In Greece ~ A Long Awaited Holibob

Refreshed and Renewed we are!

It is amazing what the shortest of holibobs will do for a traveler's soul after weeks of being COVID19-prevention-confined in the Greek Peloponnese.

Picturesque Spetses Island

Holibob is my new word of the week.  As I've written before, being an American expat in Greece and living among expats largely from Europe has expanded our vocabulary immensely. Case in point: holibob.

Greek ferry travel is one of our favorite means of transport

When discussing our travel plans with Julia, a British friend in the village, she exclaimed, 'You are taking a holibob!' Such is the word they use to describe a trip in which one 'bobs' from one place to another.

Saronic islands - a not to miss experience

Now, doesn't that put a new spin on our phrase 'road trip'?!?

Our holibob was planned to be a four-night getaway to two islands in the Saronic Gulf.  But as we've learned in the last few months, life's travel 'plans' are probably better referred to as travel 'hopes'.

Pine trees Greek style on this mountain pass

It is a four-hour drive from our Stone House on the Hill to the tip of the 'thumb' of the Peloponnese from which the ferry to Spetses in the Saronic Island chain sets forth.  The route includes divided four-lane toll roads and tiny winding roads through orange groves and forested mountainsides. The ferry crossing is 25 minutes each way.

After two nights on Spetses we would head to nearby Hydra (Idra). That was the plan, anyway.

Travel within Greece has been allowed for a couple of weeks with hotels, eateries, tavernas and bars  getting the go-ahead to open about the same time as travel restrictions were lifted. Tourists from outside Greece begin arriving this week so we wanted to get in a 'bob' before those from elsewhere begin arriving. Greece is moving from mandatory COVID19 testing of all arrivals to random.

Hydra island in the distance 

However, relaxing the airport testing -- along with a small  spike in cases last week -- has resulted in the national COVID prevention team (scientists and doctors advising the government) being brought back together. The government has begun imposing regional and local lockdowns  and will continue to do so, as necessary as Greece continues to reopen.

Much like I wrote in our last post about Gythio, it felt so good. . .so normal. . .to be traveling again. But there is no ignoring the fact that travel is a different animal these days. Packing a packet of disposable surface cleaners, liquid hand sanitizer, sanitizer wipes and face masks -- and using them -- does put a different feel on a getaway.

All passengers must wear masks on the ferry pictured behind me

Face masks are required to be worn by all staff who serve food and beverages. Far more places we ate and sipped at than not, were complying with the rule. Many servers wore gloves as well. Face masks are required on public transportation like trains, buses and ferries with interior seating. Our open air ferry didn't require masks. . .I might add there were about a dozen walk on passengers on each of our sailings. Self distancing wasn't a problem.

Hotel Klimis (on the left) walking distance from the ferry dock

I felt silly wiping down door handles and light switch covers at The Klimis Hotel where we stayed because our room had been sanitized and cleaned before our arrival (we were told our getting into the room could be delayed for sanitizing). Whew! The smell of disinfectant was so strong we opened the doors to the deck to air it out a bit, but felt safe in knowing that the place sparkled. And yes, I still wiped down table surfaces and other such places.

Our self-distanced deck and views from it

Hand sanitizer bottles were strategically placed in common areas of the hotel, retail stores and restaurants. It is amazing how many times you touch things with little notice to the act until you've become germophobic as I seem to be these days.

A sign of the times in Spetses

There were few tourists about the town - another plus of taking a mid-week jaunt.  It had been busy the prior three-day holiday weekend, we were told.

Serious about prevention in Greece

Tavernas, bars, restaurants and shops with the exception of a few were open.  Rules about entry were new additions to the shop windows.

Distanced and ready for diners on Spetses

It wasn't until we attempted to make reservations for two nights on nearby Hydra island that we realized how 'shut down' Greece remains.  Hotels there weren't open so we cut the holibob short and headed back to the mainland, with a new plan to spend the night in an old favorite, Nafplio.   It is another like Gythio - such a favorite that I really must tell you about it next time!

Until then we hope this finds you and yours safe and well.  Add a comment or send an email and let us know how things are in your part of the world.

Linking sometime with:

Mosaic Monday
Through My Lens
Travel Tuesday
Our World Tuesday
My Corner of the World Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday

Spetses ~ Our Not-So-Secret Island

Psssst. . .we've just visited a secret Greek island and today I am going to tell you where to find it.

