TravelStream™ news feed for member mylene on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/mylene en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:59:55 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1190785860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1190785860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1190785860/tpod.html Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:59:55 -0400 Beijer adventure on Lesvos 2007

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Athens, Greece

Well he magic has come to an end...Mylene and the kids are on their way to home and I am waiting for my flight. There were sad faces and tears all around except for Mia who was more concerned about her mini-map of Athens. That is until she realized I wouldn't be coming with them on the airplane, then the waterworks began. I hope the next few months go quickly.

I won't be able to contribute after departing Athens, so although the journey continues, the blog must end. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Daan on behalf of Mylene, Mack, Katie and Mia
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1190768820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1190768820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1190768820/tpod.html Tue, 25 Sep 2007 14:10:49 -0400 Beijer adventure on Lesvos 2007

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Athens, Greece

Hello everyone,

This will be my last post from Greece. We arrived safely and ON TIME!!! On an Olympic Airlines flight from Lesvos to Athens at 8am yesterday. (we were up at 3:45am...no comment) We were stuck in the Monday morning Athens traffic, so it took us an hour to get to Plaka. Sitting on the beach about a month ago, I decided that when in Athens, we should stay in a nice-ish hotel, rather than the family/youth hostel we had planned to stay at...when trying to book, the only place we found with vacancy, was a very nice place in Plaka...the only room they had was a 2 level, 2 bedroom suite, with 2 balconies ...(40ft x 12ft), on the top floor (6th floor). Daan got over the 250€ per night charge and we reserved. Our balconies and our bedroom have breathtaking views of the Parthenon.

So, we decided to go for it, and spend the entire day seeing all the important monuments and sites yesterday. No, Shubalaka did not walk...she was carried on her daddy's shoulders, as a proper princess should be of course! She sang everywhere she went, and complained that daddy's shoulders were wet! Katie was really incredible, because she walked the entire day, never complained, and could frankly care less for all the sites we saw...she was just happy being together, and to people watch...in fact, I had to remind her to watch her step, because she would crank her neck around to watch some people one moment longer! Daan commented that she was just like her Grandmalou! Mackenzie did the commentary for most of the video I took of the monuments, I am very proud of his knowledge and interest in Greek mythology. He was totally thrilled to be "touching history" as he put it. It was quite a thrill to witness them learning, each at their own pace and rate. Katie's interest in history and mythology is much more than it was before our trip. And Mia, well, I guess we'll find out as time goes on. We walked all around Plaka, had a nice lunch, and ice cream, and got back to our room at 5:30pm. Most Athenians we met were very nice, one was very nice, but took us for 36€ of bogus Acropolis tickets...all ended well, we got our $ back, but have been pressured to call the tourist police. We decided not to sour our time together, and maybe Daan will call after we leave each other at the airport tomorrow. After that big day, everyone was so tired, we decided to have a family movie night, got chips and orange Fanta, and watched Willow together. All were asleep at 9:30pm.

They must have been very tired, because we had to wake the children up at 8:30am! We had a lovely breakfast at the hotel, and set off to visit the Children's Museum...to find out it was closed for renovations and reopening next Monday the 30th...oh well. We had a nice lunch, and walked the charming pedestrian alleys of Plaka...bought a painting, fresh squeezed orange juice, earrings for the girls (Mia plans to pierce her ears...we told her yes, in 2 years)! We decided to have a nice quiet family day. Daan and I had a beer on the upper terrace, while the children played hide and seek...it's an awesome place for hide and seek, lots of little closets, corners and little hiding spots...and no dad we do not let the children on the balconies alone!

From our upper terrace, we can see the ravages of the fires in Athens, terrifying and sad. In Lesvos, we were so isolated and disconnected from the rest of the world, we were living day-to-day and for the moment. So in this moment, we are together, very happy, rested and content. Looking forward to Christmas, when we'll be reunited for good. Thank you all for reading our blog, it was fun to share our antics with all of you...you all know how much I love details and long stories! Can't wait to reconnect with all of you!

