On the Move

In our favourite restaurant in Matala, Sirtaki, right on the beach. Our waiter and friend (Fierry) took this photo with the caves lit up in the background. After dinner we were given (as a treat) goats cheese, grapes and raki. Raki is a raunchy wine made from the grapes that have already been squeezed to make wine, so you can imagine the taste. But after a shot or two you are smiling and enjoy more!



Such a typical scene, I just had to add it.
These are the tavernas where the best Greek coffee is made.

And speaking of the best Greek Coffee, here is the lady that makes the absolute best in our opinion. She is in the wee town of Voron where there is a fabulous museum. We had a few laughs with her and her friend although we couldn't speak Greek and she couldn't speak English.

If you ever drive by and see this sign, stop! This is her cafe and she does make the best coffee.

So Debbie tripped in Matala, where she was 37 years ago, and now it's my turn. We are now in Paleochora in the south of Crete where I was 38 years ago. As for both of us, we couldn't recognize the villages today. I did revisit the outdoor cinema though. 38 years ago I watched a movie which was shown 1/2 on a tree trunk and 1/2 into the night sky. Today, they have a white wall on which to show the movie. Lask night we watched Zorba the Greek. How apropo!

Matala

We took a ferry to Iraklion. Although I've been to Crete in the past, I do not recall Iraklion. Now I know why ... it is large, noisey, dirty, smelly ... need I go on?? So we rented a car and drove to Matala. If you want to know why I chose Matala, this web site about says it all - click here

If you own a boat and are looking to name it, here is one you probably haven't thought of.

The beach at Matala is lovely - although filled with tourists you can still find a good spot to lounge. And if you are thirsty there are bars lining the water front. The caves are now a major tourist attraction rather than merely sleeping accommodation for young travellers. They were fun to explore though and I can certainly see the attraction. The sign now says Roman Burial Ground, but there are no signs of dead Romans in the caves.

Yes Joni, the scratchy rock n roll is now replaced by CD players, the Mermaid Cafe is no more and the starry dome in lessened by the city lights, but all in all I'm glad I came to see what I missed in the early '70's.
Oh yeah, we did find a left over hippie whose face is leathered by the sun and who plays old Cream and Jim Morrison and the Doors kind of music from his house - very very loud (an nostalgic). Perfect on an evening when the wind is in from Africa!
(In case you don't know, the above references come from Joni Mitchell's "Carey")

Santorini

Ah Santorini. Everyone we spoke to said "you HAVE to go to Santorini". So here we are. The ferry ride from Naxos takes about two hours. It arrives at the port in Fira, the capital city. The first think you notice is that you are at the sea level and the town is barely visible at least 1,000 feet straight up a rock cliff. The ride up to the town is dizzying with hairpin curves and busses and vans cutting off the road from opposing traffic when they make their turn around the hairpins. Once on top the view is phenomenal. The town sits on the edge of the cliff, like they say "between the sea and the sky".

We had to laugh today at the above photo. The tour bus was turning left onto this road, but couldn't make the turn because this car was parked there. He was honking and honking and no one came. He tied up traffic in both directions on the main road while he waited for the driver of the auto to return and move the car. About 10 minutes later a girl in an orange dress came running, hopped in her car and drove away, allowing the bus room to turn. I'm sure glad I wasn't that girl in the orange dress!

This is the view fromthe city to the old port. You can see the stairs winding their way up to the city. One can walk, take a donkey up, or take a cable car from the bottom.

Today there were eight - count them - EIGHT - cruise ships in. Oh my, the number of tourist was unbelievable in town. This town IS very touristy - shop after shop after shop after shop after shop ... the prices in the restaurants are high, accommodation is very expensive and I think the majority of shop sellers and waiters are getting a bit tired of serving all of us. You can probably tell that despite the beautiful view, we are not impressed and wouldn't advise people to come here. Look in a book, see the beautiful views and save your money. Now, having said that, tomorrow we are taking the local bus to Oia (pronounced Ee-a), a village on the north west coast. Perhaps our view will change after that trip.

