Tuesday evening in Spetses after a fabulous seaside dinner of "Fish Spetses" we all took a walk through the town by the light of the full moon. Up to the plaza of the St. Nicholas church, a plaza that is made of a series of Greek sea-themed mosaics made from rounded stones (we saw these everywhere; they are traditional to the island), around and about through little alleys (the streets of the residential areas) over-hung by bouganvilla and other tropical plants, back down to the waterfront near the fancy part of town (Dapia)--no flashlight needed though it was 11 pm. We investigated a small church that was wide open and all lit up at that hour. An old man was taking his little granddaughter around to the icons showing her where each was displayed and what to do. Old ladies were sitting outside under the trees as if it were totally normal for the whole family--all ages--to be out at that hour. We walked along the waterfront back to the poor side of town ("Old Harbor") avoiding being run down by the horse-drawn carriages that are one of the major ways to get around town. They ring a bell telling you before they run over you. So comforting.We were happy to note that the horses in Spetses seem much better cared for than the donkeys of Aegina.
We considered doing a night sail that night. It was appealing to think of sailing these wine-dark seas under that full moon. We arrived at our boat to find another boat had tied up in front of ours, so that made it virtually impossible for us to leave. Our decision was made for us. As we get closer to Athens, there are more and more boats tied up in the harbors.
We ended up leaving Spetses about 10 am on Wed. morning and--happily--managed not to hang up our anchor on any other lines that were still down. Another safe escape without incident! We are becoming really great sailors under Captain Mark's tutelage. The landlubber among us now knows how to tie two knots--a double half hitch (to tie the "fenders" alongside the boat) and how to cleat a line to tie up to a pier or another boat. And, later in the day, that landlubber, Becky, was allowed to helm the boat for about 15 minutes. We all escaped that without incident as well. The sail from Spetses to Poros was beautiful (we were looking at the south end of the Peloponnese most of the way, as well as a number of islands) but quite challenging. We reached up to 8.1 knots (that's fast, btw) but the winds were very gusty and changed directions constantly. This means a lot of fiddling with the sails. Constant adjustments were necessary. Laboriously, lines were coiled up only to be uncoiled and let out in a hurry ten minutes later.
Despite having Becky at the helm for awhile, we arrived in scenic Poros Town at a reasonable time in late afternoon. We tied up alongside the quay which is across the street from numerous tavernas and shops. AND to our delight we were met by Anastasios from one of the tavernas, Caravella. He helped us tie up and made sure our fenders were down far enough so the boat wouldn't rock directly against the quay and then a few minutes later he showed up with a plateful of the best watermelon EVER to officially welcome us to his island! Sure, it's self-interest and marketing, but this is just one of many, many examples of the generosity and friendliness were have found among the people of Greece. (We asked the man in a small grocery about a bottle of liquor up by the register and he told us to take it. We couldn't believe our ears, but he meant, "Help yourself," so we did). And it worked, because we ate at Caravella last night and really enjoyed our meal, which included roses on the table, the most fabulous grilled octopus of the whole trip, more watermelon for a (free) dessert and an after-dinner digestive drink (also free), "Mastica."
Later in the meal, we had a very interesting conversation with another employee, Cristos, who expressed the antipathy toward Germany that we have been hearing from Greeks everywhere. He says, "Germany during the war occupied Greece and took all of the gold from our banks. They they re-built with the help of America. Now Germany is taking our gold again and hoarding it." Of course, we heard a very different argument from our friends, the Dutch, who felt that the Greeks were not sufficiently grateful for all that's being done for them. The Greeks,one said, when they have any money at all, are experts at evading taxes by doing things such as registering their boats in the Dominican Republic to avoid the luxury tax here. They don't even want to help their own country." Cristos expressed the idea that the Arab Spring that spread through North Africa and through other countries in the region could well spread to Greece if tempers and pride become further inflamed. The discussion with him left us all very thoughtful. I don't think that we had realized before that the Greek memory of German oppression is still so fresh and colors their response to the EU-enforced austerity measures currently underway here.
We only had to walk about 50 feet to the boat, so there was no drinking and driving. The only thing that could've gone wrong is someone might have fallen off the plank, but this was a wonderful day from beginning to end and we all made it safely to bed. Did I mention it was 96 degrees here on Wednesday? But it's a dry heat....
We considered doing a night sail that night. It was appealing to think of sailing these wine-dark seas under that full moon. We arrived at our boat to find another boat had tied up in front of ours, so that made it virtually impossible for us to leave. Our decision was made for us. As we get closer to Athens, there are more and more boats tied up in the harbors.
We ended up leaving Spetses about 10 am on Wed. morning and--happily--managed not to hang up our anchor on any other lines that were still down. Another safe escape without incident! We are becoming really great sailors under Captain Mark's tutelage. The landlubber among us now knows how to tie two knots--a double half hitch (to tie the "fenders" alongside the boat) and how to cleat a line to tie up to a pier or another boat. And, later in the day, that landlubber, Becky, was allowed to helm the boat for about 15 minutes. We all escaped that without incident as well. The sail from Spetses to Poros was beautiful (we were looking at the south end of the Peloponnese most of the way, as well as a number of islands) but quite challenging. We reached up to 8.1 knots (that's fast, btw) but the winds were very gusty and changed directions constantly. This means a lot of fiddling with the sails. Constant adjustments were necessary. Laboriously, lines were coiled up only to be uncoiled and let out in a hurry ten minutes later.
Despite having Becky at the helm for awhile, we arrived in scenic Poros Town at a reasonable time in late afternoon. We tied up alongside the quay which is across the street from numerous tavernas and shops. AND to our delight we were met by Anastasios from one of the tavernas, Caravella. He helped us tie up and made sure our fenders were down far enough so the boat wouldn't rock directly against the quay and then a few minutes later he showed up with a plateful of the best watermelon EVER to officially welcome us to his island! Sure, it's self-interest and marketing, but this is just one of many, many examples of the generosity and friendliness were have found among the people of Greece. (We asked the man in a small grocery about a bottle of liquor up by the register and he told us to take it. We couldn't believe our ears, but he meant, "Help yourself," so we did). And it worked, because we ate at Caravella last night and really enjoyed our meal, which included roses on the table, the most fabulous grilled octopus of the whole trip, more watermelon for a (free) dessert and an after-dinner digestive drink (also free), "Mastica."
Later in the meal, we had a very interesting conversation with another employee, Cristos, who expressed the antipathy toward Germany that we have been hearing from Greeks everywhere. He says, "Germany during the war occupied Greece and took all of the gold from our banks. They they re-built with the help of America. Now Germany is taking our gold again and hoarding it." Of course, we heard a very different argument from our friends, the Dutch, who felt that the Greeks were not sufficiently grateful for all that's being done for them. The Greeks,one said, when they have any money at all, are experts at evading taxes by doing things such as registering their boats in the Dominican Republic to avoid the luxury tax here. They don't even want to help their own country." Cristos expressed the idea that the Arab Spring that spread through North Africa and through other countries in the region could well spread to Greece if tempers and pride become further inflamed. The discussion with him left us all very thoughtful. I don't think that we had realized before that the Greek memory of German oppression is still so fresh and colors their response to the EU-enforced austerity measures currently underway here.
We only had to walk about 50 feet to the boat, so there was no drinking and driving. The only thing that could've gone wrong is someone might have fallen off the plank, but this was a wonderful day from beginning to end and we all made it safely to bed. Did I mention it was 96 degrees here on Wednesday? But it's a dry heat....
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