Back to The Ukraine Girlfriend...but not Ukraine

[msmoby]

Retsina or Ouzo ?

You are STILL posting the same copy twice

OK - so you seem to be missing out on Spetses

The beaches on the far side to the mainland are wonderful

[AvHdB]

Turned into the wind ... autohelm couldn't cope ?

I wouldn't call it 'normal' .... the simple thing to do was ease the Genoa .... and watch for a gust - before it hits  ))

Seriously, you should have had someone more experienced than you - with you on watch .

Seriously can you even sail Moby?

Yes most auto helms can not cope with a sudden increase of pressure.

But if you are overpowered and rounding up the best thing to do is reef (reduce sail). Easing the 'genoa' foresail will only make things worse. You want to keep the foils in the water. Ease the main sail on the traveler. The center of balance will move forward and the boat will have a less weather helm.

Sailing is all about keeping things in balance.

[SL0413]

Turned into the wind ... autohelm couldn't cope ?

I wouldn't call it 'normal' .... the simple thing to do was ease the Genoa .... and watch for a gust - before it hits  ))

Seriously, you should have had someone more experienced than you - with you on watch .

Seriously can you even sail Moby?

Yes most auto helms can not cope with a sudden increase of pressure.

But if you are overpowered and rounding up the best thing to do is reef (reduce sail). Easing the 'genoa' foresail will only make things worse. You want to keep the foils in the water. Ease the main sail on the traveler. The center of balance will move forward and the boat will have a less weather helm.

Sailing is all about keeping things in balance.

I didn't describe it thoroughly - M offered me the opportunity to sail a bit.  He switched off the autohelm and I took over. 

M was watching all the time - he wasn't concerned about the tilt, but I was nervous as hell because this was the first time sailing something other than a 12 foot daysailer.

When I couldn't overcome wind gust turning the boat that one time, M loosened the tension on the main sail a bit and pulled in the genoa to about 4/5 of full.

[AvHdB]

Turned into the wind ... autohelm couldn't cope ?

I wouldn't call it 'normal' .... the simple thing to do was ease the Genoa .... and watch for a gust - before it hits  ))

Seriously, you should have had someone more experienced than you - with you on watch .

Seriously can you even sail Moby?

Yes most auto helms can not cope with a sudden increase of pressure.

But if you are overpowered and rounding up the best thing to do is reef (reduce sail). Easing the 'genoa' foresail will only make things worse. You want to keep the foils in the water. Ease the main sail on the traveler. The center of balance will move forward and the boat will have a less weather helm.

Sailing is all about keeping things in balance.

I didn't describe it thoroughly - M offered me the opportunity to sail a bit.  He switched off the autohelm and I took over. 

M was watching all the time - he wasn't concerned about the tilt, but I was nervous as hell because this was the first time sailing something other than a 12 foot daysailer.

When I couldn't overcome wind gust turning the boat that one time, M loosened the tension on the main sail a bit and pulled in the genoa to about 4/5 of full.

Letting out the main should have balanced the vessel. But the most prudent thing to do is reduce sail (area).

The vessel 'tilt'ing is referred as to heel. A sailboat with a keel will normally not capsize. (But I have done it!)

Curious was the vessel with slab (boom) reefing or in the mast roller reefing?

[Contrarian]

Turned into the wind ... autohelm couldn't cope ?

I wouldn't call it 'normal' .... the simple thing to do was ease the Genoa .... and watch for a gust - before it hits  ))

Seriously, you should have had someone more experienced than you - with you on watch .

Seriously can you even sail Moby?

Yes most auto helms can not cope with a sudden increase of pressure.

But if you are overpowered and rounding up the best thing to do is reef (reduce sail). Easing the 'genoa' foresail will only make things worse. You want to keep the foils in the water. Ease the main sail on the traveler. The center of balance will move forward and the boat will have a less weather helm.

Sailing is all about keeping things in balance.

I didn't describe it thoroughly - M offered me the opportunity to sail a bit.  He switched off the autohelm and I took over. 

M was watching all the time - he wasn't concerned about the tilt, but I was nervous as hell because this was the first time sailing something other than a 12 foot daysailer.

