Tag: opinion

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Our Fateful Trip To Greece – Act III

Santorini – A Sun Setting

Santorini – An Evil Eye

Well we took the ferry from Naxos to Santorini and as luck would have it, it was very smooth. We were kind of worried about it, because the prior days leading up to our excursion, it was very windy and the water was extremely rough. My wife had already related to me, that in rough seas, they sometimes cancel the ferries between islands; we didn’t need any of that. It was bad enough that she had contracted bronchitis and was just getting her voice back. In fact, my son-in-law also had a cold, making their holiday just a bit more annoying than usual.

We were off the ferry in no time and looking for our driver, which with all of the vehicles and people, was actually easier than I had thought it was going to be. After sitting in the car for about fifteen minutes, waiting for the long procession of cars, buses, trucks and other vehicles to make it up the cliff, the road before us had more switchbacks than teeth on a saw. But it was slow going, so motion sickness never became an issue.

Once we reached the top and made it through the stop sign, we were in our Heliotopos Hotel in Imerovigli in no time. On Santorini we actually split our vacation between two different hotels, one in Imerovigli and one in Oia. And aside from the driver from the shuttle service driving past our hotel in Oia, for which we had a fairly long walk in the heat, no other problems befell us while on Santorini.

Naxos to Santorini – Imerovigli and Thira from Ferry

Another island in the Cyclades island chain, Santorini is a large caldera formed from an ancient volcano that blew its top some time around 1450 BCE. When it did, it had a major impact on the Minoan population that had settled on the chain of islands.

The Greek Evil Eye

One might say the island of Santorini now looks like a great Greek Evil Eye from the sky. A small ring of islands with a caldera of water and a center made from the remaining two active volcanoes. If of course one is superstitious like that.

Imerovigli – A Volcanic Aerie

At the highest point on the largest piece of the caldera that still remains, sits Imerovigli. It is perched on and along the cliff, as though some flock of birds had built it. Yet historically most of the initial building were for wine making and production, later repurposed for the tourist industry.

It is actually amazing, how after such a catastrophe, that individuals would continue to build on such notorious ground. Though one can imagine, that after a few hundred years with the volcano’s silence, they probably could not resist planting in the rich volcanic soil.

The Heliotopos Hotel

We stayed at the Heliotopos Hotel in Imerovigli, which is strategically located on the footpath to Thira, for those wishing that early morning walk, or just access to the island path that actually goes from Thira all the way to Oia.

Skaros Rock

A short twenty minute hike from hotel was Skaros Rock. A broken piece of caldera that looks more like a mesa than anything belonging to a volcano.

Thira, Santorini – Skaros Rock

Though thoroughly signed as dangerous, there is nothing preventing anyone from hiking the path around the rocky projection. Read all the signs carefully and make your own decision.

I would caution, the north side is a bit challenging for anyone with balance or other issues, one misstep and one could fall pretty far, perhaps leading to death or serious injury.

Oia – Caldera Cutie

A Greek jewel clad in white wash and white marble is essentially what Oia is to those who visit its tourist filled streets and alleys. Make no mistake, if you visit Oia, there will be crowds; all trying to get that perfect social media photograph. This is especially the case in the evening, when they are all out trying to get their sunset pictures.

Oia, Santorini – The Three Blue Domes

There is not a lot of real estate in Oia, so some will find it very confining. But it is worth a visit, though I would not spend more than a few days here. Boredom being defined here as a slow Oia drip. If I had to do it over again I would probably just visit it for the day and perhaps have one evening dinner there, the rest is just too touristy for me.

The Atrina Cavana 1894 Hotel

We stayed at the Atrina Cavana 1894 in the Atrina Villa for our anniversary. It was very spacious and has all the amenities one should need, it even has a kitchenette for those who wish to cook in on occasion.

Since real estate is at a premium,  not all hotels in Oia have pools, our hotel  was probably an exception. Not only did we have access to a pool,  but we also  had a hot tub with our villa that all of us took advantage.  The pool was actually a bit cold and the surface  was very slippery. We had fun anyway.

Restaurants

There are many good restaurants in Santorini, probably only during tourist season, since many do not open until late May or early June. Many cruise ships also visit the island starting in June and ferry passengers near Thira, so it is best to make reservations, at least if you are staying on the island and know your itinerary.

Imerovigli, Santorini – Sunset from Avocado Restaurant

Finding a place in Thira, Imerovigli or Oia, at least one that has both a sunset view and exceptional food, may be challenging, but not impossible. We  actually were able to do  both,  here are a few that we visited for either lunch or dinner.

Avocado

Situated in Imerovigli and not necessarily one of the best places to view a sunset, the Avocado restaurant has good food and a pretty good wine list. We chose it, because it was very close to our hotel and we were all a bit tired.

Avocado Restaurant – Group Photograph

The service was as expected and since we sat outside, we were able to enjoy the sunset and had a very nice evening eating and talking.

Kastro Restaurant

The Kastro restaurant in Oia is known for its amazing sunset venue. Book at table during the summer for around 7:30 and you will have it long enough to the enjoy a beautiful sunset in Oia. The view of the caldera is just fantastic and the food is not bad either. Personally, I didn’t take any sunset photographs here,  since I think the sunsets from Imerovigli are better.

DaVinci Restaurant

Needing a break from all of the Greek food we found an Italian restaurant called DaVinci’s in Thira. They make traditional Italian food and pizza, as well as the expected Greek gyro or souvlaki. We stopped here for lunch and had a very good meal, at very reasonable prices.

