Ireland

July 2, 2019

Our flight on Aer Lingus from Nice to Dublin was uneventful arriving late in the afternoon. One of the first things we noticed upon arrival was a distinct change in the weather. The heat wave that was suffocating Southern France had swept through Ireland the week before and had now been replaced with temperatures in the upper 60’s and low 70’s. We were in heaven.

We checked in to a hotel near the airport for the night as we would be renting a car and heading west to Galway the next morning. But first, there was a trip into Dublin to have dinner at an Irish pub and watch the semi-finals of the women’s World Cup as the US women beat England 2-1. We have been tracking the US team as closely as possible during our trip, including the match against France while we were in France. That was fun and these women are truly an inspiration.

Our 5-day tour of Ireland would be a circular route beginning with a drive due west to Galway, then south to Killarney, east to Kilkenny, then north and further east back to Dublin – 475 miles in total. One of the exciting things about being in Ireland is that this is Liz’s ancestral home and during our entire stay, I have to say, that she felt totally at home. A change came over her almost instantly upon our arrival and stayed with her until we departed. It seemed that somewhere deep down in her soul a connection to this land and these people had taken shape. It is clear to me now, that someday we will return for a longer stay.

The drive to Galway takes about 2½ hours. Halfway to Galway is the town of Athlone where we stopped to visit the Athlone Castle situated in the center of town along the River Shannon. Originally built in 1210, the castle has been remodeled, expanded, destroyed and re-built many times over as a result of the Norman invasion, Napoleon and marauding local clans. Today, after an extensive renovation in 2012, it is a wonderful tourist attraction with a well done multimedia display explaining the castle’s history and the people who have shaped that history.

Athlone Castle

From Athlone, we next visited the Charleville Castle about 45 minutes away. The drive up to the castle is along a long, wooded, dirt road until finally you arrive at a clearing upon which sits the gothic-style castle, first built in 1641. Like so many other buildings of its type, the castle has been renovated, expanded, abandoned, re-occupied and, then, eventually, turned over to a charitable trust as a tourist attraction. We approached the front door, which was locked, and knocked on the big double doors. Eventually, a mid-20’s young man opens the door and in a quiet French-accent, asks if he can help us. We ask if we can take a tour to which he explains that the next tour wasn’t for another 45 minutes. We look disappointed and explain that we are on our way to Galway and can’t wait and he immediately changes his mind and agrees to give us a tour. Given as there was no one else around and no immediate prospects, I was surprised he hesitated even a moment.

Charleville Castle

As it turns out, he is a student from France and interning at the castle this summer. His temperament is quiet and he is just the slightest bit creepy, like the character in a horror movie lurking in the background who turns out to be hiding some dark secret that eventually leads to total chaos for everyone and everything by the end of the movie. The tour takes roughly 30 minutes. It’s an odd building with many unusual architectural features like hidden rooms and false doors. The climax of our tour is a visit to the stairwell where our guide explains that the house is thought to be haunted and that a little girl called Harriet, who died after a fall in a staircase, is said to still visit from time to time. Later we learn that this castle is believed to be the most haunted building and grounds in Europe, with it appearing on Living TV's Most Haunted, Ghost Hunters International and Fox's Scariest Places on Earth. In retrospect, we’re not sure whether the building or our guide was scariest part of the tour.

With the tour now complete and safely back in our car, we are happy to be back on the road, but we have one more stop before heading to Galway - the monastery of Clonmacnoise. The original monastery was built of wood and traces its roots to the 6th century. It was eventually replaced with a monastery made of stone in the 10th century and for hundreds of years was the most famous monastery in Ireland. It was attacked frequently during this time, mostly the Irish (at least 27 times), the Vikings (at least 7 times) and Normans (at least 6 times). In 1552 the English garrison at Athlone destroyed and looted Clonmacnoise for the final time, leaving it in ruins. Today, like so many other ruins, it is a tourist attraction and one well worth visiting.

Clonmacnoise Monastery

We arrive in Galway, a harbor city on Ireland’s west coast, late in the afternoon, check in to our hotel and then walk 1.5 miles to the center of town. Galway, Ireland’s sixth largest city with a population of 80,000, is quaint and beautiful. With two universities in town, there are a lot of young people and, as a coastal city, it attracts a lot of tourists giving Galway a very lively and energetic feeling. It’s a great place to walk, whether through the pedestrian-only old town or along the waterfront, and the food is great. We spent two days in Galway and walked nearly 18 miles.

One of the must stop venues is the gorgeous Galway Cathedral, a Catholic gothic cathedral that was only recently built (1958) and is the last stone cathedral to be built in all of Europe. During our visit, we learned that there would be a concert that evening featuring a pair of 17-year olds; a girl soprano accompanied by a boy on piano. We returned at 8pm for the concert and were amazed by their talent and the acoustics of the venue. It was a remarkable evening.

Galway Cathedral

We also loved walking along High St, a pedestrian-only street that runs through old town consisting of lovely boutique stores, cafes and restaurants. And we encountered numerous street performers. At one point, I was sure I was hearing Lady Gaga and, as we turned the corner, there was this 13-year old girl singing Shallow. She left us breathless.

Walking along the waterfront out to Salthill was also a highlight. We were disappointed to be only spending two days in Galway and left there believing another few days would be just right.

