KALYMNOS

SPONGES, THE BENDS AND ROCK CLIMBING

diver

We recently sailed with Variety Cruises on what they termed “Unexplored Greece”. The Panorama first took us to Ikaria, where the mythological tragedy of Icarus ended, Patmos, where St. John wrote the Book of Revelations and Lipsi, where we drank a lot of wine.

The next stop in our island-hopping adventure in Greece had us in Kalymnos, one of the larger islands in the Dodecanese with a greater population than any islands we had visited up until then. The island is famous for the harvesting of natural sponges that since ancient Greece have been harvested by divers. For centuries sponges was the main source of income on the island. Sons would learn the trade from their fathers and the island’s identity was with the sea.

A BIT OF HISTORY

For centuries men would freedive to depths reaching 100 feet. They would use a heavy stone, called a skandalopetra that was rounded with a rope threaded through a hole in the middle to help speed their descent and to preserve air. Depending on the diver’s lung capacity he could remain underwater for up to five minutes. The diver, usually naked, would fill a net with sponges before being hauled up by the crew at the surface. Since ancient Greek times this was the method of harvesting sponges.

Sponges at museum

Although freediving for sponges was a dangerous profession, the industry took a tragic turn for the worse with the use of diving suits, that began in the mid-1860s. Air would be pumped down to the diver wearing a helmet and suit. This allowed the diver to stay underwater longer and deeper than with freediving. Not understanding the dangers of decompression sickness, where dissolved gases, primarily nitrogen form bubbles in the blood and body tissues, causing excruciating pain. Also called the bends, thousands of men were crippled, paralyzed or died when they came up too quickly. 

When we took a tour of a sponge museum in Kalymnos the guide spoke of seeing men crippled from the bends. As scuba divers we know that we need a “safety stop”, about 15 feet below the surface for five minutes to allow our bodies to reacclimate to surface pressures. At the museum there was a picture of a diver on the surface smoking a cigarette. We were told that if a man could inhale cigarette smoke after he ascended, he was okay. If not, he would go back into the water to decompress.  

picture displayed at
Kalymnos sponge museum

Different safety protocols.

SPONGE WORTHY

Ancient Greek writings of Aristotle and Plato both mentioned sponges. Homer mentions sponges in both the Iliad and the Odyssey. They were used in a myriad of ways, from bathing, as padding for helmets, portable drinking vessels, and as a contraceptive. The Romans used a xylospongium, literally a sponge on a stick, to wipe themselves after defecating.

By the mid-20^th Century though overfishing and pollution nearly drove the sponges, and the industry of harvesting them, to extinction. The introduction of synthetic sponges was another debilitating blow to natural sponge harvesting, which involves a labor-intensive process of cleaning and shaping to ready them for market.

Roman xylospongium 

 Today, the tradition of harvesting sponges continues on Kalymnos, albeit at a much lesser scale when fleets of trawlers would go out for months to harvest sponges. In Pothia the main town of Kalymnos, and where we docked overnight, there are still a lot of boats devoted to sponge harvesting and workshops and museums selling sponges to tourists.

CLIMBING

Less than 20% of Kalymnos can be farmed, the rest is barren and rocky, which has proved to be another tourist attraction to the island. In the past several decades Kalymnos has become a rock-climbing holiday destination with several outfitters serving this new reason to visit this island.  

OUR VISIT

After a swim stop on Kefala Beach where the Panorama’s tender ferried us to shore and the crew set up umbrellas for shade on the sun-splashed cove we docked the busy main port of Pothia, the main town of Kalymnos.

 

It was hot, but we had time to head into town for lunch. Several tavernas line the port and we went to To Steki Ton Nautikon as per a recommendation by our cruise director Kristina with four other passengers from the Panorama. The table shared several appetizers. Janet and I shared a Greek salad and a bottle (small) of ouzo. You’ll know the restaurant when you see it by the boat suspended over the entranceway.

TO STEKI TON NAUTIKON, KALYMNOS

Our tour began with a very touristy tram ride through the town with the guide pointing out different statues, one of a naked freediver and another of a local diving legend, Antonis Kampourakis, wearing a dive suit. Still alive,  Antonis dove until he turned 72. 

