And that's a wrap on Greece....for now.

For as long as I can remember, one of our dream list goals was to sail through the watery blues of Greece and experience this fabulous country from Poseidon's perspective and the last three months have delivered! It seems like a long time ago now that we did the short hop across from Albania to Corfu, Greece, but we have certainly covered some territory, getting just a taste of the Ionian, the Pelopenese, the Saronic, the Cyclades, Southern Sporades and the Dodecanese Islands. That taste has been fabulous and absolutely ensures that we will return at some point to delve even deeper! The three months that Schengen Visa allows us seems almost cruel when you have thousands of nautical miles of coastlines to explore and shore excursions to be made. But not to be thwarted by such trivialities as that, we made sure we gave it a good bash.

Each of the island groups is very different and of course as it should be, each island has a different culture. Why, you may ask? Because even a brief study of the history of the 6000 thousand islands and islets that make up Greece, will quickly reveal the rich, unique and chaotic history that this part of the world has experienced. The influences are many beginning with Minoan, Mycenae, Roman Empire, the Byzantines, Frankish control, the Ottomans, the Venetians, Bavarians, Danish, Germans and of course all culminating with the Greek War of Independence finally resulting in modern Greece. Some islands have a distinct Venetian feel in terms of architecture, others will have Turkish influences on the food culture, and then others again will have a real hotchpotch of all of this history. Craig calls it a 'jambalaya'! Its really only in the Cyclades that there feels like a more continuous cultural theme. But I love this crazy mixed up place and what one island lacks in terms of green, another will have lush green forested areas with sandy beaches. One thing that definitely doesn't change is the people of Greece. Our experience has been one of a hugely welcoming people who love to share their space! We had a truly memorable experience when we caught up with an old work colleague of Craig's in Athens. His family welcomed us into their home on a religious festive day to share in their celebrations and we will truly treasure that day. So many stories shared and much laughter. Very humbling.

While one can not miss the ancient stones and stories in every place you visit, we didn't really do too much archeological exploring....I know, a shock for me! But having been to Greece previously where I suffocated us in exploring ancient sites and scrambling amongst the ruins, we decided on this visit to take our time in the 'today' of Greece. We explored villages and just enjoyed meandering and if that meandering brought us upon a site of significance, we indulged my ancient pinings. But you never forget that the very cobblestones and marble paved streets you walk, have also had the feet of the ancients wandering along them. You cannot fail to be aware that you walk through history. It helps of course, that I have a walking talking story teller who has throughout this trip been reading Mythos by Stephen Fry! I don't think I need to read the book!! So every corner we turned, new island visited, there was a story of tragedy and drama amongst the Gods to be told.

The seas of Greece have thrown up some challenges. Sailors say there is either no wind or too much wind and we have without a doubt experienced that. We have had dead calm followed by howling winds. We have motored for hours on occasion, while on other days we have had two reefs in the sails running towards sheltered safe harbours. But as every nautical miles has passed under the keel, we have learnt more about ourselves as sailors and what Inelsamo can do. I'm definitely getting the hang of this crazy life.

So as the end of the summer sailing season slowly draws to an end and we reflect on the 1800+ nautical miles covered, we are also looking forward to the next part of our journey. This year we will be wintering and enjoying the festive season in Turkey!