greondastravels

We flew into Milan via Athens, then caught a train from the airport to Bologna. Greg was ecstatic, he was back in “Fonzie heaven” and the Aperol spritz went from 13 euros to 7 euros!👍😁

How apartment was very central and a short stroll to Piazza Maggiore, Bologna’s main square. The piazza dates back to the 1200’s and is surrounded by magnificent palazzos and the huge Basilica.

The Fountain of Neptune stands in the piazza and dates back to the 16th century. We had read about an unusual optical illusion created by the sculpture. He had wanted to show Neptune in “all his glory” if you know what we mean, but the Pope decided it was not appropriate. He then created a certain spot behind the statue which gives the illusion of an excited Neptune. 😂 Of course we had to find it!

We decided to taste some of Bologna’s great food, after all it is known as La Grasse, or the Fat One, which proved to be a correct name for us! The pizzas were good as was the mortadella, prosciutto , and salami.

Not to be outdone, we went on a shopping spree in the local market and Greg cooked up a storm with the most amazing fresh ingredients, particularly the San mazarno tomatoes, which actually tasted like tomatoes!😂

Standing proudly in Piazza Maggiore is the Palazzo d’Accursio,, now the Bologna Town Hall and has been the seat of the Municipality since 1336. We were able to wander through the building and we came across the rather opulent Red Room which was the City Senate in the 16th century where the most important meetings were held.

The magnificent porticoes of Bologna form the world’s largest urban arcade system spanning nearly 62 kms in total with over 40 kms located in the historic centre. They are registered on the UNESCO World Heritage site.

Every corner you turn you come across another church. We asked google what were the best ones to visit so we spent a day doing a church hunt. Santo Stefano, known as the 7 Churches, once contained 7 interconnecting churches, but today only 4 remain connected by cloisters and courtyards.

Chiesa del Corpus Domini, was Rhonda’s favorite, because it holds the mummified body of Saint Catherine of Bologna. She was a 15th Century Nun, a mystic, an artist and a writer. She died in 1463 and was buried, then strange things began to happen. Visions and miracles happened. Her body was exhumed and found perfectly preserved. She now sits upright in a glass case in the church. Believe it or not, but it’s a lovely story!

The Cathedral of San Pietro has the tallest bell tower in Bologna, and although the outside was nothing special, the inside was amazing,

San Domenico is a pilgrimage Church and a master piece of Renaissance sculpture. The Altar was completed by Michelangelo when he was in his early 20’s.

Of course we went to many many many other churches but enough is enough! Bologna is famous also for its towers. The Two Towers of Bologna, the Asinelli and Garisenda are the iconic medieval towers of the city built between 1109 and 1119. During the 12th and 13th century, wealthy families built roughly 80 to 100 stone towers in Bologna for defense and to show off their power and status.

We enjoyed wandering the streets and every corner you go around there is something special to see. Beautiful buildings loads of churches, places to eat and places to drink.

We found ample opportunities to stop and admire the surroundings whilst having a bite to eat and a drink or 2 or 3!😂 Greg had to have his piadeina, which was delicious and of course all the aperols went down well.

Last time we were in Bologna we remembered a small window on a side street, which when you opened it , gave you a view of the canals which run through Bologna but are rarely seen. They are called the Little Venice of Bologna, however this time the canals were running rather dry. Another cute little building we came across was the Oratorio della Spirito Santo built between 1481 and 1497. Unfortunately it is not open to the public but we would have liked to poke our noses in. The Palazzo Della Mescanzia was the original Chamber of Commerce and those found guilty of bankruptcy would be chained to a stake at the central front pillar and subjected to public ridicule.

Unbeknowns to us, over the weekend there were a number of events taking place. Sunday was the Feast of Saint Petronio honouring the cities Patron Saint. More about the festivities on Sunday later but on Saturday we had to go and cheer the Aussie cyclists riding in the Giro dell Emillia. Unfortunately the Aussies didn’t win, not due to the lack of our cheering.😂

Back on the food trail, we found an “almost Brunettis” for our breakfast and thanks to Stew and Lynds we had a few great ice creams…..pistachio of course.

Parking is a premium in the centre of Bologna. They park anywhere and the smaller the car, the better. Rhonda would need one of these if she lived here.😂

We walked the perimeter of the historical centre of Bologna to check out some of the old gates.Porta Castiglione was rebuilt around 1403. Porta Maggiore was built in the 2nd half of the 13th century.

We decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner to have some traditional Bologna pasta, tagliatelle al ragu and it was delicious. The waiter talked Rhonda into having a dessert that was rather unusual. It was called in English “The Trick”. It was tortellini in apple broth, white chocolate, fiordilatte (cheese) ice cream, Parmesan biscuit and Lambrusco reduction. Sounds weird doesn’t it! But it all came together so well and was actually delicious. Greg played safe and had his usual pannacotta.

After all that we needed to walk off our dinner so took some night shots on the way back home.

The main event of the weekend took place in Piazza Maggiore at the Basilica of San Petronio. It is the most important church in Bologna. An interesting story is that the construction began in 1390 and was to be extended in 1514. Its new model was going to be larger than St Peters Basilica in Rome but the Pope at the time blocked the new extension. It now seems to be only half finished with the lower half covered in marble but the upper still in brick. It is said that either the money ran out or the Pope again put a stop on fishing off the marble. Who knows but it’s a good story.

