melissa and i have been in Santorini or Thira for two days. we are leaving this morning. but, i woke up crazy early partly because of a rooster with an irregular cockle-doodle. it sounds like it is being attacked every time it sounds off. Our days in Santorini have been amazing. The first day has been difficult getting used to, partly because of our experiences in Crete. So, I will backtrack…

After Paleachora, we rented a car in Crete, partly because we felt like we weren’t getting anywhere staying in Paleachora. We left Paleachora Camping and went to a beach called Elafonisi, also on the southern coast of Crete, but further west. It was the most intense driving I have ever done. There are cliffs 100 ft (no guardrails), with goats, and trucks, and falling rocks. But, the beach was absolutely amazing. I have never been to a more beautiful beach.

There is a beach with chairs where many tourists stay. But, Melissa and I waded through the languid water to make it to a little island. We set up in a little cove area, where the beach along the water was made of seashells. The water was colder at Elafonisi than at Paleachora. After a beautiful morning there, we made our way to a little village called Milia.

This is by far the most precious time of the trip for me. Melissa said she had never seen me more happy. Milia is exactly how I want to live- simply. Milia is a 17th century settlement that has been refurbished into guest houses. It is in a lush ravine or gully that flows into a valley. There are several stone houses that are built into the cliff faces with the rocks protruding into the rooms.

The room at Milia was so peaceful. It was stone and wood frame with all handcarved wood furniture. The bedspreads were traditional knitted with square patterns. You could still smell the sheepswool. The view from the room was out into a beautiful garden. The entire settlement is covered with gardens which supply most of the produce for the kitchen. There is also a barn with all the animals to provide meat.

Melissa and I hung out on the first night and relaxed. We had dinner all night. The salads had amazing mountain greens that were so unusual. We had fresh lamb and pork dinners by candlelight as the sun went down. We returned to our room and read by candlelight.

We made our way through Crete the next day through a town called Iraklion. It was rather uneventful, since it is a bustling city and the campground was more longterm Australian camping than a remote natural setting. The north side of Crete is definitely the more touristy. The water is warmer and more still, but the setting is sparse and rugged, and there are no Greeks. Just tourists and party towns. One way to tell if you are in deep tourist land is if you see pictures on the menus. We went out to a bustling little town east of Iraklion for dinner, because I was craving moussaka.

We made our ferry and made our way to Santorini…

more about which later, since I have to bring the Moto back and Melissa may be worrying about me… She’s probably also hungry for the baked goods I’m bringing back…

 

Melissa and I are now in Paleachora Crete, which by etymology means the antique region or ancient place. Paleachora is in the southwest part of Crete along the Med or the Libyan Sea, depending on who you talk to. Our travels from Meteora/Kalambaka to Crete were long, about 28 hours, but not too arduous. We originally had planned to stay the night in Athens or Pireaus and take a ferry the next day, but because of the efficient and easy to use buses in Greece, we were able to leave Kalambaka at 630 arrive in Athens around noon, and make our way to Pireaus to catch a ferry at 9 p.m. We hung out in the ferry terminal cafe all afternoon and met a nice young man named Theodore from Romania. Getting on the ferry was easy, and we got on at around 6 p.m. for a 9 pm departure.

We arrived in Souda and Chania, and as early as we could we took a bus out of the northern port city to Paleachora. During our time in Chania, we were followed by a puppy, who had high standards: basically he only wanted meat and we didn’t have any. The morning, we sat in a park, observed observant men having a political discussion, watched day laborers (from northern Africa) get picked up for work.

The bus ride from Chania to Paleachora was beautiful. There are amazing mountain towns and farms and beautiful hills in the background. Melissa slept the entire time, while James looked around.

We stayed last night at Paleachora Camping, which is an olive grove with facilities. 

The area has beautiful views of the Med and the ridges behind. There are lots of goats, crickets, cicadas, and nice Greek families around too…

Tomorrow, we’re renting a car and driving to Elafonisi beach and tomorrow night we’re staying in Milia, which is a commune in the mountains (recommended by Katy and Ippy), where we’ll get our hands dirty in the Cretan earth.

