Like
a modern-day Odysseus, we will soon be meandering through the islands of Greece
though we won’t be “lost” and hopefully the only mythical creatures we’ll
encounter will offer us drinks as we lounge on the deck of the M/V Panorama
while we sail beneath blue azure skies.
Going
over the Variety Cruises “Unexplored Greece” itinerary for our 8-day adventure
is fascinating and here is a quick look at what awaits us in June.
Athens
We’ll
spend two days in the city, staying at the Herodian Hotel, a short walk from
the Acropolis. We take a group tour of the Acropolis the next day and a walking
food tour on the second day, before heading to Piraeus where the ship is
docked.
To
the ancient Greeks Poseidon was the protector of all seafarers. His temple at
Cape Sounion had a clear view of all the sailing lanes to and from Piraeus and off the coast we linger for a welcome dinner with the Panorama crew
before sailing overnight to Ikaria.
Day
2
IKARIA
The
ship will sail overnight to reach Ikaria and our first swim stop at Seychelles
Beach. Mythology has it this is where Icarus fell to his death on Ikaria after
flying too close to the sun when the wings his father Daedalus fashioned to
escape King Minos on Crete melted. In real life Ikaria is considered a Blue
Zone where people here live as much as ten years longer than anywhere else in
Greece, the island’s unhurried pace a contributing factor.
After
our swim we’ll take an optional tour of the island’s thermal springs. We stay
overnight in the port before sailing to the next island in the morning.
Seychelles Beach, Ikaria
Perhaps,
before we leave Ikaria we’ll have a chance to sample an Ikariotissa
microbrewery lager or porter, or, a wine from Afianes.
A visit to the Cave of the Apocalypse is included with our Variety Cruises package.
St. John, one of the 12 disciples was exiled to Patmos by the Romans and he wrote the Book of Revelations here. The cave and the Monastery of St. John the Divine are considered very sacred Christian sites and in 1999 UNESCO declared them World Heritage Sites.
Patmos
Sadly, we won't have time to quell our fears over the ends of days while on Patmos because it's only a three hour stop before we sail for Lipsi.
LIPSI
There is a type of grape grown on Lipsi called Fokiana. The €42 pp charge for the excursion to visit the Nico Grylli Winery to sample their wines seems well worth the expense, especially because it includes Meze, Greece's version of tapas.
One wine they produce is a sweet red wine called Aposperiti. We'll get to have more Aposperiti back on the Panorama.
We are overnight at Lipsi and if we like the wine enough we can stroll through the main town to sample more!
Lipsi and Kalymnos are part of the Dodecanese, the eastern most Greek islands and we'll be closer to Turkey than mainland Greece.
After Kos and Rhodes, which is about 2 1/2 hours away by sea, Kalymnos is the third most populated island and is famous for the divers who harvest sea sponges.
On our optional excursion we will tour the town of Pothia and learn about the sponge industry, from harvesting to market and we will have plenty of time to explore the island, or simply relax over a coffee!
Before we sail away from Amorgos, there is an optional tour of the Holy Monastery of the Virgin Mary Chozoviotissa.
Moastery of the Virgin Mary, Amorgos
The white-washed monastery is carved into a cliff. I don't think we'll get any baked raki at the end of the tour, but we have already signed up for the excursion.
We have a swim stop at Koufonisia. The island is just south of the larger and more well-known island, Naxos. Koufonisia is popular for aquatic activities like swimming in tidepools and caves that are only accessible by boat. We'll have an opportunity to jump off the Panorama to swim, snorkel or paddleboard for a while before moving on to Iraklia.
Natura 2000 is a European Union body that has set up special areas of conversation areas and approximately 28% of Greek land and 20% of her marine areas is under its purview. Natura 2000 helps prevent the extinction of numerous plant and animal species and contributing to the overall ecological health of the region.
the beach at Agios Georgios
We will have the day to ourselves, whether we decide to just relax or go for a hike in the unspoiled natural beauty of Iraklia, so far we are undecided. Here's a hint of what we're going to do. There is a beach at Agios Georgios the port on Iraklia.
Our last island on the Variety Cruises portion of our trip is Serifos. The company is offering another optional excursion and our guide will take us to explore the island and visit whitewashed churches and walk the narrow alleys of the Chora the capital.
Now Serifos relies on tourism and some agriculture, but there was a time when mining the iron deposits drove the economy. The mines closed in the 1960s and we'll get to learn more of this history on the tour. But, the best part of this excursion will be the wine we are served at the end.