Love Mylene

Hi All, Daan here. Just thought I would add my two cents...like you, I have been an observer for much of this trip, but fortunately for me, got to experience the magic for a few weeks. It really has been a whirlwind, both emotionally and physically. It was really incredible, the combination of ancient sites, the rugged terrain and the variety of beaches. The towns were all pretty similar - built in the weirdest locations and on mountainsides that no sane person would even contemplate scaling let alone living (that is not necessarily a comment on the sanity of certain in-laws who climb mountains for fun), and it is amazing how quickly you get used to driving with oncoming cars on streets built for one-way donkey traffic. Even at the end, I did still get a little nervous about some of the roads with the cliff-face on one side and the sheer drop on the other, barely wide enough for you and the too-slow moped you are passing when you race up to the sign that indicates the road is narrowing and there is an oncoming truck - okay, that didn't happen. But there were enough tight, narrow curves in the road with nothing between you and a 20-second one-way drive to the bottom but some plastic posts with reflectors on them...half of which were missing.

Our kids have really grown up. I was amazed at how well all three are swimming. They all go out into the sea by themselves, Mia included, and I really had no fear for them not being able to cope. The last couple of days at Eftalou Hot Springs were extremely windy with large waves, which was the only time I ever really held on to any of them when we went into the sea. Mack has become a lot more responsible and has been a great help when we can pry him away from a book or Gameboy. Katie is trying to be a big girl with all that it implies and with the expected results...poor Katie and poor Mummy who has to deal with it. Mia, in addition to growing gills and fins, has learned how to swing on her own and just learned how to blow bubbles. She is now running around with a piece of gum trying to blow really big ones. Here's hoping she manages to keep it out of her hair until Ottawa at least.

I'm sitting on the terrace writing this and just wiped some fingerprints off the screen when I noticed the screen was very hot. I guess I should sign off before it overheats completely...thanks for all your comments, it made the connection with home a little stronger. I'm not looking forward to the separation tomorrow and hope that the next few months go by quickly.

Daan
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1190673960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1190673960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1190673960/tpod.html Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:31:09 -0400 Beijer adventure on Lesvos 2007

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Athens, Greece

Well, well, well...we travelled 3700km in 6 weeks! No wonder my tush is sore...I need a chiropractic adjustent in a bad way! We didn't waste one moment with Daan. We saw all the sites, followed every "what's that over there" impulse, discovered ruins, saw an ancient Roman Aquaduct in Moria, that was spectacular! We made connections with so many people. The people on this island are so friendly and welcoming to visitors, especially the 2 foot variety of travellers...the children loved visiting and shopping, they recieved such warm greetings from everyone we came across. The amazing thing about this island, is (I'm sure I've mentioned this before), it is so safe, day and night, and there is never any yelling...no one raises their voices, and everyone smiles and greets everyone...we felt so at home. We think we visited every nook and cranny on the island, except the many hiking trails all over the island! Sophie and I attempted one day, made it 15 minutes into the trail and turned back....neither of us could carry Princess Shubalaka (who doesn't "do" walking!)....unless it's to go to the hot Springs of Eftalou (we went 5 times with Daan)! So, with Daddy, we had a routine of waking up early, having Nutella on fresh bread from the bakery down the street (Sof got us hooked on Nutella, the children had only tasted it once, it has now become a staple of our diet!), and packing the car for a new adventure. We discovered a new beach everyday, expect the times we revisited our favourites. We found some secluded totally private beaches with incredible sea life, shells and rocks. The young man who gave us the tour of the Natural History Museum in Sigri was so informative, he answered all our questions with patience, and an amazing way of conveying his knowledge in a way even Shubalaka could understand, although Katie and Mack got the most out of his explanations. After this visit, we were able to identify volcanic rocks, magma formations, understand the term "petrified", and the significance of finding fossils of animals and plants in articulation...Mackenzie can explain this to those who are interested....as well as much more than I've retained I'm sure.

