Boom, LOUD... Road closed...

The bombing operation referred to last week went by without a hitch (i.e. no one was blown up). However, it didn't solve all of the threats to the road. Unlike a typical ski patrol operation where they mitigate the hazard regularly, the snowpack above the road to Paradise grew so large that it required larger amounts of bomb making material to blast the heck out of the slopes. Good thing too, because those bombs released a substantial amount of snow that was more than ready to slide... And as for the entire day, avalanche control with the use of bombs made for a really unique NPS experience!

The explosive activity took place in an area called "Washington Cascades." That's about 1.5 miles below Paradise and just above the "Canyon Wye" (where you turn right to visit Stevens Canyon, Box Canyon, and Ohanapecosh.) As you can see to the right, Chris Olson is strapping some blasting caps to a 50 lb. bag of ammonium nitrate. This is something of a new operation for most of us (not so new to Chris). Anyway, this explosive was lowered on a plastic sled (the type your kids slide upon) into avalanche terrain where they were ignited with a "shock tube." All in all, it was impressive and really effective. Last Friday, those bombs released a number of large slides in "Washington Cascades." The slides buried the road with debris and took care of the looming avalanche hazard that threatened the road crew operators.

At this time, the road to Paradise remains closed. But that's largely due to the frequent and thunderous slides that have occurred lower on the road (i.e. well below Paradise). The rain and warmer temps activated a number of avalanche slopes. In one area, the "Christine Hairpin", located just below the Comet Falls trailhead, a slide covered both lanes of the road with over 20 feet of deposition! As far as we recall, nobody has seen this sort of debris at Christine Hairpin in the almost 20 years. Above the Glacier Bridge, there are four other significant slide paths in what we call "Glacier Hill". Slides in that area also produced similar piles of wet, heavy snow. The NPS road crew is now scratching, digging, and plowing away at the massive mounds, but it's considered that the road to Paradise may not open for another 4-7 days. As you can see in this image to the left, the road is gone/buried. Nobody has ventured above Ricksecker Point, roughly 5 miles below Paradise since Monday. Hopefully, we will be able to ski up to Paradise tomorrow, dig out the telemetry site, and see what's going on.

When thinking about the avalanche threat, we are somewhat fortunate. Warm weather has started to consolidate the snowpack and things appear a little safer this week. There is some rain in the forecast for the next 24 hours, but probably not enough to produce the large slides that observed so far. The NWAC has dropped the hazard level from Extreme to Considerable/Moderate (below 7000 feet). Stay tuned, we'll keep you up to date on what's shaking. For now, don't rely on being able to visit Paradise over the President's Day weekend. Top image by Stefan Lofgren, second by Chris Olson "The snowcovered road above Glacier Bridge."

Saturday's ski...

On Saturday I was lucky enough to do one of the manylocal BC tours. The route has 4600' of climbing and is just over 13k long. I hooked up with one of the local guide serves here for the day to get an idea of what people around my area were usingfor gear. I thought it would be fun to ski with a new group and see some terrain I hadn't yet. Our day tour was close toSeattle andstarted, thenreturned toAlpental's upper parking lot.



The light was flat and we skied in and out of the cloud cover all day. Never breaking into thesunshine. I missed some of the really spectacular scenery I know surrounded us. But thatmade some of the most interesting things I saw in our day's travelthe gear being used. I'd bet during the day I saw 30 or more BC skiers. And it was a nasty, foggy and dampday for the most part. Likely twice that many up there skiing that I didn't see. Every single one of the I got close to wereon skis over 100 to 110+ under foot. Mostly well on the 110+ side. And every one of the skiersin a 4 buckle boot.At least in our party of 4 everyone was on a tech binding. Dynafit being the easy winner here in the US at the moment.



But we were the exception not the rule.



The majority (if not all)of the skiers I saw in groups of let pass me in the track were in some type of plate bindings. Marker and Fritschi were both well represented.



