching for them for around three months and is currently on his way to Istanbul where he has a tip they may have stowed away on a boat. Upon our arrival at the airport, we are now under the gun to get to our terminal and onto our flight to Milan, where we will spend one night. We arrive at the departure gate without incident and amazingly we are allowed on the plane with more than one carry-on per person....normally, EasyJet is very strict but this time we were able to sneak on with our numerous bags. The flight is uneventful and we arrive in Milan and are amazed that we do not have to clear any customs at the airport. We board a bus to the main train station. Once we get off, we are under the impression that our hotel is very close by, but according to the taxi driver it is not close at all. In another effort to save money, we decide to walk and intermmitantly ask for directions. At one point, we meet a really nice Indian man who says he is going that direction and we can follow him....so off we go. After we have been walking for about 3 miles (it seems) and lugging all of our stuff along with us, we arrive at a huge intersection where the Indian man says he thinks it is off to the right!! Great! We ask several other people and get differing directions until we decide to rely on an elderly but very sophisticated woman who knows exactly where it is. Sure enough, another mile and we are there. Once we arrive, we get checked in and rest up for a little while before setting off to see the Duomo. We walk, on our very tender feet, to the Metro and find that it is practically deserted. After the sticker shock of the cost of each metro ticket, we proceed to the main piazza and are rewarded with a fantastic evening in which to see the amazingly beautiful church. We grab sandwiches and eat them in a picnic at the base of the church. The piazza is alive with activity - kids doing stunts on bicycles, musicians playing great music and lively cafes and bars with people spilling out onto the huge square. After we have a tour of the outside of the Duomo, we return home to rest our weary bodies. Buona notte!!

Photo Catch Up from Greece.....

Temple of Hephaestus with cute kids

Temple of Hephaestus, Ancient Agora, Athens

Temple of Hephaestus

In the footsteps of John Lennon....

The "Poet" Sandlemaker and his three customers

Parthenon at Night

Temple of Hepheastus and National Archaeological Museum

June 11

We woke up on the early side for a change and were planning to take a bus out of town to see the Temple of Poseidon, but changed our mind and opted instead to visit the Temple of Hepheastus first thing before the day gets too hot. We arrive at the Monastiraki station and ask the fruit vendors about the macrame artist we met the day before, but according to him the vendors only arrive at 6pm and start setting up their stands. We arrive at the entrance gate and look around the ruins from the Acient Agora for a while before climbing the hill to the Temple of Hephaestus. This is an amazingly beautiful day and we can really feel that we are walking in the footsteps of history. All of the cobblestones on the streets are worn smooth over centuries of being walked on. The Temple honors the god of handicrafts, pottery and metal arts and as a result has a lot of artisan studios in this neighborhood of Athens. The temple is also one of the best preserved examples of "cult" architecture that remains. The roof is still in tact on this site and you can really get a sense of how grand these structures were in their days of glory. This temple dates back to the 2nd century BC and we can see the outlines of where the other buildings once were. The site of the "Boucle" or Senate buildings are clearly visible and we have a lively discussion about the foundations of Democracy and the fact that our very own country chose the Ancient Greek example of government on which to model our country.....Cool! After walking around the ruins for a while, we return to the Monastiraki area and get some refreshing frozen Greek yoghurt to whet our appetite. Then we decide to head off in the direction of the “Poet” sandalmaker.....who has made shoes for some of the world’s most famous feet. Through a series of small alleys and by asking any number of people the directions, we finally arrive at the Melissino’s sandal shop. Started in 1920 in the Monastiraki district of Athens by Giorgios Melissino, this shop has survived for nearly a century on making leather sandals based on ancient Greek designs. The interior of the shop is very funky and the next generation of Melissino’s is hard at work fitting sandals for the throngs of customers that find their way to the doorsteps of the most famous sandalmaker in history. It all started with a rock and roll band called the Beatles whose members John Lennon and Paul MacCartney started buying all of their sandals here. The walls are lined with photos of the countless celebrities since that time to have adorned their feet with Melissino’s sandals....Jackie “O”, Cary Grant, Anthony Quinn, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lily Tomlin, Maria Callas, Sophia Loren....on and on the names are listed. The son, Stavros, was an accomplished Poet who also continued the family tradition of sandalmaking as his day job. Once he acheived a certain amount of fame for his poetry, he continued making sandals as inspiration for his other job....poetry. Today, the grandson, Panitelis, runs the shop with his own children. You simply select your style and they will fit it to your fee on the spot and they are very reasonably priced to boot (no pun intended). After we purchase our shoes and have them fitted correctly, we are off in search of other items like beads. I locate the shop that was closed the previous day and spend a while taking a look through their inventory before concluding that I can shop online much easier. Afterward, we stumble upon the best restaurant we have enjoyed in quite a while. I can’t even tell you the name of the place, but the food was very memorable and cheap. We bemoaned that the restaurant only served lunch as we had wanted to return for dinner too! After we thoroughly enjoy our meal, we continue our walking adventure and head out to the National Archeological Museum to see the remnants of the Parthenon Statues as well as the scultpure of Poseidon taking from the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion. We really enjoy looking at all of the scultpures for nearly two hours when our aching feet start to call us back home again. We walk another long way back to the hotel and crash for a while before planning a return to Monastiraki for dinner and a last chance to find the macrame artist before we leave town for good. After we rest up for a good long time, we manage to get back into the swing of things and return to Monastiraki for dinner and a good look for the artist. We exhaust our search by winding around a park and even though we are unsuccessful, we decide to eat dinner in this lively quarter. After nightfall, the cafe’s really begin to come to life and it is a real treat to see the Parthenon all lit up at night. We return to the hotel barely able to climb into bed and we nod off before our heads hit the pillow.