When I couldn't overcome wind gust turning the boat that one time, M loosened the tension on the main sail a bit and pulled in the genoa to about 4/5 of full.

Letting out the main should have balanced the vessel. But the most prudent thing to do is reduce sail (area).

The vessel 'tilt'ing is referred as to heel. A sailboat with a keel will normally not capsize. (But I have done it!)

Curious was the vessel with slab (boom) reefing or in the mast roller reefing?

It’s been close to 20 years since I was last on a small sailboat and I don’t recall all of the terminology but as I recall it certainly was fun.

Just curious how fast were you going when you managed to capsize that boat? 

[AvHdB]

It’s been close to 20 years since I was last on a small sailboat and I don’t recall all of the terminology but as I recall it certainly was fun.

Just curious how fast were you going when you managed to capsize that boat? 

Not that fast, maybe 15 knots, in fact I did not capsize, I did a death roll. Meaning before the wind (wind behind me), we rolled to windward. The boat, a Star, rolled till the spreader was in the water.  My crew was brilliant, when I told him I had lost it, he blew the whisker pole and was pulling in the new (other side) backstay. It all happens in rather slow motion.

(You know this when the helm is cavitating), it feels like your in the parking lot moving the helm, there is no feel or pressure. The boat rounded up on the opposite tack, once we regained control off we went with a full rig to continue the race. We lost two or three boats with what is some times called a Chinese Gybe. We got a lot of beers ashore.

Normally a death roll in a Star the mast breaks. The boat was for a long time Olympic equipment and was some 21 feet long.

[msmoby]

Seriously can you even sail Moby?


But if you are overpowered and rounding up the best thing to do is reef (reduce sail). Easing the 'genoa' foresail will only make things worse.

I can - 'just about' manage - thanks ..

This is me - ( arrow) over the start line and nearly sailing directly downwind - about to gybe' and go back to the start line - to restart.. it is windy - but it never looks it in a photo ..There is NOTHING - more exciting than being 'on (controlled ) the edge' of a death roll..



How many times have you chartered a cruiser in the eastern Med designed for..cruising ..?



SC is stood in front of the Genoa - while I take her picture .. - IF a gust hit - the yacht is on autohelm - I could let the sheets fly in a jiffy - and no drama..

If a gust hits - ANY IDIOT knows you release the power in the sails - by releasing the sheets   ( the ropes )...THEN 'reef' - reduce sail ..AFTER

The Genoa rolls around the forestay - the cable holding the mast up at the front ( bow) of the yacht.

THIS is it furled..





No wonder you need to buy the crew drinks, Av - if you keep dunking them

[SL0413]

I assume mast reefing means the sail is wound around the mast?  If so then yes, it was mast roller reefing.

After the adjustment to the sail it was fine, and we were cruising at 6 to 7 knots.

[AvHdB]

I assume mast reefing means the sail is wound around the mast?  If so then yes, it was mast roller reefing.

After the adjustment to the sail it was fine, and we were cruising at 6 to 7 knots.

In fact it is called in the mast furling, the advantage is you can reduce sail easily and quickly, the disadvantage is there is perhaps a 15% loss in performance, especially up wind. The sail in fact rolls around a rod/foil that is inside the mast. This system is very popular on charter vessels.

[SL0413]

Day 5:

We woke up early the next day - R+ and I were on galley duty again and T woke up to keep me company and help.

I had R+ cut up some tomatoes and cucumbers to have fresh veggies to counter the bacon and pancakes I made.  This was the first time I made pancakes from flour instead of pancake mix, but it turned out great - light and fluffy.

I also tried to make steamed scrambled eggs (korean style), but I wasn't used to the high temp of the gas burner (instead of an electric burner).  The eggs were overcooked and burnt on the bottom, but still good after carefully scraping from the top and leaving the burnt bits behind.

While we were cooking the rest of the guys were busy.  The dingy was tied to the boat overnight rather than being stowed on deck.  It flipped and the oars were missing.  Also, the outboard was waterlogged and dead.  M and the rest spent a couple hours searching for the oars, including motoring around with A2+ pulled behind with snorkling gear on a rope. 

