Tuesday, Oct. 11 - RVs checked in in Munich

Hi!  We're back in Munich, and the RVs are checked in.  Sad to say good-bye to our little rolling homes.  It was very comfortable.

We had a cold and windy morning in San Marino; then a short drive to a CG on the Italian mainland near Venice.  Had a great day there--mobs of people on Sunday afternoon.  We returned home by boat-bus and then ferry--exhausted.  We packed some things, and then got off to Innsbruck.  A beautiful drive through the Italian Alps, and at Brenner Pass saw the first snow of the season,  Today we drove back to Munich--another beautiful drive.

Brenner Pass was underwhelming to Coloradans--no steep grades, no high elevation.  I think it was about 1330 meters.  But still beautiful with mtns. rising steeply from the river valley.  All green fields, except the rocky tops.  the flowers were still in bloom in spite of the snow (which arrived only the day before).
 
Bob and I have 2 days in a hotel near the city center of Munich.  First we'll catch our breath and then decide what to do to put a fine finish on a wonderful adventure.

Internet now is very slow so the scenery pix will have to wait.  Stanley says hello.

Flat Stanley - report on the bad (windy) days

Hi, folks!!  Flat Stanley here on the scene in San Marino.

First my report on the Olympics in Olympia.  A little disappointing there because there were no other Flats to race against.  I was hoping to find a Flat Eli or a Flat Adam.  Anyhow I had a nice time.  Lots of old rocks again but also a nice stadium.  If you look very closely, you can see me at the starting line.  And we got some Greek gyros to eat in town.  Yummm - recommended by Stan the Man.

And then we got on the Superfast XI ferry.  We raced another ferry and smoked them!  No dolphins or whales to watch in the Adriatic Sea, but we saw other ferries (Superslows!) and freighters.  Very calm seas but windy, of course.  That's quite a danger when you weigh only a few grams. I wasn't allowed to go outside much. : (

Well, here in San Marino it is cool and totally windy this morning up on top of the old town.  I hardly got out, but I did manage to find a Flat Monster!!!!!!   He looked pretty mean and grouchy so I jumped back in my bag.  Lucky me! The round people carry me up the stairs and ramps!

Your man Stan signing out.  I hear we are going to Venice tomorrow to see some gondolas and art stuff.  I hope to meet up with a large pizza.   Off for a nap in the back bunk.

Love, Stanley

Friday, Oct. 7 - San Marino and catchup from Greece

Brrr.  A change in the weather today.  A front has moved in from northern Italy and chased away the sun.  Cool and windy today with spots of rain.  We are in the Republic of San Marino, which is completely surrounded by Italy.  We visited the oldest section this morning, which is on top of a hill--everything reachable by stairs or ramps or very steep winding roads.  The driver of our large bus was not envied the job.  Had a nice walk around and an excellent guide passionate about the democratic and political traditions of her country.

Tuesday we saw ancient Olympia, the original site of the games in about 700 B.C., and lasting until about 300 A.D.  I think Stanley is going to write about this. 

Wednesday we drove to the port of Patras (Greece) and boarded an overnight ferry to Italy.  Quite a nice ship.  There were a 30 or more RVs on board besides our 9.  They parked us where we could get lots of fresh air and stay in the RVs if we wished.  Many of the other RVers did this, but our caravan company got us cabins.  : )  Hot showers!

(Even the campers in the "garage" deck had a shower room and W.C.)

From the ferry dock in Ancona, Italy, we took the autoestrada (expressway) most of the way to San Marino.  Had a delicious dinner in the CG restaurant last night.  5 courses :  appetizer, lasagna, green salad, sliced beef and potatoes, ice

Tomorrow we drive 210 km near Venice for a 2-night stay.  Sightseeing in Venice on Sunday.  Then on to Innsbruck and Munich to turn in our little homes on Tuesday.  So sad.  We've had a grand adventure.

Monday, Oct. 3 - arriving near the site of the ancient Olympic games

A pleasant ride today through the mtns and past a couple ski areas.  They are roughly at 5000-6000 feet.  Again we had a really hard time getting started on the right road near the CG.  We wanted to override the GPS which had us going on a back road through the mtns.  The GPS likes to take the shortest route to save a kilometer or two, sometimes at the expense of back roads and back alleys.  We had a thorough tour of the orange groves near our last CG. At least they weren't more ancient ruins!

above and below - This is the main highway.

