Greece and Black Sea Emails John Mosley / Barbara Foster April 23 – May 29, 2016

April 21: About to depart Hi friends, We’re about to depart on another trip overseas — and you’re on our email list to follow our adventures. Now is the time to decline if you’d rather not be bothered by them. Our destinations are Crete, Aegean Islands, and the Black Sea with port stops. The trip planning unfolded this way: When we were in Bergen, Norway, two years ago, I saw a “tall ship” — huge sailing ship — in port and decided I had to go on one. When we saw just such a trip on a route we wanted to take, we signed up. It's a 2-week sailing cruise from Athens and into the Black Sea and return on a 5-masted sailing ship for the second half of May. We can’t go so far for just two weeks, so we added a guided archaeology tour of Crete and Santorini that happens the week prior. To make it a full month we then added a week at a resort on the Mediterranean on Crete. So we worked backwards in our planning for a full month in Europe (and maybe a few minutes in Asia). But first we’re going to Seattle for three days to attend my son’s wedding. We leave St. George tomorrow morning, enjoy the wedding on Saturday, and fly out and away on Sunday afternoon. After 14 hours (!) we land in Dubai, overnight at an airport hotel, and in the morning continue on to Athens (a 4-hour backtrack) and then take a shuttle flight to Crete. The idea is to rest at the resort before beginning the activities — and after those flights and time-zone changes we’ll need it! I’ll probably begin our emails when we arrive on Crete on Tuesday evening. Expect to hear complaints about so much time spent in just over one square foot of seating space. We’re told we’ll have slow internet access on Crete, catch-as-catch-can at the hotels on our archaeology tour, and limited, expensive, pay-by-the-megabyte access on the tall ship. So I ask (insist, really) that when you write back — and we very much like it when you do — that you NOT send back any photos I sent you. I’m willing to pay for them to go out but not to have them returned. For us it’ll be a month without web browsing -- which will be just fine, come to think of it. So look for an email in a few days from some distant place where olive oil and tourism are the main industries. John (& Barbara) * * * * * * * * * *

April 26: Seattle to Athens via Dubai (not the short cut) and on to Crete Hi Friends, The wedding on Saturday was great and I almost got misty-eyed as my son and his bride took their vows. They seem truly in love so everyone has high hopes for a warm and lasting marriage. And we got to spend time with people we don’t often see. That 14-hour flight from Seattle to Dubai that I had dreaded was not too bad. We had three seats so could spread out a bit and change positions somewhat. I looked down as we flew over Norway (spectacular), Russia (cloudy), the Caspian Sea (not much to see), Iran (awfully harsh desert), and the Persian Gulf, with a glimpse of downtown Dubai and it’s famous skyscrapers in the distance as we landed. We watched movies and napped across 11 time zones. We have too few impressions of Dubai, having only gone from the airport to a hotel to overnight in the dark and then back to the airport the following morning. Official government gentlemen wear long white robes, a small white turban-like hat (sorry - don’t know the name), and identical close-trimmed beard; most but not all of the women (except tourists!) wear a head-scarf. Businessmen wear western suits. The wedding got scheduled to happen immediately before our paid-in-advance reservation on Crete or we would have stayed a day in Dubai just to say we saw it, but couldn’t squeeze it in. About all we can say is that we changed planes there. That was Sunday-Monday. Today — Tuesday — we backtracked 4.5 hours from Dubai to Athens over Saudi Arabia and the Sinai Peninsula, and good lord — those deserts redefine “desolate”. Only the Atacama compares that I’ve seen. It’s hard to know precisely what you’re seeing from 36,000 feet but when the dirt roads (as I presume that’s what I saw) are a hundred miles apart, that’s harsh. Then a 50-minute flight that hardly counted to Crete, finishing with a 90 minute taxi ride to our resort on the south side of the island. We arrived after dark and barely looked around. Tomorrow we’ll begin a well-earned rest. We don’t plan to go anywhere! - John (& Barbara) PS — Barbara seems to have picked up a cold, exactly like she did on our last trip (New Zealand). * * * * * * * * *

April 27: 1st day at resort Hi Friends, After that long commute from Seattle (actually just a lot of waiting alternating with sitting) we feel like we could use a vacation, and ours began today. We’re at Vitomartis Resort [https://www.vritomartis.com] on the south coast of Crete, facing Libya far behind the horizon. There is a hotel (which we are in) and smaller condos with a pool at center. The private beach is a 15-minute walk away and we’ll go there tomorrow or the day after. Our room is medium size with a desk (nice for writing) and enough space for our luggage, and a patio facing the sea with a table and lounge chairs. We’re above the bar in the attached map; our patio is second from the far right. Breakfasts and dinners are included in our fare, which is quite reasonable, and we buy lunch at the pool bar. I plan to spend most of the time in a lounge chair by the pool or perhaps at the beach with my Kindle. The resort has a variety of activities, and my activity for today was watching water polo. A nice plus is that wi-fi is fairly fast, free, and everywhere, including in our room. You can’t count on that. We were up quite early and were first in line for breakfast, which is a buffet. I’ve groused on this several times before, most recently in New Zealand, but let me vent a final time: the English have ruined breakfasts around the world. Of all the cultures’ cooking others could have copied, most chose the English! Tragic! I just don’t get it: boiled bacon, tastefree eggs, “sausage” (actually boiled hot dogs), and beans. To be fair the mushrooms were good and ditto the pastries, but why we would see such a wretched breakfast wherever we go is beyond me. Salsa would have made the eggs edible but a spoonful of local mizithra cheese did the trick. Tomorrow I’ll try the muesli. Dinner was also a buffet and it was great, with only the flavorless but obligatory English peas & carrots mix to ruin it for the unwary (which I knew to avoid). Dinner included stuffed calamari, moussaka, souvlaki, and a variety of other Greek dishes which were wonderful but whose names I forget. Plus roast rabbit (the ribs are awfully small). I thoroughly enjoy Greek food and am glad the cooks ignored whatever the English would have boiled. Add a half-bottle of local wine — the label was in Greek so I can’t say what kind, other than white — for $7 and I was very happy. An odd thing is that at European resorts of this nature (naturist) one must dress for dinner. Not dress up, but dress. That’s not necessary in the USA. But that’s why we travel — for new perspectives and new experiences. Barbara has been a bit under the weather and slept much of the day but I’ve already adjusted the 8 time-zone change and feel OK. It’s 9:40 pm and I’m finishing the evening with some Ouzo* (when in Greece …) and will watch a documentary on the Minoans I recorded before we left. Life is good.

So here we are on Crete. I took the photo out the dining room window at breakfast. Not a bad place to relax for a week! - John (& Barbara) The first time I had Ouzo was when my friend Ed Abbey invited me out for a drink after he gave a talk at the University of Utah four decades ago. It’s an acquired taste I’m still working on. Standard Mountain ViewStandard Sea ViewSuperior Sea ViewFamily SuiteStandard Bungalow Sea SideSuperior Bungalow Sea ViewGrand Bungalow Sea View A Special Place | Vritomartis Naturist Resort in Crete



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* * * * * * * * * * April 28: Into town — almost Hi Friends, (My souvenir-size bottle of Ouzo came with a souvenir shot glass, and after 3 shots last night I missed the documentary I had planned to watch on my laptop. But I was able to stay up long enough to check Facebook.) Back to breakfasts: I forgot to mention in yesterday’s rant the deep-fried tomatoes. I saw people actually eating them! Apparently they hadn’t been warned. A new item this morning was not-quite-cooked fried eggs. We tried the muesli but it wasn’t good (did the English ruin muesli too? -- damn) and the hot milk made it worse. Actually we’re debating whether it IS milk — Barbara insists it’s hot water with something added to make it look white but I’m guessing it’s ultra-virgin negative-fat milk — but in any case we’ll skip the muesli. I’ll smother their unseasoned scrambled eggs in local cheese and that’s quite good. So I spent most of the day by the pool again with industrial-grade sunscreen and my Kindle to perfect my rather good tan. My only tan lines were from sandal straps and those are gone now too. Barbara joined me for awhile but preferred to read inside; the ceiling is SPF one million. We almost walked into the nearest town today, mostly just to stretch our legs. They got stretched — there’s nothing like walking to appreciate just how hilly this island is. We got to an overlook and let it go at that, then had a local cheese pie for lunch. The hills are bare, producing very little, and the region is almost unpopulated. There are few roads and the biggest town (the one we almost got to) has a population of 400. The highlights of dinner was a marvelous sea food paella and slow-cooked pork soaking in olive oil. Here olive oil is an ingredient not to be spared; where I would use a few teaspoons at home they use a cup. I read that the average per-person consumption of olive oil on Crete is 2 liters per month (so they buy it in 5-gallon cans). Also that Crete olive oil is so superior that they export most to Italy where they add it to their own lowgrade oil to make the quality acceptable. - John (& Barbara) Photos: This isn’t a keeper, but it shows the largest town in the district and an important port (because it’s almost the only one). Note how bare the hills are. Goats nibble not much by the side of the road. We ate lunch at the restaurant cantilevered over the hill at far right. These shrines to auto fatalities are common along the roads. The writing was badly faded — not that I could read it.









