Delphi, the town, the tourists...

I am finished with this trip's archeological jaunts.

I arrived in the central Greece mountain resort town of Delphi yesterday. My bus from Athens took about 3 1/2 hours and as the terrain changed, so did the people. Greece is the Queen of the Balkan peninsula, but the islands, Crete, and the south belong to another, easier world. Here in the mountains the air is cooler and there is more of an 'old world' feel to much of the real surroundings. I say 'real' to differentiate between that and the tourist culture that thrives throughout Greece, and indeed, any nation. Delphi is not unique in this respect.

Nearby Mt. Parnassos, with its large European styled ski resort, is the primary draw for much of the area. The other attraction is the remains of the spiritual city that was ancient Delphoi. This is where the Oracle lived, was consulted, and eventually faded out around 60 AD. Asking a question of the Oracle would lead to a deceptively ambigious answer, leaving the interpretation and result in the hands of often arrogant and powerful politicians and generals. Not much has changed in the world. The same coterie is running the show, I think.

In the late 19th century, French archeologists unearthed some remains on the current, then overgrown, site. The French government then 'bought' the surrounding area with a promise to the Greek government to purchase the entire Greek currant crop. They then persuaded the populace who were living there to pull up stakes and move the entire modern town about a kilometer away. They used the army to help them out in this task. Hmmm...

The result is a new Delphi, made up of inexpensive, alpine-like hotels, numerous restaurants mostly serving the same over-priced mediocre food, and a population entirely geared towards the tourist trade. It's OK, seeing that 40% of the Greek population is involved in tourism somehow.

The site is stupendous, however, with the ruins of many temples, a stunning theater, and an equally impressive stadium. This is all nestled on the mountainside overlooking a deep, lush, valley planted with olive groves and stretching all the way down to the Bay of Corinth and the port town of Itea, visible in the distance. This and the very nice museum (minus Itea) can all be seen in a day, which is precisely what I did this morning. I was finished by 1PM and napping by 1:30.

The town, however, is crawling with tourists, mostly Americans, who refuse to learn any Greek. Instead the speak loudly and with sharp tones, thinking that this will improve the service. They ask for food without cheese, low-fat things, and all the strange customs we have in the US. Perhaps they would have been happier staying at home and watching a movie of the place. I certainly keep my distance from them.

So, tomorrow I head back to Athens, looking forward to some meetings, fellowship, and souvlaki that actually constitutes a meal. I'll be staying at the home of a friend in the program until I leave Tuesday morning, flying back to America. I expect to have all kinds of trouble coming back into the US since I chose the extremely legal option of traveling on my EU passport while abroad. It's an electronic passport, so it doesn't have any stamps, only the e-signature from customs in Italy and Greece. Whatever. The TSA is not a very bright group of pencil pushers anyway, so why should I expect anything less?

Next stop, Athens, and perhaps another entry before I land on American soil...


Johnnyboy

Convention update and beyond...

The convention was lovely. 450 people, representing 33 countries, and a sobriety adding up to over 2000 years. Really amazing, when you think about it. There were some important revalations this time for me which have, and will, effect me, I hope, for the rest of my life. Last year the knowledge that if I didn't go to AA I would die, but without me AA would probably continue, was the epiphany. This year it had to do more with service, responsibility, and anonymity.
Our 'Responsibilty Clause' states that "When anyone...reaches out for help...". It says nothing about me making a quick assumption that someone actually needs my help. It's up to them to ask, and until then, I must respect their path, no matter how confused or wrong I feel they are. Everyone has the right to become lost and perhaps find their own way. When they ask, I'll try to help.
The same goes for me accepting help from others. If someone offers their assitance, I should take it, and lose the cavalier attitude which seperated me from the world. These new (for me) ideas have certainly lifted a great weight of 'responsibility' off of my narrow shoulders and freed me from, yet again, more bondage of self.
In the realm of service, the above principle plays out in the relationship with my sponsee. If the guy can't ask for help, it's not up to me to enable his inability by picking up his pieces. I have my own jigsaw puzzle to construct, thank you very much, and should not try to assemble someone else's.
Anonymity is the foundation of our society and all of our steps and traditions. It insures humility and focuses our work on principles rather than personalities. In one of the groups I attend at home, some of the members are very inquisitive about my personal life in regards to money, past history, and so on. This really bugs me. The lesson I learned this past weekend solved that dilemma right quick. Without going into details (of which I know virtually nothing), there was a well known musician from Texas at the convention. He had been sober for quite some time, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who recognized him. I have his records. I have seen him play live. I have listened to his music for years. You would know his name as well if I told you, but that is none of my business. In the greater, more real, and humble, scheme of things, he was just another drunk trying to stay sober and enjoying the anonymity that the program affords. It is obvious that in the case of a famous person anonymity keeps us all in line. But what about a drunk like me? The same rules apply and the same anonymity keeps me safe from the curiosity and jealousies that may arise from such breaches of privacy. So thanks, Billy, for the lesson in reality, and may your future work be inspired by your Higher Power.
I know that I am not alone in these revelatory experiences, for I was witness to many close at hand and within my own circle of friends throughout the weekend. There was joy, pain, laughter, tears, and fantastic conversations about fear, love, letting go, and working harder at just being ourselves.
When the convention closed I left with a small crew to the nearby island of Hydra, where we had a fantastic meeting in a restaurant overlooking the lovely natural harbor. I have decided to stay here on Hydra forever (just kidding, I think), where there are absolutley no ancient ruins, until Friday (it is currently Tuesday afternoon at 6:50) when I will catch the Hydrofoil back to Athens, immediately board a bus for the ancient site of Delphi, and spend the weekend consulting the Oracle. On Monday I'll return to Athens, stay the night at the home of an AA friend, and board my plane back to the US early Tuesday morning. At least that's the plan. We'll see how it all pans out.


