Success in the Hunt for Tofu!!!!!

When we first arrived on the boat in Athens and went to the Carrefour (the food store) there was no tofu to be found anywhere. Tessa and I are both vegetarian so it’s a common staple of our diet. We were very disappointed and were looking at every store we went to. Apparently there are no vegetarians in Greece :p So anyways we had almost given up our search, but today we had lunch at a Thai/Chinese place on Mykonos. Guess what they had… TOFU!!!!!!!! Not only did we get to eat it for lunch, but we were able to snag a box from the chef for the boat…only 8 Euros… so happy :D!

-Posted from a very happy Nykii and Tessa  

Beach Time in Mykonos

Mykonos as it turns out is a very busy island, no matter day or night. Every morning we wake up to a new cruise ship docked near by where a different one had been just the night before. On the 26th we had our first full day on the island and our first plan was to just cruise around the island in the car we had rented. This, however, did not turn out like we thought because we found a beautiful beach by a restaurant where we ended up spending the whole day. Everyone got a good tan and then we returned to the boat.

Today (the 27th) was the day we really got to walk around town.  We saw the famous windmills and “Little Venice”, the oldest area of the Chora (main city)

 

We had heard that there was a pelican on Mykonos named Pete. We didn’t think we would ever see him but today we got several pictures of him when he was walking around town.

 

For lunch we decided to go to the Thai/Chinese place we had passed yesterday. (This was the delicious place with the tofu). Then after lunch we drove to another beach and spent some time there playing beach volleyball and relaxing before we had to return the rental car on our last night on Mykonos.

-Nykii and Tessa (:

Shelter in Mykonos

We left Paros after only one night to make our way over to Mykonos. On our way we stopped at Delos, a large city/island of over 30,000 inhabitants. This is one of the most extensive archeological sites I’ve ever seen. On this whole island are ruins from the ancient city that once thrived here. Included in many of the buildings are mosaics of dolphins, people, and animals. Along one of the many streets they have massive stone lions. There were originally nine of them but only five are preserved and are in the museum.  These ones are replicas.  One of the newest Quarters of the city was the Establishment of the Poseidoniasts.  This area was the first to be burned by the Pirate Raids in 69 BC.  Just a few blocks have been escavated and most findings are jewelry made of inexpensive materials.  The pirates took most of the good stuff or it was carried away in a rush.  Two women had time to bury their gold jewelry and medallions but never returned to claim it. Other small fortunes were also uncovered yielding silver and gold coins.  Sadly, much of the city is worn away but you can still see a lot of what there used to be. After a few hours here we left and took a short sail over to Mykonos.

 

Here on the island lies a thriving city that has endless winding roads and places to be. So we will be here in a marina until Tuesday morning where we have taken shelter from another Meltemi that has come through.  Just for you yachties out there…we hit a Beaufort scale    8-9 last night.

-Posted by Nykii and Tessa

Escaping the Winds?

When we were leaving AntiParos we had to get up pretty early to try and beat the winds that were coming. Sadly, getting up early did almost nothing to help us in the wind. We were trying to  get to Paros but we were making no head way in the wind so then we decided to shoot for another island. However, when we were not that far from the other island we decided to take another shot at Paros and eventually got there. The winds had died down for the time being.

It was totally worth it when we finally arrived. It was perfectly still waters and the beaches were beautiful. Walking around town was an amazing experience with the winding roads and little shops every where. Then off the beaten path we found a stunning little restaurant with candles on every table. It was also right on the beach; so you could eat your food and watch the waves and sunset. All of this was a great ending that topped off a stressful sailing day.

-Nykii Sherman and Tessa Zee 

Paying Hommage to the God Boreas

After spending several days worrying that we might end up in Egypt (or some other place South), we payed hommage to the God Boreas (God of the North Wind).  Even the dinghy rides to the dock were anxiety ridden but we saw a lot of Antiparos.  We bought some rose’ Meltemi (Meltemi is the word for the big Greek winds)wine made on Paros island in Naoussa (where we really wanted to be).  We proceeded to drink some and then poured a bit into the water so that God Boreas would be happy with us and stop his nonsense :)  It worked almost immediately as the seas and winds calmed.  Although they picked up again overnight, during our trip North to Paros (in 10 foot seas and 35 knot winds) John mentioned that he would give the God more wine and things calmed down again…makes you go hmmmm.  We made it safely to Paros where it is very calm, enjoyed a wonderful dinner ashore in Naoussa and will head to Mykonos tomorrow.

Look…let’s harvest the cilantro!

Detour in AntiParos

We left Sifnos bright and early to try and make our way to Paros before the Meltemi (grreat winds) came and would not allow us to sail. However, along our way to the island the wind and the sea were getting very rough and one of us got very sea sick ): So to find shelter from the sea we came to the small island of AntiParos for lunch and ended up staying there through the night and the next few days. The winds have been a constant 35 knots (40 mph) for the last few days.  We must have made Boreas (God of the North wind) very angry somehow.  The wind cleared the horizon and made for a beautiful sunset!

