We boarded a ferry in Athens to take us on a 4 hour trip to Paros. It’s a bit confusing, because in our first week we visited POROS which is in the Saranac Islands. PAROS is in the Cyclade Islands.This ferry was massive! they had everything from mopeds and motorcycles to cars to large trucks and construction equipment board!The lounge area was very plush; much like a cruise liner!I snapped this picture because they misspelled ANEKA(our granddaughter’s name)!The host from the VRBO that Jan booked for us picked us up at the ferry landing that night at about 10:00PM! What service! This was where we stayed for our week in Paros. A very nice home overlooking the town and water.
Each of the 3 bedrooms had an adjoining patio area as well as this one off the front of the house.
Nicely appointed kitchen.
Living room.Two very nice bathrooms.
Our bedroom was spacious!While we were lounging at the house one day these people were having a bit of a problem. It looked like the guy driving the lead ATV took the corner a bit fast and hit the stone wall. No doubt who won that battle!The next morning, Sunday, after our arrival, our host took us into town to do grocery shopping. Again, what service. Monday morning he again took us into town to get our rental car for the week. This beach picture was taken after we began exploring the town.
In our exploring we found this lovely little upstairs restaurant to have lunch. Those are grapevines in the rafters.
While exploring the area we noticed this guy delivering potatoes to the restaurant we just ate at.ALL of these were delivered; they go through a LOT of potatoes apparently!Some views from the park across the street from that restaurant.
We loved the traditional whitewash and blue with all the beautiful flowers!
As we explored the island we found this Butterfly Valley. Very interesting!The butterflies looked more like pretty moths in their shape. It was difficult to capture on camera, but in flight the underside of their wings were bright orange.This isn’t butterflies, but I liked the interesting stone patterns!
In our travels we came across this interesting use for an old VW convertible!Back in town we did some walking, exploring the streets of Paros. A beautiful town!
And of course Morgan and Clayton found another “friend”!
While exploring we found the Frankish Castle. They’ve built the structures on top of its ruins, leaving much of it intact! Pretty cool!
Notice the pigeon deterents?One of the many small shrines we came across in Greece.And one of the many old churches. All very interesting!
Nice old Harley!One of the high speed ferry boats!On one of our last days there we visited this beach which was a short walk down the hill from our house.
Lunch and a cold beer on the beach; Life is Good!
day trip by boat to delos and mykonos
We went down to the harbor and took a boat for a day tour of Delos and Mykonos.the island of Delos, in the center of the Cyclades, is one of the most important islands in Greek mythology according to what I’ve read. Very interesting to see in person for sure!And, of course, more cats!
And lizards!These drawings and explanations help decipher exactly what you’re looking at.
This was a very hot, dry area; it’s amazing the plants can grow right out of the rubble and rock!This guy could care less, he has his shady spot!Some more pieces waiting until they figure out where they fit.This is part of the extensive underground viaduct network.
This green area was a lake that supplied their fresh water.
Some more of the viaduct network.One of the many wells.This loan sea shell was just sitting on one of the walls!
One of the tile murals, still partially intact!
Inside the adjacent museum they had the more delicate pieces they wanted preserved.This is an overview map of the area.
This was “interesting”!Back outside, this place seemed to go on forever; it was huge!
This entry stone was well worn after thousands of years of footsteps on it!
Some of the carvings were amazingly still pretty much intact!
Yet another cat of Greece!Our grandson Reeve, who is a whiz at Legos, could help them put this area back together in no time!
Cleopatra even had a place here!
I really was intrigued with these plants! They’re kind of a thistle I think.
Well, back to the boat and on to Mykonos.
mykonos
We could see right away this was a pretty ritzy place! I wonder if “this is  Mine” belongs to the ex husband or ex wife?
The town was beautiful in the Greek traditional theme.
Mega-Yacht row!
I think that Shark is Jimmy’s cousin!Gelato Joni!One more traditional blue door!Well, back to Paros and home soon!
antiparos
Jan, Joni and I decided to make one last side trip on the way to the airport to Antiparos. It was a short 15 minute ferry ride. Most of that time was the ferry turning around to dock! Antiparos was gorgeous and not crowded at all!
On a suggestion from a local we went to this seafood restaurant on the other side of the island; about a 10-15 minute drive. So glad we did!
The view was wonderful and so was the food!
drying fish and octopus. YUM!The water here is so amazingly clear!
Our carriage awaits! (Not really, I just got the photo)
Toys, toys, toys!
A floating produce stand!
While we were there, Jan, Joni, Teresa and I decided to take this boat trip over to Moni Island. It sounded like an interesting trip!