Bye Bye Naxos

Comment for this photo: Use your imagination!

P.S. Look at the smile on D's face!



And yet others get the ol' baker. This is the same baker that we met 4 years ago. He is still grumpy but I can make him smile.

So every evening we go for our early evening cocktail which happens to be ouzo. And every evening we go to the Captains Cafe which is right across the road from the port. We sit and watch the ferries come in and go out and watch the old Greeks fish off the end of the pier. Tonight, our last night, we called our waiter Vassilis over to chat. He and his twin brother Nikos run the family bar. They work every day from early morning to late evening from April until October with ne'er a day off, and they don't complain. In fact, they like it. AND he is the same person that served us 4 years ago AND he remembered me to the point of the fact I've changed the colour of my hair (I now have foils)! We said our good-byes, the brothers trying to get us to ensure we will visit them again in one year's time.

On the way home we stopped into our patisserie - Rendezvous. Our cute little server from 4 years ago is not there anymore but a jolly old fellow (whom I believe may be the owner) has served us many many times this year. He was also sorry to hear we would leave the next day.

Perhaps we should stay!

What would a trip to Naxos be without a stroll around the Portara. This is a trademark of the island. Over to centuries the people have given it the name Portara - meaning huge door. It is a marble gateway into what was once a temple dedicated to Apollo. The temple was built in the 6th century B.C.


A walk through town in the evening. Even the Greek Orthodox priests need to line up to use the ATM.

Here is the Proof! Debbie does swim in the sea. We have moved from our "Greek beach" to the tourist beach. It is more sheltered, fine grain sand (no need for our little water shoes) and in the afternoon that is all one can do - put your hot body in the water.

We had an incident at our new beach the other day. A German fellow was staring intently into the water when his girlfriend entered the water. He told her to get something from shore which turned out to be a camera and together they got close to the surface of the water and started taking photos. Nosey me swam up to them and asked what they were looking at - it was a JELLY FISH which swam into the shallow water. Ìsn`t it beautiful` he said and he started to pet it...(a bit weird if you ask me but ...). As the day went on more and more people started to take photos of the jelly fish (so I always knew where it was when I was swimming). Then some children were looking at it by the shore. A large Greek man entered the water to see what everyone was looking at, saw it was a jelly fish, went to shore, picked up a child`s plastic pail, re-entered the water, picked up the jelly fish in the pail and deposited it on the sand on shore (I was hoping that young German man didn`t see this!) And so, the jelly fish was drying out in the searing afternoon sun. When I finished swimming and was entering the shore, I thought I`d look at this sea creature to see if it was yet dead. A young child (a regular Greek swimmer) took a paddle from a paddle ball game that everyone plays on the beach and was rolling this poor jelly fish back into the water. He did wait until the big fat Greek man was out of site before he did this. He kept flipping it and flipping it and flipping it until finally it flipped into the sea. It looked like it was regaining conscienceness by the I wandered away. We swam in the same bay this afternoon and there was NO jelly fish, so it must have swam back to it`s family in the deep sea.

Our Drive

We rented a car. That was the easy part. Driving it on Naxos roads was the difficult part. The car rental girl gave us a map with different routes to take. We jauntily set out. The Greek drivers are something else. Drive too slow and they drive right up on your tail and beep their horn yet they will park their car in the middle of the road, blocking traffic without a thought.
We also noticed that the left hand side of their cars were always scratched and dented. There is a very good reason for that...their roads are not wide enough for two vehicles in many, many, many, many ... spots. Do they slow down in these narrow areas??? No.
We chose the mountain route to begin with. Naxos contains Mount Zeus - that may tell you the height of the mtns. We stopped at a town called Halki. Once we found a spot to park, it was very interesting.




