An Island Holiday

Who wouldn't be happy on Crete?  

The majority of our time in Greece was spent on its largest island, Crete. We had such a variety of experiences there, that I can see why it is a popular travel destination. With ideal weather conditions and clear Mediterranean waters, Crete was just about perfect.

Postcard worthy picture of the Palace of Knossos.

When we debarked from the ferry from Athens that first morning, we were immediately whisked off to the Palace of Knossos, a very impressive reminder of the Minoan civilization that thrived on the island thousands of years ago. Our guide enthusiastically pointed out the highlights of this archaeological site. Much of it has been lovingly preserved while other parts of it have been recreated in durable cement - not authentic but long-lasting.

The ruins of Knossos.

I was impressed by the quality of the frescoes that I saw, even though they were recreations. I was also intrigued and puzzled by the colour of the people depicted: consistently, the men were painted in reds, while the women were white. Later in the day, at the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion, we saw many other examples of this practice.

These are men since they are painted red.

This museum was very impressive, as it housed fine artifacts from other cultures as well. Even though some of the other groups lived after the Minoans, the latter appeared more advanced. It is a shame they died out.

Our guide explains the art in the Archaeological Museum

Over lunch, we were given free rein to explore Heraklion, the Cretan capital. A walk toward the harbour revealed the beautiful Mediterranean waters and the walls of a former fortress, next to colourful fishing boats. In the distance were snow covered mountains. What a lovely place!

Heraklion Harbour

Unfortunately, the students did not get as much out of their morning excursion as they might have since many of them complained of having slept poorly on the ferry, so they were thrilled to be taken to the resort where we would spend the next three nights. As soon as they saw the beach nearby, they were re-energized. From the moment we arrived, most of them spent their time in or by the water.

Oh to be 18 again - time to hit the water.

We slowed down over our three days at the resort. One day we had no scheduled activities, so, after an hour of tennis, Bob and I walked twenty minutes to the closest town, Hersonissos, for lunch and some shopping.

Hersonissos Harbour

Spring fever must have been in the air in Crete. On our final evening there, the students staged a mock wedding on the beach to which we were all invited. Most of the guests dressed up for the event – bystanders likely thought that the ceremony and the speeches were real, but it was all just harmless nonsense.

The group encircles the "bride and groom" as they dance at their wedding.

On the morning of our departure, we headed to destinations on the eastern part of the island. Our first stop, Elounda, is a small resort town with a picturesque harbour - in fact, picturesque harbours are everywhere on Crete. We spent about a half hour there, just enough time to stroll around.

Elounda's Harbour.

Nearby, we boarded a small boat which took us to Spinalonga, an abandoned island with a very interesting history. Arabs invaded it in the 8th Century, and much later, it was owned by the Venetians, who carved it out of the island of Crete and built a fort there. In the 18th century, it was part of the Ottoman Empire. Finally, most recently, it was used as as a leper colony from 1906 to 1956.

Approaching Spinalonga

There was a haunting quality to this place. After all, the lepers have not been gone very long. We walked the entire circumference of the island, and as we did so, we imagined the loneliness of those who were banished there.

Our guide explains the history of Spinalonga

Our guide pointed out that we were on the island at the best time of year, since the flowers were in bloom. In all the other seasons, it is barren and very hot.

Our group on Spinalonga,

The stark beauty of Spinalonga.

Eventually, we returned to the bus and were driven west to Agios Nikolaos, the former capital of Crete. There we had lunch beside the harbour - of course. This lovely city is notable for its manmade lake right beside the sea. I enjoyed the shops there too.

The Agios Nikolaos harbour

The lake at Agios Nikolaos

Finally, we returned to Heraklion for a Cretan dinner at an outdoor taverna. It was - in short - absolutely delicious, a fitting farewell to the island.

Dinner in Heraklion

By 20:00, we had returned to the Minoan Ferry line for our overnight passage to the mainland. In my opinion, the journey was uneventful, although we heard the next day that there had been a 6.1 earthquake off the coast of Crete. 

The Athenian Way

The second week of the Easter trip was spent in Greece, a country I had never visited. We spent a week there, with the first and last nights in Athens.

