Category: Greece

Pension Petros, Santorini

(Excerpt from my book, The Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece)

When we arrive at the pension, Ms. Petros greets us from the reception desk. Behind her, I notice gracefully painted murals throughout the hotel lobby and around the spa. I recognize most of them as reproductions of the Akrotiri wall paintings. Their daughter shows us to our room. Running this pension is a real family affair. She tells us that Internet WiFi is included in the price and provides the password. Through the guide books, we had heard WiFi was ubiquitous in Greece, but that has not been our experience in the inexpensive hotels. She also informs us that for a few euros more, we can have a larger, quieter room with views, in the rear of the hotel.

We follow our host up the steps at the far end of the pension and across the private terrace of the new room. A partial view of the island, complete with a blue domed church and the sea just beyond, is visible from up here. Opening the door, tiled floors welcome us inside. Stepping around a small single bed near the door, I see a spacious, full poster bed sitting along the opposite wall. I call dibs on the poster bed. Just beyond it, on the far wall, a shuttered window opens up to a partial view of the countryside. This room is more than we bargained for and well worth the extra euros. Now settled in the best room we’ve had yet, I can relax. Greece has real old-world charm, and I feel that we will be well cared for by a Greek family.

Donkey Caravan, Santorini

(Excerpt from my book, The Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece)

After many hours at sea, with two quick stops along the way, my excitement builds as Santorini comes into view. Passengers with cameras gather in anticipation on the port side of the ferry. We also ready our cameras and find a good spot along the railing. At first, Santorini looks like many other shallow islands we’ve seen pushing up from the sea. But when we get closer, I see a mountain looming large on the far side. Where the land meets the sea, sharp cliffs rise up a thousand feet into the blue sky. This is the caldera, where the central part of the volcano broke off and collapsed into the Aegean. Striations of colored rock, stone, sediment, and lava make the island a lopsided layer cake. As we ferry closer, the white city of Oia covers the top like frosting. The city contains no storied buildings and gathers close to the earth to avoid slipping off the caldera.

As we sail into the center of the five volcanic islands that make up Santorini, the top of the caldera rises above us. Quarter-moon shaped Thera is the largest of the islands. The city of Fira comes into view and I’m amazed that it’s so high up. The famous switchback trail, which takes travelers by donkey to and from the port below, is visible snaking along the cliff.

I’m glad we’ve finally arrived. I feel as though I’ve been out at sea a week. The ferry spins around, as it did in Naxos, and backs into to the port. We dock at Athinios and stand on the aft deck watching the gangway lower. During the boat ride, we scoured our travel guides for lodging and chose four possibilities. Pension Petros is the most promising, but we’ll be satisfied just to have a roof over our heads tonight. We certainly don’t want a repeat of our problems upon our arrival in Athens.

Our guidebooks say it’s possible to take the donkey caravan up the switchbacks to the top, but we don’t think much of that idea. Many proprietors are at the dock holding up handwritten signs for their hotels and pensions. We look for anything referencing Pension Petros, and finally see a middle-aged man holding up a sign for the place. He is, in fact, Mr. Petros himself. We get into his van, and he drives us up the switchbacks along the side of the caldera to Fira and Pension Petros. Along the way, I notice how Santorini, with its white buildings and blue-domed churches, differs from Attica.

Greek Wine Shop in Athens

(Excerpt from my book, The Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece)

Nearing Hotel Adams, I see the wine shop I noticed when we first arrived in Greece. Since my dad and I will be going to Irene’s for dinner tonight, we would like to bring a hostess gift for her. This will provide an excellent opportunity to become more familiar with Greek wine. I enter the shop and see an abundance of wine bottles in wooden racks lining the walls. In the far corner, a girl of eight or nine sits on a stack of wine boxes and says hello to me as I enter. Seeing no one else in the shop, I tell her that I’m looking for a bottle of Greek white wine. She says, “Just a minute,” and runs across the street calling up to her mother through an open window on the second floor. Moments later, a woman enters the shop with a smile and asks, “Are you looking for something in particular?” I tell her that I’m looking for a bottle of white wine for a dinner party but that I’m unfamiliar with Greek wines. She pulls out a bottle of Chardonnay from a rack. I ask her if the wine is strongly oaked with a smooth buttery character, which I find typical of Californian Chardonnay. She smiles and replies, “Yes.” I tell her that I’m more interested  in an earthier wine with less oak and a bit more of a kick to it, like a Sauvignon Blanc. She recommends two bottles, and I choose the one that was stainless steel fermented. She wraps the bottle in a colorful bag and ties it with a bow, perfect for our hostess.

