Last day

At long last today!

After checking out we had time to kill before our evening flight home. We decided to drive out to Glyfada, a ritzy suburb on the Saronic Gulf. We had the address Jim and Vicky had given us so we thought we would try to visit. We found it OK and knocked on the door to the apartment. A nice Greek lady was there. We had the right place but had missed Jim and Vicky. She insisted on giving us a cup of tea. Strange occasion. She spoke no English and we spoke no Greek...

I decided that I couldn’t leave Greece without jumping into the Aegean Sea. It was predictably icy but it had to be done. My last heartrending decision was to leave my piece of ancient pottery on a footpath in Glyfada. I’d found the undecorated triangular sherd, a chunk of pithos, on the path at Mycenae. I didn’t think Lyn would forgive me if our trip home were delayed by my arrest for the illegal export of antiquities.

We dropped off our faithful Nissan Cherry at the airport and all of us flew home: Leon, Lyn and the as yet unnamed child that had made life so difficult.
 

A Greek tragedy (almost)

This was shopping day. We found a bookshop, a tearoom, and finally a jeweller to get the chain for Lyn’s cartouche.

All should have been peaceful. I decided to set about the difficult task of packing all our stuff. To the clothes we had brought with us we needed to add two Greek rugs, Egyptian papyrus, sundry books and a present for everybody Lyn knew in the world.

I am getting into trouble for my “helpful” suggestions and it is gently suggested that I should ring up Olympic Airways, confirm our flight and check luggage allowances.

HORROR

Olympic tell us our tickets are cancelled. No! No! Remember Crete, I think? Much confusion and a dreadful 20 minutes ... they admit it is their error and they will ring back...

All is well! Seats confirmed. State of euphoria...

That evening we had a good dinner in the hotel and had dessert with a young girl from Manly. After dinner we thought we would walk up to the Acropolis expecting to see it lit ... but it wasn’t. One final attraction closed for the Winter.

Back to the Herodion

Before we left for Athens we visited Volos’s brilliant little museum. It was small but excellent. There was a complete reconstruction of a Neolithic burial. 

Then we bit the bullet and set off on the long drive to Athens. It was a straightforward drive and we were there by 3.00 pm. Lyn was set on staying at the Athens Gate Hotel but it was too expensive for us. Another place seemed OK but when we saw our room we asked for our passports back. In the end we returned to The Herodion.

It was like coming home ... Leon celebrated with a dry martini.

They even gave us our old room. 

Cravings

Next morning, we left Thessaloniki and drove to Vergina, where there was nothing to see because it was all locked up for the Winter, and to Pella, where the museum was open. The highlights here were the mosaics.

The museum here was good with its beautiful mosaic of lion hunting. Wouldn’t mind it on my floor at home.

We drove to a pretty town by the sea called Volos. We found a nice place called the Parks Hotel and settled in. Lyn demanded milk so off I went that evening to find milk. It seemed NOTHING was open until after walking for an eternity I finally I found a fast food place. The girl behind the counter spoke no English but understood my request for γάλα (gala). Then came more confusion – the gist of it was – how much gala did I want? Then my 15 word Greek vocabulary came to the rescue ... μικρό (mikro)! She supplied a cupful and I walked back to the hotel warmed, despite the weather, by my success as a hunter-gatherer. Back at the hotel Lyn pronounced the milk “off”. Back to reality...

Volos

That night we agreed that we would drive back to Athens the next day. There was no point in dragging out the agony – Lyn was too ill to be driving around. She would be better off in Athens. She wasn't just craving milk. She wanted to go home.

Tower, toilets and treasure

Off we trotted to tour Thessaloniki and do some shopping. This was an A grade bad day for me! Sick from the word go and by the end of it I just wanted to die. We went along the waterfront to the White Tower. This must be one of the most beautifully presented places...

The White Tower

Lyn was particularly impressed by the high standard of the toilets in the White Tower, as was I till I reached in vain for the loo paper. And this is why my precious Blue Guide to Greece never returned home quite intact. Still, it sacrificed some pages in a good cause.

We had no real luck shopping but we did check out the churches. Lyn lit some candles and then Lyn was cheered by some (un)Orthodox entertainment.

...it was great as there was an argument about new carpet laying. The fat priest was very vocal!

The highlight of the day for me was the visit to the museum where the recent discoveries from the royal tombs at Vergina were on display. The golden crowns/wreaths were the most magnificent things I saw on the entire trip. Better than the treasures in Cairo, better than the tomb of Thutmose III, better than the Parthenon and the treasures from Mycenae ... Even Lyn was impressed ... a little.

