Last Thoughts

Previously I have sung the praises of Zürich airport. Well, that was the arrival terminal -- the departure is another story, something of a zoo actually. Or is it that there are just too many people these days for the masses of travelers to be handled efficiently? After a $6 cup of coffee at the departure gate I boarded my flight for the US. The Swiss International flight was very pleasant. Once again the exorbitant prices in Switzerland deserve mention. A Greek salad at the restaurant down the street from my friend JJ's flat went for SF 22.50 (= $30). The same thing cost me 6 Euros in Greece ($8.50). One evening we ordered in some Chinese food. Granted, it was a lot and included two small bottles of wine, but the equivalent of $125 for mediocre Chinese take-out is something for Ripley's Believe it or Not. Ouch!!!

Just arrived at JFK airport. Every time I arrive back in the US after being abroad I am a bit ashamed. Why is everything so shabby, so badly organized, so chaotic? The flag wavers keep on telling us that this is the greatest country in the world. I have some shocking news for them. It isn't. Why can't the US be like the countries of northern Europe: clean, organized and efficient, with great social services? Because we would be living in a social democracy, where taxes are high but you get what you pay for. I recently learned that the tiny country of Estonia instituted a flat tax. They started the rate at 25% and dropped it to 17%. It takes an Estonian citizen fifteen minutes to do his/her taxes on line. Doesn't that sound wonderful? It will never happen here because of the corruption of the Congress and vested interests who would fight tooth and nail against doing something as reasonable as reforming our insane tax system.
I opted to fly into JFK and catch a connecting flight out of LaGuardia. The two airports are not that far from each other. What better way to spend the obligatory several hours layover time than in the adventure of busing from one airport to another? Besides, I grew up near LaGuardia airport and I thought it might be a bit of a nostalgic trip to see something of the old neighborhood again. As usual the roads were clogged and everything looked a bit down at the heel. We passed the former World's Fair grounds. There was an iconic structure that was kept as a symbol of that historic event. It now looks ready for the wrecking ball. Right near it was the building that used to house the skating rink we visited as kids. It, too, looks near collapse. I could not live in this city again. It is too frantic and seedy. During the brief shuttle bus ride I really came to appreciate the fact that I live in Kansas City where life is so much more pleasant and relaxed.
At LaGuardia airport the security check to the gates is so haphazard. You have to take your shoes off and walk on what appears to be a rather dirty, uncarpeted floor. Yuck! What would a Swiss citizen think of this? I am embarrassed at how shabbily things are arranged here.
It was a really long day. Maybe that is why I have been so kranky. I was ecstatic to flop into my own bed again, at long last. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity I have had on this trip, to experience so many wondrous things, and grateful for having been kept safe on my travels. I dream of the soft, gentle light of the Mediterranean.........

Lausanne

I returned to Switzerland on a flight from Athens to Geneva via Paris. Charles de Gaulle airport wouldn't win any prizes for organization or design either. The morning after I arrived back at JJ's I pulled a muscle in my lower back. That put the kabosh on any plans I had for a long promenade along the lake. And it is too bad, because the weather was glorious. I barely managed to hobble down to the supermarket on the first day. On the second I made myself walk (slowly, slowly) down to Ouchy and back. Later in the evening, feeling much better, I hiked up to the high city which is crowned by the 13th century Cathedral of Notre Dame. The light was still sufficient to take a few pics. Lausanne enjoys one of the loveliest settings of any city in the world.

