part 2 Platamonas

so ok, after all that gushing about Raches, we happily went off and drove about 100miles before realizing, that we did not pick up the passport from the reception when we left. So without falling out or shouting a lot, we turned back and retraced, somewhat less happily our steps... so we haven't made today's target near Macedonia - but who cares - we found this place, Platamonas,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platamon_Castle with a view to (a stormy) sea and to an impressive castle, which was walkable and about 5 times Siklós. This hotel is like a ghost place - who knows why they keep it open in the winter - there is a real fire lit in the (empty and posh) restaurant that can easily sit a hundred... we though it would be dear, but it was 50euros incl breakfast, and the host young man/waiter/receptionist wouldn't let us pay for our initial tea/beer. We are looking forward our meal with anticipation - and hunger, as all we had for lunch was an orange soaked cheese pasty type of left-over from yesterday, I don't know how 2 of our gift oranges got crushed, we have three more of them looking un-harmed and ready to accompany us for the next leg of the home-ward bound journey. Yes, stormy, but not cold, we had bad rain and driving conditions second time round, making us even angrier - if we hadn't had to turn back, we might had escaped all the bad weather. But it was ok for our walk to the castle, so I have no reason to complain. Will do look at fotos at home - or later tonight if I get too much to eat again and can't sleep...

Raches again

now we are on our way back, I am sitting on the (same hotel's) balcony staring at the choppy sea and the harbour, listening to the noises of a busy day in a small greek beachtown including goatbells - ok, maybe a windcharm. too lazy to get the camera, I cannot do it justice anyway. Alan is sleeping, the driving is hard work, even though the roads are fairly quiet. hope to beat the weather and be back home in 3 or so days.

day 3 - Mycenea

The high point, of course - camera run out of juice, but managed with it's last breath the most important ones - the Lion Gate and the bell tombs.

so it was upto expectations - the usual surroundings of such places that started out in those stone-age times - next to a fault-line of course (a group of geography students were studying that) incredible heights and chasms - my late -unset fear of heights not withstanding - an unforgettable experience; the cyclopean stones (so large, that it was explained as being moved by Cyclops) and all being cca 4000 years old... I put on some fotos from the day before - I lag behind happenings, such as todays to the big theatre of Epidouros - not enjoyed as much as Mycenea. we have been upgraded, as the electricity had stopped working in our rooms we've been moved a floor up, now we have sea views and an even bigger balcony. The breakfast is getting more and more elaborate with spinach pie and baklava type sweets this morning. anyway, the rest are pictures left out previously, including swimmers - yes there are lots of them and the sea seems at least 20C if not more, in Leonidio it was definitely warmer.

we are starting the journey back tomorrow. I stop trying to select the best fotos - I cant...

Nafplio day 2

...and what was left out of the Leonidio report, such as the hare-stew we were gifted by other guests at what turned out to be our favorite eatery. We woke to another sparkly blue sky opposed to the rainy forcast, but decided it was a bit chilly to breakfast on the balcony and joined the other guests in the quaint dining room for a most gorgous breakfast served with the antique looking china of course, greek youhurt, eggs, home made bread still warm, butter, two types of jam, honey, cheese, ham, coffee, tea, sweet bread that looked like kakaós kalács - bit sweeter and more cake. We walked to the bottom of the castle but I chickened out after the first 100 steps at the sign which promised 800 more.Alan forgave me after a very pleasant walk along the beach, while the local marathon - or more like 10km - runners were passing us. We walked round the peninsula of the other castle this way and then got a boat to the one in the sea. Then joined thousands of sunday greeks in one of the cafes - sitting outside of course as by then they had to put up the umbrellas against the hot sun... then we found a funky shop of ethiopian/kenyan etc things and bought very groovy stuff, then we had siesta and anticipate the evening meal as we were good and had no lunch.

the ancient wall and church (from the 10th century initially) where our balcony is facing. But every turn - like in Naples - shows a very ancient looking, usually abandoned, not restored corner - but how could they attend to all this stuff??

Alan stands at the back entrance of the hotel. By the way, when we returned for our siesta this afternoon, there were a dish of tangerines waiting for us... hm, and I haven't shown you the showers yet, one of those where you can sit down and there are nozzles on the side to wash your back...

Nafplio - just checked in!

fantastic place, and the cutest of antique/kitch, comfy friendly hotel in the middle of the old town, we'll stay here for at least 3 nights. they bring breakfast to our room to be eaten on our balkony!! For 40euro, all included, bottled water in fridge, too - we were told not to drink the tap water. no sea views, that is only afforded to Hypo parked down looking at the beach. internet connection not great, can't be bthered with pictures yet.

Elona fest

last night we had another meal in our now favourite taverna – fried aubergines, giant beans, village chicken, salad... and the fire was lit – first time this year the host said – in the handsome fire-place, it was lovely sitting next to it, as the day was dark and wet – mostly. However this morning all change! Back to the previous startling blue sky with sun – and got really warm again – maybe the prayers that we heard for hours yesterday and this morning for ours – interesting at first and very much like müzzeins – but getting a bit tedious after a while – were answered, so the walk with the saint's icon, accompanied by all schoolchildren (not all very enthusiastic) and the local priests in black robes /hats and black beards, followed by more important ones (3) in gold robes /hats and white beards, a band and some of the population were bathed in sunshine rather than rain. There was a long speech by the gold robed most important one with the longest beard, lots of serious smoke from the insence burners, and that was it. As the festival is 3 days long, we wonder what will happen tomorrow. All the town was out, we spent 2 hours sitting in our now favourite cafe, with lots of other locals, even women. Very good atmosphere indeed, kids and that dog (on the pic) running about – oranges above our heads. Even the priests (locals) dropped in for a drink in the caf. Some kissed the hand of the oldest – but mostly there were handshakes. And we noticed women getting handshakes. In Hungary it is dead weird – a new arrival in the pub shakes the hand of every – men and ignores the women. The rest of the day just resting – enjoying the views and the sun on the veranda, drying the washing, we might even eat in today – well, we had that nice looking snack at the caf – I have he local aubergines to cook with eggs...