 

 

 

Greetings from Goat Country (to be explained)… We’ve been out of contact for a bit since we’ve been in kalambaka. We met up with Anthony on Saturday night in Delphi. We had a crazy day weaving our way out to Kalambaka from Delphi on Sunday. We left at 10 am and wove our way through the mountains and mountain towns from Delphi to Lamia to Trikala. On Sundays, absolutely nothing is open and no one moves except to go to Church. The area around Kalambaka is truly mystical. The drive in on the bus is quite amazing to approach the giant rocks in the distance.

So, we got let off in Kastraki which is the town northwest of Kalambaka, it was a complete ghost town and already 5 pm. But, all three of us were mesmerized by the place. The town of Kastraki is surrounded by the pillars of Meteora, which are totally unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. They rise out of an already high mountain town into the sky like massive stumps of an ancient geological past. They shadow the town and each other with everchanging shadows. The rocks have huge caves carved out of them along the way, like a rock homage to swiss cheese.  If you hike close enough, you can see the remnants of hermitages in the rocks all around.

On monday, Melissa, Anthony and I spent our time hiking on the many trails around the towers and looked for cool monestaries. We got a bit lost on the trails, and ended up bushwacking a thicket that I hope never to return to. In contrast to the beautifully friendly people of Kalambaka, the woods are filled with all measure of pointy plants. It would not be an exagerration to say that every plant has thorns. We had an awesome time though looking at monestaries up on the towers and running into goats on the trek. While descending through a dried up stream bed, I fell rather badly into a deep raspberry thicket and got branded by briars. The path home was quite nice however. We ran into a family of goats, which made us lighten up, since after mountaineering that pass we felt a bit like those bearded bleeting creatures.

The campsite in Kastraki that we planned on, the Meteora Garden, never materialized despite my taking a 6 km walk to find it. So we stayed at Vrachos Camping, which is quite nice, though not like the Campsite of the Gods, Apollon in Delphi. They also have cooking areas, but a bonus is the area in “THE NEW PLACE” where they have a grilling station. So, on Monday night we bought some lamb from a butcher and grilled meat over coals. The butcher was really friendly and was eating icecream while cutting up our meat.

Yesterday, Melissa went for a long walk with Anthony and I to scope out climbs in the area, then she went off on her own. The hiking trails are awesome and weave in and out of the massive rocks. They are mostly empty as many tourists only come for the Monestaries and they get let out in front of the monestary, for the most part. Anthony and I found some good climbs, that could be done with a single rope, as we only had one. We did two climbs, one on Nordgifel and the other on sudgipel. The one on Sudgifel was my first outdoor climb.

It was incredible to have my first outdoor climb in Meteora. Anthony has been very patient and kind and helped me a great deal. The climb on Nordgifel was a 40 meter bolted climb with 5 bolts, which was also fun. It was amazing to be on top of the little tower and look down on the city. I love the feeling of the rocks, the lichen and the smell of the breeze through the valley. There are swifts and birds of prey always overhead as well.

Last night, we made chicken and potatoes, again over hot coals, and hung out with two french couples, whom Anthony chatted it up with. They are very friendly and like to offer drinks. We bought coconut shell candles in the grocery store, and after they didn’t work, the French couples gave us candles, suggesting that we wanted it to be romantic.

This morning, we all went into town to buy stuff for dinner (sausage and tortellini and bread). We learned the two previous nights that the town pretty much prepares for the day in the morning, i.e., that all food is bought then, then from about 2 -5 everything is totally closed and everyone is away sleeping. In our case today, we hung out in the pool below the spires which was awesome.

The reason I’m writing right now, rather then climbing or swimming or drink copious amounts of coffee, is that the tread from my boots fell off. I had to come into town to find a cobbler, but supposedly if I go back in about an hour now, they’ll be repaired. Ippy arrived this afternoon by bus, and we hung out and had sandwiches for lunch. We were unsure if he was coming, but it was really good to see him.

