Reality Style Mario Kart

All those years of competing against the boys in Mario Kart on the Wii has finally paid off! But it didn't prepare me for the reality of driving in Italy and Greece where crashes in your lease car do matter and where cars can't be magically reassembled by the push of a controller button.

A day does not go past where I do not get honked at, where I do not get overtaken on blind corners on unbelievably narrow, winding roads and where I do not get overtaken from the cars behind me when I stop to give way at intersections and roundabouts (thinking I am doing the right thing!)

Throw into all this turmoil and confusion hundreds of scooters and motorbikes that weave in and out of the traffic, drive on the wrong side of the road and squeeze between you and the oncoming car on roads that don't even seem wide enough for a dual carriage way in the first pace.




Can't find a parking spot - no worries. Just stop where you are, turn on your hazard lights and walk away from your now stationary vehicle (blocking off one side of the road) and leave those behind you to sort themselves out!







The Greek variation.
After paying €6 in tolls one would expect to have a dual carriage way where you can safely overtake. But in Greece there is no such luxury, as we discovered on the main route between Patras and Athens. Instead you get a single lane and when being overtaken you must move right, crossing over the line and driving on the shoulder of the road very close to the guard rails and step drop offs and cliffs.






We used to get concerned when the road changed from bitumen/cobblestones to marble that perhaps the GPS was sending us the wrong way. Having now sat in numerous outdoor restaurants in narrow lanes and squares watching cars weave between the seating sections of the numerous cafes and restaurants - small details like this no longer bother us (much).

Just when we thought we had seen and experienced it all . . . Here is our most unique traffic jam. We had to follow behind this elderly lady for about 200 metres down the main road as we headed towards Naples. She was totally unperturbed by the line of traffic building up behind her and I was too scared to honk the horn in case she was the matriarch of a mafia family watching through a window or sipping coffee on a nearby sidewalk.




I've now hit the passenger side mirror three times and I'm quite relieved that is all (despite all my swearing!) You don't have to like how they drive, you just need to adapt.

Mark

Location:Italy and Greece

The sleepy town wakes up

With a day of relaxation today we headed into town before siesta time when everything would shut down. Expecting the sleepy village to be... well I suppose sleepy, we were quite shocked to see it buzzing with activity. Like a young toddler coming up from a nap it was full of energy and people. The only difference from yesterday was that the market was in town. The market was selling everything from clothes to tools to pistachio biscuits to cactus flowers. It really didn't help with finding a park space.



We finished in town and came home to have our own little siesta for an hour and relaxed. We then had to make a decision - the pool or the beach... Dad decided the beach (much to Luke's disgust), so we packed up and took the shuttle bus to the beach. We swam along the beach and back and got out for a rest. Luke got back in and for a boy who didn't want to go to the beach he looked like he was having the time of his life.


Dad set us a sand sculpture challenge of a crocodile that at first I ignored until Dad made it interesting with an ice cream competition against Luke. This I couldn't resist. A chance to beat Luke, I wouldn't care if it was a competition over a packet of tomato sauce, I was going to win. The competition came to a close when Luke tried to smooth his crocodile with water accidentally breaking off it's legs and putting me to victory!






Then it was back to the campground for a quick swim in the pool before dinner.



Tomorrow we have the model event in the afternoon for the Week of the Sun. That means another lazy morning before the big races begin tomorrow.

Jake

Location:Gargarno

Land of the long siesta

Once off the ferry back to Italy we drove to find a campsite for the Week of the Sun orienteering event. We drove into the Gargano area down the windy roads that had Dad under a lot of stress. We looked at a few different campsites and finally set up for the night. The camp ground we ended up choosing was the one with the essentials (e.g. pool) and the least windy access. It is also just a short distance to the beach. This is a holiday area but mostly for Italians rather than foreigners it would seem. Having a family of Australians seems to be rather a novelty.

The next morning we had a few things to get done for Week of the Sun. We headed into the race centre town and had a look around for sports tape, haircuts and to find the race centre. We found the race centre and a barbers next to it. While Luke and I got hair cuts Dad found some tape.

