Majestic Meteora

From Chalkida, we drove 3.5 hours northwest to Kalambaka in the centre of Greece for a 4 night stay. Our small apartment had a good outdoor view of the massive sandstone-conglomerate pillars in nearby Meteora, on which monasteries are precariously perched on top. The Christian Orthodox monks, wanting a tranquil setting to meditate, and later protection from the Turkish Ottomans, built 24 monasteries on top of the soaring monoliths, with the only access being a combination of stringed ladders that could be pulled up, and ropes. Today, 6 of the monasteries remain and are open to visitors for a $4 fee. Fortunately, access has become a bit easier, although it is still necessary to make your way up 140 - 300 stone steps along the sides of the steep pinnacles. On our first day we tackled the Great Meteoron Monastery, the oldest (14th century) and largest of the remaining 6 monasteries, and then the nearby Varlaam Monastery (first inhabited by hermit Varlaam in 1350). Both were impressive to say the least, with all the stone and wood being transported up by a rope pulley. The small museum rooms contained ancient frescoes, paintings and manuscripts. Too bad Brother Domenic wasn't around at the time with his Xerox photocopier to shorten the time required to copy the handwritten manuscripts. The next day we started with the easy access St. Stephen's Nunnery (smart choice by the nuns) followed by the more difficult Holy Spirit Monastery with steps on the outside of the pinnacle as well as inside a couple of short tunnels. Great views from both but not as many rooms to explore as the previous day. I hiked down the steep trail to the main street of Kalambaka (45 minutes) while Pocahontas drove our rental car to meet me for a late lunch. We climbed up to the small St. Nicholas Anapafsas Monastery (only one monk still lives there) the following day, but our attempt at the Rosanou Nunnery was thwarted due to a closure that day. We were able to visit it the next morning to see it's beautiful chapel with ornate wood carvings and frescoes covering all the walls and ceiling. Right after that we left Kalambaka on our way to Ioannina, only 100 km's to the west. The Meteora Monasteries, a geological phenomenon, will definitely be one of our top highlights from this trip.

Our mountainous drive to Ioannina took us through 20+ tunnels, many of them several km's long. It was a reminder how far North America has fallen behind Europe in that regard. Ioannina sits on the western shore of Lake Pamvotis, and our 4 night stay was within the old town wall. Our first excursion was to drive to the nearby Perama Cave, at the north end of the lake. Once there, a guide led us through the 1.5 million year old cave that stretched for over one kilometre, where we emerged on the opposite side of the hill. It was full of beautiful stalagmites and stalactites with some narrow passages and some large caverns. Another day we walked around the large walled castle ruins, overlooking the also walled old town. Several museums were housed in older, restored buildings for us to explore, including the Byzantine and Silversmith Museums, along with the Fethiye Mosque (established during Ottoman rule). The pedestrian friendly streets, with shops and restaurants, made it easy to walk around. On our final day we drove one hour north into the massive Vikos Gorge, a hiker's paradise. At a depth of 900 metres and a width of 1100 metres, Guinness has labelled it the deepest canyon in the world (relative to it's width). We drove to several viewpoints, with stops in Mikro Papigo and Vikos Village for some short hikes. The views were wonderful from everywhere, although not as stunning as the Grand Canyon, with it's treeless, steep rock walls.

From Ioannina we drove 3.5 hours south-east to the small town of Itea, on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth. Our tiny apartment above the owner's house was 10 metres from the sea, with a deck to sit on and loungers beside the water. Our first trip was to the nearby waterfront town of Galaxidi. Their excellent Maritime Museum told the sad story of the once thriving town in the 1800's, known worldwide for it's shipbuilding prowess, turning out 15-20 large, wooden sailing ships every year. Unfortunately, at the end of the 19th century when steamships became the rage, Galaxidi did not alter it's strategy, and before long the business evaporated, along with most of it's population. Another day. a 20 minute drive took us to Delphi, one of the top archaeological sites in Greece. Delphi became known as the navel (centre) of the world to the ancient Greeks. Apparently, Zeus released 2 eagles from the ends of the earth and they met in Delphi, confirming it was the centre. Now that we know that the world is not flat, there are a few holes in that theory and I'm thinking there was a bit too much ouzo being consumed for that belief to continue for many centuries. In any event, the sanctuary of Apollo, the god of light, knowledge and harmony, was situated in a magnificent natural setting, on the side of the tallest mountain in Greece. The ruins date back to the 6th century B.C., and the well designed museum displayed many ancient artifacts. A half hour further along the mountainous road, we stopped into the Hosias Loukas Monastery, founded by its' namesake in 946. The mosaics and frescoes inside were well preserved and meticulously designed.

