Dear Joseph (and everyone in the Alipranti Family),
As I mentioned in my last postcard, Athens is the fountainhead of Western Civilization. Philosophy, history, science, drama, literature and democracy all flourished greatly in Athens, especially during the 5th Century BC.
It all unraveled when Athens and Sparta went to war and Athens lost. We call it the Peloponnesian War, and it is still studied in school today by those interested in the causes of war.
Here's another photo from the Acropolis:
Anyway, some friends from New York came to visit us in Athens and we got a sailboat. Here we are setting sail:
And here is our sailing route:
The first place we sailed to was Cape Sounion southeast of Athens. We anchored the boat near the Temple of Poseidon at the very tip of the cape. The Temple was built more than 2,400 years ago. Poseidon was the god of the sea. He always carried a trident with him and sometimes is seen with a dolphin. He lived in the Aegean Sea, where we are sailing.
At night the Temple is lit up beautifully. We sat on the boat, drank beverages and looked up at the Temple with the stars and Milky Way galaxy behind it. We saw several shooting stars. It was one of the most magical nights.
On Day 2 of our sail, we sailed to the island of Kithnos. Kithnos is all rocks, hardly any trees. It looks like a piece of Mars fell into the middle of the Aegean Sea, except Mars does not have goats walking all over it. By the way, Mars is not only a planet, it is the Roman name for the god of war, Ares.
On Day 3, we sailed to the island of Serifos, which also looks like Mars with lots of rocks, but also with lots of white buildings on it, mostly churches. In the photo, you can see a church near the beach and another church at the top of a big hill. At night, we all went up to the church on the top of the hill (with the glowing cross).
There is a myth about why there are so many rocks here. A baby (Perseus) and his mother were put in a chest and cast out to sea. The chest landed on Serifos, and the king there fell in love with Perseus� mother. The king had to get rid of Perseus though, so he sent Perseus on an impossible mission, to kill the Gorgon Medusa. Now Medusa was a lady with snakes for hair, and if you looked at her, you turned to stone. Anyway, Perseus succeeded in killing the Medusa without looking at her and brought the head back to Serifos. When Perseus found out that the king had
forced his mother into marriage, he produced the head of Medusa, and the king and his court all turned to stone. So now the island is full of stones.
On Day 4, we sailed to the island of Siros. Siros is the capital of the island group we are sailing in -- the Cyclades (pronounced Ki-KLAD-es). The island group is in a circle (�kyklos� in Greek). We get our words circle, cycle, bicycle and other similar words from the Greek word �kyklos�. I wonder if the correct pronunciation of bicycle should have been �bikykle.� Anyway, all we did on Siros was walk around and eat.
On Day 5, we sailed to Mikonos. I liked Mikonos a lot. It is very scenic, with a maze-like town on the waterfront and one section called �Little Venice� where the restaurants go right to the sea�s edge, and if you are not careful, a wave will come and wet you. Mikonos also has lots of pelicans. It is also a place where older kids come to have parties. Here are some photos:
On Day 6, we sailed to Dhilos. This island is great, because it is an archeological site with the ruins of a city that is over 2,500 years old. Only 20 people live on the island, and we were not allowed to stay overnight. The best part about it is that you can climb Mount Kythnos and see the whole city, the blue sea and neighboring islands. Here's the view with the ruins and sailboats below:
After that, we sailed to Paros to get off the boat. The next day, we visited Antiparos for the day. Antiparos has a cave that is 500 feet deep. Here is a nicely staged photo from inside the cave:
On Sunday, I will take a ferry back to Athens, and on Monday, I will fly to New York and then to California. Hopefully, I will see you on Tuesday. I have missed you very much!!!
Love, Uncle Jeff
