Monday/Tuesday, May 7 - 8: We arrived in Athens at 1pm local time on Tuesday. We had driven from Columbia to Atlanta to catch our KLM flight through Amsterdam. The first leg was reasonably comfortable (for coach). We were pleasantly surprised to find that our seats were in row 16 (instead of row 41) and the on-board entertainment system provided a library of movies that would take months to watch. We chose "The Painted Veil" and "Babel" which we hadn't seen before. The second leg (from Amsterdam to Athens) wasn't so hot. We had seats in the last row of the plane: bad because the seats didn't recline and they were next to the lavatories; good, because at least we got to meet most of the people on the flight.... In Athens, we were greeted by our Gate1 representative and escorted to the Sofitel Hotel across the street from arrivals. Since our flight to Mykonos was not scheduled to leave until 7:10pm, we were provided with a nice buffet lunch and the opportunity to meet some of the others on our tour. (We booked a 10 day/8 night tour to Mykonos, Santorini and Athens to take advantage of the cheap airfare and get acclimated to Greece, before heading out on our own for the remaining 6 weeks of our trip.) After the short (20 minutes) flight to Mykonos and a 10 minute bus ride, we arrived at the Hotel Artemis, a 23 room hotel on Aghios Stefonos Beach. The hotel is located about 2.5km north of Hora, which is the main town of Mykonos--the one you've seen in all the photos of Mykonos. Our room is small, but quite well appointed. Especially nice are the floor to ceiling doors that open out to a white-washed balcony overlooking the beach. We're on the top floor, which is great, except that we have to lug our roller cases up several flights of steps.

There are two small restaurants about 2 minutes walk from the hotel. We choose the first, Epistrophi (which means "Come Back" in Greek). We are not disappointed. We share a huge Greek salad and a grilled bakaliaro (a mild white fish) cooked to perfection. We are eyed by several cats that are hoping for a handout. Since they are cared for by the owners of the restaurant, their pleading looks are not successful. We are exhausted after traveling for 28 hours, so we return to our room, open the doors to the balcony, close the shutters, and hit the sack.

Wednesday, May 9: When Rick awoke this morning and stepped out onto the balcony he found the whole area in fog so dense he couldn't see the building next door, let alone the cruise ship anchored at the new pier. It was eerie! 30 minutes later it had totally lifted and we were greeted by a magnificent sunny day, with a light breeze to keep things comfortable. We had breakfast downstairs , checked out the mini-mart next door, and waited for the bus to take us into the main town of Mykonos. Bus fare is 1.20E (euros) for the 10 minute ride. (At the time of this writing, the exchange rate is $1.36 to the Euro.) They have built a small bus terminal since Rick was here last. Today we'll spend wandering the maze of narrow streets that snake throughout the town, some of them barely wide enough for even one small motorcycle to pass the shoppers. From the bus station we pass the small public beach and then along the first street with fashion, jewelry, and souvenir shops not to mention coffee bars, tavernas and restaurants. Rick is looking for a hat and we will check out every souvenir shop until he eventually chooses one that he saw in the second place we stopped. We wander into "Taxi Square" which is where you can hire a taxi to take you anywhere on the island. Then along Kambani, which skirts the waterfront. We choose one of the narrow side streets (more like stone paths) and spend the next couple of hours window shopping. We hike up to the top of the hill above the town to see the row of windmills--the defining landmark of Mykonos. We have lunch along the sea wall in an area called Little Venice, and then some more wandering. Rory wants to see "Pete" the famous pelican who wanders the streets in the evenings in search of handouts from the tourists dining al fresco. He's nowhere to be found.

One of the major benefits to touring Greece at this time of year is that there are relatively few tourists. The restaurants are almost empty and the shops are uncrowded. This makes flitting in and out of the shops a lot more enjoyable. On his way to use the public WC, Rick notices a group of people gathered at the far end of the wharf. Getting closer, he realizes they're taking pictures of a pelican--actually three of them. Which one, if any of them is Pete, we'll never know. Since Pete has been wandering the streets of Mykonos for over 60 years, it's likely that there have been several, all of whom are known as "Pete" (or Petros, in Greek). Back to wandering, Rory finds an interesting shop, Sur Real that sells leather jewelry. We'll spend about 30 minutes here while Rory tries to choose between several bracelets and a necklace (she'll choose the latter) and Rick entertains the shop owner with one liners and smart comments.

