Stuck in Paradise

April 10-13, 2010 ("strike" that and make it April 10-17!)

Yes, we got stuck in paradise.  What an amazing adventure!  But we didn't know that when we began our trip.  Actually, we had planned to go to Greece two weeks prior... but then the volcano in Iceland blew and all or our flights were cancelled.  We were flying easyjet and it was simple to rebook once both flights (outbound and return) were cancelled.  So we were then allowed to rebook the more expensive fares (over a bank holiday)!  That was bonus #1.

So we left early on May 1 and arrived in Athens.  The downside of our arrival was that most everything was closed on this "national" holiday.  So we rented a car and drove to Corinth. 

Corinth

We were able to eat ice cream overlooking the ancient city of Corinth.  

It had great views so we really didn't miss too much for it being closed.  






The mountain behind is the massive fortress of Acrocorinth. 

Driving back we had to stop by the sea for some rock skipping.  Bryce is actually getting quite good!  Madison found another baby crab (with a bit of help from Bryce)
Then we stopped by the amazing Corinthian Canal.  It had been dreamed by Roman emporers for thousands of years and was finally finished in the 1893.


It had a shocking view at which we all marveled.  It was really far down!

We went to our hotel in Athens and found a very interesting elevator!  Click here to see the ride.

Athens

Next day was Sunday, but Athens was now open.  We had a goregous day when went to the Acropolis.  The hike up was long and warm... but what a view!

Right next to the Parthenon is the temple of Athena.  

On the backside of the Athena temple (facing the Parthenon) there were some interesting statues with highly detailed hair that were carved of stone.  Amazing! 

The birthplace of democracy- located just below the Acropolis (Parthenon).

Below and just next to the Parthenon is Mars Hill where Paul preached.  

The old staircases of Mars Hill were carved into the marble and were fascinating to see... but the also were quite worn and slippery even in the dry hot sun!  

Looking up from Mars hill rock up to the Parthenon.



We caught the metro for the simple and quick ride out to the port with plenty of time... HA!  It was a good thing had that time because the train stopped due to the line being closed.  We were funneled to a bus stop where Jeanne became very nervous.  Thankfully we bailed and caught a taxi the rest of the way to Piraeus port.  We had to pick up our tickets so we first had to go to a specific travel agent.  Check.  Then we needed to find harbor dock #E1.  We walked out and thought it was just on the other side and were planning to walk.  But a taxi hailed us and rather forcefully persuaded us to ride with him.  We were a bit tired and gave in... THANKFULLY!  10 minutes of speedy driving later we arrived at the dock... seemingly on the other side of the city!  Best 8 Euros we have ever spent!  We made the boat and checked into our rooms.  Thankfully we had upgraded to a quad sleeper cabin.  That was nice!

We sat out on deck with a huge sigh of relief!

After we set sail we had dinner on board and watched the mainland of Greece go by.



Santorini- the island Paradise

Our arrival in Santorini was at Midnight where we had our car rental company actually deliver us to the car which was parked near our hotel.  Odd situation, but again we were thankful.  They walked us to our apartment down 160 stairs!  The turns and twists would have been impossible to find in the moonlight!


Bonus #2 was that Jeanne was able to book an absolutely amazing apartment in Oia, Santorini.  Previously we could only find a basic non-view type of room.  We were so spoiled with a large balcony overlooking the Caldera.  Our apartment (with a kitchen!) was actually a remodeled 300 year old cave house!  

The cave tunneled back into the mountain, through the two single beds (couches), and an interior wall with windows and door to the master bedroom (king size!) was located.  The curved roof was so cave like and the veiled off bed space was so romantic! 

It was such an awsome place with unbelievable charm!

 And when we woke up THIS was the view that greeted us!  Note the extremely calm waters.











 

We only had one full day in Santorini so we had to make good use of our time!  We booked a boat ride out to the Volcano and hot springs.  Very cool... or maybe I should say very hot!

The first stop was the volcano where we all had to hike up to the top in the glaring sun.

The hike up was a bit grueling... but Bryce yet again showed his athleticism by powering up to the top in record time.




 
Near the summit the guide showed us how if you dig just below the surface of the rocks steam actually comes out.  It is warm enough that you can cook an egg!  Here is a link that you can see the video of the steam!  