He and Anthony are climbing Ambaria tonight, which is a 4pitch route and Melissa is riding horses for the evening. She can rent a horse for an hour, but probably much longer and will be allowed to go wherever. So, I am in the downtown area, which is filled with somewhat touristy shops, i.e., clothes, shoes, etc. and lots of little cafes and bakeries (mmm baklava…).

Tomorrow, Anthony, Ippy, and I will do a long 5-7 pitch route which should take all day. Hopefully we’ll find a hermitage to meditate in to throw down some sandwiches.

We will post pictures in this post later, as Melissa has the camera for taking pictures of Ambaria and the Monestaries.

 

 

 

 

yesterday, melissa and i went on an amazing hike to corycian cave. we left from the campsite at 10:30 am, were adjusting to the greek way of rising late and taking it easy in the morning. the path was slightly difficult to find, as the markings were scattered. but, we eventually found the E4 trail, which was marked with bumblebee colors, and red squares. the hill of delphi rose to the path.

there were many switchbacks on the way up, partly because the ascent is steep, but also because the rock is mostly scree-like, so walking straightup would be difficult. slowly the town of delphi disappeared, and the view from the trail allowed a clear view over the gulf of corinth to the pelopennesian peninsula. from the E4 trail you can also see the sites at delphi to the northeast. it was interesting to be alone together again, and see the touristy sites filled with people. when the trail crested the top it became a former riverbed, which has been modernized to enable water to flow to delphi from the springs on the top of the mountain.

the bush was totally different on the other side. we started to see the farms of a rather spread out town called Kroki. we talked about how we would definitely like to live in such a place. we romanticized having to go to town with a donkey and having to walk 5 kms to get anywhere. when we arrived in the town, there was a fountain providing clean water, for humans and cows. and a little circular stone porch with tree in the center, providing needed shade and respite from the hike. after resting and rehydrating, we walked through the town.

the weather definitely cooperated yesterday, since it had rained the night before, it was cool and windy. also, being about 1200 m above the sea, it was much cooler. the town of Kroki seemed to be mostly farmers and some vacation homes set off from the rest. the delphi area in winter is actually much more crowded with people, who come to ski at the ski areas near arahova, a bit to the northwest. we began looking for the cave.

the map that we had was rather ineffective, so we were left to guessing what represented what. and all of the signs were in Greek, so the discursive signs didn’t help either. short story short, we didn’t find the cave. it turns out, we were very close, about 1 km away, but because our directions were translated from a return trip description and badly (by James), we never made it. once we gave up on the cave, we began to construct a narrative to explain why.

throughout the trip there were several crickets and lizards. we decided that the crickets, taking us as allied with the lizards, banded against us to camoflauge the various signs to the cave. instead, we were lead in circles. seriously though, the crickets could change so many different colors: white, green, terracotta, red, and a variety of motley shades. the lizards were all green and extremely fast. the farms on the top of the hill from the E4 had cattle and goats. the goats were on another far away knoll so we couldn’t see them. but we walked through the cows, which was awesome. there were several little furry babies.

after our not finding the cave, we walked back the same way and watched delphi unfold below us as we came back the other way. we returned to the campsite and went swimming. I (james) needed to swim to loosen up my leg (illitibial band), because the hiking was making it burn. melissa mended her pants and hung out by the pool. we made a huge pot of food, rice, canned tuna, bacon, and lots of local veggies. sorta like paella. the campsite gives us a stove area, so we’re psyched about the meals we’re making. it’s about a third of the price of the cheapest taverna. today, we go to ITEA which is at the seaside.

also, tonight anthony will come to meet us in delphi and tomorrow we go to Meteora.

we arrived in delphi yesterday and were dropped off right at camping apollon. the camp ground is beautiful– up on the mountain with terraced areas for different types of camping, tents, trailers, or RV’s. the pool also over looks the valley and it was wonderful jumping into it after the 3 hour bus rie from athens. while i (melissa) was enjoying the pool, james was recovering from food poisoning in the tent. he must have eaten something bad in athens (we were eating the same foods?!) and spent the morning throwing-up and the afternoon sleeping. the camp ground is very well maintained by simon from romania–they provide a fridge, freezer, propane stove, hot showers, and a train to the delphic oracle. in all out travels through the US and CANADA we haven’t come across a camp site as nice as this one.