Cape Sounion

As tired as I was yesterday from the exertions of the day (and it's a good thing I like to walk because I have been doing a lot of it), I headed out in the evening. This time I took the metro to Omonia Square and then walked to the Plaka, the tourist area at the foot of the Acropolis. I wanted to enjoy the spectacle of the city at night, its great monuments floodlit. It was gorgeous indeed. The Acropolis was even more imposing and the magnificent Temple of Hephaestos was bathed in golden light. Athens has made a very positive impression. It is a sprawling, vibrant city with too much traffic, but it seems prosperous and well taken care of. It is, in fact, one of the cleanest cities I have experienced. One would never guess that the country is on the brink of economic collapse. And the Greeks, in my experience, are friendly, helpful, polite and, above all, honest.
With little desire to see any more museums (if I have to look at another Attic vase I'll throw myself off the Acropolis), I made an excursion outside of the city today. There are many places I could have gone: Marathon, site of one of the most important battles in Western history where the vastly outnumbered Greeks outwitted the Persians and destroyed their seemingly invincible army; but there is little to see there except a commemorative plaque. And there is Eleusis, site of the Mysteries, but it is now located in an industrial area and has an oil refinery next to it. I would have dearly liked to visit Delphi, site of the famous oracle, but it is a three and a half hour bus ride each way. So I opted to go to Cape Sounion. It is the southern most tip of Attica and less than two hours by bus. Fortunately, the bus station for traffic to the south was just a few km down Alexander Avenue, the main drag near my hotel. It was a lovely ride down the coast, the sparkling sea on one side and well-kept houses and hotels on the other. It is a nearly barren, rocky landscape; a few trees and shrubs manage to survive. The ancient Greeks built a temple to Poseidon at the Cape. Its gleaming white marble was a beacon to sea travelers. It was built at the same time as the Parthenon, in 444 BCE. Twenty years before, the Persians had invaded and destroyed the important temples, including everything on the Acropolis in Athens and the temple at Sounion. It was all rebuilt, greater than before. Not only did the Greeks eventually defeat the Persians, they took their revenge when Alexander the Great later invaded Persia, routed the High King and burned his capital city Persepolis. Take that, Persians! Alexander the Great -- now there is someone who truly deserved the title! Anyway, back to Sounion. It is a wind-swept site, perched high above the sea. After a few tour buses left I almost had the place to myself. There is nothing else to see aside from the temple so I retired to the adjoining restaurant for a refreshing repast of food and drink. Why is it that a Greek salad tastes twice as good in Greece? I had the temple in view from my table and the wide expanse of glimmering sea to my left. The gentle breeze caressed the oleanders and Norfolk pines. It was another perfect day in Greece. I shall miss the gentle tempo of life in this blessed land. Byron visited the temple and was quite taken with it. He wrote: "Place me on Sunium's marbled steep, Where nothing save the waves and I , May hear our mutual murmurs sweep..." He also carved his name into a column. It is still there but one cannot get close enough to see it. I imagine it says something like: Byron wuz here.

Evzones

I have commented on the honor guard, the Evzones, before. I got to see them in action a second time. With their outlandish costumes and bizarre choreographed movements they reminded me of some exotic, long-legged birds involved in a complex mating ritual. Here they are at attention in front of the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Ancient Athens

1) the Temple of Hephaestion in the Agora, one of the best preserved ancient sites in Greece, 2) the Parthenon on the Acropolis, the temple to Athina Parthenos (Athena the Virgin); 3) the Erechtheion and the famed Porch of the Caryatids; 4) the remains of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, completed after 700 years by the Emperor Hadrian in CE 131; 5) view towards the Acropolis from the Hephaestion Temple.

Athens II

The ancient sites of Athens. What can one say but OMG!!! I hadn't planned on visiting any sites yesterday but as I passed the entrance to the ancient agora I thought: why not? 37 years ago, after a month or so spent on the tranquil islands, I came to Athens. I stayed in a flea bag hotel, being poor, and was so horrified by the noise and traffic of the capital that I left as soon as I could and headed for Thessaloniki and an island in the north, the heavenly Thassos. But not before a short visit to the Acropolis. I got there at opening time and left when the first tourist buses arrived. It made a profound impression on me then, and it did again today. Wisely, I arrived at 8:30, as the gates opened. It was not too crowded, but within an hour, when the first tour buses pulled up, it became intolerablely crowded. The phrase from my guide book kept going through my head: this is the most important ancient site in the Western World. And so it is. And the Parthenon is without doubt the most perfect building ever erected. It may be just a shell of its former glory but it is still an awesome experience to be in front of it. This is truly holy ground, this is the monument that incorporates the best of human aspiration, the striving for what is good and excellent. When I thought of all the great beings who had trod these stones, a host of Athenian minds who literally shaped the course of human intellectual development, I was in tears. This is a monument to us, to our humanity. It is no wonder that huge sums are being spent to preserve and reconstruct the complex of buildings that stand atop the Acropolis. After that I went to the newly opened Acropolis Museum. It is superbly done and gives you an overview of the history and magnificence of the ancient city. Since I had all day, I walked to the National Archaeological Museum. Two museums in one day is a bit much, but how could I leave Athens without having seen it? It houses the finest collections of Greek historical objects. And what was the first thing I saw when I walked in? Nothing other than the famed Funeral Mask of Agammemnon. Whilst Sir Arthur Evans was scratching away in the dirt at Knossos, Heinrich Schliemann (who had already excavated Troy) unearthed a series of graves in Mycenae. What he discovered was a world sensation. He thought he had found the funeral mask of the great king mentioned in the Iliad, but it turns out he was wrong. Nevertheless, what he found changed our notions of pre-Hellenic Greece forever. And there was the mask that I had seen in photographs, one of the supreme treasures of the ancient world, staring me right in the face. There were many other renowned statues and objects and I was awed by each one, as tired as I was. Playing tourist is hard work. I had walked miles in the hot sun and hadn't eaten hardly a thing all day. As I walked back to my hotel along Leoforas Alexandros I came upon a wonderful restaurant, the answer to my culinary prayers. A half liter of Greek red later I was feeling no pain.

