Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Grecian Holiday – The Crew - Greece and Turkey May and June 2010

I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to acknowledge the crew. Sorry officers, but you are great too! They go out of their way to make you feel welcome and special and the more often you are on board the more you realize how special they are. This is the group that takes care of us in the dining venues, in the bars, and cleans our cabins. They plan our excursions and activities, and most importunately get us from place to place in an efficient comfortable manner without ever being seen. Plus they entertain us with Liars Club!

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While I know that I will miss someone and I apologize ahead of time some of them that stand out to me include:

June – a server assistant and pool attendant extraordinary, even when using that supersized mister!

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Emmanuel – a server assistant and pool attendant extraordinary. He manages to take care of the bali beds and deck chairs every morning. I am not sure that I have seen anyone work as hard, with things that most of us don’t realize are being done daily.

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Zoltan – the Chief bartender and Hungarian mix-master. He makes it a point to have olives stuffed with blue cheese for my martinis every day. He always has a smile on his face and bends over backwards to please.

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Clint – another bartender who is funny and always there with what you want before you even know that you want it.

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Colin – another bar tender extraordinaire.

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Sean – a waiter who provides exquisite service and knows his product inside out and backwards and forwards.

I cannot forget to mention Jasper who was always around when an drink refill was needed, or helping serve dinner . Where does Sea Dream Come up with this magnificent crew.

Special thanks and mentions to Peter the Hotel Manager. One day I asked about a Greek beer, Mythos. There was none on the ship. When I got back from my excursion on Paros, the Mythos was chilling for me. He always managed to arrange a table for us outside, even though I know that a lot of nights it was a lot of extra work. Thank you Peter.

Jamie, the maitre’d . In addition to his other duties there were many nights when he waited on our table, he along with Peter bent over backwards to take care of us.

Amy , the Club Director, and Daniel, the Activities manager who made sure that ever excursion went off without a hitch. IN fact Daniel was kind enough to share some of his cookies with me after our stop on Sifnos. I suspect that he and I could find some nice bakeries in some quaint Greek villages.

I must also mention Elena and Yvonne, along with the others at the concierge desk. This ladies are always there and always ready to answer whatever foolish question that I have with a smile.

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I also have to mention Smylia, who took extraordinary care of our cabin. Not that we have ever had a stewardess who did anything less, but the service just keeps getting better and better. It is a hard job to keep up with FT’s request for a nightly cheese tray and my diet coke needs. Anyone who returns my “T” shirts on hangers and underwear in a basket with tissue around it from the laundry deserves special credit.

I also have to mention the ghost stewardess, Jenky. One day I had a shirt get black grime on it from the funnel. The concierge insisted that I give it to them to be laundered. I went in the cabin, filled out the laundry slip and put it in the bag. We had a commodore, and I was on the other side working. Jenky managed to sneak in, and get the laundry without me hearing her, after that she became the ghost. They all do their work and we never know it.

This mentions most of the crew that is seen, but to all the unseen, the deck gang, the chefs, the motormen and laundry gang, and whoever else I am missing thank you.

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More pictures are available on my flickr page by clicking HERE


The author of this blog is not compensated by Sea Dream Yacht Club in any manner.

Grecian Holiday – Part XV – Athens, Greece – June 5 - 6, 2010

We have arrived to a rainy, wet Athens this morning. We are docked right behind SDI. FT watched the captain dock the boat and has decided that he parallel parks the boat better than she does a car. We had a driver lined up to pick us up so we were off the ship around 8:45 and on our way to town. There was only a small group wishing us well as we left the ship, a spa girl and Peter, so we did not have a chance to tell the Captain how much we enjoyed our voyage. Perhaps it was due to the steady light rain, but for the first time ever, we hauled our own carryon luggage down the gangplank. Just as we headed across the street, June came dashing back from the terminal giving FT an umbrella and snatching away her bag. As we entered the terminal, FT got a chance to give Amy one last hug.

We had an adventure with our cab driver. Suddenly all of our bags no longer fit in the trunk of the taxi. The driver insisted on using netting to hold the bags in the trunk. FT’s new leather bag that she had just gotten in Santorini fell out as we drove away. FT heard the other taxi drivers yelling something as we left but didn’t understand the Greek and our driver didn't pay attention. One of the other drivers called our driver before we got very far and we went back and got the bag, which contained several bottles of wine which luckily did not rupture. This time the driver agreed with me that the bag would be better off in the front seat and we have arrived at the GB with no further incidents.

We later got a call from the cab company who was to take us to the airport tomorrow. They let us know that in their opinion we had too many bags and needed two cabs. George the Taxi Driver wanted to send two cabs and charge us 100 Euro for the privilege. Seems he won't put any luggage inside the cab on the front seat. Balderdash! I canceled them and we ended up with a nice driver that was 20 Euro less than originally quoted by the first company, who easily fit everything in his cab. No more for that highly recommended cab company.