Boots? All four buckle. The lightest a Scarpa Mistral. The most common seemed to be any version of a Black Diamond. But I saw something from everyone in the boot business. The TLTs or even lighter boots,however were missing in action. That surprised me. Even two winters ago, the first season for the TLT, the boots were shy mid winter but by Aprilthere were plenty of TLTs in the trams around Chamonix. I also noted the hurry everyone was to get out of their 4 buckle boots at the end of the day. The real hurry! But then I was able to walk comfortablythe first thirty minutes of hard pack trail on the way in. While they skinned. May be that was the difference in foot comfort at the end of the day. May be it is the difference on how one fits a down hillski boot and the fit of a mountain boot used to climb and then ski in. What areyour priorities?

















Skis? You name it and under 120 they were likely there. Saw more DPS skis in one day than I do at a lift area. 105s, 112s and 120s were represented. I have to admit my DPS Lotus 138s would have been really fun on the two biggest descents of the day. But they would simply be track pigs on the skin even in the "Pure" form.









Poles? The obvious adjustable touring pole was the most common. But standard length ski poles were there as well. I use full on, and long,xc poles.



My guess is there was only one pair of Lycra tights on the hill that day. But to be fair the Movement pantsare hard to obtain most of the year. Lycra is not however. If I weren't in the Movement pant I'd still be in something resembling Lycra. While I played with my upper system the first half of the day, to finally get it right my pants and longs under them were simply superb beginning to end.



A fair percentage of skiers in one or the other of air bag systems. That one surprised me at $500 a pop or more likely twice that. Have to wonder if those same folks bothered with an avalanche class as well. It reminds me of the ski helmet fashion statement. Great idea but would one ever think about not skiing that close to a tree or actually not skiing obvious avi terrain? With 120 under foot? Of course not. I am still pondering that mental equation.



Not a "heavy" set upby comparison to what I saw on Saturday but an idea in the differences of "heavy" and "light". Add in the packs, what is in the pack and your choices in clothing and things change even more.



My105mm under foot and 4 buckle set upweights in at 20# and change with:

Dynafit Carbon Zero 4 boots

La Sportiva Hi5 in a 188cm

Dynafit ST bindings

precut skins

BD Carbon adjustible ski poles



My rondo set (not race gear mind you)is 78mm under foot and 2 buckle weights in at just under 13#

TLT 5 P boot

Broad Peak ski at 167cm

Dynafit low tech Race

precut skins

Salomon Nordic composite145cm pole





I know the difference between skiing "combat boots" and the TLTs. Even the carbon cuffed Performance version. And no doubt a big rocked ski under foot makes child's play of difficult conditions and good conditions pure joy. I only felt at a real disadvantage once on this tour. And that was at the last hour of the effortinthe exit gully. I would have preferred a wider ski for the snow conditions. But a fresh set of legs would have made short work of it compared to a fat ski. Money can buy the fat ski. The fresh legs will take more time.



By comparison though...no one in our party was immune to the tired legs. My legs werejust 7#s less tired for the effort. Thankfully.



The last decent gully inbetter conditions than what we had.



http://vimeo.com/33986867



Of course, I fell down the best bitof it :)

Stop, Look Around...

All the walking I've been doing lately on account of the weather has made me pay even closer attention to my surroundings than I do while cycling. Everything looks different in the snow - elegant and magical. The thin patch of woods near my house has turned into a majestic white forest worthy of a 19th century Scandinavian painting. It's as if the sky was squeezed straight out of a tube of cerulean blue and the austere vertical strokes of the trees were applied with a pallet knife. It's not my style, but I am certain this scene has been painted many times. It's archetypal.



Upon emerging from the pristine wonderland, I came face to face with this. Literally: It was located at face level, and in my willingness to submerge myself so fully in my daydream, I nearly walked into it.



The city is using excavators to facilitate snow removal, as the plows alone are not enough. The effect is interesting, making the neighbourhood look like an igloo construction zone. In order to clear the center of the roads, the excavator dumps more and more snow to the sides - creating monstrous, densely packed snowbanks that line the streets like the walls of some arctic city-state.



Walking on the sidewalk is a surreal experience. You are essentially in a tunnel - with buildings on one side, igloo wall on the other. Along some stretches, the snowbanks are taller than the average human height, so as a pedestrian I can only see the sidewalk in front of me and not the road to the side of me.