While we did that, Clayton and Morgan chose to try an ATV tour of the area. Clayton, where are we going again?Joni’s coming prepared for the beach!Here’s the luxurious pier at Moni Island!The beach view from our shaded chairs; beautiful water!Joni enjoying the refreshing water!
Jan even convinced me that water in the 70’s was warm enough!
The most unique thing about this island is the free roaming and very friendly reindeer ( the sign said wild goats called Kri kri, but all we saw were these reindeer!) and peacocks!
I took a short hike to the other side of the island to see what was there.From up there you could get a good overall view of this beautiful cove and the beach.Others were watching too!This view is looking towards the other side of the island; apparently where all the mega-yachts hang out!
This one had its own floating pier to relax on!
In contrast to all the beauty was this abandoned structure up there. Apparently used for clandestine night partying!
I liked the contrast in this photo of the dilapidated structure with the multi-million dollar yacht in the background!Back in Aegina for our last evening together. What a fabulous week!
After a fun day of exploring Moni Island and the others doing their exploring it was time for our last evening dinner together. Jorge and Kathy knew the perfect place!
Time for dinner and we’re all starving!The place Jorge and Kathy took us did NOT disappoint! So much scrumptious food!
epidavros- bus trip to Nafplio and the fortress of palamidi
We took bus from Epidavros up to a mountain town called Nafplio to see the town and the Fortress of Palamidi.This fortress was quite amazing, very well preserved. It was built by the Venitians around 1686.This little guy is still building!
One of the many gun ports looking down on the city and bay below.This energetic fellow road his bike up to the fortress, then proceeded to run all of the many stairs there!They obviously had no OSHA restrictions for stair or landing railings! This string should do the job though!
There’s the Energizer Bunny again!
At the top of the fortress looking out to the bay
A tall ship in the bay.There was also this small fortress down in the bay.
Joni enjoying the sights.Views of the city below past the massive handrail on the edge of this area!
back on the anna ii and on to poros
We’re underway again, on to see Poros.
Time for a nap Clayton?
Our first view of Poros.There were several homes and other interesting things to see on our way into port.
This small island home was on our way into port, pretty cool!
Docked and ready to explore!But first, supplies!This fountain mermaid was right behind us where we were docked.
Kathy and Jorge’s favorite bakery was right close too! YUM!!
We took a short walk to dinner along this beautiful bay.
And of course we saw some spectacular sunset views on our way back!
next stop, ermioni
Arriving in Ermioni, a short trip from Poros.It of course has the typical cute blue and white buildings!
It looks like someone is going to have fun!
There’s Jan’s purple house!I saw this little fella while we were docking at the the pier!Bougainvilla everywhere, and in so many different colors!
We took a walk along the water to find somewhere for lunch. Such a beautiful place!We found lunch! We didn’t eat here, but it sure looked yummy!
Stairs to the water.Teresa couldn’t resist them!
And of course, blue doors!Check out the Hibiscus; they are climbing these two trees, all the flowering plants like this climate!!
For a change, some orange doors!I guess in Greece they drive their mopeds until the wheels fall off!
The next morning we were off again, back to Poros. The boat was having a problem with the anchor so we needed to go back there for the repairs.It was a windy day finally and we were going to get to actually sail; Jorge is studying hard!We’re on our way!Up go the sails!
Morgan at the helm!
She leans a bit more under sail!Joni observing.Here’s my one artsy/engineer picture!Joni manning (womaning?) the lines.Jorge is playing solitaire I think!Joni taking her turn at the helm.Clayton’s turn at the helm.Back to Poros!
stay tuned for our time aboard the anna ii, part 3………
After enjoying the sights in and around Athens for 3 days  it was time to board the beautiful Anna II for our week roaming the Saronic Islands of Greece with our Captain Jorge and his first mate, Kathy. First stop was Korfus.Jorge getting ready to head out.Once out of the port, our first day of sailing (by motor, no wind) began.It was a bit cooler and cloudy than we expected, but fun to be out on the water anyway! Jorge of course was flying his Uruguay flag!
One of the fast ferries passing by; pretty impressive speed for such a large ferry!One of the hundreds of small islands in the areaAfter a short sail, about 3-4 hours, we arrived at our first port called Korfus.
As we got closer we could see our destination, Papa Georges. A cool little restaurant run by a friend of Jorge and Kathy’s, Papa George!Papa George (the gentleman on the right with his arms crossed, who is 88 years old) and his crew directed us into our spot right in front of his establishment.Once docked and set for the night, we took a walk to explore this quaint little Greek village.
