Current state: bliss

It was a quiet night yesterday in the hotel outside Olympia, permitting an early start to get to the ancient ruins soon after 8am. This was ideal. Better light for photography; less busy; and - above all - less hot. It was different to Delphi - very spread out. Less "magical" perhaps, but a beautiful setting in parkland.

Thereafter, we travelled to Gytheio where we ate a huge and rather meaty lunch in a restaurant on the sea front. On the way, we passed Sparta where we ogled the enormous mountain Profitis Ilias, part of the Taygetus chain, towering over the city. G regaled us with tales of climbing it at the age of 14, including in the snow. We were duly impressed.

After lunch, it was a short pull in the car up the hill to G's family's house, where we are staying for a few days. By that stage it was really hot, so we just rested for a few hours before popping out for some supplies in the village shop and a quick walk around once it had cooled down. The view down to Cranae Island, with its lighthouse catching the evening sunshine, was impressive. According to legend, when Paris of Troy abducted Helen from Sparta they spent their first night in Cranae. And we all know that didn't end well.

Now we are listening to music and drinking some wine on the balcony overlooking the sea, and the stars are just popping out. Magical.