Monday 4 May

Vodaphone ring Tina at 4.08am to ask if she is happy with their service. You can imagine her answer! To be fair, it was 1pm NZ time when they rang.

Here's a Greek joke for the classically minded: a new type of column has been discovered. So far there are Corinthian, Doric and Ionic. Now they have discovered Ironic and Iconic columns!

At breakfast we farewell Lesley and her daughter Layna from Canada.

We leave just after 8am. First stop is Corinth Canal - impressively steep walls.

Then 40 mins to Mycenae which we share with hundreds of noisy Greek school children. Very tempting to relive ancient sacrifices! They are just like kids everywhere: chewing, on cell phones and so NOISY!

The wind is very cold and there are a few spits of rain - not enough to spoil anything though. We visit the acropolis of Mycenae, the home of Agamemnon and then his beehive tomb when his wife kills him. Another pile of impressive old rocks.

I slept for most of the next section of the drive (Tina had slept in the morning). Brief stop at Megalopolis (which does not live up to its name) and then a nice drive along the western coast of Greece, turning inland and arriving at Olympia at 6pm in heavy rain.

Some impressions:
1. The bus: new, masses of legroom (Insight advertises this and they are not exaggerating), the aisle seat slides sideways for even more room and the ride is very smooth (especially as it a mountainous country with lots of zigzag driving).

2. The trip: nice small sections (no more than 1 hour 45 mins). Hour after hour of blackened trees from huge fires Greece had a couple of years ago. Very mountainour country. Small villages semi deserted (people gone to bigger urban areas). Houses half built - there is no mortgages in Greece so you build what you can afford and add to it when you can. Anna (tour guide) was describing Greece and at one point she talked about the mainland and POLYNESIA which is two Greek words meaning many islands.

3. The hotel: Antonios (room 210). Nice view, just above town. Nice room though dark as there are very few lights. Welcomed with an Ouzo (!!), olives, yummy cheese and carrot sticks. Free wireless in lobby. Good meal .