Athens I

We were requested to disembark by 8 AM so that the crew could get things ready for the next cruise. I felt like I was being thrown back out into the cold, cruel world. Well, cold it certainly wasn't and the prospect of a few days in Athens is hardly a cruel fate. Still, the moment I stepped out of the cruise terminal I was left to my own devices. Since I couldn't check into my Athens hotel before noon, I had a lot of time to kill. Pardon me for reporting the mundane, but travel is not all razzle dazzle. It is in how one copes with the minor, sometimes unpleasant moments in a trip that determines a good or a wretched experience on the road. I was not going to pamper myself and take a taxi and was determined to get to my hotel using public transportation. First I had to find the bus that went to the Piraeus metro station. I am grateful for the kindness of strangers for pointing me in the right direction. The metro was constructed for the 2004 Olympic Games. It's a bit clunky, but it does the trick. I chose a mid-scale hotel in the nice neighborhood called Ambelokipi, just north of Lykavittos Hill. There are plenty of cheaper hotels in town, but they seem to be clustered in the Omonia area which is rife with drug dealers and pimps at night. No thanks. 
And now some thoughts on the Greek's aesthetic sense concerning colors. They tend to like dull, neutral colors and avoid patterns of any kind. This sets then apart from their flamboyant neighbors to the west, the Italians, and even more so from the Turks who love to swathe themselves (the women, anyway) in clothing with bizarre color combinations and patterns. My hotel, the Proteus, is actually quite nice. It's clean and friendly. The lobby was done up in kitschy but subdued décor. You can't imagine my shock when I opened the door of my room to find a bright red carpet and furniture painted pepto bismol pink. To complete the 'ensemble' there are posters of the Eiffel Tower and the Arche de Triomphe on the walls, adding a certain je ne sais quoi to the whole effect. Oh, and I forgot to mention the floor to ceiling mirror on one wall. It looks like a room in a  brothel. When I went downstairs later the concierge asked me if the room was okay. I said it was fine but would have liked to add: But wouldn't you rather be renting it out by the hour?
Some thoughts on the Greek alphabet. A surprising number of signs are written in Roman script. I think the Greeks must consider it cool and cosmopolitan. Among the changes from the ancient to the modern language there seems to have been a general trend to simplification. As far as I can tell there is only one 'o' vowel in the language, pronounced as an open 'aw'. But what is the point of having two different symbols for the sound, omicron and omega? The same thing seems to be true with the 'e' sound. There is no open and closed differenciation; both are open. But the aplhabet still has eta and episilon, yet both are the same. Diphthongs have lost their qualities and most seem to be simply 'i'. The letter beta is not 'b' at all, but is pronounced 'v' -- alpha, veta, gamma, etc. To write the 'b' sound you need m plus p, or MP. It actually makes sense when you think about it.
I intended to take the walking tour suggested by my guide book this afternoon. It took me 20 minutes to walk to the downtown. One of the more interesting sights was the honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier which is in front of the Parliament building. The two soldiers wear the most outlandish uniforms: pompoms on their shoes, tight leggings, a short skirt, a red hat with a tassle that comes down to their waists. It is quite a sight. They perform a choreographed strut, like a goose step in slow motion, followed by rhythmic stomping. Who thought this up? It is entertaining but rather strange. Down the street was the site of the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It was the largest ever built, took 700 years to complete. Of its original 104 columns only 15 remain standing. Still, it gives a good ides of the size of the place. I thought I would just walk around the circumference of the Acropolis. By mid-afternoon it was time to eat. Virtually in the shadow of the Acropolis I dined in a Greek taverna. I would normally eschew anything that smelled of tourist trap, but this place was authentic. I sat on the shaded deck, admiring the view. There was also a pomegranate tree hung with fruit. Are they kidding me? This is too perfect! And the food was delicious. I had egglpant baked with feta cheese (I have to try this at home), a salad of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers (the much nicer European variety) sweet onions, green pepper and olives. It was lightly seasoned and dressed with Greek olive oil. Molto delicioso! For desert I had Greek yogurt, so creamy and rich, topped with Thassos honey and chopped nuts. That was heaven. And the whole meal was very reasonable. I thanked the gods for leading me there. After that I ambled over to the site of the Athenian Agora, where Sokrates wandered. I love being here.

