10/29/2009, Halifax
Nope, we're not back in Greece. Still in Halifax, with nary a Doric column in site, but I finally managed to type up the notes from a posting about Corinth that I started writing way back in September. I'm trying to fill in some of the gaps in our journal, so I hope you don't mind some old news...
After weeks of cruising in idyllic settings and pristine waters, Corinth harbour brought us back to reality with a thud. The seabed was foul, with debris clearly visible in water that somehow retained its clarity in spite of the obvious pollution. It suddenly dawned on me that "crystal clear" does not necessarily mean "clean". Aisling was tied at the end of the dock behind the mole, beside a massive pile of fishing nets covered by a dirty tarp. I eyed it suspiciously-could rats be lurking underneath? We closed up all the hatches, offered a few words of encouragement to a battle-scarred cat hunting along the dock, and headed into the town to look for a tourist office.
At the tourist office, the agent quickly threw cold water on our hopes of renting a car to tour the Peloponnese. Apparently, we had been highly optimistic to arrive at 2 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon without an advance booking. But all was not lost. "It only takes twenty minutes to get to ancient Corinth on the bus" the agent told us. "You still have time to go there this afternoon, and tomorrow you can take another bus to Mycenae and Nafplion." Since she used the Greek pronunciation for Mycenae ("Mick-en-ess") we didn't immediately realize that she was referring to the archeological site said to be the ancient home of Agamemnon.
All these wonders at our doorstep, and we ended up spending most of the afternoon in a supermarket. A real, almost-Sobeys-sized supermarket--how could we resist? After a wild impulse buying spree (Romaine lettuce! Prosciutto! Italian coffee!) we trudged back to the boat and stashed our purchases. Obviously, dinner would have to be cooked aboard, but later that night, as we sat in the cockpit listening to the sounds of revelry and shouts of "Opa!" drifting across the water from the nearby cafés, we kind of wished we'd chosen to eat out.
The next morning, Rick came below and announced that his flip-flops had been stolen from the deck. "Don't be ridiculous" I said, "Why would anyone steal your flip-flops?" But after searching in every conceivable location, I had to concede that the flip flops were nowhere to be found, which in turn led to the disconcerting realization that someone had been aboard the boat while we slept. Then, of course, we began to wonder what else might be missing, but everything seemed to be accounted for. Apparently, this particular thief was interested only in footwear-and not very high-end footwear! Throughout most of Greece, the risk of theft is very low, but we have since read that petty theft is more common in Athens and nearby ports.
Since Rick's enthusiasm for touring ancient ruins was waning, his preference was to leave immediately and go through the canal into the Saronic Gulf. He radioed the canal and asked whether a surcharge would be levied for transiting on Sunday. When the reply came back as "Yes, Captain", I knew we wouldn't be leaving. Adding 25% to the already steep transit fee of 175 euros wasn't something the skipper was likely to be keen on. Later, we learned that this had been a misunderstanding, since the surcharge is applied only to those who require the services of a tugboat. From my point of view, the misunderstanding was fortuitous, since it gave us enough time to see ancient Corinth.
It was well past noon before I managed to lure my reluctant travelling companion to the bus stop. The 45 minutes we spent waiting for the bus in the blistering heat got the expedition off to a bad start, but the caramel ice cream sandwiches we bought when we arrived at the site increased the happiness factor We made our way to the museum to learn a bit about ancient Corinth before we toured the ruins.
Ancient Corinth was a formidable power during the 8th-6th centuries BC. (During this period, the Corinthians also founded the colony of Syracuse in Sicily.) The ancient town planner who chose the site of Corinth must have been well acquainted with the concept of "Location, location, location"- Corinth's wealth was largely due to its strategic position on a narrow isthmus between the Ionian Sea and the Aegean sea. Ancient traders often portaged their boats across the isthmus at Corinth to avoid the long and dangerous voyage around the Peloponnese. The Acrocorinth, a virtually impregnable citadel towering over the ancient site, helped to ensure Corinth's military might.
