Athens Tours January 25 2026

Athens to Rome January 2920 

Athens Tours  Day one

January 25, 2026

Todays tours started with a huge buffet breakfast in the hotel at 6:00 am and on the bus at 7:40.  It was to be a big day with a lot to see and alot of very long and complicated stories about Greek mythology.  A lot of the sites are pre written history or at the very earliest of written history so what is know fals into the mythology area.

The first stop was the Corinth Canal which was built in 1922. It is only a couple of miles long but cuts off 131 miles around some very dangerous coastline. It is a sea level canal and has no locks and only one ship can go through at a time.   This was right after WW1 and Greece was totally broke and in need of new infrastructure.  The Prime Minister pushed this project through against a lot of opposition but it was a huge success and is still in use to day.

The second stop was at the Epidauros theater.  This theater was built around 325 bc.  It can seat 0ver 13,000 people.  The acoustics are absolutely amazing a coin dropped in the center of the theater can be heard in the very top rows of the theatre.  The stone seating is absolutely amazing.  Each of the stone blocks are perfect cut and fitted together so that they all interlock and support each other.  I climbed up about half way and was totally amazed as you could heard the tiniest whisper spoke in the center of the theatre.    

The fourth stop was the Treasure of Atreus, or the tomb of Agamemnon.  It is huge stone structure built around 12500 BC,   This huge tomb is constructed of huge limestone blocks which form a conical beehive.  It was hit by grave robbers early on so not much is know about it.

The last stop was a huge Mycenae fort built in 1300 BC.  It is know as the Lion Gate for the large triangular stone carving of two lions over the gate.  It is a huge complex covering several acres.  It was excavated in the late 1890's so quite a bit is know about how the fort operated.  It was the headquarters of the Mycenae civilization in the 1300 BC time period.  The rocks are al dry laid and are perfectly fitted so the walls have not fallen down.  Even tough the path was extremely steep I climbed right to the top, where the view was outstanding.

We didn't get back to the hotel until almost 4:00.  It was a long, long day of tours, but very interesting.

Terry 

 

Vancouver to Athens

Viking Cruise January 2026

January 24 2026

Vancouver to Athens Greece

The trip from Kelowna to Athens was a long flight and was a lot more complicated than it should have been.  To an extent it was kind of my fault.  We had booked the trip with Viking cruises and it included the flights.  When you book the trip you don't exactly know what kind of flight you are going to get other than you know that it will get you to the destination and will have luggage and choose of seats. The price was quite good in comparison to what I could find so I was happy.  About four months before departure we are told what the flights were.  What I didn't realize was that I had five days to try and get Viking to give different flights so I simply accepted the flights.  The flight we wound up with was from Kelowna to Vancouver to Seattle Washington to Amsterdam to Athens.  

The first flight to Vancouver was on Thursday Jan 22 with an over night in Vancouver.  We had a hotel right at the airport so it was great.  Short 45 minute flight with a nice supper in the hotel and a short walk to the flight the next morning.  

The second flight to Seattle was on a really beaten up old Delta plane.  The flight left right on time for Delta -- 45 minutes late.  Fortunately we had 2.5 hours in Seattle so no big deal.  With the flight only 27 minutes being on this really beaten up old plane wasn't so bad.

The second flight to Amsterdam was also on Delta and was an old Airbus.  We had two seats window and aisle.  The flight was scheduled to leave 25 minutes late but we had 3 hours in Amsterdam so no big deal.  After boarding there was a 45 minute delay while the worked on closing one of the cargo doors.  Down to 110 minutes in Amsterdam which included going thru customs.  They lost another 20 minutes enroute so we were down to  90 minutes.   The movie selection was short but there was a couple.  I never was able to get to sleep as it was morning when we left. .  

In Amsterdam customs is always a long line up and they only had two booths open so the line wasn't moving.   Fortunately there was a fellow from the airport pulling short departure times out of line so when we got within about 40 minutes of departure we got pulled out of line and moved to the front.  