While we have now been to a few towns and villages in various countries that shut done for a long lunch we now have to adapt to yet another different pace. In this part of Italy it seems typical for things to be open until about 1 p.m. and then close down until 5 p.m. Makes sense when it is so hot. At the moment we are enjoying a reprieve from the 40 plus degree days we have had for the last few weeks.

After having lunch in the park and a gelati, Dad decided to take us on a walk around the area of town in which we have a course. We are really nervous and excited from looking around because the paths are really narrow and really easy to get lost in but we are excited because we have never ran in something like this.



One of the locals we encountered during our walk.




Jake checking out the podium in the town square (dream on! )

We still have a day before the model event that we will use to relax and get ready for the races over the next few days. (Okay Luke I'm telling them now) Oh yeah! Luke has his birthday countdown accurate to the second for Sunday (4 days time) and he doesn't stop talking about it. Please wish us luck for the races and to get through Luke's constant reminders.

Jake

Location:Gargano

The Greek Mythology Quiz of Louis Olympia

On today's cruise activities there was a Greek mythology quiz. Knowing I used to be into Greek mythology I was convinced to join team westysclan to try to claim victory.

At 4:30 we went to the clippers bar and nobody was there so we sat down and had a drink pretending to have gone there for that reason and not look like idiots. When the lady running the quiz started asking who was doing the quiz we piped up and luckily we weren't the only ones. The quiz ended up having three teams each of a different nationality, Aussies, French and Spanish. But the other teams there had no idea of our teams secret weapon....... Me. We started and the first question would almost have lost us the game if Jake had not spoken up and said the correct answer. Dad was also impressed with how much Greek Mythology he had learnt during our guided tour of Athens.

We ended up winning with a score of 10/10 but the runners up got 9/10. As a prize I got a travel hairbrush and mirror. We have decided to give the quiz to you and run a competition, whoever gets back to us first with all the right answers wins a prize. So here are the questions.

1 How many gods of Olympus are there?
2 Who was the god of the sea?
3 Who was the goddess of Love?
4 Who was the Parthenon dedicated to?
5 Who was the god of wine?
6 Who was the mother of Eros?
7 Who was the king of gods?
8 Who had the face that launched 1000 ships?
9 Who was the messenger of the gods?
10 Where did the gods live?

First to email all the correct answers wins!! (you know the one - westysclan at bigpond dot com - deliberately done with words to stop spam, you just substitute with the @ and .)



This is the goddess Nike (yes, like the shoe brand), the God of Victory. The Nike shoe brand swish comes from the swish in her dress tails.

Luke

Going to "spend a penny"

Surprisingly this was an expression that the kids were not familiar with before our holiday started but is now something that they are not likely to forget.

As well as probably coming across nearly every conceivable way of turning a tap on and off and flushing a toilet, during our holiday it has also been very rare to find a toilet where you can pee for free. Even the McDonald's and similar establishments often have a code on the door which is only revealed on your receipt.



Fifty cents (Euro) seems to be the going rate (though Mark does try to negotiate them down based on the small change in his pocket). What you get for your money also varies widely - from simple access in to a little lady who rushes in to clean the toilet before you enter.



In Turkey and Greece we learnt that the tour guides explain to those unfamiliar with the abbreviation W.C. (water closet) that it stands for "With Cash".

Never take that free public toilet for granted again.

Gayle

Location:Nearly everywhere in Europe.

Greek Cruise Day 3: Santorini

Today is the last day of our cruise before we go back to Athens and head back to Italy.

Today we took a bus tour of Santorini. We got to the new port by tender boat and then boarded our bus. There were 10 hairpin turns to get from the port to the top of the road. First we went to the village of Oia (pronounced ee-a). Along the way the guide explained that the island of Santorini was made from several volcanic explosions from a still active but dormant volcano. The cliff faces facing the volcano are made of lots of different rock, e.g. pumice, basalt and iron. On the opposite side of the island it is very agricultural because the soil from the volcano can absorb water from the humidity in the air (called dry farming).