The views were amazing!






Next stop was the hot springs where Scott, Bryce and Madison swam out to enjoy the muddy luke-warm water.

Bryce leaping off the boat
Madison carfully swimming to the hot springs

The water was still quite cold since summer hasn't warmed the sea temper- ature yet.  But Christina wanted to try sticking her toes in!

 


The last stop was Thirassia which was a total waste of time.  We found out later that we could have booked a tour to just the volcano and the hot springs.  Oh well, at least Bryce got to hike to the top of the mountain!




 

On our way back to port we got a seaside view of our cave hotel.  It is the house on the bottom right side of the homes on the mountain. 




Oia is known for it's sunsets so we waited near the castle point for some photos.  It seemed that everyone on the island came there.  At first it looked as if the sun was going to be hidden from view.  But then just the last few minutes before it set- out came beautiful sun rays bouncing off the clouds.  It was the most gorgeous sunset of our entire visit!

These photos have not been altered! ... it was such an awsome moment!

We again enjoyed walking down to "our" apart- ment.  It was just such an unusual experience with the amazing views and balcony.  We didn't want the day to end and sat out on the patio and told funny stories.  Great family memories.

The next morning Scott and the kids decided to hike down to the private beach that is rarely used.   It was further down and a harder hike than they had expected- but they really enjoyed themselves.  



They even found several live starfish- that's something that they had never found before!

And a sea urchin!

Views from the room above ours.  I think it's only a good apartment for those who don't toss and turn!







Here are some photographs of sights along the walk up from our apartment.  You can see the two of the blue domed churches for which Santorini is famous.

And finally we were at the top!  It was so charming- and well worth the 160 stairs!

But our plane was due to leave Tuesday at 1pm so we had to say goodbye to our treasured cave hotel!  All of us wished we could stay longer because we truly felt like we were leaving paradise.  Christina decided that she didn't want to wait to come back when she was older... she wanted us to come back next week!

We stopped by our favorite restaurant with the "two-euro-gyros".  Bryce really liked them for breakfast, lunch AND dinner!

We had worked out with our car rental agency to personally meet us at the airport.  And while Scott signed the return paperwork, Jeanne went in the airport... only to be shocked by the flight status monitor.


Apparently, all Greek government employees decided to strike nationally for one day but for airlines it was two!  Tuesday and Wednesday!  They were upset by the austerity measures that were being forced on them as terms for their bailout money.  Hmmm..... 


But what it meant for us was that we were stuck on this Island until the first available flight out... but with a massive line of people in front of us (we were 1.5 hours early instead of 2 hours early) that meant that the first flight out was actually a week later!  We were able to organize an earlier flight via Athens (Thanks to our good friend Cathy Duffy back in the UK!) and were able to fly out Friday to Athens and then Saturday to London.

I'd say that the only thing better than the 3 extra days were that if someone else paid for it!  Bonus #3 was that Easyjet covered our costs - hotel, food and communication!  We had a free vacation extension!

They put us up at a plush hotel that although it didn't have the charm and peace of our cave hotel...

it did have 3 pools!  And the kids were elated!



We had managed to keep our rental car and sightsee more of the island!  And thankfully Scott's Caterpillar boss' understood and allowed him to work via email and a few conference calls.  We were so lucky!

Bonus days:  Wednesday-Friday

Black Sand beach of Kamari

After Scott was able to finish his work related calls and emails we went to the black sand beach of Kamari.  But the most important part was not the beach... it was the laundry!  We had all packed VERY light in backpacks for our 4 days hopping around Greece and we were out of clothes!  Although expensive, it was well worth it to have the clean clothes!

Next came the beach.  And although the black sand sounds and looks neat... it isn't as comfort- able for the feet.  It gets hotter and somehow it feels sharper.

Still the kids really had a good time jumping from the rocks and burying each other in the black sand.

Here's a video of the kids burying each other and pushing their way out.
Madison rising from the sand
Bryce thought Madison was too slow so he wanted to show her how it was done!
Bryce leaping out of black sand

Ancient Thira

Since originally our trip was only 1.5 days in Santorini, Jeanne hadn't fully researched all of the other things to see and do.  But we had heard of Ancient Thira at the top of the mountain and thought it sounded like a good sightseeing stop.  We also heard that there was a bus ride up... necessary in Jeanne's opinion.