It's almost 4:30pm when we decide to catch the bus back to the hotel, only to find when we reach the bus station that we've missed it and the next one isn't due until 6pm. We decide we'll walk back. but first Rick wants to find out what it costs to rent a 4-wheel ATV for a day. 15 minutes and 20E later, we're off on a bright yellow one (complete with two helmets and directions back to the hotel) that we rented from Pier 1 car rental. It's great fun and we decide to ride up the hills past the hotel to get used to it. Tomorrow we plan to explore the island.

Upon returning to our hotel, we decide we'll sit on the front porch and read. All our walking has tired us out and Rory decides a nap is in order. Shortly afterward, Rick follows having nodded off a few times on the porch. Before we know it, it's 8pm and time for dinner. This time we try the second of the two restaurants near the hotel (Petran Tavern). Rick has lamb chops, Rory has fried kalamari, and we both agree that the food is good, but last night's was better.

Thursday, May 10: We're greeted by another glorious day, except it's a bit windy. We've got our ATV waiting and after breakfast we're off to Aghios Yiannis Beach, south of our hotel and on the other side of Hora. The movie "Shirley Valentine" was filmed there in the early 90's and Rick had stayed at the hotel which was featured in the film. We found it without any trouble. The 8km ride gave us the opportunity to get used to driving the hills and coping with the little traffic we encountered, not to mention the wind. The area has changed quite a bit in the 20 years since Rick was there, but the hotel was right where it was supposed to be. It's a bit larger and the pool has been remodeled from its original rectangular shape to a more modern kidney shape. The road that passed in front of the hotel and the bus stop across from it are now beach. The area has also been built up considerably with apartments and small hotels. Fortuntately the laws of Mykonos require that all new buildings must be the traditional pure white. Doors and shutters can only be blue, green, or reddish brown. So the traditional look of the area is preserved. We explored the area a bit, stopping to chat with a couple from England on holiday--who happened to be quite familiar with "Shirley Valentine".

We had passed a pretty cove earlier and decided it would be a great place for lunch. The Ithaki Seaside Restaurant, right on Ornos beach was a perfect spot for a leisurely lunch. Afterward we were off again, this time to Kalafatis on the eastern side of the island. The views from the hills were magnificant and on the way back we found a vantage point from which we could view the entire town of Hora including the harbor and new pier where the cruise ships dock. We stopped for gas so that the ATV would be returned full--5E did the trick. We had the best time and intend to rent another one (or perhaps two scooters) at the next opportunity--maybe Santorini.

After dropping off the ATV at Pier 1 and imposing on them to take our picture, we decided to wander around town until dinner time. Since there are three cruise ships in port, the town is quite a bit busier than it was yesterday; but soon, most of the cruise passengers have returned to their ships for dinner, and once again the town is quiet. In the square behind the tourist office we encounter all three pelicans again and are able to identify which one is Petros (Pete). The others are Christina and Georgia. Of the three, Christina is most open to being petted by the tourists and Rory spends considerable time with her. We'll revisit Sur Real, and browse a swim suit store and several small jewelry shops. We find ourselves back in "pelican square" and choose a restaurant called Paraportiani. Within minutes, Christina the pelican shows up for handouts. The proprietor eventually makes a big show of feeding her a fish and everyone takes several photos. Rory is thrilled by all this, following Christina's every move, until she leaves to find her buddy Petros. Following our dinner, we opt for a 4E cab ride back to the hotel. We've had a terrific day. Tomorrow we'll leave for Santorini.

