Greece 2012 Part 11

Friday 7th September 2012
Theofilos/Chios/Blue Star Patmos

Yes, things do look better this morning, if only because we are at sea, the sun is shining from a cloudless blue sky and the sea looks beautiful. I couldn’t wait to get out of the cabin and on deck, so showering/hair wash was a speedy affair despite the weird bathroom arrangements! Cappuccino and a muffin on the aft deck completed the recovery and then I could enjoy the glorious views. The engines of THEOFILOS sound all right, but the season ends in a couple of day’s time and this ship could be going you-know-where…

Theofilos deck plan

Winches and bell

On deck with funnel view

From my shaded viewpoint on deck I saw a passing cruise ship called AEGEAN PARADISE, from Etstur Lines, which was heading north presumably to Istanbul. Heading south, like us, was an attractive little vessel but she was too far away to identify.

Aegean Paradise

Lovely sight, but far away

In the Reception area I noticed a small table laid with a cloth and flowers, a comfy chair each side, and a big blue NEL Lines flag on the wall behind. This looked a brave attempt to smarten the area, and I particularly liked the big poster-size aerial view of Piraeus harbour which was on a nearby wall. It may have been taken in the 1960s so there were lots of ships to try and identify.

Nel Lines welcome

Ships in Piraeus poster

Up on the top deck was a big white container/‘box’, contents unknown, which must have been added at some stage of her career. Dog kennels were also on deck.

On deck

We are due in Chios soon at 11.30 a.m. and could now see land on both sides of the ship as we sailed along; in fact we arrived early, at 10.45 a.m. so were soon disembarking into the heat of the quayside.

Unexpected sight

Two donkeys

As we walked out through the car deck I could see a small covered trailer with two furry heads peering out – it was two donkeys.

We have the day here, before leaving tonight on the new ferry Blue Star PATMOS, which should be in complete contrast with the 1975-built ship we are leaving. PATMOS was delivered from her South Korean builders in June this year.

From the quayside seats at the bus station we watched THEOFILOS leave, and apparently I missed seeing MYTILENE arrive and leave, as she was hidden by THEOFILOS. Oh well, I saw the poster picture and I have sailed on her.

A shady beach on the edge of town sounded like the ideal place to while away the hours until we could check in for tonight’s sailing, so we walked along and found one. I had a comfy blue steamer chair under a palm-leaf parasol, facing blue sea, under blue sky; it was hot, there was a gentle zephyr, the sea was lapping quietly onto the beach probably 20 feet away on a slight slope, I could see the mountains of Turkey across the water in the distance, and there was a very small beach bar offering drinks and snacks, so I paddled, chatted, slept, rested, photographed, snacked, listened to music, watched the big red bulk carrier come into view and the local tug inspect it from every angle, and did nothing much for several hours – very satisfying.

Navios Hyperion plus a lady swimming with a red hat on

Navios Hyperion and the local tug

Back in town we decided to try a local delicacy called honey puffs, which looked light and full of calories. Where the plan was to share one honey puff, the reality was the arrival of the plate with 5 honey puffs on it, all smothered in white chocolate sauce. We could see other guests in the coffee shop tucking into their plates of honey puffs without stopping their conversations, but it was an impossibility to clear the plate in front of us, so we gave up. They were wonderful to see and try, but so sweet.

Honey puffs

Psara Glory

We had to walk after that experience, and enjoyed seeing more of the town of Chios before queuing to board our overnight ferry: Blue Star PATMOS. She was handed over to the Blue Star fleet only in June this year (2012), so it will be such a contrast to travel on a new ship. She arrived at 10.35 p.m., just half an hour before she is due to leave again, so passengers and vehicles had to disembark very quickly before we could board.

Blue Star Patmos

Welcome (almost)

She was built by DSME (Daewoo) shipyards in Korea, at 18,498 gross tons. She carries 2,000 passengers, plus vehicles, and it felt as if she was fully loaded as we all went to find cabins (326 passenger beds), airline style seating (425) or other places to sleep. She appears well designed and fitted out, with so much light, and labour-intensive reflective surfaces everywhere. I thought the cabins were excellent, with their brand new fittings and so much light. My cabin also had a more conventional shower.

My cabin

So white and bright!

So light and white!

With so many people on board this big ship, to sail from Chios overnight to Piraeus, it was a little difficult to see all of her but she was extremely impressive.

Clever carpet

Restaurant

Self-service seating

Deck seating

Flocafe

Big signs

Bar with blue waves (which reminded me slightly of FINNMAID)

Wall decoration

Builders plate 2012

I liked the chunky letters spelling out the word ‘welcome’ as we arrived in the public area, and the carpet with names and contours woven into it. We are due to arrive in Piraeus before dawn at 6.25 a.m. so it was a short night. Tomorrow will be the last full day of the holiday and promises to be yet another interesting time.

Ships seen: Aegean Paradise of Etstur Lines, small unidentified vessel, Navios Hyperion - bulk carrier built in 2004 in Japan, and a local Chios tug, Theofilos, Erturk 1, Psara Glory, Blue Star Patmos

To be continued….

