ASPROVALTA: A FEW DAYS ON THE BEACH

 After my couple of days in Thessalonki I decided to spend some beach time in the north. It had been a toss-up between various locations but in the end I chose Asroprovala, a small beach town about two hours from Thessaloniki. I used to go camping there on my past trips when I was working on research for SHADOW.  This time I made the choice to go there rather than Thassos Island, which I love, or the Halkidiki penisula was because just as I was making plans for Greece, the tomb find at Amphipolis was made pubic. Asprovalta is close to Amphipolis and I decided that I'd take the chance on going to see this remarkable archaeological site. It all fit in with my wish to tour some of the novel's sites as well.

Athina Resort Hotel, Asprovalta

I booked myself into a nice hotel. I'd thought it was going to be right on the beach and it wasn't, but the beach wasn't far away, just a short walk. And the people at the hotel were very welcoming and helpful.

Appropriately, a road named Megalo Alexandrou (Great Alexander)

 

I rescued this little guy from the middle of the road.

The beach

 



A relaxing afternoon

The beach was about a 10 minute walk along a country road. It was a long stretch of sand and not very many people on it at that time of year. So I managed to have a couple of leisurely days just hanging out in the sun, swimming and enjoying a little rest.

The Hotel Gardens

In the evening I sat out in the big back yard of the hotel and wrote in my journal. There was a good restaurant at the hotel too though not many patrons enjoying the delicious food.

Breakfast

 



Dinner

On my second day I asked the hotel clerk to hire a taxi for me so I could make the trip to Amphipolis. The first time I'd been I had walked up the road to from the main highway, and second time took the local bus up to where the old hill fort used to be. This time, as my time was limited and I didn't fancy the long hike, I decided on a taxi ride. And as it turned out, I was glad that I did because the cab driver was familiar with the territory and knew exactly what to show me.

NEXT:  AMPHIPOLIS:  A VIEW OF THE TOMB

WALKS WITH RUTHAKI #2: DOWN AT THE BAY

It was an overcast day when I set off for my Sunday walk today.  I headed down to the Bay in the West End.  English Bay is one of Vancouver's most popular spots any time of year.  In the summer it's a busy beach scene and in other seasons it's a good place to relax, talk a walk, jog, in-line-skate or cycle.  The sea-wall that circles Stanley Park extends along the beach front as far as Sunset Beach just past English Bay.

As you approach the Bay and foreshore park you'll see a group of bronze laughing men at the corner.  These are part of the public art displays you'll see around the city.  I stop and check them out.  Always worth a chuckle or two.

Sun Dial

I never fail to discover new things when I'm walking.  Today, in spite of having been by here hundreds of times, I actually stopped to read the plaques around the Sun Dial and found that it is a dedication to 3 the greenhorns who staked the first land claim in this spot in 1862 at a time when this was all forested area. 

Sylvia Hotel



I headed down the sea wall walking west past the venerable Sylvia Hotel, a heritage building built in 1912, one of Vancouver's famous landmarks.  

Ships in English Bay

The day was cloudy and cool.  Out on the bay there was the usual fleet of tankers at anchorage.  It took just half an hour to walk from  English Bay to my favorite summer-time spot, Second Beach.  This is where I spend many leisurely hours in the summer, especially in the swimming pool.  It's also a good place to lounge or play on the sandy beach.  In the park nearby there are children's play areas and picnic tables under the trees.

Second Beach

There's a concession stand at Second Beach so I stopped for a coffee before heading back along the trail toward Lost Lagoon.  This time, I didn't walk along the Lagoon, but took the upper trail along the Rhododendron Garden.  There were actually a few in blossom.

Early Rhodies in Bloom 



It wasn't until I started out of the Park that I began to see more signs of Spring.  And when I got to Barclay Street, there were the cherry blossoms I was looking for! 



Perhaps by next week there's be more signs of Spring.  So why not come along with me on one of my Sunday walks?

SPECTACULAR SANTORINI

Fira, Santorini, perched on the edge of the caldera

SANTORINI: June 13 - 16, 2009

Without a doubt, Santorini has to be the most dramatic of all the Greek islands. The story of the volcanic explosion that took place there some time between 2000 and 1600 BC is like something out of science fiction. It is said it was the most powerful volcanic eruption recorded next to Krakatoa. It blew apart the island, leaving just fragments around the rim of the still smouldering caldera in the centre of the bay. The eruption and tsunamis it created played a major role in the destruction of the Minoan empire in Crete (and that's where Theseus was fleeing from when he abandoned the Cretan princess Ariadne on Naxos). Reports in the Bible tell of the ash falling over Egypt. All that is left of that mighty empire are a few fragmented ruins, Akrotiri and ancient Thira high up on a hillside. At Akrotiri they discovered some of the brilliant wall paintings the Minoans were noted for. Its a bit like Pompeii although on a small scale but I don't believe they discovered bodies. In fact, I wonder where everyone went? Did they heed the omens and escape before their island was blown to smithereens?

View of the caldera (crater)

The main town is Fira and from the edge of the cliffside you get magnificent views of the caldera and the surrounding islands that were once part of the whole island of Thira. It is also the place where you go in the evening to watch the fantastic sunsets. There are lots of tavernas and wine bars along the edge of the caldera where you can enjoy an evening meal or a drink while you see the splendid sunset show accompanied by suitable music. A very dramatic experience indeed!

Red Beach

We set off on another 'tour' which didn't turn out so well. The so-called guide who drove the mini van didn't speak English and wouldn't listen to our instructions. We were supposed to be able to choose where we wanted to go. He insisted on ignoring us and led us on a merry chase that would have cost us a bundle ($50 an hour for this rip-off 'tour) but we made such a fuss in the end we only had to pay $50 for 1 hour. That was the trip to the Boutari winery where we had a very good wine tasting experience with an excellent wine steward. Other than that, we wanted to visit Akrotiri and found it was closed. (Learned later that everyone in Greece knew it was closed and had been for some time, due to a tragic accident at the site). So the 'guide' then insisted on driving us to Ancient Thira where we had been already told the road was closed. In spite of our protests he drove up the winding narrow road where the wind was blowing so hard it threatened to blow the van off the road. We protested loudly and insisted this lunatic take us back to our hotel but he kept on driving around the island and finally we got back to the hotel.

The next day we set off by bus (we should have done this all along. Very cheap!) and headed for Akrotiri again. That's when we found out about the closure. So we hiked along the beach and the very rocky edge of a cliff and climbed down a pathway with red stones so sharp you could cut yourself if you fell, to one of the famous volcanic beaches of Santorini, Red Beach. The beach really is red, because all the stones and sand are from the volcano's eruption.

One thing my sister and niece enjoyed on Santorini was the shopping. It's a pricey and very touristic island and there's a lot of trendy shops as well as the usual souveniers. So I spent a lot of time hanging around waiting for them to make their purchases.

Every night we went to the cliff side coffee bars and found a good place to sit to watch the sunset. This is the main feature of the island and everyone flocks to the edge to watch.
Every night it's a bit more spectacular than the last. And somehow you never get tired of snapping photos of it.

Santorini Sunset

Finally our island hopping holiday was over. It was time to return to Athens as Jean and Debra had to catch a flight the next day back home. I still had six days left to visit with my friends and see a few more sights.