Friday, May 11: Today is a travel day. Rick is up early to run an errand in town. He catches the 9:40 bus and is able to get the 10:30 back. Rory is still not ready for breakfast. While waiting, Rick strikes up a conversation with a young woman in our group. She has traveled to Greece via New York (where she took in a Yankee game) and Frankfurt. She will return via Boston where she already has tickets for a Red Sox game. Someone needs to "snarf" this woman up! She says she read a letter in Budget Travel magazine from a couple praising the trips they'd taken that were mentioned in the magazine's "Best 40" column who planned to take another one to Greece. She wondered if we were the Ackermans who wrote the letter. We had--small world! When Rory finally comes down to the hotel terrace, it's 11:05 and she's missed breakfast. The hotel proprietor is very nice, and provides breakfast anyway. We'll hang out with our fellow travelers, making friends with Ben and Kathy from Stewart, FL. We have a light lunch at Epistrophi and wait for the bus to transport us to the new pier for the ferry to Santorini. The ferry is an hour and a quarter late. It's a big jet catamaran called the Flyingcat 4. There is no organization whatsover for either boarding or handling luggage. It's a zoo!! At least we have assigned seats and even though it's quite windy and there are white caps on the water, the 3 hour trip is pleasant enough. The seasickness pill Rick took before boarding also helped. There are stops at Paros and Ios before we reach Santorini. Our bus is waiting for us and we arrive at the Plaza Hotel close to 8pm. Our hotel is in Kalmari, on the opposite side of the island from Thira--the touristy and most expensive part of Santorini. It's a very nice hotel, slightly roomier than the Hotel Artemis, but our room faces the hills in the back instead of the pool and beach in the front. Peter, the hotel proprietor, suggests dinner at Lolos, so together with Ben and Kathy we're off for what turns out to be a great dinner (as much for the company as for the food--which was excellent). Dinner prices are considerably less in Kalmari than they were in Mykonos. After dinner we walk down to the beach, along which runs a pedestrian street filled with bars, restaurants and a few souvenir shops. We decide a capucino would be nice and then we walk back to the hotel. Tomorrow we plan to rent a car large enough for the four of us and explore the island.

Saturday, May 12: Another glorious day in Greece. The winds have died down and the temperature is getting slightly warmer each day. Ben and Rick rented a car and by 10am we're off to explore Santorini. First stop is Fira the main city of Santorini. Santorini is a small ring of islands formed by the rim of an active volcano. The caldera, or center of the volcano, is under water. The cities on the rim are built into the side of the volcano's face. Fira is one and Oia (pronounced "ee-a") is another one. We're staying in Kamari, a seaside town on the opposite (east) side of the island from Fira.

Fira is a very touristy town filled with jewelry, clothing, and souvenir shops, in addtion to art galleries, restaurants, and miscellaneous other retail shops. We spend a little bit of time roaming the narrow crowded streets, but with three cruise ships in port, it's not much fun. There is a cable car for transporting people from the top of the rim down to the sea level. There are also donkeys who provide the same service. It's all very touristy. We satisfy ourselves with the requisite picture-taking and are soon on our way south.

First stop is "Red Beach", about 15k from Fira. We have no trouble finding it. Even though the roads aren't very well marked, someone must want people to see Red Beach, because there are numerous signs to show the way. There's a car park at the end of the road. To reach the beach you must follow a trail over the rocky cliffs and down onto the beach. We decide to eat lunch first and find a snack bar that sells sandwiches and snacks. We take a table overlooking the water and enjoy a very low key lunch. Afterward we take the hike down to the beach, The "sand" is not really red, but rather a dark marooon which comes from the lava rock. The sand is very coarse. None of the four of us is interested in testing the water, although Kathy scoops up some sand to take home.

From Red Beach we drive to the lighthouse at the very southern tip of Santorini. It's quite windy here, but the views of the caldera and Fira and Oia across the way, with the three cruise ships at the bottom, are magnificent. From the lighthouse to Oia (the southern-most to northern-most points on the island) is about 25k. Along the way we stop at a small roadside stand selling local wines and foods, a pottery gallery, and an art gallery--just looking. We have to pass through the commercial part of Fira to get to Oia and then along a winding, mountain-like road that reminds us of the Amalfi drive. When we reach the upper rim of the town, Rick realizes he'd been here before, on a two week trip to Greece in the early '90s. Oia has the same look and feel as Fira without all the tourists. There are significantly fewer shops, but the views are equally breath-taking. We treat ourselves to a snack at a pastry cafe and sit outside overlooking the caldera. Our intent had been to stay in Oia to see the sunset and have dinner. A look at the reataurant prices (they're almost twice what the are in Kamari) and we agree to head back and have dinner at the beach near our hotel. Plus, we're all from Florida and have seen some pretty spectacular sunsets. The four of us had dinner beachside and enjoyed the 15 minute evening walk back to the hotel.