We found turtles in 3 different ponds, watched them sun themselves, and climb over each other to get our cookie crumbs. Katie and Mia were so angry at the big turtles who didn't give the little ones a chance...having to see "survival of the fittest" in action was difficult for them...they tried to devise plans to find ways of pushing away the big turtles, while attracting the little ones...luckily, a Fanta on the beach and playing with children at the playgrounds took their minds off this difficult lesson in life! Mia's thrill the 2 ties we went to Skalla Erressous was hitching a ride on daddy's back, and staring at all the naked sun bathers! Daan asked her if she was looking at all the tetes, and hse nodded yes...Mack and Katie were very cool, took a few glances, then busied themselves with picking up pebbles on the seashore.

Sof, turns out the "rock at Petra" isn't the one in the sea, it was a church sitting on top of a huge rock, in the middle of the cute part in Petra!!! I don't know about you, but I never even noticed it until Daan said, "have you visited the rock at Petra yet?"...figures! So, we walked up the 144 steps to visit it, and treated ourselves with a gelato for our hard work...because although we never sat down at the beach (at least Daan and the children never sat!), walking outside a beach was a little new to us!

I highly recommend this island to everyone, young and young at heart. There really is something for everyone!

We ate at excellent restaurants (lunches and dinners were always under 30€ including beer and sodas)...we ate very well. Oh, we bought the BEST steaks ever from our butcher, grilled them on our rinky dink bbq, with real charcoal...mouth watering!

I'm so glad for Daan, he really got a chance to relax, reconnect with the children and I, and eat some decent food!

Thanks for reading about our travels, that's all from Lesvos...well, I could go on for days, but I shouldn't exagerate!

Love to all,
Mylene
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1189867920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1189867920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1189867920/tpod.html Sat, 15 Sep 2007 11:05:43 -0400 Beijer adventure on Lesvos 2007

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Anaxos and elsewhere, Greece

Hello everyone...funny to be sitting on this side of the blog. Well, I arrived safe and sound on 8 Sep, one week ago today. I was met at the airport by a screaming, jumping wild bunch mascarading as my family. Quite an emotional reunion as you might imagine. Since then, we have barely stopped moving - or at least the kids and I haven't. Mylene has been taking full advantage to catch up on some much deserved down time, except when she is video taping our nonsense, in the water with us, running around with us, cooking, you get the picture.

In the last 7 days, we have visited 7 beaches, the hotsprings twice (don't know how come only twice, we'll have to make that up), jumped off trampolines into the ocean, been on a boat cruise to a deserted island (St George) with a 200-year-old church on top, seen two spots with turtles that come up to the shore to be fed, drove over 1000 km on an island smaller than a postage stamp, and visited a museum with petrified trees where we had a personal guided tour by a masters student from Venzuella.

We went out of our way to go through some of the towns Mylene has described in previous editions of the blog - look for the shaky typing and search for fold-in-your mirrors. Apparently if you stay on the main, paved road there was no need to go through those towns, but apparently there was a problem with the navigator prior to my arrival ;)

Kudos to Mylene and Sophie, though, I came here and the kids were happy, the places were scouted out and the routes were laid (for the most part).

We are having a great time and are looking forward to the next 1.5 weeks.

Love,
The Beijers
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1189070220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1189070220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1189070220/tpod.html Thu, 06 Sep 2007 05:37:38 -0400 Beijer adventure on Lesvos 2007

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Petra, Greece

Spent the morning shopping in Petra, because we found it so cold when we woke up...we all had sweaters on, so decided we might skip a day a the beach. When we got to the car, the outside temp read 31 degrees!...we're going to be in for a rude awakening when we get back home!

Most of you know, I'm a bit of a laundry fanatic...we have a front load washer that heats the water to 95 degrees celcius...gets all stains out! It's a small thrill. We hang the clothes on a line off our terrace, and it dries in 20-30 minutes in the sun and wind!

