Hotel Nefeli Vólos

Up by five in the morning. Had an adventure getting to the bus station... Was in Volos by ten and on a boat an hour later.

The fatal flaw of my morning: Neglecting to put on sunscreen. On the boat, I sat in the shade for the better part of the trip. Went out into the sunshine only a few times to take in the view. While this ...

... classical concert from 9pm with soprano Carla Carretti and tenor Sergio Casalino, plus cello, violin & piano. The violinist was brilliant was worth seeing the show just to listen to him.. he did a bit of a solo and had a bit of a sense of humour a bit like Victor Borga... he played so fast the strings on his bow were coming a drift. Temp was around 19oC, warm and sunny stunning, fun packed day. Deb

... which become a frequent mode of obtaining meal. I met many friends in Volos, and found the university students quite interesting and good company. We went out a few times, in the town which I found to be a very nice place, probably one of the better towns I had seen in quite some time.

... driver will be blocking traffic to load us up, Tricia discovers that she has forgotten to put on their cruise luggage tags, and has opened each and every bag on the street to find them.  Finding them just as the driver pulls up.  Then immediately after all our luggage is carted away at the ship, Tricia thinks she has left their cruise ticket in the baggage.  The carry on is ripped apart, to discover the ticket ...

... all muddy and wet, all of us really enjoyed ourselves. The kids were really excited by now and didn’t want to end their adventurous day just yet. They begged their uncle for more fun. So, Argi drove us to a beach nearby and created a game for the children.

The beach was a very rocky one and the children were asked to pick the best stones and/or pebbles they could find to throw them on the surface of the sea. The stone that went ...

... waters. I could walk right into the sea and the water was only up to my waist. Absolutely fantastic!! We didn’t know what this place was called, so, we named it "Gavatza" which, translated from Greek means “Our Private Haven”.

We spent quite a few hours relaxing on the beach until late in the afternoon. After the family on the yacht left, the whole stretch of beach and sea belonged only to us… ...

... like my Argi.

Tsagarada:

We soon reached our first destination – Tsagarada, which means "Beautiful View". What an apt name for such a charming place! We entered the busy Agios Taxiarhon Square with the celebrated 4-tap fountain right in the middle and were greeted by the famous thousand year old plane tree, which was indeed really enormous! Its perimeter is said to be measuring up to 13 metres!!

The ...

... little son, Johnaki. I was introduced to all of them for the first time and I must say that it was a little nerve wrecking, all these "first meetings" that I had and was about to have.

We enjoyed our breakfast thoroughly. It was a very informal affair and this guesthouse seemed only to be known by the locals. There were other guests around and they were all Greeks. I absolutely loved the feeling that I had, I felt like I was staying with relatives ...

... on Mount Pelion itself, in a village called Agios Georgios. Mount Pelion is scattered with villages, most of which still retain their characteristic traditional charm. We passed through so many beautiful villages as we drove through and I am sure each village has its own interesting history and fascinating story to tell.

Ionnidis, Agios Georgios:
We stayed at this fantastic private property called Ionnidis, which consist of rooms in a ...

... to the shore through the village of Afissos, find a pebbly beach with an outdoor restaurant, claim two chaise lounges and spend the afternoon reading and watching the sun dapple the blue waters of the Aegean and the misty , watercolor hills of the peninsula that sits on the horizon. I'm typing in the small lobbly of the hotel on a wireless keyboard on my lap near the top of a mountain in Greece. Wherever you go, you are always on the Net. Time for cocktails.