today we visited all the ruins including the oracle, gymnasium, stadium, and the temple of apollo. we also washed in the waters from the kastalian spring. some saint paul pilgrams approached james and tried to convert him to christianity. I (james) said that I was at Delphi because Socrates came here, and I said I believed in reason. the head minister was brought over for discussion, and said he would rather not discuss reasons before he went into the museum. oh well…

we’re looking forward to the next four days here. the area is so amazing, with mountains about 5000 ft. tall and a view towards the gulf of corinth that is amazing. tomorrow, we’re probably going to the corycian cave, a 4-5 hour hike that promises to provide relief from the throng of tourists in delphi. in the next few days, we’ll upload photos, we just keep forgetting to bring the cord.

we haven’t posted since we’ve been in Athens since we’ve been so busy trying to take everything in in the three days we’re here. our initial impressions of athens while on the border of town, at the bus station and at the airport, were not indicative of the place. it’s very beautiful where we’re staying at very different from the outskirts. our trip from the bus station was very easy to plaka, where we’re staying. the express bus was definitely express and easy. we found people to be very helpful in getting on the bus. we both noticed that we were more laid back and this attitude as in new york, did not allow us to do simply things like verify our bus ticket. once we realized we were in a city, we changed gears and started participating as urban residents of athens. on sunday, we spent the afternoon walking through plaka, which is an extensive maze of market streets in the shadows of the acropolis. it’s very busy and bussling place. lots of different wares to buy from gold to rugs to furs. there are a lot of outdoor cafes in the area too. we walked to a neat marketplace called monastaraki, where there was a flea market of war artifacts, china, records, and all sorts of what-nots. it’s amazing to walk around a modern city with the shadow of the ancient past always around you. it’s like the ancient buildings are peaking through windows in the horizon created by the streets. melissa and julia hung out yesterday while i did my conference thing. they went to the benaki museum, which has a lot of beautifully ornate works, some tapestry, clothes and jewelry. julia made her way to the island of dreams, where she will eat for hortofahgos. i met some good people at the conference, and the experience was definitely worth it. i skipped many sessions to debate with a cypriot about the tenebility of my evolving theory of sensibility. on the way home, i discovered an interesting phenomena. as i was walking through syndagma, i saw these dogs hanging out on the edge of a square. they were waiting for mopeds or motorcycles to drive by to attack them. their ears perk up, then run at the motorcycle and bark at the engine and bite the riders legs. the run alongside for about 100 feet or so, or until the rider kicks them. then they go back to the starting point bark at the pack and start again. it’s really amusing. last night, melissa and i went for a walk up lycavittos hill, which is quite stunning, since you can see the entire span of the city from the mid-point. it was interesting that as you look out past athens there is no suburban sprawl. it’s extremely compact city living, then remote country living, or so it seems from the lights. this morning, we went out to the acropolis, the agora, and other sites. it’s really a powerful place. we definitely were amazed by its hugeness. i was brought to tears several times by the wind that blows through the acropolis. there were a lot of people working on the parthenon and other sites, restoring and cataloguing. the stoa of attalos was the best preserved and we definitely felt like we were travelling through a living place. i wont go through all the details of every site now…, because you have to see it yourself. we leave tomorrow for delphi on the bus. we’ll be camping there for a few nights and hiking… (a bit of apology for the briefness and curtness of these posts (as they have been criticized): we have small windows to use the internet at the cafe or public computer store, so the writing is largely unreflective. i’d love to wax philosophical or poetic, or provide information, etc. but alas that will have to wait till we return…) all the best.

