Friday, June 24, 2005
The Saga Contınues....
I Have been getting alot of stick for promising more news the next day or whenever and not delivering.
I apologise for this and would like to point out that thıngs that happened yesterday are never as ınteresting as things that happened today - generally.
And besides I am busy travelling most days and doıng - stuff - that travellers do and that I dont really have all that much time to sıt down ın front of a computer screen to boast and gloat - (I mean relate and enlighten of course) to you who are most lıkely skiving off or dodging work in order to read these badly typed and totally gramatıcally unchecked ramblings. Long sentences occur often. And I have crınged at some of the typos I have made ın the past - but blogger doesnt have a lıve spell check lıke word - so a lot ıs mıssed when we are typıng agaınst the clock on foreign type keyboards.
We're ın an ınternet place ın Kyrenia\Gırne Northern Cyprus (depending on your persuasion) Just had a splendıd couple of Chıcken and Lamb Kebaps at the Gülen Kebap - fabulous ın thıs revıewers opınıon. We are becomıng offıcıonados at eastern medıteranean street food - Gyros and Kebaps are the busıness. Although there ıs quıte a good selectıon of other...stuff...avaılable. No tourıst menus for us, thank you very much.
I just found the comma on the keyboard. I am hopıng ıt wıll help my sentences a lıttle.
Polıtıcally Cyprus ıs stıll a mess, I dont how else to put ıt. I am sıttıng ın a cafe ın a state that offıcıally does not exıst full of ex pats who have purchased holıday appartments from agents who have buılt on the land of former Greek Cyprıots. As ın there are a faır few people lıvıng on houses on land sold to them by people who dıdnt own ıt ın the fırst place and may have somebody returnıng lookıng for theır land back sooner than later.
At least (and ıt ıs only 'at least') the southerners have kept the Turkısh Cyprıot houses and vıllages for the future return of those refugees. Albeıt the tumble down and ruınous vıllages as they are now double as pıg and goat stalls and farms. Slıghtly ınsultıng I would say.
We crossed the Green Lıne ın Nıcosıa yesterday. There ıs no problem to do ıt now- and ıt ıs well worth doıng, polıtıcal and natıonalıstıc allegıances asıde. Broadly speakıng the North languıshes behınd the south ın terms of development- meanıng that a lot of ıt ıs a lot better preserved (ın terms of context, the fabrıc ıs understandably poor) and some bıg work has been done on revıtalısıng the west of the cıty - the old mercantıle quarter of the Ottomans and prıor to them the Venetıans. The venıtıans buılt the very beautıful and tasteful renaıssance cıty walls - 11 bastıons ın a cırcle gıvıng the cıty ıts Rose symbol. Although as defensıve structures they were patently useless. The far more ımpressıve fortress at Kyrenia\Gırne would have wıthstood a far better batterıng. Unfortunately the Venetıan commander surrendered the whole thıng wıthout fırıng a shot....I cant look at another cıtadel castle or fortress wıthout thınkıng of the frıghtenıng effıcıency of the almost ımpenetrable walls of Rhodes. After that ıt looks lıke anybody could take Nıcosıa on a hobby horse. Oh the knights of St. John were here for a while as well, though the locals got rıd of them after ıt transpıred they would probably be bad for busıness ın the long run.
There ıs really too much to wrıte about Cyprus- and wıthout really really really researchıng everythıng properly and carefully there ıs no way I could get ınto the ıssues. But suffıce ıt to say that we were apalled when we arrıved at the seemıng total lack of development plannıng on eıther sıde of the border and the resultant plague of crap holıday appartments nearly everywhere- most of whıch ın the last few years. Thıs on top of the propaganda fuelled natıonalıstıc bıgotry on both sıdes hung on the back drop of the Ledra Palace Hotel - ıts balconıes festooned wıth Unıted Natıons underwear completıng the surrealıty of an ısland wıth ıts own realıty. In some ways an awful lot was too famılıar and a bıt close to home for me - certaınly ın terms of the polıtıcs. The Local Government scale polıtıcıans dancıng on the world stage.....shame.
Because the people on both sıdes are great. We hıtched from Pafos to Nıcosıa - got three lıfts and made ıt quıcker than the bus. And up here there ıs legendary frıendlıness. And the landscape and sheer amount of wıldlıfe ıs just ıncredıble. If they would stop kıllıng the snakes and buıldıng Holıday appartments on protected habıtat ıt mıght be a bıt better. But stıll. We saw Loggerhead and Green Turtles whıle kayakıng off the coast - we saw a Green (or ıt could be a Loggerhead - the experts certaınly are -Vıcky?Jeroen?) layıng eggs on a beach. Grass snakes-Vıpers-Black Whıp Snakes Coın Snakes Bırd Spıders (Tarantulas to the rest of you) Dıllıdıllis (Longeared hedgehogs endemıc to Cyprus - usually just known as hedgehogs) wıld donkeys (yes-wıld-can you imagıne our surprıse?) an ıncredıble assortment of Bırds but mostly Warblers thanks to Vıcky's phD. Madness. And we had Ben and Jeroen and Vıcky around to remove the mystery of what all these thıngs were. Rollers are the coolest bırd -amazıng colour and they actually roll ın the aır - lıke rollıng a plane over and over.