We enjoyed a wonderfully huge greek salad in the local taverna. And of course, did a bit of shopping. This is the town that has the oldest Citron distillery which we toured. Citron is their famous liqueur made from the leave of a tree similar to the lemon tree.

Arrived back in town to view another spectacular sunset.

We successfully navigated the roads on day one, so ventured out on day two to drive on a larger main road along the coast. The road did let two vehicles pass in most spots but the coastal road rose up into the mountains so high the lack of oxygen was making me dizzy - and I was the driver! We drove to Apollonas, a picturesque little town with a sandy beach and many tavernas lining the water. Of course, we stopped to eat.

On our way home we stopped at a Kouros, a sculpture made of marble of a young boy which is 9 meters long. The marble was apparently defective so they decided not to use this carving and it lays where it was discovered.

No driving tomorrow. Just lounging about at our favourite little beach and enjoying the salt water of the sea.

Ya sas!

Week 1

The moon and "first star I see tonight" as seen from the taverna at which we ate tonight.

Difficult to see, but while we were eating the clouds rolled in and thunder could be heard in the distance. Suddenly the rain poured down with everyone scurrying for cover. Our waiter knew it would rain ahead of time as he cleared all the tables prior to the deluge.

Getting into Greek time means market in AM, then a coffee, then lunch on our balcony which consists of fresh bread, ripe tomatoes, cukes, and Greek cheese with extra virgin olive oil for dipping. Then bathing suits and beach to take our daily dip in the sea. Back for a shower then down to our favourite bar for an ouzo prior to dinner.

Another evening we ate at Vassilis, a taverna which has been in operation since 1951 (that's not so old is it?) The waiter was the gandson of the original owner
the family tradition continuing.

Saw this fixer upper - good location - close to shopping, walking distance to the beach, thick walls, good to resist heat in summer and keep heat in in the winter ... what do you think, should we buy?

This is our little beach - almost private - and one used only by the locals (and us). It is a bit rocky on the feet so we went out and bought water shoes and now we are as happy as clams. And this is where you'll find us midday when the temperature is too hot to do anything other than swim in the Mediterranean. The water temperature is perfect and it feels like silk. We do stroll over to the larger sandy beach with all the tourists but to swim, we prefer our secluded little spot.

The sunsets are breathtaking.

Considering a concert again tonight although eating a slow dinner at Visilis may win over. No rush, we have many days yet.

Naxos

It was 4 years ago that we saw this Island and things have not changed much. The weather is fabulous - 27 and not a cloud in the sky. The Mediterranean is warm and very inviting in the midday heat. The castle is still showing performing artists and last night we saw Greek folk dancers. They performed under the stars and we got to taste various Greek wines and liqueurs as part of the evening.

Naxos on my mind

Just found a couple of web cams of Naxos Greece. If you pull it up don't forget there is a 10 hour time difference between Whitehorse and Greece.

Downtown Naxos Town


The "other end" of St. George's Beach

If you watch America's Got Talent as much as I do - never - you may not have seen this 10 year old girl perform. If not, here she is, well worth the watch:

End of Sept

Finally, finally, finally got to meet Dustin's little one. Look how old he is!! (By the way I am talking of the one in the checkered jacket, not the black jacket - it didn't take me THAT long to meet him!) Met him at the site of the new house going up on the Meadow Lakes Golf Course - Hole #2.

An ideal place for a wee one to play. Sand - lots and lots of sand - along with the prerequisite heavy equipment toys I remember so well from the days of my little boy.

It's always interesting to see a house at its different stages of "life". Hard to imagine a 3,000 sq ft house in this space.

And a few doors down is Ben's house. This looks out his living room window onto Hole #2 and further away, onto Mount Sima - the Whitehorse downhill ski hill.


