Sailing in the Mediterranean – Salty tales from Bali Hai on Sunday

Anniversary celebrations and a pre-lockdown escape

This week we celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary on board our very comfortable Lagoon 420 catamaran in Finike Marina, Turkey.

Such a contrast to our tiny (28 foot) traditional cutter rig timber cruising yacht on which we spent our first wedding anniversary in 1987 in Ballina, New South Wales, Australia!

Our pride and joy having a day out with friends in Papua New Guinea

Although there wasn’t room to swing a cat in our little boat we loved it and had some great adventures in her in the Coral Sea, the highlight of which was an extended visit to Papua New Guinea.

In the intervening years we have had some wonderful anniversaries in fabulous places but it was particularly special to be celebrating our 35th on board once again.

Another anniversary – our 25th – in New York

Due to Covid lockdown restrictions we couldn’t go out to celebrate so we did the next best thing and ordered a lovely home delivery meal of fresh grilled fish, chips and salad (a loaf of bread came with it too!) – washed down by a very pleasant Turkish wine of course.

Talking of food, we have discovered that the fruit and vegetable shop we found on our first visit to Finike in August last year, not only delivers to the marina but also can buy herbs and other produce not normally found at the local market and shops.

This week he gave me a “menu” of goodies he could procure at the wholesale market in Marmaris and we ordered lots of fresh herbs, some fennel and “American” style capsicums, as well as some of the other “normal” fruit and vegetables.

All the “special” items our local fruit and veg man can obtain for us

We have been in Finike for over a month now and have been itching to get out and about and swing at anchor for a while. John and Sue on the catamaran Catabella felt the same way so we planned a short to trip to an idyllic little bay north of Finike called Çineviz Limani.

Here come the marina staff to help us with our lines

The day before our departure we heard that Turkey was going into a full lockdown for 17 days in an attempt to decrease the number of Covid cases before the summer season begins. This meant we had to go out for the whole lockdown or for only two days.

Sadly we had appointments and various bits of work scheduled in the following couple of weeks so we had to choose the two-day option.

Leaving the marina at Finike is very simple as one of the marina workers comes alongside in a dinghy to assist you and instruct you if necessary.

As we slid through the water on our way out we passed S/V Catabella as Sue and John dropped their lines.

What a great feeling it was as we motored out of the marina! It was a sparking morning with scarcely a ripple to disturb the glassy surface of the water.

We headed out as far as the fish farm just a short way off shore and then turned north for the four hour trip.

Just behind us S/V Catabella skims through the water

Unfortunately the sail we were looking forward to didn’t eventuate as there was just no wind at all although about an hour before journey’s end we did roll out our foresail hoping to catch the few breaths that had begun to whisper across the water but had to give up and roll it back in fairly quickly.

There was scarcely a ripple to disturb the glassy surface of the water.

So calm we could see this turtle several metres away sunning itself

The coastline in this part of Turkey is rugged, wild and imposing and we enjoyed spotting the many caves in the limestone cliffs – lots of places for pirates to hide!

The coastline in this part of Turkey is quite wild and rugged.

There are loads of caves waiting to be explored!

Looks like there have been some rockfalls here!

There were people on the beach of this tiny little rocky island (spot the boat!)

As we approached Çavuş Burnu to start the approach to our anchorage – Çınevız Limanı we had spectacular views of Mt Olympos (Tahtalı Dağı).

A lovely clear view of Mt Olympos (Tahtalı Dağı) in the distance.

We were fortunate to have such a clear view of the whole mountain as apparently the peak is often covered by clouds, particularly in summer.

A closer view of Mt Olympos and still so clear

After we had settled John and Sue came over for gin and tonics and fish cooked on the barbecue. Lovely!

Buying the fish was quite the experience.

They were mostly very small so there wasn’t a huge choice

We couldn’t have been happier with our anchorage. Sunday and Catabella were the only yachts there, the sea was calm, there was no swell, the scenery was fabulous with awe inspiring cliffs dropping sheer into the sea. Bliss!