In Oia we walked to a square which has a Greek Orthodox church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This is the only public church on the island. The other 450 churches with their well known blue roofs are all privately owned. This is where our guide pointed out that the churches would only be open once a year on the day of the saint for whom the church was dedicated to. There would be a big party and 1/3 of the island would visit.



Our guide gave us two hours to walk around the village, which after walking for 1/2 hours lost its shine. Dad forked out and bought Mum a beautiful necklace. After awhile we went back to the bus. Below are the picture post card 'cave' houses of Santorini. They are built by tunneling into the cliff face. Brad Pitt and Angela Jolie's place was a rather swank affair in the pricey Caldera (volcano facing) side of the island.






The last stop of the day was the capital of the island Thira. We ended the tour at the church and walked to the cable cars to take us to the port for the tenders back to the ship. There was the option to walk down or take a donkey. We took the cable cars because we didn't want to walk and the donkeys have learnt that at the bottom of the hill they get fed so the go really fast down and don't care if they scrap your legs against the wall a few times. In the first photo you can see the options for getting from Thira to the old port. The cable car on the left or the windy donkey path of 500 plus steps.






For the rest of the afternoon we spent it in the luxuries of the ship enjoying every last bit of it before going back to the tent. We spent it by the pool relaxing and drinking, watching English T.V and just chilling.


Jake

Location:Aegean Sea

Greek Cruise Day 2: Kusadasi and Patmos

Today we had an early start in Kusadasi,Turkey. We woke up at 6 am for breakfast but a tragedy had struck - I was sick (a head cold) and had lost my appetite. I was so jealous watching Mum, Dad and Luke much on their bacon and eggs... Oh, woe is me.

Today we went on an organized tour of Kusadasi because we had no idea what was in Kusadasi. Our tour guide explained that Turkey is a part of Asia minor and Europe. Our first stop was the believed to be house of the Virgin Mary. It is believed that St John brought Mary from Jerusalem to Turkey to protect her.



Drinking some Holy Water to try to get better!



After this we were taken to the ancient city of Ephesus for 2 and a 1/2 hours. The city of Ephesus is very large and back then the city was an important port but over thousands of years the sea has retreated. Our tour guide took us to the main places of interest like the temple of Artemis (Greek God of Hunting), which was one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World and Hercules gate.



The Library was also the third largest ancient Libary in the world. Compared to the school Libary it was fairly small, I don't think the Turkish and Greeks were big on reading.



We finished off the tour with a demonstration of how silk is made.






Then we watched how Turkish rugs are made on a loom. Turkish rugs have a double knot compared to Persian rugs which have a single knot. The threads are put on one at a time and it turns out that it would probably take 8 months to do a very complicated tea towel sized rug in silk. Rugs are priced according to the number of knots. At the end Mum and Dad asked how much for a silk rug that was just a bit bigger than a teatowel and the man replied "aah this one... about €6000" that quickly stopped Mum and Dad in their tracks and then quickly got us out of there.






Our second stop of the day was Patmos. Patmos was home to St John when he was exiled from Ephesus and also the Grotto of the Apocalypse. You can tell that Dad was really excited about this so instead we took a bus to the beach. It wasn't the greatest beach of all time, the beach near the port would have been just as good and not required the bus transfer. We swam for awhile and the rest of the time we lay on the beach and tried to make a dry stone wall with the rocks on the beach.



The day was interesting at first and a bit boring later in the day. Tomorrow we are in Santorini.

Jake

Location:Aegean sea

Greek Cruise Day 1: Mykonos

Today we left our hotel for our Greek Island Cruise. We got on board and set up and relaxed for an hour before we had our safety briefing. We put on our life jackets and lined up at the side of the boat. Thank God we didn't have to jump off the boat, I was wearing my good shorts. After this the boat set off and we were on our way to Mykonos. On board it has heaps of activities happening and lots of facilities too: 2 pools, a basket ball hoop, 2 table tennis tables, a gym, heaps of bars and more. We had a great time.



Mum and Dad went all out on the boat. They bought a drinks deal for $68 for alcohol and $38 for non alcohol, it entitles you to unlimited drinks for three days. My pee has never been so clear! Even better is that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all buffets, I walked in and nearly fainted.



