22 Still raining, so nice proprietor of Mythos b & b drives us to bus centre to get next bus to Delphi. Long wait, but we have our ipads. Off through the mountains, and a change of buses and a wait at Amfissa. But we arrive! Rain has stopped for a few hours. Bus snakes up from Itea on the Gulf of Corinth to Delphi, and we head straight to the Hermes hotel, where we have stayed before. Room and balcony looking down on the gulf, the mountains, distant Itea and the soft grey green of the largest olive grove in Greece. So welcoming here. 23 B fell over coming back from restaurant in the rain...

We want to get to Meteora, so, trundle along our wheelies and get bus from Verria to Larisa where we are dumped at vast grand bus depot miles out of town. Set upon by taxi driver who wants vast sum to take us to another bus depot – his acolytes who are supposed to sell bus tickets swerve glances away, just nod their heads. Then B sees a local bus, and the driver says yes, he will take us to town centre where we can get bus to Trikala, then Meteora. So B waves and missing my coffee I join him, and we are driven to the town centre. This kind and brilliant bus driver says, don’t go by bus, go by...

11th October   Athens airport, where the first thing is an aquarium of smoke, a thoughtfully placed smoking room where those desperate after the flight can find solace. By metro to Thisio, and find the Jason Inn which I picked because you sit on the roof and glory in the Acropolis, all lit in the darkness (it looks splendid at a distance – close up it is entangled by the girders and cranes of perpetual renovation.  Supper. (12 euros, tourist menu, including wine).   12   Breakfast on the roof, and off to the Acropolis, through our nice cheap touristy area, stalls selling...

RYAN AIR  Ryan Air is rough.  Hard narrow seats which do not recline.  Paid £2 for extra leg room, and £8 for priority boarding, and 4 + euros for tea & biscuit.  But it got us there on time.   VALLETTA.   I was in Malta as a baby and christened at the Holy Trinity Church, Sliema – then war broke out, and Pa who served at Bighi Royal Naval Hospital, was rapidly sent back to the UK.  Ma stuffed every crack in a room with paper, so we wouldn’t inhale poison gas if the Germans released it over the island (presumably we’d asphyxiate instead).  There she was with Robin 6,...

    ASIDE RESORTS – THE AGREABLE AND THE GHASTLY  Quy Nong  A fishing resort where the water bounces with coracles like St Columba’s – the one he used to sail to Iona.  We are in a marble workers hotel  – v. grand indeed, and where everyone is young enough to be our grandchild and friendly and speaks no English, except for the receptionist a bit.  Are we the only guests?  Man in Saigon said they were taught Russian as 2nd language.  We meet Ronnie Reynolds, an American who has been travelling for five years because it’s cheap – he has been in the US army, the Foreign Legion...