Friday, July 5^th

Our plans for today are to visit the Cliffs of Moher. Several years ago, as part of a work trip to Dublin, I had traveled out to the Cliffs of Moher – a 3½ drive from Dublin – only to find them encased in fog. So thick were the clouds, that while standing on the edge of the 390’ high cliffs you could not see them at all. Apparently, this is a common experience at the cliffs as in the visitor’s center there is a giant picture of the cliffs that visitors, frustrated by driving all that distance to see nothing, can have their picture taken standing next to a picture of the cliffs. Before leaving our hotel, I asked the lady at the front desk if she knew what the weather forecast for the cliffs would be that day. She placed a call directly to the visitor’s center and was told that, per usual, they are completely encased in fog today. I told Liz that we would be skipping the cliffs and heading directly to Killarney – a 3-hour drive. She resisted, but then relented.

On the way to Killarney, we stopped at the cute little town of Adare, the same town I had stopped at during my failed effort to see the cliffs years before. The remains of the Desmond Castle, built during the 12^th century, are in Adare. The castle is now under extensive renovation so we chose to visit only from afar, preferring, instead, to walk along the banks of the Maigue River on which the castle stands. We also visited the Trinitarian Monastery, first built in 1210 and then renovated in 1816. Adare is also home to many thatched roof cottages that remind one of Hansel and Gretel. If you find yourself in Ireland, Adare is definitely worth a stop.

Desmond Castle in Adare

We arrived in Killarney by early afternoon, checked into our hotel and then strolled the cute town center. Killarney is the largest town (14,500 population) on the Ring of Kerry – an extremely popular 111-mile drive that takes you through Killarney National Park, over the mountains, around the Ivaragh Peninsula, and back to Killarney. Owing to a bike race on the Ring of Kerry scheduled for Saturday, the drive would be closed to vehicles which suited us just fine, but it did mean that the streets of Killarney were brimming with bicyclists this Friday evening.

We visited St Mary’s Cathedral where construction began in 1842. We arrived just as a wedding was letting out. We snuck in a side door and watched as the bride and groom walked back down the aisle and then all of the guests joined them in sequence. Accordingly, our tour of this beautiful cathedral was complete with numerous floral arrangements and celebratory music emanating from the organ. Very special indeed.

St Mary's Cathedral in Killarney

From the cathedral, we entered Killarney National Park and walked the several miles to Ross Castle which sits on the edge of Lough Leane Lake. The castle was built in the late 15^th century and was one of the last to fall to Oliver Cromwell’s Roundheads. When in Killarney, make sure you visit Ross Castle.

Ross Castle in Killarney National Park

Saturday, July 6th

We left our hotel in Killarney early with our final destination for the day being Kilkenny, about a 3-hour drive. Our first stop was the Charles Fort in Kinsale, a port city along the southern coast of Ireland. The fort, named after King Charles II, was built in the late 17^th century in a star like configuration and was used as a military complex until the early 1900’s when it was abandoned by the British following the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. The fort fell into dis-repair until it was named a National Monument of Ireland in 1971 and restoration work commenced to turn it into a tourist attraction. Kinsale is a beautiful harbor town where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch and strolled the streets with their numerous boutiques and shops.

Charles Fort in Kinsale

From Kinsale we drove 45 minutes due north to visit Blarney Castle just outside of Cork. Blarney Castle is a magnificent structure dating back to 1446 and, like all the other old castles, went through numerous reconstructions, destructions and refurbishments over the centuries. We toured the castle and the extensive adjacent gardens. And, of course, we kissed the Blarney Stone.

The Blarney Stone, also called the Stone of Eloquence, is said to give the gift of eloquence to all that kiss it which is accomplished by lying on one’s back, hanging upside down, and then kissing the stone (all with the help of castle staff). This all sounds rather uneventful except that the stone is embedded in the very top of the castle at about 90ft above the ground.

Blarney Castle

Our final stop, before heading to our accommodations for the night, was the Rock of Cashel – a 1hr 45 min drive north and east from Blarney. The early history of the Rock of Cashel goes back to medieval times and includes the legend that it was here that St. Patrick converted the King of Munster to Catholicism. Few remnants of the early structures survive – the majority of buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries. With that said, what remains is astounding and the Rock of Cashel was one of the most amazing things we saw while in Ireland.

Rock of Cashel

Eventually, we arrived at Lorum Old Rectory, built in 1863 as a home for priests and now operated by Bobbie Smith and her daughter as a B&B. The place is unique and stunning and Bobbie and her daughter could not have been more welcoming.

Sunday, July 7th

This would be a busy day. Kilkenny has lots of attractions to see, then back to Dublin to catch a plane to London, then into the city to our AirBnB that would serve as home for the following week.

It begins with Kilkenny Castle. Originally built in 1195, the castle was home to the Butler family since the late 14^th century and remained so until Arthur Butler sold the deteriorating castle to the Castle Restoration Committee of Kilkenny for a ceremonial £50, with the statement: "The people of Kilkenny, as well as myself and my family, feel a great pride in the Castle, and we have not liked to see this deterioration. We determined that it should not be allowed to fall into ruins. There are already too many ruins in Ireland."

Kilkenny Castle

Among the many Butler family members that have lived there was Lady Margaret Butler (1465-1539) who married Sir William Boleyn and was the paternal grandmother of Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII of England (more about that later when we cover our travels in and around London).

It is a beautiful building sitting prominently on a hill in Kilkenny where it is the center of attention.

From the castle we walked to St. Canice Cathedral, then St Mary’s Cathedral and, finally, the Black Abbey – all beautiful buildings and worth the visit, but if you only have time for one building in Kilkenny, make it the Castle.

From Kilkenny, we hopped back into our car and headed the final 2+ hours back to the airport to catch our 5pm flight to London.

Before leaving this blog posting covering our trip through Ireland, I have to talk a bit about the Great Famine a period in Ireland from 1845 to 1849 of mass starvation, disease and emigration. The most severely impacted regions of Ireland just happened to be the west and south – the exact regions of our circular trip. During the famine, about one million people died and a million more emigrated from Ireland, causing the island's population to fall by between 20% and 25%.

