Catch-up Blog - Syros to Athens

Early on Saturday, November 2nd we arrived at the customs dock in Tivat, Montenegro and waited for the customs office to open so that we could officially check into the country. It had been an uneventful 24 hour motor from the small island of Ereikoussa (in Greece) located just north of Corfu to Tivat. The wind we were hoping would give us the opportunity to sail did not materialize. Geoff and Elise, on their yacht Brown Sugar 2, were with us for the trip. It is now November 14th and we are well-settled in at the marina, Porto Montenegro, and our life as "liveaboards". Others in the liveaboard community have welcomed us warmly and we are happily participating in social events like Dart/Pub night, Curry night and, for me, Ladies lunch, along with social events put on by the marina.

Sunrise as we approach Tivat

My last blog entry (many weeks ago!) covered the time Ben was with us from Mykonos to Reneia, but a lot has taken place between that time and our arrival in Montenegro, including our visit to the Greek islands of Syros and Kythnos, our stay in Athens, and our passage through the Corinth Canal before having to say goodbye to Ben on October 25th. Neil and I would then continue on our own through the Gulf of Corinth to a lovely little town called Galaxidi before meeting up with Geoff and Elise again (they left us when we went to Athens) in Mesologgi, Greece. I have a lot to catch you up on, so here are the events of our journey from Syros to Athens.

October 14th to 21st:

On October 14th, Thanksgiving Day in Canada, we pulled anchor early for the 3 hour passage to Finikas Bay on the island of Syros. Since the "high" tourist season was pretty much over, the town was quite sleepy. We were able to visit a butcher, grocery store and (our favourite) a bakery.

Finikas Bay

Geoff and Elise were there to welcome us when we arrived and the next day the five of us and Finnegan took the public bus into the capital city of Ermoupoli. As we climbed up the steps of the bus, the driver saw Finnegan and started shaking his head saying he had to be in a carrier bag. I assured him that I had a bag and would put him in it and kept walking to the back of the bus because we only had the cloth shopping bag we put him in for our bike rides, not an official pet carrier. I quickly put him inside and that seemed to be acceptable. We were happy we had chosen to anchor in Finikas Bay on the southwest side of the island because the public wharf on the north east side in Ermoupoli was much windier and had a noticeable swell. Apparently it is a spectator "sport" to watch the passerelles (gangplanks) on boats bouncing up and down and wiping out the chairs on waterfront patios. We actually did not see this happen, but did witness some very close calls!

Ermoupoli

Geoff, Elise, Neil and Ben climbing the stairs of the Town Hall

Father and son in Ermoupoli

After a bit of touring and lunch at a quirky little pub, we caught the bus back to the bay. The island's public transit is used by middle school students to travel back and forth to school. For some it is an hour long trip. It was interesting watching their dynamic as it so similar to that of the students in Toronto. It was also interesting that the content they were watching on their phones was mainly in English. I assume this is how most learn to speak English, video games and TikTok's etc.

After our two day stay in Syros, we embarked on what Neil called a "spirited" sail to the island of Kythnos. We knew the wind would be 20+ knots for this journey, but it was our "weather window" because it was only expected to get worse over the next week. The trip took us about four and a half hours in 20-27 knot winds and 1-3 metre seas. Again, the boat handled it very well and we never felt unsafe, even though this is not my favourite kind of sail. Ben stayed comfy and cosy in bed below (I'm not sure how he does this because I would surely be sick!) with Finnegan, but I'm sure he was tossed around a few times. We anchored in Aprokrousi Bay next to an area that had beautiful sandy beaches and a gorgeous sand bar next to a great restaurant where we had dinner with Geoff and Elise on our second night. There was lots of room for Finnegan to run around and enjoy the beach. We stayed three nights in the anchorage with the winds up the entire time, but the anchor had good hold and there was not much swell, although we did swing a lot!