Temple of Zeus & Monastiraki Market

June 10

We waken refreshed from a great night sleep and head off to see the Temple of Zeus and then onto the Temple of Hephaestus. We arrive at the Plaka amid a flurry of Sunday morning activity on the square and grab a snack before ambling down the walking street to our destination. It is so hot here in Athens and the heat is very dry so we go through about 5 gallons of water each day just to keep ourselves hydrated. We pass by Hadrian's Arch and around a fenced in archaeological site before arriving at the entrance. The area is pretty much self-guided, but having read some information no the internet before our arrival we know pretty much about the Temple. Started in the 6th century BC, this was at one time the largest temple to the Olympian Gods that existed in Greece. It was only completed in the time Hadrian (circa 2nd Century AD) and was soon ruined by war and pillaged by rival tribes in the 3rd Century. There once stood the largest cult statue to the king of the gods here and you can only imagine the majesty of the place when it was still standing. We walk the entire site seeing some Roman Baths and other smaller temples before returning to the metro and heading farther north to the little neighborhood of Monastiraki and the Temple of Hapheastus. We arrive and see the familiar cherry and strawberry vendors lining the square with their carts laden with beautiful fruit. We opt to go ahead and have some lunch before getting frozen Greek yoghurt which is to die for :-) We have trouble making any good time because we keep stopping to look at the wares that are displayed by the makeshift weekend vendors that set up along each side of the street. What the heck....we just join in and get carried away in the sweep of people and see some pretty crazy stuff available for purchase. After we return to the Monastiraki Square and around the corner to see the Temple of Hepheastus - finally! By the time we arrive, they are closing the gates for the day....we missed our window of opportunity and vow to return without distraction tomorrow first thing. Paulie and Sam return to the hotel while Hudson, Annie and I continue to look around this fabulous neighborhood. We discover a girl making maccrame jewelry and watch her technique so Annie can get some pointers for her own creations. We start talking to her and end up buying a gift for someone special back home. We return to the hotel to rest our aching feet....walking all day on the hard cobblestones gets to your feet, knees and other antique body parts after a while. We head out for dinner at our new usual time - around 8:30 - and find a neighborhood eatery where we dine on typical Greek fare. After dinner, we have an ice cream and return home to settle in for the night.

Photos from Skopelos...

Picking Mountain Tea

"I can see for miles and miles...."

