The superfast hydrofoil to Rhodes only took two hours and we quickly found a decent room in Old Town from a woman at the dock. Next day we decided to get as far away as possible from the obnoxious drunken hordes in Old Town and headed by bus to uncrowded Gennadi Beach. It was scorching hot, no umbrellas, and the stony beach was so hot that several restaurants had built wooden paths almost to the water's edge to spare beach goers burned feet. The water was great though and we had a nice lunch at the beach. Back in Old Town, as we were walking by a deserted restaurant in the early evening, the owner offered us each a free cappuccino if we would sit at one of his tables. Sure, why not? We had already eaten and a coffee would be nice. We sat chatting for an hour watching his tables start to fill up. He came by and said "one more customer and you can go!" It only took a few more minutes and the "restaurant prisoners" were free! Our first experience with free stuff and Greek generosity! Spent two days wandering around Rhodes Town, shopping, eating, and checking out the Palace of the Grand Master. The woman whom we were renting the room from ripped us off upon leaving by three euros and wouldn't budge on giving us our correct change, even when Lizzy went upstairs to her apartment and demanded that she cough it up! The miserable walk to the ferry in the scorching afternoon sun was longer than we expected and Lizzy, who was still not feeling great since Bucharest, had a tough time.

At the dock in Kalymnos we met a nice guy, Theo, who had a great hotel with a spectacular view so we took it. We had a fabulous meal that night of calamari, Greek salad, moussaka, bread and Greek beer (yeah free beer) at a restaurant that Theo recommended. Unfortunately, Lizzy's stomach problems got worse and she now had a high fever so she spent two days in bed while I made frequent runs to the market. They gave me a free half gallon of ice cream on one visit probably because I was a regular by that time. She was able to get out on the third day and we hit a nice beach.

Took the 5:00 a.m. ferry to Lipsi and saw a beautiful sunrise on the way. We weren't having much luck finding a place to stay so while Lizzy went looking I hung out by the dock. I spied a couple dragging suitcases my way and asked them where they had stayed, a room-finding technique I hadn't used before. Turned out the couple, Perry and Costas from Australia, were really nice and helped us find a place. Costas, who spoke Greek, even negotiated a cheaper rate for us from our hotel owner, Costas! (Almost every man in Greece is named Costas, Nick, or George). It was a great room with big windows and an ocean view and Costas was so nice and helpful. We soon found a deserted beach and went topless. (Lizzy had discovered topless bathing in Croatia and worked on her topless tan wherever possible!) Next day we took a five-island cruise with 25 others on a large sailboat. The first island, Makronisi, was my favorite. We jumped overboard, swam through a beautiful arch and then into a grotto of emerald and turquoise water. The most beautiful water colors I've ever seen. The second stop, Aspronisi, was a beach of white pebbles, so bright you could barely look at it. We snorkeled and swam for as long as we could as the water was really cold. The next place, Tiganakia, was shallow and a bit warmer, again with beautiful turquoise water. The last two stops were to eat and shop, largely forgetable. Costas recommended a great restaurant and we had calamari and Mystras beer two nights in a row. It was the freshest, crunchiest, calamari ever plus free ice cream when our waiter found out that Lizzy's stomach was upset. Took an early evening hike through the main town of Chorio to the other side of the island where we saw goats, horses, and cows roaming. Found a cute, friendly cat on top of a garage craving attention. She was a new mom and needed a break from her kittens in the nearby bushes. We were sorry to leave Lipsi, our favorite Greek island.

Caught the afternoon ferry to Patmos and again scored a really nice room from a lady at the dock. This one had a kitchen and a t.v. with a channel that showed American shows in English! We soon became fans of shows we had never watched at home like Two and a Half Men (with Ashton), Big Bang Theory, and Desperate Housewives. It was nice to be able to cook and do laundry. Never thought I'd say that! Found a deserted beach for the day and toured the Monastery of St. John the Theologian. We decided to head for Mikonos so we boarded a night ferry at 12:30 a.m. along with 500 others. We wondered why everyone was so anxious to be at the front of the line. We found out! Even though there are lots of rooms with beds, practically no one gets them as they're expensive. Everyone rushes on to grab the couches and comfy chairs in the lounge areas. By the time we got there, everyone had staked out their territories with blankets, pillows, sleeping bags, and blow-up mattresses. Some people even pitched tents on decks! We were out of luck so we sat up in a couple of lounge chairs for the five-hour ride. We had to change ferries on Syros and wait another six hours for our connecting ferry. We weakened when a guy with a sign showed us his room for rent. Hunger and sleep deprivation make one the most vulnerable. We hit the beach after sleeping a few hours. The water was warm for the first time but the beach was packed and a bit dirty. Wasn't impressed with Syros so we left the next day. Running short on time, we headed straight to Athens.