The final leg was KLM plane which had no entertainment or even power points for charging your phone.  The flight was a 2.25 hr and I did get about 40 minutes of sleep.  They had lots of snacks and drinks on board.  We were so happy to have just made it on board. 

When we arrived in Athens it was already late Saturday afternoon and unbelievably our luggage even showed up.  

The Viking representative was there and we where loaded on to a bus and driven to the hotel. 

Were we ever glad that ordeal was over.

Terry 

 

Jos' Boat Trip Oct 8 2025

Jos' Boat Trip

Schiphol Airport

October 08, 2025

This morning was our last chance for another ride and neither Jos or I were going to miss it.  I had laid out a route the night before which took us on a few paths we had ridden before.  It was  a great morning for a ride with very little wind and lots of blue sky.   

We headed out of the harbour and up the dyke road to the north towards Ouddorp.  Once we got to the island to the north we turned onto this tree lined path.  It was so nice rolling down the path.  However autumn is certainly upon us as there were lots of leaves on the ground.  In the few short days I have been here the trees have gone from totally green to yellow.  

As we followed the path along the coast we came to the Ouddorp spiral tower where we were a couple of days before.  From there we headed into Ouddorp where I hit an ATM so that I could pay Jos for the bike he had rented on my behalf.  I must say it was a excellent Trek bike with an aluminum frame bike with disc brakes and good wheels.  It was a joy to ride and much better than I had expected.  

I must also thank Jos for organizing such an excellent trip.  I was treated like a king.  Jos picked me up at the airport, took me to different harbours on his yacht, cooked great meals almost every night, fed me apple pie and ice cream, and drove me to the train so I could get to the airport.  WOW!!

Jos and I had a bunch of really rood rides and while we didn't break any speed records, we had a lot of fun.  I am not sure what the final grand total mileage was but the other day it was over 400 kms and we did another 30 km today.  

I started out calling this Jos' Boat Tour,  but in hindsight maybe I should have called it Tour de Klompen,  Klompen is the Dutch word for wooden shoes, and it is such a gives you such a great visual impression of clomping around.   

Up early and on the plane home.

Terry  

   

 

Jos' Bout Trip Oct 7 2025

 Jos' Boat Trip

Port Zelande

October 07, 2025

The weather looked pretty good this morning with only an 18 gusting to 28 kms/hr wind out of the SW.  So we planned an 88.5 kms ride down to Middleburg via the historic town of Veere.  We were up early and on the road by 9:45.  Ok not so early by we needed to be sure of the weather.  

The ride down to Veere was along the main dyke which keeps the sea back.  So you are up high on the dyke and totally exposed to the wind.  It was a real struggle straight into the wind for the 35 kms down to Veere.  Veere is historic town with most of the buildings showing signs in the early 1500's.  I did take a picture of one of the newer buildings which showed a sign of 1570.   Even though it was all into the wind we still made pretty good time so we stopped for a full on lunch in one of many restaurants.  Lunch was three fried eggs on a layer of ham on top of a couple of slices of rye bread. 

When we had gone into the restaurant it was pretty nice, when we came out the mist had set in and the temperature had dropped 5 C.  The mist/fog was really cold and I was sure that we were going to get rained on.    A couple of turns out of Veere and we were on some of the smoothest concrete I have ever ridden on.  As a result it didn't take long to make it down to Middleburg.  

We cruised through Middleburg and while it is really a pretty historic city with some great architecture I only took one picture of a fountain with pick water which showed up as white in the  picture.  It was just too cold and damp.

On the way back Jos asked if I wanted apple pie for supper.  Well yes, who doesn't want apple pie,  Unfortunately this lead to an 8 kms detour to find the apple pie.  So when we got back to the boat we were at 96 kms.  So we rode down the street for an extra 4 kms so we could log a 100 kms ride.  

Back on the boat we celebrated with chocolate milk.  

While the last 65 kms was cold and amp we had a great ride and one we will brag about.