They couldn't find the oars so they gave up, and we had breakfast late - around 11.   We then sailed a bit, this time with T trying out the helm.  We stopped at a couple of places to swim, and I was able to try out a cheap, generic go-pro while swimming (Crosstour brand from Amazon lightning deals - $30).  It actually worked ok, but the resolution was 720 at 30 frames.  The resulting video was choppy and the picture looked washed out, but it did work and was waterproof.  Next time I'll take a real go-pro and not have fears of damaging it.

We didn't do much that day - just sailed and swam.  That evening I made dinner - Korean BBQ beef with fried rice and sauted zuchini and squash.  Dinner turned out great, and T liked it so much she made the dish a few times after the trip, back in Ukraine.

That night we sailed to Poros.  The harbor was packed, and because we didn't have a functioning dingy we had to tie up at port if we wanted to go ashore.  We tied up double against a large catamaran, getting permission from the other captain.

We went ashore for waffles and ice cream, and to a pharmacy for me.  Since the start of the trip - since starting sailing, my feet began to swell.  The first two days it was ok, no pain or discomfort.  But it kept swelling, to a point on that 5th day even the crocs felt tight, and getting uncomfortable.  T mentioned a diuretic might help, but the pharmacist said that required a prescription.  They showed me a product called low water, but I was skeptical so I got some Ibuprofen instead for the swelling.

After the pharmacy we went to a cafe that was still open for waffles and ice cream and drinks.  T and I just had drinks and watched the boys go to town on their treats.  When it got close to midnight we all went back to the boat to sleep.


Next:  Expensive fish!

[SL0413]

Day 6:

T got up early to make coffee and tea for everyone (it was her turn to cook with A-).

She then went ashore to get some ingredients for breakfast and dinner.   I got up a bit later to go up on deck and place my feet up on the bench.  They were still swollen - the Ibuprofen didn't help at all.

T came back and made Croque Madam for breakfast.  I have been eating yogurt every morning, partly as a diet and partly to keep from feeling heavy in the morning.  Well, T made croque madam for me as well, and I ended up having croque madam.  And it was delicious.  If it tasted like dehydrated cardboard I would have told T it was delicious.  Fortunately, it really was great so no acting was required.

After breakfast we took off for some more sailing and swimming.  Like the day before nothing much happened - the others took turns taking the helm and we had a relaxing day. 

For dinner I help T cook - she made pasta and tuna bolognese sauce, and garlic bread.  This time I had yogurt - I do not like tuna.  More accurately, I detest tuna.  Canned tuna, that is.  Oddly, I love raw tuna, as sashimi, sushi, and dishes with just the outside seared and raw in the middle.

After dinner we sailed to Egina, to the port town of Perdika.  Like the day before, we had to tie up double, this time to a monohull sailboat.  The captain was Greek and very friendly.  We asked him if he knew anyone at port that could repair the dingy's outboard.  We explained what happened, and he said it should only cost about 50 Euros or so to get it disassembled and cleaned of salt water.  But he didn't know anyone in Perdika who could do it and advised us to just take it back to the charter company as-is (we needed to return the next day). 

He also said the oars would only be about 20 Euros to replace.  I think we burned more than that in diesel the day before trolling around looking for the oars, heh.

We got to Perdika at around 7 PM, with time to go ashore and look around a bit before going to a cafe to enjoy the sunset.  This time we split up, with T and I going our own way.  We decided to find a place that had fresh fish -- I looked up some articles online about the feet swelling thing, and they mentioned reducing salt, taking short walks to promote circulation, and drinking plenty of water.  And I thought fresh fish, with healthy fish oil and the omega stuff could help.

We stopped at a restaurant that had a charcoal grill out front.  We looked at the fresh fish section of the menu - they were priced at 50-60 Euro per kilo.  We mistakenly thought that we can pick out a small portion, maybe 300 or 400 grams, and be charged accordingly.  Wrong.  We had to purchase the entire fish, and the smallest they had (we chose Dorado) was 1.1 kilos. 