Johnnyboy

!2th Annual AA Convention, Greece...

Well, the convention is here! There was a point, however, when I thought that I wouldn't make it.

After an all night boat ride from Crete, we docked in Piraeus, the port of Athens. It was 7AM and was able to buy a ticket for the next hydrofoil to Ermione, where the convention is being held. 20 minutes in to the trip, the hydro engines shut down, and we bobbed on the water while the motor was being "repaired". And so, we set off again, and soon docked in Antiporos, a scheduled stop. On our way out of the harbor, howeverm, the motor quit again, and we were informed that the boat would go back to the harbor, and other transport would be supplied,k free of charge, by the boat company. My little group of sober drunks (about 15 of us) were all piled into taxis and driven therest of the way. By boat it would have taken an hour, in the best circumstances. By land, in an E class Mercedes-Benz taxi with a Greek at the wheel, we made the hotel in 15 minutes!


The convention is stunning. The food, fun, and fellowship are great and I'll write more, but I need to put some words on paper first.

More to come...

Johnnyboy

Archeology, Hania, trekking, and new friends...

My last entry told of the craziness of Iraklion and the insanity of a big town. My current digs are much more to my liking, although I am leaving this place today. 'This place' is Hania, in the western end of Crete, 3 hours by bus from Iraklion. 'Lovely' is a good description, as well as 'friendly' and 'comfortable'. But first, an update...

My day trip to the ruins of Phaestos and the Roman ruins of Gortyna on the south shore was wonderful and exhausting. On Sunday (14th) I took a bus early in the morning down to Phaestos and and the surrounding environs. 'Bloody hot' is also a good description, witht the southern Mediterranean sun beating down on me for about 6 hours while I scoured the two sites and negotiated bus-hops and an offered ride from another tourist. I returned to Iraklion around 3PM and headed straight to the magnificent Archeology Museum of Crete and allowed myself to be swept up in the grandeur and dizzy displays covering Greece from the Neolithic to the Classical eras. There was really too much to see and at about 4:30 my mind cried 'Enough!' and I gave up and went back to my hotel for a nap. My supper that night consisted of gyros and coffee, a simple and quick meal for the traveler.

The next morning, after scouting out bus schedules for my afternoon trip to Hania, I set off for the nearby palatial ruins of Knossos. Another mind-blowing experience for Johnnyboy. I was able to see the dig early, in the cooler part of the day and be on the bus to Hania by 10:30am, a few hours earlier than I had expected.

The trip was uneventful, as the bus wound its way along the coast. The few beaches, hotels, and resorts around Iraklion gave way to smaller towns and villages surrounded by olive, orange, fig, and lemon groves. The White Mountains loomed ahead, their peaks still covered with snow. Little did I know that I would soon be hiking through those rocky heights.

Hania arrived, a small, but bustling, litle seaport, ancient and well traveled. The town itself is still largely comprised of the Venetian influenced building from a previous occupation in the 14th and 15th centuries and also from the Ottoman Turk occupation following shortly thereafter. My hotel was a real treat, and I sheeled out the dough for a room well worth the money.