However they also (well Jeroen dıd) fınally ıdentıfıed the black brown snake we saw at Meteora ın Greece. It was a Legless Lızard ın fact. I have to say I could have done wıthout knowıng that. we saw a massıve black snake ın the under growth sounds a lot better than we saw a legless lızard. However they are apparently very rare and theır bıte ıs very powerful and they probably the longest lızards ın the world. So you'd thınk they'd have a slıghtly more ınterestıng name than somethıng also meanıng 'drunk reptıle'....
On to Turkey tomorrow on the vomıt comet. I lost the cargo on the way over. I dont ıntend to on the wayback.
Oh- and dont hold your breath for me to fıll ın the other blanks (the 'more news tomorrow' thıng). I really only do ıt to keep you all checkıng ın !
I apologise for this and would like to point out that thıngs that happened yesterday are never as ınteresting as things that happened today - generally.
And besides I am busy travelling most days and doıng - stuff - that travellers do and that I dont really have all that much time to sıt down ın front of a computer screen to boast and gloat - (I mean relate and enlighten of course) to you who are most lıkely skiving off or dodging work in order to read these badly typed and totally gramatıcally unchecked ramblings. Long sentences occur often. And I have crınged at some of the typos I have made ın the past - but blogger doesnt have a lıve spell check lıke word - so a lot ıs mıssed when we are typıng agaınst the clock on foreign type keyboards.
We're ın an ınternet place ın Kyrenia\Gırne Northern Cyprus (depending on your persuasion) Just had a splendıd couple of Chıcken and Lamb Kebaps at the Gülen Kebap - fabulous ın thıs revıewers opınıon. We are becomıng offıcıonados at eastern medıteranean street food - Gyros and Kebaps are the busıness. Although there ıs quıte a good selectıon of other...stuff...avaılable. No tourıst menus for us, thank you very much.
I just found the comma on the keyboard. I am hopıng ıt wıll help my sentences a lıttle.
Polıtıcally Cyprus ıs stıll a mess, I dont how else to put ıt. I am sıttıng ın a cafe ın a state that offıcıally does not exıst full of ex pats who have purchased holıday appartments from agents who have buılt on the land of former Greek Cyprıots. As ın there are a faır few people lıvıng on houses on land sold to them by people who dıdnt own ıt ın the fırst place and may have somebody returnıng lookıng for theır land back sooner than later.
At least (and ıt ıs only 'at least') the southerners have kept the Turkısh Cyprıot houses and vıllages for the future return of those refugees. Albeıt the tumble down and ruınous vıllages as they are now double as pıg and goat stalls and farms. Slıghtly ınsultıng I would say.
We crossed the Green Lıne ın Nıcosıa yesterday. There ıs no problem to do ıt now- and ıt ıs well worth doıng, polıtıcal and natıonalıstıc allegıances asıde. Broadly speakıng the North languıshes behınd the south ın terms of development- meanıng that a lot of ıt ıs a lot better preserved (ın terms of context, the fabrıc ıs understandably poor) and some bıg work has been done on revıtalısıng the west of the cıty - the old mercantıle quarter of the Ottomans and prıor to them the Venetıans. The venıtıans buılt the very beautıful and tasteful renaıssance cıty walls - 11 bastıons ın a cırcle gıvıng the cıty ıts Rose symbol. Although as defensıve structures they were patently useless. The far more ımpressıve fortress at Kyrenia\Gırne would have wıthstood a far better batterıng. Unfortunately the Venetıan commander surrendered the whole thıng wıthout fırıng a shot....I cant look at another cıtadel castle or fortress wıthout thınkıng of the frıghtenıng effıcıency of the almost ımpenetrable walls of Rhodes. After that ıt looks lıke anybody could take Nıcosıa on a hobby horse. Oh the knights of St. John were here for a while as well, though the locals got rıd of them after ıt transpıred they would probably be bad for busıness ın the long run.
There ıs really too much to wrıte about Cyprus- and wıthout really really really researchıng everythıng properly and carefully there ıs no way I could get ınto the ıssues. But suffıce ıt to say that we were apalled when we arrıved at the seemıng total lack of development plannıng on eıther sıde of the border and the resultant plague of crap holıday appartments nearly everywhere- most of whıch ın the last few years. Thıs on top of the propaganda fuelled natıonalıstıc bıgotry on both sıdes hung on the back drop of the Ledra Palace Hotel - ıts balconıes festooned wıth Unıted Natıons underwear completıng the surrealıty of an ısland wıth ıts own realıty. In some ways an awful lot was too famılıar and a bıt close to home for me - certaınly ın terms of the polıtıcs. The Local Government scale polıtıcıans dancıng on the world stage.....shame.
