15. Mountaineering and Ancient Greece

24th October 2008

(See blog entry below this one for photos)

Every now and then we find a place that makes me believe that mankind has not doomed the world to environmental catastrophe. Last night we stayed in one such place on the island of Ithaca. The sea was crystal clear, schools of fish were everywhere to be seen from the boat, there were few signs of mankind and once it went dark none at all. We were the only boat in the bay and as soon as we arrived just as the sun was setting we dived into the warm sea. The bay was fringed with tree covered mountains. To the North, across the narrow strait we had sailed up to reach the bay, were bare mountains. We swam until the sun had disappeared and then had a cold shower on Deep Blues bathing platform as the darkness fell and the first stars appeared.

We ate below in silence – listening to the bird song making way for the chattering of the molluscs on the sea-bed. Amazing as it may seem, in clean water all over the Adriatic and Ionian you can hear the molluscs through the hull of the boat! Later when we went up on deck we could see only stars. No man-made lights. No other people. We could have been alone on Earth! The first time when not at sea that this has happened our whole trip so far.

The next morning I was up at 0715 – it was still dark. Silence. Half an hour later the sun was just beginning to make its presence felt and as we dived into the water, the dark mountain to the North started to glow pink. The fish came to investigate. Then the first birds started to fly over as they too awoke. We could hear a sheep or goat and the cockerels started to call. As we swam the morning woke and we wondered at the tranquil place we had found. (Just a footnote – the best news was that there was not a piece of plastic to be seen – the very first time we have been ANYWHERE that this has happened).

An hour later we weighed anchor and left the Ionian – we are on our way to Athens.

Two days earlier we were in another beautiful bay, this time not alone and below a village perched on a mountain to the South. But this was Odysseus’s bay, Polis Cove on Ithaca. We determined to find Odysseus’s Villa which was rumoured to be located on the mountain North of the Cove. After our obligatory early morning swim we rowed ashore and walked along a likely footpath. There was a sign pointing to Nymphs Cave but we chose to walk up rather than along the coast-line. The footpath turned into a dirt road. Then we found a sign pointing up a hill to our left, unfortunately it was all Greek to us, but decided that this looked like the way.

All seemed promising at first. The footpath was well trodden (though amazingly steep – no zig-zags up the mountain here) and marked occasionally in yellow paint splodges on rocks or trees, though sometimes red and other times in red over yellow. We came to a clearing and all around it where red paint markings. We could not find a path! So we decided to take a promising but disused track that seemed to continue up towards the most promising mountain peak. As we climbed the track disappeared and soon we were clambering steeply up through brambles, thick bush and crumbling rocks. I was not happy but we had gone too far – there was no way I could get down again! Up we went. Me in a short skirt and carrying my handbag!! (The bag contains our life – mobile phone and banking cards – I will never leave it on the boat.... just in case).
After an hour of scrambling up, Andy often having to give me a helpful pushin’ and a shovin’ up from behind, covered in bloody scratches, we found the path again!! We were 2/3rds the way up the mountain, high above the village and our boat. Amazing views to both sides of the island. After trying North and then realising the path was going down, we turned round and walked South. After walking another hour, wondering how we had missed the path, again the path disappeared. But I could see a clearing below us and lo(!), a sign with missing writing, it really looked like we had scrambled and stumbled on the Villa. If it wasn’t , Odysseus had missed a trick because the view was stunning, with clear views up and down the strait, the clearing flat and fertile.

Ithaca has been our favourite island and Fiskardho on Cethalonia our favourite settlement. Fiskarho is the only town in the whole of the Ionian that was totally unaffected by the 1951 earthquake and so is very picturesque. All new buildings have to be built in the old style and there is a pride about the place. No litter, freshly painted and carefully packed up tavernas and shops. Very different to many other places we have seen where the whole town just looks abandoned for the winter with full bins spilling out onto the streets and beaches.

27th October 2008
Last night we spent the evening with Jean-Claude on Deep Blue. This is the second evening we have spent with him in recent days, the first was on Stig and his (number 5) son Svens Swedish yacht in Mesolonion. Mesolonion is built on the shallow salt marshes in the North of Gulf of Patras, 100 miles west of the Corinth canal. The channel to the town through the marshes is lined with small wooden houses on stilts, some still fishermen homes, others now holiday homes. As we arrived at the part finished EC funded fishing harbour and port quay (the obligatory EC paid for abandoned marina project on the other side was not convenient for the town) Jean Claude caught our lines and protected Deep Blue from the jagged edge of the typically Greek harbour wall. We moved forward to a better finished part of the wall. Later Yacht Stratonica slipped in between Jean Claudes tiny little yacht and ours. As Andy went to hail J-C, Stig invited us for a drink. It turned out J-C was also joining us.

Stig is a very interesting guy. He learnt classic Greek at school and described himself as a “humanities man”, his life seems to have been filled with associations with artists, writers and poets. He regaled us with tales about Greece – ancient and modern – told us about his collection of children (we call that a family, Andy tried to correct him!) and recounted the scary day that he lost his 50 foot catamaran when it capsized in a sudden storm and sank almost immediately with his daughter and him down below and Sven at the wheel. Sven, an airline pilot, said very little but quietly sucked on his nicotine sachets’ – he “chain sucked” five while I was watching him. Andy tried one and was literally legless after! Somewhat worrying given that Sven could be in charge of the next plane to Turkey!!

We liked Mesolonion, a place that Greeks go on holiday. It was unpretentious, busy and friendly. We needed diesel and as we have not been able to find a quay side filling station we walked to the 25 minutes through town to the nearest filling station with our 20 litre Jerry Can. As we struggled back to the boat we laden ourselves further with baklava (Turkish or Greek?), vegetables and home bottled ouzo. The housewives were out on their pushbikes shopping, loading up their handlebars with their shopping bags. The men were discussing earnestly important business in the many cafes. The streets were narrow and the cafes spilled out into the road. Luckily very few cars attempted to drive through the town.

29th October 2008
We had an exciting sail to Itea in force 6 wind via Patras and Trizona. Itea is the nearest port to the ancient site of Delphi – just 17 km by bus. The bus ride is quite exciting as it winds up the mountain but I have to say that it really did not compare with the scariest bus ride Andy and I have ever had up to the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. It was impressive though and the sea of olive trees on the plane below was amazing to behold. The mountains were shrouded in a mist and gave the landscape a mystical feel. We could see Delphi from Deep Blue and we were surprised at how high Delphi felt when we got there. The gorge below, straight down in a single drop.

Delphi was thought to be the navel of the earth by the ancient Greeks and they built a very impressive temple to Apollo over 2,500 years ago along with a huge amphitheatre and gymnasium. All around the temple, kings and conquerors built “treasuries” and brought gifts for Apollo. Much of this still remains and the site is extensive and breathtaking both for its position on the mountain and the amazing skill of the builders and artists. We spent the day exploring the site and museum. For me the most amazing thing I saw were the tiny but incredibly detailed bone-carved faces decorating a box left as a gift to Apollo 2,500 years ago. For Andy his favourite was the gymnasium for its sheer scale – built high above the temple, hewn into the side of the mountain.

Tomorrow we are off to the Corinth Canal – another wonder of history.