Costa Rica - Four Days and Five Nights on the Green Mountain!

 As is now policy if possible, a holiday for Lisa's birthday was arranged and while New Orleans was on the radar (loved it last year, short flight, English spoken), this year our destination ended up being Costa Rica as we were able to book flights on points! 

We opted for a week in country, arriving late at night and staying at the airport hotel and leaving early in the morning, facilitating another night at the airport hotel, with five amazing nights at El Sol near Monteverde! 

The flight down was on Rouge with five and a half hours of uneventful travel and us opting for boxed dinners from home (sandwiches and other cold snacks) rather than take the risk with airplane food. 

The next morning after a short adventure finding our rental car we were on the road before noon and off on the three hour drive to Monteverde. 

We arrived in the mid afternoon and checked in at El Sol before heading in to the nearby town of Santa Elena. 

Our cabin at El Sol was amazing! Down a gravel path from the parking lot to a secluded spot, the cabin consisted of a large bedroom and kitchenette, a wonderful bathroom with a shower that had views down the valley and a deck with a small hot-tup and large netting from which to relax and enjoy the view and the sunset.

The town of Santa Elena is about a half hour drive down a road of variable quality, with some parts fully paved and lit while other patches were gravel bathed in darkness (of course much more relevant at night).

We parked in one side of the triangle that makes up the three main roads of the downtown and wandered about a bit and after a little provisioning it was back to El Sol for dinner and relaxation. 

Dinner the first night was steak at the cabin, cooked by the young owner Javier. We had asked for a large salad and he did not disappoint. 

We watched the sun set, sipped wine spritzers and listened to the jungle before it was time for bed with a little TV first.

The next day was our first full day in Monteverde and we awoke to a blue sky, a green vista and a full sun. 

After a wonderful breakfast in bed (sausage and egg for Lisa, egg and bean like the locals for Ctos), we lazed about a bit enjoying the space, Lisa particularly loving the giant hammock off the deck, before heading into town for a bit of sight seeing.

This time we went past "downtown" and visited a local coffee shop, Stella's, a bit further down the road. The coffee was excellent (far better than the drip coffee at our cabin) and the setting very pleasant. 

After that it was off by foot to the adjacent Bat Jungle for the short but well worth the US$5 each visit. 

Where else can one listen through ears to hear like a bat and see so many bats up close from behind glass in the darkened bat cavern? 

We were treated to the bizarre but wonderful experience of watching an upside down bat relieve itself via two successive giant arcs of projected waste product! 

Then it was off to the local brew pub for lunch and a sampler of the local beers. All quite palatable and Ctos considered a beer shirt purchase before being reminded by Lisa that he has far too many t-shirts already. 

While out driving we saw a group of excited tourists by the road who were watching some capuchin monkeys in the trees. We stopped and excitedly watched them too. 

We made it back to El Sol in the late afternoon for a little relaxation and a wonderful sunset before a 7:30PM dinner at a local hot spot whose name escapes me. 

Dinner was mediocre and expensive. A tour group had been seated just prior to our arrival and we were overlooked for most of the evening. Ah well, they can't all be winners. Then it was back to El Sol for a nightcap and some deck TV before bed.

For our second full day we had a morning tour scheduled at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve so we were up early and at the meeting point by 9AM. We were both excited to be there and well prepared with binoculars and rain jackets. After meeting our guide and a few other tourists off we went for the two and a half hour tour. While it was enjoyable, we barely saw any wildlife other than a Tarantula that had been living in the same cave for several years and a Blue Throated Toucanet high in a tree. 

It was a walk through a wonderful locale in a light rain and we stopped often for our guide to extol the virtues of the Costa Rican approach to environmental stewardship while describing a local plant or tree.

After the tour we went to the local cafe just outside the Reserve for a refreshment and where a hummingbird area has been set-up with feeders to attract them. 

Very cool with masses of different kinds of hummingbirds darting too and fro. We also spotted what appeared to be a kinkajou as it darted off into the woods. 

After the refreshments the tour was done but Lisa and I were not so we headed back into the reserve for a wander along the various trails for a few hours. 

We didn't see much wildlife but we love a wilderness wander and the forest itself is beautiful. By mid afternoon it was time to head back to El Sol with a brief stop to provision. 

This evening we ventured into town to another restaurant, "Morpho's" which was decent local fare if unexciting. Food options in Santa Elena are limited.  

After dinner and the drive back to El Sol, we spent some time on the deck watching a little TV on the laptop and once more enjoying late night wine spritzers before bed.

Our third full day started with another glorious breakfast in bed looking down the valley which led to us taking it easy for much of the day relaxing at El Sol. 

A brief drive into town to get bread and good coffee from Stella's where we saw a lovely motmot as well as visits to local artisans (we bought nothing) ensued but we were back at El Sol by mid-afternoon and otherwise it was very low key day. 

For the evening we opted for a 6pm to 8pm "Night Walk" through another Reserve on the mountain. We arrived to find that it was a very busy affair with several five or more tourists in a group led by a local guide. Unfortunately, our group was us and a family from France so our guide, while bilingual, tended to explain in many words of French and few of English. We muddled through.

Nonetheless it was a wonderful evening walk through the woods with the highlight being the sighting of a sloth and her baby moving through the forest canopy.  

We made it back to El Sol around 8:30pm for a lovely chicken dinner prepared by Javier. Our best meals at Monteverde definitely came from El Sol's kitchen. 

Our fourth and final full day had absolutely glorious weather and after another wonderful breakfast (this time pancakes for Ctos) we decided to visit the Curicancha Reserve during the late morning and afternoon for a long unguided stroll along its various paths. This day was our best for animal spotting with an encounter with a group of white nosed coati at the park entrance!

During our three hour wander through the park we saw quite a few birds including more lovely blue motmots, a glimpse of a large crested guan and another toucanet, this one less than 2 metres away!