Terry 

Jos' Boat Trip Oct 6 2025

 Jos' Boat Trip 

Port Zelande

October 06, 2025

Today the winds had died down quite a bit and were only blowing at 28 kms/hr with gusts to 45 kms/hr.  I friend of mine once said you do know why the Dutch have windmills.  It is true there is a fair amount of wind here, although Jos assures me that this is nothing compared to Wellington NZ.  

The forecast was for morning rain so we were in no hurray to jump on the bikes and make tracks.  Jos had some work to complete so I wandered over to the local mall and picked up apple turnovers and a couple of croissants. They are so good, as they are baked fresh there every day.  

I had laid out a 40 kms ride north along the dyke and around the NE side of the island to the north of us, with a loop at the north end though the  town of Stellendam, and a return ride along the south side of the island. The wind was coming out of the south west so the outward bound ride was just great sailing along with a very fresh tail wind.  It took us along the north coast of the island pass the beaches. Even though ir was cold and blustery people were out flying kites.  We climbed a look out tower with a spiral stair.  The views were somewhat hampered by the low hanging clouds and mist.  However on a clear day I am sure that you could see Newfoundland (or at least Greenland) in the distance.  

The return ride was kind of a different story as it was almost straight into the wind across some fields and then down the top of this dyke.  There wasn't any shelter from the wind and about 10 kms/hr was about all you could do.  Perseverance got us home.  

It was great getting out on the bikes for a ride.   The sun came out and the chocolate milk tasted great. 

 

Weather looks even better tomorrow so I am hoping we can get a big ride in. 

Terru 

 

 

Jos' Boat Trip October 5, 2025

 Jos' Boat Trip 

Rotterdam

October 05, 2025

This morning the wind was still howling in at 70-85 kms and there were periods of intermittent rain showers,  in short another harbour day.  This is just fine as it gives me an opportunity to seeing things beyond my life behind bars (handle bars that is).   Jos suggested that we drive up Rotterdam and walk around the sights.  

As parking anywhere close to the city centre is impossible we drove to the outskirts and took the train into central Rotterdam.  The train deposited us right downtown and we walked over an watched this canal which has a wave generator in it and people were surfing.  From there we wandered around to the Markthal which is a huge horseshoe shaped building.  On the main floor is a market which a a hundred different food vendors and upstairs is all apartments.  We stopped and enjoyed a chicken saty for lunch and watched the crowds of people.  After lunch we wandered through the museum sector and saw a bunch of the famous architecture of the city.  The Depot is a huge cup shaped building with mirrors on the outside and trees on the top.  It was pretty interesting as you could pick your self out in the reflections.  From there we wandered over the maritime museum and walked though the harbour section of the museum.  They had hundreds of interesting displays along the wharf.   Trains which shuttled cargo to steam cranes and a lot of ferries and cargo barges.  It was getting late in the afternoon and we didn't have time to go into the museum as that would be at least a 5 hour thing.  

We got back on the train and were whisked back to the van.  On the way home we stopped and picked up a few things for supper.  

It looks like the wind storm is somewhat abated so I think the plan is to go for a little ride tomorrow. 

There is a lot to see and we only scratched the surface but it was a fun day.

Terry 

Jos' Boat Trip October 4 2025

 Jos; Boat Trip

Port Zelande

October 04, 2025

Atlantic storm Amie is hitting the UK and the Netherlands this weekend.  As a result we are experiencing winds of 70 km/hr and gusting to 85 kms/hr.  In the harbour where we are staying there is an incredible calliope as the wind whistles through  the rigging of all the boats.  

All the whistling and banging didn't stop us from sleeping in.  However we did get rolling and completed a few chores like cleaning the boat and walking over to the grocery store to pick up a few supplies. Included in the supplies was a very nice rye loaf and the lunch sandwiches were great.