Those "Do Not Enter" and "Except Bicycles" signs are for a one-way side street that has a bike lane going in the direction against traffic. For most of last winter the lane looked like this. How cute that I complained about it then: This year it's been swallowed up by the snow banks entirely.



It is not uncommon to encounter bicycles "buried alive." There were actually three separate bicycles inside this snowbank.



Less common is the sight of a bicycle being ridden - but it happens, especially on the heavily salted main roads. Note how the yellow crosswalk sign, its reflection in the puddle, and the golden light of the setting sun play off the colours in the cyclist's knitted hat - all of it especially noticeable against the white, snowy backdrop. Somehow, everything seems to be reminding me of a painting these days. Certainly this person and his hat deserve to be painted.



It's been over a month and a half now without the car. We signed up for zipcar through the Co-Habitant's work, but have not used it yet. And ironically, the blizzards are making it easier to do without: With the roads as bad as they are, we wouldn't have been traveling to any photoshoots up North anyway, and so we don't feel as if not having our car is keeping us from accomplishing anything. We'll get the car fixed as it gets closer to Spring. But for now, it's been remarkably easy to just forget about that thing and for us both to get around entirely on foot and bike. And with so many snow days, I am rediscovering walking - which I appreciate for making me stop, look around, and see my neighborhood in a new light.

Cape Blanco

Monday, September 27, .. - - Cape Blanco State Park, eight miles northwest of Port Orford, Oregon.

Looking South from the top of the bluff.
This is why it is called Cape Blanco. As I drove up to the park, the sky changed from a beautiful blue to white and the temperature dropped eight degrees.

Within two hours the fog completely blanketed the area...

The Horses

The mares decided they needed to run and play, too. So took some more photos.

Cycling Fever?

I had this question when I first began doing strenuous rides and recently someone asked me the same thing: Is it normal to run a fever after cycling?



The short answer is: Yes. It happens to some people. Not to all, but to some. I am one of them, and I now know a few others who experience this with regularity - always have. The evening after a strenuous ride, I will often run a fever and might even develop a sore throat. While it's happening it can feel very much like the flu. But the next morning all symptoms will be gone, so it is not a case of actually getting sick.



My understanding is that this is a normal reaction that some people simply have to certain types of exertion. It may have to do with how our bodies engage in muscle repair. Or it may have to do with circulation issues. No one seems certain, but it does happen.



Regardless of how or why it happens, I have noticed there are things I can do to alleviate it. For instance: takinga hot shower or bath after a ride, takingan NSAID oracetaminophen concoction, eatingwarm "comfort food" such as soup or scrambled eggs, drinking lots of fluids, and tryingto get as much physical rest as possible.Basically treating it like the flu works for me. It dulls the symptoms while they are happening, so that I can still be productive with the rest of my evening. And the next day I feel good as new - only the muscle soreness remains.



If you experience fever or flu-like symptoms after strenuous cycling, how do you deal with it?

Scarpa Phantom Guide vs the La Sportiva Batura

New: 2/15/...here is an update on the newest Batura worth looking at, asthe Batura has some significant changes for the better.



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//02/new--la-sportiva-batura_14.html





As always a caveat. My foot isn't your foot. Some will find the Batura a much better boot for them than the Guide. And some will find the Guide a better fit and boot for them than the Batura. I really like and believe in the potential of a "super gator" style boot for cold weather climbing. I don't think of either of these boots as being perfect. Despite both companies best effort to date either boot is too heavy for their warmth imo.



The La Sportiva Batura in my size 45 weights in at 2lb 7oz per boot. The Scarpa Phantom Guide in a size 45 weighs in at 2lb 7.5oz. Both should be closer to the 2lb they advertise.



As a comparison in size 45 both the La Sportiva Trango Exteme Evo GTX and the Nepal Evo GTX offer similar warmth while admittedly differing levels of protection. The Trango weight in at 2# 3oz, the all leather Nepal Evo at 2# 10oz.













I have intentionally updated the previous La Sportiva Batura review to put it on the same page as this review and the comparison of the Batura along side the newest Scarpa Phantom Guide.



