Posted 12:24 AM by MelanieandSteve
5/15

Here we are in Corfu Greece, saddly, our last Greek day before moving on. We liked Greece so much, but time budgets keep us moving and there are several things we regret not getting to see or do here. We hope to come back to do some of them someday. But this is what we've done since our last log.

After Olympia, we caught a night train to Napflion, with a two hour lay over at 4 am in Korinth. Melanie took that city's layover as an opportune time to read a little of Paul's First Letter to the Corintheans. Steve spent time speaking with a Kurdish Iraqui man. Steve learned several Kurdish words. The man showed Steve some scars that he got from Sadam Hussein's bombing in 1987 and he talked about how he thought that Bush was good for the Kurdish people.

Napflion was a nice stop for Melanie's birthday. We got a sweet hostel high on the hill with a view over the city roof tops as well as a wide expanse of mountains, ocean, and harbor. The hostel had a roof top terrace where we enjoyed the view in the sunshine for Melanie's birthday morning breakfast.

From Nafplion, we took a day trip to see the Mycaenean ruins in Mykenes. What the ancient Greeks are to us (amazingly old, smart, interesting), the Mycaeneans were to them. The Ancient Greeks apparently pondered these ruins as well and appreciated the architectural and scientific advancements of those Mycaeneans hundreds of years before them. To get there, we walked 5 KM through Mykenes and enjoyed some beautiful, wild flowery expanses.

Also in Nafplion, we took a 999 stair walk up to a castle where we enjoyed the company of 4 Brits that we sat and talke with for hours. We were perched atop the mountain with the greatest panoramic view, right until sunset. Then on the way down, we explored little hidden corridors and rooms on the castle grounds, climbed up walls, and climbed into little caves. It was a playground day.

Then we got on a train toward Athens' port, to catch a Ferry to Crete. On that train, we ran into some Australian friends that we'd met on the ferry from Italy. We had spent an evening with them in Olympia playing cards in our hostel. It's been fun during our travels how serendipity brings us together over and over with travelers. Sometimes we'll run into travellers we've met in totally different countries.

We took a Ferry to Crete. What do you get when you mix taking a cruise line with camping? We took the cheap seats - no seats at all, and spent the night on the deck under the stars in sleeping bags. It was as good as camping gets.

We went to Crete with plans to take a 10 mile hike down the Samarian Gorge which we'd heard great things about. We learned 5 minutes before our bus to the gorge left that the gorge was closed due to high waters. Disappointed but still determined to commune with nature, we took a hike down a different Gorge, Imbros Gorge. This was a beautiful hike, but a little bit of a disapointment because there was an assembly line of tourists, and the Gorge just wasn't as dramatic as the one we'd come expecting to see. Still a great day, we ended the gorge by taking a rather precarious down-climb to a secluded cove and having ourselves a swim. The chrystal clear water was like cool candy after our hot dry hike. It's made the whole day worthwhile.

The next day, we accidentally learned that the Samarian Gorge was expected, though not promised, to be opened the next day. Nobody was sure. Most people chose not to chance going, since the two hour bus ride to the trail head could be a gamble. But we risked it, and the gorge sure enough was open. And we'll bet this was the best day of the year to go since it was almost devoid of tourists. This was a 10 mile hike down some of the most dramatic slices of Earth we've ever experienced. It was formed by 14 million years of a running river. The river still runs and the sound was soothing, the pine tree smells were invigorating, and the steep sharp mountains were shocking.