Skopelos Town in a 360 view

Bell Tower at the Top of the Hill

Boat in Harbor in Evening Light

The Ilias Taverna Team on our last night

Warm, morning glow....Skopelos Harbor

Annie on the uphill climb, Skopelos Town

Glisteri Beach Bay, Skopelos, Greece

"Mamma Mia" Church (aka Agios Ioannis)

On the top of the world, Skopelos, Greece

View from the top, Agios Ioannis, Skopelos

Braving the Waters, Skopelos, Greece

Cherry picking along the back roads, Skopelos

Beautiful Olive Grove along the back road

"Mamma Mia" arch, Glisteri Beach, Skopelos

Discovered crypt (500 year old bones)

Return to Athens

June 9

We get up at the crack of dawn and somehow manage to pack all of our belongings into our tiny red car. We are sad to close the wooden shudders on the oversize windows of our house. The morning is absolutely beautiful as it bathes the town in its warm glow. I could live here forever! But today we are returning to Athens for a couple of days en route to Zurich on June 13th. We park our car at the harbor with keys inside the ignition and huddle along the quay in wait for our ferry to take us to Agios Constantinous from where we will board a bus to Athens. The whole journey should have us arriving in the capital around 1:00. Annie and I take one last loving look at the beautiful trinkets in the shop windows before rushing back as we see the ferry approaching. Once on board, we settle in for the 3 hour ride. Pretty uneventful except that the ocean is perfectly still today and the ride is quite comfortable. We arrive at our port destination and are shuffled off the boat and onto the dock to board the bus. Since we have not yet had breakfast, I make a fast break for a bakery and pick up three cheese pies to share amongst us. As we are the last ones to board the bus we are scattered among the passengers. The drive goes by quickly and before we know it we are pulling into the familiar neighborhoods of our Hotel Delta. We are dropped off at Kanigos Square and have to find a taxi to take us to our hotel. We bargain with the first one we see and after cramming the suitcases in the back, we are off. The hotel is ready and waiting for our arrival and we take our bags up to our rooms as soon as we arrive. Upon seening the rooms, we request a small change and opt to have a larger room with balcony that is still occupied by other guests. If we can wait until they check out this evening, then we can move up to the light filled 5th floor room with a huge balcony and a view of the Acropolis......we can wait! While at the hotel, we rest for a while and then get ourselves motivated to go out and about. We re-visit the Plaka and have a late lunch of Gyros. As we are strolling around the ancient streets, we come across a Sandal maker and as they are so reasonably prices, we purchase shoes for Annie, Sam and Paulie. The sandal maker is quite a nice man and we enjoy a lively conversation while he is oiling the natural leather shoes. Afterward, we head a little farther afield making a few purchases along the way. We end up in the fabric district where I have researched a huge bead store, but alas, by the time we arrive it is closing. I will return on Monday when the store re-opens. At this point we are all starting to drag and wither in the searing heat so we decide to hoof it back to the hotel for a pre-dinner rest. Afterwards, we venture very close to home for dinner to the corner Taverna and enjoy a nice meal.....except for the lady directly behind us who insists on blowing her cigarette smoke into our faces while she eavesdrops on our conversation. After the third noxious cloud comes wafting into my eyes, I lose it and let her have it. My family is horrified at my outburst.......oh well....no more cigarette smoke :-) Then the bill arrives with a little surcharge on it for.....wait for it.......bread. They have tacked on $5 worth of bread. When I confront the waiter about the charge, he assures me this is very standard practice (although I tell him we have eaten at this restaurant on three occassions previously and there was not bread charge). We leave feeling a bit cheated and wishing for the friendly faces from Ilias' Taverna. Oh well, live and learn. We return to the hotel for a night of playing catch up on our computer needs as we have had such limited access to the internet of late. Tomorrow proves to be another great day as we plan to visit many historic sites.

Skopelos Life....ain't it great!