This from Wikipedia-

“The proximate cause of the famine was a natural event, a potato blight, which infected potato crops throughout Europe during the 1840s, precipitating some 100,000 deaths in total in the worst affected areas and among similar tenant farmers of Europe. The food crisis influenced much of the unrest in the more widespread European Revolutions of 1848. The event is sometimes referred to as the Irish Potato Famine, mostly outside Ireland. The impact of the blight was exacerbated by the Government's political belief in laissez-faire economics.

The famine was a watershed in the history of Ireland, which from 1801 to 1922 was ruled directly by Westminster as part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Together with the Napoleonic Wars, the Great Famine in Ireland produced the greatest loss of life in 19th-century Europe. The famine and its effects permanently changed the island's demographic, political, and cultural landscape, producing an estimated two million refugees and spurring a century-long population decline. The already strained relations between many Irish and the British Crown soured further both during and after the famine, heightening ethnic and sectarian tensions, and boosting Irish nationalism and republicanism in Ireland and among Irish emigrants in the United States and elsewhere.”

In February 1845, a Royal Commission of the British Government reported:

It would be impossible adequately to describe the privations which they (the Irish labourer and his family) habitually and silently endure ... in many districts their only food is the potato, their only beverage water ... their cabins are seldom a protection against the weather ... a bed or a blanket is a rare luxury ... and nearly in all their pig and a manure heap constitute their only property.

And this from John Mitchel, one of the leaders of the Young Ireland Movement, who wrote in 1860:

I have called it an artificial famine: that is to say, it was a famine which desolated a rich and fertile island that produced every year abundance and superabundance to sustain all her people and many more. The English, indeed, call the famine a "dispensation of Providence"; and ascribe it entirely to the blight on potatoes. But potatoes failed in like manner all over Europe; yet there was no famine save in Ireland. The British account of the matter, then, is first, a fraud; second, a blasphemy. The Almighty, indeed, sent the potato blight, but the English created the famine.

It would appear that the famine was indeed “artificial” produced by absent landlords who did not live in Ireland but continued to demand production and export of goods out of Ireland while the tenant farmers paid rents, did all the work and starved, literally to death. Heaped on this was an indifferent British government that watched from afar, created report after report on the “Irish Situation”, but in the end did very little to come to the aid of its Irish citizens, rather leaving them to die and/or leave their country. Shameful. But it sounds a bit like the US response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. At the end of the day, in my opinion, both the British response to the Potato Famine in Ireland and the US response to hurricanes in New Orleans and Puerto Rico are the result of racial, religious and/or class discrimination. The potato bug, while present throughout Europe, only produced famine in Ireland and hurricanes in Florida, which occur annually, never create the economic dislocation that were experienced in New Orleans or Puerto Rico. Again, shameful!

Musings….

I LOVED Ireland! Everything about it. I had only been to Dublin before so exploring the areas we visited was a first. And it was so nice to be in a mild climate after the heat we experienced for over 2 weeks. It’s so green - multiple colors of green in every direction. Maybe it’s my ancestral roots (23andMe declared I was 96% Irish/English) calling to me but I literally felt so comfortable there - I could easily spend several months visiting. Definitely want to get to Northern Ireland next trip. And, as Malcolm noted, we missed Cliffs of Moher (yes I relented, but not easily - I wanted to go and risk “wasting” the 90 minute drive just in case, but he won that battle;).

We were blessed (as the Irish would say) with beautiful sunny days which makes for such an enjoyable visit. Malcolm had all the driving responsibilities (yikes!), but between driving on the opposite side and a stick-shift on the left hand side there was no way my brain could process that and still drive. The roads between most of our stops were 2 lanes, no lines, no shoulders and winding. I apologized to Malcolm when we were leaving Ireland for constantly white-knuckling it and almost non-stop backseat driving. It’s good he still loves me.

Most of the food was quite delicious but I never had Irish soda bread as delicious as my BC roommate Anne’s mom used to make us - Mrs. Walsh made the best Irish soda bread ever! But we did have many variations of wonderful tasting brown bread (molasses and black pepper seem to be a key in that recipe). And here I am talking about bread again…good grief, it’s a full blown addiction now.

Highly recommend everyone checking Ireland out. I can’t wait to go back and spend more time. 

PS

We’re getting a bit tardy in our blogging (notice how I say we, but it’s 99% Malcolm). Sometimes traveling just gets in the way…what can I say. But we’ll catch up soon. Thanks for hanging out and sharing our travels with us.

Southern France - Gassin

June 27, 2019

Note: I have experienced a significant malfunction with my iPhone that has left me without access to my pictures taken while in Gassin and Liz took only a few. So, this post is short on pictures and will be until Apple is able to restore them which they tell me will be within 10 days.

Our flight from Athens to Nice was uneventful. For the second year in a row, Liz and I will be visiting our dear friends, Alan and Karen Farkas, who, for years, have rented a villa in the village of Gassin – a 5-mile drive from St. Tropez in the South of France. Our journey to Gassin takes 1½ hours.

I first met Alan approximately 20 years ago while I was at Bentley Systems and Alan was the owner of a consulting firm, Farkas Berkowitz & Co. Alan's firm provided strategic consulting services to engineering firms that were the same firms that Bentley sold its software to. For many years, Alan held a conference for the CEO's of those firms attracting an audience of around 200 people. Bentley became a sponsor of this event and then we collaborated on a CIO conference for 17 years. It was a wonderful partnership.

