Blissing out....

By today, the sensory overload of Greece was starting to get to me, and for a variety of reasons I decided not to try and blip again until we got home. I was struggling to even relate properly to the welter of photographs I was taking each day, we didn't have a particularly strong internet connection at any point, there was little time, and - to cap it all - it's not very comfortable with a laptop on your lap when it's 35 degrees (and it's hard to see the screen....).

Today, after all of the driving of the last two days, we decided to stay quiet around Mavrovouni, where we were staying. Mr A and I were given the privilege of the room at the top of the house, as a result of which we were woken by the sunrise around 6am. The first couple of hours of the day were reasonably cool (pleasant for reading in the shade on the terrace at the back of the cottage), but by soon after 10am we were on the beach nearby, where we "camped" in the café under the trees, with occasional ventures to the sea. I took the Go Pro out for some fun at one point. The wind got up around 11am and was blowing quite strongly onshore by 1pm. We went in search of lunch, but our initial foray to a village nearby was not successful, so we turned around and went back to the same place as yesterday in Gytheio.

After a rest back at the cottage for a few hours, we ventured out in the evening to Areopoli, a scenic village on the other side of the Mani peninsula, which has an interesting history. By this stage, I was also starting to realise that not only am I woefully ignorant of classical (and pre-classical) Greece, but even more so of modern Greek history. The latter is perhaps the worst omission, since I have a professional interest in aspects of the Balkan peninsula, so I've resolved to do some reading to improve matters. The assassins of the first Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Kapodistrias came from Areopolis, as the Mani peninsula was the wildest part of Greece, and one part that never came under the rule of the Ottomans. They also resented the control imposed by the new Greek state. Nowadays, it is the part of Greece where the neo-fascist party Golden Dawn is most popular, which is quite worrying.

Anyway, Areopolis is very scenic, and we had a lovely evening sitting in the fading light drinking cocktails. I've added an extra.