We accomplished our goals for the day:  grocery store, ATM and fuel stop. The small towns generally don't have a bank or ATM;  I wonder how the people receive their salaries and pay their bills. Maybe the GPS alternative would have been just as good.

Flat Stanley had his head reattached yesterday with an ice cream stick and tape.  He will be back in action tomorrow when we visit the site of the ancient Olympic games.

Sunday, Oct. 2 - the Peloponnese

A short drive from Athens today aand little traffic in the city and backroads.  We took a look at the Canal of Corinth.  Over 2000 years to build and never a commercial success. 

Also a hard to read road sign

We also stopped by Epidavros (site of ruins of old time healer and shrine.  To tell the truth, we are up to our eyeballs in ruins.  There is also a theater there in very good condition and stilll in summertime use.

Thursday/Friday, Sep. 29/30 - The Oracle of Delphi and Temple of Apollo: Athens

view from our mtn top CG at Delphi

sunset view from Delphi CG

Why is it that the Greeks and Romans had to build on the tops of remote mountains????  all that climbing!!  And it seemed like we were driving the back roads of Colorado.

Stanley at the Temple of Apollo (6 columns restored)

restored treasury (offering) of Athens to the Temple of Apollo

In the afternoon (to miss the tour buses carrying hordes of tourists), we saw the museum and archaeological site of Delphi (Delfi).  A few pictures attached.  Stan seems to get into everything.

pediment of a treasury building (Hercules on the right)

Greece is certainly having economic problems.  We notice a general slowdown in activity in comparison to Turkey, which is a bustling and progressive country.  In Greece, by comparison, there are many incomplete road construction projects.  There is also a whole lot of graffiti, especially along roadsides, on road directional signs, which makes our navigation even harder.  Another difficulty is the Greek language.  Given enough tine (several hours!) I can make out the names of Greek towns written in the Greek alphabet; many places have 2 separate signs - one in the Greek alphabet and the other in the Roman alphabet.   Also, each town has several different spellings (on signs, on the atlas, in our log).  We are getting to be quite expert in manipulating the GPS.  BTW the roads here have multiple highway numbers on the maps, but the road signs do not use these numbers (except for interstates); you need to know the name of the next major town in the direction you are going.  If you are reading this, you can know that we successfully navigated into Athens and arrived at our latest campground on Friday, Sep. 30.
Tonight we taxi downtown to see the lights on the Acropolis and have dinner.

Stan the Man revisits the battle site at Thermopolae - Thursday Sep 29

Stanley reaches new heights.

You are here with Stan the Man at the battle site of Thermopolae!  With great detective skills, navigational knowhow and a little luck, your Action Man Stan is on the scene in 3 D !!!  Just between you and me, there is not much here--just a memorial to mark a point below the pass where the action took place in 480 B.C.  300 Spartans tried to hold off (hold your hats! 1,700,000 Persians.  It was King Leonidas of Sparta against the Persian king Xerxes.  The Spartans held them off for three days, which bought time for the Spartans to get reinforcements and eventually turn back the Persians. 

The round people and I went next door to a new building  We don't read Greek which is a problem in Greece.  Well, dear friends, it was a brand-new museum and we were the only 3 people in it (except for a nice lady welcoming us).  There was a 3 D movie of the battle (in Greek only, still a problem) and 4 interactive displays.  You will see your on-scene reporter (me) in them.  We don't think the museum is entirely finished, but it certainly was exciting to be the only visitors!!!  Look for me below.  Bye.  Stanley the Great One

Uh oh.  There is going to be trouble!

Stanley with a Spartan soldier.

Wedsnesday, Sep. 28 catchup - Kalambaka monasteries



only 140 steps to the entrance patio!

We took a tour of the area containing 5 active monasteries and one nunnery.  People lived in or on these sandstone pinnacles as early as the 11th century AD.  The monasteries were built beginning in the 14th century; they are a spinoff of the Athos monasteries that we saw by boat last Sunday.  In the early days, the only access was by a l o o o n g ladder and more recently by winches hoisting ropes and baskets.  We went inside the church at Varlaam monastery (inhabited by 7 monks today). In my opinion, the best reason to visit today is to see the religious art inside (very good condition for 14th-16th century works).  Today the govt is widening the road to accommodate more tourist $$$$.

postcard of ceiling "Glory of Christ" (above)

At the nice CG, we cooked outside at their gas stoves.  Dinner was spaghetti and meat sauce (first ground beef I've seen in the stores for 6 weeks!) It tasted good.

