Tickets & Preparations

Flight tickets arrived today!! It is getting very close now, exciting indeed, just a couple more weeks to go and I have started packing (actually almost finished packing) the suitcases. Anyone who knows me will know this is nothing new and that I usually start packing a few weeks before going away. The webcam in Zante has been showing storms for a few days now and I hope this changes by the time we get there, bring on the sunshine. Usual preparations are in full flow and I have spent most of the bank holiday weekend spring cleaning in preparation for Ross house sitting while we are away. I have purchased a Rough Guide to the Peloponnese off EBay and Road Editions driving map off Amazon, both of which have fantastic detail. We have been poring over both to see where are the least touristy, but most interesting, places to see in the mainland Peloponnese. I am hoping that I can figure out how to get pics uploaded onto here from mobile while I am away so you can see where we are at. The countdown is well and truly on now!

The Adventure

It always starts in January ... usually prompted by cold, dark, miserable winter nights, a roaring log fire, liberal amounts of wine and reminiscing about warm lazy summer evenings in the Greek islands. We always discuss the places we would like to go and then I always come back to the longing for Zante (Zakynthos). For the past 10 years we have been back there every year (sometimes twice) and have intermittently visited other places around europe, none of which seems to hold the magnetic draw of Zante. This year when the conversation started way back at the beginning of the year, we agreed that we would do something different (well almost ... read on).

Every time we started the summer holiday discussions in the past, I would mute the idea of taking an extended stay and this would be firmly quashed by the voice of reality (mr deany) who was self-employed until the end of 2006 and has now retired. So this year is going to be different ... when the conversation started I had an answer for every obstacle mr deany put in the way and eventually said that if I could get the time off from work we would discuss further. After a little negotiation at work it was agreed that I could take the time off and so the idea really began to take shape.

Now we are in May and the adventure is well and truly on (yeah baby), for the past 5 months I have been emailing, planning, booking, preparing, getting increasingly excited and the reality is finally dawning that we are going to Greece for a whole month during June/July. We are flying to Kalamata in the Greek mainland Peloponnese and will spend one week near Koroni exploring the delights of Messinia, then we drive to Killini to catch the ferry to Zante (I still had to get my fix) where we will meet up with friends Emma (EBF) and Vinnie (Dimitri) to give them a tour of the island and catch up with friends in Amoudi, then we will get the ferry back on the mainland staying in The Mani at Karavostasi and finally staying in Stoupa, eventually flying back from Kalamata.

I am looking forward to watching the little fishing boats going about their business over a glass or three of wine as the sun sets (how is it that cheap wine you drink for your two week holiday tastes great but somehow turns into vinegar on the flight home??!!), exploring some of the historical delights of the mainland, especially seeing the incredible changes in scenary, sampling the food and drink (especially olives and ouzo), meeting local people, seeing the contrasts of the outer and inner Mani, Louis Gorge, Koroni, Voidokilia, Pylos, navigating the Taygetus mountains, finding villages inspoilt by tourism, that first drink of Amstel in a glass straight from the freezer, feeling the warmth of the sunshine, getting into that Greek 'tomorrow will do' laid back frame of mind ... oh yes and returning to Zante! Can't wait!!