In many ways these two boots are very old school. Basically light weight single boots with a short, Peter Carmen style "super gator" permanently attached as noted in the Batura review. It was a system that allowed us to use a lighter weight boot that climbed better technically and still have enough warmth to use the system in Alaska during the spring if you didn't go too high and winter in Canada if it didn't get too cold.



Lots of "ifs" in that statement but it worked without cold injuries, generally. Still there are places cold enough that a single boot just is not enough and enough cases of frostbite from those using Super Gators and good single boots on cold, difficult routes many quickly realised double boots were a better answer. Lucky for us Koflach came out with the Ultras about that time and then dominated the market for cold weather technical climbing for the next 20 years.



The flip side to that is both the Phantom guide and the Batura are chock full of high tech materials and technology.



But let me address a couple of things first that should be mentioned about fabric boots (both the Scarpa and La Sportive here are "fabric" boots) that are important.



"Mountain Guide and Scarpa consultant, Brian Hall emphasises that the Phantoms won't last as long as traditional leather and plastic mountaineering boots, but the sort of climber who uses them is after maximum performance regardless of cost..."



Nice of Mr. Hall and Scarpa to so easily admit that fact. La Sportiva on the other hand doesn't bother to mention it at all. No matter just how true it REALLY is. The majority of time I have spent in boots over the last 10 years has been in fabric boots. The exceptions have been the newest Nepal Evo and the older, blue Scarpa Frenzy. Both fully rigid soled, leather boots and both build stout for technical climbing and to last.



It would take me multiple years to wear either leather boot out and you would go through several resoles before you did.



Admittedly I have a hard foot to fit and am rough on boots because I have skinny feet in a size 12 US and weight in at 200# on a good day. Add a pack and gear to that and easy to be pushing 225# plus while climbing when all geared up.



There are times I prefer some extra ankle and forward support to ease the calf strain of the leverage on a big foot and my climbing weight. I've not found a technical, all fabric boot that will do that yet, short of the very best dbl boots, like the Phantom 6000, the Baruntse or Spantik.



And the kind of support and warmth a double boot offers isn't always needed let alone desired.



In Chamonix the previous versions of the Scarpa Phantom 6000 and the Phantom Light had the enviable reputation of being extremely durable compared to the Batura (which broke zippers and had wear issues on the fabric) or the Spantik (which broke laces and eyelets.









The La Sportiva all fabric Trango series of boots have lots of complaints on sole wear and fabric durability. All complaints I originally chose to ignore. While I love the original sticky soles of the Trango Evo series, the durability and support of the Trango is dismal even after just a little use. I basically wore a pair of Trango Extreme Evo GTX boots out in 3 months of ice climbing on just the weekends! That is CRAZY and expensive!



So while I am willing to put up with a reputation that matches "the sort of climber who uses them is after maximum performance regardless of cost" I am not willing to buy a new pair of boots every 6 to 9 months no matter how high the performance.



If you want a boot to last from today's choices, buy a leather boot. The Nepal Evo and the Scarpa Mt. Blanc are exceptional, lwt, technical leather boots. If you don't want to buy new boots every year I'd strongly suggest buying leather.



I feel the Super Gator/single boot idea is worthy of support. Most of my hard climbing has been done in one form or another of that combination up to and including the Batura the last couple of winters.



The original Scarpa Phantom Light, Scarpa's previous model to the Phantom Guide.



So let me get into the Batura / Guide comparison so you can see what I think are the real differences are.



The Batura has lots of things going for it and some faults as well to fit me correctly. And I really do wish the Batura did fit me correctly.



Batura's faults for my foot and fit:



Loose ankle cuff that doesn't tighten on my skinny ankles.

Not enough padding or width in the boot tongue for comfort or support

Hard to lace lower

Not enough lacing on the upper cuff and what is there is poorly placed and designed

Poor seal on the gaiter

Not enough support side to side and forward on the cuff

Terrible, super soft ankle flex, with almost zero support

Hard to keep dry inside and hard to dry out



An additional lower boot eyelet at the ankle and a third set of upper cuff lace hooks make the Phantom Guide different from the Batura. With the addition of a more substantial and well padded tongue all combine to offer more support in the ankle with no loss in flexibility.