We found a spot sitting on the steps in the piazza to wait for the procession of the relics of the patron Saint Petronio to emerge from the Basilica. The Cardinal Archbishop lead the procession around the Piazza with many clergy and then the relics ( apparently of his head) was solemnly carried around.

Once the procession had finished , the steps of the Basilica came alive with a rock concert. From the sublime to the ridiculous!😂 The band actually were pretty good!

We had a great time in Bologna, walked our legs off, ate great food and drank plenty of wine. Then it was off to Roma.

So it’s ciao ciao for now.

See you in Rome.

Love Greg and Rhonda.

Xx

We arrived in Santorini after our last and quite rough ferry trip. We disembarked with 100’s of others to be confronted by the very steep cliffs of Santorini. We were met at the port and taken to our hotel perched on the Caldera.

Santorini was created after a volcanic eruption about 3600 years ago. It destroyed the island and left a massive water crater or caldera with steep vertical cliffs.

Our first impression when arriving at our hotel, Hotel Villa Renos was WOW!!!

We had our own spa on our balcony and we overlooked the cliff face and the stunning Caldera view. It was magical.

We settled in with a welcome drink before heading out for an early dinner , then back to watch the sunset from our private balcony and not the 1000’s queuing up along the street.

Dinner was fabulous. Rhonda’s sea bass was the best one for this trip and Greg enjoyed his calamari.

After the sunset we walked along with the crowds to jostle for some night shots. Must admit it was spectacular even though it was wall to wall people.

Our hotel provided us with a wonderful breakie each morning, different every day. We enjoyed special savory plates and even a dessert!! Not the usual breakie dish but delicious.

We decided, along with Julie to undertake the Fira ( which was where we stayed) to Oia walk along the rim of the crater, a 10 km walk which was said to take 3 to 5 hours, depending on photo stops.

We left Fira and the first village on the track that we came across was Inerovigli, similar to Fira with white washed buildings tumbling down the cliff face.

We had great views of the Caldera walking along the rim.

The weather was perfect and not a lot of people! The track was a little up and down but nothing too strenuous, thank God!

We came across many churches along the track. The Church of the Prophet Elias was the quintessential. Cycladic style with white washed walls and a blue dome.

We continued along passing by the Holy Cross Chapel where we rested before our descent into Oia.

Finally we made it, 12 kms later and 21,000 steps and in a great time of 2 hours and 30 minutes, not a bad effort at all, and we stopped for heaps of photos too! Luckily you are not seeing them all!😂

First photo stop in Oia was the Virgin Mary of the Akathist Hymn Church in the main square. Thank God for Greg’s new phone that can “erase” people who we don’t want in our photos!🙄

As we ventured further along the narrow pathways into Oia, it became very difficult to walk, probably due to the fact that 2 cruise ships with over 6200 passengers had arrived early in the morning and we think they were ALL in Oia! We finally managed to find the quintessential photo of the blue domes along with all the instagrammers and influencers trying to get their best photos shots and hogging the views whist checking the hair was perfect!🤦‍♀️

Greg however managed to push his way through and get some good shots.

We saw what we needed to see and then decided to reward ourselves with a cold beer for a job well done before heading back to Fira……. by bus……not walking.

We had a drink on our balcony to watch the sunset, and then headed out for a late dinner.

Dinner was great. The white eggplant with beef and tomatoes and the veal roll with veges were both delicious, as was the red wine.

The next morning we headed out for a walk and visited the 3 bells of Fira. It was a stunning view with the blue dome and white church. Again we jostled with many others and again Greg’s phone was invaluable!

Donkeys are still used to transport those hoardes of people from the cruise ships up the cliff face and although we heard them often, they were tricky to get a photo of them but we could easily make out the track that the poor things needed to go on.

We caught the bus with hundreds of others, at least it seemed like that on the bus, packed like sardines, to Perissa to see the Black Beach, a result of volcanic activity that created the island. We stayed for lunch which was our last meal on the Greek Islands. We enjoyed grilled stuffed calamari and grilled swordfish.

Back home for a swim in the very cold pool, and then into our hot tub to warm up.

Then it was last drinks on our balcony and our last sunset and a farewell to Santorini.

We would have liked to have seen Santorini 20 years ago, before social media made it into a bit of a circus. Our balcony and the cliff face were simply stunning but head back a street and it was touristy shops , fast food outlets and quite simply horrible and not our cup of tea. The bevy of beauties everywhere taking the 20 or 30 shots to get that “perfect one” was at the beginning great for people watching but after the first day it became unbearable!

Very happy to have seen it, stunning scenery but no need to go back.

We said goodbye to Julie and Jude, and then we headed to Bologna in Italy where our next blog will be from.

So goodbye from the Greek Islands.

Love Greg and Rhonda.

We have spent the last 3 nights on the very quiet island of Folegandros. Our little house is about one and half kms from the delightful Chora, the main village of the island. We have a lovely ocean view and a gorgeous swimming pool, however sadly the weather has not been overly kind to us here with some wind and rain.

We settled in , then caught a taxi into Chora for an early dinner before an adventure. It was late afternoon, and very quiet but had a lovely feel about it.