today we went to the ancient ruins of mycynae. it was an amazing place about 45 minutes away from nafplio by bus. it was a city up on a hill between two mountains. the mountains were very dry and covered with sharp craggy rocks and olive trees. the surrounding area was plains-like. the view from mycynae was looking out across a big valley with lots of farmland and a row of ridges that separate mycynae from argos and nafplio. there was a museum with found pottery, tools (bronze), and decorations. we got to see the gold mask of agamemnon, which was definitely a sign of strength and power. we will name our next animal agamemnon. the ruins were partially excavated and it looked like they were working on some parts. it was definitely an immense city, because the largest remaining structures are beehive tombs, which were massive. we went into one, and it had amazing echos (the god ECHO was present i guess…). we took videos and pictures, but since we have to pay for internet in nafplio, we will upload pictures when in athens. we spent the afternoon writing (james) and painting (melissa), and tonight we may go out for meat, because we’ve been eating mostly raw foods. tomorrow, we take the bus to athens, and say goodbye to beautiful nafplio… 

All was well travelling from JFK. We flew on Olympic Airlines. The name of the plane was Epidavros, which is a theater in Pelopenesse.

We were most concerned about our camp stove making it through TSA, but it was fine, given that we cleaned it so well. The flight on Olympic Airlines was cramped, as we were in the middle seats in the middle isles, between two guys, one of whom was extremely helpful for translations.

In general, Greeks have a good facility with English. Rapid Greek gives you words, but unfortunately does little for your confidence. The stewards and stewardesses were very helpful and provided a lot of food. As Melissa pointed out, if you want to begin your “greek experience” on the plane, then OA is the way to go. If you want hold on to the American experience and begin your Greek experience when you land, then take another airline. But, regardless, the direct flight is definitely the way to go.

We did have some difficulties with our neighbors on the plane. The man sitting behind Melissa didn’t want her put her seat down, but she insisted. The seat in front of me was broken so was permanently down, but that only brought my movie screen closer. On the plane, we were served two meals, which filled us up for our first day travelling from Athens. Our first food experience on the plane taught us early that food in Greek would be very sweet. 

Our first impressions at the airport were that the people in Greece are very kind and helpful. But, we were told different directions by each person for one location. [And, this happened throughout the trip. It's not that the directions are wrong, just vague. But, after all, if we spoke Greek, then we may have been better off. I really regret not having learned directional language, left of, right of, straight, etc...]  We ended up taking the express bus from the airport, which shows you many of the more industrial areas of Athens.

We were immediately impressed by the sun and the dryness of the land in Greece. The road from the airport showed us the Athens suburbs, which were at times very beautiful and at times a bit run down. There were a lot of billboards and highway signs, one of which had a picture of the actor that plays Sawyer on Lost, selling some kind of cologne. We were also impressed by how small the cars were. I’m not sure if this is the way in Europe in general, but, the cars are very small. It is really an aberration that Americans drive such huge vehicles. There are very few SUVs, and mostly two door hatchbacks. Renaults. Citroens. Peugeots. 

Once in Athens, we went to Kalissou station, and made an 11:30 bus out of Athens to Nafplio. The trip involved people getting on and off at a variety of stops. We noticed throughout this bus trip that tourists get on and off the bus at the stations and major stops, whereas the locals, use the buses to go to and from anywhere they wish. It took about two and half hours and we were rather tired given that we hadn’t slept much on the flight.

After the bus got through northwest Athens area it was nice to be in the countryside. Megara looked interesting, and a nice place for a philosopher to hang out. That is where the Megarian school of philosophy comes from… The land in Greece in general is very dry. Almost everywhere you go there are fields of olive trees, mandarin groves, lemon trees, and other plants that we couldn’t identify. The little villages along the way seemed rustic and quaint.

We were both surprised about just how mountainous Greece is, it really has everything that nature lovers like: mountains, ocean, countryside, and culture. And, the culture is varied, meaning there is something for everyone. If you want to disco all night, you can. If you want to eat amazing food all day, you can. If you want to explore museums, you can… It felt quite unlike any other place I’d ever been on vacation, in that when you ask for something, you usually can get it, and if it is not available, the person you asked expresses sadness for not meeting your needs. 

 

On the way to Nafplio, we went through Corinth and other villages we forget the names of, but all very pretty. We noticed that the church is always the biggest building and the best kept in the city. And, often in the more countryside type towns, there are several small churches, often high in the hills, or in general a considerable walk from the town. 

We arrived in Nafplio at around 1 or so, we walked around with our too-heavy bags on beautiful venetian-style streets with nooks to grow a variety of trees.