The excellent sewn on gaiters of both boots are virtually the same height when snugged as they generally would be in use.



The lower lace system on the Phantom Guide also offers a lace "pull" that greatly increases the ability to tighten and just as importantly, untighten, the lower boot in use.



The Phantom Guide allows me to make my crampons one click smaller for size but mandate the use of a asymmetrical center bar for a proper fit.



The advantages of either boot?





Short integral gaiter.

More water resistance and warmth that a typical leather/fabric boot because of the full coverage gaiter

Flexible cuffs that allow for easy walking and good flexibility to rock or mix climb

Rigid soles for full clip-on crampons

Warm enough for all but the coldest temps







In my size 45 the insole is slightly longer on the Phantom Guide while the over all volume is slightly less on the outside than the Batura. The Phantom Guide is a more trim, lower volume boot and closer fitting boot than the Batura on my foot which makes rock and hard mixed easier.

The issues the Phantom guide solves for my foot.

ankle cuff will tighten on my skinny ankles.

Good padding and width in the boot tongue for comfort or support

easily lacing lower

upper and lower boot have enough eyelets for a proper fit

Good seal on the gaiter

Good support and progressive flex on the ankleGoretex and Primaloft 1 should help keep the boot dry and help dry the boot once wet



One of the down sides to the Batura is the insulation inside the boot gets wet in use from sweat. And more importantly the Batura then becomes extremely hard to dry out in the field. The P-Guide on the other hand has a removable Primaloft 1 inner sole and the boot is also insulated with Primaloft 1. From my other experiences with Primaloft I know it dries faster with body heat than any other insulation I have used. Primaloft 1's insulation value and warmth is way out of proportion to the thickness used. Add to that a Goretex liner in the Scarpa P-Guide. Both Primaloft and Goretex should offer distinct advantages of the Scarpa over the La Sportiva in staying dry both from your body's moisture and the outside elements.



























I've yet to had the opportunity to use this boot in very cold weather but I would expect the P-Guide to be a warmer boot than the Batura. Not a lot warmer mind you, but warmer and certainly easier to dry out in the field.





Easier to get in and out of the P-Guide and the laces lock my heels in much better. In general the S-Guide just fits me better over all. There isn't a lot more support in the ankle on the S-Guide than the Batura but what is there is noticeable and more comfortable for me. Certainly a lot less heel lift on the S-Guide no matter how you chose to tie the boot compared to the Batura.



I am still trying to wrap my head around how comfortable it is to walk in both these boots. Much of alpine climbing is spent on the approach. So walking is important. Although I will generally give up that comfort for the support of a heavier boot. This winter I used a La Sportiva Trango Evo Extreme on a number of long approaches and water fall climbs including no approach but some good ice on a quick ascent of Polar Circus.





































Because of the ridiculiously easy ease of access I use ascents of Polar Circus a a testing ground for a lot of gear. Never thought I would enjoy a really light weight set of boots on a climb of that length. But there is enough walking to take advantage of a boot like the Trango, Batura or Phantom Guide. The longest stretch of front pointing is easy terrain on the approach pitches. You never climb more than 100m of steep ice in one session before getting a ledge or snow again up higher.





So for climbs like that or road side cragging on things like Curtain Call, Nemesis or even Slipstream I think any of these soft and lwt fabric boots are great. Just pray you don't have to spend a cold, unplanned night out in them. Because without some serious preventive measures most will have wet feet at the end of a long day in these boots. The full gaiter covering these boots keeps them drier and warmer for longer days walking and climbing but I'll repeat myself, they are not a replacement for a dbl boot. If they were only more durable they might well be good as summer alpine ice boots. Hopefully I'll be able to give a follow up on how the Phantom Guide holds up in those conditions.









































Thankfully both Scarpa and now La Sportiva are using the T-ZIP for better water resistance on the gaiter and better durability. Scarpa has long used the T-ZIP on their previous generations of Phantom boots and have an enviable reputation.