We found somewhere for a drink and an early dinner as not a lot of restaurants were open early. We had the local pasta, which is unique to Folegandros, matasta pasta with rabbit which followed an entree of grilled bread with tomato and feta. That was the translation but we called it bruschetta! 😂

Then our adventure began. Folegandros is famous for the Church of Panagia (Virgin Mary) which is perched dramatically on a steep rock cliff overlooking the Chora and Agean Sea. It was renovated in 1687 with its current form constructed between 1816 and 1821. You walk up a zig zag path to receive a magnificent sure set view.

We made our way slowly up the path with lots of others stopping constantly to take photos as every turn gave you a different vista.

We finally arrived at the top and Greg raced for a prime spot sitting on the rock wall to watch the magic of the spectacular sunset.

We wandered back down and we were amazed at the difference in the Chora. All restaurants were open and there were a lot more people around. Obviously people walked to the church, then did dinner!

We caught a taxi back home and it was a lovely way to start our time in Folegandros.

Next day we decided to hit a couple of beaches…still not quite warm enough for us to swim. We walked to Agkali Beach, regarded as one of the best beaches on the island. It was certainly a very pretty setting with the beach and the cliff faces. We stopped for a drink first, well it’s thirsty weather when you are walking.

There is another beach around the next bay which you can walk the goat track to or catch a little boat. We opted to get the boat around and walk back. The beach is called Agios Nikolaos, and is known to be a nudist beach…..if you wish.

After seeing a few bums and other things we did not want to see, we decided to get the hell out and take the goat track back.

We had a spot of lunch and decided to get back home because there was a half marathon being run on the island and it was going right last our abode. We stood out the front clapping and cheering them on. We may even get k to the official video and as the photographer came and got us in some shots! That night the rains came!

The next day we ventured up to Ano Meria, a traditional village and known for its picturesque setting and stunning views of the cliffs and ocean. Well the rain put a stop to that, however we did have a bit of fun in the coffee shop where we stopped to shelter from the weather.

We stopped for coffee and cake, and the orange cake was the best we have had so far on all the islands….and we have had a few!😂 Greg found his new best mate, the owner, and he liked his coffee so much he asked for a hug! We had pre booked a taxi to take us back home but decided we didn’t want to wait so cancelled it and caught the local bus home. Greg’s mates wife told the bus driver to stop at the villas were staying at, not a bus stop, because we were such nice people!😂

We spent the rest of the arvo sheltering from the wind and rain at the villa, then had a power outage and crossed our fingers that the rain would go away as we were heading down to the Chora for dinner for our last night. We were lucky to find a restaurant with indoor tables, they are few and far between, and had a fabulous dinner.

The slow cooked lamb with almonds and prunes and the 4 stuffed vegetables that we shared were absolutely delicious and it was finished off with a slice of almond pie and an ouzo …only for Greg and Julie!

It was lucky we got the table inside because it rained rather heavily and we got quite drenched waiting for our taxi.

We have enjoyed Folegandros although just wished the weather was a little kinder. We are now waiting for our last ferry ride, something we will not miss, and off to Santorini for 3 nights.

So that’s it

Love Rhonda and Greg

Xxxxx

We survived our 5 hour ferry trip which turned into a 6 hour ferry trip and arrived at Adamas port on the island of Milos where we stayed for 5 nights. We had breakie, a very good bougatsa, and coffees and waited for our ferry.

On our first night, we had a celebratory drink and dinner to discuss what our itinerary was going to be for the following 4 days. TD Julie had it all worked out!😀

We found a coffee spot at the end of our street, and seeing it was named Gregory’s , it became our go to for coffees! On our first day, Julie had organized a day sailing around the island on a catamaran. We sat with our feline friend waiting to board our “Cat”.

There were 20 of us onboard with Kris, our skipper, Gorgia, our hostess , and Alex , the “in charge man “, which he did particularly well with the drinks later on!😂.

Our first stop was a breakie and swim stop at Kleftiko Beach. Too cold for us to swim but the scenery was amazing with the white volcanic rocks and caves created by the waves and winds. It was boat central with many other cruises doing the same as us. The name means “bandit lair” as pirates historically used the rocky mazes and secret caves to hide their ships and loot.

We continued to sail on marveling at the scenic coastline. Next stop we decided to jump in the crystal clear water and have a swim. It was magical.

Whilst Alex and Gorgia were cooking up a storm for lunch and providing us with beers and wine, we sailed past Tsigrado Beach, regarded as one of the most beautiful sea shores in Greece, but bloody difficult to access. If you enlarge the photo you can spot the narrow ladder which you have tackle to get down to the beach. We were happy to see it from the water.

We continued on sailing, eating and drinking with a couple more stops for a swim. The coastline was amazing with clear turquoise water and the cliff rock formations making for heaps of photo ops!

We then sailed to the island of Polyaigos, the biggest uninhabited island of the Mediterranean, to have a swim in the magical Blue Lagoon. The water was such an amazing colour, the photos do not do it justice.

Then it was time to head back home. It was an amazing day, weather was great, not too choppy, and we all enjoyed ourselves. Thanks Julie!

Next morning Rhonda awoke with a head cold, so decided it was going to be an easy day! We caught the bus to Pollonia, a 20 minute 2 euro trip. It is the islands 2nd biggest settlement and is a fishing village. It had the usual white washed houses set around a pretty harbour.