By 3PM we were back at El Sol and ready for more relaxation. We were gifted with a wonderful afternoon (shorts and t-shirts, well in our case mumus) and an amazing sunset shortly before dinner served again by Javier (back to steak and salad). 

The next day was the day of departure but after another amazing breakfast we lingered until early afternoon, with Javier's permission as he had no turnover that day, enjoying more beautiful weather before hopping in the car for the three hour drive to the capital, San Jose. 

We arrived in the early afternoon and after dropping the car off and checking in to the  airport Hilton, we wandered to the Alajuela neighbourhood nearby where we stopped for a lovely late lunch of octopus and tuna carpaccio and mixed seafood ceviche. 

The seafood was amazing and we decided to come back for dinner in a few hours. On the twenty minute walk back to the Hilton, we provisioned some lovely bananas for the next day's flight at a cost of a dime each! 

After a rest, we strolled back to the seafood restaurant for dinner and as there was only one other table taken it was quite a romantic atmosphere. We both opted for octopus (done different ways) and it was freshly delicious! Our only regret was we could not eat more! 

After a nightcap at a practically deserted local bar we made it back to the hotel for a good night's sleep prior to our 9AM flight back to Toronto.

We loved Costa Rica and El Sol was truly amazing but the overall pricing in country was expensive and the food at Monteverde was lacking. 

 

 

Andros - The Magical Island

We arrived at the sleepy port town of Gavrio after a long ferry ride with multiple stops from Naxos. We had a wait of about forty-five minutes for one of our hosts to arrive so we had coffee, checked out the waterfront and did a little provisioning at the local supermarket. 

Our host picked us up in his pickup truck at the port entrance and drove us up into the hills about twenty minutes away to our home for the next five nights, the magical "Kalliberry" 

This magical spot is somewhat isolated and we thought it was absolutely beautiful. It is a restored old house built on a hillside property with a view down the valley out to the sea and beyond. 

Our hosts, a trio of lovely people live in the main unit below which was our unit and above which was another rental cottage occupied by a German family while we were there. 

Our unit was a two bedroom cottage built into the hillside with a small private pool and a patio with a view only excelled by the view from our hosts' patio above us!

The property is also home to the wonderful dog "Bobbi" as well as around a half dozen cats who are happy to be fed (and then hang out) but otherwise keep their distance. 

Down below in the valley are goats and sheep that hide in the shade or bushes or abandoned buildings during the heat of the day and then come out in the early evening later calling to each other as the sun sets and they prepare to bed down for the night. 

While our sunsets in Santorini had been subpar it was all made up for in Andros and we relished each evening's sunset with the views over the sea to the nearby island of Euboea. 

Even in remote Greece the future has arrived and Euboea is covered in modern electricity generating windmills that pulse a red light at night. In the darkness of night we could gaze up at thousands of stars and then look to Euboea to see it light up in little red blips every few seconds. 

During the day we could watch the cargo ships go by as the straight between Andros and Euboea is a busy one leading to the mainland port of Rafina. 

Really quite a magical place and our favourite of all the places we stayed in Greece. The bed may have been better in Naxos and Athens but the evenings spent relaxing watching the sunset with a cold beverage in hand were simply perfect.

While we had a long stay in Andros of five nights, this portion of the trip was about not having to do much after the previous relatively active days. We rented a car from one of the hosts (an old but sporty convertible) so we could get to Gavrio for provisioning but our touring was much more limited. 

The first night we drove into Gavrio and back and had a decent, if unremarkable, fish dinner at one of the port restaurants. 

The next morning we opted for a mini-adventure which entailed a visit to the neighbouring village of Chartes as there was a boutique honey maker there. 

While the village was only 1.5km from us as the crow flies it was a twenty minute drive along a mostly dirt road to get there as Chartes was in the next valley over so one has to drive out of our valley and into the neighbouring one.

So we bumped our way down the dirt road into the valley passing the occasional farmhouse (some abandoned) and wondering with each passing meter if we were on a wild goose chase! Finally we arrived at a modern gate with a button to open and a paved road beyond that went less than 50m before stopping at the Three Bees honey factory.

When I say factory, that is a bit of a stretch. The place was started by the pappou some years ago and now the kids run it. 

When we were there one of the brothers, his wife and their two sons were at the house having only arrived a few days earlier from the mainland. 

How fortunate our timing was! After locating the key, we were let into the "factory" which was a large basement room with several high grade industrial steel drums and other gear. 

It was clear EU money had been spent (including what appeared to be a wheel chair lift to the upper floors) but that the owners were very proud of their product and so they should be given that it was excellent. 

We purchased a few small jars (gifts and snacks which we put in the car) and had cold water and sweets with the owners before embarking on a local hike. Sadly while we found the trail marker we soon got off the trail and found ourself at an abandoned house with a goat or two on it. 

We passed by and noticed that the basement was packed full of silent sheep. When decided to turn back at this point and as we passed the house again the sheep suddenly decided to make a run for it! 

They came out of holes in the walls one at a time, leaping in front of us and scampering off! It was awesome!

We made it back to the honey factory after about half an hour (of a proposed hour and change loop) and decided to head back to our little slice of heaven for the rest of the day.

After relaxing by the pool, hanging out with Bobbi for a bit, watching a little TV and then watching the sun set, we hopped in the car to head out to the closest restaurant to our spot, a farm restaurant called "O Kosses" that was only open on the weekends. 

It was about a fifteen minute drive from our spot (Gavrio being almost a half hour) and was booming when we arrived in the darkness. 

I'm pretty sure we were the only tourists there. The menu as simple BBQ food with salad nowhere to be seen. We had wonderful BBQ lamb and chicken plus the usual Greek sides. 

Very reasonably priced and home cooked goodness. A few beverages were purchased to go as we were running low back at the spot. Then with full bellies it was back to Kalliberry for a nightcap and stargazing before bed.