Alexios

A quick change in our plans during our last evening on Santorini led us to Alexios in Oia. Closer to our hotel, it too has a very good outside patio on which to view the sunset. The food was traditional Greek and okay, but at this point I had already seen enough Greek food, which honestly is a bit too meat-centric for my taste.

Pitogyros Traditional Grill House

I will be honest, I am not sure what a traditional grill house is in Greece or on Santorini. But, if the number of people trying to get into this place at any given time is any indication, they seem to have named the place right at least. At Pitogyros in Oia, the food is mostly traditional meat gyros and souvlaki served in a pita or a platter, as well as other dishes. Most dishes are served with french fries, with the exception of their salads. A very inexpensive place to eat, if you can get a place to sit. We waited for thirty minutes before our party of six were seated, which honestly probably was not that bad, considering it was around two o’clock in the afternoon.

Wines

We drank the following wines while on Santorini, along with a few others. But,  we feel the following deserve mention.

Epilog

We finally left Santorini and dropped our sons off at the airport for their flight back to the United States. Of course, the weather had been beautiful for two weeks and we were not complaining. But as Greece would have it, it threw one last punch at us before they left. While we were sitting having lunch in Athens with Ericka and Gabi, thunderstorms had moved in and it poured, subsequently delaying their flight from the airport. Though the delay was over an hour, it luckily did not impact their connecting flight and they made it home perhaps just a little later than expected. After all of the other travel horror stories we have been hearing about, we considered ourselves lucky, even after everything that had happened.

Post Script

If you have any heard horror stories about traveling as of late, they are not fiction, they are probably TRUE. Traveling, due to latent affects of combating Covid, the war in Ukraine and other things,  has turned traveling into a true hell.

If you have the ability to wait, I would do so, at least until certain things like airline staffing have been reconciled.

If you cannot wait and have connections, I would suggest booking any initial flights to your destination for a day early. This may cause extra expense and staying overnight in a hotel, but it might save you the headache of missing an important connection,  especially on long haul flights that have multiple connections or even a international cruise.

Do NOT trust anything your airline or train service will tell you, it only takes one thunderstorm or some last minute strike to start a massive backlog these days. Good luck!

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Our Fateful Trip To Greece – Act II

Naxos, Naxos – Temple of Apollo – Panorama

Naxos – Uncommon Forgetfulness

Well, we had just barely left Athens on our way to Naxos Island, when I discovered the feeling that my phone was not in my back pocket. That usually was not so alarming, since when traveling I often take it out and put it in my backpack, so I wouldn’t forget it in what ever form of transportation we were using. I got no further then reaching for my backpack’s zipper, when a dreadful calm came over me. I knew exactly where it was – and it was not with me.

I looked at my wife, with a short pause and a sigh, then told her that I had left my phone back at the hotel. She retorted immediately if I were sure, I responded that I was and that it was actually worse than I had originally thought. Not only had I forgotten my phone, but I had forgotten to take all our money and valuables out of the hotel room’s safe. Exasperated, I immediately informed our private shuttle driver what had happened and that we had to turn around. He assured us not to worry and that all we be alright.

We quickly called the hotel reception what had happened and they responded that they had been trying to get in touch with us. We then let the driver, who speaks very good English and of course Greek, to help explain the situation. We figured out all of the logistics, so that while he continued to take us to the airport, one of the driver’s colleagues drove to the hotel and picked up all of our stuff (after giving him the security code to the safe). With the hotel staff overseeing everything, they sealed our stuff in a bag and the driver was off to the airport. In less than an hour, we were back in possession of my phone and the rest of our travel documents and money. Wow, that was the first time that has ever happened.

In the meantime, while we were waiting and much to our delight, our flight had been delayed by an hour and twenty minutes. So, we felt comfortable that we had plenty of time to wait for the driver, then check in and check all our baggage for Naxos. As soon as the driver returned and we had all of our stuff, we obtained our tickets and started to check in our luggage at the self-service counter, waiting on line like everyone else. However, just as we were next in line, I noticed that the flight was no longer delayed, it was on time; how can that happen?!

Panorama of Naxos Hills

This left us about thirty minutes to finish baggage self-check in and board the aircraft. Undaunted we pushed on. Two of us were successful self checking our baggage, but as soon as the boarding time for the aircraft arrived, the software locked the rest of us out. What a nightmare. The attendant for Aegean Airlines quickly realized the issue and got us over to another counter so our bags got checked in immediately, with all the proper RUSH stickers applied to them, and we were on our way through security.

Needless to say, we made our flight and were soon enjoying the hospitality of our hosts at the Naxos Island Hotel. Since our flight was on time, we arrived before the appropriate check in time, but no worries, our rooms were ready and we were hustled to our rooms, bags and all by our hosts. After a quick refresh, we went to lunch. It was time to really be on vacation, but we were all still wondering, what else could go wrong? Unfortunately, things would uncharacteristically continue to happen to us.

Naxos – The Island

The largest of the Cyclodaes, Naxos is a large oblong island with a central mountainous region with peaks high enough to create their own weather. The island is known for its beaches, most of which are sandy, but the type of sand created from eroded rock and not from reefs, it is therefore fairly coarse to walk on and can become very hot in the sun, so bring your sandals.

Cycling Naxos

For the adventurous, or those just wishing to get out and explore, Naxos offers some fairly good cycling. There are a few places where you can rent bicycles. However, if you are looking for something more advanced, you should reserve your equipment before you leave.

