For Glenn this was going to be one of the highlights of this trip to Greece. He has read extensively about the Spartans and wanted to see "where it all happened". Our campsite being midway between Mystras and modern Sparti meant it only took a short while to drive to the new town. A non descript place with the streets set out in a grid system. Shops lined the main street. Trees planted up the middle. Dreadful parking. The Greeks park far worse than the Italians. Double parking. Cars left with the doors open. Their wheels pointing into the street. It was a nightmare trying to find what we were looking for. Greeks don't understand roundabouts. Some drivers treat them correctly waiting for traffic from the left to pass before joining the roundabout. Others fly through ... read more

We feel as if we are half way through our holiday . I don't actually think we are. Our Greek clocks feel as if they going on a go slow. We are seeing so much of the country that time should fly by. It doesn't. Each day is a real joy and we keep feeling it cannot carry on this way forever. At some point we must get fed up. At some point we must feel like coming home. It doesn't seem to be happening. We are enjoying every moment. The sun continues to shine on us. The nights are hot. Everything is just wonderful. We keep thinking things have got to go downhill at some point. Downhill though is a misnomer if ever there was one, Downhill does not apply here. Every archaelogical site requires ... read more

Where in the world is Suzy today? She is sitting in another dusty car park hoping to get into this fascinating place before the bus loads turn up. But before we set out I grabbed the paracetamol and threw two down in the hope that they would make my back stop aching. I don’t know if it is the bed in Suzy, the hiking up and down hills and steps or the fact that I am not exercising or swimming . Whatever it is my sciatic nerve feels trapped and I have “toothache “ in my hip. Glenns chesty cold seems to be heading for a chest infection. He hits the antibiotics Even with all these niggles we are still making the most of this trip and nothing is going to stop us doing what we ... read more

It's our last day in Athens. Getting up early we went down for breakfast. Another good breakfast. Would we recommend this hotel ? Yes we would . Value for money indeed and the best we have had in any city. We were sorry to leave it and the bath which we have languished in for the last two nights. Showers are fine but a bath is sheer heaven. We found our way back to Monastraki easily. It is odd how it only takes a few days to orientate yourself in any city. On the way we passed the new cathedral the Mitropoli . A vast modern affair sadly closed so no photo opportunities however we did see the small Byzantine church dwarfed in its wake. Again sadly closed . Buying tickets to return to Kyfissia was ... read more

We didn’t sleep well. The bed was comfortable but the noise rumbled on all night . We worried about Suzy. Would she be there when we got back? We are so used to sleeping in her it felt odd to be parted from her. Glenn was feeling ill too. All through the holiday he had had a tickling cough and the threat of something coming on. Today he started with a chesty cough. Our breakfast was thrown in. We ate various breads, croissants, cheese and ham, yoghurt and jams with copious cups of coffee. A full cooked breakfast , the so called American breakfast included fruit , eggs and bacon . The bread was fantastic slathered with thick butter washed down with wild cherry cordial. I find it odd people watching when they pick up their ... read more