Patras

We get up early for a lecture on the history of Greece (part I) by Dimitris Karagiannis. Afterwards we tour Patras the third largest city in Greece. The first stop is the Agios Andreas (cathedral of St. Andrew). Legend has it that St. Andrew was crucified at this site on an ‘X’ shape cross. In the 1960s the Vatican returned the head and cross to the Eastern Church. We then tour the central plaza and watched mom work the ATM. Lunch was at the Darious on the water. After a quick nap we toured the Achaia Clauss winery.

Photos

Transfer Athens to Patras

We meet up with the rest of the tour group including my mom and dad at the Athens airport. We load up on a bus and drive from Athens to Patras along the south coast of the Corinthian Gulf. Along the way we check out the Corinthian Cut.

Map

Athens Before Tour

We set out on foot for the National Archaeological Museum, it’s crammed full of famous art pieces from the Minoans to classical Greek period (5th Century BC). Be sure to check out the link and remember the Mask of Agamemnon as we will visit where it was excavated later in the trip. On the way to the museum we got lost a couple of times but managed to take in a couple of other Athens highlights. After lunch at a little restaurant near the Monastiraki station we toured the flea market. See the photos.

Arriving Athens

The date changed somewhere over Iceland. I watched “No Country for Old Men”, kind of rambling with a high body count. Not really Oscar material but what do I know. We arrive in Frankfurt at 10:15 am, hard to believe I lived here for a year in 1989. After passing through security in San Francisco and New York, the Germans seize my soap and mouth wash. At 5:30 pm we arrive in Athens and catch a cab to the Hilton. The Athens Hilton is very nice with a view of the Acropolis.

San Francisco to Frankfurt

We leave SFO at 9:35 am having been delivered by Supershuttle driver Kairy Roosevelt who had a knack of stopping in the middle of intersections and trying to figure out where to go. Arriving in New York at 5:40 pm we enjoy a “Famous 42nd Street” hamburger and Sam Adams before catching the Singapore Airlines flight to Frankfurt.

Hike: Alamere Falls

On Sunday, Rho, Sue, Lee and I drive out to Point Reyes National Seashore for a hike. Our goal is Alamere Falls. We parked at Palomarin and hike north along the coast line. At Double Point we turn inland to skirt east of Bass and Pelican Lakes. At the top of the falls, Lee leaves us to hike out to Bear Valley visitor center another 10 miles north. Sue, Rho and I scramble down the loose rocks to Alamere Falls. We shared sandwiches from the Lagunitas Deli, snapped some photos and headed back

Photos and map

Paddle: Tiburon

At 11:30 Lee and I launched from Schoonmaker (SeaTrek) Beach in Sausalito. We made our way across Richardson Bay to Peninsula Point. There was a strong ebb tide flowing out of Racoon Straights towards the Golden Gate Bridge so we decide not to cross but stay on the Tiburon side. We mashed our way against the tide to the Corinthian Yatch club and then traced the shoreline.

After check out Kiel Cove and deciding that would be a nice place to live, we rounded Bluff Point and headed north. We worked against the tide and wind until San Quentin came into view at that point we decided we had gone far enough so we turned back at Pt. Chauncey. It was a beautiful day for the beginning of March.

Map and Photos