* * * * * * * * * * April 29: To the Beach Hi Friends, Our wi-fi is free – which we appreciate – but it often works too slowly to be useful or doesn’t work at all. Two nights ago it took 12 minutes to upload two photos; last night it was down for two hours (and then took 20 minutes to upload two photos). So if I don’t send something one evening it’s probably because I couldn’t, not because we were captured by terrorists. But we are in a remote region so can’t expect too much and perhaps should be grateful for the little that we have. Barbara is fine. Actually she never got sick. Mostly she was tired (don’t know why) and she shuffled off the sniffles. The warm sun must have helped. The temps here are low of around 60 and high in the low 70s with a sea breeze that makes it cool in the shade in the morning until it warms up. I’m under an umbrella when by the pool; Barbara burns easily and prefers to be inside. The weather is supposed to turn colder with maybe rain just before we leave on Tuesday, so we timed it right, as experienced travelers always do. After lunch (moussaka for J and dokas for B) we walked 20 min down to the resort’s beach. It’s smaller and less scenic than I’d expected from their promotional literature, but the sound of the light surf was very soothing and we enjoyed just relaxing there. It’s rocky so people relax in chairs under a rented umbrella with a small snack bar nearby. There were a few people in the water but we’re not keen on swimming in salt and sat it out. I can’t say much for breakfasts (“cover it with cheese”) but dinner again was full five stars. My favorites were “octopus salad” – chunks of octopus in a marinade that was flavorings and (no surprise) a lot of olive oil, and mussels in a dish with other good ingredients. To my horror people at the next table – Americans to judge from their Tshirts – had the cook specially prepare for them a huge plate of French fries! I couldn’t freaking believe it. There were so many varieties of truly wonderful food that I didn’t even get to taste half of it, and they order freaking fries! Unbelievable! Apropos of nothing, I notice that virtually every roof (at our resort, in the town we almost walked to, and along our long ride to the resort) has a solar hot water heater on it. Good for them! And we see arrays of solar panels in fields and on roofs too. There are panels on roofs of our resort and a half-acre array in a field between the resort and the beach – with goats grazing nearby in a nice mix of the old and new. More of the same tomorrow, but we’ll skip the beach. I may work on tanning the bottoms of my feet. - John (& Barbara)

Photos: the internet connection has been so crappy all today that I’ll try to send two separately. Don’t be surprised if you never see them. Photos: The resort’s beach, sponsored by the FKK. Other than the sound of the surf I think it’s nicer by the pool. We dressed up for a photo to send home. Note the “Cretan sand.”







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April 30: Nothing New Hi all, It took hours to send those two photos last night, only 3mb total, so none today. Besides, we’ve just been reading and lounging (and eating) so there’s nothing new. We had a good internet connection earlier but nothing for the past hour; maybe I should send these in the morning when there are fewer people online. I still can’t believe that couple ordered a huge plate of French fries at dinner last night. They can’t get those at home? We’re loving the Greek food – which we can’t get at home, or at least not this authentic. I’ve become accustomed to eating bread not with butter, but dipped in olive oil. For lunch I had stuffed grape leaves (even better than CostCo’s) while Barbara had little fried pastries – I think the Greek word is “knish.” All good. Dinner too – wonderful. I’m reading a novel that takes place in 1608 BC in the Aegean, near the end of the Minoan Golden Age. When I’m traveling I don’t like to read things that take me away from where I am, and this sets the stage for the next leg of our adventure. It seems, from the languages I overhear, that half the people here are from the Netherlands. There’s one French couple and no Spanish or Italian – but they have their own warm beaches and don’t need to travel so far. Plus British and a few Americans. Several families too, with not quite a dozen kids including one baby. That’s in contrast to the two resorts where we spend our summers and winters and that are inhabited almost entirely by old folk like us. It’s nice to have an age spread, although the kids can be (and in fact are) loud in the pool. We see several bleached-white bodies from northern latitudes that haven’t seen sunshine for months – and a few sunburns that are going to keep people in bed in misery the next day. They sell suntan lotion in the gift shop, folks, and you don’t need to try to get a full tan the first day. John (& Barbara) [PS – there was no internet after dinner last night so this is going out after breakfast on Sunday] * * * * * * * * * * May 1: Easter Hi all, Today is Easter – the biggest holiday of the year in Greece, eclipsing even Christmas. It’s traditional to return to your parent’s village where they roast a goat and have a feast. Here at the resort it’s a day like any other and, disappointingly, they have nothing

whatsoever planned. Just water polo, etc. They provided a shuttle to the local church to those who wanted to go, but we gave it a miss. I opted to work on my souvenir bottle of Ouzo instead. So we were back by the pool with a book and Kindle to read under the shade of an umbrella with the Mediterranean in the distance. We could hear goat bells when it was quiet – kind of nice. Noisy kids playing in the pool the rest of the time. This was more sitting than I’ve done in as long as I can remember. It’s practice for old age. I don’t have anything clever or even interesting to write so will let it go at this. Happy Easter! - John (& Barbara) * * * * * * * * * * May 2: drizzle Hi all, I’ve been reading about olive oil and have learned some amazing facts – too many to even summarize here. The Italian agrimafia makes three times the profit on adulterated olive oil that it makes on cocaine; at least two-thirds of olive oil sold in the USA is adulterated, including expensive name brands; the name Athens comes from Athena, an olive tree; the Minoans were among the first to produce olive oil around 4000 BC; 60 percent of cropland in Greece is devoted to olives. What I know from personal experience is that the Cretan olive oil we’re served is superb – either I’ve never had anything like it or I wasn’t paying attention. Too bad I can’t bring a few gallons home; I despair of finding it in shops, even if labeled as such. It’s surprising what you learn when you travel. A modest storm came thru last night with drizzle in the morning and then cloudy and too chilly to sit outside. I packed away the suntan lotion, grateful that we had as many nice days as we did. All of Europe is experiencing unusually cool weather. Later in the day the sun came out and a bunch of us die-hards did get to perfect our tans. Barbara ordered octopus for lunch (I’m not sure why) – and they brought out a plate piled high with the 4-inch creatures, battered and fried but intact. This is a great island for sea food. Our one activity was to hop the resort’s shuttle bus into town to raid the one ATM within miles. As modern as our resort is, their accounting system is stuck in the last century and we need to pay cash (euros) for our two taxi rides here and back. There’s no public bus service between here and civilization on the north side of the island, so our choice was to take two long taxi rides or rent a car; we opted to not drive the mountain roads. Our taxi bill comes to over $300 (yes, that’s not a typo) and we’ll only have about 40 euros left after paying the bill, so we had the idea to get some more cash. Nope – the machine was out, as we gathered from others that it probably would be. So we’ll find an ATM at the

airport tomorrow, but I don’t like to be with so little cash in my wallet since far fewer places here take credit cards than back home. It’ll all get sorted out. It’s been a great stay at our resort on the Mediterranean. Tomorrow is another travel day as we hop to Santorini to begin our archaeology tour. - John (& Barbara) * * * * * * * * * * May 3: Transit to Santorini Hi all, It was a windy night and we awoke to whitecaps on the Mediterranean and on the swimming pool, so final sunbathing by the pool was a bit chilly. Mostly we hung around until our taxi to the airport. Speaking of which, we got a break – we got a discount ride from a fellow who otherwise would have headed back empty, and our two taxi bills came to €195 = $235 including conversion fees. That’s for a 1.5hr ride here and 2+hr ride back to a more distant airport. We got to just look out the window while the driver navigated the mountain road (missing the goats sleeping on the road) and the several villages we passed through. The road is one lane each way, and often drivers straddle the white line separating the driving lane from the shoulder; that way you miss oncoming traffic that is passing by going half-way into your lane. And when passed, you move onto the shoulder. The system works (or am I not taking into account all those little shrines along the highway). Two final words on Vritomartis: beginning tonight they are offering “sensual massage workshops”. I can’t imagine that happening at any resort I’ve been to back in the USA. I would have liked to check that out. And as a parting gift they gave us a bottle of extra virgin olive oil from Crete. It’s a glass bottle and now the single heaviest item in my luggage, and I’m reluctant to carry it for three weeks, but after all I’ve said about it, it’s a hard gift to refuse. Shoulda brought my larger suitcase rather than just a carry-on and knapsack. I screwed up – but I didn’t know. Instead of flying Crete – Athens – Santorini at some expense and a lot of time, we should have taken a pre-dawn taxi to the dock and the ferry to Santorini; we would have had the entire day to wander around while saving considerable euros. We learn as we go. As it was, our flight to Santorini was delayed 45 minutes. We were to meet the group we’re traveling with, which is coming direct from London, by arriving at almost exactly the same time, but when we arrived on Santorini they were nowhere in sight. Turns out they were diverted to Athens because of high winds on Santorini and would presumably arrive later in the evening/night. We two successful arrivals were bussed to our hotel some distance away and then given a very nice meal at 11:00 – I think the latest we’ve ever eaten dinner. Then back to the room to wash up and check email (the connection sucks; there’s no escaping it.)