We opted for a more aggressive tour the next day with a trip to the Monastery of Zoodochou Pigi and then planned further wanderings. We arrived at the Monastery around 11AM and were greeted by one of the few nuns left. 

She gave us a tour and explained that while it was the oldest monastery it was now a nunnery and that from around forty nuns years ago (she was not specific) it now had only a handful (I believe she said three). 

We toured the old chapel, lit a candle, chatted a bit, had some water and sweets and purchased some goodies for later. On the way out we passed a ruined building that the goats had taken over. Andros has its rural charms.

Then it was off to the sleepy port village of Batsi where an aggressive saleslady tried to sell Lisa jewelry (it was funny to watch as Lisa won't spend a dime on such). 

We relaxed for a bit, checked the place out, grabbed a sandwich and hopped back in the car to head back to Kalliberry, having decided we really just wanted to chill. 

On the walk about, Christos had noticed a fish store selling fresh fish which gave him an idea for later. 

We made it back to our place and relaxed for a bit before heading out to Gavrio to check out another portside restaurant for dinner. Christos noted that the German guests were using the on-site charcoal grill. 

As with prior evening drives it was a lovely affair with the view from the hills over the sea and the magnificent sunset the mediterranean can give. We passed the occasional goat and sheep (as we usually did on Andros drives) before arriving at Gavrio to do a little shopping at the supermarket and grab dinner. 

Dinner was good but a little odd in that we had barbounias again and it seemed they were from two different catches as two of the four were quite yummy and two were not. Ah well, the tourist gets the old fish I guess. 

The next day it was off for a drive to Zorkos beach and a hike to the nearby (supposed pirate) caves. Zorkos is past Kalliberry when driving from Gouvia and is really quite an isolated locale. 

A good portion of the drive is on a rough dirt road and you start to wonder if you are really going to a beach when after a turn you see a paved road with access to a resort and to the beach below. 

The resort was pretty much empty when we were there and intriguing as it was quite isolated even for Andros.

The only other establishment within half an hour drive was the restaurant/bar on the beach below the resort (although I think the resort also had its own restaurant as the beach one was pretty meagre). 

The road descends down to the beach from the hills but one stops by the side of the road at the resort entrance to get immediate access to the trail that leads to what we call the "(Pirate) Cave of Zorkos". 

We stopped the car by the trailhead and started the hike noting that there were two ladies ahead of us on the hike and they did not seem well prepared (bandana as a last minute hat etc). 

The hike took about 1/2 an hour through wonderful terrain and with great view out over the sea. 

Eventually we caught up with the two ladies who seemed a bit perplexed about where to go. 

Christos had researched the cave on the web and after a quick scout around proclaimed that we were indeed at the cave and what looked like an intimidating cave entrance was in fact the entrance we were seeking!

The two ladies, who happened to be from Ottawa of all places, bailed on descending into the cave as a ladder that should have been there was missing and left after a couple of minutes. 

Christos decided to lower himself down and scout about. The cave was not very large with a passage of less than 25m leading to a cavern with three galleries looking out over the sea (which was a good way down from cave itself. A wonderful view and peaceful magical place.

After exploring the cave for a couple of minutes he returned to find Lisa waiting at the edge for help down; there was no way she was missing the cave if Christos got to see it. 

Some spots in the rock made footholds possible and so Lisa descended and wee both got to experience the joy that was this cool spot.

After hanging out taking cool photos for a bit it we climbed back out of the cave, hiked back to the car and drove down to the beach itself which had a few patrons but by no means was busy. 

We grabbed a horiatiki salad and cold beverages under the shade of the restuarant patio while looking out at the blue sea and sky. How perfect! 

The only issue was the wine which was of the poorest quality to date on our trip; Lisa could only have a sip before passing on it! Of course the cold beer was just fine.

After snacking up it was time for a dip in the mediterranean; our only one of the entire trip! We spent a good fifteen minutes in the lovely salt water, bobbing about and swimming to and fro. It was a welcome break from the heat! 

After drying off in the sun for a bit and changing back into dry clothes, we hopped in the car for the drive back to Kalliberry and an afternoon of relaxation. 

Christos conferred with our hosts about the best source of fresh fish and he was told it was fishermen of course (duh!) and that one could find them at Gavrio around 10AM and that using the charcoal grill was no problem. 

Plans were laid for fresh fish.

That night we returned to O Kosses but as it was Sunday, things were much slower and several menu items such as the lamb and goat were done. So we opted for the sausage which was lovely. 

The next day we hopped in the car for the trip to Gavrio and purchased two lovely fish for less than the price of lunch at any restaurant. 

We chatted for some time with a friendly fisherman as he prepped the fish for us and his comrades remained on the boat cleaning the nets. 

We packed the fish in ice and headed back to Kalliberry, being back well before noon, for an afternoon of relaxation.

That night, our hosts used one side of the grill to cook and they cooked up a storm of lamb, sausage and chicken (which we got to sample) while we used the other to cook fish and zuchhini from our hosts' garden. 

It was a wonderful farewell to the islands dinner. We cherished our final sunset on Andros and both agreed that we could have stayed for another island or two but that we were ready to think about heading home. 

The next morning our hosts gave us a lift to Gavrio where we bought some last minute souvenirs and then hopped on the ferry for the hour and a bit voyage to the mainland port of Rafina, about a forty-five minute drive from the heart of Athens.

Naxos - The Island with the Old Greece

We arrived in Naxos in the afternoon of Saturday June 1st after a short forty minute ferry ride from the neighbouring island of Paros. Initially we had planned to catch a life with our VRBO host to our stay inland but at the last minute we opted to rent a car for the three days we were in the interior of Naxos (only 30 euro a day!) as we wanted the flexibility to tour. 

Good thing too as there is not that much to do in the quaint but sleepy mountain village where we were staying and we spent quite a bit of time touring about.

