'Twas the Best and Worst of Times

Our recent Greek island-hopping adventure was both the best and the worst of times.

Ferry tales of a Greek island-hopping adventure

In theory, traveling when we did, before 'the (tourist) season', is one of the best of times to travel in Greece. Hotel rates are reasonable, popular destinations are uncrowded, pleasant spring temperatures abound, and choices of ferry accommodations (seats and cabins) are plentiful.

The risks of pre-season travel are that not all businesses catering to tourists (restaurants, shops, some hotels) will be open, temperatures might be a bit brisk, and ferries schedules might be limited. 

Foot Loose and Fancy Free  

From Athens to Cyclades, Dodecanese and back again by ferry

The only plan we had was to be footloose and fancy free, visiting old favorites and exploring new islands on this Grecian staycation. But The Scout's advance research found ferry schedules a challenge to that carefree plan, as arrivals and departures at some islands are in the middle of the night. Not being night owl travelers, we booked ferries that sailed at 'reasonable hours' to the first two islands we'd decided to visit.   

Leaving Piraeus - next stop Syros

After spending a night in Athens, we set sail for Syros in the Cycladic Island group. Our mid-afternoon ferry from Athen's port city, Piraeus got us to the island in time for dinner.  We'd stay there a couple of days before departing on an overnight ferry (in a cabin) to Kos, a Dodecanese Island as stone's throw from Türkiye. We'd select the next destination while on Kos.

Surprises on Syros

Ermoúpolis, Syros

Ermoúpolis, named for Hermes, the messenger god, son of Zeus, was the first place we visited in Greece nearly 15 years ago. We were eager to revisit this bustling port city, home to more than 11,000 residents. It has to be one of the prettiest cities in Greece with its stunning neo-classical buildings framing its marble streets and sidewalks.

Buildings and streets were art works to behold

We stayed in Hotel Hermes, walking distance from the ferry. Our room was spacious, the large patio opening to the sea. It was chilly, but coupled with blue skies, fluffy clouds and sunshine, it was perfect for exploring the city on foot. We laughed at the weather forecasts predicting 'severe thunderstorms'.

Emergency alert no April Fool's joke!

Mother Nature got the last laugh.  

We were at a local restaurant when the emergency alert jangled every mobile phone in the place. We'd all received the message pictured above from Greece's Civil Protection Agency about a major storm heading towards the Cycladic islands. 

Shortly after the message came the rain.                                                                                                       And the wind.                                                                                                                                               And the thunder.                                                                                                                                          And the lightening.                                                                                                                                

And the notification that our 10 pm ferry wouldn't be arriving until 3:45 am

Rain and hail and a 4:30 a.m. boarding - off to Kos

We luckily were able to book one of two rooms remaining in the hotel that we'd checked out of that morning along with a 3 a.m. wakeup call. So much for not being night owl travelers!

Our feet were drenched -- we'd given up dodging puddles as the entire street was a puddle-- by the time we got to the ferry at 3:30 a.m. There were no taxis running at that hour. Thankfully there was a roof over the waiting area on the dock, as it started hailing at about the time that we learned the ferry wouldn't arrive until 4:30 a.m.  

To bed at 5 a.m. and bed never felt so good!

We were in our cabin beds by 5 a.m., slept until 8 and arrived in Kos about noon. 

It gave a new meaning to doing an 'all-nighter'!

New Finds in an Old Favorite

Rain followed us to Kos Island

It is our third stay on this Greek island and our third stay at the waterfront hotel, the Albergo Gelsomino, a charming eight room property built in 1928. Both are travel destination favorites of ours.

Storm's aftermath - the hotel patio

Waves washed across the roadway we walked the short distance from the ferry to our hotel.  The storm had strewn stones and sand across the pavement just as it had the hotels patio. 

Room-bound to dry out - not too tough to take

We'd planned to take a one-day excursion to Bodrum, Türkiye. from here but it was too early in the season and none were running.  Instead, we explored new areas in the town of Kos, as we could between the continuing rain spells.  Many restaurants, bars and retail stores hadn't yet reopened for the season.  We found ourselves retreating to the room to dry out and warm up, but with the room we had, it wasn't to tough to take.  