I’ll try to send this email and the photos separately but have no confidence anything will get thru. So it goes. - John (& Barbara) Photos: Poster for massages. I would have liked to have seen what this is about. Santorini from our airplane as we began our descent into Athens from Dubai a week ago.







* * * * * * * * * * May 4: Santorini Hi all, Today began our archaeology tour of the Minoan civilization – Europe’s first true civilization and one that was contemporaneous with the ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamians, etc. I’ve read a lot about the Minoans and am delighted to finally meet them. Unfortunately you may not see any of the many dozen photos I took today – it took hours and several conversations with hotel management to finally send the photos from yesterday. Wi-fi doesn’t work in our room and barely from the lobby, so at worst I’ll send some when I can – assuming the connection at our next hotel actually works. I sent you our itinerary, so that needn’t be elaborated. We’re traveling with an Andante group, which specializes in small group tours; for more info go to andantetravels.com. An archaeologist guides us. It’s expensive as tours go, but we’re looking for (a) a small group and (b) quality interpretation. Several companies offer what we want, but this best fit our schedule. Our tour began this morning with a visit to a museum specializing in Minoan objects (2700-1500 BC) followed by another specializing in the early Greek period (900-500 BC). The frescoes were especially interesting. Less so the vases, which I’ve never been especially interested in, but having them interpreted did give them meaning so I enjoyed that – something I wouldn’t have spent time with on my own. We also had marvelous views of the cliff-top town, the caldera, the blue sea below, and white buildings perched on high. I’ll make a valiant attempt at sharing a photo or two. And we had a long walk thru a continuous shopping district (but we’re souvenir-proof; I have my olive oil). After six (six!) failed attempts we did manage to get euros out of an ATM and that was a huge relief. Lunch was at a restaurant overlooking the sea – terribly scenic. Then a few hours in Akrotiri, the “Minoan Pompeii” which was buried by pumice in the explosion of ca. 1620 BC and was being excavated until the Greek government’s money ran out. Fascinating – lots to see, and our guide was great. Walking the streets of the bronze-age town was a highlight of the trip. If I can’t send photos, do a Google image search; I just did, and that’s what we saw. And finally dinner at a restaurant so close to the sea that one especially large wave got some of our group wet. There are 19 of us plus our archaeology guide and tour leader, and we’ve been shuttled on a huge bus. We’re slowly getting to know each other over breakfast, coffee, etc., and it’s nice to have company. I think everyone else is retired too so it’s our age group. We like to sit a lot and don’t walk fast.

More archaeology tomorrow .. and the day after that … - John (& Barbara) [There is one spot in the hotel lobby where wi-fi *might* work. Everyone is complaining but management shrugs shoulders. I told him it would be on my TripAdvisor review, and it will.] Photos: John enjoying a fresco of blue monkeys retrieved from Akrotiri. Barbara not shopping. She wears her pack in front so as to not knock things over. View from Fira. The island is the new cone (since about 200 BC) that presumably will explode again in a few thousand years.













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May 5: no email Hi all, We didn’t get to our room until 10;30 (after a quick check-in and leisurely dinner) so I’m not tempted to write. It’s far too late to be clever. And the irony is that for the first time we have fast internet – but will for the next four days. We’re back on Crete and ready to resume our tour. There’ll be something tomorrow – with photos. Actually here’s one now that doesn’t need much interpretation. It’s a typical house in the country on Santorini with grape vines in the foreground and more houses in the background. Note that the houses all have one domed room on the top floor (they’re typically 3 floors) and the grapes grow on the ground, not on wires, because of the winds. And one more – a parting panorama of Santorini’s caldera with the town of Fira atop the 1,000 foot cliff above the cruise ship. The volcanic island that steams periodically but not recently is in the foreground left of center – that’s the one that will blow again in 1520,000 years. - John (& Barbara)







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May 6: Knossos Hi all, Here’s two days of catch-up. Yesterday the 5th we visited the ancient Greek town of Thira, or at least Barbara did. It’s atop a rock that resembles the Rock of Gibraltar about 1000 feet above the sea, accessible by a perilous trail (and now a narrow road to near the summit). It was raining, the few hundred yards of stone steps were slick, so I and three others declined the hike while Barbara and the others went on (and got wet). I enjoyed a coffee and conversation while waiting for them to return and dry out. It was just Greek and Roman so I didn’t miss much, although the view was spectacular. Then to a 12th century tiny Byzantine church with icons and columns taken from the nearby Greek town. We’re not too much into churches and the Greek churches are overly-ornate and definitely not our cup of tea, so we looked at the pet sanctuary on the grounds instead. But I did wonder about the difference between eastern (Byzantine) and western (Catholic) churches, and which is more authentic. Jesus was born into the Greek world and the Catholic church is based on the Emperor in Rome, so I think the Greek but am only speculating. Then a fast ferry to Heraklion, the capital of Crete, as Santorini faded into the distance. We’ll be on Crete for the rest of our tour. Heraklion is a city and we’re downtown, in the old quarter with narrow streets and lots of noise. We have a balcony about the size of a kitchen table with a small slice of the sea in view, but it’s too noisy to be on it. We got to our hotel just after 8:30, immediately had dinner before our luggage arrived to freshen up, and got to our rooms at 10:30.

So today was a big day: Knossos, the capital of the Minoan world and a huge palace that Sir Arthur Evans purchased, excavated, and partially reconstructed 100 years ago. His reconstructions are controversial and would not be done today, but I’m glad he did because it did give much more of an idea of what the place looked like than just ruined walls would – so good for him. We spent 2.5 hours, I took 100 photos, but I needn’t send any because you can do a Google image search and get the same pictures. Knossos is the second most visited site in Greece and it was becoming impossibly crowded as we happily left. Then on to a small and unreconstructed site high on a hill. It reinforced my opinion that Evans did the right thing. After lunch we toured the Archaeological Museum which is full of treasures including famous objects we are familiar with and recognized. But we were getting pretty tired, so we toured the Minoan and Mycenaean rooms but entirely skipped the Greek and Roman. Eventually all the clay pots begin to look the same and one saturates and just wants to sit down. Dinner was excellent as always; Greek food is great. I believe I’m gaining weight. But I’ll deal with it when we return. The hotel has excellent wi-fi so I’ll send a selection of photos separately soon. [This has nothing to do with Greece, but I was quoted in a press release at http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2016/05/03/jla-transit-of-mercurygraces-morning-sky-viewing-opportunity/#.VyykkGNa6-S -- or just go to StGeorgeNews.com and look down. John (& Barbara) Photos: Sir Arthur Evans reconstructed the ruined palace (or temple) at Knossos long ago when this was permitted, but we approve of what he did. The throne room with the oldest existing throne in Europe if not the world, ca. 1600 BC (throne original, room also reconstructed). A wood model of the palace, which is 3 stories high in many places and 4 in some. It was grand. John loves real mysteries, and the meaning of the printing on the Phaistos Disk is certainly mysterious. Google it. The Snake Goddesses. That’s not from our culture!



















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May 7: more ruins Hi Friends, I’ve been eating 2 to 2.5 times what I’m used to and should, so cut back starting at breakfast with only muesli, fruit, and some delicious hard goat cheese – plus a few small croissants for my strong coffee. Little exercise and lots of food isn’t the best idea. I think a lot of salads are in my future – with a slice of good bread dipped in olive oil. Today we were bussed to the ruins of another palace (or temple – they’re not certain of the function), to ruins in what was once the largest Roman city on Crete (population 300,000!), and the remains of an ancient villa. It was an error to visit the finest two sites first as these are all anti-climactic, and although each one offers something different (like the longest set of laws posted in the ancient world and a tiny 8-person church from the 7th century) it’s all beginning to look alike and after a few photos I put the camera away. I’ve still not sorted thru the photos from Knossos; I don’t need to add more just yet. I will take a few photos here and there but few of ruins. Enough is enough. The descriptions by our guide are beginning to all sound alike too. The villa is not heavily visited so it’s not prepared so well for visitors and the walking is over rough ground (uneven blocks and broken steps) so I snapped together my folding travel trekking poles and avoided stumbling. Two other fellows who also have issues on uneven ground saw my success and added folding trekking poles to their shopping list. Gas is about $7/gallon. But tsikoudia (Google it) is $7/liter.