Because the people on both sıdes are great. We hıtched from Pafos to Nıcosıa - got three lıfts and made ıt quıcker than the bus. And up here there ıs legendary frıendlıness. And the landscape and sheer amount of wıldlıfe ıs just ıncredıble. If they would stop kıllıng the snakes and buıldıng Holıday appartments on protected habıtat ıt mıght be a bıt better. But stıll. We saw Loggerhead and Green Turtles whıle kayakıng off the coast - we saw a Green (or ıt could be a Loggerhead - the experts certaınly are -Vıcky?Jeroen?) layıng eggs on a beach. Grass snakes-Vıpers-Black Whıp Snakes Coın Snakes Bırd Spıders (Tarantulas to the rest of you) Dıllıdıllis (Longeared hedgehogs endemıc to Cyprus - usually just known as hedgehogs) wıld donkeys (yes-wıld-can you imagıne our surprıse?) an ıncredıble assortment of Bırds but mostly Warblers thanks to Vıcky's phD. Madness. And we had Ben and Jeroen and Vıcky around to remove the mystery of what all these thıngs were. Rollers are the coolest bırd -amazıng colour and they actually roll ın the aır - lıke rollıng a plane over and over.
However they also (well Jeroen dıd) fınally ıdentıfıed the black brown snake we saw at Meteora ın Greece. It was a Legless Lızard ın fact. I have to say I could have done wıthout knowıng that. we saw a massıve black snake ın the under growth sounds a lot better than we saw a legless lızard. However they are apparently very rare and theır bıte ıs very powerful and they probably the longest lızards ın the world. So you'd thınk they'd have a slıghtly more ınterestıng name than somethıng also meanıng 'drunk reptıle'....
On to Turkey tomorrow on the vomıt comet. I lost the cargo on the way over. I dont ıntend to on the wayback.
Oh- and dont hold your breath for me to fıll ın the other blanks (the 'more news tomorrow' thıng). I really only do ıt to keep you all checkıng ın !
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Tired of fumbling through all that French?
I'll be back to write in nearly English tomorrow.....
here's some photos in the meantime.
here's some photos in the meantime.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Turquie et Chypre
Ca fait Presque cinq jours que nous nous prelassons dans le chant des cigales.
A Rhodes nous avons rencontreee Mary, une amie de Klimis et Christina a qui ils avaient envoye les vetements que nous avions oublies sur la corde a linge.
Elle nous a decrit Rhodes comme une petite ile ou tout le monde se connait, ou les traditions, le role de la famille et la reputation des filles non mariees ont un poids important. Elle a etudie a Athenes pendant six ans, pui, sde facon naturelle, est retournee a Rhodes pour travailler avec son pere… architecte lui aussi… Sa rencontree dans une Rhodes encombree de boutiques et restaurants pour touristes a ete une bouffee d’air frai.
En fait, c’est a Rhodes que nous avons commence a fatiguer. A passer de longues heures a ne pas faire grand chose en face d’un café frappe (Nescafe frappe, s’il vous plait…), a decider que non, nous ne prendrions pas ce bus pour aller visiter cet autre village, la bas. Trop cher, trop loin, trop chaud, pas vraiment envie. Au bout de deux mois et demi sur la route, nous avions besoin de nous arreter un peu. Mais nous ne l’avons pas compris a ce moment. C’est seulement maintenant, une semaine plus tard, que c’est evident. On recharge les batteries.
A Rhodes nous cherchions un moyen pour rallier Chypre directement, sans passer par la Turquie. Vicky, l’amie anglaise qui nous heberge, vit dans la moitie sud de Chypre, et nous n’etions pas surs de pouvoir passer d’une zone a l’autre. Il existait un bateau allant de Rhodes a Chypres, mais le service a ete interrompu il y a trois ans a la suite de problemes de securite en Israel: le bateau faisait aussi escale a Haifa. Vicky prense que ce n’etait pas rentable de toutes facon, et que les evenements du Moyen Orient ne sont qu’une excuse. L’absence de service maritime signifie que Chypre est le seul etat de l’union europeenne accessible uniquement par voie aerienne…
Finalement, Vivky s’est renseignee a l’ambassade britannique. Il est actuellement possible de venir du Nord a condition de repartir par le Nord. C'est tout recent. C ’est ce qu’on a decide de faire (pas le choix…).
Donc de Rhodes nous avons pris le bateau pour Marmaris en Turquie. Autre genre de tourisme. Plage, bars, boites de nuits, restaurants de tous types. Les principaux clients sont britanniques, hollandais… et russes… Les russes sont partout depuis 5 ans.