There were other attractions that drew the ancient mariners to Corinth. When the sailors rolled into town, they probably headed straight for the Temple of Aphrodite and into the arms of one of the hundreds of sacred prostitutes whose "services" allowed believers to pay homage to the goddess of love in the most appropriate way. Although Corinth later declined and was essentially razed by the Romans during the 2nd century BC, it quickly regained its reputation as a hotbed of iniquity after being reestablished by Julius Caesar during the 1st century BC. By the time St. Paul arrived in the 1st century AD, Corinth was a city seriously in need of salvation-but not surprisingly, his new religion was not an easy sell.
The Corinth museum holds many beautiful and interesting artifacts. I loved the exhibit of items from the Asklepieion- the "healing temple". Another interesting room had a display of items that had been stolen in a museum robbery and later recovered. In April of 1990, four robbers assaulted and tied up the single unarmed guard who was on duty, and carried away 285 priceless artifacts, plus a large sum of cash that had been set aside for the employees' payroll. Some of the artifacts eventually popped up in a Christie's auction and the Greek police, working with the FBI, recovered most of the collection from a storage house in Miami in 1999. Apparently, several Greek nationals were charged with the robbery. One was sentenced to life in prison. Who knows what leads a person into a life of crime? Perhaps it all started with something as harmless as stealing a pair of flip-flops. But one would have to say that the museum's management had made it a bit easy for the robbers by storing millions of dollars worth of artifacts in an out-of-the-way site without an alarm system. And does anyone else find it strange that, in 1990, a nationally-operated museum was paying its employees in cash?
By the time we left the museum to tour the site, there were only a handful of people on the grounds. There is something wonderful about standing in silence in front of a Doric temple, and as we wandered through the streets of the Roman agora we could almost imagine what life had been like when St. Paul spoke to the Corinthians from a platform that still exists. It might have been nice to linger until evening, but we didn't dare risk missing our bus.
On Monday morning, I made one last run to the grocery store. With all the clothing and gift shops open for the day, the streets around the harbour suddenly seemed more attractive. As often happens, the place was growing on me, and I found myself wishing that we could stay for just one more day.
We were both excited about going through the Corinth canal- it was something we had been looking forward to since the winter, and when we reached the other side we would be in the Aegean sea! The modern Corinth canal cuts through the isthmus in the same place that the ancients dragged ships across. The canal has been described as the "longest public works project in history". The ancient Greeks dreamed of it, Nero put 6000 Jewish prisoners to work on it in 67 AD, but that effort was abandoned and the project didn't come to fruition until 1893.
Travelling through the canal with the steep walls towering over us was the experience of a lifetime.
Rick's stress level was almost as high as the engine RPMs, with the Canal Control Officer shouting on the VHF, "Aisling I, faster....faster Captain, faster...full throttle, full throttle!!" They have a schedule to keep and we weren't keeping pace, even though we were doing seven knots over the bottom!
With our transit completed and the bill paid before 10.30 a.m., we had most of the day still ahead of us, so we pressed on toward Piraeus where, we hoped, we would find a berth in a marina. No such luck. With everything full, we decided to try anchoring off the beach near Kea marina. Several boats were already anchored, and it looked like it might be tough to find room. The American boat "Time Warp" was already anchored, but the skipper called out "I could move over a bit if you need me to." What a nice thing to do! We managed to get anchored without taking him up on the offer, but we were happy to accept his invitation to dinner. Over a delicious pasta and red wine, we learned that Peter, two crew members and Peter's 12 year old son Will had sailed Time Warp across the Atlantic and Peter and Will had been double-handing since they left Gibraltar. They were counting the days until Will's mother Ruth landed in Athens to join them for their world cruising adventure.
The next morning, we all had hasty departures when the Port Police chased us out of the anchorage. We were fortunate to get a temporary spot at the end of the dock at Kea marina while we had our refrigerator repaired, but we didn't have a chance to say goodbye to Peter and Will. Luckily, we've been able to follow their every move on sailblogs. They are still sailing- check out their very entertaining blog at the link posted to the right of this page in the "friends" section.