Today when we got up we found a bus schedule so we could go to the main town of AntiParos. It turns out that it is a thriving place full of many shops and delicious sorbet stores. Walking through the town we entered what used to be an old castle that once existed there but was now converted into homes, although it still had some of the old remnants remaining. We spent most of the day there and later returned to the boat for dinner.

Tomorrow (June 23rd) we plan to spend the day going to the huge cave on AntiParos. This cave was known during the time of Alexander the Great.

We are also planning on returning to the town of AntiParos for another look at the rich culture that exists there, as well.

-Yet another entry from Nykii (Nikandra) Sherman and Tessa Zee

Happy Birthday Old Man

Happy Birthday to John…Summer Solstice Baby turns ???

Glaronissia.

The north coast of Milos is a remarkable and rare example of andesite column formation. These islets are entirely made up of vertical, pentagonal and hexagonal prisms, 20-30 cm in diameter, in majestic array.

 

Sailing to Sifnos

This morning we woke up to another beautiful day and a sail to the island of Sifnos ahead of us. We had the best chocolate croissants that we got from the cute little bakery the day before for breakfast and then it was time to sail. It was not such a long journey today, only three or four hours from the island of Milos to Sifnos.

When we arrived it was a prefect temperature to go swimming in the crystal clear water that surrounded us. So that is just how we spent the gorgeous afternoon: swimming and jumping off the boat into the clear water. Later in the day before dinner James and Jeanne Sherman went to the island to have a look around and see what is there. It sure looks nice from where we were anchored. We may or may not spend another day here but either way next stop is Paros! –this has been another post from Nykii Sherman and Tessa Zee (: thanks for reading!

Tanning with the Venus de Milo

We arrived at the boat and sailed over the next day to the beautiful island of Milos. This morning (June 18) we rented a car to drive around the island and went to the JAW DROPPING site of Sarakniko. Here it is pure white rocks surrounding a deep secluded inlet. Not to far away was a shipwreck of an old barge ship.  

Then we were off to a lunch at a small local place. After was the best part of the day; the beach at Firopotamos. The water here was the perfect temperature and the sun was great for tanning (:

Later on in the day we went a quick road trip across to the north end of the island to see where then Venus de Milo. The story of this is an interesting one to say the least. How it goes is this farmer was in his field walking around and he found this statue in his field. He decided to sell it to a French man but at the same time he sold it to another man. While the other man was about to take it to his own country the French man came on his boat. There was a huge scuffle and as the story goes this is when the Venus de Milo’s arm disappeared, and to this day no one knows where they are.

 

So then we drove to an ancient roman theater, this had an incredible ocean view and you can see why they had it there

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This was a nice end to the day as we returned the car and to the boat. We would lastly like to give a shout out to Kathy B from Dawson School. WE LOVE YOU KATHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! –this has been a post from Nykii Sherman and Tessa Zee (:

Fish On…Tuna Steaks for Dinner!

Yes, John caught a nice tuna AND (this is the important part…) LANDED IT.  So we enjoyed fresh tuna steaks for dinner tonight!

Leaving Athens…view from the sea

As we left Athens at 7am, we got a great photo of the city of Pireaus, population 5 million.

Guest Bloggers

For the next ten days I am giving up control of my blog to my guests, Nykii and Tessa.

Poros again

We had a beautiful 3 hour sail out of Kithnos…17-20 knots of wind power.  Then the wind starts to die down and John pulls out “The Beast” (our assymetrical sail for light winds) and we lose ALL wind, only to motor the remainder of the day into Poros.

But once we arrived, our visit of four years ago started returning to the old memory banks and I find it still a very scenic and awe inspiring port.  The old fort greets you as you enter showing its powerful position in battles long ago.  The town seems to be built up so that it surrounds the Clock Tower at the very top.  Jay Sea Dee is safely docked at the town dock #66.

 

We went to Poseidons Taberna across the street for a nice cold one…kind of a tradition when we arrive in a new port.  It was only 5 euros for a beer, a soda, and a bottle of water.  We then walked the town looking for the laundromat we were told existed here but found it to be only a laundry service so we’ll do load by load on Jay Sea Dee’s machine.  By the time we walked the town, stopped at the Harbor Police to check-in, bought the postcard I took a photo of above, we were hungry and decided to eat at Poseidon’s again since they were cheap.  I had the fish, John the meatballs and the Greek Yogurt with Honey dessert was on the house.  They always hang the Octopus out to dry after beating it to death on the rocks…what a sight (see photo #2 of the drying octopus)

Then came one of the best sunsets I have seen in a long time!

 

Oh yeah, our plants have sprouted…Cilantro soon to come!