A view from the Acropolis

No doubt, Athens has a glorious past to celebrate, but it is clearly struggling in the present. Based on the number of businesses closed and the graffiti everywhere, the city has fallen on hard times. Our stay there was confined to the tourist district of Plaka and the hill of the Acropolis above it, as these were considered the safest areas.

Roasting Easter lamb

A quiet corner of Plaka

In spite of this grim introduction, I am very glad that I was able to experience Athens. Our first full day there coincided with Orthodox Easter; all the major attractions were closed, but Plaka, catering to tourists, was open for business. This area is quite lovely and on this holiday, there were spits of lamb roasting everywhere, lamb being the traditional Easter dish.  After lunch, I spent the afternoon walking and shopping in ideal weather conditions. Since I had had a light lunch, I treated myself to baklava as well, my favourite Greek dessert.

Temple of Zeus.

Nearby, we peeked at the temple of Zeus through a fence (it was closed too), and then walked through the gardens nearby.

Jen and I pose in front of a conference building

The garden had the feel of the tropics

After a traditional Greek dinner - a major feast, in fact, we headed to Piraeus where we boarded the overnight ferry to Crete.

Ready to board the ferry.

Five days later, returning on the same ferry, we were immediately bused to the Acropolis. Our local guides took us back in time to the glory days of ancient Greece. These ruins were awe-inspiring. I was very excited to see them.

The facade of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Part of the reconstructed theatre.

Our first sight was the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a relatively new ruin compared to the structures above it. The facade dates from 161 C.E. The interior has been largely rebuilt, so that even today, the space is often used for events. Having only recently taught my drama students about Greek theatre, I was thrilled to see such a place.

In front of the Parthenon

The Erechtheion

From there, we climbed further up the Acropolis where on the bald top of this hill, we wandered among the ruins everyone comes to see. In my mind's eye, I could imagine the great Athenian society where playwrights such as Sophocles and great thinkers such as Aristotle lived and honoured their gods with great monuments.

A view from the Acropolis over Athens.

From the heights of the Acropolis, we enjoyed spectacular views over the city of Athens, too. We were on a schedule, or I would have been content to linger there much longer.

Entering the Museum of the Acropolis

Impressive ruins lie beneath the Museum of the Acropolis.

These "Caryatids", the originals, have been moved to the museum to prevent their deterioration. There are replicas on  the Erechtheion

Eventually, we had to descend, but even at street level, this famous site dominated our time. The Museum of the Acropolis has been created to house artifacts that are in danger of crumbling in the open air. Also, most impressively, the building has been erected over an ongoing archaeological dig.

Where the modern Olympics began

This wonderful bronze was found under water. 

After lunch, after a brief stop at the 1896 Olympic stadium, we headed to a second museum, the Archaeological Museum of Athens. Again, this was an impressive collection of important artifacts from the cradle of civilization. I enjoyed this museum even more than the first one, but, by this time, we were all a little tired. We were relieved when the bus took us back to our hotel for a rest before dinner - our last night out of the vacation.

Exiting the Museum of Archaeology

Dancing in the street

Our local tour organizer had organized an evening at a taverna in the shadow of the Acropolis. This was an absolutely delightful experience. Not only was the food delicious but we were also entertained by a small Greek combo and dancers. Eventually, we were invited to join in, and I did just that, dancing in the street. What a great way to finish our trip!

The Acropolis at night - as seem from our restaurant.

My blogs of the Easter vacation will continue, however, as there are still five more days to account for.

Italian History and Geography

Italian geography made Italian history in Pompeii.

When I last toured Italy - back in 1977 - I took a day trip to Pompeii and Capri. As a result, I had an idea of what this area along the west coast had to offer. I was not familiar with Sorrento, however, and I soon realized that my memories of so long ago were very limited.

Terry explains what happened at Monte Casino in WWII

The trip from Rome to Sorrento takes about four hours, Along the way, we made a stop at Monte Casino, the site of an important battle in WWII. Terry's father had fought there, so he was the perfect person to explain the significance of this area, which is now a large cemetery, a war memorial.

Another view of the Monte Casino cemetery

Not long afterwards, we left the main highway and headed towards Sorrento, where we would stay for the next four nights. I was awed by the scenery. As the bus twisted and turned towards our destination, we looked down towards the Bay of Naples, and the small towns that dot its shores.

