Park City Silly to Seriously Greece

Park City has a way of creating ongoing parties and celebrations throughout the year, and we were fortunate to hit the first "Park Silly" event of the summer season. Park Silly is one big street-long craft and food fair that covers all of Main Street, with craft, food and of course, beer vendors.  These pop-ups compete along the Main Street with the likes of Gorsuch from Austria, Lululemon and Patagonia to name a few.  Andrea I walked up the Rail Trail that passes close by Cassie and Kris's home, to the heart of Park City.   There we met up with the new family of 3 for some fast food from one of the Park City food vendors.  Did some shopping as well, and purchased a small compact, waterproof speaker to take with us on our journey.

June 7th and 8th were a blur of travel from Salt Lake City to Kennedy airport in New York, across to Amsterdam and on to Athens.  After 27 hours of being up and awake, we checked into Dave Red Hotel in Athens.  

How different the Athens cityscape was from my (Boyd's) last visit with Conrad Johnson in 1972.  At that time we negotiated the crowded yet relatively small city streets into the heart of Athens in our 60 something Volkswagen converted bus with it's kangaroo bars and rally lamps.  While the population grew by only 500,000 in that time period, the sophistication and complexity of the city was leap years away.  Modern express ways move you from the new international airport into the city, where there is a plethora of modern stores (think H&M and Marks and Spencer), along with a cornucopia of eating establishments from the humble Gyro seller to modern/upscale restaurants replete with resident DJs and mood lighting. 

My Bride after being awake for 27 hours straight in Athens

Athens for us was a visit to the Acropolis and surrounds.  No more just walking up and into the Acropolis as Conrad and I did some fifty years ago.  Now it's lining up to purchase a ticket, to join the crowds of tourists along set walking paths into the main structure, with security personnel ever watchful.  Most of the Acropolis is off limits now as they continue restoration to the massive stone works.  Many of the piles of stones are numbered, as the Greeks take advantage of AI, to try and reconstruct portions of the fortress of Athena that have been lost to time and earthquakes. 

The Vagabonds by the Acropolis

Leaving Athens on a short flight to Heraklion very early in the morning of the 10th, we found ourselves landing on a flat spit of land abutting the Mediterranean Sea.  Heraklion is Crete's largest city, with Chania on the western end of the island coming in at number two.  The land is one of contrasts, with stark mountains, some with evidence of snow still visible in June juxtaposed against the "Windex blue" Mediterranean waters.  Olive trees and vineyards coexist outside the towns, where sheep and goats roam.  The Kiri Kiri, Crete's almost extinct style of goat hang out in unlikely places along the roadside, untethered and free of any predators.

After wandering the inner city area we chose to dine at a small, open-air restaurant, "Meze Meze", located within the maze of streets and alleys in the central city.  Our waitress, Maria, greeted us with an American scented, "sure" when asked if they could provide us with some white wine.  Maria is a vivacious young lady with outstanding English skills - she was wearing a Baltimore Ravens T-shirt that night and we immediately thought of our dear friend Beth G who would have loved this gal!  She said she learned her English mostly from watching movies - notably Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lion King.  "Meze" means appetizer in Greek, and we sampled Greeks specialties while having 500ml of very drinkable Greek table wine.  

Boyd in the "Change Room" on Matala Beach

Boyd & Maria our animated server 

The following day we drove south through the mountains and villages to Matala Beach.  Once a quaint fishing village, with hermit caves carved into the limestone walls of the bay, this small enclave is now a bustling tourist destination packed with street vendors and open-air restaurants.  Five Euros each got us a lounge chair and umbrella (prices range from 5-10 Euros).
We enjoyed the sun and the spectacular blue Mediterranean waters. Above is Boyd protecting his modesty (what there is left of it), in a change booth on the beach.  Andrea explored the "hermit caves" and after a little shopping (Andrea needed a small leather cross-body purse), we got into our Seata Aroma (Spanish made Peugeot), and drove the hour back to Heraklion.

On the 12th we drove out past the airport to a touristy place known as "Pleasure Beach".  With free parking as the come-on, we planted ourselves under the azure skies on the beach which overlooked a small island with a Greek Orthodox chapel gracing it's shores.  Both of us swam the short distance to the island and examined the chapel which was quaint but closed to the public.  

Andrea after her swim to the Chapel
Pleasure Beach

We picked up our long-time friends Margareta and Lennart, who had flown in from Stockholm that day, and proceeded to drive west along the northern coastline to Chania, where after thirty minutes of trying to negotiate the narrow roads and alleys, we parked our car and walked to 47 Gavaladon, and the Gardenia House, our AirNB accommodation.  Margareta and Andrea declared this to be a Mama Mia worthy house, with a delightful roof top lanai which overlooked a bustling pedestrian street below.  