I enjoyed that little journey back to Corinth...maybe I'll wander on to Delos next!
| Greece Ionian & Gulf of Corinth |
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09/03/2009, Syros
We hadn't expected the Gulf of Corinth to be such a pleasant cruising ground. After two days in Trizonia, we might have just hurried through the Corinth Canal and into the Aegean Sea, but we really couldn't sail right past Delphi without seeing it. We chose to pull into Galaxadhi mainly because of its proximity to Delphi, but it turned out to be one of the most beautiful anchorages yet!
A Lunenburg native could feel right at home in Galaxadhi. A prosperous boat-building centre in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Galaxadhi is now a sleepy little town where not much seems to happen outside tourist season. The narrow cobblestone streets and steep stairways ascending and descending among picturesque stone houses give the town an Italianate appearance, but the churches and the culture are unmistakably Greek.
Reportedly, Galaxadhi can become crowded with tourists and Athenians during the summer and on the weekends, but the streets were quiet throughout our stay. During the last week of August, we had crossed the magical line that separates high season from low season. Suddenly we have very little competition for space in anchorages, historic sites or cafés.
From our anchorage in the old harbour, we are surrounded by beautiful sites: the dramatic bulk of Mount Parnassos and the surrounding mountains, the chapel on the tiny island at the mouth of the harbour, the shady park on the headland, the domed towers of the large Orthodox church in the town and the old windmills on the hills behind the park. We have left the lush greens of the Ionian islands behind us, and the landscape across the water looks as dry and barren as the Sierra Nevadas in Spain.
Our morning runs take us along a seawall overlooking water so clear that we can count the spines of sea urchins, past the fishing boats and yachts on the dock of the new harbour, into the shade of the cedars and pines of the park and past a small pebbly beach where a few senior citizens are paddling, sun-hats firmly in place. Later in the day, we peruse the inventory of the succession of tiny supermarkets and shops along the main street and visit the Church of Agios Nikolaos (St. Nicholas) where the intricately-carved altar screen (inexplicably topped by a skull and crossbones) is an amazing work of art. A little reconnaissance by Rick turns up the information that the bus for Delphi leaves from the square at 10 a.m. in the morning.
Relying on the kindness of strangers is a strategy that works quite well in Greece, where people's natural tendency toward helpfulness frequently motivates them to come to the rescue of bewildered-looking strangers. Just as we begin to feel uneasy that the bus has not appeared, we are taken under the wing of an elderly woman travelling to her home in Athens. She assures us that the bus will arrive in due course. Her face lights up at the mention of Delphi. "You are going to omphalos yios" she said, pointing at her belly-button, "the navel of the earth". She is also delighted to hear that we are from Halifax and tells us that many years ago, when her husband was a commander in the Greek merchant navy, she had travelled to Halifax and through the St. Lawrence seaway with him. We continue our conversation as we change buses in Itea and Rick helps her manhandle her unwieldy bags into the luggage compartment of the bus. The fires outside Athens are finally under control, she tells us, but three million trees have burned. Her sister's home, which was close to one of the fires, is now safe, but all the plants on her balcony have died from the extreme heat. When we reach the town of modern Delphi, we also meet Claudia and Gerhardt from Austria, who have just sailed west through the Corinth canal. They tell us that they had seen the glow of the fires and even had ashes landing on their boat. It is a sad story for an area that needs its trees badly, and there has been considerable controversy over the government's perceived mishandling of the situation.
It is nearly noon when we reach the site of ancient Delphi, but thankfully the air is slightly cooler at this altitude. To the ancient Greeks, Delphi was considered the centre of the world, because two eagles released by Zeus from opposite ends of the earth met here. Pilgrims travelled from far and wide to consult the famous Oracle of Delphi. The site itself, high on the slopes of Mount Parnassos, is mystical and awe-inspiring. Standing above the Temple of Apollo looking out over the cypress and olive trees in the valley below, I am carried back in time not only to ancient Greece, but to the old library in New Waterford and the pages of the well-thumbed book where I first read about the Delphic oracle. After touring the extensive ruins that surround the Temple of Apollo, we trudge down the road to the Temple of Athena, stopping to collect some water from the sacred Castalian Spring on the way. At the Temple of Athena , which is said by some to be the most impressive temple on the site, we find that only five other tourists have worked up the energy to walk down the hill.
