Time to move Elgin's marbles?

We had a couple of hours after breakfast before we needed to head to the airport so we decided to stay in the cool and visit the new Acropolis Museum next door to our hotel.  This modern building had been specially designed to showcase the finds from around the site and tell its history.

Beneath the museum is an area still under investigation.  

Inside, you "ascend" the Acropolis through fabulous displays of pottery and household goods from mainly 5-7th century BC.  The craftsmanship was outstanding, especially the decorated pottery.

On the next floor are many free standing statues which adorned houses, public buildings and larger city spaces.  You also follow the story of the various stages of building and destruction on the Acropolis.  It is a sad tale of something so magnificent which was burnt down, had a Turkish munitions stash explode in it, then finally getting knocked about by various Victorian archaeologists.

The top floor was just amazing.  In an imaginative design, they recreated the key components of the Parthenon Temple using stainless steel "pillars"

 and placed in relative situ carvings and statues - some in fairly good repair, others hardly recognisable

The pediments have the remaining fragments of the famous marbles with spaces left in the hopes the originals might be returned from the British Museum.  Personally, I think the time is right to return them to a home where they will be well cared for, treasured and reunited with the rest of this incredible building.  I'll be looking for a petition to sign.  

If anyone ever comes to Athens, a visit to this extraordinary museum should precede any climb up the Acropolis itself as it made so much more sense afterwards.

And so our trip ends with me typing this in Paddington Station after another very memorable holiday.  Just one more train to go!  

A big fish on the beach

Our final day on the islands so we decided to go out for a good Sunday lunch before catching the ferry back to Piraeus.

We took a taxi up to the second town on Milos - Pollonia which is another picturesque harbour but being set on a narrow peninsula, there is also open sea just beyond.  We thoroughly enjoyed a stroll round, including visiting the chapel on the hilltop.  

and then walked back into town and selected a beachside fish restaurant for lunch.  

We were a little early as they hadn't actually sorted out the morning's catch but after the usual visit to the kitchen to admire the offerings, we selected a large sea bream to be cooked for us.

Our starter was 3 different Milos cheeses with a spicy tomato paste, then the monster arrived and was expertly filleted by the restaurant owner. We were encouraged not to miss the "cheeks".  

It was really delicious.  Lemon mousse and a coffee gave us the ideal end to the meal.

Our charming host, Mr Ionnis happened to be driving by as we were finishing and offered us a lift back to Adamas which we happily accepted.

We sat on the balcony with our books for an hour then strolled down to the ferry where our boat appeared right on time.

The trip back to the mainland stopped at both Sifnos and Serifos on the way so we had a chance to say farewell to them both and enjoyed more of the coastal scenery.

The ferry came into Piraeus at about 9.00 so we hopped on the underground and were checked back into our hotel before 10.00.  We decided to treat ourselves to a drink and snack on the rooftop terrace so got a final look at the illuminated Acropolis before bedtime.

A walk through a volcanic landscape

Our long walk for Milos was a coastal one.    We took a taxi to the start at Agios Konstantinos with a view to walking the 12km or so of coast and paths back to Adamas.

Milos is a volcanic island and the ground is an open geology book of what happens after an eruption.  I shall spare readers the technical details and instead invite you to enjoy the rocks which cover the N coast and some of the bays with their boat houses.

a paddle at a deserted bay was a must

Finally the view back to Adamas as we headed downhill to a well earned cup of tea and treats.

Last day on the islands tomorrow.  

A good slow cooked goat

Yesterday was a bit cool and windy so we stuck to some local walks.

By late afternoon the sun was back out and we strolled to a restaurant a couple of km away right round the bay.  

On a very eclectic menu centred around local produce, we enjoyed a shepherd's salad followed by stuffed aubergines (Bill) or "goat cooked for hours in the embers" (Helen).   It was all good and the walk home was a delight as the sun was setting.

Over the sea and under the ground

Another day and another crossing to a new island.  We knew it was going to be a good day for a crossing as a Greek Orthodox archbishop (not sure of his actual rank but he had a flag on his car and was shown great deference by the ship's captain) was also catching a boat, though not ours.

Travelling on a jet boat, we reached Milos in about an hour and walked 5 minutes along the promenade to our hotel.

As it was only 10.30, we sat down with the owner for a welcome cup of coffee before leaving our bags and setting off to explore town.   It is the biggest so far with a big harbour serving both fishing boats and yachts.  

We caught a bus up to Plaka and Trypiti which cost the usual €1.60 and headed up to a cliff top chapel, partly built out of bits from an ancient temple.

We then walked down the hill towards the village of Klima where there are some remarkable catacombs tunnelled out of the soft volcanic rock.

With over 200m of tunnels and with family graves on the sides and in the floor, the total number of burials is enormous.

We followed a donkey path or Kalderimi back to Adamas, stopped to buy some drinks and supper ingredients and arrived back to check in properly.  We have a beautiful room

and a lovely balcony overlooking the harbour where we plan to eat supper later.

More of a stroll than a hike

The thunderstorms continued through the night but the morning had that washed pale blue look, apart from the grounds of the hotel and much of the area which was covered in reddish sand which had washed off roofs and everything else.  The hotel owner had mobilised the whole family to try to sort out the outdoor dining area but it was clearly going to take a while.

We caught the bus up to Artomena where we strolled round waiting for the bus to Faros on the far side of the island.  People wer going about their daily lives....

Faros is a pretty sheltered fishing harbour 

but our destination was a couple of kms away along the cliffs.  The monastery of Christopigi sits out on a rocky promontory and offered a lovely walk on a well paved path.

It was only about a half hour walk til we reached the monastery 

where we looked round the chapel with its beautiful carved seats and numerous icons.

Lunch was a juicy Apple eaten out on the rocks beyond the monastery 

and then we headed back to Faros to watch the fishermen sorting out their nets and catch

and took the return bus journeys.  It was a very good way to see a bit more of the island and with bus fares of €1.60 no matter where you go, good value too.

Now we need to sort things out a bit as we are on the early ferry to Milos in the morning and choose which restaurant to eat in tonight.

One of those nights

A blog without pictures.........

The thunder seemed to have abated so we wandered into town for dinner, stopping briefly under a fig tree as the rain started again.

We picked out the Fish Taverna for dinner because it advertised Octopus stew in the oven.   In we popped and the fun commenced.

Greek menus are pretty flexible, starters, salads, mains can be arbitrarily mixed and matched so we asked for chickpea balls, fish roe with beetroot crisps and Greek Salad with sea fennel to be followed by Sifnian lamb and the aforesaid octopus stew.  

As we sat there the streetlights came on as the sky went completely black then the rattling of huge hail and an absolute deluge started.  Everyone shot out of the kitchen, but the waitress assured us we were welcome to stay the night and there was ample food and wine.   

As various drowned locals either came into the restaurant on foot or simply parked their cars in the space normally occupied by the outside chairs, the staff filmed the torrents of water coming down.  We just ordered more wine!   

Not too much later the storm seemed to clear and we enticed in some passing French, Italian and an American with the promise of delicious food.  

For our efforts, we were rewarded with a free dessert and left as best friends.  (actually I am about to give them an outstanding on tripadviser)

We walked home with a cool breeze for accompaniment but are now watching a stunning light and sound show of yet another big storm passing over.

A brilliant day and night.  Sifnos is quite a place.