30 October

I am following days from our trip to Greece. I have already posted about Halloween. Somethings are out of order from real life. Oh well…

It is true, Cody, (AKA: Codes, Buddy, Ding-Dong, Big Dummy (by the neighbors), Codester, & Rascal) has turned 1.

M, his best friend, decided to surprise him with his first trip to the beach. He bounded in right after her and loved it. One time a little wave caught him off guard and he was afraid and done. I think he did not like salt water in his nose. After several attempts to reintroduce him to the sea he reluctantly went back chasing M, forgetting about the mini wave that caused him so much anguish.

He received an email from his vet, Dr. Anthony, and 9 pinecones from his bestie. So nice to have a friend who knows you so well!

Things Cody enjoys:

Being in water,

Sleeping,

Dirt and sand,

Socks and boots..even if he tries to pretend he doesn’t have them,

Adventures by car, bike or leash

Splooting

And watching life go by.

We Love you Cody! Good Boy! Happy Birthday!

Cave of the Seal, Kendall and a plane delay home

21 and 22 October

• The following pictures below again may look great, amazing, and possibly something from National Geographic. If only the morning was as great as God’s beauty was captured and enjoyed.
• Cafes can look amazing from online pictures and recommendations and their location is just not where the family wants to be. So we try several cafe locations before finally deciding on one conducive to our morning and pace of life. Palm trees and a shore line help.

• Last day in Greece, what do we do, go slow, cram more marble into our eyes, find something unique to do, or sleep the day away? Driving out of the way and around a mountain is good for the soul and heartbeat of our family. Nature and hiking are comforting to all. 

• Cave of the Seal did not disappoint in any way. Impromptu swimming is highly recommended especially if you are traveling with all your luggage and can change upon return to the car.

Taking 2 ferries and crossing the Salamina Island to reach Athens was the right adventure to take.

• Randy scored 5 stars for driving the entire adventure.

• We missed seeing Richmond friends visiting Athens, Greece the same time we were in the area. It was hard for me, but I am glad we could share similar experiences via whatsapp.
• Taking a friend to dinner and ice cream from our church back home was priceless.

• Pumpkin Spice called my name at the Athens Airport for my flight home, especially after clearing 3 checkpoints showing passports and tickets.
• Just like in Switzerland, crazy things happen toward the end of our travels, where we see God’s hand working. The viewing of a base jumper’s situation going wrong was in September. This time our green airplane was further delayed due to the removal of a passenger who was sitting in the seat right in front of Randy and Zach! The airline crew seemed to do an amazing job following protocol by checking EVERYTHING possible on the plane after his removal, from every overhead piece of luggage, under the cushions of surrounding seats as well as seat back pockets, to questioning passengers. Lastly the pilot announced the situation and flew us safely home to Montpellier, France.

Ancient Corinth

• Ancient Corinth is in a different location than today Corinth.
• From the outside our lodging reminded me of a vintage cruise ship on land, complete with an elevator from who knows when. There were no closing doors or gates as we went up and down. We could see and feel the walls of the building. Our living quarters were surprisingly nice inside. I forgot to take pictures. Oh, except we had to turn on the the hot water tank prior to using it, let the water heat up, AND remember to turn off all power to the tank before taking a shower OR we could possibly be electrocuted. I know my dad could have fixed this problem for sure!

• Temple of Apollo…Pictures can be taken from behind an iron fence when the area is closed.

• Erastus Stone reads “Erastus Edil laid the groundwork for his expense.” Erastus is mentioned in Romans 16:23, Acts 19:22, and 2 Timothy 4:20 by Paul. We found out about him and this stone by watching a clip from “Drive through History”

• Freely exploring Ancient Corinth, specifically the Ancient Theatre and surround areas, was REALLY FUN, especially thinking about Paul having walked the same area almost 2000 years ago. We found bones in the 10 foot dirt piles along the area. A little unsettling, however research claims the area may have been for discarded cattle.

• Good food and ice cream ended the day. Do not forget multiple cats encircling the outdoor tables, not so pleasant.