Stanley's climbing expedition

Your man Stan here again!  Yesterday we camped just below Mt. Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece - 2917 meters.  That's 9570 feet for you in the USA.  Naturally I thought the round people would be climbing it, but no such luck.  So I had to make my own adventure climbing giant trees in the CG and practicing my rope skills.  BTW, the Aegean Sea was too rough to boat or swim.  Here's me on a tree and on the beach.

Tuesday, Sep. 27 - Kalambaka and Pella visit

Today was a short drive day.  We had a devil of a time leaving the CG and getting back onto the highway.  The Greek govt. is building a new 4-lane road, and they've already got a light rail running.  Between the train tracks and the construction, our GPS was totally useless and the road atlas doesn't have enough detail.  Did I forget to mention the toll booths, one-way ramps and roads closed with barriers??  We finally found a way after lots of local "sightseeing."  Then we toured the industrial area of Larisa, a mid-sized town that we were supposed to bypass.  Oh dear, both the navigator and the GPS were having an off day.  : ( 

Yesterday we stopped en route to tour Pella, the ancient capital of the Macedonian empire.  We need to study up on Alexander the Great.  We heard a lot about him in Ankara because Gordion is near there.  That's where he was supposed to untie the Gordion knot and become the ruler of the entire world.  Instead, he sliced through it with his sword, and that's why he died young.  Or so the story goes.  In Pella, we visited both the archaeological site and the new museum.  Both are famous mostly for their mosaic floors made of different colored pebbles.

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The museum contains a sample of things they found, such as coins, statues, burials and offerings, murals, original mosaics from 325-300 B.C., and maps of the Macedonian empire.

Last night's CG was on the Aegean coast, but it was too chilly for a swim and too rough for Stanley's boat.  We were listening to the waves pound up on the beach all night.  Dinner was one of our best--chicken breast with noodles and peas in a 4-cheese sauce and plums for dessert.  I have a spice mix for making tzaziki (sp?) with yogurt and cucumber.  Will try it out tonight.  Rest of the meal will be spaghetti with ground beef; at least I hope it is beef and not pork.  The package has a picture of a cow on it.

Tomorrow we have a bus to take us on a tour of monasteries.  They are related to the ones that we saw by boat.  It seems that when you build something in a very remote spot, tourists flock to it with their prying eyes.  If you built it beside an interstate, probably nobody would bother to come.

Sunday, Sep. 25 - Boat ride past where the road ends

Today's tour was along the Chalkidiki peninsula of Greece.  We are camped on one of the "three fingers" (peninsulas) of the big peninsula in Ouranopolis, the end of the road on the Athos peninsula.  The land farther along is reachable only by boat and is known as the Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain.  Only monks and male pilgrims who apply 6 months in advance are allowed to enter.  It is self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Repblic (Greece).  There are about 20 monasteries today, most built or established in the 9th to 12th centuries.  The monk population is about 2200.  Each monastery is governed by an abbott.  Each monk works 8 hrs a day, sleeps 8, and prays 8.  We didn't much sign of life, but since it was Sunday, the monks might not have been working.  We did see a few monks at the boat dock where we started our ride.

Since I have mentioned the many good restaurant meals provided by our caravan company, I feel that I should show you last night's homemade attempt.  It has been very pleasant to have meals outdoors, and that somewhat makes up for the lack of style and gourmet-ness.  Last night's menu was pork chops (no longer in Moslem Turkey), peas, tomatoes, cukes, and pasta.

Stanley's geography lesson

Hi, folks!  Stanley here on the A E G E A N   S E A   coast.  The round people and I looked at our map of the big area and discovered we are still on the Aegean Sea, not the Mediterranean as I said in my last post.  Here is me pointing with my right hand to where we are camped tonight.  We are on a peninsula of a peninsula in Greece.  It is a pretty place.  If you want to know, my left hand is near Istanbul.

I was sightseeing at a high point near the coast.

This morning (Sunday) we all took a boat ride further down the peninsula, past where the road stops.  No doubt the round people will tell you why there is no road.  Clue - it's not because of the terrain.  While on the boat, I tried to train a sea gull to fly me around (faster than my own boat) but  that plan didn't work. So I just stayed on the boat and had a nice time.