PLANNING NEW ADVENTURES

Every time I go to Greece I try to visit some sites that I have never been to before.  There are so  many choices, so many islands, archaeological sites, interesting towns and beautiful beaches!  The choices are so many it makes it tricky trying to make plans that will not be complicated and too expensive -- and also fit in with the length of time I'll be in the country.

This year I have made a 'tentative' plan -- one that should work fine, making sure ferry and bus connections are suitable. 

NAXOS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From NAXOS island I plan to take the ferry to HERAKLION, CRETE.  I visited there last trip and spent several days sight-seeing and exploring the archaeological site of Minoan KNOSSOS.

HERAKLION

 

 

This time, I'll stay a day or two in Heraklion  and visit the Minoan site of KNOSSOS again and then take the bus to ELOUNDA.

KNOSSOS

ELOUDIA

From Eloudi I can get a boat for a day trip to the former leper's island, SPINALONGA. This was once a Venetian stronghold during the Turkish invasion and eventually became a leper colony, occupied until 1957.

SPINALONGA

From Elounda  I also want to visit another Minoan site at GOURNIA. It's one of the most completely preserved Minoan towns,  perhaps not quite as impressive as the palace site of KNOSSOS, but still an important archaeological site showing the lives of ordinary people  3500 years ago.

GOURNIA

Hopefully there will be a bus from Elounda but if not I can get there from Agios Nikolaos which isn't too far away. I've always been fascinated by the MINOANS and my friend and mentor, Dr Jack Dempsey, (from US but now living near Heraklion) will hopefully give me some good info and tips about this site.

After this little jaunt I'll go back to Heraklion and from there get the ferry over to the island of MILOS.
this is a fascinating little volcanic island with chalk-white rock formations, hot springs and good beaches.  I'm hoping to spend a few days there exploring before heading back to Athens.

MILOS

 

 

 

 

VOLCANIC CLIFFS OF MILOS,

A RETURN TO THE CYCLADES AND CRETE

I usually try to go to the island of NAXOS when I'm visiting Greece, because it's my favorite island.  This year is no exception, however I've decided to also stop at PAROS.  Aside from a weekend a long time ago when I went to babysit a friend's little boy while she performed at a taverna, I've never spent time on that popular island. I've heard so much about this island from other people, I figured it was time to explore it myself.

 PAROS

 I've only got a couple of days booked on Paros but it should be enough to see a few of the sights although I have quite a list of options.  An interesting thing is that the town of Parikia where I will be staying used to be a Minoan city back in the 1400 BCs.  Later, in 338 BC it was taken over by King Philip II of Macedonia (Alexander's father), followed by the Romans.

There's a wide choice of things to see and beautiful beaches to visit so my little stop-over should prove to be really interesting. I'll probably wish I'd booked more than two days there!

From Paros, I will go to Naxos which is very nearby.  As always, I'm heading for Maragas Camping, and like last year I'm going to stay in one of the bed tents.  These are quonset-hut type 'tents' with a bed and electricity inside and lots of room to walk around.  I found it very comfy and it's cheap!

 NAXOS, Maragas Beach

 Spectacular Naxos Sunset

The beach there is just spectacular and there are some wonderful little tavernas along the beach where you can sit and watch the sunset. Besides that you can take the bus into town and there's lots to see including  the Venetian Castle, the Portala (doorway of the Temple of Apollo) and many other things. Naxos has a very interesting history and I've been on the round-the-island tour a number of times. It's a big island, with mountains and lots of greenery as well as those gorgeous beaches. It's the island where, in the myths, Theseus landed with Ariadne, the princess of Knossos after they had left Crete when the volcanic explosion on Santorini drove them all away.  Unfortunately Ariadne ran off with the celebrants of Dionysos and that's the last Theseus saw of her. This time when I'm there I must remember to visit that particular sanctuary and see if I can conjur Ariadne's spirit.

 MARAGAS BEACH CAMPING

Last year when I was on Naxos I wrote a lot of poems while on the beach and one of them was about Ariadne.I am hoping the Muse is with me this time too.  I find if a very inspiring island!

