Greece - chasing the magic

The perfect magical rainbow in a little bay in Greece.

A "new" wind to keep an eye on. The Meltemi is the most characteristic wind of the summer in Greece, typically occurring between June and September. It is a very strong, dry northerly wind that blows over the Aegean Sea, affecting the islands.

We were waiting on the North West side of Corfu Island, for Caroline's older son Jake to arrive.

A quick last hike up to Timothy bay before departing Corfu Island.

Paxos / Antipaxos Islands

Paxos and Antipaxos is the smallest island group within the Ionian Islands. We anchored one night in Paralia Kipiadi, then motored to Gaios/Paxos where we hired scooters for the day. Paxos is little (25 km²) so its discovery by scooter was easy. We also motor-sailed around Antipaxos (which is even smaller). It took us only 1 hour.

Salty air and sunkissed hair 😍

Caroline and Jake taking a selfie in Paxos Island, Blue caves.

Tripitos Arch in Paxos

On Anchor in a bay. This is the first time that we saw an actual helicopter on a yacht near us.

August is a really busy time in Europe, particularly in touristic places like the Blue lagoon caves. Tourist boats arrived around lunchtime. The passengers had to queue up in the water to get back on board. They, however, all seemed to have a really great time.

We still managed to find anchorage spots away from it all. In this Paxos island bay (Paralia Kipiadi) we had lines to shore and went with our Dinghy to a lovely restaurant in the next bay to celebrate Jake's 24th birthday.

Antipaxos

More beautiful white cliffs and turquoise waters.

We decided to sail from Antipaxos to mainland Greece and spend some time in picturesque Parga.

Parga has a lovely castle, a great old town with cobbled stone streets, little houses and colorful mansions. We stayed 4 nights on anchor in Valtos Beach.

Sven decided to do a 25 km hike alone and left at 5 am. As things sometimes go, a storm arrived. Caroline and Jake watched 3 boats struggling with their anchor and being dragged out. Ours was solid in the ground - lucky us. Sven had to wait it out in a Taverna and got very wet.

Would you climb up the mast? Well Sven does it to clean and fix things, but Jake just did it out of fun.... He also took a video which shows how much you "swing" in the wind up there. Not something for the faint hearted ....

Goodbye Jake, was really great to have you with us. Enjoy the rest of your Europe trip.

After dropping Jake off at the bus station (Caroline with a little tear in her eye), we continued our trip South to Kefalonia.

Caroline relaxing on the net upfront while underway taking a photo of her reflexion in the water.

Looking back towards Paxos we could see a Boat quickly going up in flames. Over the marine radio we could hear that all people on board were safe. They escaped the burning boat in their dinghy and headed to the nearest vessel.

Kefalonia

Alone in Xyklobaravo bay, running 2 lines on shore.

Headed to bay "Kolpos Samis" / Kefalonia, a beautiful little village, for lunch

Our next stop was Marsh on mainland then Ormos Vasilikis, Greece. We waited for the bad weather to pass and got rewarded with the most magic rainbow.

Whilst Caroline was amazed by its perfection..... Sven was attending to his feet!!!

The perfect Rainbow!!!!

We continued our journey towards the 2,380-metre-long Rio–Antirrio bridge. This multi-span cable bridge crosses the Gulf of Corinth (between Rio on the Peloponnese and Antirrio, mainland of Greece).

We followed the radio instructions and obtained clearance before sailing under it. From there we headed to Ormos Aigiou towards the Corinth Canal, then Ormos Aigiou, Isthmia, Akra Sofia and Peloponnisos (after exiting the canal)

After clearing the bridge we hoped to spot some monk seals and turtles but were equally happy to watch the playful dolphins along the way.

We were looking forward to the Corinth canal.

The Corinth Canal is a man made canal, that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland. The canal is 6.3 km long and has a water depth of 8 metres; its width varies between 21 and 25 metres.

The Corinth Canal has temporarily been reopened for three months to accommodate summer maritime traffic. There are currently restoration efforts underway that began after large-scale landslides occurred in November 2020 and again in January and February 2021.

We paid Euro 204.- for our boat size to pass the canal.

It may sound a lot for this short canal but it was well worth it. We did not feel that it was over the top considering how many people work there and the cost of the Canal upkeep.