Alan was also the person who introduced me to Water For People where we ended up serving together as board members. I recently completed my six year term there, but while we served together, we traveled to Bolivia and Nicaragua to witness Water For People's extraordinary work based upon their "everyone, forever" strategy.  Following the Nicaragua trip in 2018, Alan and I met up with Karen and Liz in Costa Rica to explore that beautiful country. And over these many years, we have become very dear friends and travel companions.

Malcolm, Liz, Karen and Alan in Costa Rica river rafting

Gassin is a small village perched on the top of a hill with wonderful views of the Mediterranean and the vineyards of Provence. It is believed to be one of the oldest villages in the South of France with the first written evidence dating back to 1234. Once a Moorish stronghold, the town is surrounded by the remains of 13th century ramparts. The older, original, village has a maze of winding streets and ancient houses with a population of 80 people, while the larger village has a population of 2,600. It is one of the cutest villages you will find anywhere. Alan and Karen’s home is located in the old part, on the peak of the village near the church. It has three stories plus a rooftop deck offering superb views.

Gassin

During the time of our visit, the heat wave that has engulfed much of Europe has also arrived in southern France with temperatures that are around 100°. It is hot and will remain hot for the duration of our 5-day stay. Fortunately, our agenda each day includes spending several hours at the beach.

Shortly after our arrival, we depart to a neighboring beach club to have lunch with friends of Alan & Karen’s. We had met Juergen and Mary (he’s German and she’s Botswanan) the previous year so it was fun to catch up with them. That night we had a light dinner at home and delightful conversation with Alan and Karen.

Juergen, Mary, Karen & Alan

Our daily routine in Gassin followed a pattern that was, for the most part, identical to our previous visit. Breakfast around 9AM consisting of croissants and baguettes from a nearby bakery accompanied by a wonderful selection of local jams and fresh fruit. The remainder of the morning is time for reading, catching up on the news and preparing to head to the beach. We head to the beach around noon – a 15 minute drive to Moorea Beach Club.

In my experience, beach clubs are a uniquely European thing. These are privately operated clubs consisting of a restaurant, bar, shops and lounge chairs on the beach. Moorea must be one of the high-end clubs as the restaurant is first class, complete with an afternoon fashion show.

Alan and Karen have been coming to this area and this club for a number of years and know the owner, Christophe, quite well. When we show up at the club and head to the beach, we are escorted to our comfortable lounge chairs on the beach. Our four chairs, complete with umbrella, are in the front row. Alan jokes that, due to his frequent lounging, he has been upgraded to “front row” and, in fact, we are given the same lounge chairs each day we go to the beach. After hour or more of lounging, dipping in the beautiful Mediterranean, re-applying sunscreen and reading our books, we head to the restaurant for lunch.

Lunch is outdoors, but, thankfully, under shade and is truly fine dining with wonderful fish dishes, salads, desserts and, of course, wine. Typically a local rose, which is superb. And we also enjoy the fashion show that includes three models showing off various beach wear available from the several boutiques that are part of the club.

We celebrate Liz's birthday (two months late) at Moorea

Lunch takes a couple of hours, after which we head back to our lounge chairs, take a nap, swim, read and then head to the bar before getting in the car around 6PM to head back home. It’s a tough life, but someone has to do it and it turns out that it was our turn (again).

We generally follow this routine for each of the four days that we are in Gassin, except for Saturday. On Saturday, Alan and Karen will be competing in the Moorea Cup, a golf tournament sponsored by their beach club. So, on this day, Liz and I drive into St. Tropez on our own to enjoy croissants at a harbor-side restaurant where we had done the same the year before. The croissants were so good, they became one of the highlights of our trip demanding a repeat performance this year and they did not disappoint. We also walked the harbor to take inventory of the many, many boats there. And these are no ordinary boats. We paced off three of them that were in excess of a hundred yards each. Literally, the harbor was mooring several billion dollars worth of boats.

After our croissants and boat tour, we headed to St. Tropez’s outdoor market which includes everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to clothing to antiques. It is a large affair and a very fun place to visit. We bought some cheese and flowers as Karen and Alan will be hosting a cocktail party for 16 or so people on Monday.

The view from our restaurant in Gassin

That night we had dinner at a restaurant in Gassin with outdoor seating overlooking the exquisite countryside as Alan and Karen were busy with a dinner as a culmination to their golf tournament. In a letter to friends and family, Alan describes the tournament results as follows-
“Last Friday night, the American women prevailed over France in the World Cup quarterfinals. The following day in France another international competition would take place, the 26th annual Moorea Golf Challenge, a tournament sponsored by one of the oldest and most prominent beach clubs in St. Tropez. In this competition, two Americans would be among the 288 participants competing for best and second best net scores (after accounting for handicaps). Those two Americans and their French teammates would go on to place second among 72 foursomes. The glass-engraved plaques were presented Saturday night at a big party held at the beach club with 350 in attendance.

You cannot imagine our shock and delight when the owner of the club announced that “les Americains M. et Mme. Farkas” were members of the second-place team.  I thought our performance was respectable, nothing more, but in fact, we had tied for first. Because the winners had a better back nine than we, they took top honors. That a team of septuagenarians could place in this competition is astounding. Our teammates were a retired physician and his wife from Marseille. That win is the highlight of our trip so far, and may rank as the highlight of our 14 trips here over a 20-year span.”

On Monday night, we had the opportunity to meet the “teammates from Marseille” who attended the cocktail party. Liz and I felt honored to be in the presence of golf royalty.

The next morning around 10AM, we packed up our bags and headed back to the Nice airport to catch a flight to Dublin. Our visit to Gassin was, again, exceptional. It is truly a beautiful place and it is made all the more beautiful when we are able to bask in the incomparable hospitality of Karen and Alan. “Merci beaucoup, mes chers amis!”