June 2 - June 8

We have kept to pretty much the same routine each day, just living life in this beautiful Greek paradise. It doesn't get any better than this! Our daily life consists of waking up and having our Nescafe coffe on the patio and taking in the beautiful sun that rises over the far side of the harbor. The sun lights up the town with its white-washed houses at first light and migrates over to our side of the harbor for the late afternoon. Each day we visit the local bakery early in the morning, buying two loaves of freshly made bread. Along with our breakfast, we will devour some of the luscious local fruits: apricots, cherries, oranges (we eat by the dozen). We can pick lemons off of the tree next to our patio and have started to make fresh squeezed lemonade each day. We have also brewed some pretty delicious "mountain tea" which is made from herbs that grow wild along the higher elevations. We came across a patch on our last day in Skopelos and didn't have time to dry it properly in a dark place, hanging upside down as we were instructed by the locals. Each day around noon, we pack up our tiny red car and head for the beach - usually Milia, but sometimes for a change we visit Lemnonari where there is a cherry tree on the side of the parking lot that produces the most flavorful cherries I have ever eaten. The water temperature has risen steadily and we now enjoy our afternoon swims, launching ourselves from the rocky shore into the crystal clear waters that quickly drop off to the depths. It is hard to imagine how deep the water is because it is so clear you can actually seen each stone on the bottom of the sea floor. For dinner, we generally cook in and feast on local vegetables of red bell peppers, mushrooms, olives, feta, tomatoes and succulent cheeses and, of course, tzatziki. Our house has proved to be quite comfortable, however, we have moved Annie's mattress into our room because her bed was too squeaky and was in the middle of the living room where there are very large windows that offer little privacy. We are allowed to park our car at the hotel that juxtaposes our house and we also can continue to use their pool and internet although for some unknown reason the owners (Boppi and George) only turn the internet on at 9am and turn it off again promptly at 5pm so George can nap. Regrettably, we are generally gone during most of the time that the internet is available and so we have taken to driving or walking into town and sitting in the plaza where the Wifi is free. The town really comes to life once the sun has dipped below the horizon and all of the outdoor cafes turn on their twinkling lights. At night, after we have liberally applied lotion to our suddenly brown bodies, we enjoy playing cards and listening to old rock and roll until the wee hours. The TV has remained silent for the duration of our trip and everyone seems to be just as happy without it. I have purchased a book on Greek Mythology which I read as we drive to the beach and at night when we are not playing cards. The kids have gone through most of the reading material that we brought along and have purchased along the way. Sam is now ready to start the 5th book in the "Harry Potter" series, Hudson has read several classic stories that he has loved including "The Call of the Wild", "White Fang" and "The Old Man and The Sea", Annie has finished one our favorite books "Jitterbug Perfume" and is now onto another book with a similar topic called simply "Perfume". We have also been trying to learn the Greek alphabet in order to better translate some of the local signage. This is always a fun learning experience that tends to be more like a scavenger hunt than a school lesson. The kids are at the point that they can see the end of the trip is within sight and have started to daydream about our return to Raleigh and how much they are looking forward to seeing their friends again. Of all of the great joys and challenges that this trip has offered, being with our kids 24 hours a day/7 days a week is by far the one that does double duty as 1) greatest joy and 2) greatest challenge.

Our last day is June 8 and we have vowed to fill it to the gills with fun memories and visits to some of our favorites places while also discovering new places. We have found a route that was hidden and it has opened up many new tiny inroads to follow to a variety of small churches dotted across the mountain above the harbor. We do make the rugged drive to one such church on the top of the hill where we encounter a tiny lady dressed all in black and living alone at the top of the moutain in the monestary. She takes us on a tour of the church and shows us where the monks stay when they are in residence. It would not seem that she gets too much company and we are happy to make a donation to the upkeep of the church. She also sells the most delicate crocheted doilies and we purchase two of them to bring home as a reminder of our wonderful stay in Skopelos. Our last night would not be complete without a last dinner at our favorite restaurant "Ilias' Taverna". We have become friends with the owners and their children and each night we dine together turns into a memorable event. Tonight is no exception and the wine flows freely and we enjoy a taste of Ouzo with our friends. As we depart tomorrow at a very early hour, we say goodnight and goodbye to our cozy sun-soaked, lazy life and our haven.....Skopelos.