Boyd with Minaret on rooftop patio in Chania

Night scene from our rooftop patio

Boyd & Margareta by Mosque in Chania

During the evening hours the street becomes a long passage of tables and chairs with multiple restaurants offering up their brand of Greek food and hospitality.  Dinner usually starts around 8:30PM and the tables will be occupied until around 2AM in the morning when all the table are stashed and lashed away in preparation for the next day's dining ritual.

We walked the old town of Chania with it's Phoenician fortress walls and lighthouse, along with a long abandoned mosque.  

Andrea, Margareta & Lennart on Phoenician Seawall - Chania

The Phoenicians had conquered the city around 1266 until the Turks established themselves in the early part of the 1800's.  They stayed around till 1897 when the Greeks booted them out.  The remaining minarets and mosques are now just tourist attractions, with the Greek Orthodox Churches in ascendance.  

June 14th found us at 6:25 in the morning boarding a bus in the old city to take us to the famed Samaria Gorge.  After some confusion with the guide, we made it clear we four oldsters were on the "Lazy" tour, where we were to catch the ferry from Sougia to Aglio-Remelli, a small village at the southern outlet of the gorge.  

On a bridge spanning the river in Samaria Gorge

Some two buses later, we arrived, caught the ferry to gorge and completed a ten kilometer roundtrip hike up and back into the gorge.  The gorge is Europe's longest, with a canyon that narrows to 9 meters, with crystal clear waters running down to the sea.  The walls of sedimentary rock, hued in orange are tortured and twisted from their original horizontal position into curiously skewed vertical monoliths of stone that rise all round you.  The Samaria Gorge is a national park, now protected.  It's waters feed the village below where goat and sheep compete for space with the tourists.  

Our ferry returning to Sougia from the Samaria Gorge at Agilo Remeli

We boarded one of two ferries at 5:30PM with what I would estimate were another five hundred souls (mostly young travelers), for the 45 minute return to Sougia.  There followed a 1.5 hour swaying bus trip snaking its way back to Chania, and a late evening dinner at a delightful open air taverna complete with Greek musicians playing traditional tunes. 

We left the charming city of Chania behind us on the 15th, and drove to the tiny village of Bali and its Evita Bay.  We drove down a rock strewn road to the smallest of the beaches, with a cove nestled in the rocks, "Windex blue" waters and inviting taverna's and the ubiquitous umbrella colored beach.  It was our favorite beach by far, and we swam and dove to take in the Mediterranean in all its seemingly pristine glory.  

The 2 of us at Evita Bay Beach, Bali, Greece

The beach was populated by numerous Greeks, British and Germans all soaking up the sun under clear skies and 28C temperatures.  We walked up the steep roadway to our car and drove on to Heraklion and the Venetian Boutique Hotel that evening.  We reunited with Maria at the Meze Meze where I got a hearty hug and we enjoyed more Greek cuisine with Margareta and Lennart. 

Our last day with Margareta and Lennart was highlighted by a tour of Knossos, the archaeological site of a labyrinth, known in Greek mythology for housing the Minator (half man half bull).  This site which was primarily an economic hub in it's day for the Minoans, had ruled the trade for the Mediterranean from Egypt to the present day Greece.  Question:  How were the Minoans organized as a society?

Answer to the question:  The Minoans were a matriarchal society with a high priestess.  They regarded the goddess of fertility to be preeminent.  

Will next catch up in Peloponesia, the peninsula south of Athens.  Machts Gute, Au Revoir, Aloha

Birthdays, Hiking Park City, The Great Salt Lake & Ogden

Let's just kick this post off with a bang; the birth of Emmi Andrea Reyes on May 24th

in the year of our Lord 2022! 

Cassie did a marvelous job of bringing one of God's beautiful creations into this world and did it with aplomb I might add.  Kris was there in that all-important support role throughout.  On the day of the birth, with Cassie dilated 6cm, Andrea and I who had been waiting patiently for hours at the hospital (Covid restricted us from being in L&D),  decided we would hike up PC Hill to stretch our legs and get past some of the anxiety of the moment.  2/3rds up to the summit we got a text from Kris that Casie had progressed to 9cm dilation and was getting ready to push.  Needless to say, we scrambled back down and drove back to Intermountain Park City Hospital and within 45 minutes. Ms. Emmi joined her fellow Homo sapiens on the face of this planet.  She came in at 7lbs. 3oz.  Andrea, not having heard anything for a time, called L&D and the unit clerk asked her to hold, then came back on briefly to tell her, the baby had just been born.  With that we walked into the hospital from the courtyard.  It was then I heard the lullaby, heralding the new birth which I knew was baby Emmi.