It will be a lovely view, especially from the loft which is not quite built yet.
As I golfed this course, I was wondering if there was insurance one could purchase for living so close to a golf course. Golf Balls do not always go in the direction you intend them to go. The answer - the golfer is responsible for any damage caused by their golf balls. My opinion - THAT'S NOT FAIR ! ! ! - you build your house so close to a golf course, the responsibility should lie with the home owner. He/she knew of the possible dangers before they built! (As you can tell, my golf balls do not always go where I intend them to go).

Went to enjoy a cup of coffee today and to meet the new adopted addition to my friend's family - Honey is her name and if you wanted a watch dog, this is not the dog for you!

Here is a family portrait which includes Ginny, licking her lips.

And not to be forgotten, inside, with a cast on her leg which includes a Harry Potter lightning bolt, is Alley. Needless to say she is not allowed out doors, but is now able to jump onto the counter with a cast on.

The Skagway Road

The drive to Skagway was very scenic. Above is a portion of the road amongst the wilderness one drives through. It is blueberry season, so one could always see cars on the side of the road while the car's occupants were in the blueberry patch.

The landscape changes, so there is no worry of being bored of only looking at spectacular lake/mountain views.

I stood beside a tourist from DL on the edge of a peaceful lake and smiled and said "beautiful". He looked at me and said "Paradise!" How true.

Every turn was a new pictures. I imagined my son who took the boat onto these lakes this weekend to camp. What a time he must be having. Hope he took sunscreen too! (OK, I'll stop being a mother now.)


How fortunate we are to be able to drive now to Skagway. When I first moved to the Yukon, the only way to reach the town was by train (8 hour ride on the narrow gauge), fly in a small aircraft, or ferry from Haines Alaska. It took a while to blast through the mountains but by the very early '80's the road was complete. This is now a year round road although I tend to stay away during the winter if I can. I did once experience white-out-conditions and white-knuckled it to Skagway. Once was enough for me thank you.

Skagway in August

Here is the valley that leads to Skagway Alaska.

With only 2 trains on this day, I was lucky to catch the train as I drove into Skagway.


And here is the photo for cousin Joe ... I don't know which line this cruise ship is, but what a spectacular day to be docked in beautiful Skagway.

Yes, I did drive 200 kilometres there and 200 kilometres back to buy a pair of shoes. And what a day for a drive! To cousin Joe, this is what Skagway looks like when water is not falling from the sky. It would have been a spectacular day for a train ride. And with only one ship in port, Skagway WAS bearable. I didn't go in any more than the 2 sport stores though as I found enough to buy in those two shops. It was a day my credit card was flying out of my pocket uncontrollably.

Smile for the day

Remember this famous photo (hope I don't get sued for using it on my blog)... well, now they have a web cam at this site.Even though it is a street busy with traffic, it is so funny to see people crossing and freezing so they can have their picture taken just like the Beatles. CLICK HERE But don't forget the time difference. It is of course busier during THEIR daylight hours.

A New Artist

His paintings fetch thousands and attract buyers from all over the world.

But while his watercolours, pastels and oil paintings hint at a talent honed through decades of practice, Kieron Williamson is barely halfway through primary school.

The seven-year-old prodigy sold his latest collection of paintings for £150,000 [about $245,000 Cdn] at the weekend, with all 33 works sold in just 30 minutes.

He paints up to six paintings a week and 700 people have registered on a waiting list for an original.

Until two years ago, Kieron's artistic talents stretched only to colouring in dinosaurs drawn for him by parents Keith, 44, and Michelle, 37.

But on a family holiday to Cornwall he was inspired by visits to harbours and ports and began producing 'mind-blowing' images of the boats in the water.

Gallery owner Adrian Hill said: 'Kieron has probably become one of the most collectable artists currently exhibiting worldwide. He's impressionist without being too abstract.

'He is years in advance of where he should be.'

Kieron's parents plan to buy him a house with his earnings and invest the rest for him until he is 25.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1299399/Kieron-Williamson-makes-150-000-30-minutes-selling-new-batch-paintings.html#ixzz0vrVzJAsp

And here's the little artist producing another valuable painting.