Our final stop in Greece was in the small beach village of Tolo, not far from our previous visit to Nafplio, a few weeks ago and really enjoyed. We found a nice relaxing hotel to stay at with a good view of the Argolic Gulf. Our only non-Tolo activity was a Nafplio return for their Oxi Day parade, a national holiday that brought everyone outdoors for the day, waving their Greek flags. With the daily high temperatures still in the mid 20's C, we wanted to take it easy in Tolo before moving on to our next adventure on this trip.

The Holy Trinity Monastery, at the top of a steep rock pillar in Meteora. It was easy to fall in love with the area, being surrounded by sights like this. If you look closely, you can see some stairs that were added to the side leading into a short tunnel that led to more stairs.

Looking down at the monasteries of Roussanou and St. Nicholas Anapafsas in the background. They were all quite different and beautiful in their own way. My better half's favourite was the one with the shortest number of steps to the top (St. Stephen's Nunnery).

The switchback steps leading to the massive Great Meteoron Monastery. It took just over 300 steps to reach the top, but not as steep as the 300 to the Holy Trinity Monastery. Built on the largest pinnacle top, they made full use of their space.

The lovely Varlaam Monastery on another beautiful day. It was the best decorated off the 6, and as you will see below the interior was just as impressive.

The chapel at the Varlaam Monastery. Every square centimetre of the walls and ceiling was covered by wall paintings and frescoes, and each one told a story.

The garden area at the Roussanou Nunnery. There were small gardens at most of the monasteries, but the nuns seemed to do a better job caring for them than the monks. On the other hand, the Varlaam Monastery had a 13,000 litre wine barrel on display, so the monks had different priorities.

The 1.5 million year old Perama Cave, near Ioannina. We have been in a few caves that were even more beautiful, but none that kept coming at you for over a kilometre.

One of the many superb visuals within the Vikos Gorge. It would have been nice to have been able to stay here for a week and hike all the spectacular trails, but it would also be nice to be 30-40 years younger.

The Temple of Apollo at Delphi archaeological site. We observed many temples in Greece dedicated to the Greek god Apollo (light, knowledge and harmony). Somewhat overlooked was my favourite, Dionysus, the god of wine.

Not too far from the Delphi ruins was the Hosios Loukas Monastery, famous for it's Byzantine art and listed as a World Heritage site. It was decorated with superb marble works and mosaics on a gold background. Great viewing but no pictures were allowed. 

The view from our balcony in Tolo, overlooking both the small town and the Argolic Gulf. The sun rose in the morning from behind the mountain in the background.

Greek On

Our first stop in Greece, following our river cruise, was the small island of Naxos (40 x 30 km), where we could take it easy for 5 days. We settled into the small town of Agios Prokopios, known for it's beautiful beaches, and relaxed atmosphere. We split our lazy time doing beach walks, loungers beside the Aegean Sea, along with time at our villa pool and cabana. A 10 minute bus ride took us into the capital, Naxos City, where we strolled around the narrow alleys uphill to the castle ruins and also had an exciting sprint to the Temple of Apollo ruins. A 4 metre wide walkway, 100 metres long, had been built to access the temple which was built on a tiny island. However, on a windy day with strong waves crashing into the rocks below the pathway, it was impossible to get across without receiving a shower. We crossed as quickly as we could but even Usain Bolt might not have escaped the rogue '7th wave' which sprayed us several times. Fortunately the wind dried us off fairly quickly. Another day we took a full day bus tour around the island with 6 stops to see interesting sights along the way, including some ancient ruins, a pottery workshop, ancient olive presses and exceptional mountain top views. We were surprised to learn that Naxos was the 'greenest' island in the Cyclades, aided by the mountains in the centre of the island delivering moisture to the land below. Their farm produce, especially potatoes, accounts for most of the food consumed on the other nearby islands, including Santorini and Mykonos.