Number One Son turns 13!

June 1

My number one son turns 13 today! We start the day off with yummy nutella crepes in honor of Hudson's birthday. Afterward, we plan an outing to a new beach just up from Limnonari called Milia. The new beach is down a steep drive, but turns out to be another treasure of a location. There is a large rock on the corner of the cove and beach chairs with umbrellas that make our place perfect for a day of lounging. I have brought along toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and a small picnic for us to munch on while there. The kids and I swim, although it is difficult to get Paulie anywhere near the water. We beg and he finally immerses himself for a brief moment and then quickly departs the water. We hang out until around 4:00 and return home to prepare a birthday dinner. We have yet to find a suitable birthday desert, but decide at the last minute to stockup on tubs of ice cream to suit each palette. We have fun playing Yassa and preparing dinner along with a wonderful array of anti-pasti. We eat at around 9:00 and have gifts shortly thereafter. Bedtime is not far behind as we all settle in with a full belly and happy birthday memories.

Limnonari Beach

May 31

We are off in search of a new beach today and find just the right spot at a turn off on the road north that has a very small sign with an arrow pointing toward a small road. Limnonari beach is the kind of jewel that you remember for years to come. A small cove is ringed by tall pine covered mountains and a sandy beach with chairs and umbrellas lie in wait for our eager bodies. There is a small taverna on the beach front that serves tasty yet simple meals and we enjoy a light meal/snack around mid-afternoon. Otherwise, we unwind on the beach and take a swim before lounging for a while in the warmth of the bright sun. After several hours, we return home to make a leftover meal of year soup from the chickens we made yesterday

Driving around town

May 30

Today we wake up to a gloomy, grey day but we are determined to go exploring nevertheless. We feed ourselves and get going around 11:30 and head north toward Glisteri, however, at the fork in the road we go left toward some other small sites. We get onto ever smaller roads until we are into the thick of the forest. There does not appear to be much in site until we emerge onto a mountain top and can see the water far below us. We continue on with no real destination in sight and finally realize that we have to turn around. We get back into town on the upper "ring" road and park near the kastro that overlooks the harbor. We walk down through the meandering passages until we emerge at the harborfront and visit our same lunch restaurant -"Sad Guy". We dine on our usual fare of gyros and snitzel and then return up the hill through the first partly sketchy area of town. Some rundown places that are caving in....everytown must have a few! We return to the car and off to house to drop off the kids. Paulie and I run to the grocery store to procure a few items for dinner and when we get home, Hudson and I work together to prepare baked chickens with au gratin potatoes. We enjoy a lovely dinner and then the usual night time routine.

Perivolou Beach and Cherry Picking

May 29

After waking and following our normal morning routine, we have packed up a picnic and are heading up north to explore the beaches along the northeastern shore. We head out and pass by the lovely towns of the southern and western coast: Agnondas harbor, Panormas beach where we just have to stop for ice cream, Kastani "Mamma Mia" beach, Neo Klima, and onward to Loutraki, the harbor at Glossa. We park and walk along the shoreline for a little while before returning to the car and pressing on to our destination. Somehow, we are unable to locate the small roads that lead further north and toward the coast and find ourselves on the road heading straight for the Agios Ioannis church. We stop along the road to admire the lovely Cherry trees full of fresh fruit but nestled deep within a gorge so it is not possible to see how to pick it. Suddenly, we hear a voice from within the foliage beckoning us around the corner. We spy a man inside the dense foliage picking cherries and he invites us to join him. It is quite thorny and steep, but he has found a wonderful secret place from where to obtain some of the best cherries around. We pick for quite a while until we reckon we have collected a reasonable amount and then offer to pay for our harvest. He reluctantly accepts some money for his motorbike and we drive off while stuffing our faces with cherries. We find an unmarked road and decide to see where it leads and even though it is unpaved and quite rugged, we press on in our search. We are soon rewarded with a view of the ocean that is unmatched and the cliffs slope down to two cute coves where we can swim. We set up our picnic at the top on a sunny flat spot and then descend down to the rocky beach. The kids all go swimming out to a rock from where they can jump into the amazingly clear waters below and they enjoy this for quite a while, before we call it a day and head back home. Once there, Annie, Sam and I go into town on a walk and to use the free wifi at the Gala Cafe since we have returned after the cut-off time of our internet at our house. Once we are done, we walk back home and begin our evenings preparations for dinner. Tonight we are feasting on leftovers, but fabulous leftovers they are. After dinner, cards, desert and bed. Another great day!