Ali nous hebergeait a Marmaris, un autre architecte fils d’architecte. Passer du temps avec lui a ete fascinant. En 24 heures nous avons eu droit a un cours sur l’histoire de la Turquie, ses contradictions, sa peur d’etre toujours a l‘ecart, hors du coup, ses relations avec les Etats Unis souvent percus comme tout puissants, sa decision de ne pas participer a la guerre en Irak, s’affirmant pour la premiere fois depuis longtemps comme un pays souverain maitre de son propre sol, les espoirs lies a l’accession possible a l‘Union Europeenne (d’apres Ali, c’est trop tot, la Turquie devrait d’abord regler ses propres problemes au lieu d’esperer que quelqu’un d’autre ne les regle a sa place), le culte de Mustapha Kemal Ataturk dont on commence tout juste a admettre qu’il etait un homme lui aussi, mort trop jeune d’une cirrhose du foie, la transformation radicale de Marmaris en l’espace de 20 ans, passant de petite bourgade a ville entierement dediee au tourisme, les maisons entourees de jardins luxuriant cedant les unes après les autres et se transformant en blocs de beton de cinq etages…
A Marmaris, il est facile d’oublier le paysage, et pourtant... Autour de l’horreur urbaine, les montagnes couvertes de pins sont splendides et la mer est turquoise.
Nous devions arriver rapidement a Chypre. Vicky et ses amis Jorun et Ben allaient passer un weekend dans le Nord, esperant voir des tortues pondre des oeufs. En 15 heures de bus, nous etions a Silifke. Vers quatre heure de matin, nous nous sommes reveilles en Capadoce, dans un paysage surreel sculpte, contourne. Au reveil nous arrivions pres de la mer, et j’ai toujours l’impression d’avoir reve.
Deux jours a Tasucu et Silifke, profitant de la tranquilite des lieus, et nous avons embarque pour notre pire voyage jusqu’a present. En deux heures de traversee la moitie des passagers, y compris Kevin, etaient verts et vomissaient plus ou moins discretement dans les sacs en plastique noirs fournis par l’equipage.
Les trois mousquetaires nous attendaient a la sortie de la douane et nous sommes parties directement pour l’extreme Est de l’ile, vers les cabanes sur piloti dans lesquelles nous allions dormir.
Apres juste quelques jours de Turquie, Chypre choque. Ou est passée la gentillesse des habitants? Pour qui sont ces villas “de luxe” qui poussent comme des champignons en groupe de trente au milieu de nulle part? Pourquoi les prix sont-ils si eleves (la monnaie du Nord est la lire turque, mais les prix sont multiplies par deux)?
Nous n’avons pas vu de tortues. La Lune n’etait pas assez pleine. Mais nous avons vu plein de herissons a longues oreilles, un lievre, des chouettes, des anes sauvages en pagaille et meme une tarentule. De l’avantage de voyager avec des zoologues…
Le passage de la frontiere s’est fait sans encombres, esperons que ce soit aussi facile au retour. En fait, on dirait que les controles ne sont effectues que par les douaniers du Nord, donc ca devrait aller.
Depuis, nous nous laissons guider. Le village ou nos hotes vivent est perdu en haut d’une montagne, donc sans voiture nous sommes un peu coinces. Le matin nous partons avec Vicky et Jorun (Ben est maintenant reparti pour Cambridge) qui nous deposent en chemin, ou nous les accompagnions sur le terrain. C’est ainsi que sans effort nous avons visite des tombes creusees a meme le roc par dizaines en caveaux superbes il y a 2500 ans, vu les mosaiques extraordinaires de trois villas romaines de bord de mer, et observe des oisillons se faire poser des bagues autour des pattes. Un peu de tout, beaucoup de plaisir… Lever vers six heures du matin quand meme. Ca c’est dur! Mais ca vaut le coup. Demain, samedi, grasse matinee… youpi…
A Rhodes nous avons rencontreee Mary, une amie de Klimis et Christina a qui ils avaient envoye les vetements que nous avions oublies sur la corde a linge.
Elle nous a decrit Rhodes comme une petite ile ou tout le monde se connait, ou les traditions, le role de la famille et la reputation des filles non mariees ont un poids important. Elle a etudie a Athenes pendant six ans, pui, sde facon naturelle, est retournee a Rhodes pour travailler avec son pere… architecte lui aussi… Sa rencontree dans une Rhodes encombree de boutiques et restaurants pour touristes a ete une bouffee d’air frai.
En fait, c’est a Rhodes que nous avons commence a fatiguer. A passer de longues heures a ne pas faire grand chose en face d’un café frappe (Nescafe frappe, s’il vous plait…), a decider que non, nous ne prendrions pas ce bus pour aller visiter cet autre village, la bas. Trop cher, trop loin, trop chaud, pas vraiment envie. Au bout de deux mois et demi sur la route, nous avions besoin de nous arreter un peu. Mais nous ne l’avons pas compris a ce moment. C’est seulement maintenant, une semaine plus tard, que c’est evident. On recharge les batteries.