Traveling along Turkiye

By this point in the trip we'd given up on visiting new islands; we were off to Rhodes, for a stay at another old favorite, Nikos Takis Fashion Boutique Hotel within the walls of the old city,  Our ferry was delayed a couple of hours but at least it was sunny, so we sat on the open deck still snuggled up in our winter coats as we sped along the Turkish coastline. We were so close that my mobile phone provider sent me a message welcoming me to Türkiye.

Rambles in Rhodes

A sunbreak photo in old Rhodes

The medieval old town never gets old to this pair of travelers.  We could explore its winding, narrow streets time and time again.  And we would have explored even more of them this time, had the rain not followed us there.  Luckily our hotel room had a radiator in the bathroom that was perfect for drying our soggy shoes.  Our souvenirs were new insoles for my shoes and a new umbrella to replace our wind-broken one.

We had a Sunday morning cloudburst shortly after I took this photo

Calling it Quits

The bouncing bedroom

We gave up. 

Mother Nature had won this time around.  We were heading back to Athens, but the only cabin left on the overnight ferry was a deluxe double bed. (We discovered after embarkation that two large student groups were also traveling on this sailing and had apparently filled the regular single-bed rooms.)  

The room was spectacular and right at the front of the ship. It would have been perfect had it not been a stormy sea that bounced us around like drunkards as we staggered to the bathroom and back during the night.

Back to Athens

A blue-sky, but winter-cold, Athens welcomed us back.  We learned after checking into our hotel that a city-wide strike was scheduled for the next day: public and private sector employees, transit, rail, air, ferries.  All would be on strike.  

Public Market streets are graffiti decorated

We did find that several stores were open as were bars and restaurants on 'strike day'.  The riot police were out in force (normal for when strikes of this size take place). We avoided 'strike central gathering spots' like Syntagma Square, and opted to visit the people's market, the sprawling public market offering meat, fish, cheese, vegetables, antiques and souvenirs.  

We ended the staycation a day early.  It agreed that it had been both the best and worst of times.  We'd had great accommodations, good food and drink, and revisited favorite places. It had been wet, cold and nasty weather. We both caught colds. But it was certainly, a trip we won't forget any time soon.  

These kinds of trips can happen despite the best of planning efforts. How about your travels?  Have you also had some best and worst of times trips?  Tell us about them in the comments or shoot us an email.  

Thanks for your time with us and safe travels to you and yours~

In Greece: The Waiting Game

 We are waiting. Again. 

Our cat Nermal perfects the art of waiting

On the day that I had planned to finish this blog post, we were waiting for the return of our electricity which means we were also waiting for lights, heat, the internet, and water pressure as each is tied to electricity where we live in rural Greece. This six-hour power outage was 'planned' and we knew it was coming. Still, there isn't much one can do but wait when an outage strikes. 

Waiting just might be the national pastime in Greece. We've come to think of it as a game, 'the waiting game'.  It isn't for the faint of heart or those who are easily frustrated. While it doesn't require much skill, it requires utmost patience.  

Waiting out the latest African dust storm

'What do you do to fill your days in Greece?' we were recently asked by an expat wannabe. 'We wait for things,' would have been the most honest answer.  Things can include but are certainly not limited to waiting for the latest African dust storm to end, waiting for a repairman, for an appointment, or renewal of our residency permits. The common denominator is that we have no control over when the 'wait' will end. 

Instead, we told the wannabe about the errands and chores that must be attended to when living in the rural Peloponnese, the place where we make our expat home.  Then we sang the praises of all the fun things to do here and how much there is to love about this life. 

And there are many things to love. Waiting, however, is not among them. But a wannabe expat will learn about it soon enough. 

In fact, becoming residents requires quite a bit of waiting these days so they'll get introduced to the waiting game early on.  The process that once was a few months, now takes more than a year.  

We applied for our renewal a year ago in April, so maybe in a month or so we will have a biometrics appointment (fingerprinting) and hopefully a few months later we will be issued the wallet-sized card that makes us official for another couple of years.  We've learned when 'waits' last this long you really don't think about them that much. 