Glisteri Beach and Milk Pie

May 28
Our usual routine is now in full swing...wake up around 8:00 (or later) have our Nescafe on the porch and look out at our gorgeous view, visit the baker on foot or by car and make a lovely breakfast of some kind that always includes cheese and bread. By 10:00 we are all checking our email and using the internet during the very limited time it is available to us. Generally, we are out of the house by 11:00 to 11:30 and ready to explore. Today we are heading over to the northeast shore to see what treasures those little coves might have in store for us. We follow the path that we found during our rainy drive last night and go down some impossibly narrow streets until we are starting our ascent up the mountain. The view of the water and the town is amazing and we can see things in town we had not realized existed before....like a huge field that is part of the local school. We continue on our way making hairpin turns and climbing up the mountain in our little red car. Finally, we start our descent and arrive at a small cove called Glisteri Beach. We park our car in the nearly deserted lot and put out our blankets and recline in the sunshine. There is a little beachfront Taverna and the entire scene is postcard perfect. The kids take a dip and then re-warm themselves in the sun. Hudson and Sam have fun skipping stones and hurling stones and burying themselves in stones....you get the picture. After we have toasted sufficiently, we go up to the taverna for a snack and discover a hidden gem of a shipyard museum contained inside the cafe. There are photos of the launching of a ship from 1926 in the museum along with the ancient tools that were used to construct the ships by hand. There is also a arrangement of what the old style Skopelos house used to look like complete with small fireplace and old photos of ancesters. To complete the museum, there are long poles displaying the sheeps bells in all shapes and sizes and they can be used to play music much like we might hear in a church when the choir plays handbells for Christmas. Hudson gets some toxic goo in his eye and we have some assistance washing it out. Once we have cleared up his eye, we browse the beautiful jellies and veggies that are being canned along with the dried herbs that are for sale. We pick a few items including canned yellow plums in syrup, sundried tomatos and mountain tea. Then we decide to eat a light snack of Tzatsiki and Lemonata after which the hostess offers us a complimentary "milk pie" which she says will be right out of the oven and which is not available anywhere else on the island. We are a bit cautious since the last time we were offered a home-made desert it was a grainy pile of mush that did not taste very good and had a horrible texture. We nod and wait to see what she is bringing out. She soon arrives and we are astonished to see it looks like fried dough from the fair covered with powdered sugar. It is VERY hot and we all burn our lips and fingers while trying to cram it in our mouths. By far one of the best things I have eaten in a long time. We return home and stop by the Carrefour to pick up some last minute items for our dinner only to discover that all stores are now closed as it is Sunday. We also learn that Hudson has left his shoes back at the beach. We pass by Ilias' tavern to see if we can get a little wine for our dinner and then drop off the rest of the crew at the house. Hudson and I return to Glisteri Beach to pick up the shoes. We get lost underway but discover that our wrong turn is actually a shortcut back to town....happy mistake. We grab the shoes and pass by the turkey bin so Hudson and the turkey can have a short conversation...gobble, gobble, gobble. After returning home, it is Sam and Paulie's night to cook.....Risotto. Yum. We play cards while they prepare dinner and have a fabulous meal

