the long journey home

It is time to return home, to my toys, the farm, my animals and my own bed. Today we leave athens for dubai, fly onto bangkok and then onto sydney.

Thank you for following my big adventure, i had the best time ever!

Till next time.
Leo

Leaving the Island

My stay on the island has come to an end.

We discovered our favourite cafe, said hello to lots of people, played with local kids and finally worked out the bakery opening hours.

Till next time.
Leo

Island life

I have been swimming in the pool, drawing on rocks, strolling around the village and enjoying my island life.

There Is no source of clean drinking water on the island, so all drinking water is bottled and shipped in from the mainland. As water is scarce due to low rainfalls, you must be careful how you use it, a small bath is the way to go!

Till next time.
Leo

To the Island

Arriving back in athens we dropped off the hire car and had an early night as we are catching the 5.30am train to the port of pireaus to board the jetcat to take us the island of falengindros.

I am so excited. I have wanted to go to an island for ages, and now my wish has come true. I want to know what it is like to catch the boat. The trip is four hours there and four hours back.

We arrived at the island (one of the quieter and more dramatic in terms of landscape of all the cycladic islands) at lunchtime and took in the views and atmosphere at once.

Till next time.
Leo

Kiato

After saying goodbye to all my relatives in Lafka, we drove down the mountain to the coast to the small town that dad lived in for a few years when he was my age, called Kiato.

We visited the place where he used to live (now built over with new flats) as well as seeing his old school and the beach where he used to play and watch the fisherman at work. There is no fishing now except line fishing from the side of the breakwater.

Dad had fun looking around and finding his childhood playing haunts. I visited the playground and beach with mum and we built a sandcastle.

Till next time.
Leo

Around Lafka

Uncle Costas, Uncle Pannos and Aunty Aphrodite took us on a sightseeing drive to the other side of the mountain from Lafka, to places even dad had not visited before.

We stopped in a small valley that had been damed many years ago and visited the church of st geoerge that nestled on the bank of the dam.

We also visted the monastery for the church which was situated high up on the hillside. We walked around the very old church and visited the secret school room where boys had been taught greek by the monks during the turkish occupation, something that was against the law at the time. The monks make special rose syrup jam which they offer as a refreshment to visitors and dad bought a jar of it as he liked it so much!

We had a wonderful lunch in a local taverna surrounded by acres of worked farmland. I saw heaps of tractors so it felt a lot like home!

Till next time.
Leo

The Peloponese

On monday we picked up a hire car and drove north to corinth and then up the mountains to viisit dad's relatives in the village of Lafka. We left athens towards the end of the day and arrived in darkness and a huge welcome and amazing meal at uncle christos and aunty olga's house. I was hugged and kissed and loved everybody back.

We stayed two nights in a country style hotel and their taverna was named after the man who opened it back in 1957-Leonidas. His two sons and their mother and wives run the business today and as they have little boys I had fun playing with them and their toys, it was great!

Till next time.
Leo

Banaki Museum

Sunday in Athens was spent at the benaki museum, an old private home filled with the most unusual collection of all things greek that I will ever see. The collection spans from pre-historic to contemporary, ranging from pottery, silver, weaving, painting, icons to traditional costume and even included two entire room interiors made up of carved and painted ceilings and walls recovered from an old demolished house. And, well it seems you can find boats where ever you go if you are lucky......

These helmets where a favourite of dad's.

We had a snack at the upstairs terrace cafe and mummy said this was her spiritual home.

Till next time.
Leo

Do I like boats?

Mummy and I travelled by train and bus to the athens port of pireaus to visit the national maritime museum. And yes, I like boats. Some would say I love them.

The museum has the largest collection of model ships that I have ever seen and they even had some cannons outside, lining the entrance. Amazing.

We then caught the train home. I am in fact pulling a face in this photo as I am a comedian.

Tonight lots of dad's and my cousins came to visit and welcome us to greece. I had a fantastic, mad time playing with my second cousins. We played for hours and hours. I got lots of kisses and hugs from my great uncles, aunts and cousins. Daddy was happy to see his cousins too.

Till next time.
Leo