Leaving Naxos, we took the short flight back to Athens, where we were reunited with our oldest daughter who flew in from Switzerland to meet us at the airport. It was a delight to have her with us for a week, as we travelled the Pelopponese region together. The first place our rental car took us to was the seaport retreat of Nafplio (capital of Greece for a very short time). It was well situated for day trips to ancient Greek ruins, and relaxing time by the waterfront. Ruins we visited included Corinth (capital of Greece for a slightly longer time) (Apollo Temple), Acrocorinth (Acropolis of Corinth, 300 metre climb), Nemea (start of Panhellenic Games, 150 yrs after start of Olympics), Epidauros (well preserved 15K seat amphitheatre) and Mycenae (palace ruins on a hilltop). We also wandered around the lovely town of Nafplio, with it's long promenade, seaside restaurants, 3 castles (lit up at night) and pedestrian friendly streets. This hidden gem is definitely worth a visit. From Nafplio we drove west, with a short stop to see the ruins of Argos (amphitheatre), and then on to Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympics. The Olympia ruins and Museum became our favourite ancient site. A large site area with building ruins everywhere, excavation still underway, and tunnel remnants to the stadium, backed up by more ancient relics and historic information in the museum, made for a very interesting day. Driving back across the mainland from the west coast to the east coast, we made a short stop in Nafpaktos, along the Gulf of Corinth. A bit of rain nullified our 45 minute hike up to the Nafpaktos Castle ruins, but an easier drive got us there anyway. We took in some beautiful views of the surrounding area, followed by lunch below in the harbour. After lunch, we then continued driving to island city of Chalkida, 2 hours north of Athens. On our final day with our daughter we roamed around the city, dodging the liquid sunshine and exploring the area around the Old Bridge, promenade and dinner at the waterfront. The following morning we dropped our daughter off at the Chalkida train station for her ride back to Athens and flight home to Switzerland. It was a short goodbye, as we will get to see her 2 more times before the end of this trip.

Following a 3.5 hour drive north, we have now landed in Kalambaka, which is on the doorstep of amazing Meteora. More on that later. Yamas.

Agios Porkopios beach in Naxos. A 5 minute walk from our small apartment, and with 25C temperatures every day, it was an easy choice.

Looking back into Naxos City from the small island where the Temple of Apollo had been built. While we survived the short but wet jaunt, there were many others who decided not to tempt fate when they saw the waves crash against the rocks below.

Giannoulis restaurant in Agios Prokopios, 200 metres from our suite, where we became repeat visitors. Not only was the food good, but a half litre of wine was $8 and every meal ended with a complimentary dessert and a glass of ouzo. There was almost always a line-up to get into the small 15 table room and the young servers were bouncing up and down the stairs with endless energy.

The Temple of Apollo at the Corinth ruins. It was erected in 550 BC when Corinth was one of the major cities in Greece.

Acrocorinth, the Acropolis of Corinth, was situated a few kilometres away from the ancient city, looking down from 600 metres above. Although our car took us half way up, it was still a good workout on a warm afternoon.

At the Nemea ruins, we walked through a tunnel that the athletes would have used, to reach the stadium for their events (track, discuss, javelin and more). The spectators for the Pan Hellenic Games (up to 30,000), would sit on the grassy banks of the hillsides. The Olympia stadium looked very similar.

The impressive amphitheatre at the Epidauros ruins. Constructed in the 4th century BC, it is one of the best preserved and acoustically designed amphitheatres in Greece.

The Circle of Graves at the Mycenae ruins. It was where the Royals were buried, and when excavated, many gold artifacts and jewelry were discovered.

The Olympia ruins site housed the best Museum that we came across. Artifacts from the 4th-6th centuries BC were presented, many of them in decent shape. All of the statues had been restored with  the missing pieces being substituted.

A mosaic floor at the Olympic ruins. It is amazing what modern science can do to bring these images back to life.

The Temple of Hera at the Olympia ruins. The stones at the bottom of the picture (roped off) is where the Olympic torch was lit in advance of the Games, and it is still done that way today before moving on to the official Olympic site.

On our way from Olympia on the west coast, over to Chakida on the east coast, we made a short stop in Nafpaktos on the north side of the Gulf of Corinth. This picture was taken from the Nafpaktos Castle, looking down on the harbour where we had lunch later.

Way Hey and Away We Go

Following a hot, dry summer in Europe, and months of worry about whether the river levels would be high enough for our Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise, recent rains helped and we were finally on our way. It all started with a small boat trip around Amsterdam's canals, aided by a humourous history lesson from a guide, and then we were off in the afternoon on the Emerald Dawn headed to Cologne, Germany. With 150 passengers on board, including a strong majority of Canadians, we followed a wide, man made canal supporting cargo ships, south towards the Rhine River. Cologne, the 'Holy City' named for it's impressive two spire Cathedral and many churches, was a treat to walk around. The city however, is better known for it's Kolsch beer, served in a 200 ml. glass to ensure a cold, fresh taste every time (more on that below). Our ship continued heading south through the picturesque Middle Rhine Gorge with it's hilltop castles and sloped vineyards. We passed by the Lorelei, famous for luring sailors to their death. Rudesheim was our stop for the day and I opted for a hike through the vineyards to a hilltop monument with a good view of the town and valley, while my better half took in the Mechanical Music Museum to be entertained by self-playing instruments. 