Zeus' Thunderbolt

May 27

All day long, Paulie wants to visit some monasteries....thunderstorm and kids and I drive around town and find a new way to explore. We do pretty much of nothing all day and the weather seems to condone our lack of enthusiasm. The grey skies bring in a chill that we are unable to shake with our short pants and lack of warmer clothes. We shop for groceries as we are planning another nice meal tonight. Buying oranges on a daily basis has become a treat for the kids and they eat them by the dozens. The bakery is another daily ritual as we select our fresh bread each day for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as pre-dinner anti-pasti. We learned the hard way to shop for bread early as the bakers sell out by around 5:00 and you wont see another loaf until the morning. We play numerous rounds of Spite and Malice and can't really get motivated to do much of anything. All day long, Paulie wants to drive around to different monasteries, but we always seem to avoid doing it. At one point, Annie and I venture out for a walk. We get into town and there is another little downpour, but we continue on and it soon stops. We return home in time to help prepare a nice dinner. Afterward, we are all a bit stir-crazy, so we pile into the car in the dark and drive through town looking for an open grocer.....as it is Sunday, we only see a couple of shops that are open, but we do discover a new way to get around the island and we all comment that tomorrow it will be Paulie's day to go out and about. We return home and hit the books and soon there after head off to bed.

A house of our own

May 26

Woke up and were able to prepare for ourselves several items we have wanted for a while now....like "breakfast". Paulie and Annie prepare Muesli - Swiss Style and then Annie, Sam and I decide to get a little exercise by walking into town. We head out and Paulie and Hudson opt to take a trip to the bakery by car to pick up fresh bread. We walk around the harbor front and up and around the winding streets up to the top of Skopelos Town. The view is amazing and it is fun getting lost within the village. All roads seem to either lead up or down and you cannot imagine the different combinations of ways to get from point A to point B. Eventually, we run in to Paulie and Hudson and all decide it is time for lunch. We re-visit our luncheon place which is now called "Sad Guy" because the waiter seems to be very forlorn about the lack of tourism and the difficult economic situation that Greece finds itself in. We complete our meal, once again, with Baklava. After lunch, we purchase oranges and chocolate and walk back home where we settle in for a huge thunderstorm. We all get our sleeping bags nestled around us and sit on the covered porch to watch the storm. The harbor is magical at night with the hillside dotted with lights and the waterfront glistens as it reflects the lightning. The thunder lights up the sky purple and is quite dramatic and close at hand. The rain rolls in and provides the perfect backdrop for an evening of card playing and eating a cozy home-made dinner. All we needed was a fireplace to complete the scene. Instead, we all snuggle into our beds and sleep peacefully.

Moving & Shaking in Skopelos

May 25

Today we wake up pretty early and have our normally odd breakfast before getting completely packed up and ready to move over to the new house. The previous tenants moved out early this morning and they are now cleaning the house for us to move in sometime around noon. We take a few bags over around 11:00 and leave them on the porch with the remainder over at 11:30 which we are allowed to take inside. The landlady, Nina, is still cleaning so we opt to go off to a nearby beach instead of just hanging around. We go ahead and pay her for the rental and we are off. We drive through town, pick up a couple dozen oranges and out the other side driving south toward Glossa. The first beach that appears is Stafilos which we choose for its proximity to town. The beach is down a steep walkway and we make our way down to the rocky shoreline. There is no sand here, just very small pebbles on the beach. There are a few other people, but we are able to find a place for us all. This is a lovely bay with steep cliffs ringed around the edges and the beautiful blue Aegean filling in the middle. There is not a cloud in the sky and it is the almost violet blue, a hue you rarely see in North Carolina. Sam and I erect a semi-shade type structure with sticks and my beach wrap. We have also incorporated our handy sleeping bag for comfort on the beach. We lounge in the sun for several hours, flirting with the idea of actually swimming in the water. Sam and Annie are the bravest among us, with Hudson joining in sometime later. I attempt a dip, but it is short-lived. We are all growing a bit hungry around 3:00 and return to town to our luncheon place for a bite to eat. As usual, we start our meal with complimentary fried cheese balls, followed by lunch and completed with complimentary Baklava. After lunch, we go off shopping at the butcher who was closed the night before. We take the kids home and then Paulie and I set off again to enjoy the shopping experience for a change. We get back home and Paulie and Hudson set off to cooking a wonderful meal for the family. It is so nice to have space to move around and to play games and read a book comfortably. We eat and clean up and head off to bed not too late.