We spent our last morning in Patras doing some classically Greek things:

1. Visiting the Agios Andreas Cathedral, reportedly the largest church in Greece. It's cool, bright, and colourful, with vibrant frescoes and mosaics. Devotees consume pieces of blessed bread, light candles, and kiss icons, as well as sitting and praying. It's a very active form of worship.






2. Having some more Greek coffee in the little cafe opposite our lodgings, which we've been very remiss in not visiting up to now. It came with iced water and bonus Madeira cake. Not bad for EUR 3.

3. Shopping for lunch at the bakery. Hefty filled rolls, cheese pastries, and some bonus cheese bread sticks (it must be bonus Monday).


Then it was time to move on again. And I'm quite sorry to be leaving this pleasant, airy, mint-green-and-yellow flat.

Nigel is regretting that we're not spending longer in the various fascinating places we've stopped in. Me too, of course. But this is a journey. You can't spend infinite amounts of time at every halt or you'd just never get to the end. And getting to the end is important, because life has dictated that you can't just keep rolling on. Insurers, tax authorities, banks -- they all want you in one place. We have given in. We have chosen our next "one place". So we need to be there in the near future.

Which means we have to compromise. The Man in Seat 61 outlines a three-day itinerary for the route we've taken from London to Athens. We've taken 15 days. So we're still remaining true to our "not hurrying" ethos, even if the journey is not as slow as we would wish...

It was just a short hop today. As the Man explains, you can no longer take the train from Patras to Athens. Instead, you take a railway-supplied bus to Kiato, and pick up the train to the capital from there. You can book online via the Trainose site. The combined ticket costs EUR 17 per person.

It's all very easy, and both bits of the journey are scenically wonderful. From the bus you get great views of the Gulf of Corinth. Mountains to the right; blue, blue water and more mountains to the left. You go past red-roofed towns, imposing churches, rows of Lombardy poplars, and six billion olive trees (a conservative estimate).



From the train, if you're quick (I wasn't), you can glimpse the Corinth Canal. Then you get to look out over the islands and bays on the other side of the isthmus.



After the grandiose stations we've passed through so far, Athens Larissa seems extraordinarily small and unprepossessing. But it does connect you to the Metro, and five stops and one change later, we were within striking distance of the southern Athenian neighbourhood of Vyronas where our little flat is situated (this one we organized via Bookings, but the style of accommodation is the same as with Airbnb).

Two issues:

First, Athens is HILLY. Which you really notice when you're carrying a rucksack on a hot day... Good job there was a little park en route, for a half-way breather.



Second, we were early. How to spend a couple of hours in Athens as the afternoon dips towards evening? Well, eat, of course. A nearby resto called To Kalamaki proved to be a great choice, offering a very satisfying two-person souvlaki platter for EUR 11.50 -- the classic skewered and grilled meat, plus dips, pitta bread, chips, and lots of salad -- and carafes of very decent rose wine for EUR 2.50.


The major advantage of our current lodgings is its locality. "Live like a local", said the byline of the advert, and you do indeed feel that you're in the middle of a normal Greek neighbourhood, with balconies, blinds, pot plants, and little shops.

But you wouldn't call this place cosy... What would originally have been the living room has been converted into a second bedroom. So if you want to just sit, you do it in the large entrance hall or on the balcony.

Never mind. It's not expensive. We'll definitely manage.