Sponge Docks - Tarpon Springs

We've been here for four days and finally made it to the Sponge Docks.  Not only do you find some of the finest sponges in the world, but there are also many Greek restaurants, markets and bakeries.  We parked at Spongeorama where we watched a movie about the history of sponge diving in Tarpon Springs and walked through their museum.

The sponge diving boats are docked here along with sightseeing boats and fishing charter boats.  Here's a sponge diving boat with sponges strung:

A woman was also selling sponges in a parking lot.

We walked all the way down one side of the street and as we turned to head up the other side, we found a very old fishing charter sign.

That is still a fishing boat and we picked up a brochure to find out more about their charters.  It's an all day deal, from 8:00 to 4:00.  It takes about 45 minutes each way from the RV park to the docks and that's a long time to leave the dogs alone.  We'll try to find a charter that's 4 hours or so.

As we walked up the other side of the street, we found the Hellas Bakery and Restaurant.  It was too early for lunch, but not too early for a dessert.  So many choices..it was so hard to decide.

We finally settled on a piece of baklava cheesecake to share.

We sat outside to eat the cheesecake.  It was so good!  The center of the cheesecake had the traditional baklava filling of nuts and honey and there were crumbled pieces of baked filo pastry on the top.

We headed to the beach for a few hours and then back to the RV park.  When we got back, I took the dogs for a walk.  I could hear a violin being played.  I took the dogs back to the MH and then set out again to find the music.  Turns out it is a man by the name of Arvel Bird who is from Arizona.  He plays Native American flutes and the violin.  He's also a story teller.  I sat there for about 40 minutes listening to him.  His music is beautiful and inspiring.  

Here's a link to information about him:

http://arvelbird.com/bio/

I found out from another person here that he's playing tomorrow night at a local festival called Chasco Fiesta in New Port Richey.  Coincidentally, when we stopped at the grocery on the way home, they put a brochure about the festival in our bag.  I definitely have to talk Doug into going there tomorrow night.  

For now, I'm fixing a cup of coffee and wishing I had bought a tray of pastries at Hellas Bakery.