 

to Thessaloniki

Lyn scared the life out of me. While I packed the car she went to the post office. She was away forever! I had visions of white slavers ... but it turned out she was distracted by shopping opportunities and returned with a jumper for Jillian.

At the hotel we were showered with goodies for the next stage of our journey – biscuits, oranges, mandarins and rumballs! After a final visit to the church – still closed – we drove north for Thessaloniki.

The approaches to the city took us through a huge traffic jam. Weeks driving in Greece had hardened me and we survived... Here are our drivers licences on this trip.

We tried the big fancy hotel by the water but it was way out of our price range so we settled for a place called the Queen Olga which was still central but without the water views. Now there are some who would argue that Thessaloniki is a vibrant modern city with wide promenades along an attractive and historic waterfront. Over to you Lyn ...

Thessaloniki is a HOLE. Huge, smoggy and traffic everywhere

Runny eggs and Greek delight

Who would have thought it? Lyn felt much better because I nearly threw up! The lovely lady running the hotel had brothers in Australia. She couldn’t do enough for us. She offered to boil me an egg. This seemed like a good idea until I tried to eat it – not so much a 3-minute egg but a 2-minute egg ... I went green around the gills and Lyn was delighted.

We then had much trouble dressing me for the monasteries of Meteora ... finally clothed we set off. The scenery is magnificent. Huge grey black rocks, sheer, snow-capped mountains in the distance ... The first monastery we climbed up to was closed but the second, the Great Meteora, was OK ... The church was beautiful – all painted inside and beautifully looked after. The ancient kitchen was great – stuff for grinding and the bread oven ... the museum, the old refectory, had some 14^th century manuscripts and a cross that took 14 years to carve.

... another monastery. Huge way up but well worth it – one monk and two friendly dogs – he’s having some walls built outside and I reckon it is for gardens as inside he’s got plants everywhere. I like this monk – he even offered us Turkish delight – a real sweetie... 

In Kalabaka that afternoon we shopped and Lyn continued in her failed efforts to buy a decent cup of tea in Greece. Whether it was the Greeks, or her pregnancy, that made the tea taste wrong I could never quite tell. I’d hoped to visit the 11^th century Byzantine church but it was all locked up. Lyn enjoyed exploring the attached graveyard with pictures of the deceased on most tombstones. 

Drove forever

Drove forever ...

Well, not really,

but apparently it felt like it to Lyn. First stop was a village not far out of Delphi where we bought Lyn a grey wool coat and two rugs. Then, after much searching, we stopped and picnicked at the mysterious Bronze Age fortress of Gla. I’d always been fascinated by what I could read about it. I left feeling even more intrigued. Driving around this site there were patches of mud that threatened to bog us and for once my driving was praised.

 
At Chaeronea we stopped to see the stone lion where the Macedonians crushed Greek resistance... Lyn fell asleep in the car and woke when I parked the car at Thermopylae. She watched a Greek policeman booking someone and admired the modern statue of Leonidas. Then we walked up onto the hillock, where the last Spartans died, to read the inscription. I remember you could smell the sulphur springs.  

We drove north into Thessaly. Lyn was wrecked, so I tried to find accommodation earlier than planned but, as usual that winter, found nothing open. Ended up going on, as originally intended, to Kalabaka. We booked into the Hotel Atlantis.  

Done-up tramps at Delphi

The day was spent in Delphi. The ancients believed it was the centre of the world, a place where you could get advice from Apollo.

...went off to the site of Delphi. I was sick. Sat on the road and read about it while Leon visited the temple to Athena ... beautiful sunny day, clear, still and you could hear goat bells clearly. Magnificent scenery.

At the Castalia fountain I washed like a good pilgrim. We walked up the Sacred Way past the treasuries of the cities. We tried to ignore the behaviour of a large group of Greek high school students ... showing anything but respect – radios blaring, singing, joking, real yahoos ... couldn’t believe two of the girls – A1 done up tramps – unbelievable. Four male slack teachers ... At the temple of Apollo Lyn was about done in so while I climbed up the track to the beautiful theatre and stadium, Lyn ... curled up on a rock and slept in the sunshine.

We visited the museum, went shopping and bought two rings. Lyn sat on our balcony and read in the sunshine, ate toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and was happy to see green beans on her plate at dinner but inevitably was still tired and sick.

