A truth spoken before its time is dangerous… ~ Greek Proverb HE SAID... Today we were travelling southeast from Kalambaka to Delphi. We woke early and headed down to Hotel Alexiou’s stark dining area, where I enjoyed a fairly basic breakfast of yoghurt and muesli, bread and jam, and tea and juice. We checked out around 9am and settled into a very comfy and roomy minibus for the four-hour southward journey to Delphi. In less than a minute we’d left the small township of Kalambaka behind, and we were driving through its outlying rural landscape that featured cotton, tobacco and corn fields. As we travelled further south, hay bales lay neatly in fields, man-made dams glistened in the sun and distant hazy mountain ranges shimmered on the horizon. At times we drove parallel to a railway ... read more

Constant dripping will wear away a stone… ~ Greek Proverb HE SAID... Today we were travelling southwest from Thessaloniki to Kalambaka– by train. We woke early and organised our packs, then headed down to the welcoming and well organised breakfast room at Le Palace Hotel, where I enjoyed yoghurt and muesli, fresh bread and jam, and a few cups of tea and juice. Our time in Thessaloniki was transitory. We arrived late on a Sunday night, wandered its gritty hilly streets all day Monday, then left early on Tuesday morning. I would love to have spent a few more days here, getting under the skin of this austere yet beautiful city. As I said in our Hydra blog: ‘Time will always be the enemy of travel.’ We checked out of Le Palace Hotel and caught a ... read more

The eyes are more exact witnesses than the ears… ~ Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher HE SAID... Today we were continuing to explore the ancient city of Athens, before catching a train northward to Thessaloniki in the mid-afternoon. We woke early and headed down to the intimate breakfast room at Hotel Attalos. As always, I opted for Greek yoghurt with muesli and cranberries, and we hydrated with endless cups of tea and juice. This comfy, compact and welcoming hotel in the heart of Athens was nothing short of exceptional, and we especially loved its breakfast offerings. We had a scheduled walking tour of the Acropolis at 9:30am, and we were looking forward to it. We had been skirting the perimeter of this extraordinary ruin since arriving in Greece a few weeks earlier, but we were yet to enter ... read more

The unexamined life is not worth living… ~ Socrates, Greek Philosopher HE SAID... Today we were travelling northeast from Kardamyli to Athens. We woke early and headed down to Kardamyli Beach Hotel’s breakfast area, only to find the electric roller doors locked and the lights off. At precisely 8am, following the flick of a switch from the hotel’s grumpy manager, the doors slowly began to open. This hotel was run with military precision, and we had become used to its idiosyncratic ways. We cautiously entered the breakfast area and lined up in an orderly queue to receive our breakfast items. There were no self-serve options here. The grumpy manager stood behind a glassed-in buffet and placed whatever items we asked for onto a plate. Only the very brave asked for multiple items. It was imperative to ... read more

The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing… ~ Greek Proverb HE SAID... Today we were travelling southwest from Nafplio to Kardamyli (via Kalamata). We woke early and headed down to Hotel Agamemnon’s bright, open and relatively empty breakfast area. I started the day with Greek yoghurt and muesli, fresh bread and jam, and many cups of tea. We were leaving Nafplio, and there was more than a hint of sadness in the air. We climbed the hotel’s wide spiral staircase to our first-floor room and relaxed on our small balcony for one last time, looking out over the picturesque Argolic Gulf. The boats moored below us were bobbing up and down in the breeze. The morning sun was catching the brickwork of Bourtzi, the small island fortress in the middle of ... read more