And of course there were cats! Not really sure what was going on here, perhaps he fell asleep while performing?
Some beautiful ironwork.
Not all the boats were exactly seaworthy, but still a good photo opportunity!
Some children playing in the water throwing pebbles.Another not-so-seaworthy boat!Heading to the local market for supplies.This guy put his own walkway in the water to his mooring spot!
After a nice stay in Korfus and exploring, the next morning  we were off to our next port. Kathy and Clayton pulling up the anchor; it’s a group effort (my job is documentation!)
korfus to epidavros
Buds for life!
This appeared to be some sort of fish or shellfish farm as we entered our next port. Notice the small camper?Arriving at our next port, Epidavros.
There’s a campground! We should’ve brought ours!
Another beautiful quaint little Greek village!
Teresa and Joni casting our mooring lines.Lines tied up, anchor set, in for the evening!
Oh look Joni, Gellato! Right on the way to the market!Christina’s Cafe, one of our favorite restaurants of the trip!
We had dinner and the next day’s breakfast here, nice little restaurant with tables on the pier.With Juniper bushes in front too.
And of course; more cats and kittens!Picturesque scene!And the local market.Beautiful flowers everywhere in Greece!
And more cats! Mama and her kittens.This little fella was particularly cute!We’re waiting for the bus to take us up to visit a nearby ruins of Epidavros.
the ruins of epidavros
The theater was the main part of this ruins. astonishingly well preserved for being thousands of years old!
Amazing fine details!This guide was demonstrating to his class the acoustics of the theater by clapping their hands and listening to the reverberations it caused; very interesting!
These were part of the underground sewer system for rain runoff.As you can see it appears only the front row of seats had backs, the rest were just bleacher-like. I’m assuming the front row was for royalty.
Some of us went all the way to the top. I saw no need since I had my new 18-300 zoom lens!
And of course, the always present Greek cats!
The accompanying museum was also very interesting.
I was fascinated by all the lion heads they used.
Seen here is a restored piece; the white marble is the restored part.
stay tuned for part two of our week aboard the anna ii with captain jorge and first mate kathy………
While we were in Athens and had a free day until we boarded the sailboat, we decided to take an excursion up into the mountains outside of Athens to a ruins called Delphi. We had a limo take us ; it was a beautiful 3 hour drive through the mountains. Here we have arrived and the driver is giving us tips as to what to expect.As you can see from this overall map it’s quite a large complex. All very interesting and amazing to see! On the left of this map is the entrance and the museum and on the right up the mountain is the extensive ruins as they would have looked back then.It was amazing to me that a lot of these ruins are still intact after thousands of years!
Morgan and Clayton managed to find friends along the way!Some beautiful and interesting flowers and plants growing here as well.
Rock of the Sibyl, now covered almost completely by lush vines!
This is a replica of the Serpent Column. Notice in the background is the base to the original. It was moved from this Temple of Apollo to the Hippodrome in Constantinople, Istanbul, Turkey.
We were amazed at how they could cut such perfect shapes int stone so many thousands of years ago!
And of course what ruins would be complete without an amphitheater!
They had, like most of these ancient ruins, evidence of an elaborate aqueduct system for managing water!
Much of the intricate telework of this building was miraculously still in good condition.
Quite the view from on top of this area!
On our way back down to the entrance and the museum we encountered a few local residents!
The museum held some of the more delicate and interesting relics; kept indoors to preserve them better.
This display showed what was left of this statue, with the drawing behind it to give you a feel of how it looked. Very interesting exhibit!
Some of the artifacts were more “interesting” than others!
Our first stop on our Greece adventure was Athens for 3 days while we waited to get on the sailboat. Jan found this awesome VRBO in Athens on top of the hill with views galore!Interesting artwork!
Beautiful sunsets from up there!
We did a little exploring and walking around downtown Athens.If you look close you can see the Acropolis on top of the rocks behind these buildings. We were amazed at how close they built stuff near the Acropolis!
Mopeds and motorcycles are a very popular mode of transportation there!
A very popular brand of coffee there!An open air market.
the acropolis
While in Athens of course we had to go see the Acropolis!The fact that much of the fine details are still intact after this many centuries is amazing! The Acropolis was built between 460 and 430 BC!The view of Athens from the Acropolis.
This was an Amphitheater next to the Acropolis. Again, astonishing how well preserved it is considering how many millions of visitors have been here!A group shot in front of the Acropolis. Hard to get without any other people in the picture! Note the crane in  the background; they are continually working on restoring and/or maintaining the structures here to preserve them.
I saw this in the marble we were walking on. It appears be a hole ground into the marble; maybe grinding grains or corn?