The Scout waits at our village service station

Waiting is a part of our new cultural environment.  Here work gets done when it gets done, appointments happen when they happen, and life goes on:  Siga, siga, slowly, slowly. Those of us who come from a deadline-driven lifestyle sometimes have to conjure up a double dose of patience to handle this indifference to the concept of 'as soon as possible'.  

 

Learning a new language requires patience

Those 'prepare for expat life' articles that proliferate the internet, advise that patience will be needed for the big things, like the slowed down pace of life which can lead to long waits and for endeavors like learning to speak the language of your adopted country. We are lucky in this part of Greece as we don't have to learn Greek to be able to communicate. 

Yet, I continue my Duolingo lessons in hopes of being able to one day be able to ask in Greek how long a wait will be. However, I may need to wait a bit longer to master that one. On the same day that Duolingo congratulated me on my 455-day learning streak, it taught me to say, 'The dwarf has the diamonds'.

I've not yet needed that phrase, but I am certain that if I wait long enough, the time will come, that I might.    

The Scout waiting at the village bank branch/post office

What those articles don't address are the little 'waits' that when they begin to build, can bring an expat to their knees. The wait for repairs and replacement work can almost break the most patient of people. We are experiencing a construction boom here, so waiting for a tradesperson to return a call is often an almost endless wait in itself. Then getting the work done is another wait of indefinite time. 

New furnace sits waiting to be made operational

In early December we had to replace our failing furnace, or boiler, as they are called here. The new one was delivered in a matter of weeks and then sat next to the old one for six weeks before installation was completed. It was finally up and running just before our house sitters arrived in mid-January.

Call the repairman said the thermostat

Three weeks ago, it quit working, and we called the installer and waited a week for him to respond to our message. Then we waited another week for someone to come and make the necessary adjustment. 

Waiting sometimes calls for a coffee break

The furnace quit working while we were waiting for the landscape crew who normally whip our garden into shape in January. Their annual task is heavy duty pruning and fertilizing the garden, the latter being best applied in January we were previously told. They are so busy they hope to get here sometime in March. No worries as this year, they said, March is the best time to apply fertilizer.  

No one to talk to at the bank without an appointment

At the same time, we were - and still are - trying to get an appointment to speak to someone at our Greek bank in Kalamata. Our account has been closed due to inactivity. Guess we 'waited' too long to use it! The account can only be reactivated after an in-person meeting during which time we must show copies of electric bills, phone bills, our house contract, our passports, and our residency permits. 

No appointments are available until the end of April and have to be made via email.  We've sent the email requesting the meeting, now we wait for the bank to respond with an appointment date. 

When the 'waits' get up to three or more, we consider the game tedious. Very tedious. And just as our patience starts wearing dangerously thin, one of the 'waits' actually ends and you simply feel recharged and victorious!

Such was the case in February before the furnace quit working. The Scout had called to reorder the oil used to fuel the furnace. The oil provider is a service station a half hour from us. The owner, Nikos, is an enthusiastic young man who has a can-do attitude and a smile on his face.  He told us he'd be out 'in the afternoon or tomorrow'.  

Wine and pizza ease the wait time

The 'afternoon' got to be 6 pm and dark, and we gave up that day's wait. We set off for some pizza and wine in the neighboring village. Literally as the waitress put the wine glasses on the table, Nikos called to say he was at our house, ready to pump the oil. Despite our gate being locked and the grounds completely dark, he assured us he could fill the tank.  As for payment, no problem, he said, he'd drive over to the restaurant and we could pay him there.

Within the hour Nikos parked the big ol' oil truck in front of the cafe. Sure, he could have a glass of wine with us. And he did. We had a great conversation during which the said he'd like to bring his girlfriend by our house sometime to see our view.  We told him to bring her for wine and mezes this summer. He finished his wine and said he had five more deliveries 'that afternoon' and off he went.  

That time we felt victorious. Sometimes though the only way to beat the waiting game is to quit waiting.  And that's exactly what we've decided to do.

