The Buckles Wives Go to Greece
In the Fall of 2022 Carol and Theresa visited
Greece. Theresa has a thing for Santorini and really wanted to return. Carol
offered to join her, and Ron found them a tour.
To avoid panic getting to Dulles Airport [DC
traffic is a nightmare], they went to Great Falls Park. Carol had seen the water higher, but full of
kayaks, so this was perfect! (38.995992, -77.253394)
The
tour included a charming hotel room in the center of Athens, with a
balcony. This is the view the girls enjoyed,
with their daily tea. Lots of funky
shops and eateries.
No,
this is not men waiting at a sports bar, but part of the pediment sculpture of
the ancient Athens Acropolis. (Acropolis
Museum)
On
Lycabettus Hill.
While holding up the Athens Acropolis, the wives kept a watch for
wolves, for whom the hill is named. [Lyca as in Lycan, for you Werewolf fans]. The tour included a 5-hour private tour with
driver and guide.
Theresa
approaches the Gate of Hadrian, the Roman emperor who loved Athens. The Athens Acropolis can be seen through the
arch.
No,
not California, but Athens. A lovely
street view, paved with flagstones and parked cars.
Athens
is dotted with tiny churches. This one stands next to the Catholic Cathedral Basilica of
St. Dionysius [Dennis] the Areopagite.
One
whole day was dedicated to the Archeological Museum in Athens. Among the stunning displays is this bronze of
the jockey and horse. It would have had
inlaid eyes and harness, possibly of leather.
It was found in a shipwreck off the Greek coast.
The
fabulous courtyard of the Museum, looking toward a Heracles [Hercules] statue,
found in the same shipwreck as the Antikythera Device. The girls took many drink-and-sit-down breaks
here through the day. Also
spanakopita for lunch. [Spinach / cheese pie]
More
of the fabulous museum. In addition to
the Mycenae gold grave-goods, marble and bronze
statues, including the matchless Zeus in the background.
To
avoid the Marathon [yes, they actually ran from
Marathon to Athens, which made the race so much more meaningful], the Buckles
wives walked and talked their way through the Athens Botanical Garden. They spent a lot of time in this little lake
scene, watercoloring and marveling.
Without
intending to, the girls came out of the park right on the final mile of the
Marathon. There was a drum line on the
other side of the blue arch, urging the runners on.
Theresa
still had energy in the evenings and went to the hotel rooftop bar, to drink in
the view of the Athens Acropolis.
On
to Santorini. [St. Irene], originally
called Thera. This is the volcanic
island that blew up, leaving a crescent and the new little cinder-cone in the
center. Ron got a hotel room where
breakfast was served daily on the table to the right of the umbrella. (36.417982,
25.431538)
Sunset
from the hotel room. Every evening saw
the girls trying to paint the view. They
took dozens of pictures to refer to back home, in a never-successful attempt to
catch the scene. Theresa’s work can be
seen on the low wall.
Red Beach, created from red volcanic pumice weathered down to
sand. There was a man playing the violin
into the wind. Ron booked a package that also included a driver all over
Santorini. Since both the Buckles wives
had been to the island before, they dictated exactly where they wanted to go.
The
Black Beach, with hoof prints. Carol
gathered many polished pumice stones and black sand. Both put their feet into the sea, but it was
cold!
The
Elias Monastery on Monastraki Hill, nearly 1900 feet
above the sea. They were closed that
day, but the view was well worth the drive.
Lunch
in a wine barrel in Megalochori. Where Carol had fired tomato balls, a local
specialty, which turned out to be delicious.
Two batches of young cats swarmed around, adding great charm.
Santorin
is undergoing a lot of expansion. New
homes / hotels are springing up everywhere.
These asses normally work bringing tourists up from the harbor, but in
the off season, they are construction workers.
In groups of four, overseen by a person, they trudge along with building
materials through the narrow throughways, and then back up to the road with
detritus from the men clearing the building site. They are not tied
and their human merely talks to them to guide them. Carol can be seen sitting on the wall to the
left, perfectly at home among the other beasts.
Carol
has a long-standing case of agoraphobia.
And has several pictures to prove it. (36.461414, 25.373919)
Oia
is the trendy town on the top tip of the crescent of Santorini. This is accounted to be the best place to
watch the sunset, but, in fact, it was from the hotel room that Ron booked for
the girls. It has a very funky and
upscale vibe; they were accompanied throughout town by 2 large hounds,
apparently part of the welcome wagon.
Sunset
on Santorini. The Buckles wives decided
to come live on Santorini and sell their paintings on the street. Theresa could work at the hospital whenever
they run out of money.
The
Museum of Prehistoric Thera contains the archaeological finds from the Minoan
era town of Akrotiri [16c BCE], discovered a few decades ago in a pumice
mine. The site was buried in volcanic ash
and preserved such that you can walk along the original streets. Buildings of up to three stories were
decorated with frescoes of astounding colors and complexity. When the upper floors of the buildings
collapsed, the frescoes fell face down and were preserved for 3600 years.
A
storm is blowing in. The girls spent the
time luxuriating in their hotel room, with the door open. [Ron’s favorite
picture of the trip.]
They
are happy girls! Thanks to Ron, they had
to do little planning and no worrying.
He had placed them in the center of Athens and in Santorini; everything
was in walking distance, or otherwise easy to get to.