A car ferry links mainland Peloponnese with Spetses

Well, . . .it really isn't a secret island as the many who've been there know its popularity, but it feels like it is a secret island and that is the key factor for us when traveling to Greek islands these days.

Santorini and Mykonos are the Greek islands that get the headlines and the tourists. And yes, we've been to both. However, Greece has several thousand islands and a couple hundred of them are inhabited. Many of those inhabited ones are popular tourist destinations -thankfully without the mass tourism plaguing the two islands mentioned above. And those lesser-visited are the ones that we prefer: fewer tourists, better prices and simply enchanting settings!

Peloponnese to the west of the Saronic islands

Some of the most beautiful and alluring Greek islands we've visited - and we've been to quite a few in the last decade of travel here - are those of the Argo Saronic Islands. Spetses, way down at the tip of the map, was our destination.  Our secret island, in a manner of speaking.

So come along and let me show you the island where John Fowles was inspired to write 'The Magus', a book considered to be the cult novel of the 20th Century. (We had one reader guess it - from the hints in our last post.)

Poseidonion Hotel Spetses

This time of year and through early fall, there are many choices of accommodations on the island, ranging from high end hotels to guest houses. The most iconic and picturesque hotel The Poseidonion Grand Hotel, has been welcoming guests since 1914. Its front patio was a perfect spot for people watching while sipping a glass of wine at day's end. Room rates were 200+ euros, so it will be a special occasion getaway on some future trip - we were happy sipping wine for a few hours.

Economou Mansion - Spetses

An even older - built in 1851 -- water-front mansion-turned-tourist-accommodation is where we stayed.  The Economou Mansion has six guest rooms on its main floor and the upstairs is privately owned. Our room was spacious, opened to the sea and cost 125 euros a night, breakfast included.

Our room opened to the sea - breakfast (included) was served poolside

 The Mansion was located in an area called Kounoupitsa, about a 10 minute walk from the ferry dock and the town center. Spetses town is the only one on the island and most of the island's 4,000 residents live in or near it. The combination of local business, tourist shops and tavernas and coffee shops can make it feel a bit congested so it was good to be a bit out of town.

Getting Around Spetses

Taxis, scooters, and public bus are ways to get around the island

Unlike neighbor island, Hydra, where cars are not allowed, Spetses allows residents to own cars - they just can't drive them anywhere but to the ferry dock. Hotels are allowed vans to pick up guests and there are a couple of taxis. There's only one rather narrow road on which you can travel around the island. It's 24 kilometers long.

There are many options, however, for getting around and exploring the many beaches and the still somewhat forested hillsides that make up this charming little drop of land. Water and land taxis, horse drawn carriages, scooters, pedal-powered and electric bikes are among the options during high (tourist) season. 

Who said one needs to act their age?

Our choice of  'wheels' was the 'Quad'; a contraption that seems to be like a riding lawn mower with a spiffy banana seat that made it seem like a motor scooter. Now before I get comments about 'no helmets' let me assure you that at the speed we traveled we didn't even have a hair out of place. Two 30-somethings on pedal bikes passed us twice (circling around and I think they were secretly keeping an eye on us 'old folks'). And with a non-stop trip around the island taking 1.5 hours, I can assure you we clocked in at two hours. We. Were. Safe. 

An action shot: The Scout and The Scribe on the open road

We last had been on Spetses in late October, 10 years ago (when the only Quad shop still open in town had deemed us 'too old' to rent a 'quad', btw) so we'd walked across the island. We recalled the lush forest that covered most the land thanks to the efforts of island resident Sotirios Anargyros, who bought up 45% of the island and between 1913 and 1923 planted the forests. Upon his death he left the land to the people with the stipulation that it never be built upon. The island's original name was Pityousa, which means, 'pine clad'. Sadly, on our island tour we saw acres and acres of charred hillsides - the results of a forest fire two years ago. The cause of which has not been determined.

A wildfire two years ago destroyed a huge area of forest

 But the beautiful cove beaches remain, mansions are tucked away on hillsides and a trip around this island reminds us of just how much there is to see beyond the town's borders. However, there's plenty to see and do in town. There was so much that we didn't get to either of the two museums and there are another - at least - four restaurants on our list to try. We can hardly wait to return. (I've not mentioned the food - which was mouth-wateringly good only because I will be telling you more about it next week!)

Spetses town at night enchants

Spetses is a four-hour drive from our house and a 25 minute ferry ride from a port on the tip of the Peloponnese. From Athens' port of Piraeus, a fast ferry will get you to Spetses in two hours.