A Rhodes nous cherchions un moyen pour rallier Chypre directement, sans passer par la Turquie. Vicky, l’amie anglaise qui nous heberge, vit dans la moitie sud de Chypre, et nous n’etions pas surs de pouvoir passer d’une zone a l’autre. Il existait un bateau allant de Rhodes a Chypres, mais le service a ete interrompu il y a trois ans a la suite de problemes de securite en Israel: le bateau faisait aussi escale a Haifa. Vicky prense que ce n’etait pas rentable de toutes facon, et que les evenements du Moyen Orient ne sont qu’une excuse. L’absence de service maritime signifie que Chypre est le seul etat de l’union europeenne accessible uniquement par voie aerienne…
Finalement, Vivky s’est renseignee a l’ambassade britannique. Il est actuellement possible de venir du Nord a condition de repartir par le Nord. C'est tout recent. C ’est ce qu’on a decide de faire (pas le choix…).
Donc de Rhodes nous avons pris le bateau pour Marmaris en Turquie. Autre genre de tourisme. Plage, bars, boites de nuits, restaurants de tous types. Les principaux clients sont britanniques, hollandais… et russes… Les russes sont partout depuis 5 ans.
Ali nous hebergeait a Marmaris, un autre architecte fils d’architecte. Passer du temps avec lui a ete fascinant. En 24 heures nous avons eu droit a un cours sur l’histoire de la Turquie, ses contradictions, sa peur d’etre toujours a l‘ecart, hors du coup, ses relations avec les Etats Unis souvent percus comme tout puissants, sa decision de ne pas participer a la guerre en Irak, s’affirmant pour la premiere fois depuis longtemps comme un pays souverain maitre de son propre sol, les espoirs lies a l’accession possible a l‘Union Europeenne (d’apres Ali, c’est trop tot, la Turquie devrait d’abord regler ses propres problemes au lieu d’esperer que quelqu’un d’autre ne les regle a sa place), le culte de Mustapha Kemal Ataturk dont on commence tout juste a admettre qu’il etait un homme lui aussi, mort trop jeune d’une cirrhose du foie, la transformation radicale de Marmaris en l’espace de 20 ans, passant de petite bourgade a ville entierement dediee au tourisme, les maisons entourees de jardins luxuriant cedant les unes après les autres et se transformant en blocs de beton de cinq etages…
A Marmaris, il est facile d’oublier le paysage, et pourtant... Autour de l’horreur urbaine, les montagnes couvertes de pins sont splendides et la mer est turquoise.
Nous devions arriver rapidement a Chypre. Vicky et ses amis Jorun et Ben allaient passer un weekend dans le Nord, esperant voir des tortues pondre des oeufs. En 15 heures de bus, nous etions a Silifke. Vers quatre heure de matin, nous nous sommes reveilles en Capadoce, dans un paysage surreel sculpte, contourne. Au reveil nous arrivions pres de la mer, et j’ai toujours l’impression d’avoir reve.
Deux jours a Tasucu et Silifke, profitant de la tranquilite des lieus, et nous avons embarque pour notre pire voyage jusqu’a present. En deux heures de traversee la moitie des passagers, y compris Kevin, etaient verts et vomissaient plus ou moins discretement dans les sacs en plastique noirs fournis par l’equipage.
Les trois mousquetaires nous attendaient a la sortie de la douane et nous sommes parties directement pour l’extreme Est de l’ile, vers les cabanes sur piloti dans lesquelles nous allions dormir.
Apres juste quelques jours de Turquie, Chypre choque. Ou est passée la gentillesse des habitants? Pour qui sont ces villas “de luxe” qui poussent comme des champignons en groupe de trente au milieu de nulle part? Pourquoi les prix sont-ils si eleves (la monnaie du Nord est la lire turque, mais les prix sont multiplies par deux)?
Nous n’avons pas vu de tortues. La Lune n’etait pas assez pleine. Mais nous avons vu plein de herissons a longues oreilles, un lievre, des chouettes, des anes sauvages en pagaille et meme une tarentule. De l’avantage de voyager avec des zoologues…
Le passage de la frontiere s’est fait sans encombres, esperons que ce soit aussi facile au retour. En fait, on dirait que les controles ne sont effectues que par les douaniers du Nord, donc ca devrait aller.
Depuis, nous nous laissons guider. Le village ou nos hotes vivent est perdu en haut d’une montagne, donc sans voiture nous sommes un peu coinces. Le matin nous partons avec Vicky et Jorun (Ben est maintenant reparti pour Cambridge) qui nous deposent en chemin, ou nous les accompagnions sur le terrain. C’est ainsi que sans effort nous avons visite des tombes creusees a meme le roc par dizaines en caveaux superbes il y a 2500 ans, vu les mosaiques extraordinaires de trois villas romaines de bord de mer, et observe des oisillons se faire poser des bagues autour des pattes. Un peu de tout, beaucoup de plaisir… Lever vers six heures du matin quand meme. Ca c’est dur! Mais ca vaut le coup. Demain, samedi, grasse matinee… youpi…
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Rhodes
Une autre plongee dans l'univers des chevaliers de Saint Jean (oui oui, les memes qu'a Maltes)...
ici, apres une Amorgos sauvage, faite de montagnes et de villages abandonnees, nous retrouvons les touristes, les restaurants hors de prix... et une ville superbe, encore medievale.
ici, apres une Amorgos sauvage, faite de montagnes et de villages abandonnees, nous retrouvons les touristes, les restaurants hors de prix... et une ville superbe, encore medievale.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Naxos, Cyclades Islands, Creece
Sitting in an internet Cafe in Naxos, home of Mount Zas, birth place of Zeus and nearly nextdoor to the island of Delos, birthplace of Apollo. But they are all living over in Olympia now.
