Amazing Athens

 Alright so I am going to say this at the very start...I. Love. Athens. It was a slightly difficult start with actually getting to the hotel but once we arrived and were welcomed by the ridiculously good looking concierges it didn't seem so bad. A fun fact about Athens is that it is Europe's oldest capital city and one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world.

I have to mention the breakfast because it was crazy - I had greek yoghurt in Greece and it was delicious. I also had some baklava. I have no idea why this was part of the breakfast spread but it was and so I tried it and it was delicious. 

We decided to start the day with a Hop-On Hop-Off bus. This was a great recommendation (thanks Ness!) because even though it was a bit touristy, it helped us get a really good overview of the city and was a convenient way to get around the city. We travelled all around the city and to the beach sampling saganaki and limoncello gelato on the way. This morning (and yes I am actually posting this blog while I am in the place!) we visited the Acropolis and that was exciting but to be fair all of Athens is exciting as it was so much part of my Arts degree and to actually be here, walking around the Acropolis was awesome. It was crowded and the marble made it a little slippery but it was worth it. We walked where people had walked for thousands of years. It was hard to wrap my mind around this and to take in something that I have only read about.

A few people have asked about the heat because it has been very hot here but the heat is dry (a nice relief from the humidity of England) so it is easy to manage and it's quite pleasant in the shade. 

Downloading the photos onto my computer has been difficult so I will try to find another way of doing this but for now here are some photos from the last two days. 

Wonderful Wimbledon and English Village LIfe

After returning from Cornwall I went straight to Chenies, a little village outside of London to visit dear friends. It was a lovely mix of long walks, visiting neighbouring villages and watching the tennis in preparation for Sunday. On Saturday night we had dinner at a local pub and it was delicious. If you ordered steak, which we did, they brought out an extremely hot stone slab and you cooked your own steak. I was initially skeptical because I am of the opinion that surely the price of food includes the cooking and I am not an expert in cooking steak but it was fun and the result was very good. 

And now for Wimbledon. Robyn had won tickets on the weekend I was visiting and she invited me along. I was so excited and it didn't disappoint. Wimbledon has a great atmosphere. There is something refined and relaxed. It actually felt like an upmarket Kooyong where the players walked through the crowds and the crowds were friendly. The weather was perfect. It wasn't too humid and not too hot. We saw some amazing games including the Tsitsipas brothers and Andreeva and Potapova from just three rows away and then on centre court the matches were long and close games. The day was long but a definite highlight of the trip. I was even trying to work out how I could go next year but tickets are hard to get. On this, the way Wimbledon's focus on was on charities and sustainability rather than all about the sponsors was impressive. I was tired at the end of the day but ready for an early morning to leave for Greece...

Crossing over to St Michael's Mount when the tide is low

Our last day in Cornwall and we decided to walk an hour in the opposite direction of Mousehole to go to a small town called Marazion. This town is famous for St Michael's Mount. St Michael's Mount is only accessible by foot when the tide goes out at about midday. The place is steeped in history as there is evidence of human settlement going back about 3,000 years and has been at various points an abbey, a military stronghold and even a family home! I took advantage of my recent national trust membership and was able to visit for free but it was worth the membership. Belle and I waited for the water to subside and walked around the gardens and the castle. A fun fact, is that it is the alleged home of the remains of the giant made famous in the story Jack the Giant Killer. His remains lie at the bottom of the well which was the water source for the residents of the island up to 100 years ago. The views from the castle back to the coast were impressive and it was fun to walk around some of the rooms which have been visited by royalty.

Another highlight of the day was having my first authentic Devonshire tea. It was a 'cream tea' and was extremely decadent and extremely delicious. The clotted cream was as thick as butter. I decided it was important to have English Breakfast tea with my scone and they actually served the tea with a timer so we knew when the tea was brewed!

We didn't want to neglect Marazion so after crossing back over the causeway, we walked around the town and visited another craft market. I can now say that I have visited three craft markets in three days which is a record for me and a record that I am unlikely to repeat. I am not really a 'craft' person but it is a nice insight into the town and the people are so friendly and appreciate visitors. Another record is number of steps - we walked over 25,000 steps but this will make up for a day of train travel tomorrow. 

 

 

  

For those of you who are reading all of these posts, I am sorry that there was an overload but this will be an exception. See you next in London...

