Dioscouri Hotel Sparta

... suited than bicycle. But still there are lots of friendly waves and honks of the horn from the few people we see. <br><br> As with any climb, the ascent is hard, but the views are amazing and the descent is sweet. Long, long coasts back down to sea-level again. The bike worked just wonderfully on these sections! Cool breeze in my hair makes me forget about the pain of the climb so I&#8217;m ready to do it again.

I&#8217;ve reconsidered. I don&#8217;t think we&#8217;d want to be here cycling in the heat of the summer. The sun and 17 degrees is hard enough for me today. Heading out of Finikounta, we traversed the first of the mountain ranges and it was quite tough. If it was any hotter, I think I&#8217;d die. Perhaps there is a reason why we&#8217;re here in November. <br><br> Getting to the top, there were amazing views of the ...

... 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 ...

... somewhat inconclusive it had been a good evening adventure.<br><br>We had been fairly sure that the village's sole taverna, To Kastro, was closed on Monday nights, but double-checked to make sure. We had to be content with the knowledge that we had been right, and fed ourselves from our supplies. We made a good feast and then tried to watch some TV - but in the end were just too worn out with our St George adventures and were soon asleep.<br>

... 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 ...

... a very bleak and windswept place. The area was once heavily populated and farmed, but most people left the Mani peninsula in the 1950s and moved to Athens or emigrated overseas. Today, it is very sparsely populated, and there are numerous abandoned villages. Many of the villages are comprised of abandoned &#8220;tower houses&#8221; which provided added defense and protection during feuds between families or between villages in the area. The ...

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 ...

A day spent looking at beaches in the Halidiki area, especially the Sithonia Peninsula. The water is very salty and easy to swim in. Clear like the Whitsunday's and not very cold. We sat on the lounges and an attendant took about 30 secs to come over and collect 4 Euro each to use the lounges.

... one since my last day in Koh Pha Ngan). Anyways, I staggered into Olympia bleary-eyed at 1 and checked into the "Youth Hostel," and from the looks of it, the owners put as much effort into making it a nice place as they put imagination into the name. No matter, at that point, a bed was a bed. Olympia, the site of the original Olympics (like thousands of years ago) is exceptionally touristy and exceptionally ruined. I'd rank it somewhere in between Sukhothai and Angkor Wat ...

... are 3 forts, one high on the mountain overlooking the town, one a 5-minute walk uphill from our hotel and one on a rock in the bay, accessible by little put-put boat. Since we arrived in the afternoon, we didn't do much except relax at the beach. G and I did, that is; M-P went off to explore at least one of the forts. Have I mentioned she's obsessed with old stones? Well, she is. More than I am, it seems. Anyway, the beach had perfect water, clear turquoise that let you see ...