 

Olympia to Delphi

We went to the Olympic stadium where I just had to crouch in the ancient “starting blocks”. It began to rain but that couldn’t spoil it for me. Then we went to the museum. Lyn was ill and only the Hermes of Praxiteles really cheered her up. 

A very wet Olympic stadium - as usual. nobody there but us.

Starting blocks

Entrance to the stadium - Olympia

Hermes

It was here I saw a shield that the Athenians had taken from the Spartans in the fighting around Pylos. I couldn’t help feeling it could have been Brasidas’ shield ... 

At the bookshop I'd discovered the previous day we bought, The Villa Ariadne, and The History of the Orthodox Church. After much wavering at the cost we also bought a beautiful book about the royal tombs at Vergina. We also added to our collection of gifts.

Then off we set out on a longish drive ... this was our last day in the Peloponnese.

... to catch the ferry at Rio near Patras – this was most interesting – huge swell and no signs. Finally found the right car ferry and we were last on ... and got out and nearly were wind swept overboard. Even Leon got queasy. The toilets were amazing – reminiscent of Egypt. Filthy, smelly hole in the floor. Imagine trying to negotiate that in a huge swell!

on the car ferry

Followed the [North] coast of the Corinthian gulf – great scenery – and up to Delphi. Stayed at Amalia – luxury – but it had been a long day and I was A1 exhausted and sick. The mixed grill in the restaurant was awful – spicy, oily and I was sick!! To bed.
 

κρύο (krýo)

Next morning the plan to cross to Sphacteria by ferry was quickly abandoned.

… peaceful Pylos was transformed. We were woken by huge waves rushing past our balcony.

The little boat was valiantly making its way across the bay but you could hardly see it in the troughs. We decided to give it a miss and drove on to King Nestor’s palace.

We were both impressed by the way Anos Englianos was presented. The site, like most Bronze Age sites, was on a height amongst olive groves. (The archaeologist, Carl Blegen, asked himself where he would put a palace - and promptly found it.) There was a tholos tomb and the unreconstructed palace. The palace bath was still in situ. The whole palace area was protected by a giant corrugated iron roof that, on that day, was threatening to lift off in the gale. Lyn finally got to check out growing olives and discovered that they were “bitter” when raw.

in rain to Olympia where most things were shut - including hotels. After checking out 5 different hotels we settled into one where the lady, realising it was “kryo” and the heat didn’t come on until 6.00 pm, brought us extra blankets. We had a cup of tea and then I returned to sleep in this wet dismal afternoon and Leon went to the museum.

Most of the town was closed, including the museum, but I found a great bookshop. Returning to the hotel I found it closed for the afternoon. I was forced to rouse a sleeping Lyn by shouting from outside. The alternative was freezing to death!

Venetian picnic

We found our hotel a bit crowded and noisy so we moved to a new discovery. Our windows looked out over the straits at the entrance to Navarino Bay. Beautiful.

Anyway we went food shopping and the town is very pretty – lots of small boats and ships. At night they are lit up and it is very pretty.

We stocked up on the usual. At this stage Lyn’s lunch diet still consisted of bread, ham, cheese and tinned asparagus.

We walked up to the nearby castle ruins, climbing rocks and dodging sheep ...

For lunch we drove south to Methone. It was an important place under the Venetians and the Turks so it had massive fortifications. We had a chilly but spectacular picnic in a battered tower.

The sun was out – a perfect spot. As usual we had the place to ourselves ... the Greek men were buying their fish further down (one man had little sardines).

That afternoon Lyn slept back in the hotel while I went adventuring. The area is probably most famous for the decisive Battle of Navarino which ended Turkish control of the Mediterranean. However, for me Pylos is the site of one of the most dramatic stories in Thucydides. The headland of Coryphasion and the island of Sphacteria were scenes of desperate fighting between Spartans and Athenians. The plan was to try to find a way to drive to Coryphasion that afternoon and catch the little local ferry across to Spacteria next morning.

I had no map but I drove along narrow farmers tracks between vineyards. I nearly got bogged. Eventually I reached the lagoon but had to admit defeat. The Nissan Cherry was definitely not a 4-wheel drive vehicle.

                                                                                                  

Lyn’s diary says I made a great meal that night – which probably just means she was rested and hungry! She was still unable to eat anything oily and so I usually cooked up a rice and tomato stew. We still had the small saucepan and strange little immersion cooker we had bought in Athens. All we needed was a power point in our hotel rooms.