Freediver statue
Kalymnos

The tram tootled through town with the guide pointing out that streets here were not named, but are known by the church that is in that neighborhood. We then went to one of several little museums along the port for a demonstration about the steps to glean and shape natural sponges for market, shown artifacts like the diving helmets and skandalopetra and an array of sponges from luffa rough to silky smooth. All were for sale. They also had displayed a picture of a diver smoking a cigarette, obviously free of decompression sickness.

Variety Cruises made our stay on Kalymnos “Greek Night” and ouzo flowed freely and Greek food was served for dinner. On the sun deck afterwards we were entertained with traditional Greek dances including the Kalymnos Sponge Diver dance, which has a man crippled by the bends, at first unable to dance, but “cured” by the music.  

Antonis Kampourakis

Janet retired, but I wanted another walk around town and settled on one of countless tavernas in Pothias all blaring the Stoiximan Greek Basket League Finals for one more ouzo and meze.

BTW the Olympiacos Heroes defeated the Panathinaikos Fighters to take the Stoiximan GBL 2026 championship.

 Thanks for reading!

Love Janet and greg

© 2026 by Gregory Dunaj

Here is a Youtube video of a Kalymnos Sponge Diver Dance:

 

PATMOS / LIPSI

FROM THE END OF DAYS TO THE END OF A WONDERFUL DAY

Lipsi

 Two islands in one day.

The first one you might have heard of, but probably not the other. 

On our second day of sailing with Variety Cruises for their “Unexplored Greece” excursion aboard the beautiful three masted Panorama we got to visit Patmos and then sailed on to Lipsi.

PATMOS

The Book of Revelations was written on Patmos by St John the Divine, aka St John the Theologian, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ. He was banished to Patmos by the Romans, but only after they dunked him in boiling oil, but he emerged unscathed.   

Revelations is the final book in the New Testament and foretells the second coming of Christ and the end of days.

Monastery of
St John the Theologian
Patmos

Appropriately it was on a Sunday morning we visited this revered Orthodox Christian destination. We went on a guided tour of the Cave of the Apocalypse, where St John wrote Revelations, and the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, of which the earliest parts date from the 11^th Century. Both are UNESCO World Heritage sites. The monastery also has a museum with several manuscripts and relics including, believe it or not, the skull of St. Thomas. (Pun intended.)

There was an admission cost to both, but that was covered by Variety Cruises.

After our tour we had an hour or two to idle away on this tranquil island. We found a shady table of an outdoor café in the quiet port town of Skala and relaxed over freddo espresso, (Greek iced coffee), with metrio (a little bit of sugar) before heading back to the Panorama. 

Monastery of
St John the Theologian
Patmos

Patmos

LIPSI

There is absolutely nothing to do on Lipsi except walk the 8-kilometer island, swim on any of the quiet beaches, go diving or sit at an Ouzeri along the lengthy quay to take in a brilliant sunset. There are no cultural attractions on Lipsi as there was on Patmos. The island of just 800 residents has no large hotels or resorts, and there is an ordinance limiting buildings to just two-stories. Janet and I thought the island was perfect, very peaceful and tranquil. It does get busier during the months of July and August, but it felt like we had the island to ourselves as we explored it on an early Sunday evening this past June.

Brilliantly white-washed buildings with daubs of color, usually blue (as this is the cheapest pigment) for accents lined the meandering pathways that served as streets away from the port.  Lipsi is an actively working marina, with lots of colorful fishing boats moored, the ship’s nets spread out drying in the sun. 

The island is a popular stop for yachts as well and this easternmost Dodecanese archipelago is closer to Turkey than mainland Greece.

Lipsi

WINE NOT

Our island excursion was a visit to the Nico Grylli Winery where our group was seated at a long table overlooking the marina and the vineyards to sample their five wines paired with different foods. The last was the Aposperitis from the unique and rare Fokiano grape variety which was served with perfectly spicy nibbles.