Musings-

I think it's fair to say, and my friends will surely attest to, I don't function well in the heat. Something in my DNA, but I become so lethargic (and maybe crabby?!). That said, can't imagine a better place to be in that heat than the beach near Gassin with our wonderful friends Alan & Karen. It was another lovely visit to one of the most idyllic, bucolic villages imaginable. I highly recommend visiting Gassin if you are ever in the area - you won't be disappointed. Plus the restaurants at the top offer a beautiful view of the valley and delicious food.

Merci beaucoup from both us!!! Till next year...

Athens, Greek Isles and Santorini

Sunday, June 16^th

Our 3-hour flight from Barcelona to Athens was on time departing and arriving, if not a few minutes early. Magically, our bags quickly appeared on the luggage belt and shortly we were whisked away by taxi to our hotel in Athens.

I have been to Athens twice before, both related to work. However, the second time was in 2004 and I arrived a few days early so as to take in the Summer Olympics that just happened to be hosted in Athens at that time. (Coincidence? I think not.) You may recall that the news reports leading up to the 2004 Summer Games indicated that Athens was completely ill-prepared to be hosting these games. Some of the venues were not complete, the new airport and metro system were behind schedule and the Organizing Committee seemed to be anything, but organized.

All of this negative press had an impact on attendance. By the start of the games, only 2.9 million tickets out of 5.3 million (55%) had been sold. So, when I arrived during the second week of the games, I was able to purchase tickets for several key events including: the gold medal men’s basketball, the gold medal women’s volleyball and the gold medal men’s soccer match. In addition, I was able to catch some of the qualifying rounds in tennis and swimming. The only events that I couldn’t get tickets for was gymnastics and track and field.

One of the events I also watched was the men’s marathon which I took in from two different locations – one closer to the beginning and then another closer to the stadium at the end which I was able to access via the newly completed metro system. The Athens Olympics marathon event is infamous due to an incident in which Neil Horan, a drunk, Irish protester and former priest, interfered with

Vanderlei de Lima of Brazil while de Lima was leading the event with around 7 kilometers remaining. De Lima lost about 15 to 20 seconds of time because of the interruption, and finished third. While I was not far from where the incident occurred, I didn’t actually see it happen. And this wasn’t Horan’s first sports event debacle. In a previous protest, he ran onto the track at the 2003 British Grand Prix, intentionally running directly into the path of oncoming cars.

We had booked the Divani Palace Hotel in Athens for one night due to its strategic location quite near the Acropolis. After checking in and cleaning up, I contacted Ted Lamboo who had arrived in Athens the week before with his wife, Ellen. Ted is a former colleague of mine from Bentley who I have now known for over 20 years. He and Ellen have become dear friends over these many years and they would be joining us for our 7-day sailing of the Greek Isles. But first up would be to tour the Acropolis. Ted and Ellen were already there and had purchased tickets for us. After a 15-minute walk, we met them at the entrance and began our self-guided tour.

Malcolm, Liz, Ellen & Ted at the Acropolis

 The Acropolis

As a young boy growing up in the US, the Acropolis is something we learned about in school as one of the most important symbols of ancient Greek civilization. Along with the Roman Forum, these buildings stood for the most advanced human thought on the planet at their respective times and places. While there is a rich history related to the hilltop where the Acropolis now stands, the Golden Age began when Pericles organized the construction of buildings within the Acropolis during the 5^th century BC – over 2400 years ago.

The Parthenon

 The Acropolis is comprised of 20 separate buildings, the most well-known of which are: the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena, the Erechtheum, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Theatre of Dionysus. Over the centuries, the Acropolis was many things: a home to kings, a citadel, a mythical home of the gods, a religious center and a tourist attraction. It has withstood bombardment, massive earthquakes and vandalism yet still stands as a reminder of the rich history of Greece.

Temple of Athena

Theatre of Dionysus

In the sixth century AD, after Rome converted to Christianity, many temples at the Acropolis became Christian churches. The Parthenon was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Erechtheion became a chapel.

As Greece endured many unwelcome invaders, including the Venetians and the Turks, the Acropolis and its temples also served as mosques and storehouses for ammunition. The Propylaea was a residence for Episcopalian clergy and later, the Ottoman ruler. It also once served as barracks for the Turkish occupying army.

In 1687, the Venetians bombarded the Acropolis and decimated the Parthenon, which was a powder munitions depot at the time, leaving it at the mercy of looters, vandals and even tourists; many priceless artifacts were lost.

In 1801, hoping to save the Parthenon’s architectural magnificence, a Scottish nobleman, Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin ("Lord Elgin"), began removing its sculptures with permission from the occupying Turkish government.

Lord Elgin eventually removed over half of the Parthenon’s sculptures, known as the Elgin Marbles, and sold them to the British Museum where many still reside today. The Greek government strongly disapproves of the artifacts remaining in the hands of the British and feels the sculptures should be returned to Athens.

After the Greek War of Independence in 1822, the Acropolis was returned to the Greeks in disrepair. They began investigating the condition of their crown jewel and meticulously excavated the entire site in the late nineteenth century. At the turn of the twentieth century, restorations began.

In 1975, the Committee for the Conservation of the Monuments on the Acropolis was established which includes architects, archaeologists, chemical engineers and civil engineers. The Committee, along with the Acropolis Restoration Service, works to document and conserve the history of the Acropolis and restore its structures as closely to their original state as possible.

They also work to minimize environmental damage caused by pollution and weathering and identify ways to limit future damage. The restorations of the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike are complete.