A Special Christmas Treat

Since we have lived as full time RV'rs, there are many things that we have to do differently. Most of these things are small trade offs inn order for us to live the life we want to. But it's been nice to get some of those things back when we are sitting in one place for a bit. This being a great example of that:




I have a real (artificial) Christmas tree this year! And I couldn't be more excited about that. Every time I walk in the door and see it, I smile. I love that I can put gifts under the tree, rather than in front of it.



I love that I could put some of the many ornaments that my MIL has given us for Christmas over the years on it. There are so many memories in those ornaments.



It's is really feeling like Christmas in our rig and I'm enjoying every minute of it.




Living the life in chillier Florida!

Adding, but not taking away

More of the above technique required



A lot of life seems to go like this - adding more new things to do, but not removing anything. So there is less and less time. Work counts as one of those things that ‘has to be added’, especially if you are self employed. Time for family, friends and leisure (in my case climbing) counts as one of those things that ‘has to be sacrificed’. Too many sacrifices in a row create a bit of a crisis. And for me, thats what’s happened now.



Over the past three or four years, I’ve worked more and more and more. And every piece of added work has made me less happy. Thats not to say I don’t enjoy the work. I enjoy all of the things I do. But not the balance of them. There’s just too much of one ingredient thats blotting out everything else. Bit of a mess.



So now I just cannot continue at this pace of getting up and working straight through to the wee hours every day of my life, trying to fit in training and life on the end. Along the slide of this slippery slope I’ve forgotten what options I have for replacing new activities for old, rather than just adding, and generally fitting everything in better.



Like any big and deep change I’m going to have to be pretty firm about it. I’m hoping it follows the pattern of other really important changes that you know are the right and necessary thing to do; the hardest thing to initiate the move and the easiest thing to finish it.

The Kennedy Space Center

In-between Sebastian Inlet and Anastasia Island, I made a stop at The Kennedy Space Center, near Titusville, Florida, about 50 miles east of Orlando.

I've always been fascinated by the thought of going into space. As a sophomore in high school I remember writing an essay for English class in which I was welcomed back to Earth as the first woman to walk on the moon. Quite a stretch of the imagination for someone who couldn't “get” algebra or trigonometry and disliked science immensely. Well, it was just a work of fiction. At any rate, The Kennedy Space Center was on my list of places to see.

The entrance fee of $38 (+ tax, making it $40 and change) is a bit high, at least in my opinion, but there is a lot to see and do. I got there at 9 a.m., which was opening time, but the bus tours and the Imax Theater presentations don't start until 10 o'clock. So I wandered through the outdoor displays of the different rockets, getting a refresher course in our quest to get to the moon and beyond.

I was reading the brochure that I received when entering and saw that they had something called the “Shuttle Launch Experience” that looked interesting so I headed over that way. It only lasts about 20 minutes but I had just 15 minutes until the Imax movie started so I decided to return later.

They offer two Imax movies but due to time limitations, I was only able to view one of them – Man on the Moon. Now, I've been to Imax movies before but had never experienced one in 3-D. It was magnificent. Really. It was almost worth the price of admission just to see this movie. Talk about in-your-face reality. It just can't be described. I wish I could have seen the other one about the building of the Space Station but it wasn't showing until later in the afternoon.

After watching Man on the Moon, I returned to the Shuttle Launch Experience. The brochure promised that I'd experience the same sensations and feelings that the astronauts do when they launch into outer space. Honestly, I wasn't disappointed at all. You may not feel exactly everything as they do, but you get the sensation of 3-Gs pushing you into your seat and you feel the shaking and bumping just as they would, only not quite as severe, obviously. And once you get “into space” you get that sensation of weightlessness too. This Experience, combined with the Imax movie, really is worth the price of admission!

But that wasn't all. They have guided bus tours to three areas of the Complex (an observation gantry, the Apollo/Saturn 5 Center, and the International Space Station Center). As you go from one area to the next, they show short videos and the bus driver keeps up a rolling commentary about what you are seeing. Once you get to the area they show an 8-10 minute movie and there are displays to see. (And at each stop there is a refreshment center and souvenir shop that they encourage you to visit.) Again, due to time contraints (I had to be at Anastasia State Park before sunset and it was a hundred miles away), I cut my tour short and missed out on the International Space Station Center portion.