Cycling Naxos – Gabi, Tristan and Erick – Day 1

We rented our road bikes from Naxos Bikes and were not disappointed. Though a bit dated, all of the bikes performed as stated. The owners were eager to supply enough tubes, pumps and other equipment (helmets) as needed. The only thing we had to bring were our own clothes, shoes and Garmins. They delivered and picked up right at our hotel for a modest fee, so we didn’t have to worry about getting into town prior to our ride.

We really enjoyed touring Naxos, though I would suggest planning your route before you leave your hotel, as not all roads are suitable for road bikes (if you make a wrong turn, you will see what I mean).

Naxos – The City

The modern part of Naxos is pretty little port city built into a small hill that of course has a church and castle built on top of it. The hill has very interesting narrow winding streets that one can peruse and occasionally shop at the stores that dot the way.

Naxos, Naxos – The City

The Venetian Castle of Naxos is not much to look at, and from what we could tell, not open to the public, since all the entrances appear locked, signed and boarded up.

The Catholic Cathedral at the top is open to the public, but when we arrived it was during lunch and we were not going to stay until later in the afternoon for them to reopen. It was just a passing thought, since our real intent was to find a place to each lunch ourselves.

The Temple of Apollo

The interesting form that we first came in contact with at our hotel has an actual presence on the island. The Temple of Apollo are the remains of a structure to the god Apollo built by Lygdamis the tyrant in the sixth century BCE on a peninsula just off the harbor of Naxos City. In fact he never actually completed it. Before he could do so, he was conquered by the Spartan army in 524 BCE and never saw power again.

Naxos, Naxos – Temple of Apollo

Due to its age and no doubt having been plundered over the millennia, all that stands after repeated excavations and reconstructions, is the gate itself. It stands with its lintel and two sides upright on a small outcropping of rock just to the north of the city against the stark blue Aegean sky.

Our Day Tour

Naxos being such a large island, requires you to at least spend a day exploring areas other than its beaches. We used Naxos Luxury Transport as our Tour Guides to explore a few sites we wanted to see, as well as some others that were suggested by our guide. The entire tour was six hours, most of which was in a van, but included many stops, including Sangry or Sangri (also known as the Temple of Demeter), Manolis Pottery, Chalkio and the Citron distillery, the Flerio Melanes Kouros Statue, the town of Apeiranthos and the Eggares Olive Oil Museum.

It was right around this time that my wife Patti became very sick with bronchitis. To the point at which, she had lost almost her entire voice before we reached the Olive Oil museum in Eggares. What ever dark cloud or spell we were under, it appeared  to have followed us into the Naxos hills. I started to wonder, what else could befall us?

The Temple Of Sangri

Perhaps a forty-five minute drive from Naxos is the Temple of Sangri. It is also called the Temple of Demeter or the Temple of Kore, there are also signs that the cult of Apollo may have used the site.

Our Day Tour – Sangri Temple

It is an archaic temple that was built on Naxos in the six century BCE. For a Greek temple it is square, rather than the usual rectangular shape. Models that reconstruct its initial design call for a smart, efficient building using internal columns of varying lengths, so that a full marble, translucent roof and ceiling could be accommodated. This provided soft, even internal lighting during the daytime, so that little if any additional lighting was needed.

The Pottery Of Limpertas Manolis

As any typical tour would inject, we visited the local pottery establishment of Limpertas Manolis. His apparent claim to fame was in creating eccentric, yet useful oil decanters and other novel vessels to store things. He also makes the odd spoon holder, vase, cups and saucers.

Our Day Tour – Limpertas Manolis Pottery

Clearly an artist, since his small place was strewn with all kinds of broken and forgotten pieces. Let alone his clear penchant for throwing the odd clay ball at the wall, for which was clearly evident by the definitive and unnatural accumulation growing from the vertical surface from where he sat.

Distillery Vallindras

In Chalkio, or Chalki, as some prefer; you can find the distillery M. G. Vallindras. This is an old firm which makes an aperitif widely known throughout Greece, known as Kitron, it comes in three varieties (and colors), depending on the sugar and alcohol content.

Our Day Tour – Chalki – Kipton Distillery

It is a very interesting distillery to visit and learn how this special Greek aperitif is made using Star Anise and other plants. Well worth a stop, if only to pick up a few bottles of their timeless spirits. Most will find the green and yellow varieties more to their liking, they are not as harsh or dry as the clear variety. The taste is more austere than a Molinari Extra or a Ramazzotti, but pleasant after a dinner nonetheless.

The Flerio Melanes Kouros

Probable one of the more obscure places to visit archeologically on Naxos is the unfinished Kouros. Located not far from the intersection of the Naxou-Monis and Naxou-Chalkiou roads, you should find a small place to park, it’s rather rural so it should be no problem.

Naxos – The Koyros or Flerio Melanes Kouros Statue

If you are in the right place, there will be some signs indicating the way.

Once found, the Flerio Melanes Kouros is a small walk away up a paved walkway. It appears to reside in a small stone fenced yard, but cannot leave since one of its legs are broken.

If you have the time there are a few other things to see in the area. The Faragi Kouros is not far from here and is close to other stones that apparently were chosen for other works, but never started.

Apeiranthos

A small town in the hills of Naxos, obtainable only by car, is worth a trip, if only to see its marbled streets and pedestrian ways. If you are on a tour, its a good place to stop for lunch and wander the streets until you are ready to eat. There are many interesting shops to explore and some novel architecture to experience. An hour or two would suffice in order to do both.