So, we enjoyed our relatively bland but fresh 55 Euro fish.  We ate less than 1/2 of it, maybe 2/5?  The rest we fed to an old dog that came over, which I guess was a regular at the restaurant.  And to a cat that came over as well.   

I noticed that there were many street dogs and cats in Greece, but they were either treated well or at worse left alone.  Awesome.

After dinner we went to a coffee shop and bar at one end of the port.  It was packed inside - I think a local football team was playing.  We sat outside and enjoyed our iced cappuccinos, talking about the day and our plans for tomorrow.  It was the last day of the rental, and we had to be back in Lavrio at 5PM.  We were allowed to stay onboard and spend the night and check out at 9 AM the next day.  But T and I agreed that we had enough time on the boat and should stay at someplace in Lavrio, someplace with AC and plenty of non-rationed hot water.

I looked online and found a great place on Airbnb, called the Stone House?  We agreed that we should try to stay there, after we talk to the group and tell them our plans.

We went back to the boat but the others weren't back.  It was still warm, too warm to sleep comfortably inside.   T and I decided to sleep on deck, on the built-in benches.  I think T slept there to stay with me - she tolerates warm weather better and would have no trouble sleeping inside.

About an hour later the rest of the gang showed up.  We sat around a bit and had some wine - I stuck with water (foot swelling reduction regime).   T and I told them our plans - to get a room or apt to stay the night the next day.  They were fine with it, but we agreed to have a last group dinner together.  Then everyone went to bed.

I booked the place on Airbnb, and then T came over to prop my legs up with cushions - another foot swelling remedy.  She went back to her bench and settled in, and soon we went to sleep under the stars.


Next:  что! and Cattle (scum)

[SL0413]

Day 7:

The day was...unusual.

T and I slept on deck and woke up with the dawn.  T went downstairs to shower and clean up while I sat on the bench with my feet raised.  The steps we took the night before payed off - the swelling on my right foot was noticeably less.  The left foot was slightly less (or about the same, but no worse).  I went downstairs and picked up a 1.5 liter bottle of water to swig down, trying out the other tip from the internet that said I should drink 10 gallons of water a day.

When I mentioned this to the others, all agreed it was stupid advise - 10 gallons was way too much.  They said drink water is good, but not 10 gallons.  So I drank 3 liters that morning and had to use the bathroom a few times.

M announced that we were out of fresh water.  The port's water dispenser was too far away and no one was around to unlock it.  We decided to head to the larger town - Egina.

We got to the harbor at Egina just as the wind picked up and the seas became choppy.  All the berths were full, so we motored around the harbor waiting for one of the boats to leave, sort of like driving around the parking lot of a mall at christmas, waiting for a parking spot.

A catamaran captain hailed us and told us they were about to leave in about 10 minutes.  So we waited.  They had some difficulties or delays, because it was about an hour before they actually left. During that time 5 other sail boats showed up, all motoring around the now cramped harbor for a clear spot to dock.

The catamaran finally left their spot, but had more difficulties stowing their anchor.  One of their group jumped in to the water to untangle the chain, and they finally got the anchor secured.  While this was happening, another catamaran, one that was about the 4th or 5th boat waiting, maneuvered to the open berth.  The captain of the catamaran that left initially blocked them, telling them that the spot was for us. 

As we positioned our boat to drop anchor and back into the spot, the other catamaran aggressively maneuvered closer to the dock and went in.  We yelled at them, along with the captains of 2 other nearby boats, but a guy sitting at the front deck yelled back "что?!?".  They disregarded us and docked.

That catamaran was sailing with an Ukrainian flag.  T labeled them "быдло".  When I typed the word into google translate the result was "cattle", but T said it meant something similar to scum or rabble or country bumpkin rabble scum. 

Rather than float there complaining, we looked around and saw another boat leaving, this time from one of the private docks.  All we wanted was to fill our tanks with water (instead of docking for the day), so we went over and docked.  It took us a while to get a day pass and card to use one of the water/electrical hook up stations, but we managed it and filled our tanks. 

This event took the whole morning - we wasted half the day left on our sailing trip for the "quick" water refill.

