Philippos Hotel Vólos

... of thing is perfectly fine for everyone else, it does not fly with my skin. The white one became red in the funniest of places and picked up even more freckles.

As Cian put it, telling him that he's darker than I am is a milestone for Irish people everywhere.

In any case, it was awesome to be escaping to an island.

... etc. Headed back to the ship around 2pm and just missed lunch which closed at 2.30pm doh! Never mind had nabbed a couple of bananas from the night before and added that to the fruit which was already in our room... grapes, apples and a pear...Made do until afternoon smoko of hot drink and cookies. Will go and have a nosy at the Gala Evening pics at the photo shop shortly. Back again...There was ...

... 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.

... have turned the tumulus into a museum, with the burial chambers on view and the space between them housing the treasures nin excellently laid out display cabinets, which are absolutely magnificent. The suits of armour decorated with gold, the ceremonial weapons (and the real ones) the intricate gold wreaths, the silver dinner services, each and every piece worthy of study. Close to the tomb tumulus is the theatre at which ...

... behind her new husband. Funny how 2 very different cultures seemed to have such a striking similarity!

After the church ceremony, the party adjourned to Argi’s parents’ bungalow for the wedding party. Food was served buffet-style and the whole garden was lighted up by flickering candles. It was really atmospheric – the loud music, the loud singing, the vigorous dances and of course, the breaking of many, many ...

... 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… ...

... paths and alleyways of Tsagarada enhanced its charm. Despite the hot summer afternoon, the whole square remained cool due to the huge plane tree which provided shade to almost the entire area. Coupled with that, I guess the surrounding streams also contributed in cooling down the place. Free-flowing water can be seen flowing from Tsagarada, which is situated at an elevation of 500 metres, towards the sea below. An old arched ...

19th August 2008

Breakfast at Ionnidis:

Argi got up very early in the morning and joined his friends Georgios and Fotis for a run up and around Pelion. He has worked in Volos for about 6 years and has been doing his training all around the mountain and hence, is very familiar with the best routes to run.

After he got back from working up a sweat, we met for breakfast at the patio of the Mansion, together with Georgios' wife, Christina and ...

... 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 ...

... advice like "when you get to Volos, just keep the water on your right." The pin on the map for this entry was the closest Travelpod could come, too. The village is actually to the east on a mountain above the coast. We follow the first leg of his directions and promptly get lost at the first turnoff. Bella and I share the complete absence of any sort of sense of direction and it quickly becomes more a guessing game than a Saturday afternoon drive. We stop ...