See the whiter marble? That’s some very meticulous restoration; replacing the missing pieces exactly as they were!
This looks safe!
Workers are constantly cleaning the Amphitheater seats.
Another shot of one of the many cranes in use here.Workers measuring one of the thousands of loose pieces; maybe to figure out where it goes?
This was before the peak season for visitors but there must have been a few thousand visitors while we were there! A little too many for our tastes!
Amazing how these plants can grow so well in the cracks between stones!Another example of how well some of the fine details have endured!The marble all these millions of visitors have been walking on is worn very smooth and shiny; really treacherous when it rains I would imagine!Another amazing view of the city from the Acropolis!
Not all the visitors were mesmerized by the history and amazing structures!
During our short stay in Amarillo we stayed at this nice park. Very clean, well kept and lots of room between sites!Their tribute to Cadillac Ranch I guess! I would have included a picture of the real Cadillac ranch but there were people swarming all around it and it is now completely covered in spray painted graffiti, such a shame!While there we also added Oklahoma to our map; only 16 states left!There were 8 Grand Design rigs during our stay; we were well represented!
The view from our rear window, another two Solitudes!The whole purpose for the visit was to spend time with Bryces sister, Holland!
We did a day trip with Holland to the Palo Duro Canyon Texas State Park. These Longhorn Steers were penned at the entrance to the park. They really weren’t interested in us, more into their dinner!
The canyon; not as impressive as others we’ve seen but still beautiful! Kind of like a small Grand Canyon.
While staying in Tulsa we did a little sightseeing. We visited the Phillips Petroleum Company Museum in Tulsa, what a fascinating place!This truck was produced by the Tulsa Automobile Company, a 1918 Tulsa Four Runabout, specially built for the oilfields; I never knew the company even existed!
Notice the custom racks in the bed for drill bits.Some displays brought back memories of my youth; I guess this means I’m kind of OLD!
Some beautiful and interesting artwork and old photos as well.This huge vault contained the thousands of Phillips Petroleum patents!One of their patented products was Marlex Plastic, which was most famously used for production of the Hula Hoop!They even had a Hula Hoop there you could “take for a spin”! We didn’t try it!Here are some of their many products over the years.
Here’s a photo of one of their service stations. I remember when they really were service stations; they pumped your gas, check your oil and battery and washed your windows!Some of their early delivery vehicles used in their business.
Frank Phillips was very particular when it came to the company image!This is one of their service stations that is on display at the Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve.
They had a replica of the living quarters for the oilfield workers; pretty sparse!
woolaroc museum and wildlife preserve
Here’s a couple of Longhorn steers having a little sparring match.And Ostriches!Zebras!?! In Oklahoma?A couple of Water Buffalo cooling off!They even have a small herd of Bison too.In front of the museum are several interesting bronze sculptures.An indian speer fishing.
The front entrance to the museum had these beautiful mosaic tile pictures.
In the main entrance lobby is a grand statue of “Uncle Frank” as he was called by all who knew him. Frank Phillips, founder of the Phillips Petroleum Company and also a great humanitarian to all.Frank Phillips had a great love and respect for the Native Americans, so there is quite a lot of memorabilia, artwork and photos of them in his extensive collection here.
We particularly liked this painting, it looks almost 3D in person!
There were also many beautiful birds and animals to admire.
This was one HUGE snake!There were some displays of how it was in the old west of the time, including this beautiful saddle.There many different variations of spurs too!
A caricature of Uncle Frank; he wasn’t afraid of being poked fun at! He loved the Old West!
Here’s a painting from a photo of Uncle Frank attending the 1930 Cow Thieves and Outlaw Reunion, holding the Chief’s grandson!
A re-creation of Frank’s office.There is also a very extensive collection of various firearms, quite impressive!
There is als
And of course, vehicles and an airplane!
Beautiful chair, but it doesn’t look too comfy!
Frank and his wife’s living quarters of the day.
On our way out of the parking lot at Woolaroc we noticed these whimsical bird houses lining the back of the lot!
tulsa botanical gardens
The Tulsa Botanical Gardens had some spectacular flowers; we were amazed!
We’ve seen these before, but these were huge! about the size of a dinner plate!
Branson was a bit like Las Vegas mixed with Disneyland! Lots of Casinos, Vegas type shows with “Tribute” shows for various artists and all kinds of kids entertainment: we opted for more scenic fun, like this 40 mile round trip train ride on antique rail cars. This engine is circa mid 1950s.
