Out and About

We left Poros on the 7.10am car ferry for a day of  off-the-island chores.  The car was covered in a heavy dew and the low lying fields nearby blanketed in a thick mist.

Greek breakfast

First stop, right opposite the car ferry, La Frianderie make the best coffee and cheese pies between here and Athens.  The kids there have actually gone to 'coffee school' and know how to make a deep rich brew exactly to your taste.  We never drink or eat in the street.   The coffee is enjoyed  on the premises or at your desk or this time, in the car

Second stop the village of Ligourio and an optician's appointment.  They are preparing for a parade, dancing and music to celebrate the end of carnival and the beginning of Lent, February 19th

Third stop to get the warrant of fitness and pollution test  for the car

44 euros for both.  Down from 65 euros.  Another testing garage has opened not far away.  The other place is advertising 45 euros for both at the moment.  Yea for competition

The sun had come out by now and we sat outside and drank their free coffee while waiting for the paperwork.  Unfortunately the sour stink of an olive press was blowing in our direction but we could hardly complain, sitting there with our free coffee, the sun on our cheeks and the endless green and orange vista of the citrus groves all around us

In the grounds outside.

This is a very old fashioned water pump.  A donkey, or mule, was hitched to one side of this and went round and round in circles drawing water up from the well

A piece of car sculpture at an alarming angle

Further down the road the city of Argos is finally trying to fix its traffic confusion.  We passed the first digital traffic lights I have seen.  Very modern.  They had only green and red, no orange but had a digital clock to show you how many seconds you had to wait till the lights changed colour

This whole area has acres of orange, lemon, mandarin trees, all laden with fruit.  Orchard after orchard 

The rest of the day was spent going from electrical shops to supermarkets and taking a friend and his dog for a haircut.    It was twilight by the time we arrived in Epidavros for a quick coffee on the return journey, and the night of the supermoon.  8pm by the time we reached home.  A long day, usual for a day off the island

Djibril Cisse (a shih tsu) named after the French footballer who played for greek team Pananthiakos. 

7th February

Fiesta day of Saint Parthenios

Protector of Cancer patients

A miracle worker

We stopped on the way back to light a candle at this little church in the olive groves.