Naxos Island to Corinth via Athens airport

20 October 

• When a 14 year old leaves their favorite VT hat at the beach overnight AND it is 25 minutes away…you go get it, hoping it is still there and not washed out to the Aegean Sea. (CHEERS from the beach..his hat was waiting for him)
• The above adventure allowed us to revisit Hawaii Beach in sunlight.

• Prior to leaving the island we grabbed some snacks at the local grocery market.
• We arrived at Naxos Airport in time to catch our flight black to the mainland of Greece.

• The following sets of pictures may look amazing, just know real life is messy and we experienced messiness and unmet expectations driving across Greece toward Corinth.
• Sousaki volcano is dormant and smells of sulfur.

• The Corinth Canal spans roughly 4 miles in length across the Grecian isthmus. It is roughly 27 yards wide (think a swimming pool length), 170 feet tall and contains 26 feet of water for ships. The initial idea of this canal dates back to 6th century BC. Technology and explosives finally caught up to the idea, resulting in its completion in 1893 after dynamite was invented by Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist and engineer in Northern Germany.
• We crossed the bridge several times yet never took a photo. Below was taken by Z as we flew home a few days later.

Naxos Island – driving to the mountain villages

19 October

• Michelle’s phone is having a problem charging and therefore not taking pictures. She has to rely on others to take photos or has to constantly ask to borrow a phone camera.
• We like God’s beauty in nature
• Repeat: Greece is mainly arid, mountainous, rocky, has tight roads, and turquoise water on sunny days
• Temple of Demeter (530 BC) converted to a church in the 6th Century.

• Chalkio is worth the drive. Stopping for coffee and snacks can lead to many adventures if in the right mindset for all parties. We walked past a huge tree in front of the local school and found ourselves walking narrow roads in the village looking for a distillery.

• Vallindras Kitron Distillery was hidden in the middle of town and through the blue corner door.

• Greek Gyros contain French Fries
• Naxos goats and sheep high in the mountains have bells around their necks like the cows in Switzerland.

• Best to end the night or day on high notes, these being Alyko Beach, frisbee throwing, shell collecting in crevices and a walk by the port for Waffle House ice cream.

1 November

This morning I checked social media to see US Halloween photos. It was almost like seeing the first day of school pictures. It is the thing to do and harmless in many ways. Here in France, everyone dresses scary. I saw many toddlers dressed as vampires at the grocery store. From what we experienced there were no princesses, cowboys, ladybugs, book characters or make your own costume. If you are seen dressed as previously listed people think you are dressed for Carnival which is before Easter. Taken from http://www.frenchmoments.eu,”Mardi-Gras and Carnival refer to eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of Lent. In France, this festive season comes with sumptuous public celebrations or parades (‘les carnavals‘) which take place in many French towns and schools.”

Halloween wasn’t even on our radar because our kids had just about outgrown it in the US. Then when we found out even teens dress up and participate here in France. The kids had some interest, until only scary costumes were allowed. The kids tried to put on scary masks they found here at the house, but the overall sentiment was not really wanting to dress scary, be scared by others or dodge the rain. So we hunkered down, closed the blinds, cooked burgers and stayed inside. This was when I decided to go to the store and find cereal for rice crispy treats for Tuesday’s bible study gathering.

On a side note, Mazie finished reading The Hobbit for her language arts class. Our family has been watching, in small increments, all three Hobbit movies, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. We finished The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, prior to watching The Hobbit Trilogy.

Here is a flashback from 2014 when Randy was Gandalf for Halloween.

Naxos Island – Beach explorations

October 18

• Repeat: Naxos Island is windy, has tight roads, arid, mountainous, rocky, and turquoise water on sunny days.
• Beaches are empty in October and VERY windy!

• Michelle can find things to photograph anywhere, even PLAKA Beach.
• Pix 5 shows the reality of an empty beach with deserted chairs.
• Pix 6 shows how a photo can be taken at the same place with a different eye end intention.
• Pix 7, 8, and 9 are all taken within 15 seconds..showing different positions against the wind and being reminded that God knows every piece and place of hair on my head…Luke 12:7…Naxos, Greece.
• Pix 10 has the kids framed through the window with several islands in the far background.