After a brief meeting with our host at the port (Chora), we hopped in the car and drove to the wonderful mountain village of stairs, marble and old Greek charm that is Apeiranthos! 

It took us a bit to find our place but we finally managed to settle in to our wonderful unit at the base of the village. We had a wonderful enclosed courtyard to relax in at night as well as laundry, a decent kitchen and an extra bedroom!

The space had been the grandfather's place back in the day and was now renovated as a modern guest house although touches of Pappou remained (like his cane hanging in the corner and the welcome raki). 

That night we went out for dinner at a local restaurant recommended by our host; it was certainly local and very rustic as well as inexpensive! Simple pan fried lamb, a weird salad they called a ceasar and a traditional yummy but heavy pasta. 

For most of the evening it was just us and two old Greek men at another table who talked and drank (but did not eat) the entire time we had dinner. 

Finally as it got dark after 9:30PM a few more locals appeared but we were very much the odd tourist table among the locals! For the locals it  was mostly drinking, smoking and lively discussions with the occasional small plate of food plopped down. The sole waiter spent more time sitting drinking and chatting than he did working (once again, we appeared to be the only substantial customers, the rest all knowing each other).

During our three nights in Apeiranthos we were the only tourists there in the evening as the village is one that tourists usually just visit during the day, coming up from Chora by car or bus. 

The village is built on a hillside such that the lower part (where we were) is quite a bit down from the upper part where the main drag (filled with tourists during the day) is. Every day it was a hike from our spot just to get to the bakery! 

As it is a centre for marble production, marble is everywhere in Apeiranthos. The streets are tiled with marble and many of the houses have marble window sills, lintels etc. Quite beautiful but certainly a little dangerous, particularly if wet! 

The next day we opted for a drive out to the small village of Keramoti  for a fairly short hike to a waterfall that our host had told us was "easy". Perhaps the trail was easy for goats (we saw some on the hike) but it certainly had its difficult spots! 

While the village was practically deserted, we did come across a local woman at the church who gave us water and sweets before showing us the way to the trailhead for the 2.5 hour loop hike to the waterfall.

The hike during the noon day heat was more than we had bargained for so we took it easy in the afternoon with resting back in Apeiranthos plus some wandering around the village itself. 

Wandering the winding streets of the village is wonderful as it is truly a beautiful place that keeps much of the old Greece close to its heart. Some of the buildings are boarded up but that just enhances the rugged beauty of the place. 

Interestingly even in Greece we could not escape the politics of the day and saw a Palestinian flag flying in solidarity in the back streets of the village just outside a church.

Apeiranthos is in the heart of an old mining district known for both its marble and for emery which have been mined locally since antiquity. 

Our second night's dinner was at taverna Platanos which sadly was mediocre. Apeiranthos needs better dining options! After dinner we stopped at the place we dined the previous night for an extra 1/2 litre of white wine and some people watching.

Then it was back to our wonderful spot for a little late night outside TV and a final nightcap before a solid night's sleep.

Our final full day in Apeiranthos was full of touring starting with a visit to the wonderful Monastery of Fotodotis where we enjoyed the views and the site itself. 

The monastery is a crossbreed between a fortress and a place of worship with a large central church surrounded by walls with battlements. Apparently pirates were a problem back in the day.

A young monk tasked with minding the place sold us some local topics and thought that Christos' idea of having some post cards of the place made up was a good one! Perhaps there will be some for tourists next year!

After that we drove to the small village of Filoti for lunch at "The Old Cinema", a tour of the town and a visit to Panagia Filotitissa, the local church, as well as the adjacent small folklore museum. 

Our next stop was the charming village of Halki (or Chalki) which was far busier than we had thought as it is quite a popular spot for day trips from Chora (being less than half an hour drive). 

The village had quite a few high end boutiques. A worker in marble had lovely pieces but wanted far too much for them and the Fish & Olive gallery was wonderful (and had trees from the Greek artist we had seen on Santorini; priced even more expensively than Santorini!) but far beyond our price point!

We opted for a hike, past several ruined buildings and several buildings being fixed, to an abandoned byzantine church and then a little shopping for high end olive oil gifts. 

We returned to Apeiranthos in the late afternoon, chilled out for a bit and then undertook another tour through the village with a visit to visit to Panagia Aperathitissa (the local church), which had been closed when we popped by earlier. 

We bought a small flower vase made from emery from a local artisan for a very reasonable 20 euros; what a world of difference versus the pricing in Chalki for art!

Dinner was at the local Kafenio which had been quite busy with locals the previous night having a carbon grill and while the grilled sausage was good they served us a terrible cut of beef that we barely touched. 

The young boy in charge of the place seemed to have a bit of an attitude and I suspect they fed the tourists the bad cut! 

On the way back to our spot we stopped to say hi to a local cat and her kitten we had come across the previous day. They had a small enclosed porch of one of the houses as their domain and took to Lisa quite readily! How cute are the cats in Greece!

The next morning we had a lovely breakfast of farm fresh eggs on toast, cucumber, green pepper and apricot before heading for the car and the forty minute drive to Chora where we had the next two nights booked. We had parked the car near the local bus stop and a lady who had just missed the bus to Chora asked us for a lift to town so we happily obliged and the car was filled with chatter about the Greek language and history for the duration of the drive.

After dropping off our passenger on the outskirts of town, we drove to the port area where the car rental agency was and returned the car before accessing our nearby luxury suite for two nights. The suite was lovely with the best bed (king sized!) to date in Greece (the next one on par was in Athens), a great shower (with a view of the port!) and two verandas. 

Two verandas may seem excessive but as they were on adjacent sides of the building, one overlooking the port and the other a side street, the issue of dead veranda time due to direct sun was solved! 

From one Veranda we had a great view of the port and could see the tourists at the iconic Portara as they visited it for sunsets.