The Erechtheion

One of the signs posted in our self-guided tour spoke of the damage caused by earthquakes, wars and fires over the Acropolis’ nearly 2500 year history, but it concluded that the most severe damage by far was caused by Lord Elgin who, with the permission of the Turks, dismantled large parts of the Parthenon, and other buildings within the Acropolis, and brought them back to England where they are now on display at the British Museum. I have been to the British Museum several times and its display of the Acropolis is breathtaking.  Here is how the museum refers to its Acropolis collection:

“The collection includes the following marble, architecture and architectural sculpture from the Acropolis:

Parthenon

·       247ft of the original 524ft of frieze

·       15 of the 92 metopes

·       17 pedimental figures; various pieces of architecture

Erechtheion

·       a Caryatid, a column and other architectural members

Propylaia

·       Architectural members

Temple of Athena Nike

·       4 slabs of the frieze and architectural members

Material from the Parthenon was dispersed both before and after Elgin. Approximately half of the original total was already destroyed by Elgin’s time. The British Museum holds about half of the surviving sculptures.

Lord Elgin applied to the Ottoman government, the legal authority in Athens at the time, for a firman (license and letter of instruction) to permit his activities on the Acropolis. This was granted in 1801, and was followed by the issue of a second firman in 1810, allowing the shipping of the remainder of his collection to England.

In 1816, a Select Committee of the House of Commons found that the collection had been legitimately acquired by Elgin as a private individual. After a debate in the House of Commons, funds were agreed and the collection was acquired for the British Museum, where it is held under the terms of the British Museum Act 1963.”

This collection, commonly referred to as the “Elgin Marbles” or “Parthenon Marbles”, remains a point of contention between the Greek and British governments (or, at the least, the British Museum). In Greece, they feel as though an essential part of Greek culture has been stolen from them, while in the UK they feel they were properly obtained and are now beautifully preserved and on display for the world to see.

As recently as April of this year, in a speech given at the Acropolis, President Prokopis Pavlopoulos of Greece stated, “Let the British Museum come here and make the comparison between this museum of light and the murky, if I may say, prison of the British Museum where the Parthenon Marbles are held as trophies.”

This disagreement over the Elgin Marbles has been going since they were first removed in the early 1800’s. It is unlikely to be resolved any time soon. My sympathies are with the Greeks.

After our tour, Ted, Ellen, Liz and I stopped at a nearby bar for a quick drink and some snacks with magnificent views of the Acropolis. From there we walked into town and enjoyed dinner together before Liz and I headed back to our hotel while Ted & Ellen walked to their AirBnB.

Enjoying a drink with a view

The Acropolis from our hotel

Sailing the Greek Isles

The next morning, as per our instructions from the sailing charter company, the four of us convened at Skippers Bar in the Marina where we would meet up with our captain, George, at 10am. George, a good-looking, bearded 30-year old with what appears to be a permanent tan, showed up at precisely 10am. After brief introductions, we made our way over to the boat with all of our luggage. I had mentioned to Adriana at the charter company that Liz and I had several bags, some of which were large, and asked her if there was a place to store them. She replied that the boat, which has four cabins for guests, would have some spare cabins and we could simply store them on the boat. Problem solved.

After getting all of the bags on board, we settled in the salon of our boat, the Vitamin Sea, where George reviewed the operations of the boat and then we began the discussion of our itinerary for the next week.

Our boat - "The Vitamin Sea"

The website described four different itineraries: the explorer – off the beaten path; easy & fun – the path of the gods; wet ride – salt and choppy sea; and the adventurer. After some back and forth with the charter company and taking into account Liz’s pre-disposition for seasickness, we had selected the 2^nd itinerary – Easy & Fun, the Path of the Gods.

George began the discussion about our itinerary noting that we had selected “Easy & Fun”, but then stated that the weather report indicated thunder storms in the Saronic Islands during the next couple of days which would not make our trip either easy or fun. He then described an alternative trip that would take us away from bad weather. This new itinerary was a combination of The Adventurer on the front end, and Easy & Fun on the back end. I could sense that Liz’s seasickness was beginning to expose itself, but she fully understood the need to change course and agreed to George’s audible to switch things up. With our course determined, we slipped out of the harbor and set our course for the island of Kea, about a 5½ hour sail from Athens.

The Vitamin Sea is a 51 ft sail boat with four cabins down below – each with its own bathroom, plus a fifth cabin upfront for our skipper, George. Also down below is a salon and a kitchen or galley. At deck level, at the rear of the boat (the stern) are two identical steering wheels or helms, a cockpit with seating for six adults, and a large bow or sundeck up front. While sailing, George commanded the helm while the four of us remained seated in the cockpit.

As for our skipper, here’s what the website says about George – “His first contact with sailing was at the age of six where he learned all the basics and crucial techniques of dealing with wind and waves. By the age of nine, he was awarded twice for being the youngest participant racing optimists, got 15th place in the nationals and many more awards. After few years away of what he mostly loved in his life, he found another path to yacht racing and became a professional skipper for chartered yachts leading first time sailors with safety to a once in a lifetime journey to Greek islands.”

Our skipper - George

And, again, from the website, some words from George – “Sailing is not just a job or a passion for me, it is a way of life. When out there in the open sea or at an astonishing anchorage it feels like the place where I belong. Taking guests on a sailing trip, sharing with them this unique experience of being alone in nature, socializing and showing all the beautiful corners of my country is the biggest satisfaction I can get as a skipper. We shall treat the sea with respect, so safety and the well-being of the passengers on board is priority #1, no matter what. I am an easy-going person, calm 99% of the time, fun and smiling with a great attitude. Always keen on meeting new people, sharing stories and experiences. I am looking forward to show you the best of Greece.”

We warmed up to George immediately, and, over the course of our week together, developed a profound respect for his sailing ability, but even more for his even keel personality. We quickly became friends and then, really good friends. George was one of the highlights of the entire trip.