We had no time to do anything other than to head back to Lavrio.  We took advantage of the wind when available to do some sailing, but in the end we had to motor into port due to wind direction.

We got back at around 5:30 PM.  I contacted the owner of the Airbnb place and she waited to pick us up near the charter company.  We made plans to meet everyone back at the boat at 8 PM to head to dinner together, then T and I took our bags to meet Miranda, the property owner.

Miranda drove us to her place - it was only about 8 blocks away, but it was nice not having to walk there with our luggage.  It was a very cute and comfortable house, sort of like the house in "Up".  It was a single story stone house, more of a bungalow (one large room inside), sandwiched between 4 story apartment buildings.  The walls were of stone with fossilized sponges here and there - one sponge had a hole jutting out which was used as a kitchen towel holder.

The place was fantastic - it was laid out like a studio apartment, with a kitchen, refrigerator, AC and a very comfortable queen sized bed.  It even had an electric stove, but an unusual one.  It was a combination microwave/convection oven with 2 electric burners built in on top.   

The only odd thing was the bathroom - it was a build-in addition in the back with an unusual arrangement.  A door led to the front part which was the bathroom sink, then another door led to the back section with the shower and the toilet - it was a long rectangular space and you needed to walk through the shower to get to the toilet. 

We put our bags down, got out a change of clothes, and showered...together.  It was the first time T and I had private accommodations in the last 6 days and we made the most of it.

8PM rolled around, a bit too quickly.  T and I dressed in casual outfits for dinner and walked back to the boat.  We met everyone and M mentioned that the two of us looked very happy.   

We went to a restaurant called the Walkway.   A2+ and his boys ordered separately, getting pizza.  T and I shared a grilled meat plate for 2.  The others shared a large seafood plate.   We all had a great time, and a duo of musicians came by - older men who looked like they just woke up.  They played pretty well and we compensated them with a few Euros.

After dinner we walked around the area a bit, and went to an ice cream shop that was recommended by Miranda.  After our ice cream we decided to call it a night.  5 of the group had early morning flights and need to get to bed.   M and A- were flying out in the afternoon - the 4 of us decided to meet for breakfast and settle any additional charges by the charter company.

T and I stopped at a grocery store to get some water and wine, and headed back to the stone house.  We turned on the AC and enjoyed ourselves some more before going to sleep.


Next:  Nafplio and change for toll booths.

[Contrarian]

At least you and your GF should be good at getting into kinky sex positions, what with her waking up switched around from where she was in that tight area while on the boat. And she’s an excellent swimmer, can she swim underwater and hold her breath for very long? 

[SL0413]

Interesting that you mentioned kinky...

It's not exactly kinky but T wanted me to get some things for her in the US.  Before our first meeting in May I got Patriots jerseys for her, her sister and her two nephews.  Plus Boston Celtics jerseys for the nephews.  She got me a nice vishivanki for that first meeting.

One day two months ago, while chatting, T complained how expensive imported clothes were - she bought a pair of shoes in Portugal for 20 Euros.  The same shoes in Ukraine was 60.

She likes certain brands of intimate wear - one is a Polish brand and the other is American, Dita Von Teese (DVT).  They are expensive in Ukraine so she asked me to get some in the US.  Prior to this I was a noob regarding female underwear - I heard of Wonderbra, Playtex and Victoria's Secret.   

I thought, sure, why not get several pairs, maybe spend $50 or so (thinking they would be $10 to $20).  Then the sticker shock hit - $85 just for the bra, $45 for the matching panties. 

I found a good online store that had all the DVT models, and in the end I did get several sets for her (with a pretty nice discount for multiple purchases).


So, on this trip I gave them to her but she didn't get a chance to try any on the boat.  At the stone house she put on a private fashion show...
 

[Contrarian]

Interesting that you mentioned kinky...

It's not exactly kinky but T wanted me to get some things for her in the US.  Before our first meeting in May I got Patriots jerseys for her, her sister and her two nephews.  Plus Boston Celtics jerseys for the nephews.  She got me a nice vishivanki for that first meeting.