There are amazing fuscia colored flowers hanging on the fire escapes and the streets are woven with marble. there are lots of outdoor cafes and eateries. And many toy stores for some reason. Nafplio is built up on the north side of a huge hill with lots of little sets of stairs to go in between the narrow roads.

No SUVs here. All miniature cars that barely make it through the streets. The town has a lot of cute vagabond residents. There was a very broad red-biege dog that is always on a mission, usually carrying a bone from a restaurant or on the way to collecting a bone from a restaurant. There are also a lot of stray cats, one of which is named Hermes. The balconies that were covered with flowers were also filled with very many pretty birds, the songs of which were beautiful in the morning. 

When we arrived we walked to Bekas’ domatio, which is okay. It’s a good little community with a nice view.

We walked yesterday to the beach and swam for while. But, we were so tired we passed around 7. We had trouble sleeping because of jet lag and I woke up at 4 and wrote all morning about how elemental Greece is: fire, water, earth, air. All very present and all distinct in a way I’ve never experienced elsewhere. 

Today, when both awake we climbed up an 18th century fortress ruin up on top of a hill high above the city. It has an awesome view.

It definitely protected the city. Geographically, Nafplio is interesting because there is a peninsula that juts out to the west and the entire town is built on the north-facing slope. So, anyone that wanted to attack Nafplio would need to sail around the peninsula. But, the castle enabled the defenders of Nafplio to see out into the sea and warn the town if boats were approaching.

After our hike we had lunch: all local fresh food: tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, lettuce, and lemons. It was refreshing.

Then, we took a 5 km walk to another beach, but it was overcrowded and dirty, partly from construction (fake sand) and partly from boats (lots of washed up stuff). we walked backed to a little cove and went swimming together. then we built a little shelter to shade the sun, and spent our time trying to keep it up. it was solitary, not touristy, and hot. 

we cannot imagine being here in august. then we went back to our place and melissa took a nap while james wrote. we both love greece and are enjoying our time so far. kalispera.

We are leaving tomorrow from JFK at 4:30 pm. We’re flying on Olympic Airlines Flight 412. Just in case it goes down, you’ll be able to identify it as our plane (‘4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42‘ that should do it…). We’ll arrive in Athens at 9:10 am, hopefully well enough rested. Both Melissa and I tend to sleep anywhere-anyhow, assuming our required needs are met: for Melissa, this means eyes covered, ears blocked, and generally some movie or other to lull her to sleep; for James, being tired is sufficient.

From the Athens airport, we’ll make our way to Nafplion by a combination of trains and buses. We’ll be taking the metro from the airport station on the monastiraki line (M3) or take express bus X93 at door 5 to the bus station which is at Kifissou Ave 100. The bus to Nafplio leaves every hour on the half-hour. When we arrive in Nafplio on Thursday evening, we’ll be staying at Dimitris Bekas’s Domatia at Efthimiopoulou 26 (2752024256). Supposedly, it has a nice view from the roof deck. It is a super laid back place I guess, but at 29 euros a night, it’s a value. I’ve read in a few places that the owner Dimitris likes sports, and when I told him we were travelling from New York, he asked, “Yankees or Mets?” I told him Expos, and he laughed. Melissa and I are looking forward to walks in Nafplio which is supposedly nice for walking at night.

After, Nafplio, we’ll take the same bus back to Athens on Sunday 5.1. We’ll be staying in Athens from 6.1-6.4 for a conference and to see the sites. I’ll be presenting a paper at the 3rd International Conference on Philosophy on Monday at 4:30 pm. I’m looking forward to meeting people and talking about ideas. Melissa will probably see the sites during the day on 6.1 and 6.2 and then we’ll go to the important sites in the evening. In Athens, we’ll be staying from 6.1-6.4 at a hotel/hostel called Acropolis House which is at 6-8 Koudro in Plaka (2103222344). It’s close to the main tourist sites, which both Melissa and I are sorta excited about, especially the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and the Agora. I also want to check out various Stoa, especially if I’m having trouble coping with the natural order in Athens. As Epictetus suggests, “some things are under our control, while others are not under our control.” All we can do is change our thinking, not the way things are… We really want to get out of the city though and experience the rural areas of Greece.