The sailing experience among the passengers was limited. Ted and Ellen had been on open seas sails many years before, but apparently, due to the absence of wind, there was very little sailing. Liz and I have little to no previous experience. Hence, we relied heavily on George who was more than up to the task.

As it turns out, during our week aboard the Vitamin Sea, we did precious little “sailing”. Mostly, the sails were not deployed and we were using the boat’s motor for power. This wasn’t a matter of choice, it was necessitated by the absence of wind, in most cases, or the direction of the wind that didn’t favor the destination for the day. I think the sails were deployed for less than five hours during the entire week.

The Vitamin Sea at port in Kea

Rather than describe each of our days on the boat and the islands we visited, I will speak in general about our experience with some specific highlights. It’s not exactly accurate to say that one island is like the next, but it isn’t so far from the truth that the differences are worth noting. We sailed to Kea on day 1, then Kythnos on day 2, Serifos on day 3, back to Kythnos day 4, Poros day 5, Epidaurus day 6 and then back to Athens on the final day. Kea, Kythnos and Serifos are all part of the Cyclades, an island group due south of Athens, while Poros and Epidaurus are part of the Saronic islands due west of Athens.

In almost every case, the harbor has a small town with restaurants, bakeries, bars, shops and a port for the extensive ferry system that supports the Greek islands. However, the main town or Chora, is removed from the harbor and is up in the top of the hills or mountain. The Greek islands are actually a mountain range submerged under the Mediterranean Sea with only their peaks visible. As people settled on these islands, they chose the top of these peaks for their main town, primarily for protection from potential invaders. Consequently, when we arrived at an island, we almost always made our way via taxi to the Chora as it was here that you find the better restaurants and shops as well as the people and outstanding views.

A typical day began with breakfast on board the Vitamin Sea comprised of cereal, fruit, yogurt and baked goods from the local bakery, plus coffee from a nearby café. Generally, we would leave the port around 10am and set a course for our next island. Typically, we would stop at a cove along the way for swimming before making our way into the harbor where we would dock at the pier among the many other boats. Only once did we spend the night moored only via anchor in a quiet cove at Kythnos.

The beach at Kythnos

For lunch we often had cheese and crackers, more fruit and bread from a local bakery that we had picked up in the morning. Only once did we have lunch at a restaurant and, again, this was on Kythnos, where we ate at this lovely seafood restaurant perched on a hill side overlooking the harbor.

Enjoying lunch on Kythnos

Generally, we reached our final destination for the day by 4:00 or 5:00 in the afternoon which allowed for exploring the harbor and or the chora prior to having dinner at a restaurant that almost always was recommended to us by George, although George never ate dinner with us in spite of our frequent invitations.

We would return to the boat by around 10pm and get ready for bed. While the boat has four cabins and can accommodate eight passengers, after the first night, Ted & Ellen decided to sleep separately in two of the four cabins. Liz and I would have done the same, except that one of the cabins was fully occupied by our luggage. After the second night, when I awoke very early feeling both hot and claustrophobic, I elected to sleep in the salon for the remainder of the trip. I honestly don’t know what we would have done if there were eight adults on board. The sleeping quarters were so small and tight that two adults are like packed sardines in a single cabin. It would have been a miserable trip for eight adults with everyone trying to survive on little to no sleep.

The swimming each day was a lot of fun. The water was a comfortable temperature and so salty that it was easy to float. Jumping and diving off of the boat’s deck was a treat and we also made good use of the inflatable stand up paddle board. The coves were generally busy with other boats anchored nearby and the beaches typically had several to many sunbathers who had arrived by car or ferry.

A view of the harbor from the Chora on Serifos

I was surprised by how barren the Cyclade Islands were. It was clear by the terracing of the land, that farming was once very active on these islands, but there was no evidence that this was a continuing endeavor and I don’t think it has been happening for many, many decades. Tourism is the main driver of the economy now with fishing taking the #2 position. And these islands are sparsely populated with a few hundred folks living in the harbor and maybe a thousand in the chora. Scattered houses can be seen on other parts of the islands, many of which are obviously second homes and not frequently used. While they were fun to visit, I was always happy to be able to set sail and head out of the harbor on the next day.

The Saronic Islands, by contrast, are comparatively lush with vegetation and the populations are larger due to their being closer to Athens and much more accessible.

The Saronic Islands defintely appear more lively

On the morning of our last day, before leaving Epidaurus, we traveled by taxi high up into the hills to visit the ancient ruins of the Epidaurus Theatre. Built during the 4^th century BC by the Greeks and then expanded by the Romans, this theatre, and the many other accompanying buildings, are amazing. The theatre, which can accommodate up to 14,000 people, is still active today. In fact, the night before there was a performance at the theatre of “The Life and Times of Oepidus” with over 6,000 people in attendance, most of whom had traveled from Athens to be there. If you ever find yourself in Epidaurus, be sure to visit this ancient theatre.

The ancient theatre of Epidaurus

After our visit to the theatre, we made our way back to Athens arriving in port around 3:30 where we unloaded our bags, bid farewell to George and hopped into a taxi to head to the airport.

Sailing the Greek Isles has long been on my bucket list and Liz’s too. And I think it is on many other people’s list as well. Be honest, it’s probably on your list too.

So, here’s my take. After one full day, I wasn’t sure how I was going to survive the week. There isn’t much to do on the boat especially since you aren’t even sailing. The hours and hours of inactivity confined on a small boat is difficult to take. Fortunately, the company on our trip was terrific. Ted and Ellen are fantastic people to travel with. Easy going and fun, celebrating almost 40 years of marriage. The perfect companions for this trip. And George couldn’t have been better. By the end of the trip, we all were in love with George. So, imagine if this wasn’t the case. Imagine if one or more of the fellow passengers was a pain in the neck or George had a Captain Ahab personality? It would have been intolerable.