We visited the family owned Kostantakis Cave Winery for a wine tasting and it was rather nice.

Next morning we went for a walk before breakie for coffee, at Gregory’s of course, and the morning sun on the village made for some nice photos.

We decided to head off to Mandrakia, classed as the most beautiful fishing village on Milos. It probably would have been except it was raining! Julie wished to have lunch at a rather famous restaurant called Medousa. You could not make a reservation so we queued for 45 minutes…in the rain….to make sure we could get a spot. Our lunch was rather lovely. We had a medousa salad and grilled tuna, enjoying the sea view through the rain and the plastic coverings! Greg went out to check out the sun dried octopus hanging in the rain.

Finally the rain stopped so we headed off to do a short hike to Sarakiniko Beach. The beach has a lunar type landscape and is a photographers dream. Don’t worry we won’t post the 60 odd photos we took!😂

The rock formations feature smooth white rocks with plenty of horizontal layers. The area is named after the Saracen pirates who once used the area for hideouts due to the many caves.

It was a truly extraordinary vista of chalk white rock formations and the contrast with the blue sea made it an amazing sight. We will probably never see anything like it again. Magical.

Back home we decided to have a few sundowners, so sussed out a few bars.

We did another morning walk, this time up to the church at the top of the village. That was of course after our Gregory’s coffee stop.

We caught another bus and first stop was a hike down the cliff to Klima. It was a goat track, our first of many treks today!

We then arrived at Klima, famous for its rows of colorful 2 storey boat houses called syrmata, built right on the waters edge. Ground floors are used to store fishing boats while the upper levels are the living quarters. Great photo ops again and so pretty!

Then we hiked BACK UP THE HILL passing by a cute little church built into the hillside, finally arriving at Tripiti, a small village with views of the sea. It was a sleepy hollow when we arrived, probably siesta time, but luckily we found one bar open to re hydrate.

Then it was another hike to Plaka, which is famous for its sunset viewing. Plaka is perched on the top of a large rock overlooking the Gulf of Milos. No cars can enter the village due to its narrow streets.

We decided to have an early dinner to try to get a decent position to view the sunset. It was quite comical sitting having dinner and watching the array of “ the beautiful Instagrammers and Influencers” parading in their finery to get those shots to post. Us girls decided that we really should have frocked up for the event!😂 Dinner was delicious. We shared a beef and aubergine with tomato and a plate of grilled vegetables washed down with a couple of glasses of rose wine. Then Gregory decided he needed dessert, so a pistachio ice cream was in order. Note the quote on the wafer.😂

Then it was time to try get a position to watch the sun set. It was a great day.

We think we have done Milos proud. Thanks Julie for your itinerary. Today we head off to Folegandros for 3 nights, hopefully to rest up a bit.

Remember too to click on each photo as we have noticed some are being condensed or shrunk to fit into the blog. Sorry!

So it’s bye for now

Love Rhonda and Greg.

Xxx

We arrived in Paros on a late ferry and needed to collect our hire car, which needed up being problematical. 🤦‍♀️ GPS sent us down a very wrong narrow street which resulted in us smashing a side mirror on a parked car. After several minutes of tense negotiation, it was decided to settle with a half and half cost.

We finally arrived at our home for the next 5 nights and it has been delightful, very comfortable with sea and Mountain views.

We did an early morning walk to clear the head after after our drama with the car and found our local beach, a 8 minute walk with 2 tavernas which we thought would be good for a sundowner.

We were then in the car for our first venture out on the island of Paros. First stop was Kostos, a quaint village with a small population of only 200 , and 3 churches, and off the beaten tourist path and we loved it.

Next stop was Lefkes, and it is the village where you begin the Byzantine Path hike…..which we did. Lefkes was the original capital of Paros, built deliberately inland in the 17th century as a protected enclave from piracy. It worked cause we didn’t see any pirates! It was, yes, another white washed village with narrow cobbled alleyways….just the norm!😂

We fueled up with coffee and donuts to begin our hike. The Pathway is the oldest trail in Paros and goes from Lefkes to another village called Prodromos and is about 3 and a half kms one way, but of course for us it was 7 kms because we had to do the return journey. The trail is sometimes paved with marble stones but mostly it was a rocky dirt trail going up and down constantly.

By the time we had returned to our starting point, thirsty, hungry and very dusty, but satisfied that we had achieved our goal, we headed off to Piso Livadi for a well deserved lunch. The calamari and sea bass were both sensational and we ate at a lovely restaurant on the waterfront. It was a great way to finish off a tiring but lovely day.

The next day was declared to be a rest day after our strenuous hike the day before so we drove down to the port area called Parikia, it was a lot busier with both people and traffic than Tinos ever was.

One of the main attractions is the Church of 100 doors ( the Greek name is too long to write😂) It is said to only have 99 visible doors ( we didn’t try to count them) and the legend says that the hundredth door will only reveal itself when the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul becomes an Orthodox Church again. The interior was amazing with frescoes and paintings.We were intrigued by rows of metal plaques throughout the church with legs, arms, eyes, babies, etc etc. They are called “tamata” and are offered to the Virgin Mary as a prayer request or thank you for a miracle that has occurred.