The Amphora Hotel is situated right on the old curved harbor, and my room, with its four tall windows looked out over the lively scene. Cafes, restaurants, and some touristy shops greeted my eyes, and the sun and mild sea breezes blew through the room. All the details had been attended to by the hotel staff. By this I mean that the towels were folded nicely on the bed, the the bathroom complete with soap, shampoo, shower cap, and ear-buds (Q-tips). Even the furniture in the room had small felt pads on the bottoms of the legs, so they were all but noiseless as I moved them around. Very posh. The restaurant downstairs was very good, with 'reliable' Greek fare and a pleasant and not-overly-attentive staff.

I was able to see much of Hania's sites that afternoon, and decided, since I had a full day open the next morning, to take a hiking tour of the Samaria Gorge, Europes longest at just under 17 km. Amazing things happen, I was told, if you let your mind stay open, and they did.

The next morning, at 6AM, I was waiting for my bus and introduced myself to a couple from Australia, Graeme and Susie T., who were also going on the hike. No, they weren't from the program, but they are very nice folks and we ended up hiking the gorge together and hanging out. He's a barrister and she's a surgeon. Very nice folks, and she quickly diagnosed my sneezy, sniffly, hacking cough condition as a chest infection resulting from the small virus I picked up somewhere. She has offered anti-biotics for acure and I will take the gift as it is offered. They are also sailing on the same boat as me tonight to Piraeus, and are willing to give me a lift to the dock. Amazing, this life and living, if only I am open to it.

Before I close this entry, let me say that I feel that I have grown from this experience. Only a few years ago, as a drunk and a wasted mind, I would have never been exposed to these experiences. I mean the friendship and fellowship of others, primarily, but also the ability to trek, keep schedules, etc...It's the people that I am aware of, and the influence they have had on my life. This morning I thought of the AA joke about the guy in the flood, wanting god to help him out, and denying the rowboat and the helicopter, only to find out that those were the acts of his HP. In my case, both rowboat and helicopter have arrived to save me, and I taking them both.


Tomorrow...The 12th Annual Southeastern European International AA Convention begins!


Johnnyboy

Iraklion, and the road continues on...

Well, I've made it to Crete. The Flying Cat from Thira was fast and interesting. I met a couple from Orange County, CA on the way and we had an interesting conversation. She is a travel agent for AmEx and he is an endocrine cardiologist. They are only here for 2 nights, and, like me, trying to cram as much in in the time alotted. We exchanged email, etc...I'll probably run into them in Knossos on Monday, but they don't know that yet.

I've decided to make this leg of the trip as simple as possible by avoiding unnecessary bus tripping. I'll stay here for 2 nights, and take a day trip tomorrow to Phaestos, on the southern side of the island. Crete is a big place, so more about that later. On Monday afternoon I'll hop a bus to Hania, which is very different than Iraklion. This city is the largest south of Athens and how it does hum. The cybercafe I'm in right now is enormous, with at least 100 stations, and almost all of them are filled with kids gaming against each other. Mostly shoot'emkill'em games, and the sound of hard rock, screaming motorbikes, scooters and the smell of a busy city fills the air. This is culture shock after the touristic pleasantries of Thira, Paros, and Mykonos. Still, the museums and digs call my name as surely as the air is filled with carbon monoxide.

About my hotel...Not as advertised, but it will suffice for now. By far the worst lodging I've had an also expensive at 75Euro a night, but I have very little choice in the matter. It's called Hotel Daedulos, and there is no rubbish bin in my room. The lights are flourescent, and the shower is typically Balkan, i.e., a spray nozzle and a tub made for tub showers and feet washing, chipped enamel to boot. Still, I have a very clear cable connection on the TV and the phone works.

My dinner tonight consisted of Tzaziki (yogurt and cucumbers) and Stoufada, a rich tomato sauced beef stew thin with chips (fries). Not bad, actually, for 14Euro. I'll take a picture of the place tomorrow...the whole place is outside, and on a slanted side street, so you eat on an angle.

The noise outside is compounded by every kid beween 14 and 25 sitting at one of dozens of outside cafes, and these are not the quaint cafes of the quiet streets. these are cafes of fast times and serious trends. Space-age, plateglass, and brushed chromium steel. The newest and the best rock blares from enormous systems as kids drink coffee, smoke cigarettes, and otherwise try to be seen. Amazing. In some ways it reminds me of a middle eastern scene, and we are not far from the coast of Africa. Certanly closer than I am used to.


This place is driving me nutz. I gotta go. I'll update tomorrow when daylight drives the fashionable inside.