After lunch we headed over to a local train museum.  It is the heritage museum which houses the RTM line which started in 1878 running horse drawn trams in Rotterdam.  It quickly expanded to the other islands of the Zeland province, running trams, and ferries.  As the operation expanded steam trains and steam ferries were added.  Later on buses replace trams and diesel replaced steam.  However the 1953 flood destroyed much of RTM's infrastructure.  When the new dykes were built roads and highways replaced the tram lines.  RTM struggled on with buses but the end was near and 1966 was the end of the line.  Jos tried out for a RTM delivery position with one of their delivery bikes, but unfortunately there was no electric motor. 

From the museum we headed off to the huge tower which is built on one of the dykes as a marine life observation tower.   It was a little to misty to see much, but the views were pretty impressive never the less.  Even though we were inside the tower the wind was enough to knock you off your feet.  

It is so cozy on the boat watching the rain pelt down and listening to the wind.  

Terry 

 

Jos' Boat Trip October 03 2025

 Jos's Boat Trip 

Port Zelande

October 03, 2025

It was rainy, cold, and windy this morning so we were having a day off.  Sleeping in was the order of the day.  It was close to 9:00 am before we were up and having breakfast.  No big bike rides to day.

I wandered over to a near by mall and picked up a couple of pastries for a late morning coffee.  It was quite a place as the inside was covered in large over grown plants.  Inside there was a large pool which a number of very large prehistoric fish circling around and a pile of turtles under a heat lamp.  Allegedly there are also flamingos stalking around between the plants but I didn't see any.

Back at the boat Jos had arranged borrow a van and we drove over to the historic town of Goes.  Most of the canals into the city center were constructed in 1200 and most of the houses around the central harbour have dates on them from around 1550.  It was pretty interesting place.  There was a shop which just sold cheese.  There were hundreds of huge wheels of every description of cheese.  We wandered into the main cathedral which had been converted to a Protestant church  from a Catholic cathedral so most of the over the top ornate decorations had been stripped out. 

As today is Earnie's birthday Jos and I figured we should go out on the town to celebrate.  Jos found a very nice restaurant on line and we drove over.  Luckily we were able to get a table as we didn't have reservations.  We both selected the tomato fish stew with a bread plate.  It was absolutely fabulous. 

Tomorrow looks like an even stormier day so we are probably going to just lay low.  

Even though we didn't get a ride into today it was still a remarkable day. 

Terry 

   

Jos' Boat Trip Oct 2 2025

 Jos' Boat Trip 

Port Zelande

October 2, 2025

This morning we set sail from our cozy little harbour for another little harbour on the other end of the island.  It was called Scharendijke.  From Scharendijke we got on our bikes and rode south to the other side of the island. 

As we set off on our bikes it suddenly turned nasty with a biting wind and a rain squall.  I had not  worn a coat as it was pretty nice.  So we turned back and I put my coat on.  Naturally the act of putting your rain coat on caused the rain to stop, but that was ok.   We cruised through several small villages, most of which seemed to be oriented towards the summer tourist trade.

At about the 20 kms mark we came to the long dyke which separates the ocean from the inland water ways. he inland water ways, water level is controlled through a long set of hydraulically operated gates Each gate is probably 60 feet in length and there are an awful lot of them.   At the end of the water level gates is a large lock which allows boats to enter the ocean from the inland water ways.  

The wind was really howling straight into our face and as we were out on the dyke there was no protection from the wind.  I was certainly glad to reach the far end.  There was a little café which catered to a small harbor and boats using the lock.  The fish and chips were excellent. 

The trip back with the wind made us feel like we should be riding in the tour.  The 22.5 kms back took no time at all and I was kind of sorry the ride was over.   Jos had some phone calls to make so I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon snoozing on the deck in the sun. 

There is a big storm coming in so we set sail back to Port Zelande where we started.   Luckily, Jos' favourite spot was open and Jos cruised right in.  Actually he backed the boat in.  The thrusters are just magic.  Jos has head phones so he could tell me exactly what to to and I could tell him how far off the pier he was.  They also make us look really pro.

Today's 45 kms ride and sailing trips were great.

Terry