 IRAKLION, CRETE

 IRAKLEON, MOROSINI FOUNTAIN

From Naxos I take the ferry to Crete. I'll stop a couple of days in Iraklion in order to see the sights there which will include the Palace of Knossos famous from  Minoan times.  There is so much to see in Iraklion and other parts of Crete that I may decide to extend my time there because it's worth spending time. I've visited Crete on a couple of other occasions but not for a few years, so it's going to be fun to return. 

 THE PALACE OF KNOSSOS

 MINOAN ARTIFACTS AND PAINTINGS

Eventually I'll head back to Athens and then a lot of new adventures will take place.  Among those I am hoping that I can do some book readings as the second volume of SHADOW OF THE LION is supposed to be published in October. 

NOTE:  photos of Paros and Irakleon  from Wikipedia

THOSE OLD FAMILIAR PLACES: ATHENS, Greece

My favorite perch above the rooftops of Plaka

I always look forward to returning to Athens,Greece to see my friends and all those old familiar places that I have grown to love as my own 'adopted' city/country.  I made my first trip to Greece in 1979, arriving by bus to Thessaloniki (from London) and then by train to Athens. I fell in love with Greece immediately. It was almost as if I had lived there before and on that first trip, plus other trips since,

 Plaka at Night

 Lysicrates Monument by the "Dirty Corner" where we used to all hang out

 Stoa of Attalus in the Agora

I have had so many deja vu experiences it really does make me think I lived there in another lifetime. In fact, my Celtic novel DRAGONS IN THE SKY is a first person narrative of a Celtic girl who gets kidnapped and ends up in Greek Macedonia. In researching it I have discovered so many connections between the Celts and the Greeks.  The whole idea of the novel (which I started writing in the '70's before I had actually visited Greece) was because my first historical novel, written when I was 17 in high school, had an Alexander the Great theme. I became fascinated with him when I was 16 and often people asked if I had lived in Greece before because I was able to write such vivid descriptions of the country and the characters.

The Parthenon

On my first trip to Greece I went to the museum in Thessaloniki and saw all the grave finds from Vergina, allegedly Philip II, Alexander's father. (This may now be contested with the discovery of a second tomb). When I took the train down to Athens I sat with a middle-aged doctor who was very kind and welcoming and when I arrived in Athens he was very helpful and encouraging.  I checked into a small hotel, The Tempi, in Plaka and thus began my exciting exploration of this amazing, historic city that I have grown to love.

View of Lykebettos over the Plaka rooftops

I visited again the next couple of years and by 1983 I decided to fulfil a life-long dream and go to live in Europe. I had always thought it might be London I'd move to, but no, I KNEW it was Greece. So I found myself a home in Plaka and there I stayed tutoring ESL and enjoying a most fascinating life for the next five years.  I regretted returning to Canada when I did in 1987 but later I went back to Greece, spending six months at a time while I was writing SHADOW OF THE LION. And since then I go nearly every year spending as much time as I can afford.  I had always thought I'd return there to live, and almost did on a couple of occasions.  And I still have that dream of living the rest of my retirement life there. But meanwhile I will be happy with my visits, each time exploring a new place in this wonderful country.

A place where I love to sit and enjoy the view

New Acropolis Museum

I have good friends in Greece and love to visit with them. I feel as at home in Athens as I do in Vancouver  and in fact, when I return to Greece I feel my life 'changes', and I am more alive and happier than I am anywhere else.

 Monastiraki market district 

Dining at a favorite souvlaki shop in Monastiraki 

So, this September I once again return to my beloved country. It has been so sad what has happened to Greece due to the econimic strife all brought about by former politicians and dishonesty and now by the determination of Germany to control all of Europe, especially greece, through the banks.  My friends there have been suffering terribly and I understand the terrible situation they have been put in. If my meagre tourist dollars can help I will do what I can and I encourage others to visit this most fabulous country too.

 Some of my Friends

 Anna owner of the To Kati Allo Taverna

Anna's family, Dino (her son), grandson and husband Leonnatis

NEXT: Exploring some new places in Greece.

TURKEY: Traveling in the Footsteps of Alexander the Great

KUSADASI, Turkey

Going back my first trip to Kusadasi, Turkey in the early 1980's when I lived in Greece, the port was very small then, mainly a stop-off for cruise ships allowing their passengers to go up the road a few miles to the archaeological site at Ephesus. A friend who was traveling with me at the time had been there before that and said it was even smaller then, just a small tobacco growing village on the sea.