We wandered around and came across the Church of Agios Konstantinos in the old town and built in the 17th century. Nearby was the Frankish Castle of Paros built in the 12th century by the Venetians using marble from ancient Greek temples, that’s re cycling for you!

After all our wandering it was time to get out of the busy port area. We found a nice spot on the water to sit and hydrate with a nice couple of ice cold beers.

That night Greg cooked up a storm on the bbq at home. The grilled sea bass was sensational.

The following day we set off for a visit to Antiparos, a small island less than 2 kms from Paros Island, an 8 minute, one euro fifty ferry trip away. It said to be laid back , charming and full of character. Well it certainly was when we first arrived at 10:15. We wandered the narrow alleyways again with the usual white washed houses and bougainvilleas. (Sorry but there are more photos!!!)

The Church of Agros Nikolaos was built in 1703 and was originally inside the Antiparos Venetian Castle along with 5 other churches. Ramparts of the original wall are visible but that’s about all.

After we had wandered, we stopped for a beer and a bite of lunch. By this time hundreds were charging off the ferries so it was time for us to leave. Tom Hanks apparently lives on the island during the summer months. We did try to find him but failed miserably! 🙄

We changed into our bathers when we got home and went first to check out a church on a headland next to our little home. We then stopped off for a quick dip at a nice quiet beach for a refreshing dip, although some found it a little cold…..not us.😂

Next day we headed off first to Naousa, and it’s classed as “ the most stylish and developed village “on the island. Of course we had to check it out. We wandered the very picturesque old port area with loads of fishing boats with their fresh catch of the day displayed.

It is known as party central , and we understand why by the number of tavernas in town. We were very happy we visited in the morning!👍 There were, of course, the usual white washed houses and churches tucked around every corner.

As it was our last day on Paros we decided we should have a swim and do lunch so we made our way to Kolymbithres beach, famous for its smooth granite like rock formations, and it’s crystal clear turquoise water. First we needed lunch so we headed to a beachside taverna. The grilled calamari and octopus were both delicious and fueled us up for a swim.

Then into the magnificent water. It was sensational, so clear and in such a spectacular setting. The best swim so far.

So that’s the update from Paros. Tomorrow it’s an early start for a VERY LOOOOOOONG ferry trip to the island of Milos for another 5 night stay. The weather has been great. Usually mid to high 20’s and around 20 overnight, just perfect.

So it’s yia sou from us.

Lots of love

Greg and Rhonda.

We have just spent 5 nights on our first Greek island, the lovely Tinos. It is famous for its dove cotes, mountain villages, one particular pilgrimage church and much more but more about those later.

Our accommodation here was very comfortable, if not a tad windy , but Tinos is famous for its winds! We have great views of the town centre called Chora and the port with its ferry activity.

We hired a car here on Tinos to travel to some of the mountain villages. Our first day we did just that and our first stop was the village of Agapi, one of the oldest villages on the island. It’s a traditional mountain village with the usual white buildings and very pretty.

Next stop was Volax, another gorgeous village surrounded by stunning rock formations that create a lunar type landscape.The old blue doors that you find throughout the village are inscribed with verses from Greek poets and are unique to Volax.

Of course by this time it was coffee time so found a nice to sit and ponder for a while.

Moving on, we stopped next at Palatados, yep, another mountain village. The Cathedral of St John stands in the centre and was built in 1901 however it was not open for us to see the marble interior.

Throughout this area of Tinos there are between 600 and 1000 Dove cotes which are unique to the island. The breeding of doves was introduced by the Venetians between 1204 and 1715. Initially the right to breed pigeons was reserved for the Venetians nobility and the more intricate the structure , the more superior the status of the owner.

By this time our stomachs were crying out for food so we stopped at Dio Choria. Not only did we have a great lunch, we had a great view to go with it. The moussaka and the pastichio were delicious.

Also poked our noses into the cute little Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, one of the hundreds of thousands of churches you see as you drive around the island but don’t worry you will not suffer with photos of every single one.

We then took 25 minutes to wind our way slowly down 4 kilometers to the port area of Tinos called Chora.Tinos is famous for the Church of Panagis Evangelistria. The church holds a famous Icon of the Virgin Mary and no we did not queue up to kiss it. Thousands of Orthodox Christians visit the church each year as a a pilgrimage. Many of these pilgrims crawl on their knees around 800 meters uphill from the port and then up the steps, via a red carpet to kiss the Icon and pay homage to the Virgin Mary. As you can probably guess, we did not do that either!

Even though we didn’t crawl, we were still tired out so needed refreshment.

Then we headed back to our abode to watch the sunset. Rather spectacular!

Next day was a bit of a rest day. Drove for a coffee in the morning and found another road on the other side of the port for a different view.

We decided we should check out one of the beaches so we drove to Agios Romanos and had a swim. It was a sandy beach and the water was exceptionally clear.

Next day was Sunday so of course we needed to find a Brunettis. We tried the Orange Cake ( doesn’t sound very Greek but apparently it’s famous on the island) and a piece of galaktoboureko, a custard filled pastry. Oth were rather good and the coffee wasn’t bad either.

Then it was back in the car for another trip around d some more mountain villages. First stop was Kardiani, known as one of the most beautiful villages on the island and built on the slopes of Mount Pateles.