Eggares Olive Oil Museum

A small private museum showing the discipline of olive oil making can be found not more that a half hour drive from Naxos harbor. The Eggares Olive Oil Museum has a small collection of old oil presses, as well as other tools and the complete history of their firm.

Eggares, Naxos – The Eggares Olive Oil Museum

The museum continues to sell olive oil and olives that it produces in the gift shop. Unfortunately we did not purchase any, since most of the products are not bottled and perhaps not suitable for a return flight. So, instead of taking a chance, we opted out of bringing a sample home.

Restaurants

The beach where our hotel was situated was well endowed with restaurants. What follows is only a sample of what is available, but all have very good menus and delicious food.

Taverna Authentic Greek Cuisine Restaurant

Though we had reservations at another restaurant, we had all decided that we were hungry and had to eat a little early.

Naxos, Naxos – Taverna Authentic Greek Cuisine Restaurant

So, we headed back down to the harbor from our sojourn up the hill of Naxos and its castle. There we found the Taverna Authentic Greek Cuisine Restaurant, which as can be imagined, serves numerous authentic Greek dishes.

Taverna “O Giannoulis”

Soon after we arrived, we ate lunch at the Taverna O Giannoulis and enjoyed a very nice meal with water, wine and all the supplements. They have a great Greek menu, the service is very quick and the seating outside is perfect (though we went in June, so heat was never an issue).

Amorginos Tavern

While on our Naxos day tour, we stopped in the town of Apeiranthos, the one where all the streets and pedestrian ways are made of marble. One of two places recommended by our guide, we chose it for its menu and selection of foods.

Apeiranthos, Naxos – The Amorginos Tavern

There is plenty of outside seating, though we sat just indoors, in order to avoid the midday sun. The service was pretty good, though the food was served randomly, apparently whenever it was ready. Which is good if you ordered something hot, but if you expect your food to come out all at once for your group, you may want to go elsewhere. The food was excellent, as was the local wine and the prices were very reasonable.

The Relax Cafe

No ride is complete without a coffee stop, and perhaps a bite to eat. After our second morning ride, we decided that we would stop in town, Naxos, and visit the Relax Cafe on the water; not only to enjoy the view, the wind and surf, but also some good coffee and what turned out to be amazing vegetable and cheese omelets (the secret it appears, is not just throwing the freshly cut veggies into the scrambled eggs, but to barbecue or fry them a bit first, infusing them with the burnt taste, yu-ummm).

Naxos, Naxos – Cycling Day 3 – Relax Restaurant – Tristan

Highly recommended place for breakfast, unless of course you are timid about calories, as avid cyclist, we aren’t. Enjoy!

Del Mar Cafe

Situated almost in the middle of our strand is the Del Mar Cafe. An Italian restaurant that caters to all needs, especially those nagging Italian taste buds that some of us have. Angela and Marco moved from Italy eight years ago and are excellent hosts, they will ensure your meal is prepared to your expectations. We went here several times for lunch and dinner and used their beach services as well; their wines are also very good, we were never disappointed.

Naxos – A Sunset

Wines

The following wines we enjoyed while dining in Naxos. Most are inexpensive wines, all are from Greece or the neighboring islands and are completely drinkable and satisfying.

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Our Fateful Trip To Greece – Act I

Athens – Superstitious Beginnings

This blog article is split into three separate acts. Not necessarily in homage to the Greek tradition of plays, but more that our trip turned out to be more of a Greek tragedy. A milder version of one of course, but one nonetheless.

We do not know if it’s the land of bad karma, bad juju or what, but for the first time in our long lineage of trips, almost everything that could go wrong did. That is not to say, there is something wrong with Greece as a whole, it could just be us (and probably is), or we just may happened to have had a bad sequence of events occur. However, always being guided by the premise that bad luck runs in threes, we are now beginning to think that is just an arbitrary number, it appears it can also be all sixes and sevens.

To add some preamble here, there were six of us traveling from three different parts of the globe. My wife and I from Italy, Ericka and Gabriel (Gabi) from Germany and our two sons, Dana and Tristan, from the United States.

Flight from Milan Malpensa to Athens

The first sign there would be any trouble was a line of storms that developed the day of travel and stalled along the east coast. Since they were flying into JFK, both of my sons had their flights canceled. They were able to get booked again for the next day, after having wasted their entire Friday sitting in an airport or on an airplane. Luckily, the new logistics worked and they made it to Athens a day late and one vacation day less, but with all of their luggage.

Once altogether, we learned that our son Dana and our son-in-law Gabi had both gotten colds, so right away we were thinking of the possibility of Covid. Luckily, that was not the case either, they were just feeling the effects of common colds brought on by loosening restrictions.

In any event, we pressed on with our vacation. The next day, upon trying to enter a museum, we quickly discovered that I had purchased a five day pass for everyone, which of course did not start until our last full day in Athens. Not sure how I did that, but I just chalked it up to old age and moved on. Luckily, nothing else happened to us the next few day in Athens.

Athens – The City

The modern part of Athens is typical city for a city of central Europe, containing a core with upscale shopping surrounded by environs of more modest means and services. In some places it looks like it is in desperate need of planning and repairs. But for the most part things appear to work quite well by Greek standards.

No visit to Athens complete without seeing the changing of the guard at the National Memorial of the Unknown Soldier.

Lycabettus Hill

Located northeast of the city center is the hill of Lycabettus, atop which sits the Church of Saint George. About a thirty minute walk from the Monument of the Unknown Soldier you can reach the cable car at Lykavittós and for a modest sum, a ride to the top.