To that end, on 6.4, we’ll be travelling to Delphi via a bus that leaves from terminal B Liossion 260 (2108317153) 6 per day 7:30 am to 8 pm. In Delphi, we’ll go see the Oracle, where I plan on asking a variety of questions…, the details of which must remain concealed for now, as this is THE WILL OF THE GODS. In Delphi, we’ll be staying at either of two campsites: “Camping Apollon” (82762) or “Delphi Camping” (82745). They’re both cheap options and Apollon has a trolley train, so that pretty much sealed the deal for me. From Delphi, there are a number of hiking excursions possible. We plan to hike to a place called “Corycian Cave“. I’ll be looking for Pan there…

After Delphi and Parnassos, we’ll be meeting up with two friends Ippylatos and Anthony somewhere in Central Greece, probably further north in Lamia, but we haven’t planned exactly where yet. From the Parnassos area, we’ll be travelling north by car to Meteora. “Meteora is a holy place” said the owner of Meteora Garden (2432075566), where we’ll be camping from 6.8-6.12. From there, Ippy, Anthony and I will be climbing the spires in Meteora. Should be amazing… Though we still need guide books… From Kastraki, where Meteora Garden is we’ll also probably drive to areas for hiking, sport climbing and bouldering.

After Meteora, we’re off to the islands on a rather long trek from the north through Athens and Piraeus to Crete. We’ll either go with Ippy and Anthony by car to Athens or take the bus out of Kalambaka (Averof 2: 2432022432) to Athens which travels 7 per day from 7 am to 6:30 pm. We’re not sure where we’re staying in Athens, but probably at a campsite in Kifissia called Dionissoti Camping (National Road Athens-Lamia N. Kifissia (210 8001496)).

From there the next morning, we’ll be heading by train (M1 Kifissia/Piraeus train to the last stop) to Piraeus, a port city from where we’ll hopefully catch a ferry to Hania Crete. The ferries from Piraeus to Crete from gate E3, though there are only 1-2 per day, so we may have to stay in Piraeus either the night before (and skip Kifissia) or another night on the mainland. We’ll see. It will be TWOTG.

In the Hania Prefecture, we hope to find a few different campsites. There’s AGIA MARINA Agia Marina 731 00 Chania (28210-68555-6) and CAMPING HANIA Ag. Apostoli (28210-31138), but we’re not sure exactly how much time we’ll have so, we may stay the first night in a pension or domatia. From Hania, we hope to go to a few outdoor sites like Samaria Gorge and White Mountains National Park. Otherwise, we’ll be spending time in Crete hiking and camping from 6.13ish to 6.18, when we’ll head up to Iraklion probably from Hora Sfakion by bus. Once in Iraklio, we’ll probably visit the Temple of Knossos.

From Iraklio, we hope to catch one of the 3-times-a-week ferries to Santorini around 6.18. We’ll probably only stay a night in Santorini at Santorini Camping (2286022944). From Santorini, we plan to catch a flyingdolpin or flying cat to Naxos on 6.21.

Naxos has miles and miles of walking trails in its rustic interior. It also affords lots of good camping options: MARAGAS CAMPING Ag. Anna, 843 00 Naxos (22850-24552) and NAXOS CAMPING Ag. Georgios, 843 00 Naxos (22850-23500-1) and PLAKA CAMPING (2285042700). We plan to hang out and relax in Naxos. I’ll probably try to climb Mt. Zeus (1008m).

On 6.25, we’ll head back to Piraeus by ferry (4 per day) and to Athens, where we’ll probably (depending on the money situation) in a nice hotel close to the airport, to ensure an easy travel home on 6.26. Our plane departs at 11:26 am on Olympic Airlines Flight 411 (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42). We’ve got our tickets. We’ve got (some) money. We’ve got a plan. We’ll leave the rest up to the will of the Gods…

‘thewillofthegods’ is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the oft-used phrase in the movie Troy. and, for anyone who needs an explanation or justification for any actions of individuals or groups, it works quite well… try it.