Santorini

They saved the best for last. Truly. Santorini (also known as Thira) is one of the most unique and spectacular places in the world. I was here once before, 37 years ago, and remembered it fondly. Once you have seen it you can never forget it. The present configuration was created about 3,600 years ago when the entire island blew up (see previous note on Crete) in an unimaginably massive volcanic eruption. The center of the island sank under the sea leaving a broken circle, about two thirds of one, several hundred feet high. The villages are perched on the top of the rim. When first entering the caldera you think there might have been a considerable snowfall on the rim, but then you realize that it is a string of white washed houses. Only small ships can use the tiny port so we were shuttled over in a tender. There are three choices for getting to the top: either the cable car (built by the Swiss and costing only four euros to ride one way), by way of donkeys and horses (charming I'm sure, but not recommended) or hoofing it up under one's own steam. I took the cable car up and hiked down (strenuous but, oh my, the view!). The vista from the top leaves one speechless. There were four cruise ships in port (and again that darned Equinox!) as well as a few smaller sailing vessels. There is an uninhabitable island in the middle of the caldera, created out of lava that came up from the sea, and a few other small islands outside. The other side of the Santorini slopes down to the sea. The beaches sport black volcanic sand. Try walking on that on a hot day! Some people come to stay for a while despite the limitations of the island. There are some fine hotels here. Being on Santorini is like being in another world. Sunsets are said to be stupendous. We had to be back on board just before the crepuscular event. When the sun had set and it was dark it looked like the town, now a string of lights, was hovering in mid-air, an utterly enchanting sight.
During the night we sail through the wine-dark sea and arrive in Pireaus early in the morning. We have to vacate the ship by 8 AM. On the one hand I am sad that this magical voyage is coming to an end. Every day brought new wonders to enjoy. I loved being pampered at every turn and dining on superb food and meeting some interesting people aboard ship. On the other hand, I am getting tired of the crowds at the sites, waiting in lines for this and that (although everything was well organized aboard ship), getting up at 5 AM to make sure I didn't miss the departure of the excursions. That part was not relaxing. I now have three days in Athens to look forward to before I return to Lausanne.
Tourism has become such a huge industry. Ever more people want to visit the same places. And some sites, like that of Knossos, are relatively small and can only absorb so many visitors at one time. The Celebrity Equinox, the giant that followed us around this week, is only one of many ships of its size that are being built. I think Celebrity alone plans four or five more monster cruise ships. Where will it all end? When will the local inhabitants of these fragile islands say: Enough!