I wish we could speak Greek, the people are so friendly.

We got back from Anaxos beach at 6:30pm yesterday, and the owner's daughter called to the children to come play with her. She invited the girls who live across the street (the ones with the grenadine, and pear tree that hang onto the street, they also have goats and chickens. Our children brought out a large skipping rope, and taught them to jump rope, it was wonderful to see these children of mixed ages, sex and culture get along and play for hours as though they all spoke the same language. I waited until I couldn't stand my hunger any more, and called them in to eat...they scarfed their dinner down in 5 minutes, and ran back out!...I've never seen them eat escarole salad that fast....with no complaints! They played for 1.5 hours past sundown! The owners were there to weed the garden with their mothers...the grandmas sat and watched the children play with big smiles on their faces...Mia and Katie came in to say "we're allowed going everywhere, they said we can go where we want here!"...the grandmas cuddled the girls and squeezed Mack's shoulders...wouldn't have been surprised if one of them bit Mia's arm...like the way my Nona used to do when she was filled with love. The people here are so caring and loving, we hardly ever hear any screaming, and we never feel unsafe. Quite a special feeling.

Needless to say, the children crashed and fell asleep very fast! I did a face mask before heading to sleep early myself. It's funny, the other night, Sof, Mack and I played Rummycube, and Sophie noticed it was the most stress we had experienced since the first day with the car accident! We live a very peaceful, relaxed existence here. I've learned a lot about living well, and what is really important in life, I hope to take these lessons home with me, and slowing down A LOT! Looking forward to spending the winter reconnecting with Daan.

Love Mylene
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188994440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188994440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188994440/tpod.html Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:24:21 -0400 Beijer adventure on Lesvos 2007

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Petra, Greece

We had an amazing last day with Sophie yesterday. An early start, and day at our beloved Agya Ergemenou (Green Beach), lunch on the beach, Greek coffees on the beach side terrace on our own...the children had a slushy on the beach while Sof and I chatted. We dropped her off in Mitilini Town at 4:30pm, then did a bit of food dhopping at the "big" Lidl store, bought some fresh mozzarella to make pizza when Daan arrives (Mack's request...in fact, he wants to make it all himself).

We drove home, happy to say, we didn't get lost, Christophe Colomb did a good job Sof! We had fresh pasta, and an escarole salad with the sea air blowing through our house. Mack and I played "rummycube" on the patio when the girls were alseep, and Sof, the moon was gone!

More beach today, what else!

Poor Mack slipped and fell on the bathroom floor, and slammed into the sink with his neck, and smashed his foot. Thank goodness for Traumeel and Arnica, the swelling is down completely (his neck swelled like an orange!)...he's alomst all better already, but it was a very scary moment....we're due for another soak at Eftalou,

Thanks for all your comments, love to all,
Mylene...3 more sleeps until Daddy is with us!....we're going to make that small airport shake with our screams of joy!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188652200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188652200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188652200/tpod.html Sat, 01 Sep 2007 09:26:30 -0400 Beijer adventure on Lesvos 2007

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Kallonis, Greece

Our Power Princess Katie got stung by a jellyfish this morning. She ran out of the water, screaming "run Mack, run for your life!"...Mack and Mia ran out, a little dazed. We rinsed her in the beach side shower, then noticed swelling that looked like she had been whipped on the leg. I asked a local on the beach what they thought it might be, and they confirmed Jellyfish sting, she was screaming from the burn, but calmed after they applied a gel made especially for jellyfish stings. We're buying some as soon as the stores open again after 6pm...closed b/w 2-6pm. She's a real trooper! Ice cream right after helped soothe the pain...of course, Mack and Mia had some too to support their sister! If I forgot, Mia likes to be called "Princess Shubalaka", or "Shubalaka" for short!

Today, I'm able to write an entry thanks to an ice cream sundae the girls are having. They entertain the store keeper, he knows our life story now!