and more:

and I forgot to include the pic of the oranges of the tree that shaded us from the hot sun during all those hours sitting outside of that cafe... the clouds did come back tonight, but I still manage sitting outside using the wifi with the usual retsina - which seems to be different in every taverna - this one I can drink - it hasn't got the bitter twinge. Alan says the doggie looks more intelligent than him...

the rain!!

Rain! All night proper stuff. However, the river is still missing – the water is probably collected in some hidden reservoir, would be a waste just let it run to the sea. Leonidio would look even more picturesque with a shiny gap in the middle, rather than this stony one. We attempted another climb today – this time on foot, to the church about three times as high up as the one on our inland walk. But we chose the wrong pass that disappeared with the olives – must have been just for the farmer to get to his trees. We might try to find yet a better road – though now there is a count down to our leaving day from here. The temperature didn't drop much with the rain, even if not as hot during the day of course, still well over 10C, very comfortable, and in the house must be around 20 as we still haven't felt the need to heat. We did find the taverna for eating that we were after, it turned out, that the proper local village food is not to be found on the menues... one have to point to the birthday-party of about 6 gentlemen at the next table – we want that! We haven't yet spotted a menu given to the locals... only to us foreigners... anyway, now we in the know, we had very good food – the stuff we remembered from old times... and we are going back there every night or so while we are here (off the main shopping street, towards the hill, found it by accident on one of our walks.) The taverna pictures are of another one we dropped in a few times. We are so happy, that the crisis of the stupid banks etc still couldn't crush the style of living here – the menfolk – and more rare others, too, still populate most cafes, playing cards, Wtching football or just talking. We haven't seen tabla (backgammon) played, maybe that is not a local tradition here. we came here again after sieste before evening meal, and as I type here, the only woman, and about 40 oldish men - I can hear their worry-beads as well as the news on the big telly but the chatting is louder.. we had a good walk up to a mountain we haven't been on before - but we had to turn back before reaching the church nesting there - we chose the wrong path and therain started to come down heavy, so we postponed this for another day - but we are rapidly running out of time... .

local walks, other beach nearby

funnily enough, fish is expensive here - having said that, the day before yesterday we ordered something that was called shrimps, and 3 enormous monster arrived, about 10cm each. Alan managed to disrobed them manfully (must have remembered Lois's first class schooling in these matters) . The meatballs were a disappointment, arrived dry with chips. Never mind. It is our first day when the sun hasn't come out at all, but still warm. I actually wish it rained, they had a bad drought diporto is the name of the caf we wi-fi from, though we just found another, more traditional place with it, usually full of oldish gents talking, playing cards, watching telly.

here, too, Alison, a resident English woman here, said, that the olive harvest is very poor. However on our daily walk (still discovering part of the town, we have seen a street with loads of oranges that rolled in there from the above square surrounded with orange streets... nice oranges, nobody collected them - I only picked up two, feeling shy... other show the tomatoes and lettice happily growing outside, and the slightly abandoned part of the beach at Lakka, another one walkable from Leonidio. There was a lovely house with lots of tables and lights on, but no signs it being a restaurant. Alan thinks we missed the meal of a lifetime - but we could return...

monastrery Elona

well, we haven't conquered our fear of these roads but made it to this breathtaking place if not to Kosmas... were back for a lunch in; the second part of the spanish omlette that had the local aubergines in it, as well as local cheese, and if I may say so, it was rather good.

left overs

quiet day today, washing hair, maybe even cooking something for a change - don't worry, I was thinking of a spanish omlett, as we gathered the ingredients for that. First cloudy day, there was a hint of rain during the night, only the nice smell that left of it for the morning. Still very pleasant sitting outside our wi-fi cafe, the diPorto, if anything, warmer than yesterday, without the breeze. just a few more pics I couldn't fit it on before: ducks with orange (trees) and the hairpin band, you cannot see the drop down, you lucky things... and whatever more I find...

mountain adventure

yesterday we had a long walk inland of town, on the road on the right side of the absent river, until we met goats and shepherdess, got tired, then we walked back had picnic. pictures show views and a weird fridge unite facing the road with "BBC-York" plate. Read on after fotos!

Today we attempted to find the St Nicholas (Ag.Nicolou) monastery. The one=track road turned into concrete-gravel and very frightening - when there are a few hundred meter drops directly next to such a track, suddenly the landscape becomes veri intimidating... We parked Hypo at a place where Alan judged a possible turn round, and went on by foot, but, in total agreement for once, we agreed to give up, when it seemed like an other cca 300m steep an discouraging climb... and as you see, we got down in one piece...The view was unbelievable...

oops this one was after the second exercise on a better (tarmacked) road, that went even higher - but we again, had to turn back, locals said it would turn bad further on - that was not a good way to Kosmas... the rst shows the monastary track and the welcome break on the next beach.