Crete, the Palace of Knossos

One of the reasons I chose this particular cruise was that the itinerary included a stopover in Crete and a visit to the Palace of Knossos. During the summer I re-read two of my favorite historical novels, both of which take place during the glory days of the Minoan culture. Mary Renault's "The King Must Die" and its sequel "The Bull from the Sea" imaginatively recreate the story of Theseus, his voyage to the Palace of Knossos as a bull dancer, his defeat of the Minotaur, the journey through the Labyrinth and his abduction of the Princess Ariadne. (He eventually dumps her in Naxos, but that's another story). That is, I suppose, what put the idea into my mind to visit Crete for myself. Well, today, by the grace of Poseidon Earth Shaker, I did.
The site is not very big and the press of tourists was enormous. One asks oneself if it is really worth it to visit these popular sites since there is always such a mob scene. But I did have a moment of awe and wonder, a frisson at the realization that I was standing in the ruins of a great civilization, one that can be traced back 4,000 years. The Cretans are still something of a mystery. To this day their written script, known as Linear A, has not been deciphered. Their culture was highly advanced and sophisticated, their art sublimely beautiful, their power in the Mediterranean matched only by Egypt. Then they suddenly disappeared. The latest theory is that powerful earthquakes struck the region, then Santorini, a nearby volcanic island, blew up in the biggest explosion to have ever happened on the planet, causing a series of tidal waves to sweep over Crete. (Could not an enormous tsunami have been the great flood mentioned in the scriptures of several ancient cultures?)
We again docked quite early in the morning. Our bus took us through the non-descript city of Iraklion, the island's biggest, to the site of the Palace ruins. Excavation was begun here only in 1898 by Sir Arthur Evans. Some of his findings and methods have been controversial but we must acknowledge the invaluable work he did. He took it upon himself to reconstruct parts of the great palace, not always using traditional materials. Purists who have their archeological heads stuck up their butts may sniff, but the rest of us are grateful to see something that can assist our imaginations in envisioning the glories of the ancient site. Authentic or not, it is close enough. Fortunately, many frescoes survive to give us an idea of what life was like in Minoan Crete. The palace complex itself (and there are three other known such palaces in Crete) was enormous, with something like 1,500 rooms (and it is quite possible that this is where the myth of the labyrinth comes from). The first complex was destroyed by earthquake and a subsequent fire, this second palace was begun circa 1,700 BCE. The size of the rooms are surprisingly small, even the Throne Room of the king. Apparently the Cretans were miniaturists. Crete is the largest Greek island and is definitely worth an extended visit. For now I will have to content myself with a taste of the best it has to offer.
Cruise ships like this do their best to provided nightly entertainment for the passengers. Of course there is a casino where one can lose one's money, but thare are also shows of various kinds. Last night there was a concert of classical music. There are a number of musicians on board who entertain us in the cocktail lounge or at poolside. Nadia and Yuri, piano and violin, presented a program of popular classics. Nothing wrong with that -- I was hardly expecting a Prokofieff sonata. The two young artists had my sympathies. Granted, I am going to be the toughest audience to please, but I also know what it is like to be up there on the stage. The piano was shoved into a corner, turned the wrong way around, horribly out of tune and obnoxiously amplified. Both pianist and violinist are graduates of Russian music schools. I would put them on the level of our better graduate students. They played well enough but neither is about to win the Tchaikovsky Competition anytime soon. The violinist was probably the better of the two, but once he started playing I found the grotesquely amplified sound of his instrument most unpleasant. I left half-way through the program. Sorry, guys.

A trick photo

By late morning the Old Town of Rhodos was teeming with tourists. I had taken a shot of this lovely square earlier but it came out too dark. When I returned later in the day the street was like Grand Central Station: people were constantly walking past or hanging out in the square. I waited patiently until, miraculously, the square was empty and, for two seconds, nobody was walking past. The shot looks like it is a serene and quiet place. In reality it was anything but. I am glad I took the time to get this shot. It is an illusion.