Chora on Naxos once more has its own character unlike the other ports we had already visited. It is quite a large town, one of the largest in the cyclades, and has a waterfront full of restaurants and other shops serviced by a wide pedestrian space running seemingly forever. 

The waterfront is barely busy during the day (mostly lunchers) but gets really busy at night as a mix of both Greek families and tourists come out for the promenade. 

Dinner for our first night in Chora was at Sarris Fish restaurant which was superb. An exquisite fish soup followed by fried barbounia that were perfect. 

Total cost less than half what we paid in Santorini at Ammoudi Bay and just as good! If you find yourself in Chora Naxos do yourself the favour of visiting Sarris Fish! 

Sarris also offered a great opportunity for people watching as families, groups of kids, tourist couples, local couples and other sorts passed by. 

The town's main drag really has a vibrancy during summer evenings and I suspect that having just come from sleepy Apeiranthos the change to crowds was more noticeable (and intriguing to watch) for us. 

After dinner we wandered back to our suite for a nightcap and then a good night's sleep; or so we thought! 

While our suite was wonderfully luxurious, it was also adjacent to a row of garbage bins that it turns out are emptied raucously daily at 6AM! Well good to have an early wake up call! 

The next day we grabbed a decent breakfast from one of the many shops on the main drag before heading out to explore for the day. Lunch was at the "Boulamatsis" tavern which offered good traditional Greek food (mama was in the kitchen cooking while we were there).

We had calamari and salad and it hit the spot! The picture to the left is the view from the tavern out over the waterfront where one can see a tiny island church dwarfed by the incoming ferry! 

Also note the downstairs restaurant and the promenade in front of it which stretches down the waterfront for ages!

One of the things Christos had been looking for on the trip was an "Octopus T-Shirt" and while several Octopi shirts had been seen so far, none had done it for him yet. So imagine his wonder when he discovered Octopus Naxos (sorry for the facebook link) which was devoted to the cephalopoda on shirts! After much deliberation three shirts were acquired, one for Christos, one for Lisa and one for Aare! 

Today was also the day all the craft cards Christos had been working on were dropped off at the post office heading to Greece and Canada.

Dinner that night was at "Scirocco" which was off the main drag in a less touristy part of town but still filled mostly with tourists. Another great meal with tuna ceviche, lovely salad and meatballs in tomato sauce; took a break from whole fish for this dinner although not quite sure why as the place was known for good fish (and the ceviche was excellent). 

After another night in our suite with the early wake up call we boarded the slow boat ferry the next morning at 9AM bound, via Paros, Mykonos and Tinos, for our final island destination, Andros.

Paros - Seaside Fun!

We arrived in Parikia, Paros on Monday afternoon and after a short wait were met at the port by our VRBO host who drove us the less than 15 minutes to our residence for the next three days, the top floor of his house located about a half an hour walk from the beach town of Naoussa.

Our lovely new spot had a magnificent view out over the bay on one side and to the hills on the other. The next closest house was a good 60m away and there were not many within eye range so it felt quite private. 

We were about a five minute walk to a local bus station to take us into Naoussa proper along the main road or we could opt for a forty minute walk along a dusty back road to approach the town from a different way. 

Once we had settled in, we opted for the back roads walk into Naoussa for our first visit to this very interesting town. 

Naoussa is an old fishing village that has been transformed into a modern tourist beach resort. It is much more upmarket than Ios, almost on par with Santorini, with high end boutiques filling the charming, narrow, winding streets as well as a slew of restaurants (fish primarily) along the old wharfside. 

It is a charming place with the typical white washed buildings, small churches with their blue domes tucked away around corners and of course cats sharing it all with people! Very laid back but upscale vibe.

We toured about for a few hours and bought some pastries before taking the bus back to our place for a little rest before heading back in to town for an excellent dinner (branzino) at the fish tavern "Mare Nostrum". 

Before heading back to our spot for the evening we stopped off at the wonderful bakery, Ragoussis, where baclava was acquired. 

The next day started with a quick hike after breakfast up to an old monastery about twenty minutes up the road. It was closed and an old man nearby told Christos (in Greek) "Nobody there anymore" and that the keys were in Naoussa if we wanted access (far too much trouble). 

Ah well, it was a good hike and it offered amazing views out over the island to the sea.

After a pit stop back at our place we hiked into Naoussa for another day of wandering about, shopping and relaxing as well as organizing a rental car for the next day. 

We opted for a different dinner experience and decided on Rada, located just outside Naoussa in an area called Agioi Anargyroi where several high end self-contained resorts have been built. 

Dinner was wonderful with amazing tarama, fish carpaccio, octopus and salad all done amazingly and as plays on Greek food rather than traditional Greek food (think California meets Greece?). 

All the other patrons were Americans likely staying at the resort and the staff was very surprised whren Christos spoke Greek. 

The view out on the beach was amazing and delivered a wonderful sunset although when darkness came so did the cicadas and they were both plentiful and huge! 

Some of the other patrons were a little put off but we are familiar with them from our time on the yacht so many years ago.

Our second full day and final day in Naoussa we opted for a tour of the island by car having rented one the previous evening for a 24 hour period. We visited a wild animal hospital but even though Christos had communicated with them prior to our arrival there was nobody there when we arrived. 

No biggie as it was only 10 minutes from where we were staying so on to the next spot, the Logovarda Monastery which was open but only to men! 

So Lisa had to wait outside while Christos got a quick tour and history from one of the few monks remaining. Fortunately, some of the men associated with the monastery offered Lisa cold water and a place to sit while waiting and of course once the tour was over we were offered sweets and raki! Gotta love a shot of 11AM raki! 

Then it was off to the picturesque village of Lefkes where we parked, toured the lovely village and then embarked on the awesome "Byzantine Trail", a 1000 year old path, much of it tiled with marble, between the villages of Lefkes and Prodromos. 