Sunset in Aprokousi Bay as seen from the restuarant

Even though the winds were expected to continue for another week, we made the decision to leave on the morning of October 19th because it was the day with the lightest of the forecasted strong winds. Otherwise, we did not think we would make it to Athens before Ben had to fly home. It would be a four hour sail from Kythnos to the mainland of Greece, about 3 hours east of Athens. We set sail and were immediately facing winds of 25 - 30 knots and bouncy seas. There was some reprieve as we got behind the island of Kea, but the winds picked up again once we passed. However, everything went smoothly and we arrived safely in Sounio. It would be a windy night in the anchorage, but the highlight was seeing the Temple of Poseidon lit up in all its glory. Although it was difficult to capture a good photo of the temple at night as the boat was moving in the swell, Ben took a pretty good picture (shown below). We took the dinghy to the beach to walk up to the temple and tour around before dark. It was stunning.

Sounio Bay

Temple of Poseidon

Neil, Ben and I continued our competitive games of Triominos (yes, he was kicking our butts!) and enjoying our time together. It was great having him aboard! Geoff and Elise did not join us in Sounio. After a bouncy, wet sail and some trouble with their mainsail, they made the decision to continue on to the island of Aigina, south of Athens, to escape the wind and bouncy seas. They did not have plans to tour Athens so we would meet up with them at a future date to continue our journey towards Montenegro.

Next stop for us, Athens! The sail would be a bit of a reprieve from the windy, wavy ones we had recently experienced. Sailing along the coast in the sunshine, yet somewhat cooler air in the morning, was lovely. We were entertained as we sailed through a fleet of racing boats.

Sailing to Athens

D-marin would be our home for the next two nights so we could spend some time touring the historic sites in Athens. After being in windy anchorages for over a week, the calm of the marina was a welcome change! There was absolutely no wind or swell and it was incredibly peaceful. I had the best sleep! After checking in with the port police, as required for our transit log, we decided to eat at a Thai restaurant, a change from all the delicious Greek food we had been eating. I had even been making Greek food on the boat for dinner so we were ready for something different.

The subway in Athens was a pleasant surprise. I am not sure what I expected, but the stations were super clean and the trains were efficient. It was quite easy to purchase tickets at the machines and to navigate our way through the city. We spent the first evening getting our bearings and seeing some of the historic sites lit up at night and visiting the Plaka neighbourhood located below the Acropolis with narrow cobblestone streets lined with shops, cafes and tavernas. The neighbourhood of Anafiotika nearby is marked by its two 17th century churches on the east and west sides.

Church in Anafiotika

The tiny white-washed homes are still occupied and, as we walked along the very narrow streets, we could look directly in the windows as people went about their evenings. Some were quite happy to wave at us as we wandered by. Our walk up to the neighbourhood took us along streets that were lined with bright graffiti-covered walls.

Anafiotika

Homes in Anafiotika

Leaving this area, we were able to see some of the ruins, including Temple of Hephaestus, Roman Forum, Hadrian's Library and the Roman Agora.

View from Anafiotika

Finnegan was so tired after all the walking that he was falling asleep while sitting on Ben's lap on the subway ride back to the marina. Poor puppy!

Taking the subway back into the historic area again the next morning, Ben and I visited the Temple of Olympian Zeus while Neil stayed outside with the dog (no dogs allowed in historic sites). We walked through the National Garden and were able to catch the changing of the guard at the Hellenic Parliament, which was quite a sight watching their unique style of marching. It takes place every hour, 24 hours a day, at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier.

In the National Garden

Changing of the Guard at the Hellenic Parliament in Syntagma Square

After a break for some food, Neil was so generous in offering to stay with Finnegan so Ben and I could tour the Acropolis and Parthenon. It was spectacular to have the opportunity to enjoy this historic area with Ben. Meanwhile, Neil walked around with the dog and climbed the large rock called the Areopagus.

Porch of the Maidens

Parthenon

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Temple of Hephaestus

Acropolis

We finished off our day back in Plaka at a small restaurant we had scouted out the day before and were very excited to sit down and enjoy a cocktail - mojitos for Neil and I while Ben tried his first Aperol Spritz! Finnegan was happy with his bowl of water! Our meal consisted of Greek salad, grilled lamb chops for Neil and I, assorted grilled meat for Ben, and homemade fries. It was simply delicious! After our busy day, Finnegan loved the well-deserved pieces of lamb I shared with him. Back at the marina, he was exhausted! I think he was dreaming about getting back to sea and relaxing on the boat.