Rhodos

Rhodos is enchanting. It has been declared a World Heritage Site and is considered the jewel in the Dodecanese island chain. The Old Town is still entirely enclosed by its medieval fortifications. Several impressive gateways and much of the double moat are still there as well, along with many buildings in the inner city. These include the houses of the Knights of St John, several mosques and Byzantine churches. Throughout its long history the island has endured a variety of conquerors: Alexander the Great, the Romans, The Byzantines, the Knights of St John (in 1309), the Venetians, the Ottomans and the Italians. During their 35 years of occupation the Italians, led by the rabidly nationalistic Mussolini, were particularly nasty. They outlawed the Orthodox Church, attempted to make Italian the official language, and randomly razed buildings. They had the idea that since the original Knights were Italian the Greek islands should be theirs. They were kicked out in 1947 and the island was returned to Greece. I have reported before on Italian misbehavior in my blog on South Tyrol.
Rhodos is one of the bigger islands and one of the farthest east. It is famed for its natural beauty and historical treasures. Since we docked quite early I was out and about by 8 AM. The town was practically deserted, the shops were still closed and it was deliciously cool. I reveled in the peace and walked for hours through the winding ancient streets and lanes. By 10:30 hordes of tourists arrived. I returned to the ship for lunch (scrummy!) but went back in the afternoon to enjoy this unique place some more. Among the highlights were the ramparts, the elegant Suleyman Mosque and adjoining library, a fifteenth century Byzantine church, and ancient medieval streets with façades of honey-colored stone. There were three cruise ships in port. Once again we were in the shadow of the gi-normous Equinox. In the late afternoon we set sail for Crete where the Palace of Knossos awaits.

Patmos

Two ports of call in one day! It is a lot to take in. As we sailed through the Strait of Samos, a narrow strip of water between the island and the Turkish mainland, I remembered that 37 years ago, whilst on Samos, I paid a visit to the little town of Pythagoros which lies on the Strait. Turkey and Asia were only a stone's throw away. Guess whose home town it is? He of theorem fame. I was awed to be in a place that was so ancient and still inhabited and the home town of someone from the distant past.
Patmos is a charming place, like Mykonos but without the tourist zoo. It is also topographically much more interesting. The main draw for visitors is the fact that Saint John the Divine spent his last years in exile here and scribbled his feverish Revelations in a cave that is, wouldn't you know, a big tourist site. There is the Monastery of Apocalypse which is, in the words of my guide book, "built around the cave where St John received his revelation. Inside you can see the rock that the saint used as a pillow, and the triple fissure in the roof from where the voice of God issued". Really? Maybe the rock pillow explains his demented visions. Or was it something he was smoking? Anyway, it is ludicrous that anyone would ascribe 'divine truth' to these rantings, though some do so. 
I decided I needed some strenuous exercise so I climbed to the top of the mountain to the town of Chora and the monastery. It was five km each way and a bit too warm to undertake a hike up and down a mountain, but it was worth it. The 12th century monastery was beautiful, despite being crammed with people. Many of the original frescoes remain though they are blackened by centuries of burning incense. The Eastern Orthodox rite is all about The Mystery. Their churches are elaborate but not ostentatious (as in RC Baroque). They are filled with dark icons framed in gold and lots of candles. If a religion doesn't offer connection to the mystery of the ineffable divine what good is it? One only need to sit through a barren, eviscerated, mind-numbingly dull service of nearly any Protestant denomination to experience religious rites with every last ounce of mystery wrung out of them.
Anyway, the hike wore me out but it was lovely. The views from the top were magnificent. I love the laid-back vibe of Patmos. We sail overnight and arrive early tomorrow in Rhodos.