One day two months ago, while chatting, T complained how expensive imported clothes were - she bought a pair of shoes in Portugal for 20 Euros.  The same shoes in Ukraine was 60.

She likes certain brands of intimate wear - one is a Polish brand and the other is American, Dita Von Teese (DVT).  They are expensive in Ukraine so she asked me to get some in the US.  Prior to this I was a noob regarding female underwear - I heard of Wonderbra, Playtex and Victoria's Secret.   

I thought, sure, why not get several pairs, maybe spend $50 or so (thinking they would be $10 to $20).  Then the sticker shock hit - $85 just for the bra, $45 for the matching panties. 

I found a good online store that had all the DVT models, and in the end I did get several sets for her (with a pretty nice discount for multiple purchases).


So, on this trip I gave them to her but she didn't get a chance to try any on the boat.  At the stone house she put on a private fashion show...
 

Now we’re talking bro! Yessss. Very happy you got to enjoy that! Yeah there certainly can be sticker shock for name brand lingerie in the USA.

Due to a lack of competition, corrupt tax officials who want a slice of the pie and I’m guessing here but the “thieves by law” probably affect the price of goods over there as well; nearly everything Western is quite expensive.

I couldn’t be on such a small boat myself, your trip report is really amazing all together and you and the lady are very well matched to go through that situation together and come out happy and smiling, congratulations ?! 

[SL0413]

Some photos, hope these links work:

The boat:



Our bedroom on the boat:


Poros (Day 2):


Eggplant Parm:


Shrimp Scampi:



Map plot of our trip (Day 1, 2, 3 and 4 are in black ink):

[AvHdB]

Certainly sailing coastal New England better manners would be the norm regarding picking up a mooring or taking a slip. Mooring (tied up) to another vessel is called rafting, a great way to make new friends. Like skiing in New England everyone waits and is polite at the lift line or in a harbour. Off course the ski patrols and harbour masters are present. Europe is a bit of a free for all.

In Austria I have seen 'skiers' rather drunk often Polish, Ukraine or Russian licqouring up at 9 am.

Stern to docking is the norm along the Med. I assume you had better charts than what you posted. 

Like the Patriots shirt idea!

SL, I assume you do not mind me adding insight and explanations.

[SL0413]

Don't mind a bit.))

The photo of the route was on a tourist map that T brought.  The charting maps were the property of the yacht company and we couldn't mark them.  We had full set except the large overall map of the region, from mainland Greece to Rhodes.

The first Patriots game of the season I reminded T.  She sent me a photo of her wearing her Brady jersey.  With a Red Sox baseball cap (I didn't get her a Patriots hat - I got one the other day to give to her in Nov).

We won that game and lost the next two...when she didn't wear the jersey...Hmmm.   

[AvHdB]

Moby, Thank you for confirming that on a pond with a four boat fleet you can not race or sail. In this fleet to be OCS is an accomplishment only you can be proud of! I assume the Solo won the first mark and perhaps this race. Av

[rosco]

Sea Bass is  Lavaraki  ( in Greek ) translit and the easiest way to cook it is to simply gril it with salt and pepper and to peel back the skin and eat it ))

Disagree, the skins brilliant when its crisp and seasoned well with a squeeze of lemon. 

[andrewfi]

Sea Bass is  Lavaraki  ( in Greek ) translit and the easiest way to cook it is to simply gril it with salt and pepper and to peel back the skin and eat it ))

Disagree, the skins brilliant when its crisp and seasoned well with a squeeze of lemon. 

I agree with you but I know that some folks just can't stomach the eating of fish skin, no matter how well prepared. I used to be one of those people.

[rosco]

The mussels were delicious - the best I've had anywhere.  Highly recommend it if you are in Idra.

Mussels from a restaurant just after a prolonged power cut - you're a very brave boy! 

[rosco]

Nice TR SL.

I made a coffee and read the thread for the first time today. An interesting holiday with your girl, not necessarily everyones cup of tea but I bet it was action packed. The Greek islands are stunning and I'm sure you had a few life is good moments out there.

Laughed my socks off at Moby trying to hijack it though, posting photo's of himself sailing on a reservoir and the usual semi naked ones of SC. Yawn.......