The trail is about 4km each way and while we were alone most of the time we did pass a few other hikers. One descends to Prodromos so the views out over the sea are quite stunning in places. Of course one sees the odd goat and donkey along the trail as well reminding you that some things don't change that much!

We were hungry and thirsty by the time we got to Pordromos and we found one of the two restaurarants in this sleepy town. Lunch was at the "Byzantino" and was quite good traditional greek food including octopus in a red sauce with pearl onions and ice cold beer and white wine. 

Then it was time for the hike back (uphill!) with an almost diversion at an icon factory (it was just a bit too far down the road). 

We wandered around Lefkes a bit and Christos ended up buying a small olive tree statue made in bronze (taking our count to two of these) and passing on a cast bronze octopus at the scarabee workshop. 

Having had a full day touring we then hopped in the car and started driving home when we opted for a last minute stop at the Moraitis Winery for a tasting of three white wines. A nice forty minute diversion and all the wines were good so Christos bought a bottle of one of them for later consumption. 

We had another small pit stop at home before dropping the car off back in Naoussa and taking another long stroll through the village. Christos ended up convincing Lisa on a lovely linen top and bottom from the Kori boutique. 

Then it was off to see the ruins of the castle in the port (providing wonderful background for selfies; see the cool shot of Lisa) before a second dinner at "Mare Nostrum" which while good was not as good as the first night. Lesson learned, no repeats!

Once more dessert was procured at Ragoussis (as it was all three nights in Naoussa) and devoured back at our spot. 

The next morning our host gave us a lift into Parikia, the port of Paros, where we had arrived three days earlier and where we now had two nights booked at the charming, albeit simple, "Hotel Livadia" located right on the town's beachfront. 

Parikia has a very laid back, not high end, feel to it. It has a stretch of seaside hotels and restaurants as well as its own beach (Livadia) and hosts a major port for the Cyclades islands. It certainly had a similar vibe to the port at Ios but much larger and more touristy. 

We wandered around the first afternoon with a visit to the 1700 year old church of Panagia Ekatonapiliani, where votive candles were lit, as well as some shopping (fun postcards like the acropolis made of watermelon) and general sight seeing before having dinner at the Parea restaurant just up the street from our hotel.

Dinner was a break from fish and consisted of fava puree (getting a lit bored of it), local sausages and meatballs in tomato sauce (both yum!). 

That evening after dinner we spent some time on the deck of our small hotel room enjoying drinks and TV, a usual practice of ours this trip as it seems we are no longer interested in the night drinking scene!

The next day was our final full day on Paros and we spent it with a trip to the wonderful Paros Archeological Museum, getting alternating manicures and pedicures (such a wonderful treat after almost two weeks on the road), another visit to the Panagia Ekatonapiliani (votive icons were bought and offered) a little shopping (see a typical storefront where we bought our friend Aare a souvenir) and more wandering before taking a break and getting fresh for dinner.

The museum was quite lovely, neither of us are as keen as we once were on museums as we have seen a lot of them (particularly Greek ones back in the day) but it had been a long time and it was not expensive (3 euros each) so why not! 

The museum was by no means large, which is a blessing if you ask us, but did have several wonderful pieces such as the Gorgon of Paros, the larger than life statue of Artemis (of the thick soled shoes), the tiny plump Fat Lady of Saliagos statue as well as lots of other wonderful pieces. 

It was just enough to keep busy for about forty-five minutes; our ideal amount of museum time. After the museum it was time for some grooming!

Lisa had decided she wanted a mani/pedi and we found a salon where she was quickly booked in for the 45 minute treatment while Christos wandered the town a bit more (buying postcards etc) and then when Christos came back to pick Lisa up it was decided that he needed the same thing so he was booked in a little later in the day (hence time for another visit to the church first). 

Dinner was at the locely "Little Green Rocket" where we had a wonderful green leafy salad (a rarity in Greece) and fresh sea breem cooked French style in parchment paper (delicious and different!). 

Dessert was once more sourced at Ragoussis as the store has several outlets on the island of Paros. 

The next morning the hotel proprietor gave us a life to the port just a stone's throw away but a sweaty walk with luggage! We soon boarded the ferry headed to the third of our five islands, Naxos!

Ios - A gem if you avoid the late night Younglings

We arrived on pleasant Ios on Thursday afternoon for a four night stay at the charming Brothers Hotel located just outside the port of the island's main town, Chora.  The hotel was simple, clean and perfect for our needs. 

The owners, Nikos and his English partner Lisa, were very attentive (and Nikos was pleased with Christos' Greek) to the point that Lisa made sure we had bacon every day with our fresh eggs on toast breakfast!

It was about a 15 minute walk into the main port area with restaurants and stores or a 30 minute walk up and over the hill into the town of Xhora itself so certainly a relatively isolated spot which after the crowds of Santorini was a welcome break. 

It was also a completely different price point, being about 1/3rd of the price of our spots in Santorini and including breakfast and room cleaning (as it was a hotel, not a VRBO). 

After checking in we had a drink (and salty tarama) at the Allo bar in the port and checked out a few stores before heading back to the hotel to freshen up and prepare for the walk into Chora. It was certainly a hike and we both worked up a bit of a sweat. Chora is lovely with its thin winding pedestrian streets, whitewashed buildings, short covered passages, cats around every corner and lovely views from many spots. 

We wandered about for a bit before grabbing a traditional Greek dinner of keftes, giant green beans in tomato sauce and potatoes at the "The Nest" before opting to head back around 10:30PM. 

On our way out of the town we noted that it just seemed to be opening up (when we arrived at 7ish it seemed almost deserted) and we soon realized that Ios, or Chora itself in any case, is a bit of a mecca for university aged youth to party. 

All the bars and clubs don't open until 10PM or later and go quite late into the wee hours. By 10:30PM the streets were filling up with with groups of young men and women seeking music, dance, libations and each other's company.  