Serifos
In the afternoon we sail back to Piraeus, where we are overnight before disembarking.
After breakfast and good-byes on the Panorama, we need to grab a taxi to make the 10 a.m. Blue Star Ferry to Hydra. I mean, who wants to go home?
Donkey ubers
On Hydra we are staying at the Phaedra Hotel for 5 nights. This idyllic island does not allow cars and donkeys or horses are the only means of transportation. We'll let you know how that works out.
If
you’re going to drink wine, Greece is the right place. Earliest evidence of
wine producing has been dated to 6,500 years ago. They must have gotten it
right by now!
They
created the god Dionysus to celebrate the positive drinking aspects of wine. He
was not only the god of wine, but of ecstasy. The Romans held Greek wine in
high regard and Bacchus became their version of the Greek deity. Their followers
were the goat-footed satyrs and Maenads, wild women who danced energetically
during his festivals.
I
mean, you can’t get more positive than that!!!
TERROIRS
GALORE
Maenads galore
Not
to get into the minutiae of the wines of Greece, but there are around 200 vine
varieties throughout the country, from the northern reaches of Thrace, to the Peloponnese
and Ionian Islands to the Aegean Islands to Crete. From crisp whites to complex
reds there are bottles for everyone in this diverse wine loving country.
Janet
is happy.
PINING
FOR MORE
One
type of wine we’ll try, but more than likely will avoid in Greece is Retsina. Although
considered a part of Greek culture, the infusion of pine resin gives these
whites a unique (or barely palatable) flavor.
Why?
You
would think that with all the vineyards throughout Greece pine resin would not
be tolerated, but the tradition stems from ancient times when amphorae were
plugged with pine resin to prevent oxygen from spoiling the wine. Glass is
impermeable. Retsina is an acquired taste. I’m holding out for Xinomavro, a complex
red comparable to an Italian Barolo, or an Agiorgitiko, a full-bodied red
comparable to a Merlot.
BEER
HERE
Greece
may be famous for her wine, but beer has been produced there since 2,000 BC and
today there is a thriving microbrewery culture with something close to 100
breweries scattered across the mainland and islands.
Again,
not to get into the minutiae of beer swilling here is a great list of beers
from Greece: GREEK BEER LISTING
OKAY
OUZO TOO
This
anise flavored aperitif is popular all over the world and will probably be
found on every table in Greece. Similar to the Italian sambuca, it is best
served cold on ice.
There
will be plenty of positive drinking soirees while in Greece to keep my lovely Maenad
Janet and this satyr happy.
In
June Janet and I are returning to Greece. This is a second trip there for both
of us, though our first visits were way before we conjoined our lives.
Mine
was in 1984 where I got away cheap with meager but charming rooms in pensions in
towns like Sitia and Agios Nikolaos on Crete or Fira on Santorini for about
$11.00 pd. (Showers cost another dollar).
Janet’s
trip to Greece was more recent, but still more than 20 years ago. Her trip also
included visits to Crete and Santorini, as well as Rhodes and Mykonos, among
others.
Between
our two trips we saw a lot of the popular sites of Greece, but this time we’re
going small, although the prices now are much higher.
LET’S
GET SMALL
There
are several ways to enjoy Greece. Like millions of yearly tourists, there is
the allure of the country’s rich history and her fantastic mythology, but
equally captivating are her warm seas and the beautiful islands that dot the
azure waters of the Aegean Sea.
M/V Panorama
We
will be sailing with Variety Cruises, a Greek-based small ship company, aboard
their three-masted M/V Panorama on a tour they call “Unexplored Greece”. Our
eight-day journey has us stopping at several islands in the Cyclades with one
more island, Kalymnos, in the Dodecanese. No Santorini, or Rhodes or Mykonos on
this trip, but places we’ve never heard of before like Ikaria and Patmos and Kalymnos
where they are famous for harvesting sea sponges. With plenty of swimming and
relaxing in the sun this will be a great trip, as long as we don’t run into Polyphemus
or Circe.
We
will be sailing on the M/V Panorama, which is the same ship we sailed with
along the Pacific Ocean coasts of Costa Rica and Panama 6 years ago. The
Panorama has room for 40 passengers. When we first sailed the crew of 18
outnumbered the 16 passengers.
As
repeat customers we get a slight discount, and a room upgrade, and checking
their website they are offering further discounts for last minute customers.