Suddenly, the thought of walking back up the hill and down the road to the museum seems very daunting. Thankfully, the museum is air-conditioned, and the amazing archaeological treasures provide distraction from our sore feet. (In retrospect, we wish we had visited the museum first, since it would have given us a better perspective on the meaning and magnitude of the ancient site while we were touring it.) By the time we walked the kilometer back to modern Delphi to catch the bus, we are hot, tired and very thirsty. From the terrace of a little café across from the bus stop, Rick pulls out his new super-duper MEC binoculars and checks on Aisling far below us in Galaxadhi! Back at the boat, we realize that getting the sacred water home might be a bit impractical and I use some of it to water Spike the cactus, who will henceforth be known as Spike the Sacred Cactus.
On our last night in Galaxadhi, we had a delicious dinner at the "Art Café" in a converted olive mill in the old harbour, run by the artist George and his sister Mina. The meal was delicious-especially the mussels in olive oil, garlic and oregano- but the highlight of the evening was meeting George and Mina and seeing George's wonderful paintings. Rick immediately zeroed in on a painting of a boat passing the Galaxadhi park and when George mentioned that he had painted it in the Group of Seven style, which he had learned when he lived in Canada, we knew we had to buy one of the prints. We wish we could have bought the original, but since we have some big boat repair bills coming up perhaps it's just as well that they didn't take Visa!
We have, unfortunately, fallen behind on our journal. Since leaving Galaxadhi, we have visited Corinth, come through the canal, had our refrigerator repaired in Athens, had dinner with Peter and his son Will on the American boat "Time Warp" and sailed to Kea and Syros. We see a small weather window where the meltemi has moderated, and we are trying to cross as much of the Aegean as we can while the winds are favourable. We'll try to catch up with some additional entries on the blog this week.
Cruising Notes for Galaxadhi:
You can either med moor on your own anchor in the new harbour, or anchor in approximately 17 feet with good holding in sand and weed, in the old harbour. There is protection from all directions but the north. Water and power is available at the dock in the new harbour (you will need to find someone with a key). Water is also available from a tap in the fishermen's area of the old harbour. Lots of tavernas, small supermarkets, bakeries and a fruit and vegetable store in the town. To visit Delphi from Galaxadhi, catch a bus to Itea from the square and connect to Delphi (it's actually the bus to Athens) from Itea. We never did manage to get a bus schedule but the shops near the square can help you.
Itea is actually a more convenient location if your goal is a visit Delphi. Itea has a marina and chandleries and since it is a larger town it is a better place to provision. However, it is dusty and in our opinion it is not as pleasant as Galaxadhi.
| Greece Ionian & Gulf of Corinth |
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08/31/2009, Saronic Gulf, On the way to Athens
Our first stop after leaving Ithaca was Messolonghi, the town where the poet Lord Byron, a passionate advocate of Greece independence, spent his last days. To reach Messolonghi, we motored up a long marshy inlet, where tiny houses were raised above the water on posts. Many of these houses, which were originally built by fisherman, appear to have been converted to cottages, but they are still very picturesque. We anchored just off a partially finished marina, debated about whether to put the motor on the dinghy and go exploring, but in the end decided to eat aboard and make it an early night. (For more information on the new marina at Messolonghi, see the cruising notes below.)
The next day, it was a bracing motorsail into a headwind of 20+ knots for our passage through the gulf of Patras, under the Rion bridge and into the Gulf of Corinth. We would have liked to stop at Navpaktos, but we were worried that there might not be room in the tiny medieval harbour so we pressed on, satisfied that at least we had sailed through the waters where the famous battle of Lepanto took place. By the time we arrived at the tiny island of Trizonia (the only inhabited island in the Gulf of Corinth) the decks and rigging were coated with salt and the cabin was in complete disarray. We were relieved to feel the wind abate as we turned the corner into the well-protected anchorage.
