Ladies Leap, Sailor Talk and More

We have been in Greece for a month now and have a wonderful experience with the Greek people. Warm, helpful and a lively bunch they are! First off, some fashion observations-

Women-skinny jeans are out/high waist jeans are in

Men- are running tall dark and handsome

If you are coming onboard- dress accordingly!

Now about the Greek Islands. We are exploring some of the islands in the Northern Ionian. Each has its own charm and history.  Lefkada is one island I particularly enjoyed.  Some say it gets its name from the white cliffs (Lefko means white in Greek) on its southernmost cape or others believe it's named after Odyessus' friend Lefko. In Greek mythology, the ancient Greek poet, Sappho, jumped from the white cliffs because she wanted to rid herself of her love for Phaon. The Goddess Aphrodite also decided to end her life this way after she discovered that her love, Adonis, had died.  The spot where all this jumping occurred has a nickname of the Ladies Leap.  Keep this image in mind when I get to the sailor talk topic.

Drone video HERE

On the island of Kefalonia, Fred and I climbed an amazing mountain in Sami, 1000 feet up, to see the remains of an ancient Acropolis dating back to 3rd century B.C..  This structure withstood the devastating earthquake in 1952 which destroyed most of the buildings on this and most other Greek islands and sent the inhabitants running to live abroad. Thanks to our guide from Sami Trekking, we managed to hike up steep inclines littered by rocks, pine cones and slippery leaves. A nice way of getting in all your steps for a week in this 3 hour adventure!

One part of remaining wall of the Acropolis in Sami

Ithaca was by far my favorite island. Home of Homer’s Odysseus.  We were encouraged to visit School of Homer in the village of Exogi by a local so we rented a car and followed signs to the site.  We saw an overgrown path with which we set off on foot (my friend and I in flip flops!) to see this ancient wonder.  It took an hour to walk up many winding steps only to get to the top and see- NOTHING! We gave the site a new name, The Homer Simpson School, and walked back to our car only to see within a few feet in front of us a sign that read, “ Homer’s School Archaeological Site”, - it was a bunch of stones strewn about! Still a beautiful must see island.

Finally, an update on my sailing skills. I am slowly acquiring some basic skills such as tying a bowline and clove hitch, letting out and pulling in the anchor, steering the vessel and properly throwing lines.  However, many days, I am thinking about the Ladies Leap as conversations with other sailors focus on wind directions, what angle your anchor should be when docking in shallow waters (it’s simple geometry Fred says- WTF???) , and the endless retelling of your sailing story every time you meet someone new!  HOLD ME BACK!

I continue to be a reluctant sailor who hopes one day to talk like a sailor while styling in my high waist jeans! Fair winds to you all, my friends. 

P.S. You can see where we currently are by checking the LOCATION PAGE on our WEBSITE.