I should mention that just before we left Italy, we met a gal from Malta in the Marina office. Actually, it turns out she was also from Germany, Poland, Russia, and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a professional piano entertainer on cruise ships and is married to a German who just retired. He and his friend rushed into the bar as soon as the boat landed so they could watch the last bit of the German soccer match. She came over to our boat and we spent about an hour talking about their different cruises throughout Greece. She took our Ron Heikel’s Cruising Guide and highlighted places they liked and places to avoid. We had a wonderful time hearing about her life – how she left Cleveland and ended up here. I’m sure we got the short version, but it was fascinating.

That’s one of the best parts of cruising. If you’re open to it, you can meet an interesting group of people:

Yesterday in Vathy, Ithaca, we met a German couple that took a 20 year old boat and made it into the perfect cruiser. Unfortunately, it cost so much money to remake the boat that now they have to cancel their trip around the world and settle for cruising the Med. John Neal, the guy that helped us get started on selecting the “right” boat had warned us about just that. He said it was better to get a new boat that hopefully doesn’t depreciate too much and spend the first few years “maintenance free.” It’s been a good strategy as we see HR36 boats for sale for about what we paid for ours 3 years ago.

The British couple next to us here in Lefkada (the island next to Onassis’s Scorpio Island) have just retired and bought a boat in Corfu last month. They aren’t sure where they are going, but they have their boat and are on their way.

Then, of course, there are those people like the ones 2 boats over:  They dropped their anchor on top of ours so if we want to leave first, it will be a real mess. Steve had a variety of names for those “sailors”. Anyways, you meet all types.

To get back to Debbie, the gal from Ohio and Malta, she told us that all the marinas in Greece are basically free. “If they want you to pay, they will come down to the boat.” So, we’re going by that theory. It sure helps the cruising kitty.

Yesterday we hired our second motor scooter and toured Ithaca, searching for Odysseus. We didn’t find him, but cruised through the town where they say his palace was. All I can say is he escaped in time because now Stavros is a sad little town with nothing much to tout it’s horn about. After going up and down the street a few times and enhancing the local economy by 3 euros for drinks, we went on to the “fishing  villages that the yachties hang out at.”  Those were definitely pretty. Frikes was the first village. Unfortunately, the families are emigrating to other countries and the elementary school has gone from 600 to 20 kids. Not much happening there.

The other fishing village Kioni, was a stop on the charter boat agenda and life is more prosperous there. The harbor is lined with eating places and souvenir shops. The only telltale part is that the cats that beg at the tables are very skinny so life isn’t so wonderful here either, at least for the cats.

On our way back, we decided to take the high road. This little motor scooter was the 50 cc variety so things were more challenging than yesterday. It was interesting that the island paved the straight parts of the road. Then, when there was a hairpin turn, they put some cement on the gravel. At first it looked like a “dirt road,” but in fact it was paved. We were far, far from the tourist route. In fact, we were up there with the goat herders. Often we would see a goat. At the very top, we found a place where the herders had put sheet metal to block the wind, then two dilapidated old red chairs in front.. It looked a bit like a dump except the view from the chairs was stunning. Another British couple touring in a car also stopped at this spot and we got to talking about Greece and the Islands. They have been bringing their boys here for the last 20 years for vacations. Now, the boys are grown and they are back here for the first time, retired and trying to see those places they missed the first time around.

The Lonely Planet always seems to come up with something interesting. Last night we went to eat at a place they recommended, Sirens. It’s run by a local who returned to Ithaca after immigrating to New York - Brooklyn to be exact. I asked him why he returned. He said he got shot 3 times and stabbed once so thought it was time to come home. He makes a delicious baked feta with tomato and peppers.

Another comment on the health of the Greek economy: We went into a pillow shop that also sells beautiful hand embroidered duvet covers and pillowcases. These were made by the local women. He said it’s the older ladies making them and he is worried that none of the younger girls want to make any,. Then he will only be able to sell machine made embroidery which “is not as good.” He was selling off “last year’s styles for 130 euros (duvet cover, 2 pillow cases and top sheet.) However, if you pay cash, he will charge 100 euros. I couldn’t imagine how tourists could tell this season’s embroidery from last season’s, but, obviously, it was important to him.