|
Day 6:
|
Greece by SeaKardamyli is a small town and there are not many options for a full day. Some tour members opted for some beach time and relaxation. Not a bad option, but I quickly found out that beaches in Greece are often rocky (and by rocky I mean just rocks, no sand). Lumpy... and kind of tough on your feet, let alone for lounging. There was some hiking in the area, which is fine too. Our guide Dafni was an adventure guide before she started working for Rick Steves, so when a few of us asked her for suggestions of things to do on our plan-less day, she suggested sea kayaking. She knew a company in the area and a group of 10 of us decided this sounded like lots of fun!
|
Getting out on the water
It's all Greek to me!
|
Woohoo!
|
Well, this was perhaps my favorite day on the tour (I know, it's hard to choose, so forgive me if I've said this before). Our three guides, George, Roque, and Giannis took care of everything for us - equipment, training, pictures, and a picnic lunch! Wow, this was a great half-day experience and I'm so glad Etelka joined me, especially with her lovely singing in Hungarian to move us along. We met the group early in the morning and had a little training on how to navigate and paddle on dry land before they got us in our kayaks and set us out to sea. You get the hang of things pretty quickly when you have no choice! It was a warm day, so it was a lot of fun to splash around in the water when you don't mind getting a little wet to cool off. The sea was so salty that I often found myself wiping salt off my arms & legs after the water evaporated in the hot sun.
George had quite the day planned for us, including exploring caves along the shore. We even got out of our kayaks to explore a cave. But be careful! Rick Steves suggests packing water shoes for this trip and they need to be sturdy- maybe, if you have tougher feet than me, you can get away with something flimsy, but they better be capable of walking slippery rocks as well! (They're also pretty important if you want to avoid a trip to the hospital for stepping on a sea urchin.) I quickly learned my sandals did not cut it and I abandoned them temporarily in the cave (I should have made that a permanent change - they were useless!). We also kayaked directly into a cave, which was crazy! Just a little opening and George said, aim for the tallest part! I thought we were going to be squeezed into this little cave based on the opening which was just above my head, but all our kayaks fit inside with plenty of room.
|
After kayaking for several hours, our guides directed us towards a beach (again, read: rocks) for our picnic lunch. It may look simple, but it was delicious! The key, I think, is quality, fresh ingredients. Yum! George also taught us how to dip our bread in olive oil and then layer it with veggies and cheese.
|
|
Sadly, it was a quick trip back in our kayaks to the docks soon after lunch, where George led us in a few stretches to make sure we weren't stiff & sore the next day. I was expecting to still have some sore shoulders since I don't often have the chance to kayak at home, but George is a real pro because I don't think any of had any lingering soreness the next day!
After kayaking for most of the morning and afternoon, our group headed back to our rooms to change and relax a bit. I met up with some other tour members who were walking over to explore the ruins of old Kardamyli, which was a real treat as well! We capped off the day with another delicious dinner sea-side with a fantastic sunset.
Anna's Animal Encounters.
Can i go on a walk with you, please?
|
Kitty's enjoying the sunset, too
|