Sunday at anchor – photo credit Sue S/V Catabella – thanks Sue!

That night I looked for the full moon – it had been so bright the previous night in the marina but in the dark anchorage it was even more magnificent – a great silver orb reflecting like a lantern on the stillness of the calm seas surrounding us.

The moon rising brightly over the marina the previous night

This is what you miss staying in a marina – the magic spun by being on your own in an isolated spot where you can feel that the moon is shining just for you!

A great silver orb reflecting like a lantern on the stillness of the calm seas surrounding us.

The following day, after a relaxed start we took our dinghies over to Cirali Limani, the beach where the ruins of the ancient Lycian city of Olympos can be found – about two nautical miles from where we were anchored.

The first signs of a ruined city perched on the rocks as we near the beach

The landing was pretty tough on the feet!

Who doesn’t love peering through a hole in the rock!

Both the guidebook and the sailing pilot were rather lukewarm about the ruins of Olympos (established around the 4th Century BC) saying they were “much overgrown and in a ruinous state” but we were absolutely enchanted!

The remains of a bridge over the channel which must have been navigable at one time

A monumental tomb from the 3rd Century AD

Posing for the camera! Photo credit John and Sue from S/V Catabella

Yes, the ruins were set amongst overgrown trees but that really added to its charm.

The overgrown trees added a certain charm

I was reminded a little of Angkor Wat – definitely a little mysterious

It reminded me a bit of Angkor Wat in Cambodia – a little mysterious and with an atmosphere that made you feel that you might walk along a passage or turn a corner and suddenly find yourself in another time with people in strange clothes and speaking a completely different language.

There was an atmosphere that made you feel you could turn a corner and suddenly find yourself in another time with people in strange clothes and speaking a completely different language.

Definitely a place that sent a few delicious shivers up my spine!

An incredible fig tree had spread its branches through the ruins

We wandered away from this part of ancient Olympos

We wandered away from this overgrown and mystical part of ancient Olympos and found ourselves in a paddock full of glorious spring flowers including a mass of vibrant red poppies.

Just a few of the vibrant red poppies we found

Such an amazing vibrant colour against the white of the daisies

Soon we were amazed to find that we had entered another part of the city – just as intriguing but with a completely different atmosphere.

The other part of the city had a completely different atmosphere

There were the remains of some formerly magnificent buildings

Here were Roman temples, early Christian Churches and a Bishop’s palace.

This anteroom in the Roman Temple had obviously been used later by the Christians

It was amazing to see the remains of paint on the walls of the anreroom

Jonathan pointing out the remains of a delicate leaf pattern

There were more remains on the hill in the distance

All the buildings were in a poor state of repair but the presence of a large crane gave us hope that restoration work was in progress.

The size of these walls indicate the grandeur of the city 2,000 years ago

The impressive entrance to the Roman Temple

The remains of the Roman Temple, such as they were, still enabled us to imagine the grandeur of the front facade of the Roman temple. Built in the first half of the second Century AD, to honour Emperor Hadrian, the temple had an impressive facade made out of cut stone blocks.

An artist’s impression of the temple facade

Using the artist’s impression we could visualise how the entrance must have looked

Jonathan showing how massive those blocks of stone were

After a lovely wander through the ruins we found a small restaurant open only for “takeaways” (due to Covid restrictions) but who allowed us to sit in their garden while they prepared some delicious gozleme for our lunch.

More buildings on the way back to the beach

This channel must have flooded once upon a time judging by the thickness of the wall

We arrived back to our respective boats and had a couple of hours of relaxation in the beautiful surroundings before a sumptuous roast dinner on Catabella.

We arrived back at our boats for some relaxation before dinner. S/V Catabella at anchor

We would have loved to stay longer and explore Olympos a little bit more and also try and find the Chimaera at the other end of the beach that we had motored to on our dinghies. The Chimaera consists of two outcrops of volcanic rock where escaping natural gas is permanently alight. Homer described this phenomenon as “a fire breathing monster part lion, part goat and part snake”. I really want to see that!