The car we rode in was one of those domed observation cars. It was from the late 1940s I think!This was a city campground right near the train station downtown. We stayed further out.Going across an old wooden trestles; I assumed they keep it maintained!
Some areas were pretty tight! They only blasted out as much as they needed to get through I guess!There were two tunnels to go through too.While in the darkness of the tunnel the interior lights came on including these light up handrails on the stairs. Must be the predecessor of fiber optics?!? (sorry for the blurred picture, I took this with my phone)The second tunnel.
A view of the Branson harbor area of Lake Taneycomo in downtown Branson near the train station.
table rock lakeshore trail
We found this lovely short trail on the shore of Table Rock Lake, as the name implies.Lots of pretty flowers and greenery all along it.
Interesting root system on this old tree!And of course my favorite; dead trees!This one looked to me like a moma and adolescent Iguana together!Nice wide trail; we wished we’d brought our bikes!This is the Branson Belle. They offer lunch/dinner cruises and other special occasion cruises.
fantastic caverns in springfield, missouri
We’d seen billboards for this attraction up in Springfield and had enough of Branson craziness so we went and checked it out. It’s a tour that takes you through the cavern with a Jeep pulling a trailer. Jan and I got to ride in the back seat of the Jeep.Just outside the entrance to the cavern was this wood fired stem generator they used to use to light the Edison light bulbs inside. They now of course have been replaced with electric LED lights throughout run by normal electric service.Kind of eerie in there but huge! Not cold, but is always around 60 degrees. It felt good on a hot day!The caverns are left over from an old underground river that carved it out of the surrounding limestone.
Some very interesting formations! We were told they only grow about 1/4″ every 100 years!
As a comparison, here is one of the Edison bulbs they used back then. Not quite as bright as the LEDs for sure!Another tour group.The owner of the property discovered the cavern in 1862 but kept it a secret until 1867 to explore it. He waited until after the Civil War in fears it would be used and possibly destroyed by either side. These are the names of the 12 women from the Springfield Athletic club who answered his add for explorers to investigate the caverns! Mind you they only had candles in a crude tin can lantern to see by; VERY dark and unknown territory! Our guide turned off the lights for a minute or so, so we could see how dark it is. You can’t see ANYTHING!
This is the entry/exit of the caverns.We never knew Missouri had so many caverns!One of their earlier tour vehicles. I’m pretty sure those white wall tires are not original!
Another older generator.They eventually started using Jeeps like this one. It looks to be 1950s?I’m not sure why there are 4 gearshifts. One for the tranny but 3 for the transfer case?1929 or so Ford pickup truck with an interesting way of running the generator for the lights in the bed!
I REALLY wanted to push that button!Another Jeep, a bit newer than the green one I think.Here is a Jeepster pulling an old teardrop camper.
After our underground tour we walked down a short path to the river behind.
The boardwalk ended where the water exits the caverns during the rainy season. They had this cool sitting area complete with outdoor furniture!
This is the exit point for the water. By the looks of it, it gets pretty intense at times!
Toad Suck Ferry Park is on the banks of the Arkansas River. It was part of the Army Corps of Engineers development of the bridge, dam and locks to regulate the river to prevent flooding. It’s a beautiful park!There is a lock at the other side of the river to allow these river barges to get through.
Most of the week we had this end of the park pretty much to ourselves!Our campsite was very nice, although quite a challenge to get into, especially since there was a torrential downpour just as we arrived.
toad suck daze
This is an annual event held here since 1982. It was originally held at Toad Suck Park but was moved in 1990 to Conway and has been held there every year since. It was just our luck it happened to be while we were there!There were the usual state fair type food vendors, games and activities. This was for the kids; they gave them tools and let them take this SUV apart!There was this booth that lets the kids build different piping configurations to carry water. Of course since it was hot many got wet!
This awesome truck was just a promo for an auto shop, but it is pretty cool!The main event of course is the Toad races happening throughout the 3 day fair!We were there for one of the races with the kids competing. Pretty entertaining to watch!They line-up, trying to keep them contained until the start of the race.And they’re off, now trying to keep them headed in the right direction. These are not professional toads, they were just sitting on the bank of the river minding their own business yesterday! They’ll be returned there after the races are through. They probably will never be the same after this brief spot of glory as a racer!
The trophies to be awarded. I’m pretty sure the toads don’t get one though!
Arkansas 7 scenic byway through the ozarks
This was a very beautiful drive through forests of green!
Many colorful flowers too.Along the way we stopped at The Cliff House for lunch. A very picturesque location! They have an attached Inn to.The view from their balcony was awesome too!
All along this route were spectacular views!There was this observation tower, but I can see just fine standing on solid ground!