So we waited and waited but no bus came.  We didn't realize that you had to book tickets at the bottom of the hill.  Eventually Jeanne and Christina were able to squeeze in one bus, but Scott Bryce and :Madison had to hike.

Madison wasn't feeling well so she and Scott went back down to try to catch another bus while Bryce hiked up solo.



We waited and waited.  Bryce arrived.  We waited and waited and waited.

Note to self:  ALWAYS travel with TWO cell phones (with charged batteries).  We didn't know what was wrong.

We hadn't planned to be out all day and hadn't packed sunscreen.  There was NO shade up on top of the mountain and so Jeanne, Bryce and Christina got rather toasted.

Finally, Scott and Madison arrived and we walked to the top.  We actually had quite a bit further to hike!

And Madison was exhaust- ed!  Good thing there was a bench and shade up there!

Now, since Jeanne hadn't researched this we really didn't know what it was that we were seeing!  It ended up being ancient ROMAN ruins.  And although the view was absolutely amazing, we all wondered WHY any civilization would want to be so very up a mountain!  It wasn't a fortress...

it was a vast city with baths and amphitheater.  Where did the water come from to run the city?

Still, it was an amazing place to visit!

We had to wait another hour for the ride down since we didn't time the meeting time well.  So what was supposed to take 2 hours total ended up taking about 6 hours.  We were all exhausted.

Akrotiri and the lighthouse

We turned the car in one day early, but before we did we drove out to the other end of the island where there was a lighthouse.  The cliffs surrounding the lighthouse were so steep that it made Jeanne's knees shake!

Just next to that is Akrotiri where ancient ruins of a Minoan civilization were discovered.  Some actually believe that Akrotiri could be the legendary Atlantis.  At the time when the volcano blew and destroyed the island, Akrotiri was thriving and very advanced!

But unfortunately we couldn't see it because the site was closed.  Ten years ago the roof structure collapsed and killed a tourist and the building has still yet to be repaired.  So maybe next time we can see the lost city of Atlantis!

Last day in paradise- Fira and Gyros

We packed up but continued to enjoy the pool for the rest of the day.  It actually was the windiest and coolest of days that we experienced.  But still the girls and Bryce couldn't resist the lure of the bright blue still water.

Here are some fun videos of the kids enjoying the pool:


Madison's cannonball
Madison's TIMBER!

Christina's egg drop

We walked through the town of Fira which is known for its shopping along the tiny pedestrian streets.









Note the happy ice cream smiles with their souvenirs-Bryce found a black bracelet that he really liked, Madison found a chic shoulder purse

and Christina found a blue puppy that she named Violet (but it's nickname is Santor-wienie)

We finished with one last dinner of Gyros and back for our shuttle to the airport.  We flew Aegean air which was quite plush!  But the flight was only 45 minutes til we reached Athens airport.  And after a quick 45 minute Metro ride we arrived in downtown Athens and our previous hotel- the Lion Apartment Hotel.

Athens- part 2

We had previously avoided the Parliament area before since that was to be possible protest areas.  And while we were in Santorini it actually was the site of violet protests and destruction that resulted in a bank fire that killed 3 people.

We had time and also wanted to see the Hadrian's Gate and temple of Zeus nearby.  So we walked through the streets were just a few days earlier such angry mobs had ruled.

Bryce took quite a few photos of the senseless destruction.

Here is the bank that had been intentionally set afire.  Crowds had blocked the fire engines from getting there to put out the flames.  It was a very somber place.

Hadrian's Gate- amazing to think that he had an arch here and a wall to the north of England... such a vast rule separated by so much land!

Zeus' Temple

Guards changing at the parli-ament.

Madison and Christina tried to copy them... it is hard!

This time there wasn't any ash clouds so we made it home!  YEAAAAA!!!!!

Such an amazing trip with bonus days to boot!

Krakow and the Wieliczka Salt Mines

April 12, 2010

After the immenseley thought provoking visit to Auschwitz, we had dinner at a traditional Polish restaurant.  It was a nice mental and physical break.

We checked into the Red Brick Apartments and were elated with the spacious palace-like accomodations.  The evening ended up being a non-stop giggle-fest.






