Sunny Days Hotel Apartments Ixia

Just before 6am I awoke to the first sounds of thunder. After a beautiful day yesterday, and a clear night, this was not what I wanted to hear. Having planned to head out from Olympia, we were stuck while shower after shower drenched everything around.

A quick run into town revealed a hostel that only cost 1 Euro more than the campground (major rip off). The debate of what to do to avoid the rain began ...

... is lit in Olympia and transported to wherever the games are being held. Supposedly we just missed the lighting of the torch for Vancouver’s games this winter.

And the stadium. The immense area carved out to hold the various events. It was fun to watch everyone strutting to the starting line to get their photo taken.

In the afternoon, we went to the archeological ...

... I didn’t know what to do...

I felt this trip slipping away through my fingers and I was completely devastated.

I am not ready to give it up! Now is when we have the time and the money, and we’re HERE for goodness sake! I can’t let it go, not yet. But I also don’t want memories of bad times and rushed travels like Italy.

It would be so easy to ...

But of course I didn’t say anything. I didn’t have to!

Setting out this morning, Brian’s foot kept hitting his left pannier. Seems that one of the major welds had broken through and the whole thing was twisting funny over the frame.

You may remember back in Scotland when Brian’s previous rack did this and we patched it up with string and ...

... early the next morning to see the sunrise and snap all the pictures we didn't have time to get the night before. Unfortunately, we didn't know there would be a power outage across the entire village, so we woke to pitch dark and ice cold showers! I dressed by the light of my battery-powered alarm clock, and we left our B & B with our cameras just as the first pink of the sun was coming over the mountains. Andritsena! When will I ever be able to drink you in again?

... 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 ...

... and on a "motorway". It's only a two lane motorway. Slower traffic uses the service lane, which is not very safe, and the police seem to turn a blind eye. At least it keeps the traffic moving pretty fast, though when you break down you have to leave the highway entirely and stop on the grass verge. To the east of us is the third largest urban centre in Greece and a major port, Patras. It is rated as uninteresting, so we ...

... for dinner). Having eaten, Bob went for his nap and Carol and I sat discussing family and traveling. She really is a sweetie... I'm glad I'm having this time to get to know both of them better. From where I sit in the Explorations Café/Library, I can see the sea slip by while I enjoy my Starbucks styled beverage. It is a beautiful experience. The ship is amazing, no attention to detail has been overlooked, from the fresh orchids blooming in the ...

... like it was going to be yet anoth** failure for MOTA, inc. It's no wond** nobody's buying our stock. I fared a little bit bett** when I went into an archaic-looking gov**nment building. I was jitt**y and unsure, but the lady let me explain myself, and she bought an armadillo story. Next, two broth**s in an electronics shop bought an Argentinian party story. And Kostas in his office bought two stories. And my confidence was ripe. And I became a slick-talk ...

... world war the Italians tried to force passage through Greece and were repelled. This victory is celebrated today with parades, meals and general enjoyment. The larger towns with government representation played stirring marching music at high volume in the square. Many of the towns folk sit in the cafes catching up on the gossip. As I exited the village of ...