We bought cold cuts, Dutch cheese (we were thinking of you Lovie), and the best fresh bread, then got lebanese cucumbers and tomatoes...ate at the playground, then Sof and I had a cold Frappe coffee...we're off to the hot Springs of Eftalou to end the day in style...and to heal Katie's leg. Sof is a little exhausted by our pace, I wake her up at the same time as me now, and we really fill our days...guess she'll rest in the plane!

Thanks for all your comments and replies, we love the feedback!

Mia is so excited that the countdown to Daddy's arrival is showing less fingers everyday! She noticed that there were 8 fingers yesterday, 7 today...she's so excited!

Love to all,
Mylene
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188511500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188511500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188511500/tpod.html Thu, 30 Aug 2007 11:15:22 -0400 Beijer adventure on Lesvos 2007

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Petra, Greece

WE've done it! We've visited every site and town we intended to...and then some! The petrified forest was impressive and hot...will do the entire hike with Daan!

We found a beach close to us with a large floating dock, so Mack, Katie and Mia spent most of the day running off the end!

The sun shines every day, and we're always finding cute spots and towns tucked away right under our noses. We're planning to walk through Petra after this, and going home to have a large salad with fresh tomatoes, lemon juice, the best olive oil, feta from Madamos, and crispy parsley. We'll make shells with butter for the children as well! Easy and yummy! We bought local walnuts yesterday, amazing!

The owner of our house has a large garden planted on the property, and he gave us a small watermelon, and a honeydew...we had them as a beach snack, the best!

I may not be posting any more, since we'll be spendingthe next few days before Sophie leaves relaxing on our favourite beaches.

Love to all,
My
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188402660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188402660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188402660/tpod.html Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:16:45 -0400 Beijer adventure on Lesvos 2007

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Eftalou, Greece

We went to the hot springs of Eftalou again this morning...after visiting a few others, and being very disapointed, we asked some "experts" and were told that the best were the ones at Eftalou...lucky for us, they are 10 minutes from home. We're going to treat ourselves often. We plan on making this a must do stop when we pick Daan up from the airport. Mia and Katie went in for the first time this morning. They were so at peace and realxed, they fell asleep on the car ride to a nice beach 20 minutes away! We soak for 5-10 minutes, then swim in the cool sea for about the same amount of time, then back again...what a great way to spend an hour!

We have nicknamed Mackenzie Christophe Colomb, because he has a keen sence of direction!...he's guided us home on many occasions...if he can get his nose out of his book long enough! We're all used to the windy roads now, we've not taken rescue remedy in over a week!...but boy do we laugh when we see a fool driving an SUV into a small town! We have to fold in our side mirrors so we don't hit the stone walls of the houses in our little Toyota Yaris! We love our little car, we can squeeze 2 beach chairs, beach toys, fins and goggles, and 1 boogie board in the trunk!

We went to Skala Eressou yesterday. Saw the petrified forest, and spent the day on the beach. We had Gyros pita and souvlaki pitas for 1.80 Euros each! Our dinner was under 10 Euros! We had a nice drive home, incredible views and sunset!

We're sick of listening to the same 4 cd's I brought! The children know the words to most songs.

The children had a blast today with children from England...everyone is from England, Holland and Germany...we're the only Canadians we've seen, and the only ones people have met here (so they tell us).

Mia has started to speak English with a British accent! She was calling out her friend's name all over the beach and people seemed puzzled when they heard my accent! What a sponge. She's giving Sophie Greek lessons...her own way! Katie and Mack are the social animals they always are! Mack and Katie speak to store clerks and tell them our whole story, luckily for us the Greeks love children and give them the importance they deserve. What a good feeling we have being here, we love it! Children are included in the festivites, join their parents for late night dinners, it's such a wholesome feeling...talk about attachment parenting, they're an attenched society!...LLLove to aLLL!

Katie says there's lots of sea glass, ghost crabs, we even saw a crab in the challow water today!