Johnnyboy

Santorini, Traveler's Syndrome, et al...

Santoini is a lovely island. The volcanic eruption in 900BC that destroyed the Minoan city and culture here inspired Homer to describe Atlantis. The ash blew as far south as Egypt, and many scholars now believe that the ash, falling fiery chunks, and the resulting tsunami (parting of the waters) were the causes of the Biblical exodus from Pharoah's captivity. New translations of the Old Testament have also revealed that "Red Sea" is a poor translation of "Reed Sea" which lies just a few kilometers from where the Isrealites left. The Red Sea is much too far away to have allowed the escaping slaves to outrun the chariots of their pursuers. So, what were conceived of as miracles were actually Mother Nature.

What remains is called The Caldera, and forms the bay around which, perched on the edge of the crater, lie the towns of Fira, Ia, and Ormious Antonious. In the middle is the top of the cone, still active in some spots. There have been two earthquakes since that time: one in 1956 and the other, I think in 1978. Still, the island rermains a tourist center of grand proportions, and is just as busy as Mykonos, although more beautiful. You've seen pictures, namely the famous blue domed church with stark white structures overlooking the sea. That's Santorini, and it all looks like that, and it is no contrivence for the tourist trade. Unfortunately the food has something to be desired. It is as expensive as Mykonos, yet lacks the quality and style of the other island.

My rooms are very nice. They are clean, neat, relatively inexpensive (45Euro), but the Almighty Dollar still sucks, so that is about 65US. All in all, it's been an experience I wouldn't trade, but it's time to move along. This is the theory I call 'Traveler's Syndrome'.

Time to go. Hit the Road. Worn out my welcome. Not- moving- fast- enough. It's that time when one has visited all the museums, seen the churches, eaten the food at most levels, and watched the television in linguistic bewilderment. Luckily I am doing that tomorrow, but not until 5:40PM when I catch a hydrofoil across the southern Mediterranean to Crete. I won't arrive until 8PM, so I have booked my room already. I shouldn't suffer from TS while on Crete since my schedule is tight and the sights somewhat numerous. It will be a daily juggling of hotels, buses, and archeological sites until I depart next Wednesday for Pireaus, the port of Athens, and my departure point for the convention. So I think this will be a cure for TS, but first I'll check out one more site here on Santorini in the morning before I take to sea.

I have such luxury problems, I cannot begin to list them...


Johnnyboy

...From Paros, sun-kissed and honest...

I left Mykonos with the sense of 'mission accomplished'. While on Mykonos I accomplished my goal of viewing Delos, ate some good food (more about that) and met some nice folks. I was happy to leave, however for there is nothing really there for me. Paros, on the other hand is something completely different.

I left on a high speed catamaran, which cruised down to Paros at a brisk 45 mph. I was glad to see little Paros, which is still, in many ways, the island that Mykonos once was. This is not to say that there is no tourism on Paros, but the clientele is more sedate, family-oriented, and less apt to fall into the party scene. 'Laid back' is a good way to describe Paros. It is also a good deal less expensive, and for those same reasons. The population is about 20,000 year round, with a viable fishing and merchant community. There are not the plethora of gold and leather shops like Mykonos and the locals seem much more in line with Greece as a whole.

I arrived around noon and the temperature was a lovely 80*. The sun, on the other hand, was typically mediterranean and blistering hot. Thankfully my #45 sunscreen held out for a time, but by 3PM I had to go inside for little 'ipnos'. My room is clean, comfortable, with a lovely little balcony overlooking the central plaza of the main town of Parika. At 25 Euro a night, quite a bargain. Like most of the country, this town is preparing for the summer which means construction and refurbishing. So what if the plaza was full of workmen with jack-hammers? After a few seconds I was snoozing away, competeing with the racket. After my rest, a shower and a chat with the hotel owner about the big football game (Athens vs. Piraeus), I set out for the evening.

I am only here for the night and my boat for Santorini (Thira) leaves at the main quay around noon. I'll arrive in Santorini around 3PM, and spend the next hour or so finding a hotel for my 2 nights there. I'll certainly update when I can before I leave for Crete (Kriti), but for now I think I'll enjoy another espresso and search out a suitable restaurant for my supper. With the money I saved on lodging, I think I'll splurge. There is a restaurant named 'Dafni' that is supposed to serve very good fish and traditional Greek dishes. I'll try to find it, but if I can't, there are plenty of other options to choose from.

Oh yes...The food on Mykonos is actually very good, not mediocre like P'town. It is, however, extremely pricey. After all, a captive audience must dine...