Check out the 2nd picture. It shows how the bridge raises out of the water to allow cars to continue their journey over the bridge.

Sven was steering the boat through the canal and was focusing on the walls. I was free to check it out in detail and take photos. A bungee jumper greeted us face down as soon as we passed and had a safe distance from him. You can see him hanging down on the 3rd picture below.

We took a a time lap video of our transit from West to East. Join us on this journey by clicking on video below. you will notice that the walls get bigger towards the end. So you will need to wait until later or fast forward.

To jump the Corinth canal by bike?

Robbie Maddison is an Australian motorbike rider. He took to the air from the western side of the Corinth Canal, and soared an incredible 85 m before completing a hard but safe landing at the opposite side. He is the first who dared and accomplished to jump over the Canal of Corinth on a motorbike.

After the Corinth Canal we spent a couple of days in a bay nearby. We caught up with Nick and his dog Molly. We have heard about his encounter with the Orcas. We wanted to know if Nick thought that the 5 Orcas were just playing or really trying to destroy his boat rudder (they did destroy it and he needed to be pulled ashore by the coast guards). Nick said that they were there to do a job (to disable the rudder) and not just to play. Below pictures are 2 screen prints from a video Nick took during the 1 hour ordeal.

This August was the first time, that the Orcas did not just damage boat rudders, but actually managed to sink a boat in Portugal. According to online articles there were over 200 Orcas incidents in 2022 off the Atlantic coast alone (near Portugal and Spain).

Photo below of our two boats (thanks Nick).

Enjoyed a few days in this protected bay with its lovely restaurants and bars. We loved that one restaurant menu was just in Greek!! There are only a few tourists there.,

Naked Man falling over board ..... or just a show..... you decide. I am thinking maybe the first (why would somebody just jump off like that.. but hey, maybe Sven really would.....). Sven insists, that it was just a test for me!

I was doing the dishes when I heard a loud scream and splash. The water was calm and warm so I was absolutely okay with what was unfolding here and lucky for Sven I heard him scream (Sven tells me he was sure that I could hear him when he jumped in).

However, when his rescue came without delay....Sven complained from far away (see first picture) that I did not follow our agreed man over board procedure correctly ! Feeling I had the upper hand I told him that I would let him swim for a while if he kept behaving like this 😂

We arrived in Agkistri Island (near Athens) where we had the bay to ourselves. Agistri is a small pine-clad island.

A lady marine biologist we met on land, swam to our boat and we invited her in. She of course told us about everything she sees in the water. Sharks are according to her no problem but we should watch out for the pink jellyfish, weever fish, scorpion fish, rainbow fish and in particular the poisonous Mediterranean moray (which bit her husband); it apparently likes dark holes and hides in rocks. Okay.....hmmmmm..... I think I am going to take the line off by paddle board 😳

We were careful when attaching the line to a rock as was full of small crystals:

Next day a 6 km walk to next village for breakfast.

Time to leave again and swim to take the land lines off.... forgetting all about what Madame Marine Biologist said...

The Temple of Poseidon is an ancient Greek Temple constructed 444 to 440 BC. It is a 1 hour drive from Athens. The Greeks considered Poseidon to be the "master of the sea

The Cyclades are the most famous island group in the Aegean Sea - here a quick map to show which ones we have visited so far. Heading to Levitha tomorrow.

Kythnos Island (Kolona/Fikiadha bays)

Kythnos is one of the lesser explored islands of the Cyclades.

Sifnos Island

We really liked this island. We did some great hikes and also hired a scooter.

The island feels relaxed and is definitely not for party animals. Great food, nice scenery, good walking tracks and a lovely atmosphere. There are many traditional churches and monasteries, several are high up on the mountain ridge (check out the monastery light at night) and the same one next day during day light.

The locals express their faith at these places despite the effort required!

Sifnos is known for their pottery which can bee seen everywhere. They also offer pottery classes there. We came across a butcher shop with a difference (3rd picture below) . Looks like he can wheel out the meat from the freezer section and cut off whatever the customer wants?

Incredibly we had the bay to ourselves in mid August (apart from 2 little local boats which seem to be there all year along). We hiked up the mountain early morning to avoid the heat.

The stone walls keep the ground and valuable water for the fields.

Milos Island

Milos is an island known for its beautiful beaches and volcanic landscape. A few pics below.