We
have a direct flight from Philadelphia to Athens and we’re staying in much more
expensive places than my last visit to the capital. Of course, Janet has
arranged everything, from hotels before and after our sailing adventure, rides
to and from the airport, and the ferry we will need to take to reach Hydra, yet
another island after our sailing excursion. She’s even arranged a tour of the
Acropolis and a food tour in Athens and our hotel on Hyrdra, though she hasn’t
quite worked out the details about renting a donkey to get us to the hotel
there. There are no cars allowed on Hydra, only donkeys.
She
makes the arrangements, and I hand her my credit card. Let me tell you the
sticker shock was much steeper than my last visit.
NO
LONGER DRACHMAS
Greece
is now a part of the EU and has used the Euro since 2001. To give you a quick idea
of the costs,1 Greek Drachma (GRD) is equal to approximately 0.0029347 Euros (€).Our two-day stay in Athens will cost us $1,288.99,
our 5-day stay on Hydra will cost us $1,095 and our last hotel near the airport
before we travel home is $334.71 give or take 50,000 Drachmas or so.
GREEK
HOSPITALITY
Perhaps
that is why the Greek spirit of hospitality is still a deeply ingrained
attitude to strangers and visitors? Money talks, but Filoxenia is the essence
of Greek hospitality and generosity of her people.
Stemming
from the country’s mythology when Zeus and Hermes decided to kick around on
Earth incognito and were rebuffed by many until a poor elderly couple honored
them by taking them in and feeding them (and were rewarded by the gods for
their kindness), Filoxenia to this day is a fundamental aspect of Greek
culture.
The
Euro helps too, but the Greeks are a warm welcoming people.
A note about this and
future lists to follow in Vacations From Home; it is limited to our personal
experiences. I’m sure we’ve missed a few, I mean how many Lost Weekends can
there be?
Feel free to contact us
at VFH Central if you know of a place we don’t mention where we can wet our
whistle if we ever return. And, we’ll buy you a drink if we see you there.
Becoming a lawyer was
never an option for me, because I could never pass the bar, although, not
passing the bar is a noble aspiration for a writer, and as a world traveler the
heavenly portals of a watering hole have led to many great experiences and more
than a couple of hangovers.
It’s all positive
drinking though because stepping into a bar in a foreign land only adds to the
experience of a different culture. Sometimes it’s an area with plenty of honky
tonks or pubs where the collective experience can be fun, if not overwhelming.
Sometimes it’s an intimate quiet find that leaves one giggling with delight
over the discovery.
It’s all good and as
Team VFH has decided to compile a list of bars we’ve known over the years, I’m
surprised that our livers are intact, but our minds are filled with glorious
memories.
ONE or TWO, FOR THE
ROAD
Going through our
history of alcohol-induced exploring expeditions and innumerable pub crawls has
been daunting because there’s a whole bunch of them. So, rather than casting a
wide net, we have to focus! In this edition of THE POWER OF POSITIVE DRINKING,
we will tell you about the Moveable Feasts of Southeast Asia, in particular,
Vietnam. Several cities in Vietnam have dedicated areas to partying, sort of a
“red light” district for carousing.
DRINKING BINGO
Before we begin, here’s
a bingo game for those of you reading this blog while relaxing on your Barco Lounger.
Take a sip of your
favorite alcoholic beverage whenever I write the word “Vietnam.”
Take another sip if I
mention a city you are interested in visiting in Vietnam.
Chug your drink if I
mention a place or establishment that you have also visited.
Most importantly, if
after reading this blog entry you are inspired to visit these particular places
AND you see me sitting there, you MUST buy me a drink.
MOVEABLE FEASTS IN
SOUTHEAST ASIA
VIETNAM (sip)
“Mot, Hai, Ba, YO!“
Everywhere you go in
Vietnam where there is drinking, you will undoubtably hear the raucous drinking
toast “Mot, Hai, Ba, YO!“ (1-2-3, Cheers) and you know you’re in the right
place.
HANOI
Ta Hien Street aka Beer
Street
Located in the Old
Quarter Ta Hien or Beer Street is crowded, chaotic and every storefront is
offering Bai Hoi a light crisp low alcohol beer, from 3-4%, that is brewed
daily and costs between 7,000 VDN to 10,000 VDN (pennies). Perfect drinking for
hot nights and a great place to experience local and international cultures as
all the world seemingly descends on Beer Street.