Alas, lockdown was starting at 6 pm and we had to get back in time to collect the dress, long pants and shorts I was having made by the local dressmaker from fabric I had picked up at the market for less than 10 Australia dollars.

Trying to explain what I wanted using Google translate! The Dressmaker’s son was trying to participate in an online class, poor thing.

Adalet, the dressmaker, had rustled these up in just a couple of days and we were anxious to pay for them before lockdown as she wouldn’t be earning much, if anything, during the 17 days when everyone was having to stay home.

Modelling my new dress – very cool for the summer

The journey back to Finike was once again gorgeous with calm seas, no wind and no swell.

The peak of the majestic Mt Olympos was still visible but the lower slopes were encased in a circle of low thick cloud – very atmospheric and a sight that will remain in our memories.

Mt Olympos hiding behind a thick cloud – just its peak visible

The clouds were doing some odd things that day

We arrived in good time to go to the dressmakers and stock up on wine (supermarkets are not allowed to sell alcohol during lockdowns) and be back in time for “pre-lockdown drinks” on C-arm with some of our yachting compatriots.

It was so great to get away – even though it was only for two days – as we felt thoroughly rejuvenated and ready to face lockdown with reasonable equanimity.

The inexplicable mystique of Delphi

With the successful survey under our belts on Sunday, the catamaran we planned to buy in Athens, Greece, we decided to take a little break.

We headed for the ancient archeological site of Delphi, the Greek religious sanctuary sacred to the God Apollo (the god of light, knowledge and harmony), on Mt. Parnassus near the Gulf of Corinth.

How many miles had this poor man walked to paint the lines on the road?

My memories of Greek myths and legends was that this is was home to the mysterious oracle of Apollo which was famed throughout the Greek world for giving cryptic predictions to city-states and individuals about important decisions on battles, political situations etc. I was looking forward to seeing the place that I had heard so much about as a school student.

Once we had got out of the Athens traffic, we had a beautiful drive through a deep and fertile valley (the Kopais Plain) where to our surprise the main crop appeared to be cotton. We later learnt that Greece is the EU’s main cotton grower accounting for more than an incredible 80 per cent of total European production.

We saw many, many, small fields growing cotton

There was loads of fluffy cotton balls at the roadside

We stopped for lunch in Aliartos , a small farming community, opposite a cave with what turned out to be a Medieval tower perched above it. At the back of the cave we could see the start of a “secret” passage which looked like it connected to the tower – maybe an escape route if the tower was attacked?

The outside of the cave with the tower above

We couldn’t find out much about this cave but we could definitely see signs of a passage to the tower above

Soon after lunch we started to climb up the southern slopes of Mount Parnassus, and before too long reached Delphi.

Climbing up the slopes of Mount Parnassus

A common site in Greece – sheep at the side of the road

The views were incredible!

To reach Delphi Camping where we hoped to stay, we had to drive on a road with the most hair-raising hairpin bends but the spine tingling trip was so worth it.

An incredible reward after all those hair raising hairpin bends

We arrived in the early evening and there was good news and bad news. The good news that it was open. The bad news was that it was closing for the Winter the very next day.

Such a shame as it was a fantastic campsite with the most incredible views over a deep valley densely covered with hundreds of age-old olive trees and onwards to the sparking waters of the Gulf of Corinth.

There were hundreds if not thousands of olive trees as far as the eye could see the in the valley below

The owners of the site were fantastically hospitable and after we had checked in presented us with a small sample tray of olives, tapenade, olive oil – all products from their own trees – and small nuggets of delicious cornbread

This was such a nice touch and very welcome after the drive up the mountain

They were so delicious that of course I had to go and buy several bottles of olives, a huge can of beautiful olive oil and some bottles of tapenade too.

So many tempting goodies (as long as you like olives) in the campsite shop

We really felt that we were in paradise in this beautiful spot. It was very high up so the air was sweet and clear, even the gentlest breeze generated a beautiful swooshing noise as the cypress tree branches moved above us.