I swing by the hotel to pick up my dad, and together we take the train from the Monastiraki station to the northern town of Kifissia, where Irene lives. She meets us just outside the station and drives us to her house where friends, family, and food are waiting.

Map of the Greek Cyclade Islands

Map of the Greek Cyclade Islands showing the route we took to Santorini, Mykonos, and Delos.

On our way to Santorini (excerpt from my book, The Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece)

We exit the cab at the port town of Paraeus, grab out bags, and walk over to the ferry. Its still too dark to see the Aegean, but I can smell fresh fish and seawater. As we enter the ferry and queue up to hand over our tickets, the enormous steel structure brings back childhood memories of a carnival ride. We carry our bags up the steps and search for a seat. The boat is crowded, but eventually we find a place near Goody’s, the Greek version of a fast food restaurant. Thankfully, no smoking is allowed inside the boat–a big plus. We park ourselves in the seats, our luggage close at hand. But the atmosphere in here feels stale and the lack of windows, claustrophobic. Even though smoking is allowed on the decks, I’m willing to put up with it for open space and a view. We grab our bags and climb stairs to the upper deck. At the front of the boat we discover, to our satisfaction, many seats available and few smokers. A gentle sea breeze provides fresh air and keeps the lingering smoke at bay. Early morning light illuminates tiny islands with low, fog-like clouds as we ferry out into the Aegean. To pass time, we pull out a map and guess the names of the islands as they come into view. Most appear uninhabited, barren, with just the occasional touch of green.

The Erechtheion with its Porch of the Karyatids

Once I reach to top of the Acropolis, I find a good place to sit and start drawing the Erechtheion, focusing on the Porch of the Karyatids. I see five beautiful stone ladies who will keep me company while I paint. Halfway through my first painting, a Greek woman walks over and waves her arms upon seeing my drawing. I don’t understand her Greek, but her reaction is telling. Then she reaches into her bag and pulls out an apple, hands it to me. I’ve never had anyone express their appreciation of my work so thoughtfully.

I change locations and begin another drawing. This time the entire Erechtheion is my focus, with the Porch of the Karyatids to one side. A teenage girl comes near and sits beside me watching me draw. She’s completely silent. After a half hour, she looks at me, smiles and thanks me, then slips away.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Walking to the top of the Acropolis, I notice only a quarter of the people that were here the first time. I’m not sure what has changed in the last week but it’s a welcome sight. I pass the Odeon theater, which was built in 161 AD by Herodes Atticus as an indoor auditorium but over time has lost its wooden roof and is now used as an outdoor theater. More recently, the musicians Yanni and Sting, and the Greek singer Nana Mouskouri have all held concerts in it. Now, where to sit? I could spend at least a week up here drawing and painting. Let me check my trail mix supply.

Map of the Greek Mainland

While it was difficult for me to believe that only a week had past while traveling around the mainland of Greece, It wasn’t hard to recognize how much fun I was having drawing and painting. My only regret was not having enough time to stay a night in Thebes as well as Sounion. Both cities looked interesting enough to spend a day exploring and finding places to draw and paint.

Temple of Poseidon at Sounion

Sounion, one of the more complete temples I’ve seen, is perched on a cliff overlooking the Aegean. I’d hoped I would be able to paint this ruin with the sea in the background, but I can find no angle to accomplish that. I find a spot with a traditional three-quarters view, sit on an ancient block of marble, and begin to draw. I’m tired from the day’s drive that, unbelievably, started in Delphi, so at this point, I’m just going through the motions. I need a break. I’m finding that being an artist on the road is not just about the drawing. I did a lot of driving today, and all my other energy resulted in only two paintings. Driving, not painting, took up most of the day. But drawing is now relaxing me, allowing my mind to slow down enough to soak up the surroundings. I’m in rhythm with the land once again, and I can smell the salty sea.