Greece and Turkey re-visited
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August 2008 saw us returning to Kékira (Corfu) - and Gouvier Marina with our seven year old Grandson, Anthony, in tow. Re-launching Chispa was to be so very exciting for him and what a pleasant surprise it was to see Chispa in pristine condition, thanks to Bob who looked after Jan's baby all winter. Anthony was thrilled to watch the launch and see the traffic jam build up because of it!  Lots of little jobs had to be completed before our 'crew' arrived.  Anthony's payment for all the hard and very hot work was continual dips in the Marina pool. Four days later our daughter Di and little three year old Trystan (crew) arrived but having lost my cousin, Gary, along the way. Gary eventually turned up a day late because of a 12 hour delay in his flight from Vancouver. Needless to say he had no chance of re-cooperation with two small boys clamouring to be entertained. We had our favourite Greek dish (kleftiko) to celebrate my birthday photo and sailed off a couple of days later after visiting the pretty Corfu city with the dominating Venetian Castle and Di and Gary exploring the island by scooter. A mere 40 nautical miles later we anchored off Paxos. this gave everyone time to settle in to life on a yacht and the prize at the end was swimming off the boat in azure coloured 28°C water. The boys just took to this way of life (literally) like ducks to water.  Next port of call was Preveza where we tied up along the waterfront road. Once more I visited Nikopolis ('victory city') founded by Emperor Augustus after his victorious defeat of Marc Anthony and Cleopatra at the battle of Actium in 31BC. Travelling through the canal at Lefkada is always interesting and not so daunting as the first time around.  The first canal through the salt mashes was constructed by the Corinthians in 700BC.  Ithaki (Ithaca) was to be Gary's dream island. We felt he was almost as passionate as Odysseus about this mystical island. We spent day driving all over to find any places of interest to Odysseus. The scenery is most spectacular but we needed to drive along very rough (goat tracks) roads to get to merely a dream! At Stavros Museum we were greeted in Afrikaans by the curator Mrs Couvaris who had lived in Johannesburg 40 years ago. However the weather suddenly changed and the bay of Varthi became a raging whirlpool of wind and waves.  Di and the boys had to take a ferry to Kephalonia as we were unable to set sail. Our stalwart crew member Erik came to us the same way. After four days the winds abated and we made our way to Zakynthos, part of Osysseus' kingdom. By now Gary was learning the ropes very fast indeed with two anchored stern too moorings within a couple of hours. Once again we had spectacular views during our explorations of the island and found a gem of a natural history museum, privately owned! Some 36 nautical miles took us to The Peloponnese and the little port of Katalon. Here we took a fast train to Olympia. The museum is beautifully set out with displaying many incredible sculptures and bronzes. Olympia itself covers a vast area and was dedicated mainly to Zeus during the 7th - 6th c. BC. Eventually we found our way to the 'Olympic' Stadium where the athletic games were held photo - 212.5m long and 28.5m wide. Following south along the coast, stopping a number of times, we arrived in Kalamata where we took an almost three hour bus (2) ride to Sparti (Sparta). The journey to and from this famous city was mountainous in the extreme but most enjoyable. However our destination was a flop. Unfortunately the museum was closed for renovations and we were unable to find the ancient city at all. We then opted to visit the 11th c. walled, well preserved village of Mystras just 5kms away. The churches have beautiful frescoes in good condition. We then travelled slowly along the coast until arriving in KrÍti (Crete). this time around we opted for the friendly marina in the city of Agios Nikolaos. Luckily there was someone available to fix the automatic steering system which we'd been without since Corfu. The archaeological museum was filled with interesting pottery of all shapes and sizes. Of course Crete is famous for the Minoan palace of Knosós built around 1900 BC and rebuilt in 1700BC. The palace contained over 1,000 rooms and enjoyed the comforts of paved roads, elaborate drainage system and even flushing toilets. Unfortunately the archaeological museum in Irákleio was also closed but the best exhibits were luckily on show.
Five days later we were forced to set sail for Ródhos (Rhodes) to meet deadlines for leaving and arriving 'crew'. 40 hours of very rough seas and gale force winds kept me in bed and Gary bravely sitting in the cockpit (unable to move!). Jan and Erik, alone, bravely held the fort. Once along the coast of Rhodes, the sea became calmer and the two non-participants rallied round on deck. We were able to tie up right in the harbour in central Rhodes town. photo: entrance The old town, surrounded by 4kms of walls, is dominated by the medieval Palace of the Grand Masters and is now a World Heritage site. Sadly, we said farewell to Gary and Erik but happily welcomed Paul and Pat. Eventually, we dragged the new 'crew' away from sight seeing and set sail for Turkey. Some few hours later we tied up in Fethiye. some frustrating hours later Jan still hadn't registered our arrival but all worked well the next morning. One has to buy a travel permit then call on the port doctor, immigration, customs, port police (in that order!) and finally register at the marina. We arranged for a local dolmus (mini bus taxi) to take us to the best preserved Lycian sites in Anatolia. The Lycian Federation flourished from the 8th c. BC but records show they were known by the Egyptians and Hittites in 14th and 13th centuries BC! Tlos was inhabited right up till the 19th century. It was the home of the mythological winged horse Pegasus.
 We then went to the Saklikent Gorge - 300 meters high and 18kms long. The following day we headed out again, this time further afield. Little did we know how bad some of the roads were up and down rocky mountain passes. We were awe struck by the pigeon hole tombs clinging to the high rock face of Pinara. Letoon was the sacred city and religious centre of the Federation. Three temples were dedicated to Leto and her twins Apollo and Artemis. The political capital of Lycia was Xanthos and is known as the first city where a mass suicide took place during the Persian attacks. Pillar tombs seemed popular here. Sidyma was our last stop with proven history dating back to 2nd c. BC. These scattered remains are set in farm fields some seven kms from the nearest town. The local farmers took us around but with no really understandable explanations. All in all a long but exciting day with no food available as it was Ramadan! We the continued northwards along the Turkish coast anchoring in Göçek, Tomb Bay, Baba Adasi and Ekincik before arriving in our favourite bay of Ciftlik. The little restaurant we'd know some years before was gone but we found our friendly host at another nearby restaurant. Our waterside supper was delicious made all the better by a spectacular moonrise. Dawn the next morning was just as beautiful.  Leaving very early, we managed to reach Marmaris before the storm winds arrived. Still a lovely marina but rather upgraded making not as 'friendly' as before.
 Chispa is now safely on the hard for the next year. |