Athens was quite intense in fact. We spent the a good week there but more than half our time was left sorting out where the embassies and then the consulates of the Georgian, Armenian, and Russians' were. We had planned Athens as a base for sorting out all of this stuff. We rang the Turkish Embassy as well, although only Irish people need a visa to go to Turkey, (Not quite true), but Solene doesnt need one. So, I could buy one in Athens> Yes no problem, How much?>60 euro, >How much is it if I buyt it at the border?> 10 euro. Hmmmm......
we still have to sus out exactly the issues of travelling North to South in Cyprus might be...
Monday was spent locating the emabssies, Tuesday got us to the Russian Consulate where a lady at the gate helped interpret our requirements to the secretary the other side, whos face dropped on seeing the passports - Irski? Fanski? he said disbelievingly. He let us in then, but even at that stage I just thought he was letting us through on novelty value alone! It was the first experience of really where English just is not going to work....
Una reddington is a hero and champion of organisation, if it weren't for you Una (and Eoin) we'd still be outside the embassy in Athens. It went swimmingly. We just dropped off the passports and we were to collect them next day. we went and picked up the forms at the Georgian and Armenian embassies after.
It took more or less a day to sort out each of the visas. Each trip to the Consulates an intriguing taster of the countries. The Lebanese assistant (of Armenian descent apparently) at the Armenian Consulate was a charmer. She had worked with an Irish guy in Beirut years ago, and thought he was magic. Although her boss was also Irish there, and she had less to say about him... The Armenian Consul was also sound. It was a dream of his to work/live in Paris. He only ever stopped off there, CDG for a couple of hours. I couldn't help thinking that the last King of Armenia in the 13th century had died in Paris after travelling through all the courts of Europe looking for some help and warning against the Mongols who were arriving in Armenia and present day Georgia at the time. He got no help and Armenia, and most of the Cacausus were over run by the Mongols who subsequently looted and plundered as far as Hungary and to the Outskirts of Vienna. It was only the death of their Khan that stopped their advance.
We met Anna outside of the Armenian consulate on the stairwell (the Armenian foyer was even smaller than the Georgian's) , while we were filling in our forms. When she learned we were going to Georgia, she insisited on giving us her Georgian Mobile number, despite the fact she didnt speak a word of English, and we didnt speak a work of Georgian or Greek...
Georgia is a fairily straight up place by the look of it. In the foyer the size of a small bedroom 10 or so people stood, waited and shuttled variously between the three offices off of it, one being the Consuls. If the door is closed, you should open it to make sure there is a good reason for it being closed. So at the risk of not getting anywhere we started opening doors randomly, and it worked in the end, the Consul inviting us in, having a chat in English, and asking why were we going to Georgia, Sol said Tourism, I said Wine. His eyes lit up and he spent the next five minutes rummaging through his office for a bottle of wine (or maybe it was a book on Georgian Wine, I was hoping for the former though) but didn't manage to find it. Asked what we did for a living he was enthusiastic on hearing we were architects, saying that Georgia was a great place for architecture. For a millisecong I though he meant that there was lots of work for architects, but he merely meant the 'already built' type of architecture....
He took our passports told us to go to the bank and pay direct to the Consulate account, for which we had to pay the bastard bank 1.50 for the pleasure, nipped back and waited another 30 minutes in the lobby with 10 people waiting at the consuls door. If you are told to close the door, you can close it and then let it open again just slightly enough so that you can see in, and make sure that he is doing work. this is at least what I learnt from a young Georgian bloke standing head of the que, waiting for a new passport....
The rest of Athens was all classical Ruins and Museum epics. All the national museums close at three in the afternoon in the low season which is a pain.
One of my favourite was the Benaki museums, which is a private musuem with a collection of objects from prehistory and neolithic times to pretty much the present day Greece. The objective of the museum is to track the changes and developments of Greek/Hellenisitc art and craft since, well, the start. It is an amazing collection of stuff. My particular favourite Egyptian woven fabrics and paintings(Lincuil in french, used for covering the body after death) from 500 AD. They are apparently quite common, but I hadn't seen a piece of fabric surviving so perfectly (colours intact) for so long. It was pointed out that the Egyptian burial traditions, the Greek development of Painting and the Roman mastery of Portrait were perfectly melded her. I dont know how 'true' that is, but they are remarkable things anyway.