Kalispera!

Johnnyboy

Mykonos, the Provincetown of Greece...

This is a true statement, and the only way I can describe this place. Aaside from all the buildings, which look like sugar cubes perched on the hillsides, this is a tourist center and not very indicative of Greece or the Cyclades (See-kla-dees) islands. Gold shops, leather goods, mediocre art galleries, mediocre restaurants, but oh, so pretty and whitewashed. Huge gay and lesbian scene, and of course famous for its mediocre beaches full of nekkid tourists from all over the world. Disco lives in Mykonos, as does all the risks associated with that lifestyle.


But that's not why I am here. Mykonos is the only place that I can catch a boat for a day trip to Delos, the island where myth and legend say Appolo and his twin sister Artemis were born. There is an enormous archeological site to visit and many pictures to take. I'll do that tomorrow morning and be home in time for a nap before dinner. So for the meantime, I have the afternoon and evening to myself in a tourist town that has yet to see the tourists arrive. That won't happen until July and August, but there are people here. Thankfully not many.

Before I left Athens, I qualified for the Athens Parthenon Group on Saturday night. It was extremely refreshing to tell my story to a group of relative strangers and see there reactions. I actually felt more comfortable telling them some things that only my sponsor and a few others know. Readers of this blog know, so don't get hung up about it folks.

This group is a really strong connection for me, and I think, that when I am able to leave the US for good in a few years, I'll move to Greece. I am realizing more and more everyday, that aside from some family ties and some friendships in AA, there is not much for me in the US. Over there I am an ex-felon with limited possibilities. Over here, none of that exists and my EU citizenship allows me to live anywhere I wish. Open borders, open minds, open hearts.

Open World.

Next posting...Thira (Santorini)


Johnnyboy

Some pictures from Shirley...

Some fun for Aravis and company.



Johnnyboy

It's all Greek to me...

...And well it should be, considering I'm currently writing this post in a cybercafe on Drakhou Street, just down from my hotel, in Athens, Greece.

Yes, globetrotters, Johnnyboy's on the move and back in the Balkans, his home-away-from-home. I'm here primarily for the 12th Annual SE European English Speaking AA Convention, but that doesn't begin until the 18th, so I'll be doing a little isalnd hopping until then. But first, Athens begs to be explored and looked into.

Athens is enormous. There are 11 million people in Greece, and 7 million live in Athens. Yet it still has a uniquely small town feel to it's neighborhoods and streets. It is truly a multi-cultural place, but that is more or less a new phenomenon. The Baskan Civil War in the 1990's propelled a lot of refuges here, paricularly Albanians and Serbs. There is a new, and large Arab/Middle eastern population, and for some reason a huge influx of Chinese in the past year or so. Still, 99% of the people I see are Greeks, Greeks, and more Greeks. Nothing wrong with that.

The food is tasty, and very cheap. Eating on the fly for lunch and dinner is a common thing to see and do. One can fill the belly very easily for less than 15 Euro a day here with the great tasting pastry and meaty things from street vendors. It's all fresh, too. They pride themselves on having good, inexpensive food. It's important to remember that most Greeks are very poor, so they pay a lot of attention to how they dress (neat, clean, respcctful) and how fresh their food is. They expect the same from their guests. Sloppy dressers get poor service. This is not say that one needs to dress up, but rather be dressed in decent clothes, with shirts tucked in, etc...

The AA meetings here are very good, with a strong legacy of traditions, sponsorship, and sobriety as a solid foundation. The first AA group started in 1965, at a US airbase. 4 years later the base closed, became a Greek airbase, and the group had to leave. The story goes that they held there meetings in an open-air cafe for over a year until they finally found a spot they called home. That was 36 years ago. Amazing.

Many of the group are Greeks and some of the meetings are in Greek, but most are ex-pats of some sort (Brits, Germans, Swedes, etc...) so the English speaking meetings are strong, but in a typically Mediterranean fashion, pretty relaxed. People come and go during the meeting and they sharing sometimes seems strained. I imagine they would find meetings near where I live very rigid and over-structured. Aside from these slight differences, the stories and bottoms are the same. What a relief to find out that I am, yet again, neither alone nor unique.

In two days I start some island hopping beginning with Mykonos and ending with Crete, and then off to the AA convention.

Next stop...The island paradise of Mykonos!


Johnnyboy

Next stop, Athens, Greece...

I'll be posting from Greece for the next few weeks, so I'll try to write some appropriate haiku for the moments.

See you all soon!


Johnnyboy