'Road trips' are best done walking aboard a Greek ferry 

 We have arranged for a kitty sitter and are setting sail next week on a Grecian 'road trip'.  After spending a night in Athens we are off to Syros, in the Cycladic islands then we'll take an overnight ferry to Kos, in the Dodecanese islands.  Then we get really wild and crazy:

Dodecanese islands beckon

We will check the local ferry schedule and set off for an island, maybe two islands, maybe three islands based on what suits our fancy. No waiting involved . . .other than for the ferry to arrive!

Thanks for being with us again and we send wishes to you for good travels and short wait times, for whatever it is that has caused your wait!  Hope to see you back again soon - bring a friend or family member along - don't wait!

 

 

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That Pink Palace of the Pacific

Nowadays high-rise hotels surround the elegant old 'pink palace' as if sentinels protecting it from the modern world. 

The Pink Palace

Yet, back in its day, this hotel with its Spanish Moorish style architecture and striking pink facade, was a standout on Waikiki, the beach it has helped make famous. 

In its early years, the pink palace reigned over Waikiki

For nearly a century, The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, aka 'the Pink Palace of the Pacific', has provided a tropical-style old world elegant getaway to those who've spent time here.  

It was here that we decided to spend the last weekend of our Hawaiian getaway. More than a decade has passed since we'd last treated ourselves to a stay in this old charmer.  And in keeping with my 'carpe diem' approach to travel this year, it was time to do it again. 

The Royal Hawaiian remains a pink palace on the beach

 'Carpe Diem!' the Latin phrase for seize the day, seize the moment or seize the pleasure is my mantra about travel this year. Circumstances slowed our travels last year and it is high time to make up for lost experiences!

My welcome lei - live orchids

On the first day of February our cab driver eased past the modern high rises - The Sheraton, Royal Beach Tower and Outrigger Hotels -- and took us back in time as he followed the hotel's circular drive through one of its lush tropical gardens. In keeping with hotel tradition, we were greeted by uniformed valets who draped us with leis of welcome:  mine a necklace of fragile orchid blooms, and The Scout's a rope of kukui nuts.

Rocking chairs off the lobby face the tropical gardens

Somewhere between the lei greeting and spotting the rocking chairs just off the lobby, I knew we'd made the right decision about spending our final weekend here. A stay at the Royal Hawaiian, for that matter, any hotel on Waikiki is not inexpensive whether you are spending currency or accumulated hotel points (which we were). Tourism isn't quite back to pre-Covid days, but it is robust, and Waikiki continues to be one of the most popular destinations on the island of O'ahu. 

Waikiki Beach

Hawaii's Olympic medalist Duke Kahanamoku 

Waikiki Beach, perhaps the most well-known beach in all of Hawaii, is located in the heart of Honolulu, a bustling metropolis of 351,000 residents. Within it, the four-square mile area, known as Waikiki, is home to 50 hotels, nine of which are located on Waikiki beach.

Waikiki Beach

Here emergency vehicle sirens mix with soothing Hawaiian music piped from speakers along the beach sidewalk. The air is thick with scent of coconut-based suntan lotions. Palm and Banyon trees shade beach areas where surfboard storage racks stand side by side with beach shacks serving food and drink. Sun and surf enthusiasts lay colorful beach towels so close together on the sandy beach that it can be difficult to step around them. Its main drag, Kalakaua Avenue, offers well-healed shoppers a plethora of choices from Gucci and Yves Saint Lauren to Tesla. 

Banyan tree on Waikiki Beach

The name Waikiki means 'spouting water' and stems from a time when the area was home to fishponds and taro fields fed by abundant springs and rivers. It was in the early 1900's that tourism got a toehold on Waikiki with the construction of the Moana Hotel, followed a few years later by the Royal Hawaiian.

The Royal Hawaiian

Hotel opening was front page headlines in 1927

Our February 1st arrival, purely by coincidence, fell on the 98th anniversary of the hotel's grand opening.  According to its historical displays, it was a gala celebration that drew 1,200 attendees who'd paid the whopping sum of $10 a ticket to attend the affair. 