I returned to Kusadasi a number of times and each visit the town had grown, until the last time I visited there in early '90's it had become a bustling, crowded tourist resort town with five-star hotels built along the sea shore. I couldn't even find my favorite kebab shop. I did find the lovely old Stella Hotel up on the hill overlooking the port where I like to stay.

I'm hoping to pass through Kusadasi again on this trip, and wonder what it will be like? I'm meeting a travel writer friend on the island of Naxos and we will then hop over to Samos, and hopefully I be able to spend a few days in Turkey seeing a few old sites and new.

The Theatre, EPHESUS
I've made three previous visits to the ancient city of Ephesus, and I don't think I'll ever tire of walking those time-worn streets. And no doubt more excavations have been made. The theatre there is a particular wonder and from my knowledge of Biblical stories, this is where Paul preached to the Ephesians who weren't too happy with him as they worshipped Aphrodite.


I'm anxious to have another look at Ephesus, because I have been writing several scenes in my novel "Shadow of the Lion" that are set in the city. In Hellenistic times it was ruled by King Lysimachus who was one of Alexander's companion. He was given the city to rule during the battle for control of Alexander's empire by the Diodochi (Alexander's generals). The Hellenistic city wall was built during his time and that's one site I'd like to see. Of course Ephesus is full of magnificent ruins including the fabulous library.

My friend lives in an ancient town called Didyma (Didim in Turkish) located between Izmir and Ephesus. This is one of the little treasure I've not visited before so I am looking forward to exploring here with my friend as a guide. This was a sacred place from the 8th century BC and a cult center for the city of Miletus which is nearby. There's a ruined Temple of Apollo here. There is also a temple to Artemis. These temples had been destroyed by the Persians in 494 BC but were rebuilt on Alexander the Great's orders. Didyma is "The Gateway to the Land of Oracles". Now, that sound intriguing enough to merit a visit!

MILETUS

The nearby ancient site of Miletus is one of those places I've been trying to get to for years. The first time I went to Turkey in 1975, my Turkish boyfriend wanted to take me there but due to circumstances we were not able to go. So if I get to Miletus this trip I will be definitely thinking of Hakki and how he had planned to take me there, knowing my interest in Alexander.


In ancient times the city was located at the coast at the mouth of the River Meander. It had four harbours and was a major port for commerce in ancient times. It was one of the 12 most important cities in Ionia and was mentioned in Homer's Iliad. Miletus was destroyed by the Persians in their invasion of 499 BC and never regained it's strength or status. Alexander the Great seized it after a great battle in 334 BC and this ushered in a new time of prosperity and trade. After Alexander's death, his general Lysimachus took control of Miletus and made generous donations to the city.

Today, Miletus four harbours have silted up and it's hard to imagine what it had been like so long ago in the past. The ruins are now located on a broad plan 5 km inland. But there are still a good many things to see there and I look forward to this first visit to another place in Alexander's footsteps.

MY LAST DAYS IN ATHENS: Retracing Old Footsteps

TOUR BUS

JUNE 22/09
This was Anna-Britt's last day in Athens and I only had one day left myself. So we set off to retrace old, familiar footsteps around our favorite city. Of course we walked around Plaka, and I always have to stop and peek through the fence of #14 Vironos St where I used to live (and sometimes wish I still did!). Then we went to one of our favorite tavernas for lunch, Kouklis (which we always call "The place of the flaming sausages) on Tripodon St.

ME, AT KOUKLIS TAVERNA

After lunch we went and walked around the new Acropolis Museum and then we decided to do something very touristic. We took the little "Sunshine Express" touris train on a tour around Athen's historical center. This was more fun than we'd expected and worth the 5 Euro we paid for the trip which took about an hour.

We got on the train atAilolou St. by Hadrian's library. The train circles around up to Syntagma Square, along Mitropoleos St. to Monastiraki and past there to Thissiou passing by all the major archaeological sites. It was fun. We felt like a couple of kids. So it was a great way to spend our last day together in Athens.

As always, I was sad to see my friend leave (for Norway) but we'll get together again next year as we always do. We have promises to fulfil to each other: When she finishes her doctorate and I get my novel accepted for publication, we plan to treat ourselves to a trip to Egypt (from Athens.) A dream or a reality? We'll see. But it's certainly a great motivator.

THE PARTHENON