Sunday, May 13: We had nothing planned for today. Rory slept in while Rick went off to look for an internet cafe. He was able to upload the first of our journals (everything through yesterday), pay some bills, answer a couple of emails, and check on the fantasy baseball team he tracks with his friend Joey. Rory has been suffering with a sinus infection so while he was in town, Rick checked out the pharmacy (closed until 9am tomorrow). He brought back tissues to replenish Rory's supply. We decided we'd walk the entire street along the beach, stop for lunch, and check out the shops along the way. Lunch by the beach was enjoyable. There are several groups of beach chairs and umbrellas on the stony beach (that the locals call black sand). It looked like these were free to beach goers. We later found out from two of our group that they are NOT--they cost 3E per person. There are no signs anywhere to indicate this. While they were disputing this fee all the others who had not paid (and were unaware that they had to) picked up and got away.

Back at the hotel, Ben and Kathy were waiting by the pool after an all day excursion. Kathy pointed out a bird on the concrete wall that surrounded the pool area. It was a rosy cheeked cockatiel that had obviously been someone's pet. After trying to coax it with bits of food, Rory got a towel to capture it and take it under her wing (so to speak). Rory, being an avid birder, made sure Petros (Peter, the hotel manager) found a suitable cage-like device. After placing the towel, some water, and some bits of fruit inside, the little bird was introduced to its new (temporary) home. Petros will take it home later--he has another small bird. Rory was quite proud of her efforts and received good natured kidding from all of us who witnessed her efforts.

Eleven of us went to dinner at Taverna Dimitris, a few minutes' walk from our hotel. Dimitris featured live native music. Rick (of course) was immediately chosen to dance with the two Greek girls who provided entertainment. Subsequently, most of our group participated in group dancing to the traditional Greek music. At the table next to us, someone is celebrating a birthday. The cake looks delicious and Rick is determined to have a piece. Before long he has convinced someone at their table to give him a piece. Then he gets them to offer everyone at our table a piece. The cake was as good as it looked and Rick received kudos for his efforts. We exchanged email addresses with several of our fellow travelers and headed back to the hotel at 11pm.

We'll be picked up at 11:10 in the morning to catch our flight to Athens, so we did most of our packing before turning in for the night.

Monday, May 14: The weather is again magnificent--sunny, mild, not a cloud in the Greek blue sky. Rick as usual is up and out for breakfast before Rory's feet even hit the floor. First order of business is to check to see how the cockatiel is doing. Peter has purchased a brand new cage, plenty of bird seed, and a water dish. Rick hussles up to let Rory know that the transfer from the make-shift cage to the new one is about to take place. That gets Rory going and she is down to assist Peter and provide her expertise about the placement of the feeders, what Peter should feed the bird (who we've named "Tina"), and various other instructions to assure that Tina is happy and healthy at the Plaza Hotel.

Our bus picks us up at 11:10 for the trip to the airport, which is uneventful, As usual, Rory's carry on doesn't pass the x-ray. It isn't her fold up mirror that's got the security people concerned, it's the jar of olive pate we bought on Saturday. She had to forfeit it. The flight on Aegean Airlines leaves just about on time at 12:35pm and we arrive in Athens airport on time as well in about 25 minutes. Rick is surprised at the air quality. Apparently there has been a big campaign to reduce traffic and hence, air pollution. The sky is bright blue--no haze!! The temperature is an unseasonably high 32 celcius (91 fahrenheit). The trip from the airport is now via a new highway, probably built for the 2004 Olympics but we still have to deal with city traffic and arrive at the Hotel Oscar at about 3pm. Our room is on the 3rd floor with a fine view of a car park across an alley. The room is satisfactory except that Rory is angry with the desk clerk who assured her the room had a double bed--it doesn't. It has twins instead--we'll be pushing them together later.