Athens Panorama

The views are pretty good from this vantage point, so you will want to pick a clear day. It is a very good place for a panoramic photograph of Athens.

You can also visit the church and then have a relaxing drink at one of the many bars on this hilltop.

The Acropolis

The Acropolis is a historic site with few equals. Perched atop a hill overlooking the rest of Athens, this great structure must have been magnificent in its day. Entering through the Beulé Gate, you ascend the Propylaea with the Temple of Athena Nike to your right.

Temple of Athena Nike

The temple stands to the right of the entrance, almost as a sentinel to this very religious place. Situated to the right of the Propylaea, it is the most fully iconic temple in the Acropolis. Unfortunately what we see today is a reconstruction of what it must have looked like before the Turks destroyed the temple in 1686.

The Parthenon

Under a constant state of preservation, repairs and reconstruction the Parthenon is well signed and for the most part well protected from the tourists. It is an impressive structure, when placed behind the backdrop of history, being built more than 2500 years ago.

There are a few additional points of interest below the Acropolis, but no less important.

The Erechtheion

My favorite is the Erechtheion and the Porch of the Maidens, also know as the Caryatid Porch. It is one of the only, if not few, buildings in the Acropolis that does not have a symmetrical architecture. It is theorized this either had to do with the numerous cults that built the structure, or the uneven ground it was built on, making a classic Greek structure impossible.

From the southeast side the asymmetry is easily seen, with the Porch of the Maidens displaying its most iconic feature.

The Erechtheion – Porch of Maidens – Southeast View

The Agora

Not far from the slopes of the Acropolis is the Agora, or the central meeting place for all ancient Athenians. Primarily of religious significance, but also used for business, politics and artisans. The main street was called the Panathenaic Way, which ran through the Agora to the main gate of Athens.

Stoa of Attalos

The Stoa of Attalos was central to the Agora and primarily used as a place to conduct business. Stoae are buildings constructed with a portico, as a defense against the sun and weather. It was reconstructed in the 1950s, using many of the original pieces, especially on the north side of the building, but reinforced in the basement area in order to be properly repurposed the building as a museum. Here is where the trades people, artisans and shop keepers could sell their wares and conduct business.

The Stoa of Attalos – The Facade

The portico serves as an outdoor museum, while the upstairs serves that same purpose, but provides that more indoor feeling. Many of the pieces are statues and busts of high ranking individuals in ancient Greek society.

The Temple of Hephaestus

Probably the most well preserved structure on the grounds of the Agora, even parts of the roof are still intact, is the Temple of Hephaestus. Considering its age and that fact that it was never destroyed during a war or plundered for building materials, it stands nimbly on the grounds of the Agora as a testament to Greek architecture.

Grounds of the Agora – The Temple of Hephaestus

Walking around the structure one can easily take photographs of its interior and columns.

The Odeon of Agrippa

Unfortunately not much of the Odeon of Agrippa structure still exists, with the exception of its magnificent columns. Built in relief, the four columns depicted giants and tritons, all of which are heavily damaged. Initially designed and built as a hall to hold performances in, its structure was not designed like other buildings to endure the ages. It fell into ruin fairly quickly and was rebuilt at some point in the second century and repurposed later as a lecture hall, only to be destroyed by a Herulian raid in 267 CE.

Statues at the entrance to the Odeon and Agrippa

Restaurants

As with any large European city restaurants abound in Athens and it offers a wide range of cuisines and options for anyone’s appetite. With some proper planning and reservations you should have no problem enjoying Greek dining during your vacation. Failure to do so will in most cases result in long wait times and exploring other options.

The Arcadia

We ate lunch at the Arcadia and enjoyed a very nice meal after a morning of exploring Athens.

Maiandros

Reservations are a must for this restaurant. The Maiandros Restaurant gets high marks for excellent traditional Greek cuisine and price. If you want to take advantage of its fine cooking and still have money left in your pocket, look no further than this restaurant. I would suggest ordering the Stifado, if you are meat lover (which I am not, but how could I resist), you will not be disappointed.

PalioTetradio

Perched atop a long staircase on the slopes of the Acropolis sits the Palio Tetradio. This little alley and staircase is packed with restaurants and is more of a tourist attraction and known for its ambiance, than its food and service.

However, they do have live music and since several of the other restaurants have their own musicians, it can feel like dueling musical talents as some points during your dinner.

The Palio Tetradio Restaurant – Musicians

Wines

The following wines we enjoyed while dining in Athens. You don’t necessarily have to purchase a very expensive wine, most house wine is completely drinkable and satisfying.

A Map of Athens

A Map Of Athens
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Malpertus, Italy – Hiking The Pista Bassa

Hiking Val Pellice

Malpertus to Bobbio Pellice – Beautiful Overlook – Another Panorama

This is just a quick post to document our first local hike from Malpertus to the closest town, Bobbio Pellice. As already mentioned in a previous post, there is a number of trails around that you can hike. The one we chose to go into town, is the same one that goes across Napolean’s Bridge just outside our Borgata and is called the Pista Bassa.

Once over the bridge the trail ascends quickly and then flattens out and appears to be used often by local farmers, since there are clear signs of tractor use. Since I want to keep this short, here are a few slide shows for the points  of interest.

The Pista Bassa Hike

Flowers of the Pista Bassa

Restaurants

Trattoria del Centro

After our short hike, it was time for lunch and some refreshment. Our local  host Sam quickly introduced us to the owner of the Trattoria del Centro, where we were able to order local home cooked food at a very reasonable price.