We eventually made it to the Grande Bretagne, and checked in. We were upgraded room this time to a room on the second floor with a balcony overlooking Syntagma Square and the Parliament building. It came with a complimentary bottle of ouzo. Got a phone call from my cousin and we agreed to meet later this afternoon. In the meantime FT and I went out and walked the Plaka area on our own. We found a nice restaurant and had a lunch of salad, and then went back to the hotel and rested.

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While resting a din arose outside the room. It seems that there is a protest in Athens today. It was very peaceful, simply hoards of people streaming by with loudspeakers. Real guards have lined up in front of Parliament and the street in front of the hotel and Parliament are blocked. No one at the hotel had any knowledge of this earlier or if they did we weren't warned.

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We have seen some of our fellow passengers here in the GB hotel and on the streets of Athens. By now Bartender Clint should be at the Athens airport, waiting for his flight to Ireland to take him to Boston for a week to start his vacation before he returns home to South Africa. Hope he has safe travels along with the rest of the Sea Dream crew leaving today for well-deserved breaks.

We spent a lovely afternoon with my cousin walking the plaka and enjoying dinner. I had never met her before and it was a real treat! It was then time to turn in before the long day home tomorrow.

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Travel back from Athens was a non-event, of course, until we hit Atlanta. First, by being honest on our customs declaration we were shunted aside into the separate processing room and thought we were going to miss our connecting flight. What we learned was that all goods bought in Turkey are exempt from duty so we didn’t have to pay anything extra. The agent looked hard to find a way to not have to do the paperwork and collect the small fee and we were soon on our merry way to connect.

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We should not have worried about the connection, we were delayed, first due to a late arriving aircraft and then to problems with the air conditioning. We finally got home, about 45 minutes late, with all of our possessions, including carpets, wine, ouzo, spices, tea, mosaic tiles, etc. Thus ends our adventure!

More pictures are available on my flickr page by clicking HERE

The author of this blog is not compensated by Sea Dream Yacht Club in any manner.

Grecian Holiday – Part XIV – Sifnos, Greece – June 4, 2010

The sail from Santorini to Sifnos was smooth as glass. We arrived around 8: 00 a.m. and anchored in a beautiful crescent shaped bay, Platys Gialos. Sifnos is a mountainous island with fertile valleys, beautiful beaches and several small towns. It has been inhabited since 3000 BC. It has a number of beautiful Cycladic villages including Kastro, and Appollonia that we were able to visit on our excursion. There are also a number of sandy beaches, 365 Churches and monasteries. Sifnos is more green and fertile then it's neighbors. Platy Yialos is said to be one of the longest beaches in the islands. It is an excellent place for spending the day swimming or playing on the golden sandy beach.

I was signed up for the excursion that was offered, The Dazzling White Villages of Sifnos. We met at the gangway at 9:00 a.m. and boarded the tender for the quick ride ashore. Once ashore we were met by our guide and got on another luxury motor coach for the ride to our first stop the monastery of Panayia Chrysopigi, the protectress of the island and unique symbol of Sifnos.

On the road leading to the village of Platis Yialos is the holy rock of Chrissopigi (golden fountain), a famous breathtaking site of Sifnos. On the top of this rock which forms a small peninsula stands the monastery. The monastery is famous for its architecture and location built on a rocky promontory, it is cut off from the mainland by a narrow strip of sea and was built in 1650 and connected to the rest of the island by a small bridge. It is the most visited monument on the island, as much for the beauty of the site as for the peaceful atmosphere of this tranquil location.

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The monastery houses the miraculous icon of Panagia Chrissopigi to whom more than 35 miracles are attributed and who is the patron saint of Sifnos since 1964. The main church is a barrel-vaulted basilica without any aisle with inside walls forming a semi-circular arc. The main church is a barrel-vaulted basilica without any aisle with the inside walls forming a semi-circular arc. The floor is made of marble and has an inscription with the date 1818. The church has a wonderful carved wood icon screen.

We left the monastery and followed the winding roads, to an interior village, Apollonia. Along the way we passed numerous hillsides that were terraced with rock walls, and often planted with grapes. Apollonia village is a lovely village that has been the capital of Sifnos since 1836. It is located in the center of the island. It is built around three hills and is the commercial and administrative center of Sifnos.

We left the bus and enjoyed a downhill walk along its stone paved pedestrian alleys leading through the village before we rejoined the bus. The village is full of narrow stone-paved streets and Cycladic-style houses decorated with brightly colored flowers, and strange chimney pots decorated with birds.