Greece 2012 Part 7

Monday 3rd September 2012
It was a leisurely start to the morning here in Vathi, with breakfast in the Salon at the rear of the hotel, windows open to the fresh air in the cobbled street, and people outside starting to stroll along in the shade. Few shops were yet open, but high above the street I could see the greenery of the wooded hillsides, and way above them the bare rock of the high mountains, all under the glorious blue of the clear sky (lucky me).

From the roof top terrace we could see our next ferry arrive, the MYTILENE of NEL Lines, and again built in Japan, in 1973. She came to Greece in 1990. A taxi took us back to the far side of the bay, ready to board the ship and sail at 11.10 a.m. Coincidentally, berthed adjacent to us was a freighter named EBIAΣHMENT IV, which was also previously Japanese, as the port name of Osaka was clearly visible on her stern and hull.

Mytilene

The car deck

Something else originally from Japan

The whole ship

This time we are sailing north-west from Vathi, here in Samos island, up to Chios (Hios), where we are due at 14.40. The plan then is to get the late afternoon bus to the medieval village of Mesta where we are to stay. This is about 4 kms from Mesta port, where we are to board NEL Lines’ AQUA MARIE tomorrow evening for another overnight sail.

We boarded MYTILENE and could see all sorts of Japanese and non-Japanese styling, including a tapestry panel, curved staircases from Reception, an atrium, an unusual oval metal panel at the stern lower deck aft which was partially hidden by chairs, lots of blue paintwork all over the public decks, lots of numbered seating on deck which was either hazardous or filthy or both, and many salty surfaces. Old dog kennels on the top deck looked long disused, but on a lower deck I did see a small dog asleep on a rug which he shared with his long-haired mistress – it was quite hard to differentiate between his hair and hers, but both looked comfortably asleep.

Tapestry panel

Deck plan

Reception area

Tiny atrium

Top of the atrium

Seating

Bar prices

Half-hidden art work

Lower deck blue view

More seating

Hair of the dog?

Top deck

Two funnels seen from the top deck

I enjoyed seeing the glass panelling in the self-service café, and the ship’s bell on the forecastle, and the air-conditioning on board seemed good when we had a snack lunch. My diary says the ladies toilets were lovely because of the big windows giving wonderful views out to sea. About 2 p.m. the Turkish coast was very close on our starboard side, and Chios island on our port side as we turned and headed for the harbour.

Psara Glory

Erturk I which I had sailed on in 2007

Bow of Psara Glory

Also berthed nearby was the little ERTURK I on which I travelled with friends from Cesme to Chios in July 2007. That was a year when the CESME was running from Ancona to Cesme, in Turkey, and was a memorable trip to make, before we then came to Chios on ERTURK I.

Approaching the quay at Chios

Lots of foot passengers disembarked with us, plus cars and lorries, into a very crowded street. With our tide of people in the street, a new tide of people was allowed on board, plus the vehicles, and half an hour after tying up, the MYTILENE heaved up the anchor chains and ramps, and sailed from Chios to her next port of call. It was fascinating to watch from a shady quayside as suddenly all was quiet again.

Goodbye Mytilene

The bus station was just a few steps along, with both a rear and a waterside entrance, so we could wait at the café tables for our bus or walk to see part of the old city wall behind. Several of us were waiting for the bus, but it didn’t turn up, and we managed to discover it had been cancelled; plan B therefore was to take a taxi to Mesta, in the south west of the island, where we are to stay overnight. This is a 14th Century village, part of which has been modernised for the 21st Century, and offers luxurious hotel or suite apartments as overnight and holiday accommodation in unusual and tranquil surroundings.

Chios island

Mesta medieval village

The journey of 40 kms didn’t take very long on the winding mountainside road, but it was disturbing to see the damage done to the hillside trees from the recent forest fires. The island is famous for its Mastic trees, which live to about 100 years of age, and from about the age of 5 to 70 they produce a resin which is mostly exported for various uses. It’s said that the resin was first discovered in the 5th Century by Herodotus, and the island’s history says that Christopher Columbus also saw these trees and the resin in the 15th Century when he visited, when the product was already well-known.

The taxi put us down on the edge of the village, as vehicles are not allowed within it, other than bicycles (and donkeys), so we headed towards the tall bell tower in the middle of the village. This place was built almost as a castle-like fortress for protection, and the houses still inter-connect with occasional alleyways and tunnels allowing access throughout. With about 400 inhabitants living there, plus occasional tourists at this time of late summer, we saw few people until we managed to locate the village square and the bell tower. There was the occasional brick marker on a corner wall and so we were glad to find the office to check in for our medieval village accommodation. The manager provided a map (no street names) and took us to the rooms so we could leave luggage and explore.

It felt strange to be amongst bare brick work, with luxury furnishings and toiletries, and a positive shop-full of electronic gadgetry including a huge television, VCR, computer, telephone and other things. They were all probably useful things for some guests, but there was no signal available for many of them, and I just wanted to return to the sunshine and sight of the blue sky. The separate kitchenette was just half a dozen steps across the tiny terrace, but the walls of that were high and the sky seemed far above us.

Village view

Underfoot

Evening view

We have 24 hours here so there was time to explore the village and see if we could make sense of the network of lanes and tunnels before dusk. There were villagers around and many appeared in the village square later when we went there for an evening meal at one of the few bar/cafes.

Ships seen: Theofilos, Samos Star, Mytilene, EbiaΣhment IV, Pasara Glory, Erturk I,

To be continued….