White marble is prevent in the village’s architecture and we wandered the cobblestone alleyways, went up and down narrow flights of stairs and past the white washed houses.The Church of Panagiotis Kioura had a quaint 18th century fishy fountain and throughout the village there were photo displays of by gone times. We loved it, not touristy at all.

Our next stop was Isternia, another village known for its marble. In 1834 there were over 1000 residents in the village due to the marble quarries but today only about 150 people reside there. Another nice quiet spot to wander.

Onward to Pyrgos, the largest village on the island, and considered to be the most picturesque. Again its claim to fame is its marble. Maybe because it was Sunday and there were many people out and about doing lunch, it didn’t do much for us, we preferred the quieter other villages. The main square had a huge plane tree giving shade to the hordes of people having lunch! We wandered again through the cobbled streets with the bougainvilleas against the white washed walls making for lots of photo ops! Hope you are not sick already of white villages cause there will be lots more to come!

y this stage we were hu grey so we ventured down to the sea port of Pyrgos, a gorgeous little fishing village called Panormos. It was bombed in 1941 but 3 years later it was the first area of the Cyclades to be officially liberated.

Found a great spot for lunch. Even though the wine was not so great…..the food was fabulous. We started with a tomato and cucumber salad, followed by shrimp saganaki and blue whiting. Delicious!

Yesterday was our last day here on Tinos. We headed off to check out another beach although we decided not to have a swim, as we were headed out to lunch afterwards and nothing worse than sitting in wet bathers!

Back to Chora for lunch. The saganaki and the grilled peppers were great, especially as they were washed down with a couple of beers.

Later today we leave our island of Tinos and head to Paros for 5 nights.Beware probably more photos of white washed houses!😂

Yia Sou from Tinos

Until next time

Love Greg and Rhonda

xxxx

y

On our last night In Albania, we had a group dinner to say goodbye.

Then it was on a plane from Tirana to Athens!

We met Jude and Julie to begin our 3 week Greek adventure. Our hotel was in a great position in the centre of the city and more importantly had a roof top bar with a view of the Acropolis and also a view from our room.

We had an early dinner then began to wander the city.We saw the Metropoloitan Cathedral of Athens. Construction began in 1842 and was completed 20 years later. Marble was used from 72 demolished churches to build the walls. The little Metropolis Church sits right next to the Cathedral. It dates back to the 12th Century and built from Greek and Roman marble blocks.

We continued to wander and came across Hadrians Gate, built in AD 131. It spans an ancient road leading towards the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

We then came across Parliament House or the Old Royal Palace which overlooks the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, where the changing of the guards take place . The guards are known as Evzones and stand on guard 24/7. They are chosen for their stamina, strong character and height of above 6ft 1 inch. Maybe Greg could apply. Their kilts have 400 pleats representing 400 years of Ottoman occupation. They must be pretty smelly standing there in the heat day in day out!

After that it was definitely time for a drink so back to our hotel to the rooftop bar for some night shots! It was rather spectacular.

Up early next morning for breakie. The bougatsa (cream / custard filled phylo pie) and the spanakopita were both delicious and fueled us up for the day that was ahead.

Greg of course wanted to check out the Varvakios Central Market. The fish, the meat and the vegetables all looked very fresh and quite colorful.

We then came across Hadrians Library, or what’s left of it! It was built by Roman Emperor Hadrian in AD 132.

It was quite warm, and we were feeling a little thirsty, so it was time to find the oldest distillery and bar in Athens. Brettos began operating in 1909 in the heart of the Plaka district. It was a great place to rehydrate in the colorful surroundings of spirit bottles and barrels.

By now we were in the Plaka area, the oldest and most historic neighborhood of Athens and filled with shops, restaurants and cobbled streets. We managed to find the oldest part of the Plaka, called Anafiotika, no tourist shops, only houses where the locals live, and situated right at the foot of the Acropolis. It was gorgeous.

We found a great spot for lunch, the stuffed eggplant and stuffed tomato and capsicum were delicious. All washed down with a very large cold beer.

We decided to return to our hotel for a rest before our climb to the Acropolis at 6pm.

Acropolis means “ high city” and we joined thousands of other tourists wandering the ancient monuments in the heat, including the Parthenon, Erechtheior, and the Temple of Athen Nike.

On the way down we caught glimpses of the huge extent of the city surroundings and also the Temple of Hephaestus, the best preserved Greek Doric Temple. In our opinion it was better than the Parthenon!😂

We enjoyed Athens. It was very busy, loads of people and traffic. Do we need to return at some stage, no we don’t think so but it is a tick off the bucket list.

It was then time to head to our first Island, the island of Tinos. Luckily it wasn’t too busy on the ferry and of course we had business class seats, no sitting with riff raff for us!

We arrived safely at Tinos and more about that later. We would like to thank Julie for her input in this blog! Thanks Julie, it saved us 20 minutes.😂

So Yia sou from Tinos

Lots of love

Greg and Rhonda

xxxxx

Well dinner was nice last night but more about that later.

After we had left the Fortress in the morning we were back on the bus for a short drive to the small village of Dhoksat for a traditional homemade lunch at a private family home. Before eating we were taken around his vineyard and then he showed us his bee hives. Lunch was absolutely sensational, all cooked by his wife, with everything just delicious but in particular, the eggplant parmigana. Yummo!

