Elafonissos really is about the beaches. The beaches and the friendly community that welcome you into their homes and taverna’s. Close to Kalomoira Apartments are a couple of really nice beaches that can be overshadowed by Simos and Lefki Beaches but they deserve the status of an excellent, white sand beach up there with the…
Anyone who knows anything about Elafonissos knows that it is famous for its spectacular Simos Beach. As a small island there isn’t any public transport but we are determined to walk the 6 kilometres to see it. The signpost at the port will tell you that it is 4 kilometres – but it definitely isn’t! …
This morning we need to return the hire car. Fillipos is in Chora but his sister is there to see to us. She asked us how we go on especially as it was my first time driving in Greece (she remembers how nervous I was about hiring the car). I told her that generally it…
Despite my horrendous experience on the road to the cave of Agia Sofia yesterday, I feel surprisingly optimistic about today’s adventures here on Kythira. I’d asked the staff at Manolis Taverna what the roads were like on the North side of the island and was told that they were pretty good. I felt sure that…
Well I woke up this morning still in a bit of a quandary about what to do about hiring a car. Although I was still petrified at the thought of driving a car where everything is the other way around, more than anything I wanted to get out and about to see this beautiful island….
Today we leave for the island of Kythira. As we walk through the large doorway in the castle wall to exit Monemvasia rock, we see a cruise ship has docked nearby. Small boats were ferrying groups of people to the causeway. I thought it had felt very busy as we walked the cobbled streets. It…
The weather was very pleasant during our stay. We were very lucky as we had heard about the Saharan sand storms that had blown their way over to the Cyclades. Apart from one overcast day we had beautiful spring sunshine and the temperatures of an English summer! We had planned to walk up to the…
Although we have spent Easter in Greece before, we know that the various regions and towns have their own traditions and their own programme of festivities. We know very little of what to expect in Monemvasia apart from the church service on Good Friday and the procession of the epitaphios – though the timings we…
Monemvasia has been on my bucket list for a few years but until now I haven’t made a concerted effort to get there. It is fair to say that the best way to get around the Peloponnese is by car – and this is from an ardent public transport user when in Greece. The whole…
Athens is the starting point for our next trip. I’d usually have a day or two in Athens at the end of an island hopping trip because you know that feeling when you leave the islands? Sometimes like a little bit of your heart has broken off? Yes, and Athens is a good diversion from…
For many years I’ve had an obsession with photographing doors and windows. There is something really evocative about an old, ornate door that through it’s peeling layers of paint, shows the patina of time. It’s not just about the external appearance, it’s the curiosity of what lies beyond, the lives that have been lived in…
I never plan my trips too far in advance. Often they are spur of the moment decisions (driven by depressingly grey UK weather) or the opportunity to take advantage of a cheap flight. My last trip to Crete and onward around the Dodecanese was neither of these. The summer of 2018 was probably one of…