ATHENS to PERTH

 TUESDAY, 18th October.    

7.00a.m. - from our doorstep

       

an hour later - the sun broke through the clouds.

We all woke at various times throughout the night, disturbed by the howling wind so a good night's sleep was elusive.

Our apartment was a crazy, twenty minute uber drive to the airport - our driver Nicholai proclaimed that he was 'the best driver in Greece', a sentiment with which none of us agreed.  We sped down quiet lanes, weaved in and out of traffic on the freeway and were bounced around a bit but arrived safely so we could give him a point for that.  His car was grubby and as there was a problem of some sort with the front passenger seat, the three of us had to squash into the back of the car - most uncomfortable.  He gets no points for that!  Inside the airport terminal, we said our goodbyes and parted company with Marion, our flights were due to leave within 40 minutes of each other and the check-ins were miles apart.  We joined the queue at the Scoot Airline check in, taking 45 minutes to reach the counter.  Eventually achieving success in checking in, we once again walked the very, very, very long walk to the security section, joining yet another long queue. (We heard that October 2022 was the busiest October Greece has experienced and there was simply not enough staff or room in the airport to cope with the volume of traffic!)  Once we'd cleared security we proceeded to our gate and who should we see but Marion!  Her flight was to leave from the gate next door, 40 minutes after ours was due to depart, she'd done all the necessary business and had been sitting in the lounge waiting for half an hour while we'd been queueing & hiking!  We talked for a few minutes, said our farewells again and were finally admitted into the crowded holding bay, ready for boarding.  The whole process had taken almost 3 hours but it wasn't over yet.  Our flight was an hour late leaving, was long and tedious but we expected that, we arrived in Singapore half an hour early, spent half of our 8 hour stopover in the Plaza Lounge, recommended to us by a fellow queue-er in the Athens check in line, then waited the rest of the time near our departure gate before going through security, check-in etc., etc..  

Fast forward to SATURDAY, 22nd October.  On our arrival in Perth on Wednesday, we expected a speedy customs and immigration check, having e-passports and having filled in our customs declarations but after we'd stood in a queue for 15 or so minutes, some of the electronic machines decided to not work, and we were sent to the end of the queue to be manually checked through immigration, were asked if we had been to Indonesia in the last month, we said no, were allowed in and proceeded to the downstairs customs hall where there was a very, very long queue, consisting of not only our fellow passengers but Jetstar passengers who'd arrived from Bali at the same time.  Even though we had stated on our cards that we had nothing to declare, and we had not been to Indonesia where there is apparently an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, when we finally reached the head of the queue, we were told to join another queue while a sniffer dog went along the line.  It may have been the fact that it had been roughly 29 hours since leaving our accommodation in Greece on Tuesday until our arrival in our home country, were still suffering a little from falls, were extremely tired and a little bit grumpy, but we sort of felt like we were being treated like criminals, or at least suspects. 

We're home now having had a wonderful holiday & caught up with our friend Marion, met some lovely people, saw some stunning sights and enjoyed a few different cultures and the journey home will soon be a distant memory.  

                                                                      THE END. 

RETURN to ATHENS :

In Kalambaka.  Early morning sunshine on the rock.

 MONDAY,  17th October.  We left our accommodation before 8am and had breakfast in one of the cafes we had previously visited before heading off to the railway station.  There were a lot of people waiting for the train, with little protection from the fierce wind.  The first train was a diesel which took us to Palaeofarsalos for what was meant to be a 7 minute changeover but was actually more like 37 minutes, so there was the usual push and shove when the second train arrived.  Some words were exchanged with an extremely pushy woman, the train was packed, there were a couple of dozen young soldiers on board, each with two large kit bags and inadequate storage space so a frustrating beginning to the journey but it was all soon sorted, we took possession of our allocated seats and had a pleasant journey back to Athens.  

                                                

Palaeofarsalos Station

                                                                  

and the ramp and entrance to the tunnel which connects the platforms

We stopped at this small station along the route.

After a snack and coffee at the station cafe in Athens, Mike ordered a uber which arrived promptly and took us to our accommodation in Vravrona on the east coast for our final night in Greece.

Our apartment door is on the ground floor in the left hand corner.

