Good morning from Spetses! We arrive on this island of Spetses yesterday afternoon, having left Astrous around 10am. Astrous had turned out to be a sort of reunion for us with our Dutch friends from the previous couple of nights! Sue and I were just about to walk into town to dispose of garbage and go for a swim (two separate tasks entirely) when we heard a cheering from a boat out on the water, and turned around to see them sailing in. They had seen us there and were waving at us. We helped them tie up and had our neighbors from Kiparissi back for a third night.
Sue and I also made friends with a German couple on the catamaran next to us. Carl and Brigette Koch have sailed the last several summers in the Mediterranean, after Carl retired as an engineer from Siemans. The had a beautiful dog sailing with them, a lab/Doberman mix, who guarded the boat (the dog's name was Elka if I remember right). We asked for and were given a tour of their catamaran, a 42 foot Lagoon (owners model as opposed to charter model, which is waaaay nicer than the charter model). Solar panels on their roof provide all the power they need; they had their boat beautifully set up and so comfortable. The extra space of a cat makes a big difference for being comfortable cruising. We shared views and stories that evening and had a nice time with them.
We said goodbye to all our friends and sailed to Spetses, leaving about 10am under strong wind which got progressively lighter through the day. We motored about the last hour into Spetses, arriving about 2:30pm. Spetses is a beautiful town and a pretty harbor, but is very popular among sailors and power boaters alike and is close to major centers, so is crowded. Much more money here than the Peloponnese coast we just left behind, evidenced by the large mansions on the hillside with swimming pools and well-tended gardens (clearly caretakers are full time). The guidebooks say at there are no cars allowed on Spetses, however we have discovered that is baloney, as every one of these mansions has a car in the driveway. Not much car traffic though on the streets, just plenty of moped/scooter traffic, and horse-drawn carriages which careen along the streets ringing their bells as a warning to pedestrians.
Last night we tried "Fish Spetses", a local style fish with a tomato sauce spread on the top. We have come to enjoy the appetizers as much as the meals. Eating out here is relatively affordable. A full meal for two, with appetizers, entrees, house wine, and usually a watermelon dessert is about $25-50 depending on how tourists the location is. Favorite appetizers include Tsatziki (a yoghurt, cucumber, onion mix spread on bread), stuffed vine leaves (which we just tried last night for the first time but were absolutely outstanding), Greek salad (cucumbers, onions, green peppers, olives, tomatoes, and a big slab of feta cheese generously covered with fresh oregano, with olive oil and a touch of red wine vinegar - note: no lettuce in Greek salad), and fresh Kalamari ("squids"). We have tried octopus twice and both times liked it as an appetizer, but seems to be harder to find fresh. The house wines have proven to be pretty good. They are actually made "by the house", usually. Owners of tavernas have described mashing the grapes with their feet and making the wine with their families. Wines are tapped off large casks in the restaurant. They are nothing that you would bottle and sell, but for an evening table wine with dinner are nice. Most are light and fruity.
Now we are preparing to leave Spetses for Poros. We have about 28 miles of sailing, except that we are going into the wind so that can double our distance. I suspect that for certain parts of the trip we may end up motoring since if we sail the whole way we will drive after dark (not preferred in strange unlit harbors). Sue is out for her morning walk, and Bernice is up cooking up a lunch "for the road". Becky still catching some zzzzzzzz's in her bunk (audibly). "The sun is bright this morning", says Bernice. I can feel the wind picking up and I am ready to be on the water. The wind forecast says it will stay strong all day. On our sail we will pass Hydra by (correctly pronounced "Ee-dra" we have learned). Retracing our steps so that we will be in Athens sometime Friday afternoon. I wish we did not have to think about getting back on a plane, although as we discussed last night, it will be somewhat strange to flush a toilet by pushing a button, when we are so used to pumping (Becky says the biceps of her right arm have gotten a regular workout here and we joked about how her arms are no longer the same size, and how exactly does one explain that?)
Hmmm. What are the chances Bernice will cook me an egg right now?
Sue and I also made friends with a German couple on the catamaran next to us. Carl and Brigette Koch have sailed the last several summers in the Mediterranean, after Carl retired as an engineer from Siemans. The had a beautiful dog sailing with them, a lab/Doberman mix, who guarded the boat (the dog's name was Elka if I remember right). We asked for and were given a tour of their catamaran, a 42 foot Lagoon (owners model as opposed to charter model, which is waaaay nicer than the charter model). Solar panels on their roof provide all the power they need; they had their boat beautifully set up and so comfortable. The extra space of a cat makes a big difference for being comfortable cruising. We shared views and stories that evening and had a nice time with them.
We said goodbye to all our friends and sailed to Spetses, leaving about 10am under strong wind which got progressively lighter through the day. We motored about the last hour into Spetses, arriving about 2:30pm. Spetses is a beautiful town and a pretty harbor, but is very popular among sailors and power boaters alike and is close to major centers, so is crowded. Much more money here than the Peloponnese coast we just left behind, evidenced by the large mansions on the hillside with swimming pools and well-tended gardens (clearly caretakers are full time). The guidebooks say at there are no cars allowed on Spetses, however we have discovered that is baloney, as every one of these mansions has a car in the driveway. Not much car traffic though on the streets, just plenty of moped/scooter traffic, and horse-drawn carriages which careen along the streets ringing their bells as a warning to pedestrians.
Last night we tried "Fish Spetses", a local style fish with a tomato sauce spread on the top. We have come to enjoy the appetizers as much as the meals. Eating out here is relatively affordable. A full meal for two, with appetizers, entrees, house wine, and usually a watermelon dessert is about $25-50 depending on how tourists the location is. Favorite appetizers include Tsatziki (a yoghurt, cucumber, onion mix spread on bread), stuffed vine leaves (which we just tried last night for the first time but were absolutely outstanding), Greek salad (cucumbers, onions, green peppers, olives, tomatoes, and a big slab of feta cheese generously covered with fresh oregano, with olive oil and a touch of red wine vinegar - note: no lettuce in Greek salad), and fresh Kalamari ("squids"). We have tried octopus twice and both times liked it as an appetizer, but seems to be harder to find fresh. The house wines have proven to be pretty good. They are actually made "by the house", usually. Owners of tavernas have described mashing the grapes with their feet and making the wine with their families. Wines are tapped off large casks in the restaurant. They are nothing that you would bottle and sell, but for an evening table wine with dinner are nice. Most are light and fruity.
Now we are preparing to leave Spetses for Poros. We have about 28 miles of sailing, except that we are going into the wind so that can double our distance. I suspect that for certain parts of the trip we may end up motoring since if we sail the whole way we will drive after dark (not preferred in strange unlit harbors). Sue is out for her morning walk, and Bernice is up cooking up a lunch "for the road". Becky still catching some zzzzzzzz's in her bunk (audibly). "The sun is bright this morning", says Bernice. I can feel the wind picking up and I am ready to be on the water. The wind forecast says it will stay strong all day. On our sail we will pass Hydra by (correctly pronounced "Ee-dra" we have learned). Retracing our steps so that we will be in Athens sometime Friday afternoon. I wish we did not have to think about getting back on a plane, although as we discussed last night, it will be somewhat strange to flush a toilet by pushing a button, when we are so used to pumping (Becky says the biceps of her right arm have gotten a regular workout here and we joked about how her arms are no longer the same size, and how exactly does one explain that?)
Hmmm. What are the chances Bernice will cook me an egg right now?
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