We have mentioned the difficulties with the small shower stalls in Greece, Italy, too but this is a 'Greek tragedy' so let's not have Italy trying to steal the limelight. To set the scene, it's worth noting that I thought I wasn't carrying extra weight midway through our stay. Eating lots of salads and too much bread and eggs seemed to do the trick. However, I was wrong. I was still too large—had to be the bread ably assisted by me. You have to see some of these stalls to understand. One more point: In hiking many miles and in some risky positions, we completed Hike-about without injury. However, I burned my cheek in the shower. Uh! uh! Don't go there, fellas. The cheek on my face. One of the great difficulties in a Greek shower occurs either when you attempt to wash the feet or something much worse, when the soap slips from the hands. There is no leeway for bending the knees, the hot water is running and took an awful long time to adjust to the correct settings and add that a person does not want to wet his hair. You might envisage where this is going. So I took the gap, my face touched the spout which happened to have the hottest water traveling through the pipes thus far on our trip. I regained the upright position instantaneously.
After the pain subsided, I thought nothing further of it but while shaving the next day, I noticed a burn mark and blistering, too. We've come to realize the danger of the slippery soap rather than slippery slope.
Because most of the stalls only had a curtain to contain the spray of water, imagine the drying up procedure we endured after leaving the stall. Oh for a bathtub. Showers aside, the accommodation in Greece was always clean, comfortable and pleasant. We could not have asked for more.
The editor spots an apparition on the mountain opposite as we near the base on our way down. She says it's the smaller structure on the right that's attracted her eye. "Take out the binoculars," she instructs, "it looks weird."
Through the binoculars, it turns out to be an honorary Greek hard at work. (Forgive us but after all the nice things we've said about the people we needed to unwind, a little.) Unfortunately, we were out of cigarettes and the editor forgot coffee so he's not 'authentic'. Officially, he's taken a job as a fire spotter. Something he has been trying to understand throughout his life: 'Where there's smoke, is there always fire?' The answer may lie in Greece. The search continues.
Jenni heading towards a stony summit.
Berries that looked like strawberries tempted us. She reminded me of Eve for a moment.
On a dull day, the sun breaks through and lights up a little of the Aegean, the clouds above, ominous. The mainland opposite.
The best time of the year to be on the slopes...including all the other times, too.
On one of the Olympus peaks in Evia, expecting a storm that never came.
At the port in Eretria, the sun breaks through making the weather more pleasant than on the mountain from where we returned. The tea was better than the 'servings' at the peak, too.
On a dull day, some bright spots made it very special.
The editor summits finally.
Suppose the old bag summits, too.
We commenced Hike-about 28 worrying of 'Greeks bearing gifts', tongue in cheek, of course. We've been spoilt by generosity shown toward us on this trip and often. In Evia, the last six days before we headed to a position near the airport, Antonias and her sister ensured that we always had fresh fruit, she delivered the national bread to us on an occasion, almonds regularly, mountain tea and sometimes, flowers for fragrance in our room. It was tough at time of departure for it looked to me that the two women were very sad to see Jenni leave.
In our stay in Amafiklia, the previous weekend, we enjoyed probably the finest accommodation throughout the period, views excluded. We were the only guests in the hotel. The manageress, Ioannis, took very good care of us. During our visit to Evia, it was only on the last two nights that other guests arrived. In Mati, we departed at 3-45am and coffee and cake were awaiting us. We mentioned the gift from the woman in Delphi on our departure, previously. It's obvious. We have to deduce that people get very excited when we vacate their properties. Nice!
We spent much time hiking on the various segments comprising the Olympus Mountains of Evia. This should not be confused with Greece's highest of the same name, situate on the mainland. Nevertheless, it was testing and probably, one climb we did was the toughest and most dangerous of all. As the pictures indicate, the weather was not at its best but the occasional breakthrough of the sun provided interesting and enjoyable views. In four hikes on the island, we never saw another soul on the trails. The word trails is flattering because wherever we hiked, it tended to be quite rough, helping to remind the editor that the path of life is filled with obstacles.
By the way, the hike was terrific as we made our way up nearly 3,000 feet on an interesting, rocky trail while viewing wonderful sights. They were enhanced by the sun's attempts to shine through the clouds, creating a shimmering, white Aegean, in places.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
Closing off with a sunset: a favorite, lit cloud edges.
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