Earth 2010

Naxos, madness, blackouts and beautiful beaches

153 days since selling up David Jones and Paul Twocock recording.

After a two hour boat ride from Santorini we arrived at Naxos. Now experts at the Greek ferry experience, we clambered on with the others and left our bags on the car deck, following the dulcit tones of the Blue Star lady calling out "Naxos, Paros" and pointing to the port side. We were treated to another melody when we arrived, as the back of the boat opened about twenty feet away from the dock while the ferry was turning a full circle, the boat sang a Mister Whippy tune to all the eager backpackers - "Der, Do, Der, Do, Der, Doh Der Der Der, Do" a fanfare signalling we'd arrived at Naxos.

We were greeted with the view of the ruined Temple of Apollo and throngs of people trying to tempt us with rooms and taxis. We weaved through them and went off in search of a hire car instead.

It was here we committed the cardinal travellers' sin when arrived in a strange town, we just got into a car with a complete stranger who said he would would rent us the Fiat Panda he was driving at a good price. All looked promising until he got a phonecall and we were bundled out of the car, bags 'n all, and promised that another one would turn up in five minutes. It only took two and that became our little Naxos runabout!

Naxos turned out to be a beautiful, unspoilt (very few tarmac roads) island with very friendly people including the lovely old greek lady, dressed in black who quietly asked us while waiting for our car if we wouldn't prefer to stay with her in town rather than in the place we booked at Plaka Beach 6km away, "it's so far!". Unable to persuade us she wished us "good holidays".

Our first night at Plaka Beach we went to the nearest taverna, and were greeted by Aronis, the owner who looked like an old retired sea dog. He insisted we had the lamb from his own farm in the mountains - a "big plate". Next minute we hear him merrily chopping away in the kitchen with a meat cleaver. Next thing we know the big plates arrived with a bed of chips and a mountain of fatty lamb chops which we then spent the next hour trying to cut through and eat, washed down with penicillin red wine.

Things then started to hot up when more customers arrived. The same ceremonial chopping started up again, but that was topped by his wife, who had been all sweetness and light but suddely flipped, throwing pots and pans at the ninety year old helper in the kitchen. Not wishing to use my mental health skills we decided it was time to retreat to our seaview apartment. Aronis didn't want to let us go just yet, so he gave us another jug of the wine on the house. We drank it and ran.

For the rest of our time at Plaka we had to run past Aronis's to get to the nicer taverna a little further up the beach. This was lovely, despite one night having to eat our meal in darkness due to a blackout and fight off the cats who insisted on jumping up onto the table to share our dinner.

They tried puss in boots eyes but we ignored them so they went for drastic measures, and took the opportunity when the lights went out!

All in all we spent a lovely five days, lazing on the beach, driving around the island and Agatha got quite a few chapters written.

Such fun!

Santorini and the mists of Odysseus

149 days since selling up. David Jones and Paul Twocock recording. Our first joint effort, as we sit on our terrace in Naxos looking out over the sea awaiting the sunset, drinking cold beers.  Who knows how this will read. Lets get started.

Our last blog left us in Heraklion in Crete ready for our first Greek ferry experience.  We had planned our stay in Heraklion perfectly.  We had a lovely hotel within easy reach of the port.  We had arrived on time, us and 200 other people - mainly travellers, not many Greeks.  We were all asking the same questions of each other: "where is the ferry to Santorini?"

Bravely, I was determined to find out, so I got Paul to queue up and speak to the man in the kiosk.  Paul came back and said the man said "is coming!".

We joined the growing number of people and trucks on the dock side ever hopeful for a ferry.  Eventually a ferry arrived and we all clambered aboard any way we could, the whole crowd boarding through a tiny side door whils trucks and lorries drove off and on the ferry through the crowd.  Once on board we found our allocated seats, just above the engine in steerage, no view apart from the LCD TV playing some Greek melodrama - parakalo!  We decided to move from our allocated seats to a quieter area on an upper deck with a sea view. We found some nice wicker chairs (the sort you find in a 1970's conservatory:" do you like Demis Roussos?")

After 4 hours we arrtived in Santorini.

For those of you who haven't heard of it, Santorini is a trés chic, italian sounding island in the middle of the Aegean Sea. It's famous because it's the world's largest volcanic caldera - that's a volcanic crater to you and me, but because this island is so trés chic we all call it a caldera. It is actually spectacular, most of the caldera is submerged under the sea, and the island is a crescent moon shape with 300m high cliffs, all the villages cling to the sides. But every day thousands of tourists are sitting looking at the view oblivious to the fact this volcano will erupt again one day. We didn't feel any tremours while we were there, apart from the rickety wood floor of our mezzanine bedroom whenever somebody got out of bed.

No car in Santorini, we decided to walk everywhere, including a five mile walk to the village of Oia on the northern edge of the island. The views were amazing, and walking on loose lava and pumice sometimes hair-raising, but we felt a sense of satisfaction on reaching the other end. We had a lovely lunch and planned to get the bus back, not realising that was everyone else's plan. Two buses and not a chance of getting on one, we gave up and armed ourselves with water for the five mile trek back. Lucky we did though, as we passed a lonely little white church half way along the path we were greeted by a convoy of cars bibbing their hooters and then a bride wafting up the path to the church. It was like something out of Mamma Mia!

After all that we settled down to another of Santorini's famous sunsets through the volcanic mists that have been there since the time of Odysseus. What better than to see the show with a bottle of cava and some olives and feta. Such a hardlife, island-hopping! Such fun! Anyhoo, next stop Naxos. More of that in the next blog, coming soon! Here's a sunset, there are more in the Santorini album, take a look.

Crete and the Greek odyssey!

143 days since selling up. David Jones recording.

Yes! The blog is back we are finally travelling again. After successfully arriving in blighty from France with the help of the Resistance following the first leg of our world tour: "Earth 2010", we were welcomed with open arms from our families, until they realised we needed a place to stay for a month. Thankfully both our families accepted the challenge and we were well looked after. Thanks everyone.

We spent the latter part of August making arrangements for the second leg of our journey and finalising our round the world ticket for the third leg. Courtesy of "wifee" provided by "the families".

At the end of August we flew to Crete and have just enjoyed two weeks lazing around the pool overlooking Souda bay. I know it's all we seem to do, but hey I'm travelling with a creative and he needs the "artistic space" to help him write. Yeh right! We just like being on holiday. For those waiting for the publishing date of the novel Agatha's now over half way. Anyone know of a good agent to get a publishing deal? We will need some money when we get back!

  

We had a new travelling companion for the first two weeks in Greece. A good friend Lynn who helped bring joy and peace to two crotchety old backpackers. Thanks Lynn.

The villa was wonderful, stunning views and sunsets. Apart from the annoying older English man who lived in the villa next door. I think he was an ageing rocker: lots of Queen, Phil Collins and War of the Worlds blasting out. There is nothing like an "ooh-laaa" to enhance the stunning sunset, just imagine it whilst you look at the next picture (only War of the Worlds fans might have got the last reference: ooh-laaa is the sound the invaders make).

 

Crete is beautiful: rugged shoreline, olive groves, goats and sheep wandering on the road, donkeys, you know the thing, after all, it's Greece!

We had great fun driving along the motorway to and from the airport, using the hard shoulder as the second lane. It's how they drive in Crete.

Lynn unfortunately had to return to England after two weeks so we dropped her off at the airport spent our last night on Crete in Heraklion, the capital, before catching a ferry the next morning to Santorini.  Our first Greek ferry experience. I'll leave that story for the next blog, such fun!