• Even if Google maps lists restaurants as open, chances are they are closed if near the beach in October.
• The island landscape is dotted with little white washed church buildings. Some areas have old windmills.
• We found a spot to eat. We think a Greek Grandma was preparing for each customer for the day.
• Hawaii and Alyko Beaches are the best beaches to visit when it’s windy.
• Hawaii Beach shown below had an interesting path down to the cove.

• Waffle House is an ice cream store…with delicious strawberry cheesecake gelato.
• We had a nice evening walk to the port.
• Don’t forget to floss (dance) before bed! Picture not shown to protect the flossing individuals.

Athens to Naxos Island

17 October

Day 3 of things we have learned while traveling:

• Our last breakfast at Mystilli: pancakes, omelets, french toast and coffee.
• Ancient Agora of Athens was a good way to end our Athens stay with free exploration.

• Randy and his brother, Uncle Greg, had a pet turtle while living in Greece. 
• 45+ years later Charlie is alive and well residing in the Ancient Agora of Athens area.

• Ancient Agora’s outside reconstructed museum with real and copied versions of ancient statues.

• 6 Euros more for an Uber vs. Athens City Metro to the airport, worth every minute, plus Randy had our lady driver laughing most of the time with his stories.
• Cats are EVERYWHERE!
• Naxos Island is windy and has tight roads.

• We had a date. Randy ate octopus. We brought pizza back for the kids. Good night as we listen to 30 mph winds all night from our rooftop suite at Kymata Hotel.

Athens, Prison of Socrates, Anafiotika, Acropolis and the Parthenon

16 October 

Day 2 of things we have learned while traveling:

• Greek coffee is small, a double cappuccino is the perfect American size.
• Weekend vendors sell everything and anything

• Let’s get to the nitty gritty of why day 1 and day 1.5 were so hard on many levels…
• City hustle and bustle is not for everyone.
• Our kids informed us that our family vacations have never really been about man made structures.
• When in Athens, visit famous man made marble structures even if you do not want to.
• https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/caves-of-filopappou-hill listed land turtles reside here so the kids had something to look for as we hiked.  We did not find any TODAY!

On the slopes of Filopappou Hill, follow the path to this warren of rooms carved into bedrock. It’s said to have been the place Socrates was imprisoned in before his trial in 399 BC.  this was also found online…

More recently, artifacts from the Acropolis and National Archaeological Museum were hidden here to protect them from Nazi looting during WWII.

Either way it was a fun excursion which led us to the top of the hill with amazing views of the city and the Parthenon.

• Athens has marble hiking paths with marble stairs.

• Anafiotika was a refreshing change of pace and scenery.
• The Anafiotika district is named from the island of Anafi, located in the Cyclades archipelago. In the mid-19th century, Anafi stonemasons came to Athens to rebuild the partially destroyed city during the War of Independence and King Otto’s palace. The stonemasons settled and reproduced the typical architecture of the Cyclades for themselves.
• This area contains about 40 houses and less than 100 inhabitants. Small,very narrow streets and stairs, whitewashed houses, cats running through the streets, green plants and flowers, and wooden panels indicating the direction of the Acropolis characterize this district. It has the feel of a Greek Island. – Paraphrased from https://vivreathenes.com

• Graffiti and marble are everywhere in Athens. This area is not immune.

• We entered the Acropolis on the western side going past Ωδείο Ηρώδου του Αττικού…Herod Atticus Odeon (a building for musical performances) erected by Herod Atticus between 161-174 AD, remembering his late wife Regina.
• We also saw the Theatre of Dionysus built in the 6th century B.C. Dionysus/Bacchus (in Roman mythology) is the god of wine and pleasure.
• Our kids felt a little like the apostle Paul when he visited the highly educated Greek people with temples to gods like Zeus, Dionysus, or Athena..they did not like nor understood why people would honor them.

• Acropolis is the hill that the Parthenon building is located.

• The Parthenon is an active construction and repair site you will not find on instagram.
• Modern style Lego blocks are created to secure the headers of this ancient building.
• While we were visiting, Uncle Greg and Aunt Sarah sent a picture, to the kids, of themselves at the Parthenon. We decided it would be fun to copy and give the kids something to enjoy.