We had our first foul weather during our port of call in Naxos. Unfortunately, we did not get to explore the village as we had planned but we traversed the picturesque lanes in between squalls.
Even the cats tried to find refuge from the rain.A description of the Portal from AI: “Begun around 530 BC by the Naxian tyrant Lygdamis, the sanctuary was intended to be the grandest and most magnificent temple in all of ancient Greece. [1, 2] The Abandonment: Construction halted permanently in 524 BC when Lygdamis was overthrown, leaving the complex unfinished.” Tyrants don’t deserve to be memorialized!After a warm shower and a cuddly nap we were treated to dinner in the specialty restaurant “Candles”. It is normally a candlelit dinner outside on the upper deck but the winds were about 30 knots. We were happy to retreat inside. A lemon drop martini seemed appropriate to celebrate this dream come true trip.
Another day on a boat circumventing the entire island of Folegandros. This tour was an official WindStar excursion. It was interesting and very fun to interact with other passengers from our small ship.
There are 3 small towns on Folegandros, making up a permanent population of just over 700 residents. Many of the coves and beaches are inaccessible except by lengthy hikes or by boat. We loved the feeling of practically having the island and its beautiful waters to ourselves!
A peaceful start to the morning.
The Windstar Spirit anchored for the day. The sails are up for stability.Another beautiful day for swimming in the remarkably clear, chilly waters. When you ask the boat captains the what the temperature of the water is the set response is “refreshing”😉. It doesn’t matter to me. The water is too beautiful to resist.Warming up with my love 😍 Just beautiful scenery in every direction.A well earned Manhattan.
Yesterday we spent the day cruising around the volcanic (inactive) island of Milos. The landscape is otherworldly, formed by the interaction of magma flows and the sea. The water was spectacular!
On our way.Note the juxtaposition of the black next to the white. Both are formed by magma. The white is formed by the interaction of dead plankton, the magma, and the cooling sea. The sea is just incredibly clear. It is also very salty. It is delightful for someone like me who is not a super strong swimmer but loves being in the water.
All in all it was a really nice day though I think we would choose a power boat tour next time around. That way we could likely circumvent the island.
A beautiful, classically fitted vessel holding 150 passengers. It has not disappointed!The unfurling of the sails. So exciting!Our small but efficient cabin with plenty of storage!Today is an eight hour sail tour around the island of Milos. Stay tuned🤗
We arrived in Athens late on Tuesday evening. We are staying in the Attalos hotel, which is both reasonable and close to many of the main attractions.
The view from our balcony.
The next morning we hopped in a “FreeNow” car for transport to the National Archaeological Museum. It was fascinating to see all the artifacts and realize the age of them.
A gold death shroud for an infant found in Mycenae dating back to 1600 BCE.“Artemesion Jockey” found under the sea and dating back to 160 BC.A helmet made of tusks. We found the artifacts fascinating. Just recently, in 2015-2018, ancient Tholos , 3,500 year old beehive shaped tombs of very wealthy families were discovered, untouched by modern man. Amazing!
This morning, September 24, we took an early morning walk before this frenetic city woke up. It is just fascinating that you can walk around the city center and just happen upon Before Christian Era ruins. We ended up walking the perimeter of the Ancient Agora, which was the center of life in Athens dating back 5,000 years. Active excavation is ongoing. Just incredible.
Note the temple off in the distance.The Temple of Hephaestus
All this on a 1.6 mile walk from our hotel. Athens is fascinating, but a little too crazy for my taste. Today we are off to the Pireaus to board the Windstar Spirit for the “Off the Beaten Path Greek Island” cruise. Sooooo excited!
We have spent a good deal of time hanging out with our friends from college over the last week, but we did manage to fit in some exploration of the surrounding are. We thoroughly enjoyed walking the lanes in La Cadiére d’Azur.
The view from above.
The sweet lane running through the village.A lovely lunch.
The next day we drove about 1 1/2 hours north to the Verdon Gorge, a Natural Regional Park. The bright aqua water was stunning. We rented little electric boats to cruise the gorge. FUN!
The water was a chilly 65* so there was no easing yourself in.But we got used to it enough that we could enjoy a little frivolity. Kathy was a synchronized swimmer and she insisted!
Today is our last day and we have filled it with more exploring and, of course, a final wine tasting.
The picturesque medieval village Le Castellet. It has been declared one of the Beaux Villages of France.We visited Château de Pibarnon. It is a high end winery with a beautiful vista. The wine was delicious but the drive up was precarious. The proprietor chuckled when we got there saying we went the farm way, the old GPS way.A view of what they call their amphitheater of vineyards.The collection. Unfortunately, it was our last day so none of us purchased any wine and the tariffs make it too expensive to ship home.
We decided to cook steaks at home since we had an early departure in the morning.
Brothers Three Little Sisters and an honorary one!Au revoir, until we meet again😍
Yesterday we spent the day exploring Cassis. It is a lovely seaside village surrounded by the stunning Calanques of Cassis. we took a boat tour along the coast and traversed in to several of the the deep inlets that define the Calanques.
The Eye of the Needle
Just gorgeous
The water was crystal clear but we weren’t allowed to take a swim off the boat.The crew.
We then enjoyed a delicious après cruise lunch at Chez Paulette.
Cassis is a village I could spend a few nights in. It felt quaint and authentic even though it has plenty of room to welcome guests.
The fort guards the village from above.There was time for a little shopping.
We have all made it to France and moved into our villa in the Bandol region of Provence. We have shopped at two markets, eaten some wonderful meals, and laughed a whole lot! It’s so good to spend quality time with dear college friends!
The hop on hop off bus in Marseille… great introduction to the city.The beautiful Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde. No, unfortunately, we did not tour the inside. Maybe next time.Jim and Ed, such old friends they decided to dress alike😉The market in La Citotat. We actually liked it better than the more acclaimed one in Sanary-sur-Mer.The Villa is stunning!Our first dinner together. Four ThetaXis, three little sisters and an honorary addition!Arancini Slow roasted Iberian PorkGnocchi with truffled cream sauce.Chocolate torte with ice cream and crumble. It was an amazing welcome to Provence meal.We followed the grape cart to the winery!A beautiful view at Bunan WineryForever friends 😍Joel Dunn, I thought of you!
From our balcony overlooking the Vieux-Port, Marseille
As many of you know, Ed had a medical emergency a month ago. We were not sure he would be cleared or feel up to international travel. Thankfully, he was cleared by all his doctors and over the last week and a half has regained a good deal of his strength. So, for the next 4 weeks there will be a bit of a role reversal on this trip… I will be worrying about Ed vs him worrying about me.
Beautiful Marseille! The view from our balcony in the Hotel La Résidence de Vieux- Port.A lovely breakfast. I said to Ed that this ambiance is what I love about coming to Europe and it’s so expensive to experience it in USA… I may have gotten a bit of the evil side eye on that one considering what a transatlantic flight costs these days😉
Ed was cleared to travel by his surgical team. YAY!! We have changed our flights so that we only have one layover rather than two which will make the day more manageable. So stay tuned, we will be off exploring Europe again very soon.
