Greek Islands, Greece -September 21, 1997

Position: Greek Islands -September 21, 1997

The Campbells have arrived and we can now go on our great adventure of cruising the Greek Islands with the Hoopers and the Campbells.

On Sept. 17th we all enjoyed a Sound and Light show at the Acropolis. On Sept. 18th we toured the city of Athens. Highlights were the changing of the guard at the palace, the Archeological Museum, and the ruins of the Acropolis. There is much history combining Greek Mythology with Greek events, which is well documented from the recovery of artifacts. Much of the known history is in the period of 500 B.C., which is very old compared to our history in the USA.

Athens has preserved, and still uses, the Olympic Stadium from the 1896 Olympics. The marble seats (69,000) have survived the outdoor elements and will be used for the opening ceremonies of the 2004 Olympics, which has just been awarded to Athens.

If you visit Athens be sure to allow enough time to learn the history of the Acropolis. We hope you are fortunate enough to attend an event in the outdoor theater, an evening which we will long remember. We recommend using a guide for your tour of the city and the Acropolis. We were very impressed by our guide and suggest you call her:

MIRANDA SKINITIS-KAPPAS, -- PHONE -- (301) 89 47 769 -- FAX (301) 8940866 -- MOBILE -- 094 - 35 09 13

On Sept. 19th we sailed out of Athens to Kea to start our trip through the Greek Islands. Kea's claim to fame is growing almonds and the sculpture of the smiling 6th century B.C. lion carved into a rock.

On Sept. 20-21st we sailed from Kea to Mykonos, where we took a tour boat to the Island of Delos. Here are the remains of a city of 120,000 people from 1000 B.C. with foundations still remaining that identify the market and residential areas, as well as a Roman theater. In the 6th century B.C. there was a river and a lake providing water for the small island, and it became a commercial center. Climate changes reduced the water supply for the city. Due to many changes of political control such as the Athenians, Romans, Venetians and Turks, the city did not survive. It was abandoned and grown over with weeds and vines until the late 1800's when an excavation was started. It now provides a great open-air Archaeological Museum that can only be reached by guided tours. According to Greek Mythology, Leta gave birth to Apollo and Artemis while on the Island of Delos. Quite a story. The city of Mykonos is beautiful, with whitewashed buildings all neatly painted with blue, green, purple and red shutters, and sometimes blue roofs. This is where we found the photo sights of the Greek Islands that are so often pictured. Very commercial but nice storekeepers to trade with. We all enjoyed this stop of 2 days.

On Sept. 22nd we overnighted on the Island of los, a port busy with ferries and an active night life. We are enroute to Santorini.

We have sailed for 3 days in a "meltemi" with gale force north winds. On a reach and when running with the wind we averaged 12 knots. Again, not uncomfortable as in the Atlantic, since the swells were only 8 to 10 feet. Good sailing.

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