[Contrarian]

Nice TR SL.

I made a coffee and read the thread for the first time today. An interesting holiday with your girl, not necessarily everyones cup of tea but I bet it was action packed. The Greek islands are stunning and I'm sure you had a few life is good moments out there.

Laughed my socks off at Moby trying to hijack it though, posting photo's of himself sailing on a reservoir and the usual semi naked ones of SC. Yawn.......

I’m beginning to think Moby isn’t a person it’s just a computer virus. 

[SL0413]

Days 8 - 11:

Just want to wrap up this trip report with a summary of the remaining days.

On day 8 I woke with my feet almost back to normal.  The swelling was way down and it even looked like I had stretch marks, but on closer inspection it was skin peeling from too much sun.  The low salt - high water regiment worked, or perhaps I was allergic to the boat.

We packed our bags, dressed, and met with M and A- for breakfast.  They had good news: the damage to the outboard and the missing oars for the dingy were no big deal and was covered (along with the diesel refuel) by the remainder of funds we pooled at the begging of the trip.  We talked a bit about a next trip.  M heard from another sailing buddy that Cuba has some remote islands to the south and would make a good next trip.  I wasn't so sure Americans would be welcome there, even with the developments the past few years.  So I mentioned the British Virgin Islands or someplace nearby. 

We sort of left it open and agreed to discuss it in the future.  We said our farewells and T and I went back to the stone house to collect our luggage and take a taxi to Athens airport.

At the airport we picked up our rental car.  It was a Skoda Octavia sedan, automatic.  The agent said that it had a 1/4 tank of diesel - please return it with the same amount.  When he said "diesel" I thought he meant it as a generic term for fuel.

We picked up our car and headed to Nafplio.  There were several toll booths along the way, and some had automated coin lanes.  T organized the coins we had and handed me the exact amounts when we approached these booths.  It had us on our toes - each required different amounts, from 1.85 Euros to 2.65.   And the sign that showed the rates, in English, were only about 500 meters before the booths.  T had to make sure we had the correct coins to let me know if I could use the short coin lanes rather than the manned booths with long lines.

Just outside Nafplio we pulled into a petrol station to fill up - we were almost empty (10 kilometers past the low fuel warning light).  Fortunately, it was a full service station - when I said to fill up on 95, the girl said our car was diesel.  Bonus - diesel was .20 euro cheaper per liter (1.32 vs 1.52). 


Hmmm.... I think at this rate it will take a few more pages.... I will hurry up the rest:


Nafplio, 3 days at a nice Airbnb apt.  It was a 2 story house, with the owner living upstairs via a separate entry.  It was located in the old city section, on the hillside below the fort/castle.  We used it as a home base to go to Epidavros, Palais Epidavros, Lygourio, Tolo and a nice secluded place called Kondyli Beach that the apt owner told us about.

We enjoyed shopping and dining in Nafplio - the best place to eat was Pidalio Tavern, just outside the old city district.  Great osso buco.

We hiked around the ruins of Epidavros, at first walking around the outside of the paid entrance area because on the map it looked like the amphitheater was separate from the museum.  But we discovered the road we were on ended at a gate - it must have been a delivery or construction access road to the park.

As we started back to the entrance we noticed some newer single story buildings, built in a way to blend in with the landscape.  On closer look they seem to be apartments or cottages - I wonder if they can be rented?  Or maybe they were housing for the museum and archaeological staff.

We paid the fee (8 Euro?) and went to the amphitheater, museum and dig site.  Very cool - I know greek mythology pretty well but never heard of Asklepios, the god to whom the site was dedicated.  Learned something new!

In Palais Epidavros we went to the mini amphitheater, but it was closed and under renovation.

We went to Tolo to swim, but the beaches there were crowded and small - the water line was at most 10 meters from the start of the beach.

In Nafplio one day we tried to see if there was a way to walk up from our apt to the fort - it was right below the fort.   But all the streets and walkways were dead ends to other apartments, a church, and homes.  Instead, we drove up and walked around at the top.  There was an event going on - a wedding or a group outing - so we couldn't get too near the ruins.  We noticed that on the other side of the hill there was a swimming area - a rocky beach.   We talked about going there the next day to swim but went to Kondyli Beach instead.

