Athens and Tanagra, Greece

Friday 21st June
By Paul Greenhead and ChatGPT in style of The Odyssey 

When dawn's first light had yet to grace the skies,

We rose at four and thirty, weary-eyed. The heat already wrapped its tendrils tight,

As to the Naples airport we did stride. A family lane, like Hermes' swift escort, Through security's gate we smoothly passed,

A boon for those with early flights in haste.

To Athens’ soil we flew, and there we found

A car, new born, a Suzuki Swift bright, Its sensors keen, like watchful Argus' eyes,

Alert to every speed and lane and more.

With messages to Alex sent in speed, And fuel within our chariot’s belly filled,

We rode upon the motorway’s broad path,

Guided by the wisdom of the maps divine.

A call from Alex, nearly missed our mark,

But soon to Tanagra’s land we came, The Princess Café, a beacon bright, Where Alex, Christina, and their babe, A beauty of nine months, welcomed us there.

Fifteen long years since last we clasped his hand,

And for the first, we met his wife and child,

And they, our Lucy, bright as morning's star.

In the café, stories of old we shared, With iced coffee, time like sand did flow.

Plans for the eve we made, and then we left

For Dhilesi, coastal village fair,

To seek our lodging, Airbnb’s rest.

The Dilion Guest House, with views of sea,

And quiet beach, a haven of our own. In cooling waves we bathed, the heat dispelled,

And shutters closed, we napped in shadows' peace.

Then met the Belegratis kin once more, And strolled along the seafront, hand in hand.

By water’s edge we dined, the night was soft,

In peace and joy, our evening's course was set.

Saturday 22nd June
By Paul Greenhead and ChatGPT in style of The Odyssey 

Late did we wake, the sun high in its arc,

And from our lodging took our leave once more.

A leisurely breakfast in the sun we had, My first iced flat white, ambrosial delight.

The same café by waterfront we chose, Then back to Tanagra’s Princess fair, With Alex and his kin, more tales we spun,

Iced coffee in our hands, the hours flew.

To sea again, we sought the cooling waves,

Escape from Helios' relentless fire.

In waters clear, we played and laughed with joy,

The hours like the tides, in constant flow.

The chariot returned, we found a taxi then,

To Athens bound, the driver bold and keen,

His eyes on Greek TV, his hands on wheel.

The Acropolis Hill Hotel, though small, With wonders filled, a view of Parthenon,

From balcony we gazed upon its might. Into the town we wandered, dinner sought,

At Onos Taverna, where we feasted well,

On souvlaki and kleftiko, divine,

And thus concluded our delightful day.

Sunday 23rd June
By Lucy Greenhead

Wearily my eyes fluttered open, as I threw off the sheet. We were in Athens. 

Once we had eaten our swiftly eaten breakfast, we began the ascent towards the Parthenon. As we got closer, waves of heat shimmered off the marble pillars. My heart pounded as heat clawed at my skin. 

My eyes stared up at the wondrous structure, trying to imagine what it used to look like when the Ancient Greeks were alive. I could almost feel the old statue of Athena staring at me. I gazed up at the remaining symbols. Long ago the colours had been scrubbed off.

As I gazed over the city, I gazed over the city, the cars looked like beetles crawling through toy houses. Hills rambled around on the horizon, as clouds shifted in the sea blue sky. 

As we descended down, I looked back awe in my eyes. I would never forget this day (especially after the night’s fiasco)!

Monday 24th June
By Kirsty Greenhead

Our Monday began at midnight, with the cancelling of our flight from Athens to Naples. After several messages of delay, EasyJet finally conceded and packed us back off to Athens City centre. Our taxi driver was crazy, but his fast driving on empty roads got us ahead of the crowds and to the front of the check in queue. 

As far as travel dramas go, it was rather a luxurious one.  We were given 2 rooms at the Divani Caravel which is a 5 star hotel. Definitely the fanciest hotel that I have ever stayed in! From the comfy beds to the fluffy towels to the scrambled eggs & salmon for breakfast, it was rather lovely! Unfortunately, we had to head back to the airport before we had a chance to try out the pool, fitness suite and spa facilities. 

The flight back to Naples was uneventful and we were happy to be reunited with our car which had had a 3 day holiday in Naples airport car park. Unfortunately, the 17 hour delay meant the we were not going to make it to the Venice campsite that evening. Instead we struck out as far as we could and found a Novotel hotel near Florence airport. Thankfully the service stations in Italy offer fabulous food so we managed to grab a bite in the way.