Thanks for coming along on this jaunt in what could be our island-hopping summer.  We'll be back next week, with another 'taste' of Greek travel (emphasis on taste!) Hope you'll join us once again and bring some friends with you! In the meantime, safe travels to you and yours ~

Linking this week with:

Through My Lens
Our World Tuesday
Wordless Wednesday

Finding Greek Treasures in the South Pacific

Okay, so no one in their right mind, would think twice about taking a South Pacific cruise, right?

Well, we did. 

Of course we've always wanted to visit Sydney and Auckland and French Polynesia, but the problem with committing to heading that direction meant we wouldn’t be going anywhere near our favorite destination: Greece.

At least our Celebrity ship had a tie to Greece: it was founded in 1988 by the Greek-based Chandris Group and merged in 1997 with Royal Caribbean. That “X” you see on the ship is Greek for “chi” – the Chandris Group.

But little did we know at the time that the Travel Gods out there had a bit of serendipity up their sleeves and we were in for some very special Greek surprises:

It turned out that our ship’s Master (the Captain) and the Staff Captain (Second in Command) and the Chief Engineer (the VIP in keeping the ship running) were all from Greece.

Let’s Start at The Beginning. . .

This story actually began two years ago when we met the Staff Captain, Panagiotis Kiousis, (‘Captain Panos’ ), aboard the Celebrity Solstice as we sailed to Europe on the ship’s transatlantic crossing. . .

We met at one of those big ‘meet and greet’the ship's officers cocktail parties and had a brief conversation about the island of Spetses; a place we had visited and from where Captain Kiousis hails. During that visit I took the photo above of him and The Scout. 

He subsequently invited us to be among the 9 – 10 guests at the Captain’s Table he was to host later in the cruise - we planned to continue our Greece discussions then.

Unfortunately on the night of the dinner a work slowdown by port workers in Malaga, Spain kept all the top ranking officers on shore while the nine of us who’d been invited to the Captain’s table met with our substitute host.  He was a wonderful fellow but not Captain Panos. . .who we didn't see again on that cruise.

Fast Forward to last fall on the South Pacific. . .

We were delighted to learn that ‘our’ Staff Captain "Panos' Kiousis was an officer on our cruise ship. And we were flabbergasted when we reintroduced ourselves at this cruise’s ‘meet and greet’ cocktail party and  he remembered us, even recalling me taking the photo above.

Because of the many sea days we had, we suggested that perhaps we meet for coffee and finally have that talk about Greece.  He suggested we dine together and talk about Greece. 

The Captain’s Table. . .

The evening spent with Captain Panos was the highlight of the cruise.  We told stories about our travels in Greece; he told stories about living in Greece. We talked of his family – the wife and children who live in America and his siblings and parents who live in Greece. He told us of his travels and we told him of ours. It was a special evening. And unlike the previous time, we’ve exchanged contact information and have stayed in touch. 

And the Other Captain’s Table. . .

I think word was out that there were a couple of Greece fans on board because a few days later we were invited to join the ship’s Master, Captain Yannis Berdos at the Captain’s Table on the final formal night of the cruise.

Captain Berdos makes his home in Piraeus, Greece when not sailing the world at the helm of a Celebrity ship.  During that dinner we talked with him about that bustling port city and our experiences there as well as the island of Poros – a favorite of ours --  the island from where his father and his wife come.


The old saying, “It’s a small world after all” seemed to have held  true for us on this cruise.  And it made us realize once again why it is so important to be open to new adventures; you never know what surprises they might have in store for you.

And one of these days we hope to dine with Captain Panos again . . . in some small taverna on the waterfront in Greece. We will sip some wine and visit long into the night. . .talking about Greece, of course, and reminiscing about our friendship that began far away aboard a cruise ship! And if not, who knows, we might sail another sea together!

Off to the Peloponnese

   Spetses harbor with the storm approaching

After a downpour on Monday that kept us an extra day in Spetses, our day today dawned bright and sunny and we are off to the Peloponnese, mainland Greece -- we think anyway.

We will backtrack to the island of Poros, hop the ferry across the channel and hopefully find a car rental that is open on the other side and if not hop the local bus with our intended destination being Nafplion.  I am adding intended because we are winging it this portion of the trip. . .the ferry we planned to take this morning was cancelled due to weather and "Pops Car Rental" doesn't answer the phone.

We've learned to be flexible on our travels - we will go where we go today and I'll write from there when we get there.