The tiny island of Trizonia is an enchanting place. No sign of the madding crowds on Trizonia! For anyone who truly wants to get away from it all- do some painting, write a book- Trizonia is the perfect hideaway. A small "ferry" (similar in size to my cousin Donnie's fishing boat) carries passengers back and forth (fare 1 euro) to the small town of Glifadha on the mainland, where groceries and the other necessities are available. Otherwise, you might be lucky enough to find what you need at the small general store, where you can also buy bread if you have had the foresight to order it a day in advance. (We hadn't, but they were kind enough to sell us a loaf anyway.) In spite of the miniscule size of the population, a new and imposing Orthodox church sits on the point, positioned so that its large windows overlook the mainland on one side and the fishing dock on the other side. As we peered in a window on one side, we could see a woman walking along a path on the other side, making the sign of the cross-a common practice among those of the Greek Orthodox faith when passing a church.
Four small family-run tavernas line the fishing harbour, all with limited menu choices and (at least at the end of August) very few customers. Both the Taverna Porto Trizonia and the Poseidon restaurant had good food and low prices, although surely anything eaten in such a beautiful setting would taste great! At sunset, the light is exceptional, with shadows outlining the contours and crevices of the mountain across the water on the mainland. At any time of day, it is pleasant to sit by the water in Trizonia and watch the fisherman coming and going, as the elderly men sit in the shade thumbing through their worry beads. At night, the star-gazing from our cockpit was terrific, since there is little ambient light in the anchorage.
Our most exceptional evening was at the Poseidon, where the regular staff spoke no English and a friend of the family, who introduced himself as "Billy the Greek", was helping out with table-side translations. After explaining the various menu choices, Billy amiably agreed to teach us a few simple phrases in Greek. Now there's an oxymoron-nothing is simple in Greek! But by the time we'd finished our meal and two of those dangerous little "half kilo" jugs of wine (it sounds so much worse than a half-litre, doesn't it?) we had a sheaf of notes with a list of phonetically spelled useful phrases like "What do you call this?" (pos toh len afto), "like that" (san afto) "I live on a boat" (zo sto karavi) and "shut up" (skas-eh). We didn't ask for that last one, Billy just seemed to think it would be useful. I finally understand why so many of the elderly Greek women in Canada still struggle with the English language! The differences in the alphabet make things very difficult. When I occasionally successfully decipher a Greek word on a sign or label, I get that same triumphant "I can read!" feeling I had as a child when I first sounded out "Here I am, my name is Nan" from my mother's old reader.
As we were paying our bill, a French family from another boat in the marina sat down at the table beside us and Billy effortlessly switched to French as he chatted with them. When we finally left the restaurant, we had another piece of paper with Billy's phone number in Athens (just in case we needed him to help us with anything) and a most excellent drawing of a whale made for us by the little girl from the French boat.
The next day, we made out way to Galaxadhi, a beautiful town on the north side of the Gulf of Corinth. We chose Galaxadhi mainly because of its proximity to Delphi, but it turned out to also be one of the loveliest places we've stopped. But I've burned enough power already tonight, I'll have to save that story for the next posting!
Cruising notes:
Messolongi: As of August 2009, berths at Messolongi's new marina were still free. The marina has 100 mooring places (concrete mooring block, chains and lazy lines or moor alongside) water, showers and wifi. Haul-out facilities planned. More info on their website www.messolonghimarina.com. We anchored in 20' with good holding in mud. There are a couple of tavernas ashore. Good protection from all directions.
Trizonia has a small marina where you can either med-moor on your own anchor or tie alongside an outer wall. There is also a small anchorage with good holding just off the marina. We spent one night at anchor and one night along the wall. We anchored in about 18' with a mud bottom and good holding. Good protection from all directions.
| Greece Ionian & Gulf of Corinth |
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