Ephesus, Kusadasi

This morning we docked before sunrise in Kusadasi. We are in Asia! This is one of Turkey's busiest ports and a prime tourist destination for Turks and foreigners alike. Just before we disembarked another cruise ship pulled in beside us, the Celebrity Equinox. It is HUGE, almost scary. It dwarfs the Louis Majesty, taking it down a few pegs on the majestic scale. The ocean going ships of today are a far cry from the style and elegance of the past but, Holy Shiva, they are big!
I signed up for the shore excursion since the site of Ephesus is about 18 km from the port. These excursions are ridiculously expensive, but are sometimes the best option. Ephesus was one of the great cities of the world, becoming rich as a port city on the Asian trade routes. It was also a center of religious worship in the ancient world, especially of the Great Mother Artemis who had a temple here. It is said to be one of the best preserved of ancient cities. One uses the word 'preserved' lightly here. It is a pile of rubble mostly, with a few re-constructed bits. Still, one can walk along the main thoroughfare of the city and get some idea of its grandeur, but it takes a lot of effort to imagine it. Ephesus must have been a splendid city, opulent and vibrant. During its long history of thousands of years under the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and later the Ottomans, the city went through many transformations. And then there were a number of devastating earthquakes along the way. The coup de grâce to the city's fortunes was the fact that the river, the Meander, silted up and made the harbor unusable. The Meander meandered and the party was over. The seacoast today is five miles away. Sic transit gloria mundi. 
The two biggest monuments of the ancient city are the library (which has been partially reconstructed with the assistance of the Austrian government) and the 24,000 seat amphitheater which is still in use and boasts phenomenal acoustics. After the buses brought us back to the town proper we had some time to explore. There are the narrow lanes of the bazaar, just what one would expect in Turkey, but I was looking for, and found, something else -- a café with free wi-fi. It annoys me that, although wi-fi is available aboard ship, it is expensive. I christen thee the SS Louis Tightwad. I payed a small fortune to ride this tub and I don't appreciate being nickeled and dimed at every turn. But it seems to be the way things are in cruise land.
At this moment I am sitting in a shady spot on the top deck. We are leaving the port. It is a perfect day, the wine-dark sea is glistening in the warm sunlight, the town dazzles on the hillside. What a life! (even without free wi-fi.) In about four hours we arrive in Patmos.

Mykonos

There are various dining options aboard ship. I had lunch in the Four Seasons, the elegant restaurant. It was very fine, indeed. My waiter was quite chatty. I asked him where he was from and it turned out he was from Egypt. I expressed my concerns for the on-going tribulations of his people and congratulations on the ousting of the dictator Mubarek. This set off a torrent of commentary from him. I could only nod in sympathy. The poor guy has been through a lot. He did comment, however, on the fact that I was traveling alone. Well, I don't mind it at all. I'm used to being alone. It makes me think of those words of wisdom of some Tibetan lama or other: you born alone, you die alone -- inbetween much suffering. I would care to amend that statement and add that, before you die you get to indulge in two for one cocktails at Happy Hour and get potted even before arriving in Mykonos!

We set sail at 11 AM and reached Mykonos at 6 PM. I have been here before. In the wild days of my youth, after I got tired of living in Germany, I packed up and set off for Greece. I spent a few weeks island hopping, eschewing the popular destinations and opting for the quieter isles like Thassos, Ikaria and Samos. When I craved human society again I stopped in Mykonos. It has always been a magnet for tourists. I think the term 'tourist trap' may have been invented for Mykonos. Egads, what a zoo! But it does have its charms. It is wall to wall people here. Several cruise ships at a time spew forth their human cargo. When I was here back in '73, that's 37 years ago, I left the town of Chora and hiked to the other side of the island. I am perhaps the only person in the history of Mykonos tourism to have done that. I remember how dazzling the ocean was, contrasted with the arid, rocky landscape and the white- washed houses with their dark blue doors. All that is still here and still delights the eye. What a special place this island must have been before the onslaught of the tourist industry. But, on the other hand, it has made the natives rich.
Tomorrow we stop in Kusadasi, Turkey to visit the ruins of ancient Ephesus. This is the real thing. I am so excited!!!

To Hellas

Sunday was a travel day. It happened to be 9/11. That was probably not the best choice of travel days, considering what might have happened in the world, but all worked out just fine. From leaving J.J.'s door in Lausanne to arriving at my hotel in Piraeus, it took me twelve hours. It was a long and tiring day. I spent two hours in the Rome airport, waiting for my connecting flight. It was announced, first in Italian then in English, that a minute of silence would be observed at 2:46 in commemeration of the victims of 9/11, that all activity in the airport would cease at that time. I was deeply touched by that tribute. The horrors of that day, now ten years ago, have profoundly affected the entire Western world.

