Almanac Travel: Not so much ‘la dolce vita’ as ‘la vita educativa’ (Part 4]

In  previous instalments in this series about our travels in Europe, I’ve covered churches and cathedrals, cultural experiences, and sports events and oddities. This time round the focus will be primarily on cruising as well as the odd supplement to previous themes.

 

Cruising

On the recommendation of my sister-in-law, and courtesy of the kindness and generosity of Anne, we took our first cruises, two 7-day jaunts with the French company Ponant. With a passenger capacity of approximately 200, Ponant’s smaller ships are able to access ‘away from the usual’ ports and, hence, offer different experiences to their passengers.

 

The first journey set sail from S. Basilio, Venice, a sunset departure set against the beauty of La Serenissima (wow!), then down the Dalmatian coast to Athens. Venice is beautiful at any time, but with the sun dropping to the horizon and with a glass of champagne in hand, this was a very special life experience.

 

Exiting Venice

 

Offered in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institute, stopovers included Hvar, Ploce, Dubrovnik, Tivat, Sarande and Itea with elective day tours from each port included in the fare. My favourites included a visit to Mostar where we saw and crossed over ‘the bridge’, and Itea where we took the excursion to the Holy Monastery of Hosias Loukas (see below). Dubrovnik was another stunner. But, for me, the absolute highlight of this cruise came on the last night as we passed through the Corinth Canal, a 6-kilometre traverse behind a tug with barely a metre to spare on either side between the cliff faces and our ship. The lighting, the immediacy of the canal’s walls, their towering height, and the drama of the navigation, all accompanied by on-board music, made for an enchanting evening. (A few days later, on an excursion from Athens, we stopped at the Canal in daylight. While it was still an impressive sight, it lacked the magical qualities of the night experience.)

 

Traversing the Corinth Canal

 

And then on to Athens for disembarkation and a week to enjoy the multitude of historical locations, both in the city and on day trips to various regions. Anne, who used to teach Ancient History (among other things), revelled in destinations such as Epidaurus, Mycenae, the Temple of Poseidon, Delphi and the (hugely crowded) Acropolis. The museums at the latter two, together with the National Archaeological Museum, are outstanding in their architecture, accessibility and contents. If only it wasn’t so bloody hot! Once or twice we had to curtail our plans for the day for the sake of self-preservation.

 

A week later we were back on board for a tour around the Greek islands, a new vista greeting us each morning as we opened the curtains of our cabin. Patmos, Symi, Amorgos, the Santorini Caldera at sunset, Milos, Delos, Paros and Hydra – each one a real treat, each one in its own way. I particularly liked Patmos with its connection to the Book of Revelation, the colours of Symi (almost Italian), the white villages atop the cliffs of Santorini, and Hydra’s links with Australian novelist George Johnston (but all too touristy). A totally unexpected treat on this cruise was an unscheduled late afternoon dip in the Mediterranean Sea off the back of our vessel – refreshing and energising. And endless sunshine and brilliant blue waters every day to boot!

 

This tale of our travels is not meant to be an advertisement for anyone or anything, so all I’ll say here about our Ponant cruises is that they were very well organised, very well executed, very well provisioned, and crewed by experienced, convivial and very competent staff – they offer a very good cruising experience. (I’m happy to expand on my experiences on request.)

 

Downsizing revisited

I found a late entry in my quest for a very small car. Here it is:

 

 

On the Greek island of Symi I found the Microlino, essentially a quad bike with a shell placed on top of it. Completely electric, it is supposed to be able to reach 90kph. It sells for between €15-20k depending on the model. Cute, but I think I’ll stick with the Renault shown previously.

 

Churches/Monasteries

Here are two more that really caught my eye. In 2006 we visited the island of Torcello, a Bryson De Chambeau drive north of Burano in the Veneto. Back then the island was just being opened up to tourism to highlight the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta. Then, you walked for a good five minutes along a dusty pathway to a barely accessible building featuring the 7th century church; now, it’s a more comfortable walk along an attractive brick-paved walkway to a complex of buildings highlighted by the church but also featuring a well-presented museum displaying historical artifacts and archeological remnants derived from the site. But the stunning feature is this mosaic wall inside the basilica dating from the 12th century. Breathtaking! (Photographs of the wall are not allowed. This image is a photo I took of a postcard we purchased. It hardly does justice to the real thing.)

 

 

 

The basilica is undergoing significant restoration, only fitting for a church that once rivalled Venice itself for ecclesiastical authority in the region. Tourist visits are clearly on the up with frequent ferry services running back and forth from Burano.

 

The other is the Holy Monastery of Hosios Loukas in the Boeotia area of Greece. Originally founded in the early 10th century by the hermit Loukas, the still-functioning monastery is set high in the hills with commanding, absolutely beautiful views of a huge valley which features extensive olive groves. The iconography and frescos of the two chapels are stunning in style, colour and contents, and the whole complex exudes a deep spirituality. I sent a series of photos to my Catholic friend RDL who opined that if he had been led to such a place at a particular time, his life may well have taken a very different path.

 

Sports events

I may have mentioned previously that I wasn’t able to see a single minute of this year’s State of Origin series live. Last Wednesday we were on a flight from Athens to Paris as Game 3 unfolded. In fact, I didn’t even see a score until 3 hours after it was all over. As was the case with Game 2, I should have listened to Prop who made it all sound so simple. How could I have doubted the outcome? What a stunning victory for the Maroons, a coaching triumph for Billy, and a vindication of some courageous decisions made by the State selectors. A case of a champion team beating a team of champions? Maybe. Regardless, there’s only one response: QUEENSLANDER!

 

Wimbledon has come and gone for another year. Can you believe the scoreline for the women’s final? You have to feel for the vanquished Anisimova who seemingly just couldn’t handle the enormity of the occasion. Hers is an unenviable place in the record books. Hopefully she’s made of the right stuff and will come back stronger for the experience. In the men’s iteration, we had the next chapter in the Sinner/Alcaraz rivalry. After a battle featuring some outrageously uninhibited strokeplay, Sinner overcame his French Open demons to win in four sets. What price these two meet in the US Open final later in the year?

 

What do you make of Nathan Lyon, surprisingly not selected, when fit, for the first time in over a decade? I still can’t fathom how he has accumulated over 500 Test wickets! Right time (no real alternatives), right place? Good luck to him. But the top order is a real concern ahead of the Ashes series at the end of the year. Meanwhile, on the field, the denouement of the Third Test was as outrageous as it was unexpected. Perhaps the Windies suffered the same discombobulation as Anisimova.

 

Then there was Grace Kim who played a series of miraculous shots in the closing holes and then in the sudden death play-off of the Evian Championship to come from the clouds to win her maiden major tournament. The rest of us can only hope to play one or two such shots in a lifetime of golf let alone in just a few holes at the conclusion of a major! Again, good luck to her.

 

There’s maybe one more Part to come in this series with a focus on accommodation, coffee, food and overall observations.

 

All photos provided by Anne Bitter and Ian Hauser.

 

 

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