Day trip to St Ives

St Ives is a popular town in Cornwall and so Belle and I decided to see what the fuss was all about and we picked the best day for it. It was overcast initially but then turned into a sunny day that was perfect for walking along the beach and around the narrow (and crowded!) streets. It was only a short half hour bus trip from Penzance and we got there early before the crowds descended and walked along the beach and up the steep hill to the Tate gallery. The Tate was a fabulous art deco building that had a variety of modern paintings and sculptures with a focus on local artists.

 

St Ives is a really pretty town and even though it was crowded, everyone was friendly and happy to be at the beach in nice weather so it didn't really matter. St Ives was actually named after an Irish princess supposedly carried to Cornwall by a single leaf and became Saint Ia. There are alot of references to dolphins in St Ives and in most of the places we have visited in Cornwall which seem a little disproportionate but now it would seem strange if there wasn't a dolphin pub and it's nicer to have a dolphin pub within every five kilometres rather than a McDonalds. It was a big day but really fun and great to be enjoying the sunshine in the royal-loving town of St Ives.

 

  

Day trip to Mousehole

Only about an hour of walking along the coast from Penzance led us to a little village called Mousehole which is pronounced 'Mowzel'. This was a definite highlight. It was a tiny village at the end of the bus line (with very buses small enough to negotiate the narrow streets) but really worth the visit. It was exactly what I imagined a Cornish village would look like. Fun fact for this place is that Dylan Thomas called it the prettiest village in England and I would agree with him. We wandered around the streets and visited a little craft market. We have been fortunate with the weather up to now as it been mild without rain but today the rain came. We were prepared but nevertheless took shelter in the local pub and sampled the cider. Overall it was a great day and another successful day in Cornwall!

  

  

  

Penzance without the pirates

We travelled from Plymouth to Penzance and I was surprised by how many people asked if I saw any pirates. I didn't see any but that it probably because we don't live in a world where Gilbert and Sullivan musicals are a reality. Despite this, Penzance had its own character. Yes, the streets had bunting and yes there were lots of beautiful stone cottages but it didn't have an old city focus like Plymouth. 

Our hotel was a great base - a good location and really pretty. Another plus is the complimentary breakfasts were packaged so we could save portions for lunch. 

Penzance is not as 'shiny' as some other Cornish towns but was lovely to visit and proved to be a really handy base for day trips (see the next few posts!). One fun fact about Penzance is that it is home to the longest continually running cinema in Britain so in order to be part of history, we visited it to see the latest Indiana Jones movie - totally worth it. One thing I might also comment on is the mutant seagulls here in Cornwall. They are huge! A swooping Cornish seagull is unsettling but thankfully we have escaped any serious attacks so far. 

 

First stop...Plymouth

The flight was long but nothing unexpected and I arrived with my luggage on time. There were no problems meeting with Belle at Paddington station and we were in Plymouth by mid afternoon. I have to admit that with all the planning I have had to do to get this trip off the ground, I hadn't actually read that much about Plymouth and I soon discovered that it is a beautiful town with a problematic history. It is quite amazing how beautiful it is given that it was devastated by bombing in World War 2. 

We are staying on the edge of the Barbican (photos below) which have picturesque narrow roads and it has been fun just walking around. A fun fact about Plymouth is that has the oldest gin distillery in England founded in 1793. This was at least 50 years before they realised  in India that by adding gin, water, sugar and lime to quinine, they could get people to drink the quinine and therefore treat malaria. Thus creating the gin and tonic. We did a tour where we found out how it was made, discovered the flavours that are included (juniper berries smell exactly like gin!) and finished with a cocktail. I chose the delicious fruit cup gin with dry ginger ale. 

Now for the problematic aspect of Plymouth...despite the beautiful buildings, the yummy Cornish pasties and tasty gin, Plymouth was a centre not just for privateers (pirates who were allowed to attack ships from other countries and paid a commission to the government for this privilege) but for slavery. Some of the key figures in Plymouth were founders of the Slave Trade Triangle (sailing from Britain to capture slaves, taking them to North America and then returning to England) or gaining wealth by looting and destroying towns in the Caribbean. 

Overall, it has been fun visiting and I have enjoyed being surrounded by the distinct Cornish accent. I don't how this blog is going to go, or how many times I will update it but it is easier than emails!