The flight from Rome to Athens was quite spectacular. By luck I had a window seat. Our flight route took us first down the Mediterranean coast, just past Naples, then inland across the Italian peninsula. The Adriatic sparkled in the sun. Soon we were over the Ionian Islands, then the Peloponnese. HELLAS! Below was the sun-drenched soil of Greece, the very site of thousands of years of history, of a culture whose genius has shaped Western culture. Just don't get me started on Ancient Greece! What the Greeks have bequeathed us in terms of architecture, sculpture, theater, musical theory, philosophy, poetry, literature, mathematics, government, and scientific inquiry is staggering. It defies comprehension that one culture could have achieved so much of lasting value. Have I left something out? Okay, they weren't so hot in the realm of medicine, but their score card is otherwise formidable. And they bravely fought off the Persians -- Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, Plataea. Thank you, Ancient Greeks! I studied the Ancient Greek language intently for a few years. Only recently did I discover that the modern alphabet is pronounced differently. It is only to be expected, considering that Greek is one of the oldest European languages. It goes back 4,000 years; the written language 3,000 . But still, darn! I'm afraid I might sound like Demosthenes asking for directions to the nearest Starbucks.

Back to my trip. The bus ride from Athens airport to the port city of Piraeus was one long traffic jam, a regular jam-athon (when in Rome...). The airport and the seaport lie on opposite sides of the megalopolis of Athina which is famous for its horrendous traffic. I had done my research on mapquest and made myself precise directions from the bus terminal to the hotel. It seemed a walkable distance. It's a good thing I opted to take a taxi because it was several miles! After a comfortable and restful night in my lovely hotel (and a bargain, too! Thank you, internet!) I asked for a taxi after breakfast only to be informed that the taxis were on strike. Travel is adventure and dealing with the unexpected. I managed to negotiate the mysteries of public transportation and got to the cruise ship terminal in plenty of time. The Louis Majesty is part of the fleet of one of the biggest cruise lines that ply the Mediterranean waters. 'Majesty' is a bit of a stretch for this ship but it is nice enough. After the initial excitement of sailing out of the port, accompanied by much horn blasting, we had the obligatory lifeboat drill. Keeping in mind that a ship of this very cruise line sank off the island of Santorini a few years ago (it hit an unmarked reef), one needs to take this seriously. The passengers seem to be a nice mix of older and younger (I'm not ready for the geriatric cruise yet!). One hears a variety of languages. I suspect there are few Americans on board. That is fine with me.

Switzerland

The spectacular ride on the MOB train; typical houses in Zweisimmen and Gstaad.

Les amis du blog

Les amis du blog


After a long and (thankfully) uneventful flight I arrived in Zürich Friday morning. The SSB, efficient as always, brought me to Lausanne in two and a half hours. For Saturday my friend J.J. and I planned to make an excursion on the MOB, the Montreux Oberland Bernois panoramic train. In Switzerland there are a number of private railway companies that operate train lines, mostly of the scenic variety. The MOB leaves Montreux then ascends into the mountains. The first leg affords ever more spectacular views of Lac Léman as it rises higher and higher. We had to book this journey weeks in advance. Not knowing what the weather would be like on the day we wanted to travel, it was something of a gamble. But the gods smiled on us and provided us with a sensational day, warm but not hot, nearly cloudless skies. After the train reaches the high country, le pays en haut, it stops in a few towns like: Chexbres, Les Avants, Chateau d'Oex, Rougement. I love these names. Just before Saanen we crossed the invisible language border, where suddenly  everything is in German, not French. The scenery was breathtaking. The green of the alpine meadows was so intense it almost hurt my eyes to look at it. The last two stops were Gstaad and Zweisimmen. The terminus is a lovely Swiss alpine town but nothing special. After a leisurely lunch and a walkabout we decided to head back to Gstaad. This is a bigger and much more attractive place. It is the playground of the super rich with the shops and hotels that appeal to the high flying lifestyle. Many persons of note have homes here, Roman Polanski for one. It was a bit crowded and touristy, but still a beautiful old town. We got back to Lausanne in the evening. It was a splendid day.

Anyone who has traveled lately will have noticed that all airports are pretty much the same -- crowded, uncomfortable, with over priced, usually bad food. On my way to Athens today I had a stopover on Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport. It wouldn't win any prizes for efficiency, organization or comfort, but the place has a one thing in its favor: food. I enjoyed a delectable focaccia a la Caprese and, after that, a divine cup of cappochino. The Italians are really good in the food department. Much to my dismay I discovered that, although I can download my pics from my digital camera to my new iPad2 I can't post them on my blog or facebook. Aaaarrrrgh!!! Maybe there is a way to do it, but I haven't found it yet. And I have some really neat pics!