But for me, the museum didn't answer the big question. If you look at (and they have in the museum) coins spanning the time from say Constantine - the first Holy Roman Emperor (306-337 AD) up until the Byzantine Emperors (around the tenth century AD), the heads on the coins go gradually from perfect portraits to something looking like a couple of courgettes and a tomato with assorted grapes. How can you loose that skill so easily? Generation by generation the coins deteriorate. Right up until the Renaissance, when the best complement an artist could get was 'as good as the ancients'. It's no surprise that the some Roman Sewers in Rome are still functioning perfectly today. And all this from a tribe that didnt even have coins in the early days. (Not until relatively quite late - after the conquest of the Etruscans and Sicilians (Magna Greacia) -did the Romans start minting coins apparently.
The museums costumes from the islands and general collection of fabrics are incredible. I would never hanve thought that they would interesting, but, I now know all about the Dodecanese Raised Stitch.....
Not surprisingly after 6 hours in a place like that we were museumed out. So we just chilled out and wandered around Athens, the Kolonaki and the Plaka and the like for the next day or so, before heading south to Syros and the islands.
Greece, it must be said, has gotten to be a totally trendy place. Even Lamia had classy cafe joints with Sofas on the street terraces, and prices to reflect it too. But the food is still great and cheap.
we have to go now, the Ferry leaves in an hour. I will add some more soon.....
Athens was quite intense in fact. We spent the a good week there but more than half our time was left sorting out where the embassies and then the consulates of the Georgian, Armenian, and Russians' were. We had planned Athens as a base for sorting out all of this stuff. We rang the Turkish Embassy as well, although only Irish people need a visa to go to Turkey, (Not quite true), but Solene doesnt need one. So, I could buy one in Athens> Yes no problem, How much?>60 euro, >How much is it if I buyt it at the border?> 10 euro. Hmmmm......
we still have to sus out exactly the issues of travelling North to South in Cyprus might be...
Monday was spent locating the emabssies, Tuesday got us to the Russian Consulate where a lady at the gate helped interpret our requirements to the secretary the other side, whos face dropped on seeing the passports - Irski? Fanski? he said disbelievingly. He let us in then, but even at that stage I just thought he was letting us through on novelty value alone! It was the first experience of really where English just is not going to work....
Una reddington is a hero and champion of organisation, if it weren't for you Una (and Eoin) we'd still be outside the embassy in Athens. It went swimmingly. We just dropped off the passports and we were to collect them next day. we went and picked up the forms at the Georgian and Armenian embassies after.
It took more or less a day to sort out each of the visas. Each trip to the Consulates an intriguing taster of the countries. The Lebanese assistant (of Armenian descent apparently) at the Armenian Consulate was a charmer. She had worked with an Irish guy in Beirut years ago, and thought he was magic. Although her boss was also Irish there, and she had less to say about him... The Armenian Consul was also sound. It was a dream of his to work/live in Paris. He only ever stopped off there, CDG for a couple of hours. I couldn't help thinking that the last King of Armenia in the 13th century had died in Paris after travelling through all the courts of Europe looking for some help and warning against the Mongols who were arriving in Armenia and present day Georgia at the time. He got no help and Armenia, and most of the Cacausus were over run by the Mongols who subsequently looted and plundered as far as Hungary and to the Outskirts of Vienna. It was only the death of their Khan that stopped their advance.
We met Anna outside of the Armenian consulate on the stairwell (the Armenian foyer was even smaller than the Georgian's) , while we were filling in our forms. When she learned we were going to Georgia, she insisited on giving us her Georgian Mobile number, despite the fact she didnt speak a word of English, and we didnt speak a work of Georgian or Greek...
Georgia is a fairily straight up place by the look of it. In the foyer the size of a small bedroom 10 or so people stood, waited and shuttled variously between the three offices off of it, one being the Consuls. If the door is closed, you should open it to make sure there is a good reason for it being closed. So at the risk of not getting anywhere we started opening doors randomly, and it worked in the end, the Consul inviting us in, having a chat in English, and asking why were we going to Georgia, Sol said Tourism, I said Wine. His eyes lit up and he spent the next five minutes rummaging through his office for a bottle of wine (or maybe it was a book on Georgian Wine, I was hoping for the former though) but didn't manage to find it. Asked what we did for a living he was enthusiastic on hearing we were architects, saying that Georgia was a great place for architecture. For a millisecong I though he meant that there was lots of work for architects, but he merely meant the 'already built' type of architecture....
He took our passports told us to go to the bank and pay direct to the Consulate account, for which we had to pay the bastard bank 1.50 for the pleasure, nipped back and waited another 30 minutes in the lobby with 10 people waiting at the consuls door. If you are told to close the door, you can close it and then let it open again just slightly enough so that you can see in, and make sure that he is doing work. this is at least what I learnt from a young Georgian bloke standing head of the que, waiting for a new passport....
The rest of Athens was all classical Ruins and Museum epics. All the national museums close at three in the afternoon in the low season which is a pain.