Our apartment block in Vravrona which reminded me of  a prison seen on TV/film.  It was actually very comfortable, all three bedrooms had balconies and sea views, the only disappointment was that it was blowing a gale in the late afternoon and through the night, so no swimming!

We had a fun time with the cheerful shopkeeper in the small market where we bought breakfast provisions.  I think he'd had a slow afternoon and was happy to have people to talk to.  Another friendly Greek - one of many!

A lovely little church right on the beach

whose path we walked along back 'home', the wind had dropped a bit though still cold.  In the evening we walked the couple of hundred metres to the seafood restaurant we'd chosen for dinner.  Mike and Marion shared a seafood platter, I had a sea bream which was delicious.  

METEORA : Day 4

Day 4 : SUNDAY, 16th October.  A gorgeous, warm, sunny day for our second visit to the monasteries, which looked quite different in the morning light and there were many more people about today.  Of the 21 monasteries which once stood on the rocks of Meteora, six still function today, the remaining 15 are uninhabited and in ruins.   The population of the six monasteries ranges from one to thirty, a lot of space for a very few.  The many steps to two or three of the monasteries we deemed way too steep for us to attempt and were content to admire them from the outside.  While others were visiting the Holy Monastery of  Grand Meteoron, which we'd checked out on the Sunset Tour and declared beyond our capabilities, today's driver and guide kindly offered to take us to St Stephens, dropping off a young couple of rock climbers and their guide on the way (rock climbing and hiking are very popular in Meteora).  We'd already enjoyed a visit to St Stephens (which has only a few steps} yesterday, but were happy to return though Mike went in alone today, Marion & I bought a cappuccino each (they were awful!) from a kiosk outside and sat in the sunshine to wait.  We all succeeded in negotiating the 115 steps to the Monastery of Varlaam, and Mike visited the Roussanou Nunnery...once again, Marion and I sat on the wall in the sunshine and admired the view while waiting.  

 Kalambaka

                                                                       

                                                                        

Varlaam

Varlaam

Varlaam

Varlaam

Varlaam

Varlaam

Varlaam

Varlaam

Varlaam

Monastery of Varlaam.  In 1922, stairs were hewn in the rock so that pilgrims could go up safely.  A rope net is also used, but only for provisions

Monastery of the Holy Trinity, founded between 1458 and 1476, has a cable car for use by the monks.  Visitors must climb the 140 steps added in 1925. In the old days the only access was by rope ladder as in the other monasteries.  

The Roussanou Nunnery

 Back in Kalambaka after the tour, we agreed over lunch that the tours were well worth taking and would recommend them, especially to the fit and able.  We then spent the afternoon relaxing and preparing for tomorrow's departure.

METEORA : Day 3

Day 3 : SATURDAY, 15th October.  As predicted, the rain had ceased by this morning, though still overcast and cool.  After breakfast, we decided to walk up the steep path to the Holy Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, which is situated on the highest and oldest part of the city, originated sometime between the 4th and 5th centuries and is the oldest still standing building in the area.  Most of the structure was later renovated and today's appearance dates back to the 11th century during the Byzantine rule.  It is the only Orthodox church in the world with a free standing pulpit.  It was on the itinerary of our Sunset Tour later in the day but we thought by going in the morning, we would have time to view the church without the crowds.

The Holy Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary

On the walk....a fascinating shop that sells everything, some of it so old it should be in a museum!

St Vissarion Holy Metropolitan Orthodox Church

Pomegranate tree

Meteora

A car stopped alongside side us as we were walking back down the hill, the driver was our friendly cafe owner who'd helped Mike yesterday after his fall.  He'd recognised us and stopped to ask after Mike, he'd been very concerned at the time, so was pleased to see he was okay, albeit with a black eye and a few grazes. 

Fountain in Kalambaka Town

                                                        

In the afternoon, we embarked on the Sunset tour of Meteora, the Monasteries and stunning scenery which was absolutely awesome.....

Holy Trinity Monastery

Holy Monastery of Grand Meteoron

Waiting for the sunset

which was not as spectacular as it might have been, weather permitting.  All in all, a tour well worth taking with a lovely young guide and an excellent driver, also young.  We look forward to tomorrow's tour.