Nice picture!





Gloria's Dirty Water.

and her Purple Aura.

I think we needed a night of laughter.

Tour of Krakow and Shindlers Factory

April 13, 2010

We buzzed around Krakow in a touring golf-cart.  It was a good thing because the day quickly turned to solid rain.  

We were able to see the beautiful town square,


The Jewish Quarter where we visited a synagogue and Bryce had to wear a kippah.







And the Jewish Ghetto where the Jews of the area were enprisoned before being sent to concentration camps.  A small section of wall still remains.

We even were able to see Oscar Shindler's factory.  




 






It's amazing how old pots and pans can be so inspiring.









The timing of our trip actually fell days after the national tradgedy where the plane carrying the Polish President, family and many Polish dignitaries crashed.  They were on their way to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre (where Russians who controlled Poland at the time and were in fear of the impending German army-  killed 22,000 Polish officers upon their retreat in order to keep the Polish trained military from being later recruited by the Germans to fight against the Russians.  The facts were hidden and then distorted for years and years as Germany and Russia each blamed each other for the massacre).  

So when we visited Krakow, the country was fully in mourn- ing.  This is the memor- ial to the Katyn massacre that is located just outside the Krakow castle.  There were crowds of mourners each leaving candles and flowers.

Before we met up with our Taxi-man Bob, we stopped by a traditional Polish restau- rant.  We went for the "trough" and couldn't believe the platter of meats that was brought out.  It had some of the tastiest hot-dogs we've ever had!  Amazing- but certainly heavy on the calories... yikes!


Wieliczka Salt Mines


We were picked up at our hotel in the afternoon to go to the famous Wieliczka salt mines.  Having already been to the salt mines outside of Salzburg I thought I knew what to expect.... but these were completely different!

We first had to walk down seemingly endless stairs...

The mines were more a work of art than they were a mine!  The workers must have had a lot of spare time because they carved intricate scenes, statues, multiple churches.  

Here is a statue of Capernicus who actually visited the mine!









An interesting fact is that because the mineral salt is so prevalent in the air of the mines it preserves all wood!  A 300 year old wooden carving of Jesus looked nearly new!  And the salt air is supposed to be helpful for those with health difficulties. 



The tour ended with an underground city of sorts with an ENORMOUS vaulted church that still functions as a church.  

Even the chandeliers were made of salt.

On the wall was a carving of the last supper.  It appeared 3-D from various directions.

The floors of the church look like polished tiles... but in fact it is just carved and well worn salt!  Absolutely amazing! 

We did a lot of walking so we were thankful that we got to catch an elevator back up... that is until we had to ride the well vented, closely packed, dark elevator that made lots of noises on the way up.


But we made it!


We said farewell to your humorous James Bond, undercover agent, taxi man.

It was a meaningful, educational and fun trip!

A day looking at death...

Warning:  As the title suggests this part of the blog contains some very disturbing pictures and  history. 

April 13, 2010

Krakow, Poland

Our flight to Krakow was early and uneventful.  And once we arrived we were greeted by our taxi man.  Jeanne had heard from tripadvisor about this taxi / tour guide for Krakow and we decided to try him.  Bob's Taxi was just what others had said... fun, informative, reliable and cheap.

But our first stop was not a pleasure stop.  We came to see Auschwitz.

On this trip Scott couldn't afford to come so we traveled with Jeanne's friend Gloria (same Gloria that drove to Salzburg with Jeanne and who went to Rothenburg last fall).  Apparently she wasn't scared away while traveling with our kids!

Auschwitz

Jeanne was very concerned about taking Madison and Christina into the camp so we went in two groups.  First group was just Jeanne and Bryce while Gloria relaxed at a small cafe outside the gate.  Inside both Bryce and Jeanne were cut to the core looking at the displays of just a few of the things left behind by or more aptly taken from those who once occupied Auschwitz.   It was shocking.

Words will never suffice to describe what we saw.

Empty cans of zyklon b- each rep- resenting hundreds of lives.

An entire room filled with the hair cut from women prisoners with the purpose to be used to knit stockings for German submarine operators.  The color was bleached from the hairs over time.  The color was a dull brown.  This was extremely moving...

How could they degrade human life to the production of hair...

