Tag Archives: Greece

Greece: on the brink again

There is a yet another political hiatus over the Greek economy which is yet again said to be on the brink.  Scaremongers are warning that ATMs in Greece will run out of cash and travellers will be stranded … cashless.   … Continue reading

Posted in Greece | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Looking back, looking forward: time warping

After two weeks of proper summer the weather has reverted back to grey and wet …. at times very wet. My efforts to get the garden back under control are now slotted-in between showers, waiting for the ground and foliage … Continue reading

Posted in Greece, Grey Britain | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New habits dying hard: greyness in the brain

Whether we like to think so or not, habits are an integral part of life for most of us.  Apart from anything else they are the lubricant which we use to cope with the boring, everyday stuff.  It is also … Continue reading

Posted in Greece, Grey Britain, Grumpy Old Men | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Down to earth with a squelch, naked garlic, blue sky thinking

Arrival back in the UK from Athens was not as unpleasant as the avuncular pilot predicted at takeoff.  Rather than raining and 14oC, the weather in Manchester was about 18oC, dry with sunny intervals and there was a modest amount … Continue reading

Posted in Greece, Grumpy Old Men, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Leaving Athens: the end of the trip

I woke up ahead of my alarm going off on Friday with one  of those crystal-clear wakenings which renders the ‘snooze’ button pointless. Written large in the early-morning grogginess was the inescapable message “Going home today”.  That stark message meant … Continue reading

Posted in Greece, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Areopoli to Athens: tower houses to tower blocks

Thursday and unfortunately time to leave the Mani.  The staff of the family-run hotel, the ‘Areos Polis’ always very helpful and obliging, had arranged the full range of breakfast for me an hour early so that I could be on … Continue reading

Posted in Greece, Reflections | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Areopoli: Last day in the Mani, a grumble about footpaths, and a new word for the language

PHOTOS ADDED (for those who have difficulty with the words) Wednesday, the last day in the Mani and the Exit Strategy looming. First task after breakfast was to trot around to the bus station and book my ticket on the … Continue reading

Posted in Greece | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gerolimenas to Areopoli: things new, things familiar, and the Exit Strategy

Tuesday, the setting in motion of the Exit Strategy to get me back to the UK ….  and, a new experience for this trip, I was going back to a place I had been before!  Until today every single place … Continue reading

Posted in Greece, Reflections | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Gerolimenas: more tower-house villages and scree-running.

Monday and I resorted to the plan originally pencilled in for Sunday, a long walk from Gerolimenas taking in some tower-house villages and a mountain top. My ambition for the whole trip has been to travel by public transport rather … Continue reading

Posted in Greece, Grumpy Old Men | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Vatheia: the inescapable past.

Quick change of plan over breakfast Sunday morning.  I had hoped to do a couple of things while based in Gerolimenas.  Pencilled in mentally for Sunday was a long walk taking in some tower-house villages and a mountain top.  I … Continue reading

Posted in Greece | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments