āļø #38 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Itea, Greece”š¬š·(2017)
Hi friends and welcome to Day 38 of this monumental, inconceivable and definitely memorable blind sightseers tour….!Ā
Good morning friends! (ĪĪ±Ī»Ī·Ī¼ĪĻĪ± ĻĪÆĪ»ĪæĪ¹)Ā š Ā
Letās see where the āBlind Sightseersā are going today… Ā
Ā Youāll visit the glorious mountain setting for this monastery with outstanding Byzantine mosaics. Osias Loukas (Holy Luke) settled here in the early 10th.century and the church was built over his grave around 963 AD. It is the earliest extant domed-octagon church, and is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
On the dockā¦š³ Ā
The Thomson excursion team didnāt disappoint again and were waiting for us as we stepped off the ship. The kind man (sorry forgot his name) walked us to the correct coach as they have booked us the front 2 seats again. He also climbed aboard and said āIām coming on this tour too and i can keep an eye on you both so you donāt get lost or have any disastersā. āFantasticā i said to Sarah as it makes us less stressed knowing there is one of the excursion team (and not just the local guide) on the trip with us.
On the coach…š
āWowā¦There are loads of goats in a field. Steve if you could see youād really like this, lol!ā š¤£ Ā
Yay weāve arrived…
As the monastery was set in the hills there was not much to see as we stepped off the coach. The guide then led us to the top of the steps that circled round and down to the monastery.
āSteve we have lots of long steps going down, iāll let you know when the next one is approachingā Thank you my loveā i said stepping down the first step. Sarah continued āStep down nowā¦then 1, 2 , 3 flat steps and then step downā I obviously have to slow down because if i slip or fall just once i could twist or snap my ankle (especially with my weight, lol). ā1,2, step down, 1, 2, 3 step downā isnāt my wife amazing?!Ā
There must have been about 2,000 steps as it took ages, but we wer’nt last and the Thomson man walked with us all of the way, i told you he was a kind man! š
At the bottom of the steps…Ā
Reaching the bottom of the steps without tripping or slipping once (thanks to my amazing guide Sarah) there was a small cafe, shop, monastery and a museum. āWow youād neve guess all of this was here when looking from the topā i said whilst looking at this beautiful place. š² Ā
The guide said we have about 10 minutes before we can go inside the church. It was lovely in the courtyard and looking over the valley down below.
As i was taking the 2 photos above i knew i couldnāt get the whole landscape in 1 photoā¦But i know someone who can!!!Ā
ā¢ļø HEALTH WARNING…Youāve guessed itā¦A stupendously sublime Sarah panorama.
Then as we were looking out (arm around each other) soaking up the hot sun, the Thompson man walked up behind us and asked if weād like a photo together? āWow yes pleaseā. Another photo of me and Sarah iāll cherishā¦š Ā
The church…š
The guide said we had to wait for the monks to disappear as they donāt want to be around us, so they have to leave and not be seen. āThatās evangelismā i said as the guide was passing Sarah an ankle length skirt. āYou have to put this on if you want to go insideā.
As we walked inside the church it was a lot cooler (i was thankful for that) and it also had a peaceful atmosphere. The knowledgable guide told us all about the architectureĀ of the church and the golden mosaics of the saints and apostles. I didnāt start a discussion on the Iconoclastic Controversiesā¦I just enjoyed listening to the guide whilst Sarah captured a couple of photos. šĀ
Ā Back in the courtyard…
There was a little shop where you can buy local honey, olive oil and some other lovely souvenirs. Sarah bought some honey (we thought it would be good for hypoās) and olive oil for us to try on salads (Oopps, i accidentally said saladsā¦I meant steak, lol) when we get home. š¤£ Ā
The queue was pretty long in the shop so unfortunately we didnāt have time to have a proper Greek coffee in the cafe. We met back up with the group and headed towards the mighty steps.
I am much better walking up steps as the step casts a shadow and i can just make out the contrast and figure out where the steps areā¦And itās much easier to fall upwards than fall down and keep rolling head over heals until youāre left in a crumpled, crushed and broken mess at the bottomā¦Left to exsanguinate as your life slowly slipps away, one blood drop at a time!Ā š¤
Returning to the dock..š³ Ā
The coach dropped us back right near the dock and as the excursion was only a short oneā¦We had time to explore a little of the town, yay!Ā
Oh did i mention it was burning hot?!Ā āļø Ā
I know for most of you (and especially Sarah) that 36Ā° isnāt that hotā¦But for me who wears cargo shorts all year round (even through the winter) it is burning. āļø Ā
We started walking and noticed their wasnāt many people around, as not many places were open. So we turned back and headed up the other street. We found a huge cafe/restaurant and headed inside. The place was empty but we could hear a coffee machine and some pots in the back rattling. āIām not sure where we can order from? And iām not sure if this place is open?ā Sarah said whilst trying to find anyone at all. We walked back outside and Sarah said āThere is a woman serving coffee to those people right over there (on the dock overlooking the sea about 100 metres away) but itās much too far to be part of this cafeā.
We walked around a little further and made sure there were no other shops in the area, then we headed back to the dock to get a table and wait for the barista. ā She did walk all the way back to the cafe weād just been in to get the coffeesā¦Wow iād collapse of heat exhaustion. š¤Ā
Wowā¦This was the view we had from our table! We had plenty of time to just chill (burn) and relax and just soak in the view. Sarah and i love being beside the sea either like this or on a beach, as we live in a super green area near trees, village greens and conservation areasā¦So we love having holidays with sea and sand! š āļøĀ
Yesterday we had our first āFredo Cappuccinoā in the cafe in Corinth, so when the barista placed 2 of them down in front of us we both grinned. š āWowā we both said āthis is the best one so farā i said whilst trying not to drink it all in one go! We had about 2 hours before we needed to get back onto the ship, so we ordered 2 more fredo Ā cappuccinos. After a while i asked to order 1 more for me and the barista said āNo youāve had 2 already and youāre not having a 3rdā i thought she was joking until i tried asking again! š Ā
After the amazing coffees we decided to have a quick walk up and down the empty dock before heading back on board.Ā
Ā Back on the ship..š³
We had time to refresh and change out of our sweaty clothes and make our way out on deck for a couple more shots before we leave the port. Ā
Wowā¦After another stunning Sarah panorama, i thought iād show you my new t-shirtā¦Itās archangel Michael fighting the war in heaven fromĀ Revelation 12:7-9Ā (for the record…I donātĀ worship God through the use of icons, statues, mosaics or my t-shirt. There is oneĀ mediator between man and Godā¦The Lord Jesus Christ).
We had a lovely evening meal again and when we returned to our cabinā¦Yay a fantastic towel elephant! š š Ā
Wow what another interesting, beautiful and Ā scorching day, i hope you enjoyed it as much as us?! See you tomorrow for the day Sarah has been waiting patiently for! š āļø Ā
Our Routeā¦..š³ Ā
On Sunday evening we travel to Katakolon, Greece. Weāll arrive on Monday morning having travelled 109 nautical miles at an average of 9 knots.Ā
Hope youāve enjoyed the adventure todayā¦Let me know your favourite part?! š¤ Weāll meet tomorrowā¦Same timeā¦Same place for another adventure!Ā šĀ Ā
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October 28, 2021 
iChristian 
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