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We then went to the village of Kastro, a lovely cliff-top village located 5 kilometers from Apollonia. It offers a magnificent panoramic view of the sea. The capital of the island until 1836, Kastro played a very important role in the history of Sifnos and has been inhabited since the prehistoric period. The current village was built in the ruins of the ancient capital of Sifnos and is the only village of the island with a strong medieval character. The town is pedestrian only and is full of little streets, and alleys, lined with two story homes and churches. A big part of its boundary walls survive as well as the features of a Venetian fortress. Venetian coats of arms and ancient wall-fragments can still be seen on most of the houses of the village. We took a walk through the (pedestrian only) medieval village situated at the top of a rock with steep cliffs on its side and panoramic views over the sea and the neighboring islands. Kastro retains all of the characteristics of a fortified village, having been rebuilt in 1630 during the Venetian colonization. When we finished walking through the village we stopped at a lovely café, Leonidas Taverna, for meza and drinks. The 30 minute rest was welcome has we had been walking up and down hills for a couple of hours.

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We then went back to the village of Artemonas where we observed a uniquely picturesque traditional village, seemingly unscathed by modern life. In the village’s old aristocratic neighborhood you can admire neoclassic mansions built 200 years ago. The whitewashed houses with their fluid architecture are a truly enchanting experience for all visitors. While here our guide was asked by a local what we were doing. When she found out we were invited into her home to see the insides of one of these mansions. It was lovely. We then visited another church within the town. Interestingly one of our group ask the guide about choirs, and she had no idea what was being asked. I was able to let her know that the question was whether choirs were used in the churches, or just cantors. The answer was as I expected that just cantors sing in the churches on the island.

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We then had a chance to visit a couple of bakeries where Daniel and I bought some lovely cookies before we headed back to the ship. We had one last stop to make, the monastery of Panagia tou Vounou (Our Lady of the Mountain). Located on a hillside between Apollonia and Platis Yialos, the site offers a fantastic panoramic view. It was founded in 1813 by the monk Gerasimos Avranopoulos.

The main church was built in the 19th century with Doric columns and capitals from an ancient building and is an extension to an old church dating from the 17th century. It is a cross-in-square church with four columns, five domes and three aisles. The church has a beautiful carved wood icon screen and in the abbot's quarters some vestments and ecclesiastical vessels can be seen. The view from the patio was breathtaking.

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We learned from our guide that Sunday is Rivithia day when all the restaurants serve the delicious chickpea stew that is the specialty of the island, but if you don't get there early you may miss out. Another specialty along these lines are the delicious rivithia keftedes which are falafels. We then made our way back to the ship where the captain soon weighed anchor and we sailed to the other side of the island to Kameras.

The ride was a bit choppy as it was windy but we enjoyed what was to be a last lunch on deck 6. Then we had a nice surprise. We had an on deck Champagne & Carviar “service”. Not a splash – since it wasn’t beachside, but champagne and caviar served poolside around 2:30. We soon arrived and anchored at Kameras. Kameras has a long golden sand beach long beach, and is the main ferry port of the island. The main street is the harbor road with restaurants, cafes, shops and hotels on one side of the street, and the tables and chairs and the bay on the other. There are a couple supermarkets, and finally on your left a long crescent shaped beach with the tiny village of Agia Marina on the far side.

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The bay of Kameras is a long sheltered cove and it is the rare day that there are any waves. The beach is surprisingly shallow and it takes a long time to get to where the water is over your head. Plus the shallow bay insures that the water will be warmer since it is easier for the sun to heat up.

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The water sports platform was lowered and FT enjoyed a final day of kayaking as I went ashore to explore the small village. The village is just as described above, with not a lot of activity, especially considering that we were there on a Friday afternoon. It seems that the season does not start for another month or so.

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It was then back to the yacht on my final tender ride of this trip. We enjoyed a last round of cocktails on the pool deck and a last al fresco dinner. Once again we made two voyages without stepping foot in the dining room.

Tonight’s menu included:

Starters

Marinated Crab Meat Salad with Avocado- Cucumber Crème
Spicy Thai Beef Salad with fresh Mango
Homemade Vegetable Spring Rolls

Soups

French Style Onion Soup
Chilled Raspberry

Salads

Greek Style Caesar salad
New Potato Salad with bacon

Chef’s Main Dishes

Marinated Norwegian Salmon with Potato Crust
Whole Roast Prime Rib-Eye Beef
Turkey Breast Roulade

Desserts

Chocolate Silk cake
Crispy Apple Tarte
Ginger Pudding with vanilla and Honey Sauce

After dinner we headed back to the cabin as both FT and myself had to pack for the dreaded trip home. Bags were put outside the cabin and we weighed anchor one last time and sailed to or port of debarkation, Piraeus, Athens, Greece. We enjoyed another wonderfully smooth sail to our final destination Piraeus, a distance of 98 nautical miles.

More pictures are available on my flickr page by clicking HERE

The author of this blog is not compensated by Sea Dream Yacht Club in any manner.