We were just about out of town when we heard some sweet sounds and discovered some wonderful live music, a bouzouki and guitar combo, doing songs from a Greek songbook where half the crowd sang along. 

How perfect! We stayed for a 1/2 litre of wine (which we really did not need at that time!) before stumbling back to our hotel in the late hours.

The next morning, after a wonderful breakfast of oh so fresh eggs on toast and English bacon (with good coffee to wash it down), we decided on a trip to the nearby ancient archeological site of Skarkos! 

Skarkos is a short walk ten minute from the hotel and is one of the earliest known settlements on the islands, dating from between 1000BC and 2000BC.

The site is fenced off and costs 4 euros to enter; a government employee sits watching TV in a ticket booth certainly taking in less daily revenue than his cost (ah the Greek civil service). One can see the buildings of the modern port while standing where people lived almost 5000 years ago.

After wandering around Skarkos for a bit we walked the 2km back to the port and shopped for lunch basics (like dodonis feta!) and a few local products for use on our trip or taking home. 

After a little relaxation back at the hotel we headed out for the hike into Chora as we wanted to see the sunset from the renowned Panagia Gremniotissa.

The sunset was lovely, although a bit crowded by youngsters seeking the perfect selfie, with a view over the port below and and accompanied by a perfect breeze. 

Our hotel is to the right of Lisa in the sunset picture while the main part of the town of Chora is behind Christos (taking the photo).

After a little wandering we made it back to the port for a decent fish dinner at Enigma before heading back to the hotel for a good night's sleep as we had big plans for a driving tour the next day.

The next morning the rental car we had booked showed up at our hotel and we toke possession of it for the next 24 hours. 

We spent the next lovely day touring Ios with stops at (the reputed) Tomb of Homer, the Diaseli Cheesery and the site of Palaiokastro before getting back to our hotel around 4pm. 

To get to the "Tomb" one drives east over the island from Chora to an isolated spot (past some off half finished statues) where one can park and make the short walk out to the small ruin that houses the "Tomb". Who knows how real it is but the view is worth the drive alone!

The Cheesery was quite fascinating as the proprietors provided a sampling of their yummy wares and not all the good cheese in Greece is feta! Otherwise it was a day of perfect blue skies, driving along meandering roads through the hills and amazing views of the sea and the land!

Palaiokastro is an old ruined castle on a hill that one reaches by parking by the roadside and walking  along a narrow path (without a guardrail!) out to the castle ruins and the functioning (albeit closed up during our visit) church there.

After getting back to the hotel, we rested up for a few hours before hopping back in the car for a much anticipated dinner at "Vilaeti Taverna" located about a 15 minute drive from the port. 

It was opening night for the season at the taverna which it turns out is quite a popular spot with locals. 

We arrived early at around 8:15pm and already many of the tables were taken; fortunately we had a reservation! 

As the evening progressed the place just got more and more packed and the two young waiters were worked off their feet. 

At the table next to us, a foursome of Italians settled in for dinner seemingly oblivious to the madness going on around them and the spokesperson for the group started to become more frustrated with how long it took to order and then receive wine let alone to place their food order! 

It certainly didn't help that both the Greek waiter and Italian spokesperson were conversing in English as a lingua franca. 

With it being opening night of a (mostly) BBQ joint, the local cats mobbed the place, the poor workers being too swamped to do anything other than offer a token shooing away!

We had placed our order early, mixed grill for two, early and when it arrived we dived in to the lamb, pork, sausage, meatballs (keftes like but much more moist) and chicken all washed down with local white wine from the barrel. Al the food was amazing and very reasonable priced. 

It was much more than we needed and we ended up with left-over meat for later lunches! The sun had now set and the evening was getting long but diners were still arriving when we left well after 10:30PM. Perhaps live music or some such occurred later but by this point we were beat and still had to drive back to the hotel. 

We left with the Italian foursome just starting to receive their food order which, given our portion size, was likely going to overwhelm them (I watched the spokesperson order many things from the menu!). 

Our final day in Ios had a bit of rain (?!) and was a Sunday so we took it easy, watched some TV, read a little bit, walked into the port a couple of times for fun (and a libation) and into Chora for one last visit before opting for a lovely fish dinner at the port (where we saw the Italians again) at Akrogiali. 

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by one of the beachside bars where it every seat was filled and all were entranced watching a basketball match between Greece and Real Madrid. It was very passionate and who knew basketball was now a thing in Greece!

The next morning after our final bacon accompanied breakfast of the trip it was off to the port for the ferry to our next destination; the island of Paros!

Santorini - The Island of Crowds

We arrived by plane (via Athens) on Friday afternoon and soon found our way to our little bungalow with a view of the back-side (not the much more popular, pricey and crowded) of Santorini stretching away from the small village of Oia. 

After settling in we went for a quick tour of lovely Oia with its marble streets, white washed buildings and amazing views over the Caldera of Santorini (or Thera as it is known in Greek). 

Even with the less chic digs (ie no caldera view), Santorini is still ridiculously expensive! 

As it was our first day and already late, we grabbed a decent if unremarkable dinner of gyros and after touring the main drag of Oia a couple of times (each time taking less than 20 minutes) we retired to our hot-tub to enjoy white wine and TV while looking out over the island to the sea.

The next day (our first full day in Greece) we opted for the renowned hike from Oia to Fira along the Caldera route after a modest breakfast of spanokopita and coffee. 

The hike was more challenging than we had anticipated (or we were still more jet lagged than we thought) and we struggled over the hills a bit. 

When we reached the village of Imervogli, about 7.5km of the 10km to Fira, we opted for a cold beverage (8 euros each for a small bottle of bubbly water!) and then a short diversion to Skaros Rock! 

Skaros was inhabited in ancient times and during the Medieval period housed a ramshackle castle from which the Venetian lords ruled. 