Seating at Nico Grylli Winery

We purchased a bottle of their Rose Water to take home.

NICE GRYLLI WINERY LIPSI

OUZERI

LIPSI

We opted to not take the van all the way back to the Panorama and decided to walk the quiet streets before finally settling in on the colorful chairs of the Asprakis Taverna (or Ouzeri) for Ouzo and a Mythos beer and meze to watch the sunset. Yacht kids tootled past on their scooters, people walked their dogs and it was just the perfect place.

We weren’t done for the night though. We ambled over to Nick and Louli’s Ouzeri for more ouzo and yet another meze. This place was even quieter and locals seated near a rack of drying Octopus tentacles happily waved at us when we approached to enjoy one final stop on this tranquil island where there’s nothing to do.

Thanks for reading.

Love Janet and greg

LIPSI

LIPSI

LIPSI

LIPSI WITH DRYING OCTOPUS

© 2026 by Gregory Dunaj

IKARIA, GREECE

 SO, YOU WANT TO LIVE FOREVER?

ICARUS

There are places in this world that just seem right. On Ikaria, the first island we visited on our Variety Cruises’ “Unexplored Greece” island-hopping adventure, we slipped easily into an easy way of approaching the day.

Perhaps it was because the island was our first stop of our 8-day cruise aboard the Panorama and everything seemed fresh and new? Perhaps it was because we alighted on Ikaria in the “shoulder season” and not at the height of tourist revelry in the months of July and August and the plateia tables of the port town of Agios Kirykos although filled that first night held a certain calmness to them? One would imagine a Saturday night would be livelier, but on Ikaria an easier unrushed approach to life is the norm. Afterall, Ikaria is an island where people forget to die.

AGIOS KIRYKOS

BLUE ZONE

Ikaria is a “Blue Zone”, one of just 6 in the world. This moniker is given to places where people live exceptionally long lives, often exceeding the centenarian mark. The longevity evidently stems from a combination of physical activity, strong social interactions within the community with low stress levels and maintaining a primarily plant-based diet. Whatever the reason the pace of Ikaria is slow, meals take a long time, people linger over conversations and drinks deep into the night. Sunsets are appreciated. 

Why hurry? The island ranks up there as the Bluest of Blue Zones.

To read more about this phenomena: IKARIA AND BLUE ZONES

RADON LOVE

Another reason …maybe… for increased longevity are the number of spas on the island that people soak in for the therapeutic effects of the radioactive waters.

COMMUNAL SPA IKARIA

 

Don't be too alarmed, but Ikaria has the highest concentrations of radon found in Greece and all of Europe and studies have shown that long-time beneficial rehabilitative effects can be achieved from the “therapeutic waters”.

You don’t believe me:

GOOD FOR WHAT AILS YOU

Our excursion on the island was to visit the spa town of Therma where we swam in the communal hot springs, although we were told to limit our time to just 20 minutes. Because there is a gentle ocean flow here the concentration of radon is less than other spas and there will be warm and cold spots.

When our noisy group arrived, there were several locals also enjoying the waters.

It’s rocky and the steps into the pool are steep. Make sure you wear water shoes.  

ICARUS 

MEZZE 

After our dip and with no one claiming hair loss our cruise director from Variety Cruises walked us over to the Icarus café, one of several hedging the beach for drinks and meze. Meze is the snack one often gets served when ordering drinks, like a Greek tapas.

Janet and I had ouzo, having grown fond of this aperitif while in Athens and we shared a craft beer brewed on Ikaria!

Ikariotissa Beer offers a porter, ale, unfiltered ale and a lager. We used the ale to help wash down the last of our meze.

Above the café’s doorway hung a painting of the establishment and the island’s namesake, Icarus.

In Greek mythology Dedalus and his son escaped King Minos and his labyrinth on Crete by fashioning wings of feathers and wax and flying away. Sadly, Icarus in his youthful exuberance few too close to the sun and the wax melted and he plummeted to this island. 

Great story, great beer, great island.