Kondyli Beach was very cool - the road to get there is narrow and started off the main road at the hill above the beach.  The road heads down to the beach at a steep incline with a very tight switchback.  Thankfully there was little traffic - it would have been tough if it was too popular.   The area had 3 beach clubs - a beach bar under thatched roofs.  The simple lounges in the sun were free, but the memory foam comfy lounges in the shade were 10 Euros per pair.  T and I took the comfy ones, got some cold beer, and relaxed and swam.  The entire area was pebble, so we took careful and sometimes awkward steps when entering or exiting the water.

On Day 10 we left Nafplio to spend 1 night in Athens.  We booked an apt on Booking.com that was located right next to the Acropolis.   On the way there we stopped at the Korinth Canal and found a great place to take some photos.

The drive in to the city center was annoying.  We spent over an hour just to go the final 10 kilometers to our destination.  A good thing was that there was a city office for the rental car company where we could return our car, which allowed us to save 1 day of car rental and parking fees.

The apartment was fantastic.  It was on the top floor of the building (4 stories?).  The ground floor of the building were restaurants and cafes, because it was on the same street as the metro station and Acropolis Museum.  The apt was spacious, with huge picture windows and balcony overlooking the Parthenon and the museum.  It was the priciest of accommodation of the trip, at 190 Euros a night.  But it was well worth it just for the location.

T and I went to one of the cafes for lunch, then went to the museum.   I am not a museum buff, but enjoyed it none-the-less.  It had glass floors to view the active digging site underneath.  It housed the relics recovered from the area and had models of the Acropolis as it would have looked back through the different periods.   The neatest feature, for me, was a LCD display next to one of the statues of Athena - the display showed what the statue would have looked like with the original paint and totally restored, in stages (the first image was the statue as-is, then with some coloring, then with full coloring, then as fully restored).  Cool.

We then walked around the shops to get last minute gift items to bring back to family and friends.  We tried to time it to so we had an hour left to get to the Acropolis in the evening, when it wouldn't be as hot.   However, we didn't realize that the ticket office closed 1/2 hour before the site closed.  Also, we thought the place closed at 8 PM, not at 7:30.   So, when we got there at 7:05, it was too late.   

At first T was upset, at herself because she assumed the visiting hours and didn't check to confirm.  She saw the site before, on her previous trip to Athens, but wanted to experience it again with me.  I reassured her that this wasn't our only chance - we would be back someday.  She agreed, we would be back, and cheered up.

We then looked for a place for dinner - we noticed on google maps there was a korean restaurant nearby, and we went there.  Funny, on the previous visit in Ukraine, we had our last dinner at a korean restaurant in Kiev, which T enjoyed.  I guess we are starting a thing - habit/trend/routine/whatever - korean restaurant on the last night of our trip.


Day 11 - the next day we left the apt early, leaving the keys on the kitchen counter.  We had breakfast at one of the cafes below and walked a block to main street (the street that circles the temple of zeus).  There were plenty of waiting cabs and we took one to the airport.

At the airport I checked in (American Airlines), but T had to wait.  Ukraine Airlines don't operated a regular desk there - they open one 2 hours before a flight.   We went to a Starbucks at the airport to have some iced coffee - first time T went to one.

After our coffee, as we left for me to go through passport control and my gate, we had a near crisis moment - I lost my boarding pass.   I hurried back to our table at Starbucks, but it was not there.  I looked around and went to the counter, and I found it on the floor.  It was slightly torn and stepped on several times, but was otherwise ok.  I must have dropped it when paying for the coffee.  I breathe a sigh of relief and went back to T.  We hugged, kissed, hugged, and hugged some more, and it was time for me to go.   

I got back to the States, T got back to Kiev before me, even though her flight left 3 hours after mine.  Trip complete....


I skipped a lot of detail here, but most of it were intimate moments so I would have had to black it out or hunt down and eliminate anyone who read it, so all's well that ends well.