After another hour of waiting, Andrea and Hailey (Emmi's older sister from Kris) were allowed to go up into the L&D unit and greet Emmi, while Papa (that being Boyd), cooled his heals in the hospital lobby. 

Andrea & Boyd with Emmi on 6/25 when Boyd was allowed to visit

The following day, May 25th, Andrea & I had a short visit with the expanded family around noon.  By 5PM that day,  Emmi graced her new home. Both parents have recently been a bit sleep deprived  (probably sounds very familiar to those with children), but finding many ways to enjoy their new baby.  I won't even try to describe Oma Andrea's response.  Those of you who know Andrea well, know the response to her firstborn grandchild was off the Richter scale with joy. 

Andrea holding Emmi with Cassie

In between assisting in the home, Andrea and I have been exploring a little more of Utah, including a visit to the Natural History Museum in Salt Lake. I would highly recommend a visit to this magnificently designed and executed museum.

Boyd with forerunner to T. Rex

It has one of the best displays of dinosaurs in context that I have experienced, all in a modern open designed building on four levels. The day we visited was a gloomy cold one, so after visiting the museum, rather than hitting the trails as Andrea so often wishes to do, we took ourselves off for a great coffee at a place called Roots Coffee. There we indulged in Mexican Horchata coffees and some sort of decadent filled bundt cakes. Thereafter, we sought out the Kathmandu Restaurant and ordered yellow dal, nan bread and a vegetable curry with roti bread. I assailed the owner with my less than stellar rendition of Namaste, which was never-the-less, well received by the owner.

Andrea enjoying some Nepalese entrees

On another occasion with drove over to Deer Valley which is another ski area close to Park City with high-end homes and the St. Regis Hotel. Taking the funicular up the mountain to the hotel we sat down outside at their improbably beautiful bar which provides 360 degree views of the mountains/ski runs tucked just behind a panoramic stone garden lit with multiple gas fires.  Here is a pic from the bar overlooking the ski runs.

Andrea & Boyd at St. Regis Hotel, Deer Valley

After things settled out at Cassie and Kris's with the new arrival, we checked into Park City Hostel, in a nicely appointed private room that had French doors to a third floor balcony overlooking the surrounding hills and mountains, with Edison lights, recliners, and a nice gas barbecue.  We've enjoyed some late afternoon sunning while sipping on a glass of wine up on this balcony.  

After almost three weeks in Park City at an elevation of some 7,000 ft., our bodies have responded favorably to the thinner air, packing more red blood cells into our plasma, ie. we are getting conditioned!

The natural response by our bodies plus extra workouts at the spacious and well appointed Park City Gym (with swimming pools and hot tubs) has improved our overall fitness.  PS.  I had a comeuppance, when first hiking or mountain biking here, as my overall level of fitness just wasn't really up to the task.  I had thought of myself as pretty fit, but it was a sea level fallacy.  There is a whole other level of conditioning required to fully participate in sporting activities at 7,000 plus feet.  The Parkites, as they are known here, tend to be very fit due to regular daily activity via skiing, snowboarding, hiking and mountain biking year round.  

Panorama from Buffalo Point, Antelope Island

May 31st. found us driving the hour and a half to Antelope Island, which resides along the shore of the Great Salt Lake.  Not a misnomer, the Great Salt Lake is very large, with five times the salinity of the ocean.  Antelope Island is however a misnomer.  When the first white men came through here, (led by a gentleman called Frederick back in the early 1800s), they saw the Pronghorns and thought they were Antelope.  In fact, they are not Antelope, but rather the last of a particular species left over from the Ice ages.  Antelopes have branching horns that are shed, Pronghorns, have hollow horns with no spurs.  They are also the only animal that can eat/digest the sagebrush that is ubiquitous here in the West, however  I repeat myself from a prior post.

Andrea on top of Buffalo Point

Andrea and I hiked the Lady Finger Trail followed by the Buffalo Bluff Trail (where we indeed saw one Buffalo), hanging out on the shore of the Great Salt Lake.  The lake is expansive and multihued with patches of salt showing periodically.  As you ascend to a vantage point you have a panoramic view of the snow covered mountains that surround you virtually 360 degrees.  

After our initial two hikes we drove the western shoreline to Garr Ranch, still a working ranch, and observed some of the old buildings along with their content that dates from the 1950s.  There is a private herd of Buffalo on this island, which was at one time a seed herd to repopulate other areas of the state where the Buffalo had been exterminated.  While there are Big Horn Sheep and Pronghorns on the island we saw only Buffalo and Mule deer beyond the different species of birds including Curlews, Western Meadowlarks, multiple species of swallows and California Gulls.

