The Greek House Blog

The Athens Marathon “At 09:00am on Sunday 31st October 2010 we drew back the  heavy curtains at the Athens Hilton to be greeted by bright sunshine and the bluest of skies.  Stepping out onto our balcony,  all we could hear was birdsong  as traffice had been suspended for the day - what a time to be in Athens!  Great cheers were already going up for the winner, Raymond Bett who completed the course within an amazing 2 hours, 12 minutes and 40 seconds (a new record).  Several Italians followed and then more cheers for Lithuania’s Rasa Drazdaukaite who won the women’s race in 2:31:6. We took a leisurely car-free stroll down towards Syntagma Square, past the Presidential Palace where we stood and watched two gorgeous 6ft (something) guards perform their traditional march, throwing up their rifle-bayonets and clicking their clogs ... click here to read more Sailing in the Ionian ... Once out in open water, one of the islands I would recommend for fun nights  in tavernas is Ithaka where there are several restaurants lining the port of Vathy which is where, in mid summer, you can watch the Greek jetset arrive in their superyachts – well, maybe one or two if you’re lucky... click to read more on The Greek House Blog Time to think about remote Greek Islands ...  in a way it makes me yearn even more for the warmth of the Greek sun on my back as I remember how good it feels to sit on the harbour wall in Elounda with my toes in the water, sipping a nice cool frappe and watching the boats depart for the island of Spinalonga... click here to read more about the Ionian Islands What to do on the Island of Crete ... read about a few of the extraordinary trips which are worth taking time out from the beach for ... Delicious simple Greek food What could be tastier than lamb souvlaki, tzatziki, patatas (French fries to you and I) and a “horiatiki” salata (peasants salad) all washed down with a glass (or two) of local wine ... The Dodecanese Islands The Dodecanese islands are made up of 12 large Rhodes Kos Patmos Astypalea, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kasos, Leros, Nisyros, Symi, Tilos and Kastelorizo plus ... Should we feel sorry for the Greeks? ...it is in the Greek nature to share and share they did – in fact if you have visited Greece you will know how offended these warm and hospitable people can become if you even hint at offering to pay your way.  Sara Cheston | Create your badge