Dinner was rooster – I’ve never had that before. I didn’t over-eat but did take advantage of the unlimited wine. - John (& Barbara) Photos: Barbara presenting an olive tree we’re told is 1000 years old. We told some are two and three times as old — they survive from the Roman Empire and before. A house for sale beside the road. Houses are all cement construction — no wood is used because none is available. This is just an unfinished unfurnished cement shell. Another house, presumably new and for sale. Walls are extra. A tiny church in a field, surrounded by grape vines. I don’t know the story.















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13: May 8: yet more ruins Hi Friends, More ruins, would you believe? I took photos of a few things I thought interesting and they appear below with captions. And I’ll let it go at that – photos with captions. - John (& Barbara) Photos: Barbara enjoying the scenery pass by. To my surprise, with 19 passengers total plus two staff, we’re on a huge bus that barely fits in the streets. It seems needlessly gigantic, but I guess there’s a reason. It’s big enough to have wi-fi and a restroom — but has neither. A residential part of a Minoan town to show roof beams (added by archaeologists). There was almost a foot of mud on top of the beams to make the roof or floor above. Of course the beams disappeared long ago and the second and third floors collapsed into the first floor. A clay pithoi that once held olive oil or wine. Why make them so big? And how do you

ladle out the liquid? They’re so heavy that once they were put in place (how were they moved?) they were left there permanently — for 3450 years in this case. A freeway with restricted access. Two lanes only, so it reminds me of old Route 66. Slow traffic straddles the line dividing the shoulder to make it easier for others to pass. The speed limit is 55 mph on straight-aways and 35 on curves. Virtually every house on Crete has a solar water heater. This must be a four-plex. Virtually no house in the USA has a solar water heater – why not?

















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May 9: Transit of Mercury Hi Friends, More ruins — even less spectacular than any we’ve seen up to now — so we must be running out of ruins. But we drove a long way east along the coast and enjoyed the world-class views. Hopefully you got to see the transit of Mercury — if you wanted to. I did, so I brought my Canon image-stabilized 10X30 binoculars and a Mylar solar filter. As people were finishing lunch I became temporary deputy tour guide and explained to the group what was happening, and then showed them one-by-one tiny Mercury silhouetted in front of the sun. To applause — people appreciated it and the Tour Manager was very pleased that we could include a Cosmic Event in our itinerary. (If you missed it, the next two are in 2019 and 2049.) In hours of driving across the countryside I’ve seen no cows, no horses (Barbara allegedly saw one), no mules, no deer, and no donkeys. And not too many goats. I got a shot of a small herd that was being led by a shepherd from one field to another. Come to think of it, we haven’t seen goat on the menu. Tomorrow is the final day of our archaeology tour.

- John (& Barbara) Photos: We traveled a long way — 2 hours — eastward along the north coast of Crete. It was a long time to sit (5 hours total) but the view was great. The ruins less so. One stop was to this little island of Moclos that had a settlement on it 5000 years ago — now just low wall foundations. As people were finishing lunch in our cafe immediately across from the island (the café is to the left of the island) I got out my binoculars to show the transit of Mercury. It’s been cloudy all week but the sky cleared long enough for us to see it. Goats. Have you noticed that I’ve not mentioned food so much lately? Here’s tonight’s dinner menu which is typical, with lunches not far behind. This simply can’t go on!

















* * * * * * * * * * May 10: End of Archaeology Tour Hi Friends, Today we ended our Minoan archaeology tour with a visit to one last site, and this was interesting because (1) it is currently being excavated so we saw where the digging is still going on, and (2) the talk was by one of the archaeologists doing the excavating and he was far (far) more interesting than our guide for the trip whom I’ve come to dislike. He was informative and a pleasure to listen to. In the photo he’s explaining about a newly opened grave just behind him. He emphasized how little is actually known about the Minoans and how hard it is to interpret what little they find. Then to the airport to drop off most members of our group who came from London and who returned there. The several of us who are going elsewhere were bussed back to our hotel. We have a new hotel for tonight only, one-half block from the other, and this place has a view of the harbor – which has been a harbor for at least 5,000 years. It’s a nice view but the road below is the main highway and it’s awfully noisy. Fortunately the sliding patio door is thick and double-pane. After resting a bit we headed toward the shopping district – which looks like shopping districts everywhere in Europe and so isn’t much of a draw for us – and looked for gyros for lunch. No such thing – here they’re known as donner kebabs – but we each had an authentic one at a sidewalk café. Then back to our small room for the rest of the afternoon and the evening with just a grilled cheese and local beer for dinner in the rooftop café, which has the same view as our room, but higher and we were there at sunset.

Our Minoan tour ended this afternoon, Tuesday, and our cruise doesn’t begin until Saturday evening, so we have 4-1/2 days between to kill. When planning this adventure I thought we’d divide that with 1-1/2 in Heraklion and 3 in Athens. So tomorrow is a free day in Heraklion. John (& Barbara) Photos: Archaeologist on a peninsula explaining what he does. Barbara is in the blue hat. Panoramic view out our hotel window of the port at Heraklion. Note the Venetian fort at left from maybe around 1500 (not sure). Huge ferries will soon dock at right.



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May 11: Free Day in Crete Hi Friends, Today was our free day in Heraklion, the capital of Crete and an actual small city. We began by taking it easy and having a leisurely breakfast in the hotel’s café which overlooks the harbor, watching huge ferries come and go. When you travel for a month you don’t feel the need to make every minute count and I would have been happy to read a book in the hotel’s garden – but there wasn’t one (no garden; I have books on my Kindle). So we checked out, left our luggage at the hotel, and wandered the town. First, sidewalks are 22 inches wide and are often blocked by utility poles, etc., or are just missing. Fortunately many of the downtown streets are pedestrian only, so neither of us got run over. We window-shopped in tourist areas (I bought a belt) and in areas for locals, and had gyros for lunch in a sidewalk café. I was wrong yesterday – they do have “gyros”, aka donner kebab. I think they’re better in the USofA. We visited the local museum to see their exhibit on Crete under German occupation in WWII, but it was almost entirely photos. Their coin collection was especially interesting. One thing we’ve never done before is feed our feet to the fish at a “Fish Spa.” You soak your feet in a fish tank while a dozen or more little fishies nibble your toes and clean off dead skin. It tickled, a rather unusual sensation. What will they think of next! At 6:30 we boarded our ferry and checked in to our tiny cabin for the overnight voyage to Athens. It’s a huge cruise ship with surprisingly fancy lounges, restaurants, bars, and shops. The swimming pool was closed (it is an overnight trip) and I didn’t run across the gym. In contrast to the last two weeks we had a very modest snack dinner, entertained ourselves on our laptop (J) and iPad (B) until bedtime. There wasn’t much to see on the open sea after dark. I would have bought the €5 internet card – good all night – except the clerk warned me that internet was slow tonight. So you’ll see this when I can send it. Tomorrow (Thursday) is a free day in Athens – the first of 2-1/2. - John (& Barbara) [We are now at our Athens hotel — long before check-in] Photos: Barbara getting her tootsies nibbled clean at a Fish Spa. We’ve eaten a lot of fish, but this was the first time we’ve been eaten by fish! Our long ferry to Athens — actually a short-cruise ship.

Barbara entertaining herself in a lounge. We expect to have less space on our sailing ship next week.









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May 12: Athens Hi Friends, Our overnight ferry put in to the port of Athens at 6:45 am and a taxi was waiting to shuttle us to our hotel. Our initial impression of Athens was negative, but that’s because we drove thru the industrial and crowded port area – not the best part of town. And we don’t like cities very much anyway – Crete was so quiet and peaceful in contrast. We dropped off our luggage at the hotel (far too early to check in) and had breakfast at an outdoor café down the street. First to the new Acropolis Museum – a huge modern world-class structure with expansive spaces and artifacts from the surrounding area tastefully displayed as if Greece had more money than it knew what to with. Lots of pots and lots of (fragments of) statues – and a prominent place for the Elgin Marbles (they don’t call them that!) once they’re returned. We then hiked up to the Acropolis – but the line to buy tickets went “twice around the block” so we bailed and instead dropped down to the Agora – the “downtown” of old Athens and where Socrates and his gang hung out. The Agora Museum had interesting displays. A highlight is a Hellenistic temple that is virtually unchanged from 415 BC – the best preserved of all Greek temples.