After our meal, which included wine, water, appetizer and pasta for both of us; then I order dessert, coffee and sambuca; and the entire bill came to 30€. I will also include that the Panna Cotta had the most delicate and creamy texture that I have yet had in Italy.

Leaving Bobbio Pellice – Pellice River

We returned to the Borgata the same way we came, which helped us discover a few more visual treats, especially a small outcropping with terrific views.

And a short video of Patti hiking the trail.

So that concluded our day hike from Malpertus to Bobbio Pellice, complete with Pranzo (that’s Italian for lunch). We found this a great short hike, with some points of interest along the way. So, if you are ever in the area, you should give it a try and enjoy the cool mountain air and beautiful surroundings. Ciao for now!

Trail Map

If you are interested in our trail map, see the image below. Or, while using standard and accepted security practices, feel free to download the PDF here.

Malpertus to BobbioPelice PistaBassa TrailMap, including Napolean’s Bridge
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Bobbio Pellice, Italy – Cows, Sheep and Goats!

La Fira ‘D La Pouià

Festival T-Shirt – La Fira ‘d la Pouià – Bobbio Pellice – 2022

This weekend turned out to be extra special, in that a special festival occurred in the valley known as the “La Fira ‘d la Pouià“, or the fair for the transfer of livestock to their seasonal feeding grounds, also known as transhumance.

The small town of Bobbio Pellice hosts this event twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. Participation by any farm family is voluntary, but many do so, since they have representative booths within the festival grounds. This provides them an opportunity to sell products they make during the year from their farms and animals, like meat, cheeses and other delicacies.

Marching Band Arriving – La Fira ‘d la Pouià – Bobbio Pellice – 2022

It starts with a small marching band that processes up the main street, announcing the arrival of the animals.

Then the children lead a procession down the street, after which one can begin to hear the sound of cow bells.

They remain in the town square for some time playing music until all of the animals, along with their families, have passed.

Cows Arriving – La Fira ‘d la Pouià – Bobbio Pellice – 2022

 

The animals are outfitted with celebration bells, many containing award ribbons that each animal may have won during past fairs, or just fitted with a simpler bell fitting for the occasion.

After they are pastured nearby and judged, these are replaced by smaller and more utilitarian bells which will be worn for the rest of the trip and while they are in their mountain pastures for the summer.

Cows Sporting Their Bells – La Fira ‘d la Pouià – Bobbio Pellice – 2022

When the animals finally come, the parade starts with the larger animals, the cows and later quietly proceeds down to the smaller ones, when the sheep and the goats arrive.

The sheep are customarily under the vigilant eye of a number of dogs, which are trained to watch over them day and night. These animals are not aggressive, but they are very territorial and it is wise to stay away from them and the flock they guard. Rumors have it, they are known to have even killed humans who trespass.

Clouds over Bobbio Pellice

If you are looking for that kind of one off experience and a lover of animals, a trip to Bobbio Pellice to watch this festival is definitely worth it. Many are day trippers who drive to the town, but parking space is extremely limited, so get there early. Since the area offers amazing hiking opportunities, we preferred the slow travel approach and took the train to Pinerolo, then transferred to our Bed and Breadfast here for the week. A short walk down the street would have brought us here, but instead our hosts were going to attend and kindly offered us a lift, which we gladly obliged.

 

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Pinerolo, Italy – Beginning Our Week In Malpertus

Arriving in Pinerolo

For some time, my wife Patti has been wanting for us to visit her friends in Malpertus. Thankfully with Covid restrictions waning, hopefully along with the virus itself, we finally committed to visiting them this week. In order to get there, we had to take the train from Turin’s Porta Susa terminal, instead of our customary train station, Porta Nuovo. Once on the train, the trip length was about forty-five minutes, which included about eight stops along the way.

Local Jazz Train – Turing to Pinerolo

A Short Stay In Pinerolo

Upon arriving, we had a short stay in Pinerolo, our jumping off point, just long enough to get something to eat and wait for our host to pick us up. Our destination being an Bed and Breakfast called Renovating Italy at Borgata Malpertus in the Pellice River Valley a half an hour away by car.

Pinerolo appeared to be fairly quiet and we had noticed most people were preoccupied with the Saturday market place, that was taking place in the main square from the train station. We took little notice of this and continued directly down the main street, via Del Duomo, until we found a suitable place to eat.

Restaurants

Trattobar Kreuzberg

We initially stopped at a pizza place, but they apparently only took orders inside. So, after a quick reconnaissance further up the street we found a trattoria called Trattobar Kreuzberg.

Though the food was very good and for a fair price, the service, even for Italian standards, was very slow. It took us all of three hours to complete our lunch, and we could tell several other clients sitting at tables next to use were not happy either, and they were Italian. So if you are in a hurry, either get seating inside or by the entrance (of course in the hope they will see and not forget you) and not out in the umbrella piazza annex, where we were seated.

Borgata Malpertus

Our hosts live in a very small hamlet called a Borgata. It’s actually just a string of small stone houses collected neatly on the hillside of the Pellice River Valley.

The rest of the Borgata is contained within a few roads or alleys, through which anyone can amble at their leisure. There are few residents here and some of the structures are in dire need of repair and restoration.

Our host, hostess and their son are great and they have done an amazing job of renovating their own place.

Venturing Out A Bit

Taking a short walk from the Borgata and a stone’s throw away is Napolean’s Bridge. Of course, Napolean did not build, nor even cross the Pellice River using this bridge. It was built at least a hundred years before he was even born and it is believed that his army never ventured down the valley that far, if in this valley at all.