The beautiful pine trees made a lovely swooshing noise – sounded a bit like the ocean

After a peaceful sleep we woke reasonably early to make the most of the day. We wanted to walk right round the ancient site of Delphi as well as spend a decent amount of time at the museum. Then of course there was lunch to fit in.

View from the road as we drove to the Delphi archeological site

We were looking for a place to park in the village of Delphi and was flagged down by a middle aged man who asked if he could help. We explained we needed a carpark for our plus-size vehicle but had found the most likely spot said “no camper vans” at the entrance. “No problem, “ he said “You can go back there, it’s OK. I’m the mayor of Delphi so it’s OK”!

So we parked up and walked through the village of Delphi towards the ancient site but first, following the example of our good friends on S/V Yantara, stopped for “an early lunch” at a very pleasant taverna with wonderful views.

After a typical Greek meal of a beautiful salad with great lumps of feta and juicy olives on top, moussaka, chicken souvlakia and a sticky and very sweet dessert, we walked the couple of kilometres to the ancient site of Delphi.

For the next few hours we climbed higher and higher, marvelling at the Temple of Apollo and other temples such as the one dedicated to Athena and around 20 treasuries which were constructed to house the votive offerings and dedications from city-states all over Greece.

A replica omphalus which marked the centre of the universe

More temples and the remains of some of the treasuries in the background

Incredibly many tablets inscribed in Ancient Greek still survive and have been transcribed to give a wealth of information on the history, religion and social life of the people of Delphi

This serpentine column once held a pure gold tripod dedicated to Apollo following the Greek victory over the Persians in 479 BC

Doric columns from a large stoa – a votive of King Attalus

There was also a spectacular amphitheatre (capable of seating an audience of 5,000) and at the very top of the steep site, a sporting stadium that could seat 6,500 spectators.

Another shot of the amphitheatre from up high

This stadium was where every four years, starting in 586 BC, athletes from all over the Greek world competed in the Pythian Games, one of the four Panhellenic Games, precursors of the Modern Olympics.

Visiting Delphi was an awe inspiring experience

We were absolutely enthralled by Delphi but more than that, we both felt that it had an inexplicable mystique, something awe inspiring and profound.

No wonder the Ancient Greeks considered Delphi as the centre of the universe

No wonder the ancient Greeksconsidered Delphi to be the centre of the world. We could definitely feel the strange and compelling charm that would lead people to believe that.

What a miraculous find. This silver bull was cast in the 6th Century BC

The nearby museum was excellently laid out with many fascinating displays. One of the exhibits that really affected me was a stunning statue of a bull forged from three silver sheets connected by bands of silver-plated copper. This was made in the 6th Century BC.

The statue was so life-like and captured the amazing strength and movement of a real bull.

Emperor Hadrian’s “beloved companion” who died tragically

I was also fascinated by the statue of Antinoos who was Emperor Hadrian’s “beloved companion”. We had learnt about him when we had visited Hadrian’s Wall on the way to Scotland so it was interesting to see an image of this “youth of extraordinary beauty”.

Another treasure was a statue of a charioteer – cast in bronze in 470 BC and erected in honour of the winner of the chariot race at the Pythian Games held in Delphi.

The sculpture would have originally consisted of a chariot and horses but when the piece was rediscovered in excavations in 1896, only the driver and a few fragments survived. How aristocratic and noble he looks!

The bronze cast in 470 BC and erected in honour of the winner of the chariot race at the Pythian Games

This is how the original statue would have looked

A model of Delphi when it was all intact

A copy of the original omphalus which marked the centre of the universe

The views from Delphi across the the coastal plain to the south and the valley of Phocis were sensational and as we walked back to the van we were lucky enough to see this amazing vista in the last of the sunlight, the magnificent mountain slopes were bathed in marvellous reds and oranges. Such a glorious sight.

Because the camping site was closed we had no choice but to free camp but we found the perfect spot just a few minutes away with the same commanding views.

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