 

Opening Night Gala

However, its 98th anniversary went by without notice. Although, thanks to a Saturday night gala for the Honolulu Ballet, the hotel's common areas were again filled with guests decked out in sequined gowns and tuxedos; and while not as crowded as opening night, the scene was equally as elegant. 

Hawaii Ballet welcomes fete attendees

We'd chosen to stay in the original building instead of its newer high-rise sister hotel the Royal Beach Tower. We adore old historic hotels, and this is one of the best-preserved places we've stayed as it has all the modern conveniences incorporated into the stately old building.  

Our room with a view

We were delighted to find ourselves in an ocean view room overlooking the hotel's MaiTai beach bar. Our windows opened so we could hear the rustling palm fronds as well as the traditional Hawaiian songs sung by performers in the beach bar. 

Hotel grounds belie the modern world just outside its perimeter

With such a short stay we kept our explorations somewhat limited to strolls along the beach area and revisiting old favorites within a few blocks of the hotel. To be honest, the hotel grounds, shops and eateries were too tempting to get too far away.

Nighttime was simply enchanting

We've never been ones to commit to travels years in advance. But I admit that as we sipped our final night's wine in the hotel's MaiTai Bar, with a view of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head, I did say that I am putting February 1st, 2027, on my bucket list/calendar. . . 

I'm betting the 100th birthday celebration is going to be something! And I'd like to be there! 

A final glass of pink (French rose wine)

Now we are back in an unseasonably cold southern Greece where we make our expat home. Hawaii goes into the memories file, and it is time to start thinking about future travels. We've got some plans shaping up, how about you?  Any upcoming trips?  Any armchair travels thanks to a good book?  Let us know in the comments or send us an email.

Again, thanks for your time with us and wishes for safe travels to you and yours~

Just A Change of 'Sea-nery'

You might say it was just a change of 'sea-nery'. 

In reality, it was so much more.  But that's the way with travel sometimes. A trip gives you far more than you expected from it!

Sunset - Ko Olina, O'ahu 

When last I wrote, we were heading off on our first big trip, the first real vacation that we'd taken in several years.  

Flight time: Hour 20 - island of O'ahu comes into view

Our destination although a familiar one, is now halfway around the world from us. I can honestly say that as I told you about the trip in my last writings I wondered if we were out of our minds taking it.  While the call to visit a favorite spot on earth was strong, as was the desire to see longtime 'same time, next year' friends, I questioned our stamina for such an undertaking after such a long dry spell.  

I am here to tell you -- now that we've been back a week -- just how glad we are that we went!  They say that travel feeds the soul, and this trip did just that for us. I didn't realize how close to empty we were running until we were actually refueling on the fabled white sand beaches of Hawaii.

The Journey

From our expat home in Greece's rural Peloponnese, the travel time was 38 hours to Kapolei a city on O'ahu, one of seven inhabited islands in Hawaii. Our return trip was 40 hours. Three flights going and three coming back. 

Wheels up, feet up aboard British Airways A380

We used airline miles and flew Business Class on all but one of the six flight segments. With 20+ hours spent in airplanes, having seats that converted into beds for the longest leg of the trip made it much easier on these two boomers.

Outbound the flight schedule required an overnight in London and coming back an overnight in San Francisco. Staying at airport hotels lengthened the trip, but it also gave us a chance to stretch our legs and break up the journey.

A New Look at an Longtime Favorite

Hawaii became the 50th state in the United States back in 1959.  Yet, in many ways it feels like such an autonomous tropical island that on at least two occasions we got a good laugh when we overheard fellow visitors asking residents, about how something was done on the island and then explaining to them how it is done 'back in the States'. 

KoOlina,mixed use development on O'ahu's west side

It had been five years since our last visit and we wondered if perhaps we'd 'outgrown' Ko Olina, which in Hawaiian means, 'place of joy'. We wondered if it might have lost some of its magic. It didn't take long after arriving at the mixed-use development (homes, shops, and tourist accommodations) for us to know it still held us in its charms. 

