Hotel Lakonia Sparta

... I had been worried about changing everything mid-trip like this. <br><br> The front cogs are much bigger than my last, so that means that it&#8217;s harder to pedal. Worst day possible for this change as this was the day we tackled the start of the big mountains. I felt like I was back in Ireland at the start of the trip - before my muscles had developed. I haven&#8217;t pushed my bike since the first day in ...

... second finger&#8217; (the three peninsulas along the south end of the Peloponnese). Great views of mountains 3-4 times larger than what we just went through. Made me stop and almost reconsider where we&#8217;re going and what we&#8217;re doing&#8230;Tomorrow will be quite challenging!<br><br>Finally we arrived at a center large enough to have a cycle shop. Brian was in heaven looking at new cranks, front forks ...

... her two years ago. We went back to the house where she had a home cooked meal waiting for me. Man I'm spoiled. I have been traveling for a few weeks now and I yern for home cooking. It'll be a tough 3 months ahead. <br><br>I spent my time really getting to know my cousins all over again. They have grown to be smart, funny, and confidant young women who I am proud to stand in the shadows of. They took me around ...

When we returned to our rooms after our successful expedition to High St George, we were ready for a siesta. Naps and showers ensued as we whiled away the time until about 5pm. We then set off again for Megalopoli with the aim of acquiring tiropittes and general supplies on our way to tracking down the other local castle of St George, near the ancient site of Lykosoura. The 'Big City' was sleepy and only just emerging from siesta - it slowly ...

... the museum.<br><br>From Mycenae we drove to the town of Tripoli and checked into our hotel. We went to Tripoli because it is close to the village of Pallantio where her grandmother came from. We set out to try to find the house that her grandmother came from. We were afraid it would be difficult to find the house. As you get away from the tourist areas there are very few road signs ...

... very practical because it was built vertically up the side of a mountain. That fact, along with the defeat of the Venetians by the Turks and a couple of earthquakes, left the old stone buildings deserted and in ruins. It is a very interesting place to visit because of the beautiful setting with the snow capped peak of Mount Taygetos towering over the area.<br><br>Most of our dinners were spent at a small, taverna (restaurant) called &#8220;To Katoi ...

... of it!), and then we went for a beer at a pub. I found Giorgios as a nice, sympathetic young rockman, and we have common music interests. Thank to him we could sleep well, in bed, again. All that has been left from the 3000 years old history of Sparta, is 1 monument and 1 mass grave, that`s it. A pity that such an important place does not have any signs from the past...

been meaning to do our holiday journal for a month now - it's that mad time of year again! Anyway, the title comes from an overheard waiter response in Ierakas, Laconia (where they live up to the name) in response to someone's lament as to the shortness of holidays. Wise words indeed, and ones for us rep-types to keep in mind as we wait for high season to end; still need to give it our all for our peak season customers.<br><br>We had a lovely week on ...

Here's a big reason why I hate planning ahead on trips like this. Back when I was in Ios, I booked a flight on the 19th to Berlin, so I had a deadline to get out of Greece while seeing as much as possible. In the process of planning, I miscalculated and wound up whirlwinding through my tour more than I needed to. I could have easily spent that extra day I wanted in Santorini without being any worse for wear. I can't regret it though, thinking along the lines of the "butterfly ...

... to explore the theatre, which is really what the site is all about. I'll bet the Corel Centre has nothing on this place. The acoustics are incredible: I was sitting in the top row and could hear M-P and G speaking to each other in normal voices down on the skene. M-P also gave us a stirring rendition of O, Canada from the ancient altar. We hit the beach again after our grueling hunt for history only we had a few problems this time and were obliged to move our things when the ...