My Life in the Castle

All Souls Day

2011-11-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

BxW

2011-05-20T12:15:00.001-07:00

Patmos -- in the city of Skala

2011-05-19T23:26:00.001-07:00

Patmos -- Chora

2011-05-19T22:53:00.001-07:00

Adios Samos

2011-05-19T22:50:00.001-07:00

Ephesus

2011-05-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

Rack and...

2011-05-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

Today we took a cab to the birthplace of Hera, a temple complex with structures built from the 4th c bc to the 5th ad.

Then we went to the beach.

The Beach!

2011-05-17T23:19:00.000-07:00

After the hike, we stopped at a forest cafe for a gargantuan lunch, then headed for the beach!

Pythagorio!

2011-05-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we arived in the port town of Pythagorio, renamed in the 20th c for it's famous former resident Pythagoras. The town is on the site of ancient Samos, but until the 1950's was just called by the Italian word for warehouse.

Nature Boy/ Nature Girl

2011-05-15T11:33:00.001-07:00

We decided to join the other volksmarchers and jump on the banenwagen. We had a long, wonderful hike.

Agios Kostantinos -- aka Lil Rotterdam

2011-05-14T07:59:00.001-07:00

At last we arrived in the port city of Kalovasi, known as Carlo Rossi to aficionados of the world's great wines. After a few nights in the booming metropolis of Mytiline, we decided to look for some village life. Our guide book summed up several villages in one sentence, with the good ones getting an adjective each. Agios Kostantinos was called 'flower-filled' which sounded both nice and kind of Homeric. This on top of the fact that St. Constantine (aka Kostantinos) was largely responsible for making my vocation involve room and board rather than violent persecution, made our choice easy.

We got a cab for the short drive from Karlovasi and asked the driver to drop us in the village square. He said that it was too small for a square, but had several nice hotels. The one at which he dropped us looked luxurious and out of our price range, but we went inside to check. The first thing we noticed was wooden shoes: on the wall, on the desk, by the door. Then the two giant decorative Heineken bottles, then a big poster advertising Turkey with Dutch text reading: Come and experience the cheap markets! Everyone takes Euros and many shopkeepers even speak Dutch!

We had landed in a Dutch resort. And it wasn't just this hotel. The tiny village of Agios Kostantinos had been TAKEN OVER! We never succeeded in finding the proprietor, but Rahel spoke to several (Dutch) guests and one suggested we try the Paradiso cafe, as the proprietor ran a great Dutch friendly hotel.

The owner's brother met us at the cafe and offered us a ride in his pickup up to the Hotel Daphne. The Daphne is perched high on a hill, overlooking vineyards which sweep down to the sea. The vines grow the famous Samos desert wine, which is like a Muscat. It's on the edge of a pine forested mountain range and the (exclusively) Dutch and German guests come here for walking tours.

Later we returned to the Paradiso for dinner, and I can't describe how funny it was to be facing the pounding Agean sea, beneath mountains and vineyards, eating Greek Salad and Lamb from clay pots, entirely surrounded by people speaking Dutch!

That night we fell asleep to the calls of nightingales with the lights of Turkey glimmering just across the straight.

The Sea Legs of our Trip

2011-05-14T07:56:00.001-07:00

Last night we went to the travel agent to book our ferry tickets to the island of Samos. Looking at her screen she said, "Uh-oh. I'm sorry but it's a slow boat." "You mean it makes a lot of stops?" we asked, "No" she replied, "it makes only one other stop, but it's an old boat and very, very slow." Thus we spent today sailing 80 miles over the course of nearly 7 hours. That being said, it was a clear, cool day, the waters were placid and ranged from a deep cobalt to a brilliant green, and we passed some very beautiful islands.

Molyvos

2011-05-14T07:39:00.001-07:00

Today we took a bus over the mountain to the costal village of Molyvos. This is the second city of Lesvos and is close to Sappho's old stomping grounds. The village is generally acknowledged to be the most beautiful on the island, and it maintains strict constraints on building style, and even the colors villagers are allowed to paint their houses.

The limpid water at the stony beach below the village was a little too cold for swimming, but we wadded.

While May isn't the best month for swimmers, it's apparently the best time to be a Greek flower. A medieval castle, on the site of an ancient fortress, occupies the highest point in the village, and when we hiked up to it, we found a garden of wild flowers!

It's apparently now the Greek offices of Enron

Lesvos Day 2!

2011-05-14T07:12:00.001-07:00

.

Everyone over a certain age seems to be constantly clicking, counting, flicking or tapping these.

St. Lucy! One of my faves.

Our waiter at the great cafe Hermes pointed out that he and I had the same taste in hair wax!

More Lesvos

2011-05-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

Mytilini!