I highly recommend a visit to the Kennedy Space Center. However, there is no way you can see and do everything in just one day. If you are going to go I suggest making it into a two day visit, if possible. Your ticket allows for one return visit within seven days of purchase, which is nice (it has to be validated before you leave the first day though). Wish I had known that in advance, I would have gone there the afternoon that I got to Titusville instead of waiting until the next morning. Also, if you get there at opening time, go to the Shuttle Launch Experience first; it starts operating when the Center opens.

Astronaut Snoopy greets you at the entrance to the outdoor display area. Another one of those gray, gloomy days. It was actually a nice day though a little on the chilly side. The sky cleared a bit later in the day, but the clouds never went away.

The videos play as the driver takes you to another stop on the tour.

The business end of the Saturn V rocket.

The Space Capsule sitting atop the Saturn V rocket. You just can't appreciate the size of that assembly until you walk beneath it. It's huge!

As an extra bonus, which was (we were assured by the bus driver) a rare site for the average visitor, as we were heading back from the second stop, we saw them preparing to move the Space Shuttle to the launching pad for its next mission in early February.

Pireaus and all things typically Greek

Greece as we all know is beautiful. It’s actually one of my favourite countries to holiday, mainly in the Greek Islands – an oasis of beauty, culture and relaxation. The difference though from Athens and “the Islands” is worlds apart. So I am talking about “the Islands” when I said favourite to holiday ;-)

A hazy foto of us in Pireaus train station. The station was quite nice, it reminds me of Antwerp train station and some of the older train stations in the Netherlands.

In this post I will be writing about all things typically Greek and some observations I found interesting and familiar. I’m also going to plug in a brief summary of Pireaus, the biggest harbour of Greece.

Our train ride from Athens to Pireaus took about half an hour. One thing that stands out with Athens is its great public transport. S told me the infrastructure was laid out to meet the Olympic deadline 4 years ago. It is indeed the soundest investment the government invested but she said many Greeks were against it. Change for the Greeks is a long tiring uphill climb. They are still traditional, fixed, hardheaded bunch which is quite proverbial as many Filipinos are too.

At any rate, the underground Metro I have been using for the last few days was simply wonderful... clean, modern, spacious, high-tech, and very efficient. The whole setup brings me back memories of the Metro in Barcelona, maybe because they have similar directional signage and light paint on the walls. Syntagma Metro is the most notable of all stops and because of the grand staircase in the huge open air lobby, I can’t help but think of Brussels train station. I always have this deja vu moment of places I have been to previously when traveling.

This man insists to be part of the photo shoot! Ha-ha! I did not mind as he was quite cool about it. Check out his pose and his eyes.

I also asked S about the ramshackle yet pretty-nostalgic ancient structures that is seen all over the city. Why the Greek government left these precious gems, these buildings that could have been worth a fortune alone to rot?

Well, I was duly enlightened that these buildings are actually owned by foreigners, and in most cases by a Turk family. Greece and Turkey have a long history of hostility with each other which I am quite familiar with. In Greek law it seems that it’s almost impossible for the Turkish owners to claim rights over the building. Since they could not claim it, and the Greek government also does not have the rights, these beautiful works of architecture are left falling to pieces. Phil once said that if there is an earthquake in Athens, these ancient structures will be the first to go down flat, destroyed forever. Such a shame; the EU should over rule any law whatsoever to help save these structures.

So moving on, and still inside the train to Pireaus, an old lady sitting across us, who is a bit on the cunky side caught my attention because she was dressed in all black and kept making the sign of the cross. Every time the train passes by a church, she quickly makes the sign of the cross.

Pireaus looking like downtown Manila.

S whispered to me that the old lady is in mourning for the rest of her life? Fact she said is when a traditional Greek woman loses her husband, she will wear black for the rest of her life. This is her way of paying tribute to her dead husband, while, when a traditional Greek man loses his wife, he will wear a black band on his arm for a few weeks. Hmm, I think it’s too chauvinistic in Greek society to punish women for the rest of their lives wearing the black sentence whereas men are set free after a few weeks!