We went ashore and walked around Mykonos. We saw the pretty white houses and stone roads, the windmills, little Venice and lots of things that we had no idea what they were. It was very pretty but not very touristy. Mykonos is a nightclub island there wasn't 4 hours worth of tourism for a family.





We finished off the night by going to a very up class restaurant for dinner. We talked to some Canadians on our table and tried everything from Greek dips to Greek kebabs and even Greek desserts. Looking back on the day it was really good despite the lack of tourism on Mykonos, but other than that it was really good. We still have two days of our cruise and we are looking forward to them.

Jake

Location:Aegean Sea

I will always remember Athens because . . .

. . . of the awesome view of the Acropolis from the roof top lounge of our hotel.




. . . we got to eat authentic tzatziki, gyros, souvlaki and moussaka in front of ancient Greek ruins.




. . . it had been 51 days since we had last slept in a real bed.

. . . it had been 55 days since we had watched English speaking television.

. . . it was the first time ever I had had a fish foot pedicure.




. . . it was the first time I had ever drank Dom Perignon champagne.




Gayle

Location:Athens, Greece

The Acropolis

This morning, after a buffet breakfast, we went out to catch our tour bus. First the bus took us to the first modern Olympic games arena.


The arena was based on the arena in the panathenaic games. The panathenaic games were like the Olympic games except only Athenians were allowed to participate and it was on during a festival honoring the "patron saint" of Athens, Athena. Also the arena was made in the same area the original was.

Next we were driven around the city to look at some of the more important sights and pieces of history. We stopped on the hour to watch the Greek changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier in front of Parliament. We thought the changing was better than the one in London and the uniforms were cooler too, fluffy shoes and a long tassel hat. Later we learned that to make the guards appear more like statues they are only allowed to blink 20 times in the hour, that's once every 3 minutes. Also to be chosen as a guard you have to have certain physical attributes such as being over 6 foot tall and with particular "Greek" looks. The style of marching they do is very unusual and quite difficult.




We disembarked the bus once again at the statue of the minister for art and culture. We learned that she was once an actress. She was filming a movie which was a modern reenactment of a Greek tragedy. The male lead was playing the director of the British museum. They asked to film a scene in the room in the British Museum that was filled with marble from the Parthenon but were denied permission. The female lead then said "what my marble". Since then she and many other people have tried to bring back the marble to Greece.

We then walked to the Acropolis museum. The museum displays the pottery, statues, and numerous other exhibitions from the Acropolis. Some favorites were the colourings used to colour the marble (even though they are bleached white now they used to be very colourful with the paint protected by regular recoating with bees wax), the miniature representing Athena's birth, the ruins of old Athens that you could see through the glass floor and the display of relief carvings.




There is a story behind the carvings. In ancient times the art work was always on the outside of Greek temples as the faithful were not allowed inside. Since the opening of the Acropolis museum they have continued to remove the art work from the exterior of the Parthenon and replace it exactly in the museum to protect it. You can see the Parthenon from the museum as a reference. Unfortunately of the 460 pieces of art work, 266 are in the British museum. As you can see in the photo below, the discoloured piece is real while the white panels are plaster copies of those in the British museum,



We remembered seeing the reals ones in the British museum. We thought when we saw these they had no importance or meaning to us but here we saw them and understood what they symbolised and thought "how cool!" We told the guide that there is still hope and referred to the Tasmanian aboriginal artifacts that were given back to the aboriginal community.

Next we went up to the Acropolis. The hill was not too steep but the ground
was very slippery in places as it was marble. The Parthenon was really cool. The guide told us all about the Golden Ration and how the Parthenon has 100 features based on this (whereas most temples only have 10). For example, she told us that if the columns were extended 1.6 km they would meet and form a triangle.



We walked around and looked at the other buildings on or visible from the Acropolis.


Temple of Poseidon.



A Roman Theatre



Temple of Nike



The Temple of Zeus



The Agora

Today was very interesting. Our guide was very good. We learnt a lot about the Greeks and their culture as well as their history, mythology, art and architecture.

Luke

Location:Athens