2011-05-10T22:42:00.001-07:00

This afternoon we left Athens for the island of Lesbos. We spent our final Athens hour wondering the very small church shop district, a street of icon writers, vestment makers and metal smiths. Most of the awesome Byzantine church furnishings turned out to be encrusted with actual diamonds and rubies and cost more than the annual budget of either of the churches I serve. We stopped into the studio of a monk-like artist who made tiny cravings of saints our of wood and bone. They were carved with incredible precision and were some of the most beautiful icons I have ever seen. We spent a good while talking about his work, and at the end of the conversation, he gave us one of his carvings as a gift!!!

We flew to Mytiline, had the stereotypical shady, overcharging taxi driver (someone later told us that most people just think of the meter padding as an extra tax you occasionally have to pay) and arrived at the amazing Hotel Pyrgos.

Our random, inexpensive Expedia hotel turned out to be a palatial mid 19th c. house, that was turned into a hotel in 1916. Needless to say, it's amazing. The really nice desk clerk also suggested a nearby taverna for dinner.

We found the taverna, and it may have been one of the best meals ever.

Athens Day 2

2011-05-08T14:25:00.001-07:00

This morning we went to mass as St. Paul's, followed by a pick nick at the national gardens. The Greeks seem to have refined the oil curing of cheeses to a fine art, and we had a grilled cream cheese cured with lemon and oregano and a cured goat cheese with basil and small red chilies; we also found a great $3 dry Greek rose.

St. Paul's is a diverse congregation of Anglicans from across the communion, and the New English Hymnal tunes take on a wonderful quality from the differently pitched African harmonies. The priest told us about his days in the 60's at a now defunct theological college for working class young men: they refused to have any truck with secular universities, and after 6 years of rigorous education, they left with no degree, and no hood to wear with choir dress.

The park was full of children... and balloons. Greek children are crazy about balloons.

After picnicking we headed for the massive, sprawling flea market. Rahel got a hat pin and I got a crucifix!

We spent the rest of the day walking around the Palaka and came to a trail up the Hill of the Muses. We walked past a metal grate over the opening of a cave and stopped to read the historical marker. Apparently this is the cave in which Thucydides may or may not have been buried! Wow!!

σκοτίᾳ

2011-05-07T22:19:00.001-07:00

σκοτίᾳ

The Acropolis and Environs

2011-05-07T22:07:00.001-07:00

Across from the temple of Zeus, is an Episcopal Church!

Day 1: Ἀθηνᾶ

2011-05-07T21:33:00.001-07:00

Our day began in the Hotel Nikis, where every room features air-conditioning. When we got to our sweltering room, I fiddled with the air conditioning panel and couldn't get it to work. I popped downstairs to see the avuncular Greek manager and was told "your air conditioning works fine, but there is no need to have heat in your room -- this is summer!"

The south side of the Acropolis is a neighborhood of meandering footpaths and stairways connecting bungalows, enormous houses, little cafes, sleeping dogs, blossoming orange trees and Byzantine churches. We suspect the national tourism board of having planed the whole thing.

Rahel's family met us as the airport for our layover and we spent a couple of really nice hours visiting the zoo, drinking coffee and desperately trying to fight off jet lag.

2011-05-07T01:43:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving in Pioneertown

2010-11-29T18:09:00.001-08:00

Region of Ice

2010-11-09T18:45:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2010: Peeps at Holy Innocents

2010-11-08T22:58:00.000-08:00

Nevada City!

2010-06-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

Chi-Town

2010-06-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

Chicago Later

2010-06-04T14:02:00.001-07:00

Chicago

2010-06-04T13:36:00.001-07:00

Black x Wite

2010-03-23T15:13:00.001-07:00

March March March March

2010-03-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

2010-03-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

halloween.

2009-11-30T17:38:00.000-08:00

Our Stay at Myogaksa Temple!

2009-11-16T16:39:00.000-08:00

So Much Seoul!

2009-11-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

Seoul - superbad.

2009-11-10T16:28:00.000-08:00

Even the children like a nice can of coffee in the morning:

Some snacks are free:

Some you've got to pay for (like centipedes):

광주 광역시 aka Gwangju!

2009-11-09T15:20:00.000-08:00

The Beach!

2009-11-09T14:42:00.000-08:00

Boseong Tea Plantation

2009-11-04T09:45:00.000-08:00

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple

2009-11-03T16:39:00.000-08:00

Gyeongju and Haeinsa Temple!

2009-11-03T16:22:00.000-08:00

pre-wedding

2009-10-06T10:39:00.000-07:00

Preparedness - Colin leaves us to profess philosophy in Oregon.

2009-09-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

EPSCDSC SEPTISC

2009-09-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

L'artiste

Sea Monsters

2009-08-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

2009-08-26T11:17:00.001-07:00

EpiscodiscoAugusto

2009-08-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

2009-08-07T13:30:00.001-07:00

Belluschi

2009-08-07T13:08:00.000-07:00

2009-07-30T15:29:00.001-07:00

2009-07-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

Dan and the folks pay a visit

2009-07-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

Chapel at GC

2009-07-13T08:41:00.001-07:00