Athens was a loveable mess. Graffiti on practically every building, a decrepit metro system that's always packed but no one seems to buy tickets for, and star attractions whose tickets go for practically nothing! Met some people from Australia in the downstairs hostel bar while we were claiming our free shot of ouzo and we all went out for kebabs and to watch the Olympics. Next day Lizzy and I went on a free city walking tour that was really impressive and started with free cheese pies from the place we bought our coffee! Our guide, Costas, was great and we met two really nice guys from Australia that were Lizzy's age. Saw all the major sites: Beule Gate, Propylaea, Parthenon, Erechtheion, Theatre of Dionysos, Temple of Hephaestus, Church of the Holy Apostles, Stoa of Attalos, Hadrian's Arch, Panachenaic Stadium, Lykavittos Hill, National Gardens, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Parliament for only the 12 euro admission ticket and a tip for our guide! After the tour, we checked out the the new Acropolis Museum with our new Aussie friends and then shopped at the Monastiraki Flea Market. When we got back to the hostel the clerk informed us they needed our room for a large group, had packed our stuff, and were moving us to their other hostel in Omonia. That's never happened before! We weren't happy but since we hadn't made reservations through Hostelworld, we didn't carry much weight. It turned out that the new place was nicer.

We had a tough time locating the National Archaeological Museum the next day. Finally found it (and found out that my daughter doesn't like asking for directions!) and it was well worth the hassle of getting there and the 7 euro fee. We wandered around Athens for one more day, eating, drinking, and watching the Olympics on every big screen t.v. we could find. For the price of a 1 euro espresso, we could watch for at least a couple of hours!

Took Lizzy to the airport early on 8/1 for the long flight home. Held it together long enough to see her to her gate and then melted down on the long bus ride to Terminal A to catch my bus for Nafplio. Found a nice hotel on the main square in Old Town but wasn't in the mood to shop or socialize so I overdosed on cheese pies and Olympics. Hiked the 1,000 steps to Palamidi Fortress, swam in warm waters at the nearby beach, and took off for Mystras the next day still sad. Met a nice guy from England, Simon, on the bus. He had been to Greece several times and was interesting and very knowledgeable. Arrived late and I had a hard time finding a room so I ended up at Hotel Byzantion for 35 euros! Ouch! Next day found a beautiful room with a great view of the surrounding Tazgetos Mountains at a large, old home owned by a sweet woman named Christina. Spent almost a full day exploring ruins of palaces, churches, and monasteries dating back to 1271. Met Christina's granddaughter, Christina, and five of her girlfriends, all 19. They were so fun and interesting to talk with - all in college and travelling through Greece for the summer. I wished Lizzy was there, she would have enjoyed hanging out with them. We continued on to Gythio and I found a decent place on the beach and hung out with Simon in the evenings. We walked into town each night to check our email, shop, and feast on calamari and beer by the harbor.

I headed off to Patra after two days to catch the ferry for Corfu and Simon continued on to Kalamata. The bus ride to Patra along the Gulf of Corinth was beautiful. Patra was not. It was full of refugees, mainly from Senegal, and gypsies who panhandled and put the hard sell on you whenever you stopped to sit down. It was stressful and unpleasant, always checking for your belongings. Found a cheap but nice pension and shopped and waited until my night ferry the next day. The ferry was 7 hours and miserable. I considered pulling out my sleeping bag and joining the sleepers on the floor but figured it wasn't worth the effort. There were lots of campers on the decks and some rugged people slept on the floor between seats. Arrived at Corfu at 5 a.m., ate a cheese pie, and waited for the ticket office to open at 7:30 to buy my ticket to Saranda. Met a nice girl in the ticket office from Albania who was a student heading home from Italy and she showed me some shortcuts through customs/immigration on both sides which saved me lots of time. My first encounter with famous Albanian hospitality!