The other ferry

Leaving Piraeus in the evening is very special. We were just wondering how soon next day we would meet friends when we saw John and Barbara en route to Paleohora!

Another jolly night on the floor - not enhanced by French kids kicking empty water bottles and shouting!

We remonstrated and were mocked! We asked Security to shut them up and they said they would get their French specialist. She came and helped by saying Silence!! Wonderful!

The best and worst of Greek civil engineering

This new bridge crosses the bay of Patras, and was the other view from our hotel!

The next day we drove to Piraeus on a toll road that is the pits! It gets rather better nearer Athens, but the convention of straddling the white line by the verge is nerve-racking!

Once in Athens we were directed down single lane streets with tram lines - but reached the port in good time - such good time that were again berthed in the worst possible position for disembarkation.

Big Fat Greek Wedding

We arrived in Patras at 9 pm but took an hour and a half to get off thanks to ANEK packing 12 tourist vehicles backwards behind trailers and import cars withiout drivers!! Then six requests for directions got us rather late to the booked hotel. In the garden below was a (not very) big fat Greek wedding the photo of which is defeating us - so maybe later!

and Corfu

and on the second day...

we stopped at Igonoumetsa...

Only the best for you..

There are luxurious cabins avaialble, but this is how we spent the night! Note that the last bottle of French red for a while was consumed

The Voyages - 14th - 17th July

It is 32 hours from Venice to Patras. Smooth as a millpond and with some impressive coastline (Slovenia, Croatia, Albania..) The Lefka Ori has a sea water pool on the top deck, and some good catering. Amongst the travellers were several groups of venture scouts en route also to Crete.

If it's Friday it must be Venice!

Well you have to, don't you?

We were last here in 1985! 25 minutes in the vaporetto and we whipped round the main sites avaoiding spending money. There is nothing else to add!

Or is he?

From the Fusina campsite there is a deightful (flat!) ride along the Brenta river to (yes!) Malcontenta - a place of mammoth workers' paninis! Ideal for our first outing with the bikes since UK.

Yvette's new accessory!

Fusina is a gem! A huge campsite staffed by Poland with a very mellow atmosphere and a view straight across to Venice (which can be accessed easily by bus or vaporetto)

The swift getaway meant we had never practised erecting the new awning so spectators had a good laugh as we wrestled with minimal instructions. It stayed up for two nights but we haven't yet attached it to the hatch. Many mozzies though - as we discovered later!

A last bit of France

To cross or not to cross to Italy? Thoughts of the magret de canard we hadn'y yet found meant we would stop before the frontier - namely in Menton (see photo) - all you would expect of a large town on the Cote - including full hotels - but we found the Kyriad - which was charming, reasonable and had parking. The consequnce - 337 miles the next day - corniche, tunnels, viaducts, mountains, heavy industry, lakes, 33 Euros in Autostrada tolls and eventually to Fusina across the bay from Venice!

The Parting of the Ways

On 11th July Chris and Chl0e set off on their back-packing adventure. We put them on the bus for Toulon and the rest is a mystery to us! The backpack started twice as heavy! We took the discards in the car! We headed for the border but stopped at a Fiat dealer in Frejus to have a fault in the air-conditioning sorted. Wonderful service either side of the 2-hour lunch break and all done under warranty. Grazie, Fiat and Ciaou Chris and Chloe!

.. and a nice spot we visited

Not being into up-market beaches we needed to look carefully around Var, but this is a pretty place half-way down the spit from Hyeres to Giens. (Le/La Capte) A nice lunch as well!

Heading South

Bob travelled alone with Yvette from Calais stopping for the wedding in Abzac. We met up at Toulon-Hyeres airport on 8th July. This must be the nearest airport in the world to a beach - 300 metres from terminal to beach bar!.

We then stayed in Sollies-Pont inland a little and with beautiful Provencale countryside and wine! Here is the veiw from the hotel

Last London Fling!

Chloe and Chris at C's 18th Birthday Party 0n 6th July.
The theme was Superheroes and here are two of the best (to recognise which ones you need to have been born in the 80s or 90s!)
All passed off without mishap and various dossers left the house by 12 noon so it could be cleaned for the hand-over

Half-gone

Bob is now at Penny & George's wedding in Central France.
He drove Yvette (the new RHD!!! Fiat Doblo) there through rain as bad as that in UK!
Note the flash Swedish cycle rack!
Ruth is in Balham having today performed her last ever professional task!
Chloe is out celebrating having real adult ID!

Going, going, gone!

Thank you, Andrews for making all this possible!
Four professional sharers took the house after 10 minutes' discussion!
They move in on Saturday, taking custody of the 25 year old Monstera and living beneath a loft full of treasures and the rest!