The run twice a week to Argos for Andreas’ torture session is starting to wear us down. Its only 42 km but takes 1 hour 30 to get there. It's a spectacular drive but not direct. We cross three mountain ranges (our ears popping every few minutes with the change in altitude) and the road is full of bends. Add to the mix that 90% of Greek drivers are on a suicide mission we have to really concentrate.
On the plus side, we have discovered the most amazing café/bakery just on the edge of Argos and after Andreas' therapy session we stop for coffee and a roll. The coffee is the best I have tasted and the selection of fillings for rolls, wraps or sandwiches is vast. We sit outside, and spend half an hour or so being thoroughly entertained by watching the Greeks making some hysterical attempts at parking their cars.
It seems that parking in a bay is not on the “learning to drive" agenda. They literally swing into a bay and stop. No attempt at straightening up, most times straddling two bays and this is usually done while on the phone, smoking a cigarette and holding a coffee!!!!! Double parking is the norm which is infuriating but worse is just stopping their car anywhere they fancy, leave the engine running and the door open so they can go into a shop.
Argos and Naflion are obviously very affluent towns. We see lots of Porsche's, Ferrari's , BMW's and Mercedes. We even sat behind a Ford Mustang SUV which I have to say that although I couldn't see the front, the back was butt ugly !!

Most streets in Greek towns are very narrow - originally designed for mules, donkeys and carts. Kranidi has a one way system but the increase in SUVs makes driving through them quite perilous.
On Monday's on our way back to Kilada we stop off for afternoon tea with Aunt Koula. She is still at her villa in Porto Khelli and doesn't intend returning to Athens any time soon. And why would she when the air is clean and sweet smelling and she swims every day.

We spent a day and a night at anchor in the bay at Fourni. It's just a few minutes from the big bay of Kilada. We like it there. The water is cleaner than Kilada but not the crystal clear water that we are used to. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, because of the large number of fish farms dotted around here. The majority of which are usually occupying gorgeous bays. The fish and the vast quantities of food that is thrown at them seriously pollutes the water and secondly, when the quay was extended it stopped the natural flow in and out of the water and Kilada bay is more like a very large lake.

We rowed ashore and Andreas went exploring. He wanted to walk up to the village. I didn't. So off he went , I did a couple of laps along the beach and then swam back to the boat. He did a good walk which is really good news, and on the way back took some photos.

This morning we wanted to come onto the quay as we needed fuel for the boat. I started to get the anchor up and just before it got to the surface it jammed. The water is not clear but I could just make out we had picked up something from the sea bed and it looked like chain. We tried lowering and raising the anchor in the hope that we could free it but it would not budge. Thankfully, there was absolutely no wind and the water was like a mill pond so I got in the dinghy, armed with a length of rope and a pair of gloves and monkey walked my way to the bow. I then had to lay in the dinghy with my top half hanging over the front so I could get the rope around the chain which was about 18 inches below the surface ( and encrusted with very sharp crustaceans – hence the gloves). Three attempts and I managed it and passed the end of the rope up to Andreas who tied it off onto a cleat on deck. He then pressed the “down” button on the windless controller and the anchor went down but the chain stayed put attached to the rope. Job done. The anchor was free, we released the rope and the chain dropped to the sea floor – probably to be picked up by another unsuspecting yachtie!!!
This is quite a common occurrence for cruisers. Old moorings, that are no longer used are just left on the seabed and do get snagged by anchors. It is deeply frustrating and on another occasion here we hooked up a large piece of what looked like hessian that thankfully dropped off the anchor of its own accord. Last season we anchored in a beautiful bay with crystal clear water and as I was bringing up the anchor, to my horror we were anchored extremely close to a sunken leisure boat. I wouldn't have been able to free that in the dinghy with a length of rope !!!

My thoughts for this post: There are two kinds of people in this world. Greeks and every one else who wishes they were Greek 😉

Years ago the fishing fleet here in Kilada was huge. Now just a handful of big tuna boats come and go - not always with a big catch. The local fishermen go out on their small Caiques just to feed his family.
This tuna boat docked and we watched as they sorted their nets.

The beach at Fourni is long and totally unspoilt. A few umbrellas, visiting touring motor homes and just the locals who come to swim.

We have witnessed two Christenings held at this lovely little chapel that looks out to the bay. We have listened to the Pappas and watched the guests all dressed in their finery. The service is about an hour long.

Andreas' Fourni Walk

The soil here is rich and very fertile. We like to buy vegetables and fruit from the farmers who sell at the roadside. Picked that morning, fresh, invariably covered in soil and tastes so much better than the produce bought from a supermarket that has probably sat around for days,