However, it is a nice walk and an improbable feature of the valley, since it appears to have been built near no know important structure, castle or fortress, yet obviously took a tremendous amount of work to complete.

Along the way there are an amazing assortment of flowers and as with other parts of Italy, the fields and pastures are abuzz with this sound of bees and the chirping calls of crickets. So if you are looking for a place for some peace of mind, this might be an appropriate place for you.

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Borgo Po, Turin – Hiking Giacomo Leopardi and San Vito

Hiking in Turin

Usually when visiting one of Italy’s best kept secret cities, you would think that there wouldn’t be much to do for the outdoors enthusiast. But nothing could be further from the truth. Turin has a wealth of parks sprinkled throughout the city. Most are for casual pleasure, walking the dog, strolling the baby carriage or just a good jog.

The view from the Borgo Po, Corso Moncalieri, Turin

However, just a short mile and a quarter walk from our apartment in Turin is the entrance to Giacomo Leopardi Park. Here one can find a real hiking adventure, if you are so inclined.

Giacomo Leopardi Park

Once accessible via car, it is now only open to the public via the pedestrian access and can be entered by casual walkers, hikers and any cyclists willing to dare its steep slopes.

The park still maintains a roadway that may be walked, but for the more adventurous, there are several hiking trails that take a more direct route upwards.

Giacomo Leopardi Park, Turin – The Trails

Our initial thoughts were to make the entire hike up to Mount Eremo, visiting the Parco di San Vito along the way. However, Alltrails Pro, the portable phone application we use, gives only one value, instead of a range, for the length of time it might take you to reach your goal, which of course may not fit into your body’s aerobic or fitness calculus. So you may want to add additional time to any of the ‘moderated accepted hikes’, in order to account for any stops, water or photography breaks.

The link between this park and the next one, Parco di San Vito, entails some roads and real hiking.

San Vito Park

You will find the Parco di San Vito about a third of the way up to the Colle della Maddalena, or Mount Maddalena.

One of the amazing things about Turin, and Italy in general, is there willingness to not poison everything. Unlike America, they do not run out and get a can of weed killer or herbicide when something springs up that does not look like a sanctioned type of grass. Hence, the fields at the park actually have many types of wild flowers, bees and crickets! So do not expect dead silence when hiking here, like you would in most city parks in America.

After this park, we hiked a bit further up the mountain towards a small picnic area located on the map. Our plans after two hours of hiking modified somewhat, since at this point we were only halfway to our original destination.

The trails up through this stretch of woods were a bit more undeveloped and natural, the floor of the woods covered with different flowers.

The hike through the woods continued for about another three quarters of a mile or so, and we were thinking of modifying our plans for the day.

Picnic Area Bert

After coming off the trail and turning around a bit on Quadriva Raby, you may head back and get back on the trail from Cascina Natura Pro Natura. A small picnic area on the side of the hill with a small field, some facilities if you are inclined and a picnic bench for lunch, or just a drink of water and a cliff bar.

The trail head down is located just to the left of that last picnic bench above. A marker can be found on the tree. However, if you miss this, there are signs and a map by the parking lot and buildings that are over to the right.

Bird Song and Fifteen Seconds of Calm

This is actually an amazing hike and you will find yourself stopping frequently just to enjoy the quiet and being out of the city for some respite.

Patti on a city stairwell in the Borgo Po area

Upon returning to Turin after about three and a half hours of hiking bliss, we took some shortcuts and discovered to what extreme Turin is willing to let some things go natural. Just goes to show, without humans around just how fast nature is willing to reassert itself.

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Moncalieri, Italy – Turin’s Quaint Secret

Tucked along the eastern bank of the River Po and within the confines of the Metropolitan City of Turin sits Moncalieri. No more than a fifteen minute bike ride for me down the Corso Moncalieri from our apartment in Turin, it took us a twenty minute walk to the train station, followed by a twenty-five minute train ride, with a change in Lingotto. Of course, there are other options, but none that we could take conveniently from where we live in Turin.

Tickets for Two – Moncalieri – Turin

Moncalieri – The Town

A quick hop off the train and you may bump into the weekly market, if you travel there on the weekend. This is the traditional market that most places in Italy entertain at least once a week, so that locals can buy everything from household goods, cheap everyday things like sponges, to more exotica like gold coins and older things, some would like to call antiques.

Train station – Moncalieri, Turin

Once you have left the train station and navigated the small Borgo Navile, where the market is held, you will find the center of town by walking the via San Martino.

At the end of this short journey you will find the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II[1]Named after the King of the same name, the castle of Moncalieri was his favorite summer retreat, the town’s main fountain and the Comune Building for Moncalieri. The significance of the Roman God Neptune is unclear, other than he was the Roman God of Fresh Water and the Sea, and that the fountain was most likely the main source of water before indoor plumbing for the town’s people.

Neptune Statue – Comune Building in Moncalieri Center – Turin

Castello Reale di Moncalieri

A must see when visiting here is the large and private Castle Real of Moncalieri. For a modest fee you can enter the castle, which experienced a fire in 2008[2]The fire destroyed several rooms on the upper floor and was contained, but most of the damaged was just contained and never renovated., and take the guided tour, which is only in Italian. Fear not, there are enough references in the story for most people to follow and our tour guide did speak english and filled us in while walking on the more important points.

Restaurants

Osteria e Gastronomia

Tucked between the UniCredit Bank and an apartment building off the beginning of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II is a very good restaurant, the Osteria e Gastronomia. It was already lunch time, so we grabbed a small two person table right in the alleyway and were immediately greated by our hosts. A quick view of the menu and we were ready for some delicious Piemontese food.

