Hotel Lito Ixia

... t shift my bike into first. Bring a large hill that we needed to start up, that was an important part. Brian adjusted, but then I couldn’t shift OUT OF first. Back and forth and adjustment after adjustment we went. Then, after one adjustment, the ratcheting in my grip shift system let go completely.

This was a developing problem Brian’s been watching for awhile now and encouraging me to fix ...

... collumns and ruins rising up all around. Dates of 7th century BC are hard to imagine…700 years before Christ? This is the ancient history he was taught in school?

Wandering around I tried to imagine the grandure of what is not basically rubble. The temple of Zeus was the most awe inspiring. Huge masses of collumns which had toppled in 500 AD. One collumn has been re-created ...

... a train to Athens and catch a plane home. But then what? Drop into a different pit of dispair longing for lost opportunities and dreams just out of reach? Oh why won’t the sun just shine a bit?

The rain lightened to a drizzle so we ventured out to see the sights. But they decided to close early so we couldn’t. Wanted to go to the store and buy some Ouzo to drown our sorrows ...

... sea-watered. It was actually warmer in the sea than out.

Special mention now of a heroic rescue by Paul, which requires a special mention in dispatches. Walking back from the beach was fraught with peril, as the lively waves had totally licked up the narrow sandy path round to our section of the sand and we had to pick our way over a rocky section and through the water - leaving me with very wet, sandy and ...

... some Roman Emperor ordered the Olympics finished, it was moved to Constantinople (Istanbul) where it was destroyed in an earthquake/fire/something. Other than that, we just wandered around the town, pop 1200, eating nothing but kebabs noon and night (we sleep so late that we only have 2 meals a day), as everything else is expensive. They put fried chips in your kebabs in greece. Not that cool.

... museum were not touched, nor was the museum itself - a good thing, since it's an older and more flammable building! Having gotten over the shock of the damage around the museum, we continued into the site. The temperature was at max by this point, so we strolled very slowly, mainly moving from shady location to shady location. We felt like we had the site to ourselves since the heat had driven many folks to the sea and Sunday is usually slow anyway. Still, we had our ...

... it in order to get to our next destination in good time. Nevertheless, nature calls for our female travellers, and we leave the "motorway" towards the water so we can enjoy our picnic and find a friendly establishment who, for a couple of beers, will lend us their bathroom. The waterfront is unpleasant, no sandy beaches, just mud and rocks. The next pause is Pyrgos, a lackluster town. By driving through the town, we ...

... Café (on each table no less) to the amazing fresh flower arrangements around the ship. From the signature china, to the 400 thread count sheets. It's beautiful, and elegant with out being gaudy, sleek and sophisticated when it needs to be, and down right comfy when required. The staff is attentive, friendly, and pleasant with out being in your face, they remember what you drink, what preferences you have for your breakfast tray in your room, you ...

... day on their hair-do's. The dark guys have new sweaters and beard stubble and perfect, moussed hair. The guys appear so perfect and confident you'd think they wouldn't even talk to you. The second thing I noticed was that there are a lot of small, pink-ish, Greek Orthodox memorials beside the roads. They're tributes to dead motorists, and there are usually pictures of young men inside. Cars drive terribly fast on the roads outside Patras, and races are ...

... finds on display - a simple and basic requirement that every museum should have, but so few do. I toured the site and found the local park / square for lunch. As luck would have it the shade was provided by orange trees that were starting to ripen. Guess what my lunch consisted of?? Needless to say I overdosed on vitamin C. Then onwards to Patra where I get the ...