Wood sculpture honoring native fishermen of yesteryear

Back in the days before Greece, when it was our annual winter destination from the Pacific Northwest, I think we had begun to take Hawaii a bit for granted. It was close, warm, convenient and of course, a beautiful destination.  Having not visited for a while, this trip had us seeing it through new eyes. We paid more attention to its pride in its Pacific Islander heritage and culture, its stunning beauty and the commitment of its residents to 'malama ka 'aina' caring for and protecting the land.

Our go-to coffee spot amid lush gardens

One thing life in Greece has taught us to do is to slow our pace. We approached our timeshare life this time with that attitude. We took daily strolls through the palm-tree shaded grounds on a path bordering the sea. We sipped coffee without hurry amid the lush tropical gardens - the vivid greenery and colors being something we miss in Greece. We found ourselves taking more of a 'live in the moment' approach to enjoying the resort.   

A drive in the countryside is rejuvenating

Our outings by car took us through miles of sugar cane and pineapple fields to reach favorite beaches, towns and resorts on the island's North Shore and further west to its vast undeveloped Kaena Point.  

Moana magic in Hawaii

The sea, moana, as it is called in Hawaiian, simply mesmerized us with its shades of blue, turquoise, and greens.  Stunning colors, not completely unlike those of the Mediterranean, but yet so differently seductive that we often found ourselves gobsmacked by the views.  And what a treat to walk on those white granulated sugar beaches so totally unlike the stone carpeted beaches in our area of Greece.  

Old favorites; Places and People

Costco one of my happy places

While beach times were magnificent, I have to tell you that the trips we took to the Kapolei Costco were equally exciting for those of us expats who miss shopping at that big box store. (Greece doesn't have Costco.)  Shopping in some of our favorite locally owned retail and grocery stores, many that opened their doors decades ago on the island, has always been a treat and this trip was no exception. 

Fish burger and onion rings were shared by two

Hawaii is a food lovers paradise, especially when you have been away from it for some time.  We stuffed ourselves with ono grindz, good Hawaiian food. We left the healthy Mediterranean Diet behind and junked out on junk food -- Hawaiian potato chips, tortilla chips and dips that we don't get in Greece. We cooked meals at home by barbequing steaks, halibut and mahi mahi fish, along with pounds of asparagus during our two-week stay.

Time spent with same time, next year friends

We spent time with old friends - some who've known us for multiple decades. Others that we have met because of our timeshare life. One of the things we miss in expat life is spending time with those friends we used to see regularly. As I've written before, we don't often have friends traveling the distance to see us in Greece. So when a trip we take gives us the opportunity for get-togethers, walks, talks, giggles it is a double bonus. 

A Change of 'Sea-nery' 

We've missed palm trees

Our change of 'sea-nery' trip not only improved our moods and outlook on life but also bolstered our confidence in our being mentally and physically able to still travel.  We again proved to ourselves that we are not 'too old' to set off into the world.  Sure, the flights were long, and we walked like stiff-legged Lego-people up the jet-aways after arrivals.  We were more than ready for each flight to end. Once we reached our destinations we suffered 'jet lag' but it wasn't as debilitating as we had expected it to be. 

Menehune - mythical dwarf people who live deep in Hawaii forests

Not everything went smoothly. We did have a couple of those 'turned around' moments when we found ourselves heading in the wrong direction, as evidenced in our attempt to catch the correct underground train in SeaTac airport and again in our attempt to drive out of the rental car facility in Honolulu. Had either of those been filmed it would have made a great comedy reality show. 

A change of sea-nery - just what we needed!

Our time spent in Hawaii was far too short for the distance we had traveled; we concluded just a week after we got there. We spent two weeks at our timeshare property on O'ahu's west side and two nights in a hotel on its iconic Waikiki Beach. 'Next time' we said, 'we will stay longer. . .but maybe before we return, we need to set our travel sights out a bit further'. There are a lot of islands out there still calling out to be explored before we get 'too old'. I'll tell you more about that at some future date.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with the words of Frederick Buechner who sums up my thoughts on life and travel well. We thank you for the time you've spent with us today!  And we wonder if you've had a recent change of 'sea-nery' that served you well beyond being a good trip? Tell us about it in the comments or shoot us an email. We love hearing of your travels!