After such a huge lunch we decided on a very light dinner. A couple of drinks and a snack from the local bakery. And by the way it was still extremely hot. Around 38 degrees but we did have a shower of rain and suddenly a gorgeous rainbow appeared.

Next day we left Gjirokaster to head to Saranda for the night. First stop was the Blue Eye, a karstic spring with supposedly stunning clear aqua marine water. Well we were a little unimpressed as were most of our fellow travellers. 😂

Then we continued on to the UNESCO listed Butrint, one of the “greatest archeological sites in the Balkans”………but according to Greg a pile of rocks.

The site dates back to the Neolithic age and the site was occupied and fought over until the Ottoman period when it was abandoned. Excavations more recently have revealed a Roman Theatre, a Roman Bath house and Baptistery, which we were told had the most amazing mosaic floor which had been covered over 2 weeks previously! Buggar! But the tour guide promised us mosaics in the church. Well, a little disappointing we must say.

We then continued to the shores of the Mediterranean for our night stop at Saranda. It was supposed to be the Albanias answer to the French Riviera, however we didn’t quite see it that way.

We went and had a sundowner at one of the local bars and enjoyed the sunset, however we knew we were in a very tourist location because the price went up!😂

We went out to dinner, which was lovely, however one of these items caused both of us to be quite u well for a couple of days! Thank God for Imodium! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️😬

So woke up the next morning feeling absolutely shit. Our trip for the day was a very winding road heading up to the Llogora National Park supposedly one of the most scenic drives in Europe. Once the tour guide saw me, she said…..front seat Rhonda. On the way we stopped at Ali Pasha Fortress, a castle on a small peninsular within Palermo Bay.

After the fortress we stopped at Himara for coffee ( hydrolytes for Rhonda) . We think this would have been a much better place to stay than the busy Saranda.

Then we continued onto the National Park for our nights stay. Rhonda slept the afternoon away and enjoyed a piece of dry toast for dinner. Delicious!

Woke up feeling a little better so back on the bus, but still in the front seat….just in case!😂 Our first stop was another pile of rocks, Apollonia , founded in 585BC and dedicated to the God Apollo. The city achieved fame and wealth before joining the Roman Empire and becoming Caesar’s stronghold.

Greg was happy to see some mosaics on the floor of a Roman villa. Then we continued onto the gorgeous town of Berat, known as the town of a thousand windows, with its white Ottoman era houses.

We first visited the Fortress on the hilltop. We went inside the Holy Trinity Church, a 14th century church with amazing icons inside.

Our hotel in Berat was gorgeous overlooking the Ottoman houses. We liked the town, it was not touristy at all, just had a problem finding a bar for a drink that would take credit card.

We had dinner at the hotel that night and went for a wander in the morning as we had a late checkout.

Loved Berat, Rhonda’s favorite spot of the tour.

Today is the last day of the tour. We came straight to Kruja, a hillside town about an hour out of Tirana. The views of the Fortress are impressive however the Bazaar area is agin tourist central, not our cup of tea!

So that’s it from Albania.

We have come to a few conclusions here. Bus trips are definitely not us and we need to do our own thing! Tomorrow we have an early wake up call to take us to Tirana Airport for our flight to Athens and the next part of the journey begins. So Rhonda can tick Albania off her bucket list and Greg says never again!😂

So until next time

Lots of love

Greg and Rhonda.

Well we know now that Bus Tours are definitely not our preferred way to travel. So busy with one night stops, no time to smell the roses or do the washing, but still time for a few drinks.

We left Tirana and travelled to Lake Ohrid. Our first stop was at the Bektashi World. Centre, an Islamic Sect that evolved in the 13th century during the Ottoman Empire. The tombs held the remains of religious leaders. The main mosque had beautiful marbles mosaics on the walls and dome. It amazed us how 4 religions can exist in one country with no hostility, Islam, Muslim, Christianity and Eastern Orthodox.

We then continued onto Lake Ohrid and had lunch which consisted of vegetarian meatballs and salad.

Then we continued onto our overnight stop at a small village called Tushemisht, right on the lake.The lake is apparently one of the oldest lakes in the world and situated in the Driloni National Park.

We wandered around and then had a lovely dinner of grilled vegetables and lake fish called belvica.

Next day we’re were heading to Korca. First stop was Voskopoja, a town founded in the 16th century. Once an urban settlement , it was famous for its beautiful churches adorned with frescoes. Originally 26 churches were built between 1630 and 1780. The road was the trade route from Venice to Constantinople . Today only 5 remain due to war, earthquakes and erosion however the original frescoes we saw in 3 of them were beautiful. The first was the Church of the Holy Virgin and it was the largest and built in 1694.

Second stop was the Church of St Nicholas and again many of the frescoes have stood the test of time.

The 3rd was the Church of the Archangels built around 1696. They were all incredible and you all know how we love frescoes.

We then had lunch a small local taverna. We shared a salad because we didn’t have much local cash and they didn’t take credit card! We have now learned to ask if they take credit card before we order!

We then arrived in Korca which sits at the foot of the Morova Mountains. We saw the. Athedral, quite a modern structure and then wandered into the Bazaar Area, had a taste of raki and decided to stay for dinner.