Paddling back to our boat after exploring some caves.

A close up of the rocks.

Such a beautiful environment, but some still bring their own floatable pool 😌

Folegandros Island

Folegandros is known for the magical charm, it has few tourists only and we really enjoyed this island.

Our anchorage in Vathy was beautiful and apart from another fishing boat, there was just us. There were a few small restaurants and B&B's.

The hike from our boat to the next village (to see the church of Panagia and its charming village) was steep but very worthwhile.

Check out the "zick zack" path leading up to the church on top of the hill.

There are so many colourful rocks including green and blue slates with an alteration of marble. Minerals from magnesium, quartz, biotite and calcite can be found on the island

A few pics from the church and the village.

Santorini / Thira Island

The tourist side of things was a bit of a shock. Santorini is a very popular spot and buzzing, but the villages and volcanic scenery are incredible unique.

It is challenging to find a good anchorage as most sea ground is covered with only rocks.

Lucky for us we found a quiet spot with sand bottom and could paddle to a cliff.

"Army of boats", were motoring past us in the morning and at night., truly unbelievable how many there were. They were mainly Catamarans.

We settled in by having a typical Greek dinner near our anchorage und hired a moped to hit the road.

What you can see on all these mountains is not snow! These are hundreds of white houses (mainly fancy accommodation, bars and restaurants) which were built on the ridge of the mountains/cliffs.

We walked to the Santorini Clifftop villages Fira, Oia and More.

A few horses getting ready for the busy day...

First is first - a good breakfast with view before exploring.

By scooter we explored some other inland villages. Google suggested "fastest route".... which we chose.....what a mistake as we hit sand/dust and rocks for ages

We came across many grapes/wineries. The grape growers in Santorini (and other islands) use a unique bush-training system, known as koulara, to grow the grapes. The vine's leaves and vine provide protection for the grapes from harsh winds and sunlight.

When taking the picture Sven said... two donkeys......??? Which two???

Sailing around Santorini island was amazing. We saw a variety of rock variations and colours.

Amorgos Island

This island is one of our favourites, It is away from mass tourism, even in high season.

We anchored in several bays around the island.

The Film Big Blue by Luc Besson was filmed here (scenes in monastery and from ship wreck)

Yep, another scooter hire and some additional clothes packed (long pants for Sven, long dress for Caroline) - a dress requirement to visit the Panagia Hozoviotissa monastery in Amorgos..

It was built in 1017 and is literally hanging on the cliff side 300 m above the sea. The monastery was created as an ode (poem) to the Grace of Panagia, known as the Virgin Mary, which is the patron saint of the island. The icon is carried around to all the villages on the island every year.

The monks, who act as guardians serve psimeni raki (a local liqueur) and loukoumi to visitors.

It is a 20 minutes walk up to the monastery. After our visit we decided to hike further into the mountains,

Talked to some goats along the way.

Lunch in Chora and visits to some other villages. Amazing colours in Greece, wherever you go!

The shipwreck of Olympia sank in February 1980. The captain was seeking for a place near the coast where they could find shelter from the strong north winds. But they were helpless and the rough sea threw them into the bay of Liverio near to the beach of Kalotaritissa. Luckily the whole crew was rescued. The shipwreck is in many scenes of the movie “The Big Blue” by Luc Besson. It’s also a popular diving spot on the island.

A beautiful but long and difficult hike led us through villages, past monasteries and beautiful landscape. A lovely local chatting to us.

And some more grapevines trained to grow in a circle close to the ground.

Interesting saddles to carry goods.

This was quite a scary, steep and long walk for people who do not like heights. We contemplated if we should continue up to the church.... The path was very narrow, rocky and the cliffs went down 650 m! You had to watch each step.

Once up we enjoyed the view and had a new appreciation for the work being done here. There were donkeys used for collecting stones and carrying up bags of cement!!

Glad we pushed and conquered our fears. But how many really hike up to this church.... on the bottom of the mountains there were some boards ... but nothing legible (not even in Greek)...

Glad to be back at the village with lovely locals

and enjoying another well deserved lunch in a local Greek Taverna.

We are expecting 40 knot winds on Tuesday, which is forecasted to last a few days. We will hide out in a protected bay somewhere...

Bye for now... until we post again ...

Next location: We will continue our trip in Greece, then head to Turkey,