Oh, and Sophie reminded me to say how impressed the people on the boat were when she took Katie on a glass bottom boat excursion to an island for the day. She was speaking in French, English, and Dutch with the other tourists on the boat! We're really proud of how much culture and history they're soaking in...you're right Linda, homeschoolers are life-learners. Thanks Claudia for tipping us into this incredible island! What a trip!

Love to all,
My
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188250800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188250800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mylene/greece-2007/1188250800/tpod.html Mon, 27 Aug 2007 11:11:01 -0400 Beijer adventure on Lesvos 2007

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Petra, Greece

We're 2 weeks into our adventure. We feel eons away from home, and it feels normal being here, we're no longer the surprised tourists we were last week. We say yassis, and a quick karisto as we leave a store, many confuse us for Greeks, and some have even asked us for directions...Sof and I are keeping count, 3 people now! We have visited every site, town and beach we had planned to, except for Skala Eressou (that's on the agenda for tomorrow).

We stop the car to pick fresh figs, which grow like a weed here. We've been eating most meals at home, and have had great food in restaurants. We found bastourma in a little deli 2 days ago, so we had that for breakfast yesterday!...very cheap here...Mia had 3 eggs, and lots of bastourma, she loves it! Her scalp smelled of it yesterday evening, I guess it's true, it really comes out of your pores! We buy 10% MF yogourt, mix it with cinnamon, nad the best honey I've ever tasted. I add sweet peaches for the children, delish! We buy our bread from a little bakery a 3 minute jog away...or a 20 minute walk with Mia! We've not had any lamb, not the season yet, they're still too young. So far, the fish is excellent, but very expensive. We had dinner last night atop a restaurant on the top of Molivos, too high for me, I wasn't very comfortable yp there, much happier on the ground! Mackenzie has gotten used to the heights, after all the winding mountain driving we've done! He looked out at the sea, and said, "this is the life". Katie is always happy, curious about everything she sees, and always willing to follow us on another adventure!
Katie and Mack run and play with the Greek children they see, and get along so well, inventing games all day long. Mia made it almost all the way up to the top of Molivos on her own, Sof and I couldn't believe our eyes....we had to take turns carrying her down, she was too pooped! You feel like you've gone back in time to before the turn of the century in this town, cobble stone road, wide enough for a tiny car only, and ancient trees winding around, their leaves and branches giving us a reprieve for the blazing sun. We've heard about the forest fires in Athens...none here, just very dry. In fact, our taps have been dry 3 times at night, once as I rinsing shampoo in the shower, finished with bottled water! We can't complain about our slice of heaven, we have everything we need and more.

As I write this, Sophie is across the street on the beach with the children in the town of Petra. It rained a few drops this mornign for the first time...and this afternoon, the sun is as strong and hot as it was yesterday!

We went to visit a few other thermal baths, but after the glory of Eftalou, we couldn't bring ourselves to bathe there. Sof ran back to the car with her finger in her mouth saying, gross, it's no Eftalou, go see for yourself. The thermal spa at Eftalou is mystical. From the outside, it is a white cement dome, and rock building. Inside, the most serene experience awaits. You have to bend to avoid the low ceiling to go through the narrow entrance to the bath, then are faced with a large square stone bath, with a cleansing menthol odour. The water is hot and soothing, and the cool sea outside is a perfect compliment to this relaxing experience. After a few dips, Sophie, the children and I are more relaxed than we would have been after a 2 hour massage, we feel rejuvenated and very happy. We've decied to go every 2-3 days from now on!

Mia and Katie spent the morning playing princess and chamber maid...Mia the princess, and Katie her faithful servant, bringing her juice nad cookies. We coloured while the sun flooded our living/dining/children's bedroom, and have been having a wonderful time. Sof and I share a glass of Grek white wine (2 euros a bottle!)on our terrace after the children have gone to sleep. What a delight after the very lonely last 6 months.

Love to all,
Mylene
]]>