David: Greece is the Word

We almost didn't make it to Greece. We were taking the train to the Budapest airport, and at the airport stop, we gathered our luggage to exit. But as Allan was stepping off the train, I noticed it was moving. "Don't get off," I said, "The train is moving!" So Allan stepped back, and soon we realized that the train wouldn't stop again for 30 minutes--meaning we'd need to take another 30 minute train back to Budapest, putting us 1 hour behind schedule. As the train chugged through the Hungarian countryside, I kept looking at my watch, and wondered why 30 minutes on a massage table went by so fast, but these 30 minutes seemed to drag on by at a slug's pace. It didn't help that I was responsible for the tension-inducing change in our schedule...I suppose we could have gotten off the train safely, but it just took me by surprise. In the end, we made it back to the airport, through security, and to our gate with time to (almost) laugh about our 1 hour adventure into the heartland of Hungary. It was very important to make it to Greece on time; Allan's dad, Robert, would be meeting us there.

When we arrived at the Athens airport, Robert, was waiting for us in baggage claim. Even though he had been traveling for about 24 hours, he showed little signs of jet lag. I hope I'm as youthful and active as he is at 69! We took a bus to the harbor where we would take a 1 hour boat ride to Poros, an island south of Athens. Allan had done a bit of research on Greece, and we decided it would be more enjoyable to spend our time on an island than in Athens. He read good reviews about a hotel in Poros called Saga, and shortly after dusk, we were checking in to our one bedroom studio with a large outdoor balcony. (The photo above is of our balcony view.) We dropped our bags, Bob set up his trundle bed, and then we were out the door in search of dinner.

Thus began our week in Poros, and what a beautiful, relaxing week it turned out to be. In the morning, I would sit on the balcony to meditate. But instead of finding the peace and quiet of island life, I heard roosters cock-a-doodle-doing, cats fighting (or having sex--it sort of sounds the same to me), and dogs barking. Then came the mosquito's buzzing in my ears. (They ate me for a morning snack on the first day, so after that I was wrapped in a swath of lavender mosquito netting--a sight that I hope the neighbors didn't see...) I found it ironic that I would be inundated by more sounds from nature than I remember hearing from city life in Florence. But hey, I was in Greece, so I certainly wasn't going to complain about it! I did often complain about the bees, however. (Or wasps or yellow-jackets, or whatever they are.) They were relentless in their commitment to hover close the minute you stood still for a moment. One day I went swimming in the ocean, and when I got out to lay in the sand, the bees kept swarming around me...It was impossible to relax, so I ended up sitting in the ocean water. It was the only place they didn't bother me, which ended up being a good thing because the clear water cooled me right down.

During the day we took walks around the island, and one day we rented motor scooters to drive around the whole island and visit the site of the Poseidon Ruins,built in 520 BC. Since Bob didn't have an international driver's license, he had to rent a 4 wheeler, so I rode on the back with him. I put a bandanna on my head, and felt like such a bad ass! (Yeah, right. The bees were not intimidated, and practically drove us away from the archaeological site.) Here's Allan on his bike:On another day, we took a boat taxi to a nearby island called Hydra, which has no automobiles--what a great concept!I really liked the main square, and we enjoyed the day by taking a long walk, and then relaxing in the shade, sipping coffee and watching tourists (like us). Later we went to dinner at a great restaurant before heading back to Poros.

We went out for dinner every night in Greece, which was a total treat because the food was fabulous. We mostly ate Greek cuisine, and some of our favorite dishes were the Greek Salad (of course!), stuffed tomatoes and stuffed peppers, mashed fava beans with capers (made by Elsa at Elsa's restaurant--the best place we went) and the Haloumi cheese was excellent as well. Because everything was so good, we often ordered more food than we could eat, and thus had plenty of leftovers the next day for lunch. I must also say a little bit about Greek yogurt. Oh. My. God. So thick, rich, and delicious! Totally like buttuh! A few times we got it free for dessert, topped with stewed fruit. We learned that when we mentioned we were staying at Saga Hotel, it got us favors (like free dessert!) and better service. So if you're going to Poros, stay at Saga! Here we are at a Poseidon Restaurant:Greek life seems to be pretty relaxed, and everyone was quite friendly. Hundreds of cats were all over the island--not sure why. If my sister Tracy were to visit Greece, she'd never leave. She LOVES cats, and she loves the heat--both are here in high quantity. There were also lots of dogs, and one day a dog followed Allan and Robert for most of the day. So cute!On the morning we left, the wind was howling a disturbing, piercing sound--quite a shift from the calm, warm days we had experienced all week. When we got to the harbor, they told us that the speed boat to take us to Athens would not be running--the weather would not permit it, and we'd have to take a taxi. This was a two hour journey, which meant we would not have the 2 hours at the Acropolis we had planned on. By the time we reached Athens, and made it to the Acropolis, we had exactly 20 minutes to see it. The crowds were intense, and the wind was still blowing hard. We basically ran in, took a few pictures, and then it was time to leave. As soon as we got back to the taxi, it started to rain, so at least that was well timed for us! But again, it's hard to whine about the lack of time when the fact of the matter was, hey--I was in Athens, seeing one of the most ancient structures in the world! It was a mixture of excitement and disappointment, but I was so grateful to be here.Next up is Cairo....Stay tuned!

In the meantime, click here to see the pictures of Greece, and click here to see pictures of Budapest.