Then to walk the “Plaka” – the adjacent tourist shopping district with yet more ruins scattered about. We enjoyed wandering thru the Plaka when we were in Greece 15 years ago, but since then we’ve become World Travelers and kilometers of tourist shops holds less, if any, appeal. But we did have a very nice lunch in another outdoor café – very European of us. On the way back we passed the Parliament Building where there were riots only a few days ago over increased austerity measures. I had thought I might help by throwing a few cobblestones, but sadly all was quiet. Then to the hotel to check in, rest (I might have fallen asleep briefly) and do laundry. Back to the Plaka to not-shop, then dinner at yet a 3rd outdoor café of the day.- John (& Barbara) Photos: This stoa was rebuilt by the Rockefeller Foundation to show what centers of learning – the equivalent of universities – looked like in the ancient world. Stoas were closed upon order of Emperor Justinian when Christianity became not only official but mandatory and learning was stamped out –- sort of like the Taliban -- ushering in the Dark Ages. The grave of a young girl from the Mycenaean period, perhaps 1200 BC or so. The Temple of Hephaestus survives intact from 415 BC – truly amazing. We saw some fellow travelers from our home state and were tempted to ask them how their vacation was going, but apparently this woman had stopped them for some reason. Street scene. Note that all apartments have balconies – and they’re used. Dinner at an outdoor café. Why eat in a restaurant inside when you can people-watch?



























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May 13: Acropolis Hi Friends, ONE careful reader thoughtfully pointed out that yesterday’s email had several problems, and yes – there were huge issues. Email was so screwed up last night that I had no idea what if anything was going or was sent or had disappeared into the either, and after an hour of frustration gave up thinking nothing had happened. And this is Athens! Email can be a terrific problem when traveling. So hopefully this will go ONCE and with only ONE copy of each of the two photos. Tomorrow we board our ship and then all bets are off. I’ll send something about the voyage tomorrow before we take our taxi to the dock and then you may or may not see anything else. We return to civilization on May 30 – Memorial Day. Also I banged my camera and damaged the shutter so it’s not working properly. Hope fully it won’t fail completely and I’ll get some pics. Whether you’ll get to see them is a separate question. So today we were off before breakfast to beat the crowds at the Parthenon atop the Acropolis, and we succeeded. There were only 20 tour busses ahead of us, but several times that many when we left less than an hour later. It’s an amazing structure, of course, especially considering how sophisticated the design is, the technology available to build it, and how long it’s been standing. Attached is one obligatory photo; Google may have more. Personally I was amazed at how rough the walking surface is. They’ve had more than 2500 years to level it and it’s like a rock quarry with big steps. I would have had trouble with two walking sticks, but Barbara was a great help and kept me upright. And Greece has a severe shortage of handrails; apparently they don’t believe in them. Perhaps they weren’t part of the Marshall Plan. I remember it being rough from the last time we visited but am amazed at how much it has deteriorated in only 15 years. After a late breakfast we were off to the Roman Forum and Hadrian’s Library. They don’t build libraries like that anymore – even the Detroit Public Library of my youth was plain and small in comparison (and it had a few marble columns, as I remember). Do a Google image search for “hadrian’s library athens” if you’re interested By now we’re completely saturated with temples, palaces, churches, museums, forums, and jumbled ruins of all sorts and, except for one last museum tomorrow, will be glad to put our feet up and just look out across the ocean. There will be a greater proportion of resorts in our future vacations. We both have tired feet (walk on cobbles for a few miles in sandals to see how it feels; I have the first blister in years) so this afternoon we had a Couple’s Massage in the Plaka – not sensual like our resort but well-earned.

Dinner will be with an old colleague (we’re both old, actually) – the retired director of the Athens Planetarium and, I gather, rather well-known in Greece for appearing on the news when there is an astronomy event. It will be good to chat with an old friend and maybe talk about Greece. I’ll try to send this email before dinner. - John (& Barbara) Photos: The Parthenon. No elaboration needed. It’s the #1 tourist attraction in Greece and we were glad to have seen it before the worst of the crowds arrived. Barbara enjoying a late breakfast at an outdoor café in the Plaka.







* * * * * * * * * * May 14: Sailing away Hi Friends, My planetarium friend from long ago treated us to a wonderful Greek dinner at his favorite restaurant with a view of the lit-up Acropolis last night. It was a great way to end our few days in Athens — except we had one last museum to visit.We’re checked out and awaiting our taxi to the port to board our ship for the next two weeks sail. Internet at this hotel has been terrible, but I’ll try to send some background info on our upcoming trip, attached. You can Google “royal clipper” for more info and photos. It’s a steel-hulled five-masted fully rigged tall ship used as a cruise ship Note that we were originally scheduled to spend two days in Istanbul but were re-routed to more Greek islands on the advice of the US State Department. We sail with the tide! (I’ve always wanted to say that.) - John (& Barbara)









* * * * * * * * * * May 14: departure aboard the Royal Clipper Hi Friends, [Internet is €6 per hour, so we’ll connect briefly once every few days to keep in touch; this is an opportunity to get used to living without it – shouldn’t be hard.] That last museum on Saturday was the world-class National Museum of Archaeology, and it displayed all the best from Greece. Quite a place! Highlights were the “Mask of Agamemnon” and other gold from Mycenae and the Antikythera Mechanism, both treasures we’ve heard about for years and were in awe of when we finally got to see them. I took plenty of photos but you can Google the same. By the time we left we were both dead on our feet, which have reached their limit and want the next few days off. Lastly, Barbara bought a dolphin-themed pareo which some of you will hopefully get to see. Then a taxi to the Port of Athens to board our ship at 4. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Royal Clipper is the largest ship of its class, and it is big with a spacious lounge, large bar area, library, gym, large sunbathing area by several salt-water pools, and a two-level restaurant. It will carry 227 passengers but only half that many are on board, so we should be able to get a deck chair. It’s luxurious and outfitted as a compact cruise ship, and services and meals are 5star, so we should enjoy it. One trick will be to not overeat – the bane of cruise ships. The ship has a metal hull but almost all the surfaces we see are wood, most of it highly varnished. It does look old-timey. I don’t recall the last time I’ve seen so much wood flooring, paneling, etc. This ship is patterned after one built in Germany just over 100

years ago and apparently that includes the look and feel of the cabins, lounges, dining areas, etc. – all early Edwardian. I hate to think how much highly flammable material surrounds us. We did raise sail (4 staysails) as we left harbor and the sight was grand. Even more so after dinner when the masts and spars were lit up. Then the ship looks as big as it actually is – 134 meters long with 42 sails on 5 masts up to 60 meters high. I plan to spend most of my time on the upper deck in a lounge chair just enjoying being on a huge sailing ship. * * * * * * * * * * May 15 (Sunday) Off Mykonos We dropped anchor a half-mile off Mykonos at 10 this morning, after an American breakfast – the bacon was fried, not boiled, and no beans or fried tomatoes! Shuttles run all day to the dock and back. My plans are to enjoy the ship and I’ve walked enough in the past week, but Barbara took the shuttle into town and checked it out (nothing new or surprising). I was afraid it would be too chilly on the sea but it’s warm enough (high 60s) to stretch out, get some sun (or hide in the shade) and enjoy the day without being bundled up. While watching my omelet cooked in a half-cup of olive oil this morning I struck up a conversation with a fellow passenger who said he’s become a critical fan of olive oil, researched it, and concluded that the best you can buy back in the States comes from CostCo! That’s one problem solved that I’ve been brooding over. On my first trip to France decades ago I learned to like wine; on this one I’ve become quite fond of good olive oil. The passengers are almost all American with a handful of Europeans. The crew seems to be Filipino. The PA announcements by a Filipina are so unintelligible that I keep waiting for the English version to follow, but so far in vain. I guess if we need to know something important, someone will tell us. [I later learned most of the crew is Indonesian.] I spent most of the day reading up on deck under the masts and rigging; Barbara prefers to be in the lounge. My beautiful suntan hasn’t faded. There was to have been a stargazing session at 10:30 on the upper deck and about 30 people showed up (quite a high ratio for a cruise ship of mostly old folk) – but no lecturer. After 20 minutes we dispersed. What the hell? Nobody came by to say it had been cancelled. I had my green laser pointer and would have done a talk if they’d turned off the lights – which are spectacular but not constellation-friendly. I did point out Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn to a few people. * * * * * * * * * *

May 16: Unfurling the Sails After a wonderful breakfast buffet (far too much food again) we raised sail – all 42 of them – to inspiring nautical music over the loudspeakers as everyone watched in awe. What a grand sight! My eyes became teary – I’ve read so many books from the age of sail, including the 21-volumn Master and Commander series while I was in the hospital, that it was too much of a thrill to be aboard one of the largest sailing ships ever built and watch the sails unfurl. Of course you can’t see all the sails at once – just the row or two closest to you – but it must have been quite a sight to the ferries and other boats nearby as we became a classic sailing ship. There was little wind to start but it picked up and we were under sail power all day and into the night, moving at maybe 6-8 mph. I was somewhat concerned that I’d have trouble keeping balance with the rolling motion of the ship, but it’s been a degree or less – so no problem. That may be in part because the waves have been about a foot high. We’re not in Greece on the ship – the language is English everywhere, and a few signs have German too. No Greek anywhere, least among the crew. How lucky we were to have been born speaking the international language with no effort on our part. I had one complimentary cocktail too many at Happy Hour (who knew they made them full strength!) and caught up on my sleep starting right after dinner. * * * * * * * * * * May 17 Sometime during the night the sails came down and we moved under engine power to the port of Skyros, where Barbara went ashore for a short walk around while I simultaneously worked on my tan and a book. Now it’s after another hard-to-choose-what-to-eat-so-try-one-of-everything lunch, and I’m in the lounge, the sea out one side and a small Greek town on the other, on the laptop to test their email. A good thing is that you can log on and log off and spread your hour out over a few sessions rather than having to use it up all at once, so I’ll probably log on every day even if only briefly. But I’m not sure I’ll have much new to say or really new photos to add, so these emails may dribble off to not much to say … - John (& Barbara) [photos may follow] I have no idea if the four photos I tried to send earlier went or not — again email was royally screwed up. I’m pretty sure Apple is at fault. I’ll try one at a time. The main “piano bar" lounge, where I am now — because that’s where internet access is.