IKARIOTISSA BEER

The sad part of a sailing adventure is there never is enough time to fully explore a place. Our visit could have lasted days. You get a taste or an image before having to move on, never fully understanding where you just left, but it anything is to be taken from Ikaria it is to enjoy yourself, and forget to die.

Thanks for reading.

Love Janet and greg

© 2026 by Gregory Dunaj

THREE DAYS IN ATHENS

ANTIQUITES AND SPINACH PIE 

We started our trip to Greece by spending a few days in the ancient capital of Athens, which, because we were going to be sailing on an 8-day trip through some small islands in the Cyclades and Dodecanese, was more than enough time. Although, plenty of travel sources say 3-4 days in Athens is enough time to see all the major sights, like the Acropolis and Parthenon, etc., and we made the best of our time while there.

Here is what we did in Athens:

HOTEL HERODIAN

Janet always seems to find the best places and the centrally located Hotel Herodian was yet another hit for the Captain of Vacations From Home.

FROM THE BAR

Our neat, clean hotel was optimally located a block from the Acropolis. We even had a spectacular view of this ancient magnificent promontory from the roof top bar / restaurant at the Herodian, and our martinis there were especially enjoyable.

There are also two hot tubs on the floor beneath the restaurant which offered the same shocking view of the edifice and the Parthenon, that temple erected to the goddess Athena, shown brightly like a beacon from the gods themselves. It was lovely. 

HOT TUB VIEW

The staff at the Herodian were pleasant and helpful, giving dinner suggestions away from the hotel, and arranged for our private transfer later to our ship in the port of Piraeus.

Our driver said this area was one of the safest in Athens, despite its proximity to everything!

HERODIAN HOTEL ATHENS 

HOP ON BUS

Because of our early arrival our room wasn’t quite ready, but the hotel stored our bags and we explored our immediate area for a few hours.

It was hot, so we opted to pay fare for a Hop-On/Hop off double decker bus. You can find the business in several cities around the world. Don’t knock this very touristy ride for It is a convenient way to see a city. Though we never get off the bus and only tootle around, at 20 euros each we were able to kill much of our time while seeing where certain interesting sites are located, like the Parliament building where there is the hourly changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier, Hadrian’s gate, the Olympic stadium, etc.

You’re provided ear pieces and can listen to a guide describe the various places.

HOP ON HOP OFF BUS 

ACROPOLIS / PARTHENON TOUR

ACROPOLIS DETAIL

Because the Herodian was so centrally located, it was a leisurely walk the next morning to our rendezvous point for our small group tour of the Acropolis and Parthenon. It was a very busy area, just on the outskirts of the Plaka, another very touristed area, and just across the street from Hadrian’s Arch. The notes said for us to meet our guide at an outdoor ice cream shop, who was seated on one of the chairs.

You don’t need to purchase a tour to walk the grounds of the Acropolis, although you need to purchase a ticket for an allotted time entry. Our guide though was knowledgeable and gave us historical tidbits about various locations like how the Roman style of architecture differed from the Greeks because of the use of arches. She also wove stories from mythology into pointing out various things, which included the naming of Athens after Athena, who had struggled with Poseidon over the naming rights of the city while we were seated in the shade of an olive tree. The olive branch is symbolic of peace and wisdom and triumph and it was the very token Athena gave as a peace offering.

ROMAN ARCHES

The Acropolis and the Parthenon is a must, must visit for anyone traveling to Athens. Though this was my second time to Athens this was my first visit to the Acropolis, because there was a labor strike going on and it was closed at the time..

 

Our tour also included entry into the Acropolis Museum where our guide walked us through the displays and artifacts and statues, including the surviving five Caryatids statues that once served as columns for the porch of the Erechtheion temple and were famously removed and cleansed, saving them from the air pollution of Athens. The 6^th Caryatid was spirited off to the British Museum along with many panels from the Parthenon.

The CARYATIDS with one missing

There are several choices for tours. We went with Athens Walking Tours. They focus on keeping their tour groups small. Janet booked them through Tripadvisor. Here is their direct email address:

ancient

ATHENS WALKING TOURS 

Having learned our lesson from ordering too much food the night before (read the earlier entry on this subject) we shared one (1) Greek salad and an entrée between us at Taverna Skoumpri, a short walk from our hotel. It was ample food.