Skaros is to the the left of Lisa in the picture below with the trail leading to it while the village of Oia can be seen behind Lisa and to the right of her in the distance.

The short diversion was fun except that it claimed the life of one of Christos' sandals! 

The strap on his Teva gave up the ghost on a bad rock and so we ended the hike a little early at Imervogli and took the bus back to Oia. 

Still an amazing hike with views like no other. The only negative is that it was much busier than anticipated; foreshadowing our entire Santorini experience! 

That night we dressed up and went for the long climb down the stairs to Amoudi Bay, the fishing port below the village of Oia. 

We had to traverse the entire main drag of Oia, past the ruined castle and down the old main stairs where one can pay a fee to take a donkey to the top. The ancient stairs are made of stone and polished marble and can be a little treacherous in bad shoes. 

Given that it was approaching sunset, Oia was jammed with people, particularly near the ruined castle, trying desperately to get the perfect selfie. It was a slow descent.

Dinner was at the "Ammoudi Fish Tavern" and where we had an amazing tuna tataki and then split a 1.5 pound fish that was delicious. 

All washed down with a decent, albeit expensive, bottle of Greek white wine. Super expensive (our most expensive meal of the trip) but an amazing meal and top notch service.

The entire waterfront is dominated by two or three restaurants and everyone is cheek to jowl but the views of the harbour can be quite amazing and the lively bustle of the scene is invigorating. 

With the night having fallen by the end of the meal, many of the diners preferred to take the long way in a cab back to Oia for 20 euros instead of the stairs straight up but not us! 

We huffed and puffed our way up the stairs, dodging the donkey poop liberally spread on the lower levels, for half an hour before getting back to our hideaway and repeating the previous night's hot tub oriented activities. 

Our second day in Oia was a Sunday and thus somewhat slow. Christos had a visit to the maritime museum and we wandered around Oia a bit but much of the day was spent chilling in our bungalow. Dinner was once more at Ammoudi Bay but at a different restaurant, "Dimitris Ammoudi Tavern". Decent meal but not as good as the previous night albeit 30% cheaper. 

After another evening relaxing in the tub we got some sleep before waking up Monday morning ready for the next destination, Fira, the main town of Santorini. 

While Oia is stunningly beautiful, it is about as far from authentic Greece as one can get and even in mid-May was far too crowded for our liking. 

To top it off, Oia is famous for its beautiful sunsets but for all three of our nights there the sunsets were not what they can be due to the dust and clouds. 

Still worth the visit if one has never been but not worth returning to in our opinion. 

Our VRBO host picked us up around noon and we were settled in to our new digs in Fira, the island's largest town, about 1/2 an hour later. Our accommodation in Fira was quite a bit larger than that in Oia and included both an indoor and outdoor hot-tub! Of course we used both during our stay! 

Unlike our last spot which was literally 20m from the main drag of Oia, this new spot was on the edge of town about a 15 minute walk into the main part of town, all through built up tourist housing which was likely open field when Christos was here in 1984! 

We were in one of a set of three new suites, all quite well designed and built. 

Our view from the interior tub was into a donkey inhabited valley and beyond to the sea and the (what I believe was) island of Anafi.

After settling in, we toured Fira which was even more crowded than Oia and we soon discovered why! 

The cruise ships come to Fira's lower old port and disgorge several hundred (thousand?) tourists into ship's boats who come ashore and swarm up to Fira in the cable car (the cable car line at 5PM to go down to the port was astounding) for a day trip. 

Some make it to Oia or other places but most stay in Fira making the tiny streets thick with people to the point of frustration. 

After an afternoon of dodging tourists and seeing the town we got back to our spot in time to try out the indoor tub prior to dinner at the restaurant "Pelican Kipos" (Kipos being Greek for garden). Our dinner of lamb, fava bean spread and salad was good but the highlight was a bottle of Greco Di Tufo; the same vintage that Lisa keeps our cellar stocked with. 

After dinner we wandered through a much more empty and sedate town enjoying the wind swept views out over the Caldera before making it back to our place to try out the outside tub; it worked quite well!

Our first full day in Fira started with the quest for new shoes for Christos. After visiting several shops (Fira is thick with mid range and fancier boutiques) a pair of Tom's was found and although radically different from the sandals (being instead a closed toe espadrille type shoe) these were soon embraced as being perfect! 

The remainder of the day was spent touring the town, shopping (water, wine and salad/snack material) and relaxing until it was time for dinner at Tholoto where we ordered too much and ended up taking a pork chop home with us after dinner.  

The next day we opted for an adventure ("peripetia" in Greek) and hopped on the bus to Exo Gonia to visit the Santorini Brewery as well as a nearby art-space and the well regarded restaurant "Metaxi Mas". 

The brewery was a fun (short) visit with a couple of brews sampled but nothing purchased as we knew we would be coming back the same way later. 

The visit to the art space was brief as well as we had no reservation and a tour was just arriving (and we did not appear to have money) but rewarding as we saw a set of lovely bronze olive tree statues (by Angelos Panagiotidis) which we did not buy but inspired us. 

We then wandered through the lower outskirts of Exo Gonia eventually leading to a solid but short hike up to and through the village to Metaxi Mas where lunch was simply amazing; Lisa had an arugala salad that made up for all the previous meals with no real salads and Christos had dolmades and other Greek delights.  

We hiked back down the hill, bought some beer at the craft brewery and hopped on the local bus in time to get back to our pad around 5ish. 

We opted for dinner in this night consisting of some items we had picked up in town and the leftovers from the previous night. 

That evening a tiny young mom cat visited us and she received the remains of the pork chop (devouring even the bone splinters) as well as some sliced turkey from a sandwich we had for the next day before departing.

The next morning our host gave us a lift to the new port of Fira where the large ferries arrive and after a slight bit of confusion with our tickets we were safely on board and headed to our next destination, the nearby island of Ios!