Osteria e Gastronomia – Moncalieri,Turin

I ordered the Agnolotti del plin tradizionali con sugo d’arrosto, a typical Piedmont dish of very tiny ravioli stuffed with meat in a meat sauce, very tasty! It doesn’t look like much, but is actually very filling. Along with some bread, a glass of Nebbiollo alla spina, and water, how can you go wrong for lunch?

Agnolotti del plin tradizionali con sugo d’arrosto

Patti ordered the Agnolotti con salsiccia di Bra e porri con crema di parmigiano e guanciale croccante, which are larger ravioli made with sausage from Bra and leeks, topped with Bacon. A little Parmesan and you have a great lunch.

Agnolotti con salsiccia di Bra e porri con crema di parmigiano e guanciale croccante

Well, we hope you enjoyed our adventure to Moncalieri, because we did and were actually surprised. Though it took longer to get there than we had originally hoped, it wasn’t all that bad and definitely worth the trip, if only for the food!

References

References
↑1 Named after the King of the same name, the castle of Moncalieri was his favorite summer retreat
↑2 The fire destroyed several rooms on the upper floor and was contained, but most of the damaged was just contained and never renovated.
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We Have Returned To Turin

Well we are finally back in Turin and enjoying the weather, food and getting our lives back together. Our first week consisted of maintenance, paying bills and getting some chores done, typical things that have to be done after being away so long. So for our first short entry, a small video clip on picking up a roasted chicken at our favorite place, Girarrosti Santa Rita, located across the river Po, next to the Chiesa Parrocchiale della Gran Madre di Dio. This is a great place for picking up a roasted chicken with potatoes, then bring it back to your apartment or hotel room and enjoy. Though the price has gone up to about 10€, from its former price of about 7€, we still think it’s a great buy, especially when you are starving and do not want to cook. Enjoy!

Restaurants

Trattoria D’Agata

One on our way to purchase plumbing supplies, to fix our bathroom drain which had gone bad in our absence, we were hungry for Pizza. Having already visited Pizzium on via Eusebio Bava, we decided to try Trattoria D’Agata across the street and were not disappointed. Patti had the Taleggio e Funghi pizza, with Taleggio a local cheese, tomatoes, Fiordilatte (cow’s milk mozzarella) and mushrooms; and I had the Napoli, with tomatoes, Fiordilatte, oregano and Acciughe (Anchoivies).

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Naples, Italy – National Archaeological Museum and More

National Archaeological Museum of Naples

If you are an archaeological nut and ever have enough time to spend in Naples, you must visit the National Archaeological Museum. It houses an impressive collection from ancient Naples, from its ancient Greek roots through its Roman and Sicilian Empire phases, to the present. It also has a fabulous collection of artifacts from Pompeii and the Roman Period. It is found on the interesection of Piazza Cavour and Via Enrico Pessina. At the time of this writing, it can no longer be gotten to by the Museum Metro Stop, which has been closed for some time, but rather from the Piazza Cavour Metro Stop and then a short walk along that street.

National Archaeological Museum – Main Entrance

The Ground or First Floor – Main Gallery

The main gallery on the ground floor has a unique and amazing collection of statues, mostly from the Roman Period, but there are also more ancient sculptures as well. It features in the back of the hall the Farnese Bull from Roman times.

There are also a few other examples from the Farnese Collection, including Hercules and others. This section is definitely worth a quiet, long walk through with plenty of reading and afterthought. Examination of any one of these magnificent works reveal detail that someone in today’s day and age would think otherwise superfluous, and yet it would not be the work it is today without that fine attention to detail.

Leaving the main gallery and proceeding upstairs you pass the two dominant representations of Ocean or Oceanus, the god the ultimate river – the oceans. It is still not none precisely the etymology of this word and therefore it may not have any antecendents. However, one look at these two figures and you can tell that whomever this god represented, he was a very serious fellow, he had to be the dominate force for all water.

The First Floor – The Mosaic Gallery

Here one can find all sorts of ancient mosaics, however most are from Pompeii. Made of paste and ceramic all are equisitely done in the form of a story to tell the onlooker.

The Third Floor – The Glass Gallery

Has a small, succinct, but very important collection of ancient glass made during the Pompeiien and Roman periods. Some have handwork and detail that cannot be rivaled today.

The Gallery of Pompeiien Erotica

No visit would be complete without a visit to the erotic gallery, where all manner of erotica are on display from the dead city of Pompeii. The Quakers and the Puritans would have had a field day in this city at its peak. Not only was prostitution flaunted as an everday fact in everyone’s face, but the public had personal art created for display and enjoyment in their own houses. Without much else to say the following is shown as a slideshow, feel free to opt-out if you are not up to the intellectual and spiritual challenge.

The Basement Floor – The Maritime Archaeological Gallery

All things maritime are located in the basement floor. A wide collection of maritime artifacts and archaeological specific display can be found in this section. There are also displays from the escavations of Pompeii having to do with the city itself, including is ancient public plumbing.

Restaurants

Ristorante Demeter Ristotrattoria

A short fifteen minute walk away from the museum, down the Via Santa Maria di Costantinopoli, Via San Sebastiano and Via Santa Chiara (all the same street mind you), you will find Ristorante Demeter Ristotrattoria. Another exceptional place with homemade creations to tempt most palettes. We entered this restaurant just before it started raining and were not disappointed, a fine place to visit with nice staff that is definitely NOT a tourist trap.