View from the stern when the sails are unfurled. The aft mast is short and has only 4 sails, and the others 5. Typical upper deck scene (on a foggy morning). The view straight up from my favorite spot on the upper deck Typical upper deck scene (on a foggy morning).















* * * * * * * * * * May 18: sailing thru the Aegean Hi Friends, I’ve sort of figured something out: Apple mail, which I use, is unbelievably slow with some servers – like the one used by this ship (and some campgrounds we visit). It’s reasonably fast to open a web page and browse, but downloading and especially uploading emails is beyond tedious. It takes a full minute to send a one-sentence text file and about 10 minutes to upload a 0.5mb photo, and anything larger just jams the system which spins indefinitely until it stops altogether. So the photos you’ll see will be very compressed and will come one at a time. A minor correction: we are on the largest fully-rigged sailing ship on the planet. The separation between masts 1 and 5 is over 300 feet – more than the length of a football (not soccer) field and it’s very difficult from deck level to get a feel for how tall and how far apart they are because you see only part of the picture at a time. I understand that one day the ship will stop when fully rigged and send out boats so we can all snap photos of it whole from a distance, and I’ll be on that boat. But from on board it’s too big to take it in all at once.

I established a routine. After breakfast I slather on AANR-approved suntan lotion left over from our Grand Canyon trip (we brought 3 bottles) and hit the upper deck. It’s been cool in the mornings, especially with the breeze as we sail or motor along, so I’m in the sun; later I move to the shade. We’re very pleased that neither of us has burned, and Barbara burns fast. But she also stays mostly out of the sun – in our cabin when it’s cool and then in the sun for less than an hour. The ship’s library has enough good books to keep us going for the entire trip, and I have a few pre-loaded on my Kindle. In some ways this is like being at our Idaho resort – minus the two swimming pools, hiking trails, and biking. And forest fire smoke. And my telescope. But with three 5-star meals a day. And a steward to turn down our bed at night and leave chocolates on the pillows. Today clouds and a definite chill broke the routine and it was far too chilly to be up on deck until after lunch when the sky cleared. I finished my first book earlier and spent the morning in the lounge drinking coffee and catching up on tasks like labeling accumulateed photos. Barbara took the water shuttle to town – Myrina – not-souvenir shopping. She walked up to the old Venetian fort. We’ve met a lot of nice people and are enjoying chatting with new friends. It’s a good group with many retire professionals. It was the same on our archaeology tour, and that makes us less enthusiastic about traveling on our own so much. I’ve put us on the waiting list for next April’s cruise to Tahiti, not on this ship. That’ll follow our Nile Cruise in December, and we’re thinking of an east-European river for some time in the future. We hoisted sails at 5. Tomorrow no ports of call – we’re heading nonstop to Bulgaria. - John (& Barbara) photo: Our ship at night with the sails furled. Rather majestic.



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May 19: Dardanelles and Bosporus Straits Hi Friends, Today was a sailing day with no port stops. We passed thru the Dardanelles between midnight at 4 am and we completely missed seeing it. Must have been sleeping. But I think there was not much to see in the dark. I will admit, however, that watching the sea glitter in the moonlight as it slipped past was terribly romantic. It was sunny up top, so I put on more suntan lotion than in my life and we read and worked on our tans all morning.

There was a cancellation aboard next spring’s Tahiti trip that we had expressed an interest in, so we signed up; we depart April 1 for two weeks. This will be a year of cruising! The April departure works great for us because we’ll just leave our winter campground a week early. Now I have to think of something to stretch that two-weeks to four. A quick trip to China or Thailand? This afternoon we sailed thru the Bosporus and Istanbul, which took more than an hour. Everyone was on deck and a lot of photos got snapped. The strait is narrow so we could see the buildings clearly on both sides and what we believe is the Hagia Sofia. A highlight was passing under the three bridges that connect Europe and Asia with only a few feet clearance (they had to remove the top part of the highest mast) – I would have sworn we were going to hit but the crew seemed calm, so I didn’t brace myself. I noted thru binoculars that people on all the ships we passed were taking photos of us – and why not. How often does the largest sailing ship on earth pass by. Sailing thru Istanbul was somewhat sad, too, because originally we were to have spent two days there and we were really looking forward to it, but that got cancelled on a warning from the State Department, and some little no-account Greek islands were substituted instead. Ironically our flight home from Athens takes us to Istanbul as our first stop (then on to Los Angeles) – had we known then what we know now we would have broken the trip home and spent a few days in Istanbul on our own; we would already have been there. Now we’re in the Black Sea with no land in sight. Tomorrow: Bulgaria. - John (& Barbara) Photo: We’re pretty sure this is the Hagia Sofia – seen from a distance as our ship as it passed rather than from inside as we originally planned.



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22: May 20: Welcome to Bulgaria Hi Friends, We’ve always wanted to see Bulgaria (not) – and now we can say we have. This is stop 1 of 3 in Bulgaria, so we’ll have two more chances. We docked at breakfast and waited while unsmiling port officials took 2 hours to examine our documents to make sure we weren’t going to jump ship and seek refuge. (That could be an issue next year if the US elections go the wrong way.) Anyway, we now have a souvenir Bulgaria stamp in our passport. Then we took a bus provided by the cruise line from our port to the historic tiny tourist town of Sozopol that overlooks the Black Sea. We took two hours to walk around and take in the architecture (19th century at oldest) and souvenir shops and pause for a beer & coke. It wasn’t terribly different from Greece although the prices were much lower ($1.20 for a beer served in an outdoor café). The town caters mostly to Bulgarians on holiday and sees few Americans, so it’s not typical of the country. The souvenirs are oriented toward Bulgarians (a leather wallet in the shape of a koala!?). Although we’ve now been to Bulgaria (and have the passport stamp to prove it) I can’t say we’ve actually seen it. We should have taken the optional bus tour to “an authentic mountain village.

After a late lunch we walked around the non-tourist shopping area of our port town (Burgas) and people-watched. I think the Bulgarian women are considerably more attractive than the Greek (just my opinion). It looks pretty much like other European cities. Tomorrow: Romania. - John (& Barbara) Photo: We don’t see this at home – a horse cart waiting to pull away building rubble.

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May 21: Romania Hi Friends, We sailed at midnight last night – but we were in bed. We awoke at sea heading north to Constanta, Romania, for a 1-day visit. And that’s our (sob) turn-around point. The ship was in fog all morning and too chilly to be topside, so most of us read in the lounge until we docked at 11. We were greeted at the dock by a 18-piece brass band and what looked like two TV cameras! Apparently a ship like ours doesn’t come into port all that often. After lunch Barbara took the guided city tour while I walked into and around town (our paths crossed twice). Our impressions are from seeing only a small area of one city for a total of 5 hours between us, so these impressions in no order are rather tentative:

There are no usable sidewalks (where they are usable cars park on them), so everyone walks in the street, which is not totally safe. A high percentage of buildings are crumbling with broken windows and sometimes even a barricade to keep pedestrians from being hit by falling debris. Most of the buildings that aren’t crumbling look Soviet in design – unadorned drab concrete. It’s not an attractive town and – in contrast to Athens where apartment balconies are decorated and festive – doesn’t look lived in. Today is Constantine’s and Helen’s “name day” as well as a mussel festival instituted by the mayor (who is running for reelection) and there was a huge “party” in town with streets closed off to traffic and long lines at the many vendors of food – very festive, and people looked happy. For the first time this trip we’re back to a Latin alphabet (vs. Greek) and I imagined that I could pronounce the words. There are lots of café’s, but no shops! We asked, and were told there’s nothing to sell. Imagine a downtown area full of people but with no stores. We’ve never seen that anywhere. Even Bulgaria has unlimited stores full of clothes, groceries, etc. side-by-side. We wonder what the countryside looks like. It’s not hard to imagine that it’s medieval, but we don’t know. We also have come to realize that half the information we’re given in our ship’s announcements is so incorrect that it would be better to not hear them at all (sort of like Fox “news”). For example, we were told that our passports would be stamped all at once on the ship – they weren’t, they were stamped individually in the emigration office off the ship, and we were told it is a “100 meter walk” to the city but it was actually one mile. I’ve decided to skip the announcements and figure things out for ourselves on the theory that no information is better than incorrect information. We’re trying to limit our daily food intake to only 7,000 calories, down from about 11,000, using portion control and skipping the wonderful deserts. I see a lot of salads in our future once we return to the land of normality. We sail at 11 or so tonight. Tomorrow back to Bulgaria. I can hardly wait. - John (& Barbara) Photos: An abandoned 5-story building that is beginning to crumble. So sad. The Romanians have had a tough 70+ years.

