For the Love of Greeceđź’™
View from the Mycenean cemetery at Voudeni
My first trip to Greece was in 1992, onboard HMCS Gatineau, when we were part of STANAVFORLANT,[1] carrying out operations in the Adriatic Sea. At that time we made three separate visits to Greece (Corfu, Piraeus and Thessaloniki). Unfortunately my photos from then are in storage on the other side of the country, so I will leave my discussion of those visits for another time.
I previously worked as an archaeologist in Crete in 2008, and have written about that visit here.
This post will be about my last visit, in 2014, when I travelled alone for over a month. At that time I was working in the environmental sector across the Arctic, but based in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. I had planned a trip with a friend from Toronto, who pulled out at the last minute. I went anyway, and had an amazing time. I adjusted the itinerary to suit my own interests and thoroughly enjoyed travelling on my own. It is hard to believe a decade has passed since I was last there.
I flew from Whitehorse to Athens (via Frankfurt) and headed to my hotel as my arrival was quite late at night. The next morning my colleague and friend, David Stone, came in to meet me. We had breakfast together at a café and then drove to Patras in the northwestern Peloponnese. Patras was going to be my base for a couple of weeks while I explored the region and several other sites in the Peloponnese, including a ferry trip across to Ithaka (home of Homer’s Odysseus) for three days, and a day trip across the Gulf of Patras to visit the lovely town of Nafpaktos.
There are quite a few ancient sites in Patras including the Roman Odeon and the really wonderful Archaeological Museum of Patras.
Ithaka was incredible for a variety of reasons; it was not overly busy, and they had plenty of sites that were easily accessed. On the ferry over, I met a Greek doctor (Konstantinos V) who was on vacation, and we got to spend some time together, grabbing a truly memorable meal of fresh, grilled sardines which I can honestly say tastes nothing like the canned ones we have at home in Canada.🎣 We also hiked together to Arethousa’s Spring and spent an afternoon swimming at a stunning beach. The rest of the time there was spent walking around the harbour, visiting the Archaeological Museum of Ithaki, and doing a solo hike up the very steep hill to visit ancient Alalkomenai. The views from the top were absolutely breathtaking. I didn’t see a single other soul on that hike - except a bunch of goats. When I was half-way up, crawling over some steep boulders I remembered I hadn’t even left a note in my hotel room about where I was. If I fell how long would it be before I was found? I’m much better about leaving itineraries now when I hike solo.
Patras has a lot to offer and there are many day trips quite accessible from there, including the Myceanean cemetery of Voudeni, and to several archaeological sites. My friend Dimitrios (from Patras) introduced me to a lovely tour guide, Ioanna Papakosta, who let me tag along on her tours to Olympia and Delphi.
Volos, Skopelos and Meteora
Time was flying. There is so much to see and never enough time. I made my way back to Athens (by bus) and then hopped the train to Volos. I wasn’t sure what to expect there, but I was interested in seeing some of central Greece. I had a magnificent time in Volos. Although my notes from my vacation are in storage across the country, I did get to see and do a lot there. I spent an extra couple of days in Volos because the people were all so friendly and helpful. I found a delightful little taverna (or tsipouradika) next to the water that offered incredibly delicious seafood, and tsipouro.[2] The owner and the locals were so engaging that I returned every evening to try some other dishes, laugh and sing…and stumble my way back to the hotel.
I also made it to the Athanasakeio Archaeological Museum of Volos. There were almost no tourists, and the curator of the museum came and gave me a personal tour when I mentioned to staff that I was an archaeologist. I also went to check out the replica of the Argo in the harbour, when I heard it was there.
When I visited the Theatre of Demetrias, I met a conservator (Ioannis) working there who showed me around and explained the work he was doing, then he drove me to see the ancient city of Demetrias. The people of Volos were so charming and welcoming. I have really wonderful memories of there.
On to my next stop. My favourite actress is Meryl Streep. I don’t think I’ve seen a movie she is in that I didn’t absolutely love, and one of my all-time favourites is Mamma Mia! Because Skopelos Island is close to Volos I thought I would like to go. It is a fairly quick ferry ride to Glossa, and I had booked a nice B&B near that port (up the hill). Not only was the island beautiful, but it was fairly easy to get around (by bus or taxi). One day I took a bus to Skopelos town and spent the day wandering around and checking out the various shops and the port, including the Monument to the Unknown Sailor (see photo below). I also went to Agio Ioannis Chapel (the one depicted in the movie) and climbed up to it. The external scenes (from the movie) are accurate, but the interior of the chapel was shot elsewhere. I also went swimming there! Another day I did a boat tour of nearby sites and sea caves.
I returned to Volos after a couple of days on Skopelos and then took the train to Meteora - which is spectacularly beautiful, and definitely worth a visit (but most of my photos from there didn’t work out).
Map of visited sites in Greece (2014)
The final week was back in Athens where I did lots of walking and met up again with my friend, David, who also drove me to Sounion and Brauron. As a former Naval Officer and someone who still loves to sail, I think it was vitally important for me to make a pilgrimage to the Temple of Poseidon. đź”±
I am currently planning a trip back to Greece this fall. If you have any recommendations (time likely split between Crete and the Peloponnese), please leave a note in the comments below. Opa!
[1] Standing Naval Force Atlantic - in 1992 HMCS Gatineau was part of the NATO intervention in the former Yugoslavia.
[2] Perhaps it is my Navy days that has me always trying local cuisine and liquor. Volos is well known for serving Tsipouro. Check out this article: Volos: Greece’s Capital of Tsipouro
