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Welcome to Greece, where Barb joins her sister, Karen, for a week long Greek sea kayaking adventure, October 2006.
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Even a trip dedicated to our favorite water sport would be incomplete without a stop in Athens -- a modern city, climbing to surrounding hillside quarries and dotted with ancient architecture.
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And the hillsides are MARBLE! Climbing the Acropolis we see that millions of visitors have polished the natural marble stone to resemble the familiar countertop material. Amazing.
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Cresting the Acropolis is the Parthenon; and the Erechtheion. Truly, we are in Greece.
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Spectacular views reveal the distant the island of Aegina, our home for the next week.
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A metro train through town takes us to the ferry.
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At Piraeus we board one of a dozen ferries to cross the Saronic Gulf.
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By the morning light our little island has a fabled quality; and Karen suggests we leave her little house to tour Aegina.
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Through typically narrow streets we head out of town to see the country side and relics of ancient people.
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We stop to visit the Temple of Aphaia.
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Then on to Mt. Oros, the highest point on the island.
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We climb up the rocky slope to visit a site where it is said Aeacus established the worship of Zeus.
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From here we can see our paddling destinations - Perdika, Moni Island and Agistri.
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When Barb's delayed luggage and paddling gear finally arrive we take our fist paddle past the island of Agistri; and Moni to the charming port of Perdika where we lunch on swordfish souvlaki and sip retsina.
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Our destination the following day is a ferry ride to Poros.
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We launch from a sandy beach and cross the island isthmus through a narrow canal.
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Our paddling group grows to include Sarah, son Zane and Karen's friend, Brian Gibbons. Brian hosts frequent sea kayaking adventures for travelers from the UK.
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The weather is overcast and the winds pick up so we head to the sheltered coast.
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Here we see more ancient churches and marbled rock.
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Clouds gather. It's time to head home.
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The next day we try to skirt high winds and paddle near Agina Marina, a resort on a rocky bay with fun caves to explore.
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Karen paddles out to the mouth of the bay and we look back on stormy Aegina.
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On our last day for paddling, we head back to Poros and paddle across Askeli Bay.
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We lunch with Brian's small group near Galatas.
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We hate to end our short adventure but it is time for Barb to head back to Texas.
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