Located in Hanoi’s Old Quarter
this narrow railway line passes inches away from homes and cafes and it has
become a tourist attraction that is both unsettling and exhilarating. Throughout
the day trains travel north or south along a set schedule, passing inches from
the establishments. People flock here to experience trains passing by too close
for comfort, get souvenirs and drinks. If you visit, make sure you place your
beer bottle cap on the track to have it flattened for a free souvenir.
Train Street Hanoi
HUE
Night Walking Street
bar on the Night Walking Street Hue
The Tet Offensive raged
through the streets of Hue and places like the Citadel still show signs of the
war, but across the Perfume River the lively Chu Van An Street brims with bars
and restaurants. Sectioned off from vehicular traffic on the weekend evenings the
Night Walking Street aka Hue Western Street, it’s hard to imagine you’re
in a Communist country. Music blares out from many places and you have your
pick of places to eat and drink.
Any visit to Vietnam
should include a visit to this ancient city that is an UNESCO world heritage
site. It is beautiful and heavily touristed with a very lively night scene.
After taking a lantern release boat ride along the Thu Bon River
grab a drink at any number of nightclubs in the area. Make sure you grab a Banh
Mi Phuong after a night of carousing. Tell them Anthony Bourdain sent you. Banh
Mi Phuong was his favorite.
Menus in this very
touristed beachfront town are listed in Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese
and eventually English. Nha Trang is an extremely popular tourist destination
for Russians and their families and at one time the Soviet, Russian and Chinese
navies maintained a fleet there. High rises overlook a beautiful beach and if
you happen to get there here are two places you must visit. Both are on the
beach.
Na Trang
Louisiane Brewhouse
& Restaurant
A very western-style
craft brew house right on the beach. It seemed out of place at first, only
because it was unexpected in Vietnam, but heck, this wasn’t the Vietnam we
learned about while growing up. (That was a double sip sentence.)
We didn’t find an area
of this cosmopolitan city that is similar to the dedicated areas in Hanoi or
Hue, but here are a couple of places for well-made martinis and/or craft beer.
Continental Hotel Saigon
Continental Hotel
Historic hotel journalists
frequented during the war and where Graham Greene wrote The Quiet American and
where Hunter S. Thompson stayed while documenting the final days of the Vietnam
War. A must stop while in Saigon…oops HCMC.
Overlooking the Opera house
and the Continental Hotel across the square their 2-for-1 happy hour martinis and
the views of the rapidly expanding city scape makes for a pleasant stop.
The craft beer scene is thriving in Saigon, surprisingly, perhaps driven by all the ex-patriots who
have settled here. We were able to get
to one, Pasteur Street Brewing. Sadly, we missed getting to the Heart of Darkness
brewery… so many bars, so little time. But, that’s what pub crawls in foreign
lands are like, a journey into the unknown.
Used to be that you could just jump on a plane and fly off to Europe, no visa required, but since the 9/11
terrorist attacks, security concerns have tightened and now with the digital
age travelers are vetted even before they leave home.
As Americans, you still don't need a visa to travel to Europe or the UK, but you need to apply for "pre-approval". This modernization of
border security streamlines entry procedures and helps track travelers entering
the country. In 2009 the United States rolled out the Electronic System for
Travel Authorizations (ESTA). Travelers from countries that did not previously
require a visa, which includes much of Europe, Australia and Japan, among
others, now have to apply for the ESTA and are charged a nominal fee of $40.27
that is good for two years and allows for stays up to 90 days.
On the surface the cynical thinking this is just a money grab, but this added process will lead in the long run to a faster, more secure travel experience.
The ESTA does not guarantee entry into the United States, but only the right to reach the airport, border crossing or port of entry. You still need to clear customs to actually enter the country.
RETURNING THE FAVOR
The UK has started
their own travel authorization version called ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization)
in January 2025. The fee is £20 ($27.11) and is valid for two years or until
your passport expires, and it is another layer of security for the UK. Like the
US’s version ETA is basically a pre-approval system and screens travelers for
security risks before they depart.
When we travel to
England for Christmas later this year I will have to apply for an ETA. Janet
already has hers.
NOW THE EU GETTING INTO
THE ACT
The European Union is
also rolling out their own pre-approval electronic layer of security. It’s
called the ETIAS, but it is not starting until the 4th Quarter of
this year. Their fee will be €20 ($23.43) and valid for three years for
multiple visits. The fee will be waived for applicants under 18 or over 70.