An entire room with pots and pans

An entire room filled with prosthetic devices both adult and children

A case filled with eyeglasses




A massive room filled with so many shoes on either side that the walking space was a narrow corridor.


Another massive room filled with suitcases that were labeled so as to be matched up with it's owner later... never.  The Germans had the prisoners in "Canada" immediately sift through their belongings to find the hidden wealth.

I did happen to hear of an interesting story of Zedenka Fatyl.  She was left for dead by those who "liberated" them from the camp.  They were English speakers and must have truly thought her dead or so near dead that they didn't even try to help... That is until she crawled into their barracks and spoke english to them.  She had learned it from her interest in music as a teenager and it saved her life.  They then gave her water and enough care for her to recover.  She currently lives in the U.K. and was surprised to hear how friends who knew her saw her bag with her name on it is prominately on display in Auschwitz.  When asked if she wanted it back- she didn't.


The buildings were well made of brick and could have been a nice place to live but for the horrible tortures and demented philosophies that once controlled this camp.
  

They had a "hospital" known as block 10 to the left where Dr. Mangala experi- mented with ways to kill.  Block 11 the building on the right was a death sentence and executions were fast and efficient.  The wall toward the back was where many of the executions took place.  Firing squads would line prisoners up so as to only use one bullet.  Block 11 was also the building where they first experimented with zyklon b the gas that they eventually used in the gas chambers.



In the basement of block 11 they tortured prisoners for weeks by compacting them into standing room only cells for weeks at a time.







Block 24a was the location of the lowest point some women were forced.







 Small scraps of memory were found all over.  Here was a stone with a handwritten name and date of someone who died here.

It was so personal, so real.

Here is the home of the camp commander whose family of 5 children lived... just within feet of the concentration camp.



 

After being convicted at Nurnburg he was sentenced to hang here where his horrors took place.

Birkenau

We then drove to the expansion camp of Auschwitz which was named Birkenau.  It was designed for death and it was massive.  Here is a video showing it's enormity.  We were driving perhaps around 30-40 mph and it took over 2 minutes to drive along two sides.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RfQ6T0cKDw


Each of those barracks whose foundations and chimneys are all that is left once held around 1,000 people.  Life expectancy of Jews was 2 weeks.  Others could live around 8 weeks.

There was only one original barracks, the rest had been scavanged by the destitute locals in a matter of weeks.

There were two massive gas chambers at the end of the railroad tracks.  And between them at the end of the railroad tracks is a large memorial.

On either side of the memorial is the bombed remains of the gas chambers (blown up by the Germans in an attempt to hide the evidence of the horrors that took place here).

Estimates ramge around 5 million Jews were killed- near 2 million in Auschwitz-Birkenau.  However, that is using actual records.  Since paperwork was only kept in the beginning for Jews, and much of the paperwork they did have was intentionally destroyed before the Germans retreated there must have been many, many more.  Trains of Jews weren't even processed, they were unloaded from cramped boxcars and marched straight to the gas chambers.

Seeing this was truly horrific.  But one story of the quest for a better life haunts me... apparently someone had the audacity to SELL train tickets for Jewish families to go to Auschwitz where their families were to be allocated land and be free to have a better life.

We walked for 30 minutes along the railroad tracks to the entrance where we saw many young Jewish groups.  It hurt to watch the raw emotions.

Never Again... never again.

You know you travel too much when...

1. Your six year old starts playing "passport and border control"
(note the chess piece stamper and paper passport).

2. You call the hotel "home".

3. You fill out your Landing Cards before you leave.

4. When your suitcase feels like a dresser.

5. When foreign airports become familiar.

6. When you figure out it's handy to have your first name on a sticker on the outside of your passport.

7. When you forget where you've been... well for me maybe that is the norm...

8. When your kids (even a 6 year old) can navigate a new airport faster than you!

9. When it is routine to pack empty water bottles to refill on the other side of security.

10. When your 6 year old daughter won't get out of the car till she has heard an announcement similar to- "next stop Rodman house, please check to see that you have remembered all of your personal belongings...and please mind the gap as you exit the vehicle... thank you for traveling with Daddy's taxi."

Any others? Feel free to add more in the comments section.

Although we are trying to make this a funny posting, we as a family are SERIOUSLY grateful for this incredible experience we are having over here!