One of my favourite was the Benaki museums, which is a private musuem with a collection of objects from prehistory and neolithic times to pretty much the present day Greece. The objective of the museum is to track the changes and developments of Greek/Hellenisitc art and craft since, well, the start. It is an amazing collection of stuff. My particular favourite Egyptian woven fabrics and paintings(Lincuil in french, used for covering the body after death) from 500 AD. They are apparently quite common, but I hadn't seen a piece of fabric surviving so perfectly (colours intact) for so long. It was pointed out that the Egyptian burial traditions, the Greek development of Painting and the Roman mastery of Portrait were perfectly melded her. I dont know how 'true' that is, but they are remarkable things anyway.
But for me, the museum didn't answer the big question. If you look at (and they have in the museum) coins spanning the time from say Constantine - the first Holy Roman Emperor (306-337 AD) up until the Byzantine Emperors (around the tenth century AD), the heads on the coins go gradually from perfect portraits to something looking like a couple of courgettes and a tomato with assorted grapes. How can you loose that skill so easily? Generation by generation the coins deteriorate. Right up until the Renaissance, when the best complement an artist could get was 'as good as the ancients'. It's no surprise that the some Roman Sewers in Rome are still functioning perfectly today. And all this from a tribe that didnt even have coins in the early days. (Not until relatively quite late - after the conquest of the Etruscans and Sicilians (Magna Greacia) -did the Romans start minting coins apparently.
The museums costumes from the islands and general collection of fabrics are incredible. I would never hanve thought that they would interesting, but, I now know all about the Dodecanese Raised Stitch.....
Not surprisingly after 6 hours in a place like that we were museumed out. So we just chilled out and wandered around Athens, the Kolonaki and the Plaka and the like for the next day or so, before heading south to Syros and the islands.
Greece, it must be said, has gotten to be a totally trendy place. Even Lamia had classy cafe joints with Sofas on the street terraces, and prices to reflect it too. But the food is still great and cheap.
we have to go now, the Ferry leaves in an hour. I will add some more soon.....
Naxos et les iles grecques
Mer turquoise, maisons blanches, bougainvillees, ciel azur... tout y est...
De Syros a Mykonos a Naxos, en dehors de touristes blonds et bronzes aux accents venus des 4 coins du monde occidental (je n'aurais jamais cru entendre autant d'accents americains en Grece), le fait le plus frappant est notre totale ignorance de l'histoire europeenne. Les iles grecques etant placees a un point strategique entre Est et Ouest, elles ont subi vague apres vague d'envahisseurs, on vu s'eveiller et s'ecrouler des civilisations. La civilisation cycladique, qui a laisse ces statuettes etranges aux bras croises, les Minoens, les Miceniens, les Grecs, les Ottomans, les Francs, les Venitiens et les Genois, les Turcs, les Britanniques et les Francais. Tous sont venus, ou ont grandi sur ces bouts de rochers, ont construit des palais, des tours, des temples, laisse des bouts de poterie un peu partout, puis sont partis.
Auhourd'hui, il en reste des bout de marbre esseules dresses dans les champs, des linteaux de portes curieusement antiques, des toits plats aux angles decores de mini tourelles, et des population catholiques et orthodoxes qui ont du mal a coexister.
Pour ceux d'entre vous qui se demandent qui sont les francs, et qui parlent anglais, voila la reponse:
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Frankish
En fait, il faut distinguer les Francs, peuple germanique ayant construit un empire (de Clovis a Charlemagne), et le terme Franc (Frankish en anglais) qui en est venu a qualifier les europeens unis pour partir en Croisade au XII eme siecle.
Voila le genre de choses qu'on apprend en allant apsser des vacances sur les plages ensoleillees de la Mediterranee...
De Syros a Mykonos a Naxos, en dehors de touristes blonds et bronzes aux accents venus des 4 coins du monde occidental (je n'aurais jamais cru entendre autant d'accents americains en Grece), le fait le plus frappant est notre totale ignorance de l'histoire europeenne. Les iles grecques etant placees a un point strategique entre Est et Ouest, elles ont subi vague apres vague d'envahisseurs, on vu s'eveiller et s'ecrouler des civilisations. La civilisation cycladique, qui a laisse ces statuettes etranges aux bras croises, les Minoens, les Miceniens, les Grecs, les Ottomans, les Francs, les Venitiens et les Genois, les Turcs, les Britanniques et les Francais. Tous sont venus, ou ont grandi sur ces bouts de rochers, ont construit des palais, des tours, des temples, laisse des bouts de poterie un peu partout, puis sont partis.
Auhourd'hui, il en reste des bout de marbre esseules dresses dans les champs, des linteaux de portes curieusement antiques, des toits plats aux angles decores de mini tourelles, et des population catholiques et orthodoxes qui ont du mal a coexister.
Pour ceux d'entre vous qui se demandent qui sont les francs, et qui parlent anglais, voila la reponse:
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Frankish
En fait, il faut distinguer les Francs, peuple germanique ayant construit un empire (de Clovis a Charlemagne), et le terme Franc (Frankish en anglais) qui en est venu a qualifier les europeens unis pour partir en Croisade au XII eme siecle.
Voila le genre de choses qu'on apprend en allant apsser des vacances sur les plages ensoleillees de la Mediterranee...