This practice is also similar in the Philippines where the traditional religious families wear black (sometimes white) for 40 days. To wear colorful or red colors on a wake would be abomination.

Another interesting point, since we are talking about tradition, is the naming of the eldest son to the father of the father of the child. So if the fathers name is Giannis and he has 3 children that gave birth to a son as the eldest, then they all have to be named Giannis, after him, or else a family cold war ensues.

One of the harbours where the yachts are anchored.

Sigh. The Greek macho culture is so close to home. Funny, macho it is, yet its the mother who is highly honoured in the family, sometimes everything revolves around her and she could even be the boss at home! I’ve also heard about the common parasite-ing phenomenon of the children which when translated into ultimate Philippine scenario is sentimental at best. Many children depend on mom and dad for handouts even when they are old and strong enough to get out of the house and fend for themselves. Ladies and gentlemen, it is true that thirty year olds still stay at home with mom and dad in Greece. I have live on my own since at the age of 22, and I don’t think I will be able to respect a man who is a parasite.

And who would have thought that in today’s age, bearing a female child is a burden? In Greek traditional way of living, traditional conditions still apply when bearing a female child. This is the ridiculous dowry in the form of an apartment or a house given to the child when she marries. The home also serves as a security-protection deposit from the parents that if all else fails, the daughter will always have a safe place to stay. Now, this explains why there are so many unfinished buildings in Greece. The Greeks have this tendency to build houses up to 3 floors and more. S said that whenever I see those unfinished houses with the poles sticking out of the roof, the family has a daughter, and is saving the money for future construction of her apartment on top.

Whew... quite heavy Greek tradition in there! Haha

Another foto session in the harbour boulevard. I tied my hair as it has gone amok because of the rain.

So, we’ve finally arrived in Pireaus and my first impression when we got out of the Pireaus train station was downtown Manila. The pedestrian flyover outside the station brings back memories of the late 80’s and early 90’s in Cebu. The whole sphere is just so Philippines. Even the noise and the smell. Unbelievable.

We took a cab to the harbour where the yachts are anchored. Pireaus is home to many ships and is the most important and busiest trading port in the east Mediterranean Sea. There were cafes along the promenade but we wanted to walk further down however the rain caught on us so we trailed back and took shelter in one of the cafes. I ordered a dry Martini while S was thirsting for a beer. Greek beer she wanted but she was served with a Dutch beer, Heineken, and with a Dutch beer glass, Amstel. Double Dutch jeopardy, lol.

More fotos of Pireaus here: Pireaus - Athens, Greece

Later in the evening we went to the southern suburbs of Glyfada. S said its where the rich and the famous live.

Unfortunately getting a cab from Pireaus to Glyfada is a nightmare. Hailing for our elusive ride, already for half an hour is no joke especially when its showering outside. My hair was all over my face and has totally gone amok. I frickin spent a lot of time blow drying this hair in the morning, and now... arghh! More importantly, no cab would want to take us down south? Sounds familiar to me, huh. I could hear the Greek cab drivers saying the same thing in Tagalog.

View from the cafe in the harbour of Pireaus.

Here is what is very interesting. Taxis are very, very cheap in Greece. A thirty minute drive in Holland would rake up to €70-90 while in Athens you pay around €20ish. It was explained to me that in Athens the cab driver can take more than 1 passenger. The rule of the game is simple. Both passengers’ destination should be the same or along the route of the other. It happened twice that the cab driver took another passenger while S and I were at the back of the car.

Another thing I learned in this trip is that the Filipino community in Athens has integrated well into the society because Greek and Filipino culture is quite similar. They are cousins you see, ha-ha.

In Glyfada we went to the home of S friend who is Greek-Egyptian. For dinner she brought us to a nearby traditional mom and pop type taverna. It was the best Greek dinner I ever had as I got introduced to real authentic Greek cuisine served by the locals. Not in a touristy spot, and yes, you can really taste the difference.

The total cost was a surprise as I would have thought it would come out more but then I had to remind myself I was not in Athens where prices are inflated because of tourists like me. I wrangled to pay for the dinner but this unbending Greek-Egyptian lady could not be moved. She declared she was the host and picked up the tab while I had to shut up.