Since we will be back in Athens at the end of our trip, we won't spend anytime sightseeing until then. First we take the new subway/Metro (also built for the 2004 Olympics) to Syntagma, the main square in central Athens. We have a snack here (Rory has a sandwich; Rick has a chocolate croissant that would fill a small rowboat); and then decide to walk down Ermou to the Flea Market in Monastiraki square. This is a big disappointment, expecially to Rick, who had been there 3 times before. It is filled with junky clothing shops rather than the upscale shops he remembered. Since we're going to have dinner in the Plaka area, we window shop our way along Andrianou Street. Along the way we run into several fellow travelers from our group, but we opt to go our own way. Some of the shops are quite interesting and we take note of the prices of things that interest us so that we can compare them with comparable items in other places we'll visit later on. If we find the same things at better prices, we might decide to buy; if not, we can always reconsider in Athens when we come back at the end of June.

We happen on a pharmacy. Since the security gate is only half way down, we inquire whether they are still open. They say they are closed, but if we really need something, they will be happy to help us. Rory gets some antibiotics for her sinus infection (you can do this withtout a prescription in most of the world except the US). As it will turn out, what she gives Rory is for sinus allergies and it won't do any good. Dinner at the Plaka Taverna is OK, but not particularly noteworthy. We're finished at around 9:00 and find our way back to Syntagma and the Metro station for the train back to the Hotel Oscar--no problems.

Tuesday, May 15: Another warm day, but bright and sunny again. Rory is feeling lousy--we'll need to find another pharmacy. Rick has breakfast and goes off to find an internet cafe. Both of the ones he finds near the hotel aren't open yet, even though it's almost 10am. When he returns to the hotel, he tries out our cell phone by calling Swift Rental Car to confirm that they will be dropping off our car at the hotel tomorrow.

Our plan for today is to take the Metro to Pireaus (the port of Athens) to get our ferry tickets to Tinos when we return to Athens at the end of two weeks touring the Peloponnese and central Greece. We also want to acquaint ourselves with Pireaus because we plan to return our rental car there when we get back in 2 weeks. When Rory finally rallies, our first order of business is to find another pharmacy. There's one two blocks up from our hotel and the pharmacist is terrific. Rory gets REAL antibiotics and some throat soothers. Next we head down Philadelfias Street to the train station. When we get there, the gates are closed. We learn from a young American tourist that the trains and Metro are on strike--for 24 hours! Getting to Pireaus will be expensive by taxi, but we want to at least get the ferry tickets to be sure we get a seat. Our American friend mentions there's a travel agent down the street--a GREAT suggestion we hadn't thought of. Sure enough, we can get the tickets and at the same price Rick found on the internet before we left home.

Since we now have an afternoon with no plans, we walk all the way to Syntagma. On the way we explore the Central Market with its many stalls selling fresh meat, fish, vegetables and fruits. It's a fascinating place to which we may return at the end of our trip when we'll have our own apartment and prepare some of own meals. At Syntagma, we'll watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Parliament Building. The "Evzones" are the tall, Greek soldiers who stand guard over the tomb and whose watch changes every hour with a precision changing procedure. Rick, of course, has seen this several times before, but is still impressed, as is Rory. Next we'll walk through the Botanical Gardens to the Zappeion--a striking open air building used for art exhibitions and concerts. From there we walk to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, which used to be free, and now costs 2E each. We can take our photos without going in for now. (We'll visit this site when we come back to Athens at the end of our trip.)

Since we haven't eaten anything and it's about 3:30, we decide to go back to the Plaka for a snack and a cold drink. Afterwards we'll wander the pedestrian shopping streets. At the bottom of Adrianou, we decide to visit The Athena Ancient Art Gallery, a shop that sells classic pottery. We notice some unusual pieces in that they are decorated in a modern rather than classical style, even though they maintain the classical shapes. We're the only ones in the shop and the manager, Abraham, explains that these pieces are hand-made and a little about the artist. He is proud to show us the shop's website; and when we mention that we have a site, he wants to see it. Then he offers to let Rick update our journals (through yesterday) from his computer. Rick has his thumb drive with him and in a matter of minutes, our site is up-to-date.

Since the trains are not running and we have a long walk back to the hotel, we decide to head back and find a place for dinner near the hotel. The desk clerk suggest a small taverna about 4 blocks up Philadelfias from the hotel. It turns out to be surprisingly good and very inexpensive. Our last stop for the day/night is the Apollo Bar atop the Oscar Hotel for a drink and a look at the Acropolis all lit up. It's an awesome sight and we savor it for a while even after we've finished our drinks.