The next day on June 1st. we stayed in Park City, did some final shopping including a puffer vest for Boyd, and walked up Main Street which ascends past the commercial district into some prime residential areas, mostly of historic homes/cottages. Continuing on up the valley, the street turns into a dirt road and becomes the Daly trail.  

Hiking up about a mile you come to the remains of a mining camp with sheds, other out buildings and house with multiple rooms that likely accommodated the miners.  Returning along our same route we took a trail (Trappers Gate), that parallels the road we had walked up, however this wound through the forrest of pine and Aspen offering up views of some of the old residences below, plus some unexpected relics like a 1940s Packard with its ten cylinder Thunderbolt engine still intact within the hollowed-out shell of a rusting body.  We came upon three more wrecks and a couple of tumble-down structures while walking the trail, all the while trying to figure out how they got there.  Come to find out, the trail ends at Prospect Ave. back in a residential section of Park City.  Some many years ago at the top of the road they had erected pylons to prevent any vehicles from going further up onto what is now a trail.

Happy Birthday Andrea!

Emmi joined the party

Cassie, Kris, Hailey & Andrea on her B-day

Arrowleaf Balsamroot

Andrea's favorite color - yellow on Quarry Mountain Summit Trail

Tufted Evening Primrose

We have crossed the rubicon of June 2nd. and now Andrea is officially a senior at the ripe age of 60:). Welcome to the club, albeit a long time coming from my august perspective!  I asked Andrea how the day should roll, and her priority was hiking, so we parked by the Park City Farm Trailhead, and did a hike to the top of Quarry Hill/Mtn. which offered up panoramic views of Park City and the surrounding mountains.  The weather was perfect with bright sun and low 70s temps, and most importantly the air quality was perfect, unlike last August when we were here - the California fires produced so much smoke that views of the mountains were obliterated.  Lots of lush wildflowers to observe along the hike.  
Once at the bottom, with breathing recovered. Andrea wished to continue hiking so we returned to her favorite hike near Cassie's place, PC Hill, with its view of the valley, Cassie and Kris's house, and the surrounding ski hills.  Its about a 500 foot climb to the top and we made it up and down in 45 minutes.

On the deck of the Hostel with Andrea's favorite ice cream:)

Thereafter to continue the celebrations, we shared a pint of ice cream on the deck outside our room, then made it over to Cassie and Kris's where they had a barbecue  for Andrea along with some of their friends.  I had previously arranged for a custom European style cake to be made, specifically a Sacher torte which is a speciality from Vienna.  I picked this up along with a congratulatory Vegan cake for Cassie and we made this part of a fun-filled evening celebrating Andrea!  

We took off again the next morning through the pass up over Parley Summit to the Salt Lake City area, heading north to the Bear River Wildlife Refuge, which was a spectacular birding experience due to the migratory birds coming through that need a fresh water habitat.  The refuge is just on the edge salt lake but has numerous fresh water habitats where species like Curlews, Grants Grebes, Mallards, White Pelicans, Cinnamon Teals etc.  We noted 21 species over two hours of driving and that wasn't all inclusive.  The fresh water streams and ponds were filled with introduced/pest carp that are eating up lots of food that would otherwise go to native species of fish.  A great day of exploring was had before checking into the Super8 Hotel in West Ogden.  That evening we took in an antique car show that lined 25th street in Ogden and the Ogden Music Festival where we heard the likes of Sam Bush, AJ Lee and the Blue Summit, and Amy Helms.  We were particularly taken with Sam Bush, who just plays a mean Mandolin while belting out blue grass tunes.  Question:  Why did the Mormons shun Ogden and the people that lived there?? (Answer at the end of this Post)

Returning to Park City on June 4th we visited with family, took a ride on an electric bike (Scrambler with fat tires), and then spent the evening at a block party just outside the hostel where the former mayor of Park City, one Dana Williams, put on quite a singular performance on a baby grand piano while belting out tunes.  He is a carpenter, performer and one time mayor of Park City! 

We have one more day June 6th in Park City, catching up with Emmi and doing final preparations for our transport to Greece on the 7th.  May the Force be with you:)

Will close this Post with a picture of the Reyes family out for a stroll around Park City:)

Emmi in stroller with  Cassie, Kris, Charley and Pirate

Answer:  Ogden has functioned as a major railway junction. The original location of the Golden Spike, where the east and west railways met is just about a 45 minute drive from here.  Because of the mix of people from all over the U.S., Ogden became a rough and ready town, with it's fair share of crime and debauchery.  Not something the Mormon religion tolerates.  To this day, the Mormons generally shun Ogden.