Taverna Skoumpri Athens

 

Ariston Bakery, Athens

FOOD TOUR

About halfway through our walking food tour of Athens, having forgotten the whole “too much food” edict we imposed on ourselves, our guide cautioned us that we signed up for this! 

Normally we try to take a cooking class, but Janet found a world-wide company that offers food tours, and this would have been a great idea, but we still hadn’t fully recovered from our pig-out soirees from two nights previously. The guide from Culinary Backstreets dragged us to six different places in the city center and Plaka to sample everything!

KOSTARELOS

We started with several versions of very healthy unstrained yogurts at the company store of Kostarelos, the final container drizzled with honey.

KOSTARELOS, ATHENS

ARISTON BAKERY

At Ariston bakery, which has been in operation since 1910 we had cheese pastries and various sweet confections. 

ARISTON BAKERY, ATHENS

PNYKA SYNTAGMA

Pnyka Syntagma is a bakery where we ate spinach and mushroom and cheese pies and a street-food staple, koulouri, a sesame encrusted bread that looked like an oversized bagel.

Pnyka interior

Pnyka exterior

KOSTAS

Already stuffed we somehow managed to eat some of the greatest souvlaki we had ever had at Kostas. You must get to this hole-in-the-wall shop early because once they sell out of the grilled pork or chicken that they prepared for their souvlaki they close up the shop and the line can stretch out down the street. No where else in Greece came close to Kostas souvlaki. While we ate our souvlaki various people, mostly tourists, came in to purchase their own and to snap pictures of this number one souvlaki restaurant.

no lines at Kostas.... yet

KOSTAS SOUVLAKI ATHENS

GLYKYS

We thought we had a respite from the eating when we took outdoor seats at the leafy quiet café Glykys, just a block away from the main “street’ of the Plaka where all the touristy shops are located. But, after ordering our Greek coffee, telling the waiter how much sugar we wanted, our guide presented us with some confections purchased earlier at Ariston.

We were then given a primer on how to read your coffee grinds in order to foretell the future. I was told mine had an eagle, but to me it looked like a bad haircut.

The next morning we returned to Glykys to have a final coffee in Athen before we left for the port of Piraeus and our boat.

GLYKYS CAFE ATHENS

Eagle or a bad haircut?

GLYKYS CAFE, ATHENS

SAITA TAVERNA  

Saita in the Plaka was busy with street musicians and tourists milling about and though we technically were not hungry, we sat at outdoor table and several plates of food served family style came out. 

Lamb, potatoes, several types of vegetables including a plate of a seasonal green called Horta, which kind of tasted like spinach were served.

MALOTIRA  

We finally ended the food tour when we trudged down the Plaka, with the Acropolis over our left shoulder to Malotira, a Greek boutique deli where we sampled several olive oils from around the country. We washed down these essential oils with a glass of Tsipouro and nibbled on a concoction of creamy goat and sheep cheese that was dusted with oregano from Crete and then drizzled with honey. Tsipouro and the anise infused ouzo are the national drinks of Greece.

MALOTIRA, ATHENS 

Contact Culinary Backstreets if you dare, but don't say we didn't warn you! All kidding aside it was a great way to gain weight!

CULINARY BACKSTREETS

WALKING IT OFF... 

Needless to say, we did not eat dinner that evening, but we did walk to the Parliament building where we caught the hourly changing of the honor guard protecting the tomb of the unknown soldier. This is free, but you must obey the commander’s directions and stay behind a white marble strip.

PARLIAMENT BUILDING ATHENS

The meeting point for our food tour was in the plaza across the street from the Parliament building and that morning we opted to take a quick ride on the metro, but in the evening we needed to walk and it was about 20 minutes from our hotel.

Changing of the guard at the tomb of the
unknown soldier, Athens

It was a busy time in Athens.

 

Subway stop Acropolis

Thanks for reading.

Love Janet and greg dunaj

© 2026 by Gregory Dunaj