Our ship then split off from the Rhine at the city of Mainz on to the Main River, passing by Frankfurt overnight. We stopped into Miltenberg for a tour of the small town and a short hike uphill to Mildenburg Castle. 30 km's later that day, we stopped into Wertheim, another small town known for its half-timber houses at the confluence of the Main and Tauber rivers. The next stop was Wurzberg, but we skipped the town tour of city that was mostly re-built following WWII, and instead took a coach tour along the 'Romantic Road' to Rothenburg. Filled with medieval homes and buildings, along with a town wall that we walked, we enjoyed meandering around the cobblestone streets for 2 hours.

The next river change we entered was the 171 km long Main-Danube Canal, completed in 1992 to connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Black Sea for cargo ships. Our first stop was in Bamberg, Germany, built on 7 hills and famous for it's smoked beer.......and maybe also because of the 4 tiered Cathedral and Old Town hall perched at a fork in the river which were very scenic. In Nuremberg we took a sobering excursion to the Documentation Centre (Nazi rally grounds), Hitler's failed Colosseum remake, and the Trials Memorial which included a visit to Courtroom 600 where the Nazi officers were tried for their war crimes.

Entering the Danube, our final cruise river, our first stop was in Regensburg with its many medieval buildings preserved from war time damage. The 12th century Old Stone Bridge, crossing the Danube, was impressive, as was the on board performance of a traditional Bavarian band. Then it was on to Passau, the "City of 3 Rivers", where we walked along it's cobblestone streets and alleys in a light rain. St. Stephen's Cathedral with its ceiling frescoes, world's largest organ (almost 12,000 pipes), and baroque architecture was a highlight. A double-stop day in Melk and Durnstein, allowed for a tour of the majestic Melk Abbey and then later a one hour hike up to the Durnstein Castle ruins, with great views down to the Danube. Vienna was next, and having already been here and enjoyed the city attractions, we took a short tour to capture a bit more history and then relaxed for the rest of the day. 

We entered Slovakia along the Danube, stopping into Bratislava, the capital of the country. In the morning we did a walking tour around the old town, and some of us even walked uphill to the Bratislava Castle where there was a great view of the city. The highlight was in the afternoon when we took a coach tour to the countryside that included a home visit of a local (Jaroslav in our case). We learned more about normal life in Slovakia while tasting his home made wine and cake which were both very good. That evening we had our Farewell dinner with our Captain, as his voyage was about to end the next day.

Our final stop was in Budapest, Hungary. We did a coach tour to see the major sights around the city, followed by a walking tour in the city centre. The massive riverside Parliament Building (3rd largest in the world) was impressive, and we had a chance to see it again later in the evening when our ship made a short trip so that we could see it again when it was lit up at night. A traditional Hungarian folklore show capped off a wonderful end to our 15 day adventure. It was very entertaining with audience participation, and was the best entertainment of the cruise.

We did spend an extra day in Budapest, following the cruise, and it was a good one. We discovered that the annual National Gallup festival was taking place that weekend at Heroes Square, so we made our way there by bus and took in the festivities. They transformed the large square into a quarter mile race track and had horses from around the country participating in a full day of races (horse, carriage, equestrian) with 4 trips around the recently created race track. The stands were full and everyone was in good spirits, partially accommodated by the surrounding market stalls selling good food and adult beverages. Heroes Square was right next to the Fine Arts Museum, so we also wandered over there to take in a special Henri Matisse exhibition and some paintings by European Masters, Raphael, El Greco, Van Dyke and others.

Overall, we were happy picking Emerald Cruises for our first extended river cruise. Some intermittent rains over the last week messed up some excursions and sun deck time, but that was uncontrollable. We made it all the way from Amsterdam to Budapest on the same ship, without any bus transfers, or even temporary worries, so that was all you could wish for. The Emerald Dawn, built in 2015, was well designed, from our cabins to the pool area that was covered up in the evenings to become the movie theatre. The staff were wonderful and the 3 meals a day with choices to match the surrounding areas, along with unlimited drinks kept everyone in a good mood! The daily excursion choices were commendable, even offering a 'gentle walkers' group for those so inclined, allowing the other groups to move more quickly and have extra free time after the tour. In the end though, we both agreed that extended cruising (river or ocean) was not for us. We relish our time on the land (vs. 3-4 hours a day) with no time restrictions to visit museums, palaces or other places of interest. Staying with locals, and getting advice from them on the best places to visit and eat, including day trips outside the cities or towns, is our preferred way to roll. Maybe we will feel differently when we grow older....please don't check our birth certificates..... but for now we enjoy our freedom on extended trips, which often finds us discovering new places that were not originally in our plans.

