On to Athens

We caught a fast plane and flew directly to Athens with a very brief layover in London. Our plane arrived in London late because of delays in taking off. As we got off the plane, there was someone from the airport to greet us and shuffle us quickly to our plane taking us to the plane flying us to Athens. We wouldn’t have made it without his help as he whisked us through security and maze of Heathrow. We left San Francisco on Friday afternoon and didn’t make it to Athens until 6pm Saturday night. Of course there were some time zone changes in there, but I have to say, it feels like a very long day. We are pretty casual travelers and didn’t bother booking a hotel or our flight to Corfu. But everything worked out. The next day was the Greek Orthodox Easter, a week later from the one we celebrate, so the city should be buttoned up pretty tight. We decided to stay a few days to celebrate their Easter and then see the new National Museum on Monday. I haven’t been there since Greece opened the new one up, and I have wanted to see it the last couple of times I have been in Athens. But when we arrived early Monday morning, we found out it was closed for the day. After two days of hanging around Athens to visit the museum was enough. We got on our plane to Corfu that evening and made our way to our floating home. The museum will have to wait for another trip through. It is so nice being back.

For Sale in San Francisco

Once more we spent the winter in San Francisco sharing our time with family and friends. In December, Larry, who owned the beautiful Victorian on Page Street with Steve announced that he was retiring and moving to Palm Springs. The house sold in one day with multiple offers before it even made it to multiple listings. So for the past couple of months Steve has been selling, giving away, and storing 23 years worth of too many items he has collected in his way to much storage space of a garage. It was a lot of work and we are happy to have it all behind us as we look forward to this summer in the Mediterranean. We got to the airport in plenty of time to check bags, shuffle things between our pieces of luggage so they would weigh the right amount and go through security. It was the first time I have been through a full body scanner. I was surprised at how fast it was. I think it was faster than walking through the standard metal detector. Steve went right through but when I got to the other side, the authority pulled me aside and asked me to empty my right pocket. I pulled the pocket inside out and there was nothing in it. He says to me, “What do you have in there a wad of money?” Then he puts his hand on my dick and squeezes it to see what it was. He just looks up at me and says, “oh”. I just smiled at him and proceeded to the gate without further incident.

Back Early for Burning Man

We came back to the states at the end of August just in time to jump in the truck and head to Burning Man. Burning Man is really one of the most fun things we do each year. The theme this year was “Rites of Passage”. Since our camp is mostly a gay camp, we decided to celebrate this year’s theme with that event in everyone’s life when they come out. I am not talking about just coming out gay. I am talking about coming out as anything you want. We had a tea dance where people could come out however or for whatever they wanted to. Some came out as a rock star, some as a Catholic schoolgirl, some as a Birtney Spears wanta be, some came out as Republican. It was all in good fun and our camp did a wonderful job of décor to build on the theme and enjoy the event. For the first time I was invited to participate in the fire conclave. Before the “Man” is burned, they have a huge fire show where a couple hundred fire spinners put on a show at the base of the man. There is all kinds of fire being thrown, blown, spun, twirled or whatever. Since Steve and I were not here all summer to practice with the group, we only acted as fire safety in case someone’s clothes started on fire. It was still fun being in the center of all the activity and actually putting out a couple of people’s costumes. After the performance, we were allowed to stay in the center circle just far enough away from the burning man to be safe. What a site. We ended up staying home rather than going back to Europe. There are so many events in San Francisco that we miss doing in the fall when the weather is at its best. It certainly was fun connecting with friends, participating in the concerts, taking some classes and enjoying the City.

Corinth Cannel

The next morning we continue west. Rather than having to sail all the way around the Peloponnese, we are able to take a short cut through the Corinth Cannel. The cannel is about a 3.2-mile stretch that connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Aegean Sea. Nero first started digging the cannel back in Roman times using 6000 Jewish slaves, but never finished it. It seems a little uprising in Gaul distracted him from the project. Octavia tried to bridge the gap by building a road and dragging his boats across this narrow stretch of lands. The remains of that road can still be seen. It wasn’t until 1893 that the cannel was finally cut through the limestone. In its day, it was quite the engineering feat. A hundred plus years later, it is almost outdated. Too narrow and too shallow to really function for commercial ships, the cannel is used mostly for private boats like ours taking a shortcut to the Gulf of Patras. As we pass through we can still see many of the original stonework used to hold up the limestone walls on both sides.

So Long from Salamis

The week has flown by and we find ourselves on the historical island of Salamis for their last night on the boat. We choose a quiet private bay where we are the only boat to anchor out for the evening to spend the last night together. I fixed a Thai dish of lemon chicken and stir fry vegetables for dinner that we have on the front of the boat complete with linen tablecloth and napkins. It has been a full week that seems some how less than 7 days. In the sun breaking light of morning we take the group to the Athens marina so they can catch their flights. Fortunately our trip is not over and we choose to go back to Salamis for another night anchored this time on the southern coast. This summer I read a historical book about the rise to greatness that Athens obtained before Christ’s birth redated the calendar. The island of Salamis played a major role in fighting off the Persian king Xerxes from taking control of the Athenian empire. Through trickery and strategic maneuvering, they trapped the Persian navy in the narrow waterways between Salamais and the mainland. It is actually this same invasion that the famous 300 Spartans held the Persians at the pass. They all died in battle, but their bravery became legendary for centuries. Through their bravery, Persia was unable to reinforce their navy with ground troops. The battle off of Salamis so destroyed the Xerxes’s navy that the Persians were forced to give up their goal of ruling this part of the Mediterranean. One of the things I have enjoyed about spending so much time in the Mediterranean is learning more European history and having it come to life as we visit these important pivotal places where a nations fate hung in the balance.

Kea Without the I or the Furniture

We arrive early in the day to the island of Kea and the town quay is practically empty. So we drop our anchor and back up, securing our stern lines to the iron rings embedded into the concrete quay. It is so lovely that we wonder why there are so few of visitors here. As the afternoon progressed, it took little time for other boats to arrive. A bigger boat arrives and wiggles in between only to be outdone by an even bigger arrival until the entire quay was bumper to bumper full. Ok, it was not quite an undiscovered paradise that we thought it was. The tempo of the little town increased and it takes on an entirely different vibe. There are plenty of traditional Greek restaurants, art galleries and shops selling just what you need to remember your time in this charming little village.

Kithnos

Like most of Greece the history of this island goes back millenniums ago when it was famous for producing the lyrical poets Simonides and Bacchlides and the physician Erasistratos. Those names are long in the dustbin of history, but in their day their fame brought world travelers to these shores. Now it is the quiet bays, whitewashed houses with bright blue shutters, old Greek women dressed in black. picking their way down narrow stone streets, and shops selling locally made items crafted with care that bring the travelers. We choose an anchorage that is well protected from the sea and has a sandy beach connecting a smaller island to the main island. This is a bay where no lights from even a village penetrate. When the sun sets, the inky night skies are punctured with a dazzling show of nighttime pricks of light. The nights and the waters are warm enough to dive off the boat and just float looking up and dreaming of another more ancient time. I some how feel connected to a civilization that extends back so far in history who also looked at that spectacular sky. While the world has changed dramatically from their days of glory, the one thing that remains a constant is the night sky. The gang hikes to the small village at the far end of the bay for a night of exploring. When everyone returns back to the boat at around 2am they share tales of hitchhiking in the back of a pickup, renting motor scooters, more amazing food and unlocking the magic of this Greek island. There is plenty of time for napping in the sun on the front of the boat while we travel to the next island adventure in the morning.