On our way to Sorento

Our hotel was also quite remarkable. We stayed at a lovely resort, with a dining room that afforded us views of the sunset every evening. The place was an oasis for us after days filled with sightseeing.

The dining room at our hotel

On our first full day in the area, we backtracked towards Naples to visit the impressive ruins of Pompeii. I was very much looking forward to this excursion since I knew that much more of the ancient city had been uncovered since my experience there almost forty years ago.

Our group inside Pompeii.

A street of Pompeii

I was not disappointed. Pompeii is a wonder of archaeological preservation! Bob and I both took a great many photos, although we have left the x-rated ones out of the blog. Haha. The students were fascinated by the place as well - as they should be. Is there anywhere else on earth like it?

The very well preserved decor of the bath house

Mount Vesuvius was once much larger, but it still looms over the city.

A cast of one the volcano's victims sits in a glass case below a Roman fresco.

Part of the Forum at Pompeii

Nearby, as always, sits Mount Vesuvius - and after lunch, we were driven part way up to climb it. This was an exciting prospect. I had never climbed an active volcano. As it worked out, the ascent was not as thrilling as I anticipated, since the day had turned quite chilly and the view inside the crater was merely a spectrum of greys.

Freezing on the way up.

Inside the crater

Nevertheless, determined, I climbed to the top where I was rewarded with a panoramic view over the Bay of Naples and the city itself below us.

The view from the top. 

Our second full day in the area provided an entirely different experience. First we walked to the Sorrento harbour to board a boat, which took us twenty minutes later to the island of Capri. There we were met by our local guides whose goal was to show off this island from four different perspectives.

We arrive in Capri

Most of our group on the shore level.

We spent only a few minutes at the first level - the shore level - long enough for a group photo. In short order, we were shuttled to the second level where we were shown where the rich and famous ate and shopped. This is the part of Capri with the most exclusive hotels and the most expensive shops. Here too is a perfume industry that produces very enticing scents.

Our guide explains how a former monastery has become the centre of the Capri perfume industry.

After about an hour or so, we ascended one more level to the third tier, where more shops and restaurants awaited us. Here, we were encouraged to take a chair lift even further up, in order to experience the most spectacular perspectives available. Bob and I decided against this move, until, hearing from others that I had missed a great experience, I changed my mind, spent 10 Euros, and rode to the top of the island with a couple of the boys. The view from the outlook at the top of Capri was stunning and, by going when we did, we actually had better weather conditions than those who ascended before lunch.

The view from the top.

Finally, back at shore level, we opted to take a boat tour of the circumference of Capri, the famous Blue Grotto being closed on this day. Our tour guide doubled as a guide on this boat too. From here, we witnessed beautiful aquamarine waters, and interesting rock formations. On a precipice, we glimpsed a goat, a most unusual sight, according to our guide.

A view of the lighthouse from the boat tour.

By 16:00, we were on our way back to Sorrento. I was looking forward to exploring the town itself, something we did both on this day and the next. The shops were very enticing and my time in Italy was running out!

A Sorrento Square

Italian linen for sale

On our final day in the region, we again boarded a bus, this time to drive along the Almalfi Coast, a breathtaking – and harrowing drive. This 40 kilometre stretch of coastline takes a long time to see, as the roads are very narrow, especially for a 50 seat bus. With drivers coming from the other direction, we had several "Mexican standoffs" along the way, but Enzo, our driver, was a magician, and we completed our journey unscathed.

The Amalfi Coastline

Enjoying the sunshine in Almalfi

Cathedral in the main square of Almalfi

We made a stop over lunch in the charming town of Amalfi itself but while I was keen to wander, the students couldn't wait to hit the beach. On this sunny and warm day, I was content to sit outside a cafe and sample the local dessert specialty.

Alexa on the hotel patio

Relaxing on the patio

Eventually, we made our way back to our Sorrento resort for our final evening there. Again, the students decided to bask in the sunshine and take in the view from the resort patio.

One last view of the Sorrento harbour from the hotel.

The next morning we returned to Rome, having completed the first week of our Easter vacation. Another week to go!