Salamis

As we left Athens, we passed by Samalis Island. This is the site of what may be the most important battle in all of history. The Golden Age of Greece started when Athens and their allies defeated of the Persians at the Battle of Marathon. But that battle would not have occurred if the Persians hadn’t previously lost the naval battle at Samalis.

Samalis

The Persian fleet got themselves trapped inside the strait between Samalis Island and Athens. Stuck in narrow waters, they were unable to maneuver, making them an easy target for the freshly-built Athens navy. In the picture, the strait is between Samalis on the left and Athens on the right. If you click to blow it up, you can see a small red ship in the middle of the strait.

We started the day with a 4-hour ferry ride to Mykonos. If there’s one thing the Greeks know, it’s ships. That shows in the Greek ferries. Our ferry was big enough to hold people. And cars. and trucks of all sizes. (They off-loaded two tractor-trailers at our first stop. I saw them preparing to unload more at our stop.) The passenger area is very large. Seats are more comfortable than a train. There are several classes of tickets. Some of the young people were laying on the floor in sleeping bags. Others sat in an exclusive club area. I didn’t see all of the passenger areas, but there were at least two decks. The ferry was large enough to be a small cruise ship. It has only one ramp, which aft. Our first stop was Tinos. The ferry sailed into port forwards at a high speed. Then it turned itself around while coasting towards the port while simultaneously lowering its ramp. They came to a prompt but smooth stop a foot or so away from the dock, anchored two lines, then dropped the ramp the last foot or so to the dock. The bottom of the ramp was the only part of the ship that ever touched the dock. People, motorcycles, cars, and trucks immediately started streaming out. Traffic cops were clearing traffic out of the area so all vehicles and people could disembark as quickly as possible. Disembarking took only a few minutes, after which the process was reversed as the ferry took on passengers for Mykonos. The boat couldn’t have been at dock more than 15 minutes. If anybody wasn’t in position in time, they would miss their opportunity to embark or disembark. It was a masterpiece of choreography.

Our view at lunch

Before 1960, Mykonos had one small town which was virtually ignored. Inhabitants were poor because the soil is completely unarable. Shortly after that, it was discovered by the super rich, then became the playground of the jet set. Buildings look new because they were almost all built after 1970. There is so little land that the streets are about as wide as donkey paths. In spite of that, all streets are for 2-way traffic. Tour busses, ATVs, SUVs, and pedestrians all share these alleyways. Often, one driver has to back up to the previous intersection. Mykonos would normally be way to expensive for Road Scholar, but it’s the only way to get to Delos. Normally our lunch would be at the “cheap tables”, inside and away from the window. However, a family had rented the restaurant for a wedding reception. We were “forced” to eat at the waterfront tables.

Hotel view

We have a 5-star hotel. Our room assignments are random. Some have a private salt-water swimming pool. We are higher on the hill with a walk-out balcony and a fabulous view of the island. We have several hours of free time this afternoon. Tonight, we will tour the old city.