We have now made our way to Naxos, Greece, an island in the South Aegean Sea, not far from Athens. We will spend 5 nights here decompressing and exploring the small island (40 x 30 km's) before heading over to the mainland for a driving adventure to explore some ancient history.

Our Emerald Dawn home for 15 days. It was 135 metres in length and 11 metres wide, which is standard for river cruise ships, since lock widths are only 12 metres. There were 3 levels of cabins, 90 in total. The sun deck on top had an oval walking-running track on the outside and lounge chairs in the middle.  With no waves and a slow moving ship it was a very gentle cruise all the way. 

Entering one of the many locks along the way. We encountered 68 locks in total and some of them on the Danube had drops of 10 metres. The ship was rising in every lock until shortly after Nuremberg at over 400 metres above sea level, and then we started dropping at every lock from then on as the river water drained downstream into the Black Sea.

The Cologne Cathedral with it's gothic architecture and twin spires was a sight to behold. The inside was just as beautiful and contained relics dating back to the 10th century.

While in Cologne we stopped into a popular pub to taste some mighty fine Kolsch beer. Kolsch is a preservative free beer and can only be brewed within 50 km of Cologne. It is served in the 200 ml glass to keep it fresh and cold. Your server will keep on bringing a new glass to your table, and put a tick mark on your coaster to keep track, whenever your glass is empty. This process continues until you surrender and place a coaster on top of your empty glass. Many tourists end up having an extra glass or two until they uncover the exit strategy. We were advised by our Swiss daughter in advance, so we performed like a local.

Cruising through the picturesque Rhine Gorge we encountered some morning fog and beautiful villages, with colourful homes.

While in Germany we came across many riverside castles, perched up high for protection. Some had been turned into hotels, others into museums, while many others were in ruin, a sad state of their former glory.

Moving further along the Rhine we passed several wine regions, mostly of the Riesling variety. Many of the vineyards were planted vertically, based on the theory that the vines would receive more sunlight that way. Apparently the wine pickers were not consulted, since their manual work became much tougher moving up and down the hillside instead of laterally.

This picture was taken along the cobblestone streets of Miltenberg, Germany. Special plaques were inserted for their Jewish neighbours were taken away and never heard from again. We observed similar types of memorials in many German towns.

Miltenberg, famous for it's half-timbered buildings, was a treasure to walk around.

In Bamberg we stopped into a popular pub to try out their renowned 'smoked beer', brewed by using malted barley dried over an open flame. It indeed had a smokey flavour, I would call it an acquired taste but the pub was street-full of locals drinking it. The signs above the shops were very interesting. Those with a star shape (similar to the Star of David) indicated a pub, while a cow was used for a butcher, a pretzel for a baker and so on. The signs also told stories about the shop's past history.

In Nuremberg we took a special World War II trip that was an interesting but somber experience. This particular picture was taken in Courtroom 600, the very place where the Nuremberg Trials were held, with the prisoner's docket in the centre. The attached museum documented the outcomes of each trial for those convicted of war crimes. The tour also took us to the Nazi Rally Grounds where Hitler would speak to crowds of 200,000, mostly made up of his military. Nearby was an unfinished Coloseum, designed to be twice as large as Rome's, for Hitler's speeches but abandoned when the war started.

The 900 year old Melk Abbey which we were able to tour. A former Benedictine abbey with fine Italian baroque architecture, it also had some ornate gold leaf walls and an ancient monastic library with medieval manuscripts. Hard to believe how much money and resources were spent in those times.

While strolling around Bratislava, Slovakia, we came across the Man at Work piece of art. It was very appropriate for this blue collar country where their main industry is automobile production.

The magnificent Budapest Parliament Building, which became even more magical in the evening. It would be interesting to have a look at their monthly electricity bill.

We were fortunate to catch some of the annual National Gallup Festival during our extra day in Budapest. This picture reflects the parade of horses, following behind the flag bearers, that occurred before every race. The horses raced around the permanent monuments in Heroes Square. It was short race course so it was important to have a horse that could get off to a quick start and manage the tight turns.