Our ship in port in Romania a few minutes ago. The fore and aft masts have 4 sails each and the mid-ship three masts have 5 sails each, all furled.









May 22: back to Bulgaria

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Hi Friends, When we docked in Varna, Bulgaria, at 11 this morning there was no brass band waiting for us, but all day many hundreds of people lined the dock to admire and photograph our ship. It’s a bit odd to make our way thru the crowd, show our pass, and climb aboard. Even at 9:30 at night there are 3 dozen people admiring the ship – it reminds me how lucky we are. Today’s activity was a 2-hour walk through town just to get the flavor of the place. We walked past the foundations of the Roman baths, the cathedral, opera house, and other similar buildings you’d find downtown in a city that has been occupied for thousands of years. And window non-shopped and people-watched. We saw a chimney sweep with top hat and brushes – we don’t see that often. And little old ladies on stools at homemade benches selling a small pile of onions and a dozen eggs – something we haven’t seen on such a small scale since Bolivia; one $10 purchase would wipe out their stock. The beach is sandy, in contrast to most Greek beaches, and people were starting their tans but no one was in the water. A few buildings were literally crumbling (thru the missing windows you could see trees growing inside) and more than a few had badly flaking paint. But the place was busy (this is Sunday) and people were out eating ice cream and enjoying themselves. We hit the duty-free shop at the pier. Barbara loaded up on soda and I bought a local favorite to end the evening with. There was an amazing selection of Russian vodkas I’d never heard of, as well as brandies from around the Black Sea – all at ridiculously low prices. We’ll start our diets tomorrow. Once back on board I read on the upper deck and pretended I was on a cruise. We sail again at 11 to go down the coast a short distance and stop for the day at another city in Bulgaria. - John (& Barbara) [The ship’s internet has been intermittent today so I’ll send photos separately.] Photos: Street scene on a pedestrian mall downtown showing typical architecture. Cats patiently await food to fall at an outdoor café.

John’s souvenir (which won’t make it back to the USA): Bulgarian rakis. I don’t think you can get this at Trader Joe’s.









* * * * * * * * * * May 23: UNESCO Nessebar, Bulgaria Hi Friends, About a hundred people lined the dock last night to wave good-by as we hoisted sails and departed at 11. It drove home how special our ship and our voyage really is. I still can’t get over that we happen to be on the largest sailing ship in the world. This really is amazing. And I wish we at sea more often, rather than in ports. Yet another day in Bulgaria today, this time in Old Nessebar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As UNESCO says, “Nessebar was originally a Thracian settlement. At the beginning of the 6th century BC, the city became a Greek colony. The city’s remains, which date mostly from the Hellenistic period, include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, an agora and a wall from the Thracian fortifications. Among other monuments, the basilica and the fortress date from the Middle Ages, when this was one of the most important Byzantine towns on the west coast of the Black Sea. Wooden houses built in the 19th century are typical of the Black Sea architecture of the period.” So we went for a 2-hour walk. New Nessebar is a modern seaside town with beach-side high-rises and hotels for happy Bulgarians who are spending their holiday on the Black Sea – but we weren’t there; we saw it from a distance. Old Nessebar is a small former island (now there’s a causeway) in less than a square mile of narrow streets, ruins, and tourist shops. Plenty of all three. We

noticed that much of what was for sale was made in Indonesia or India – maybe Bulgaria doesn’t produce much in the way of souvenirs (other than the drink rakis, which I have). Churches basically leave us cold unless there’s something special about them (like size), and the more ornate the less we like them. These churches were all ruins. But we did like the narrow streets with the second story overhanging the pathway. That’s apparently typical of Black Sea towns for the 19th century and I suspect for European cities in general during the late Middle Ages. After our walk I read and napped in a lounge chair on the upper deck while Barbara returned to town -- and actually came back with a few souvenirs! That’s the most amazing thing of the whole day. But we don’t expect to return to Bulgaria soon, if ever, so good for her. Before dinner we hoisted anchor (actually we untied from the pier), raised sails, and headed to the open sea. I think this is the second time they set all the sails and it was a marvelous sight that again almost brought tears to my eyes. It’s really hard to take it all in from the upper deck; the masts are so far apart that you see only part of the picture at a time and have to travel the length of the ship to see it all. I’d very much like to see the ship in full sail from a short distance. Tomorrow is a day at sea as we pass Turkey and head toward Greece. - John (& Barbara) [We had a great free wi-fi signal from a Bulgarian ferry tied up next to us earlier, so I took advantage of the opportunity to browse the web for an hour and send today’s pictures. Now I’m back on the ship’s pay-by-the-minute wi-fi.] Photos: Poppies in an ancient fort. Nessebar on the Black Sea. Nessebar street scene.













* * * * * * * * * * May 24: Thru the Bosporus and Dardanelles Hi Friends, They raised the sails and we sailed away (motored, actually – the sails are just for show) and then put them away again during dinner. We traveled south all night with a very gentle maybe 2-degree rocking motion as we crossed the Black Sea heading to the Bosporus and then into the Aegean once again. I’m surprised at how stable this ship is, but then the waves have not been more than a foot high. I was expecting a lot worse. At 5:45 am we were up to sail thru the Bosporus and Istanbul. The strait is narrow so we got a good look at the city, including the Hagia Sofia – again lamenting that we are unlikely to ever see it again considering the rapidly deteriorating political situation in Turkey. Many of the passengers expressed the same thought. So close and yet so far. Then into the Sea of Marmara on a beautiful sunny day, coated with suntan lotion from head to foot, beneath a row of masts and spars and ropes. They let us climb the ropes to the crow’s nest 50 feet above the deck. That’s not for me any longer, but Barbara scrambled up and enjoyed the view. I attended a short knot-tying demonstration. I’ll have to practice when we return home to retain my new skills.

In the late afternoon we cruised thru the Dardanelles, passing the huge WWI monument to all the needlessly-slaughtered there, re-entered the Aegean at dinner time, and then continued to sail thru the night toward tomorrow’s Greek-island-of-the-day. The Dardanelles is a busy passage with more than 5,000 tankers a year passing thru, most carrying Russian crude to market. Several were visible at any given moment. We had rough seas at dinner. The waves have been no more than 1 foot high until tonight when they were 3 or 4 feet and the ship was actually rolling. This evening’s dinner was the formal one, and some came with evening gowns and jackets & ties. I’d rather skip dinner than wear a jacket & tie, but we were above the minimum so didn’t feel too under-dressed. I might have worn socks with my sandals, but that would have been too much. Dinner was lobster tail, caviar, complimentary champaign, baked Alaska – totally in contrast to what we’ll be eating a week from now. - John (& Barbara) Photos: Barbara on the ropes on the way to the crow’s nest. Enlarge to see her. In the crow’s nest.







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May 25: Back in the Aegean Hi Friends, Not a lot to write about today so I’ll be brief rather than boring. We sailed thru the night last night, and after breakfast hoisted all the sails – always a grand sight – and actually sailed for about two hours, with the motors off. I estimate our speed at about 5 mph so it’s not the fastest way to get from A to B, but it’s what I came for and I spent much of that time just taking it all in. Then we anchored off a little island in the Aegean and Barbara checked out the town while I read a book up on deck. She says it was endless cafes with a few gift shops. The town has history – it contributed a few ships to the Trojan War – but no ruins; it’s a resort town today. It was too hot to sit in the sun, so I spent most of the day on the upper deck in the shade just enjoying life. We’re told that Star Clippers, the parent company, is building a new ship that will be slightly larger than the one we’re on. That’s hard to imagine and it’ll set a new world record, but perhaps we’ll check it out in 2018 or beyond. - John (& Barbara)

Photo: Our ship off the island of Skiathos, photographed by Barbara as she returned on the ship’s tender.