Dinner was delicious,, Rhonda had pork with plums and Greg’s meatballs, which in his words did not resemble meatballs what so ever, but the wine was lovely!

The following day we were heading to Gjirokaster, a place Rhonda had been looking forward to seeing. It was a very winding road through the Southern Highlands and the lunch stop was at a gin/brewey/restaurant so of course we had to try the local gin!

After lunch it was more winding roads driving through the White Mountains via the Keleyra Gorge and driving very close to the Greece border.

Then we arrived in Gjirokaster, known as “The Grey Pearl of Albania” due to its stone roofs Ottoman houses and its hill top fortress. Checked into the hotel and then out for a drink. Well shock horror , it was tourist central, quite a disappointment!

We were having 2 nights here, surprise surprise. Time to do some washing! The following morning we walked up to the fortress, first constructed in the 12th century. It has 5 towers and is one of the biggest fortresses in the Balkans. The Ottomans expanded it in the 14th century and in the Communist era it was used as a prison for political prisoners until 1968.

There is a bit more to come for this part but it’s dinner time and we need food! More tomorrow hopefully!

Bye for now

Lots of love

Greg and Rhonda

xxxx

We have found our way to Tirana and we can tell you that it’s been bloody hot! We still managed to be out and about, and tried the food , beer and wine.

It didn’t start well when our taxi driver dropped us off in the middle of the city and pointed us in the direction of the hotel. Eventually after searching for a while, we found it and we were told that we didn’t have a booking for us that night! You can all imagine Gregory’s mood!🤦‍♀️😬. It was sorted out relatively quickly so we dumped our bags and headed off for a well deserved lunch and drinks….in the 40 degree heat! We tried an agulua salad and stuffed aubergine. It was bloody delicious and really cheap!

Our hotel was in the Old Bazaar area, quite colorful, and resonable! We wandered around the afternoon quite close to the hotel, had a few drinks, a delicious SEA BASS dinner and were in bed early due to our very early flight with our 4 am wake up call.

We were up early the next morning to have our coffee fix and found a great little cafe called Noor. We were told that Albania has a coffee culture and Noor proved it correct.It was a day of wandering around Tirana. We found the remains of the Tirana Castle. Only some walls remain now but now it is a small pedestrian lane way full of trendy bars and cafes.

We wandered past a rather unusual sculpture called “The Cloud”, we wandered through the fish market, and lastly the Namazgah Mosque.

We wandered on….in the heat…..🥵 to The Pyramid of Tirana, built originally as a museum but now a convention centre and no we did not walk up those steps, too bloody hot! By that stage we needed a coffee so wandered through the trendy Blloku district and found a “nearly Brunettis” coffee place, and a lot of healer too!

We crossed the Lana River and Greg had a rest on one of the ladies laps on the bridge. By this time we were rather thirsty and rather hot so needed a refreshment. We went to the rather eclectic Bar called Kometiti, a bar/museum for a well earned aperol and GnT. Then headed back to our morning place, Noor , for an early dinner, a calabrese salad and a Caesar wrap.

We noticed when walking around the city there is some very interesting a modern architecture. The Skanderberg Building is built to the likeness of the head of Albanias National hero, Gjergi Kastrioti Skanderberg. Quite unusual, and another has the map of Albania protruding out on its facade.

That evening we met our group for the first time for drinks. Out of 15 people, we are the only Aussies. The remainder are Scottish and English. On that first night the jury was out as to how the group would come together but we had already made our first impressions which have ended up being what we initially thought!😂

Day 1 of the tour, bloody hot again, and we started with a tour of Et’Hem Bey Mosque., situated on the main square, Skanderbeg Square and built at the end of the 18th century and spared from destruction by the Communist Party when 10000 people protested and it became the onset of the fall of communism in Albania. There are beautiful frescoes in the interior.

Then onto Bunk Art 2, an underground Cold War nuclear bunker now converted to a history museum. It was built between 1981 and 1986 under the dictator Enver Hoxha as a secret shelter for the Ministry of Internal Affairs Officials. There were 175,000 bunkers built across Albania in the Communist era. There was an interesting sculpture in one room with the following quote..” we built socialism by holding a pick axe in one hand and a rifle in the other”.

We then hopped on our tour bus and went into the hills surrounding Tirana for a rustic lunch at a family guesthouse. It would have been a lot more pleasant if it wasn’t so hot. Then we made our way to the Dajti Express Cable car to admire the views of Tirana below however with the heat haze and smoke coming from fires still burning, we did not get much of a view. At the guesthouse there happened to be a pink flamingo, the symbol of the ongoing protests held in Tirana each evening against the impending resort that Ivana Trump and her husband wish to build. Rhonda didn’t get a chance to join the protest but had the photo taken with the flamingo instead!😂

We headed back to the hotel for a rest then time for a final drink and dinner in Tirana. As they say in Tirana…” if you haven’t eaten a salad in Tirana, then you haven’t been to Tirana”. Well we’ve eaten plenty of salads so we have certainly been to Tirana. The stuffed aubergines and peppers and the grilled vegetables have been absolute delicious and so very cheap.

So that is Tirana in a nutshell. Sorry it’s been a while since we did a post being this being on a tour does not give much time for relaxing! Will try to give another update soon!

So bye for now until the next time

lots of love

Greg and Rhonda