Also, in October the EU will start EES the EU Entry/Exit System. It will
be free, but biometric data like facial recognition and fingerprints will be
collected and the system will digitally log your arrival and departure and
automatically tracks how long you’ve stayed. The maximum length of a visit is
90 days in any 180-day period. Overstaying a 90-day limit could result in fines
or future entry bans.
We won’t have to apply for
the ETIAS or EES on our next trip to Greece, but will need to for future trips.
WHAT’S REQUIRED?
The USA UK and the two EU
versions of this new normal electronic authorization are separate and there are
different requirements for each. Just make sure you visit the individual websites
(listed below) for instructions. Make sure your passport is valid and will not
expire within 6 months of your return and apply for the necessary paperwork
well in advance of your departure. Required times vary, but if you apply at
least a week in advance you should be fine.
Please avoid any scams
and only apply with these official websites listed below.
Janet and I love small ship cruises.
They are intimate and the ships are able to get to ports too small for those
floating cities. We’ve been on cruises where there were more crew members than
passengers and the largest one had 65 patrons on board. THAT felt crammed.
We’ve sailed through the
Grenadines, the Dalmatian Islands of Croatia, the Sacred Islands of Fiji and
along the Pacific coast between Costa Rica and Panama.
CLOSER TO HOME
It was on the Costa
Rica/Panama trip that we traveled with Variety Cruises on their three masted
Panorama. We booked that trip in December 2019 for a February 2020 departure,
effectively a last-minute deal. It was on that trip that the crew outnumbered
the passengers.
Understandably, Variety
Cruises is a Greek company and no longer sails that particular route and stays closer to home.
the Panorama
In June we are sailing with Variety again, and we are going to be on the Panorama. Variety is calling this trip UNEXPLORED GREECE and the itinerary involves some very small islands like: Ikaria, Patmos, Lipsi, Kalymnos, Amorgos and Serifos. I know, it's all Greek to me, but I'm sure there will be plenty of wine, coffee, sponges and swimming!
We had both been in Greece
before. I traveled there after the Sarajevo Olympics spending time on Crete and
Santorini and Janet had an extended visit during her summer off time shedding
her image and presumably her sarong as a proper Schoolmarm, but we’ve never
traveled to these smaller islands.
AFTER SAILING
After the cruise we are then taking
a ferry to Hydra island, about a 90-minute ferry ride from Athens and where cars
aren’t allowed and the Uber rides are donkeys.
BOOK EARLY
We lucked out in getting a half-price
excursion with Variety the last time. The old adage is that once a ship sails
with empty berths that is lost money. Not wanting to chance waiting we pounced
on a deal in December that has since risen in price. We were also able to cash
in frequent flyer miles with American for one free trip. We purchased another ticket,
hoping that prices would come down, which they sometimes do…but current world
events put the kibosh on that thinking and prices have gone up! Even the required
frequent flyer miles have risen! So, we are lucky.
IT'LL COST YA
The thing about Variety is there
is an upcharge for some of their excursions. We compiled roughly $800.00 in excursion
fees in Costa Rica/Panama. It was worth it, but we only paid extra once before in
Croatia when we went to an Agrotourism dinner on Korcula. In Fiji we paid extra
to go scuba diving. So going through the Variety Cruises itinerary for our trip
the excursions will cost us around $700,00, I say, money well spent.
Remember, it’s a big world out
there and someone has to see it.
IN CASE YOU’RE WONDERING
These are the ships we’ve sailed
on:
M/S Panorama – Variety Cruises
This majestic three-masted
motor sailer can accommodate up to 49 passengers, so you can imagine how quiet
it was with just 16 passengers.
We consider this trip to
Croatia the absolute best. We sailed from Dubrovnik to Split through the
Dalmatian Islands and then spent two weeks in Croatia. Lovely people wonderful
country.
Sadly, the Fiji Princess has
recently been retired after a weather-related incident caused the ship to hit a
reef and was deemed unsalvageable after serving Blue Lagoon Cruises for 22
years.
Fiji Princess-Blue Lagoon
There is a new ship though and I’m sure they will cater to travels for
full and half week trips through the Sacred Islands. The Fiji Princess had a
capacity of 65 passengers.
Our first vacation together
was on this majestic three-masted sailing ship that actually sailed, tacking
into ports. Sadly, Windjammer Cruises as a company is defunct, but we had
sailed with her roundtrip from St Lucia to Grenada. We recently returned to the
Grenadines to visit St. Vincent and Bequia.