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May 26: Yet another Aegean island Hi Friends, We seem to be in a pattern: sail away in the evening and anchor off another Aegean island in the morning. People divide between shore excursions – or just walking around – and perfecting their tans on the upper deck with a book or Kindle. And eating huge meals. Today we anchored off Skyros at breakfast time and sailed off again just before dinner. Skyros doesn’t have a dock big enough for our ship, so we took the tender into port and walked around for an hour or so. The waterfront street is side-by-side cafés (we had an ice cream – pistachio of course) but the streets a block and two inland are narrower than any we’ve seen anywhere. Cars don’t go there (small trucks do for deliveries) but there are plenty of motorcycles zipping thru. And tourists. It’s another resort town and we shared the space with a boatload of Italians who were doing the same thing we were. The town seems very prosperous, but then we tourists bring in tons of cash. Nice homes dotted the hills for a mile or so from the town, and then the island was very hilly and looked deserted.

The highlight of the day came just before sunset (and dinner) when we sailed away – literally – with all sails unfurled. What a sight! Awesome! To see the sails extend with a red sunset as a background as islands in the Aegean slipped past was truly memorable, and I won’t even try to describe it. Coming up: a talent show. We may or may not stay to watch it. Tomorrow another island in the Aegean – surprise, surprise. - John (& Barbara) Photos of Skyros: [I believe I have enough minutes left on my pre-paid wi-fi card to send 3 photos tonight – knock on wood. I’ll try to send one of sails in the sunset tomorrow morning.] Skyros, Greece. Enlarge the panorama to see it well. Barbara noted that there is no shortage of white paint. No, Barbara isn’t fondling the plant. She is fondling a pareo in the shop just beyond – as if she might buy it. The pastel building colors are gentle on the eye. A rather typical street scene. Some of these buildings are hotels, cafes, and shops, although you wouldn’t know it until you are upon them. A typical shop is about a third the size of our garage and the smallest, which sell tobacco, about the size of the bathroom in our guest room.











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May 27: Last day under sail Hi Friends, Trying to send email from this ship is like sitting in a taxi with the meter running while stopped in traffic; you watch your money disappear for no results. I’m down to my last few minutes and will send this text message. There’s no point in attempting to send a photo from last night’s sunset or from today. I’ll send several tomorrow from our hotel. Last night’s talent show was OK – about what you’d expect – but the real show was the ship under full sail at night with the sails lit. Really wonderful. Remember that these sails tower almost 20 stories above us so it’s an impressive sight. Must be equally impressive from a distance. Today after breakfast we anchored off the last island we’ll visit (Poros). Barbara went ashore while I finished my suntan. My feet haven’t been this brown since I owned a backyard swimming pool decades ago. But no burns – the AANR lotion is good stuff. The highlight of the day came in the late afternoon when the ship raised sails, got underway, and we passengers boarded one of the ship’s boats to make loops around the Royal Clipper and take photos. Finally we got to see the ship under sail from a short distance. That was really a highlight and it will take some time to whittle down the several hundred photos I took to a manageable number. A funny thing: the ship adds a mandatory tip for the staff to our bill. That’s bullshit – if it’s mandatory it’s a fee, not a tip. But we wanted to increase it because the service was wonderful and we’re feeling generous. Barbara went ‘round and ‘round with the purser but couldn’t figure out a way to do it. Oh well – why should something that should be simple actually be easy. Tomorrow morning we disembark after breakfast, taxi to our hotel, and have a free day in Athens. Our first flight homeward departs 2 hours after sunrise Sunday morning, and – if all goes well – we arrive in Las Vegas 2 hours after sunset that same night after roughly 26 hours of non-stop travel in a 34-hour day (10 time zones). I wish there was a way to self-induce a coma for the longest leg. I’ll send some photos – perhaps a whole slew – tomorrow and another short email or two as we make our way home. Signing off from the good ship Royal Clipper. - John (& Barbara) * * * * * * * * * *

Hi Friends, It’s 8:30 am and we just arrived at our Athens hotel. I’m testing their internet by sending some photos from May 26. Now we’ll go for a walk until check-in time. More tonight. - John 1) Sunset on the Aegean — is this romantic or what! We’re dressed for dinner which followed. 2) The sails lit at night.









* * * * * * * * * * 30: May 28: Free day in Athens Hi Friends, Last night after dinner I used my laser pointer (I always carry it) to show stars and constellations to friends who joined me on the upper deck. I was thinking it could have been super-dark over the sea with stars down to the horizon, but it was only a bit better than at home in St. George. There must have been some haze. There were spectacular brilliant green “sparks” when my laser pointer beam crossed a steel cable in the rigging above – a startling special effect.

One bottle of Bulgarian rakis (aka firewater) was left over after I drank as much as I could, so I’ll bring it home in my checked luggage and share it with friends in Idaho at the first pot-luck. I really, really hope the long thin bottle doesn’t break in transit. This morning – Saturday – we were up at 7 to watch as we pulled up to the dock in Athens. After a last hearty breakfast we departed our wonderful ship and taxied to our hotel. Our hotel is located kitty-corner from Parliament and perhaps a mile from the Acropolis, so we’re dead-square in the middle of things again. We arrived far too early to check in, so we walked thru the botanical gardens to the Temple of Jupiter for one last ruin. It’s very hard to visualize how they could carve and then stack so many huge blocks so high using the tools they had long ago. We give them credit. Then to business: we spent a full hour with the hotel’s wi-fi (very fast for a change!) to check-in our flights tomorrow and find if we have to pay for checked bags – another example of how something that should be easy turns out to be hard and time-consuming. Then more walking around – and a gyro each for dinner. That’s about an eighth of what we’ve been eating, but it was good to not stuff ourselves for a change. (BTW, lunch on our last day included a whole roast pig, head and all, as one choice on the buffet table.) So it was a free day, but we’re totally shopped-out, and the crowds were a bit much after the peacefulness of the ship. We like quiet. It’s Saturday in Athens and we could go out on the town tonight, but we’ll be asleep early. We’ve set our alarms for 4:30 to take the express bus to the airport for our 8:20 flight to Istanbul. We’re dreading the long travel day, but there’s nothing to be done except endure it. And hope we make all the connections. We’re flying Athens – Istanbul – Los Angeles – Las Vegas and then stopping for the night before driving home Monday. Now to catch up on Facebook and get to sleep early. One more email to come as we wrap up this month-long adventure. - John (& Barbara) Photos: Three views of the Royal Clipper under sail in the Aegean. Note the crew on the bowsprit in the last one. It was a very memorable once-in-a-lifetime trip (unless we go again). The Temple of Jupiter with the Acropolis in the background, and Barbara in her blue hat for scale.















* * * * * * * * * * May 29: LONG travel day; signing off Hi Friends, We never sleep well before an early flight, so it was almost a relief to get up at 4:20, walk to the bus stop in the dark, and take the 50 minute express to the Athens airport. It was a 90-min flight to Istanbul with a view of the Golden Horn and Hagia Sofia as we landed. How ironic: our ship’s voyage was called “The Golden Horn” and we were to have docked there for two days to see the highlights, but after one terrorist attack too many in April the State department issued a travel advisory and at the last minute Turkey was crossed off our itinerary and little Greek islands substituted instead. We booked the flight home thru Istanbul months ago, but had we known of this change we would have stopped in Istanbul for 2 or 3 days at very little extra cost. Now I think it unlikely we’ll ever return; Istanbul isn’t on the way to anywhere we go to often and the political situation is deteriorating rapidly. The Istanbul airport is a great place to people-watch since it’s such a crossroads for three continents. Destinations include Baku, Shymikent, Dhoa, Erbil, Lviv, and other places I haven’t heard of, plus destinations like Tehran, Baghdad, and Medinah that I have, with national dress to match. Most travelers are in western wear but some are straight out of National Geographic. The long flight was Istanbul to Los Angeles at 13 hours 45 minutes – a flight to be dreaded. That’s a killer. Although we were tired from only a few hours sleep neither of us was able to doze for much of it. We flew on a Turkish Airlines and were seated several seats apart, but had bulkhead seats with 24 inches of legroom instead of the 11 inches standard in steerage, so kept our assigned leggy seats rather than moving together elsewhere and losing the leg room. A monitor on the wall showed the direction to Mecca continuously updated, but I didn’t notice anyone actually turn in their seats to pray in the right direction. Now we’re at LAX waiting for our third and last flight which is a quick hop to Las Vegas, where we’ll spend the night at a Best Western next to the airport and drive home in the morning. The brief 2-hour drive across the desert will be anti-climactic after today. We should be home well before noon on Memorial Day. When you add it up, we were traveling from 4:45 am Greek time when we left our Athens hotel until about 9:15 pm Pacific Time when we’ll arrive at our Las Vegas hotel. With 10 time zones that’s 26.5 travel hours in a 34-hour day. We’re both super-tired. Presumably we’ll sleep all night (plus a bit) and be adjusted to our new time zone in a day or two. Our next trip is a week at the Grand Canyon North Rim in our motorhome beginning this coming weekend.

So this is our final email. We hope you enjoyed following our adventures. By weekend I’ll have all the emails I sent consolidated into one pdf file which I’ll add to our travel website – in case you want to read it all again. Over and out. - John (& Barbara)