European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 25, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Tour vis gel a line View of is jibes is a ferry caves Lic Harbor in route to Kopelos. Is photos by Ken George a greek treasure Ity Norm Ziecler writer ii is i Seascape Nul of a Wilri in Sun splashed islands redolent in blossoms Ami Pine forests is i Birds and raptors soaring on theri nals Over Rocky headlands secluded coves and Lovely beaches and surrounding in ill la i in a edible lilt Waters alive with fish and dolphins i rum the upper deck of Llie inter Island ferry will tin. My Brece blowing through till hair and the High Blue sky overhead Greece s sporades islands Are a Vista of uni Milfeil possibilities full of Llie Promise of Vara Hin adventure and Freedom. Greece is a country of Many islands but some of Llie Lini Lisl Are in ibis Chain of wild rugged oui posts Strung out from the Mainland Starling near Llie Central Aegean coast. The sporades the is altered ones comprise an archipelago Rich Mil Only in natural Beauty but also in history and culture. I Here Are four main islands ski Altos so opens i Lalon Ness and the More Distant Skyros. I Erb aps the Grea Lesl treasure of the islands is their people warm Friendly and open with a genuine affection Lor foreign visitors and americans in Partite ular i he regional manner is unhurried and helpful and it Normal greeting is a flashing smile. We were to encounter it in a Farmer and gift shop inv Nei on halon Nessus who gave us a ride in a Sheet steel trailer pulled by his Garden tractor saving us a hot Dusty hour s hike. We would meet it in the person of a Young restaurateur on Kopelos who tailed an acquaintance and Gol him to open his shop a week Early so we could rent motorbikes then took us to his House for Coffee. And we would see it in an old Man walking his Donkey in the Mountain wilderness of Al Knossos who when he Learned we were americans broke into a Broad Grin and excitedly told us of working on autus Many years ago in Detroit i Ike All of Greece the sporades Are a world of on rails indent ruins and gleaming new construe lion searing daytime heal and Chilly Ocean free a nights Hie silence of Hills and forests and the cafe i one Asalion engine noise and mercantile Bustle of harbours. I he trip had Golly n off the ground at Rhein main a Wesl Germany with the liftoff of military Airlift Cornel flight 0707 for Alberts. The idea was to do what seems to be so easy in Green e esp Erieau e stunning scenery Good food and Ace mod Lions and meet Friendly people while spending very Little Money. In some countries a traveler s Wallet seems to Haemorrhage Money. But Greece remains a Haven for Low budget tourists. A Backpack is still the Luggage of Choice for Many Ami wherever you look there Are bargains on meals hotels Anil transp oration. One of the Best benefits available to service members is the eligibility in Fly space available on Mac. The $10 Token charge All but eliminates whal is usually the largest expense of a Long trip the Cost of gelling there. Those space a passengers Lucky enough to get on the Frankl Urt aliens Llight this Day wore saving hundreds of dollars. The a i lifted off 1 minutes later than scheduled with More than 70 passengers aboard in addition to the cargo and Crew. After Llie plane had reached cruising Altitude those of us who had paid an extra $2 were served Box lunches of sandwiches and pre packaged snacks. I Ven with a civilian airline there is not much that is fun about flying. An Airliner is after All Little More than a bus with wings. In the Bare Bones kind of Mac travel the noise Factor and the Lack of windows effectively Rule out even the minor in flight diversions of conversation and sightseeing. Even More than usual the destination becomes the thing. At three hours and 20 minutes the Frankfurt to Athens flight is just Long enough so that you know you have covered a Long distance but not so Long that it becomes Boring or tiring. During the last end of the might some of us were Able to get Brief glimpses of the Blue Adriatic from the tiny emergency exit windows toward the rear of the plane. After the plane touched Down at hell Nikon a we cleared baggage claim and customs in a matter of minutes and wasted no Lime in hiking to the front Gale. 1 he base s location next to the civilian Airport South of Athens makes in convenient for transportation into downtown we hailed a taxi and headed for the bus station. Because of the heavy weekday traffic the ride lasted More than 20 minutes and i Oil j58 drachmas about $5. 5. 1 he bus station for Northern Greece is at 260 i los Sion st., about a mile from syntax a Square in the cily Center. From there a bus leaves every hour for Agios Constantinos the main jumping off Point for the ferries Lollie sporades. At 1,000 drachmas about $f.25the ticket for the 100-mile ride is a terrific bargain. We had barely missed the 4 15 . Bus so we stripes Magazine May 25, 1989
