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Verona - 1 August 2017
Greetings from Sunny Verona.
Well I spent all of yesterday exploring Verona. I have visited 3 churches and the old Roman Arena and walked around approx 20km. Roman Arena was interesting. Used now to stage open air performances. Stage was set for Tosca, but they were beginning to set up for Aida. No performances while I am here unfortunately. Arena is big but not huge. Even people in the cheap seats would be afforded a good view. Pic of me with the bad hair is from the cheap seats at very top of stadium. Could hold 30,000 people.
Had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the Castel St Pietro. Photo 4 is view from my seat - sitting on narrow balcony on top of the river (which at this point is broken and roaring as it runs over rocks) surrounded by greenery - ivy and petunias. Magical. Lunch was very pleasant. Restaurant is in the Michelin guide. Washed lunch down with local Ripasso (red). Speaking of Reds, the Zenato Amarone which I had last night before was absolutely superb. My tasting notes - "deep lustrous inky crimson wine. Earthy and Cassis nose, possible hint of violet. Great viscosity, runnels sticking to side of glass. Smooth and balanced palate. Ripe cherry and cassis. Very fine silky tannins. High in the flavour palate spectrum - not weighed down say tenor or contralto. Superb wine."
I would also recommend a good Ripasso as a fine medium body wine.
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Venice - 2 August 2017 (am)
A rather slow start to the day today, woke at 610. Have been for walk this morning through Dorsoduro and Santa Croce. Below photos mostly from this morning - view from the Ponte Academia, the a close up of "fate of a banished man" then two views from the Rialto.
Dorsoduro really interesting and will try to get back there this afternoon.
Went for walk up north yesterday through San Polo and Cannaregio. Venice is just a maze of alleys and passageways - great for getting lost on purpose!
Dinner last night was at a Venitian/Sicilian fusion restaurant on one of the Piazza's. Sitting outside looking over square. Still approx 30C. Perfect!
This was followed by a concert in a former church near the Academia - Vivaldi's 4 Seasons and Handel's Concerto Grosso. Artists were great. Acoustics of the church were outstanding - great resonance - most noticeable in Largo in F moll from Fur winter the interpretation bought the pizzicato to the fore which was fantastic, however it seemed to lose a little of it's cleanness/crispness. It was great all the same.
I don't know if it was the 5:00am start, the 17km I walked, or the bottle of Soave I necked in approx an hour at dinner, but I was fairly tired and relaxed last night!
Anyway, time to start the day, more again soon
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Athens - 5 August 2017
G'day all
It has been a couple of days since my last missive due to travel.
So were to start, well let's start with today and see how far this beer takes me! Firstly may I say that I must be totally insane - that's right complete raving bonkers to be traipsing up hill and down dale inspecting dusty fallen down monuments in 35C + heat, but that is what I have done today. 23km, 30000 steps and 105 flights of stairs later and my feet are complaining! Beer is helping.
There is a line from Marcus Aurelius's meditations to the effect "All is ephemeral; the fame and the famous". It was on the first guide board of the first monument that I visited today and it has stayed with me all day - what is being remembered by these monuments is not the people who constructed them, but our representations and reinterpretation of them. Anyway enough philosophising.
So I started with the Roman forum and the Temple of the Winds. Then climbed to the Aropolis and started by exploring southern side - Odeon of Herodes Atticus which has been restored and the Amphitheater of Dyonisis which has not. Then climbed to the top and walked around Parthenon and saw Temple of Nike. After Acropolis climbed to top of adjoining hill to the sanctuary of the muses. This was a very peaceful walk through shrubland. I must say that the landscape is very different from Italy. Very arid and stones. Reminiscent of home but with a lot more stones. Constant cicada chorus.
Following this Acropolis Museum which was a relief from the heat. Then following a bite for lunch, the Temple of Zeus - of which not much remains. Finally I walked back to the Ancient Agora and had an explore there including looking at the Temple of Hephaestes. As if that wasn't enough, I trekked across town to the Athens museum and inspected the sculpture collection. Collection is amazing but very foot sore by this stage so did not enjoy as much as I could.
Off to Santorini tomorrow
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Naxos - 12 August 2017
Yassos
I'm sitting here sipping a mojito at the Diogenes Cafe on Naxos Habour after a glorious day on Naxos. So I have been incommunicado this past week, however I am currently taking advantage of free wifi.
So we departed Fira on Monday for Ios and if memory recalls, I caught you up very briefly from Ios on Tuesday morning before we departed.
From Ios we set sail, and yes we did sail, for the smaller Cyclades. We had great winds and I had opportunity to steer boat (see below) - why am I living so far from the coast? Sailing is so much fun. After about 5 hours sailing we arrive at Schinoussa. Beautiful bay with crystal clear water and a beach bar. Moored in the bay and swam to the beach. Energetic afternoon spent reading and drinking in perfect temperature. More energetic for dinnner as we had to climb to the top of the hill to the Chora to get to restaurant. Photos 3 & 4 are the traffic signage en route and view from top of hill looking back to boat.
From there we sailed to a tiny unpopulated Despotiko on the other side of the Cyclades. Weather was an it rougher and we were all drenched, it hey that's all part of it. BBQ on the beach for dinner - perfect.
Yesterday we sailed to Naxos. Spent yesterday afternoon wandering around Naxos Town. Very pretty - classic white buildings and little alleyways. Had first shower of the week so felt a lot better. Group dinner (all dinners thus far have been) at local restaurant- again food amazing.
Today I have spent hooning around Naxos on a quad bike. Interesting island. Very roacky and hilly. Also very arid. Visited mountain were it is said Zeus was raised. Highlight of course was all the little villages nestled in the hillsides - all whitewashed and gleaming.