Sailing the Greek Isles has been thoroughly scratched off my bucket list. Been there, done that. And maybe it can come off your list now too. Just saying.

Santorini

Upon arrival at the airport, we said goodbye to Ted & Ellen who were heading back to their home in Amsterdam. Our next stop would be Santorini, a 45-minute flight due south of Athens.

As previously noted, the Greek Islands are formed from a submerged mountain range. Santorini was the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history: the Minoan eruption, which occurred about 3,600 years ago at the height of the Minoan civilization. The eruption left a large caldera hundreds of meters deep. It may have led indirectly to the collapse of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, 110 km (68 mi) to the south, through a gigantic tsunami.

Satellite image of Santorini

There are over 15,000 people who live on Santorini, most of whom live on the caldera’s rim, high above sea level. I had seen pictures of Santorini many times, but I didn’t realize that these beautiful clusters of tightly packed white buildings with blue doors and roofs had virtually no access to the sea. In fact, there are very few beaches on Santorini as, mostly, where the land meets the sea is marked by steep cliffs and rocky shores. With that said, the place is beautiful.

We stayed for three nights at the Acroterra Rosa on the southern perimeter in the small town of Akrotiri. The Santorini port is located in Thera, the capital city, located on the west side of the central perimeter. The city of Oia, located on the northern perimeter, is the town captured in all of the popular images of Santorini and is, by far, the most crowded part of the island.

We arrived late on Sunday, June 23^rd and went straight to bed. The next morning, we traveled to the lighthouse at the southern tip for a quick hike. From there, we drove to the eastern edge of the island to Red Beach. The beach derives its name from the color of the volcanic ash that is evident from the cliffsides and the beach. From the beach, we drove to the highest point on the island, Mount Profitis, where we visited the monastery of Prophet Elias. Next, we drove to the town of Pyrgos, in the center of the island, where we had lunch and later visited Pyrgos Castle.

Red Beach

This day also happened to be our second anniversary and to celebrate, I had arranged for dinner at Lauda in Oia. Lauda is Oia’s first restaurant and its chef, Emmanuel Renaut, is a Michelin 3-star chef. You approach the restaurant from the rim of the caldera where you are met by the host who then escorts you down several flights of stairs to where the restaurant is. There we are met by the maître d’ who I can only describe as the most charming individual I have ever met. He looks and sounds like the younger sibling of Ricardo Montalbán. When he shows us to our table, which sits on the outer edge of the patio with spectacular views of the harbor, he asks “Is this table to your liking?” and then he hands Liz a long stem rose. We are both gob-smacked by the entire ambiance. What a great start to our anniversary celebration.

The view from our table at Lauda

The menu is a prix fixe with wine pairings and everything is spectacular. In the harbor below us is an enormous yacht which we later learn belongs to Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. The boat is over 100 meters long with a swimming pool on the rear deck. Seems a bit over the top to me, but it does make for a nice visual as the sun slowly sinks into the sea. Overall, this was one of the most romantic experiences ever.

Mark Cuban's yacht

The next day, Tuesday, June 25^th, we drove back to Oia to explore the main walkway that tracks along the caldera’s perimeter and is lined with hundreds of expensive, fancy shops. The views are just as outstanding as the post cards suggest, although navigating among the throngs of tourists in the oppressive heat is exhausting. There are six cruise ships in the harbor this day, each with several thousand passengers and, it seems, most are in Oia this day.

Oia

We returned to our hotel, had a swim in the pool, followed by massages. Tough day. That evening, we had dinner at a cliffside restaurant in Fira. From our table, we had a wonderful view of the gondola or tram system that is used to bring cruise ship passengers from the shore up the cliffs to the top of the caldera – a rise of 1200 ft.

The next day, Wednesday, June 26^th, we flew back to Athens where we checked into the Sofitel Hotel at the airport. I had a conference call with my former Bentley colleagues, for whom I still do some consulting work, that began at 6pm and lasted nearly five hours.

The next morning, we had an early flight out to Nice, France where we will visit with our dear friends, Alan and Karen Farkas. For years, they have rented a home in Gassin, near St. Tropez, for a month. Last year, we spent several days with them there and we will now soon be back for a repeat performance. Very much looking forward to relaxing with the two of them.

Musings…

As Malcolm mentioned, both of us had sailing the Greek Islands on our respective bucket lists. Everyone I’ve ever talked to that took this trip loved it. So how could we not? Well, I’m not sure, but maybe it was the temperature (hotter than Hades!) or the fact that even though 51 feet sounds big, it’s really a little boat or the fact the islands we visited were tiny with very little activity (and desert like). Anyway, it's checked off my bucket list, and I loved spending time with Ted & Ellen (still hoping I passed “the test”!). And, best news, I never felt seasick - those patches definitely work;).

I must say that I was slightly obsessed with George, our captain. Here’s a young, good looking guy, that spends about 6 months a year sailing alone. Yes, he’s with his passengers, but he’s pretty solitary and only participates if directly cajoled into participating. Just couldn’t get my head around how someone would want to spend their life like that…but that’s why we’re all who we are (said a voice in my head as I was swimming in the stunningly beautiful Aegean Sea). Thanks, Amphitrite.

I also enjoyed Santorini, but found the huge crowds (God knows how people do those cruises) and still hotter than Hades temps, not to my liking. However, our anniversary dinner was fabulous and very romantic.

So, sometimes we find ourselves surprised at our own reactions…like I was to my highly anticipated Greek Island cruise. Just too hot, too crowded, and not nearly enough greenery for me. Who would have thought…..?