Middle-aged flash packers

Strange dreams last night of being swept away in a lake. I think it had rained in the night, maybe that had something to do with it.

Relatively painless drive to Kala Nera, a little seaside village on the Pelion. The Pelion is a small, hilly peninsula North of Athens. The nearest Greek island to it is Skiathos.

This is the Greece I remember from 30+years ago. No high rises, little tavernas right on the sea front and thin but gorgeous pebbly bays.

Hardly a soul here. Instant relaxation. 

Booking.com turned up trumps again. Our studio apartment is brand new and tastefully styled. We have a large balcony overlooking the sea and there’s a pool. 2 nights accommodation is costing us less than 100 Euros. With the Euro being weak against the pound, that comes to £35 per night for both of us.

The complex is owned by a Greek family. It’s a new venture for them. We are the only people here – I really hope things pick up for them but it’s not looking good.

The Panorama studios are a kilometre away from the village so we wandered into town and grabbed a bite to eat. Everyone is so friendly and nice, I think they are really grateful for any tourists who have come to Greece.

We walked along the beach until we could go no further. It’s lovely and untouched by mass tourism.

Unfortunately the rain cloud we brought from Britain is still with us. As we walked up the steps to our apartment, a storm broke. Brilliant timing! I hope you lot at home are enjoying the heatwave we sent over. It’s actually hotter in Marlow than it is here!

It rained all evening but we managed a saunter to the harbour just down the road where some locals were fishing as the sun went down. 

Tomorrow we’ve planned a walk around the local area following tracks called kalderimi, or cobbled paths. Hope the rain stops!