I’m going to start this blog with an apology. It appears that for the last 20 odd years I have consistently spelt Jacques name incorrectly, missing out the c, I’ve done this on all my messages, birthday cards, Christmas cards, everything! 🤦♀️😂 Jacques, I apologise. 😘
We left lovely Kea in the morning and continued towards Athens.
The exciting news is that we are going to be meeting up with my wonderful friends Sandra & Chris in Athens! 😍❤️ They booked a last minute flight so that we could have a reunion in Athens!
Sandra and I grew up together in Leslie Close and Tracey, Sandra & I all went to the same Secondary school, which means we’ve been friends for longer than I care to mention! I haven’t seen Sandra for over a year! So it’s going to be emotional. 🥰
Unfortunately we were unable to secure a marina spot in Athens until Sunday so we are going to Anchor in a fabulous place called Sounion, which is home to the Temple of Poseidon!
The bay is lush, with a few other boats including a very fancy looking Grey Catamaran, worth around 8 million! 😳
Jacques and Grantley spent a while sorting out, cleaning and messing about in the dinghy. Then Jacques dropped Grantley off at the beach and he went to explore the Temple. I stayed on board, watching Grantley through the binoculars! 😂 He had a fabulous time.
After a very peaceful nights sleep we set off for Athens. We left in quite pleasant weather, a little, cloudy but nice. This changed as we arrived at Athens, a massive thunder storm hit, with hail stones, rain, wind, thunder and lightning! I loved it, but poor Grantley was sat at the helm and got pummelled! We made it into Alimos Marina and found our berth amongst the 1000s of yachts, some very, very fancy ones as well!
The marina staff came and set our morning lines at the front and we were secure. The storm looked like it had passed, so Tracey and I set out to find the supermarket to stock up and get something for dinner on board with Sandra & Chris.
We hadn’t gone very far when another storm hit. Luckily we were right next to a bar! So we took shelter. We sat amongst all the glamorous sailing people looking like a couple of homeless bag ladies! Honestly, I had a dirty stained T-shirt, Jacques old fleece, my hair was sticking out in all directions, TBF, Tracey looked pretty reasonable apart from the dirt all over her white jacket! We were holding manky old reusable bags!
I was also wearing my trusty heavenly feet shoes that have served me so well over the last year, unfortunately the grip has worn down, so I was now like Bambi on the wet, slippery pavement’s! To add to our woes, it was Sunday, so all the supermarkets were closed, except a little convenience store about 5 miles down the road! It had no fresh produce, so we stocked up on Crisps, nuts, biscuits!
We eventually made our way back to the boat, with about 30 mins before Sandra & Chris arrived, just enough time to shower and make ourselves look reasonably presentable!
It was so, so lovely to see Sandra & Chris and so fabulous that it was here in Greece on Mossy Joe! The sun even made an appearance!🧡
Despite a lack of shopping Jacques and I managed to cobble together a meal of pasta and other lovely things! We also managed to demolish a large quantity of delicious Rosé wine! It was a really wonderful evening.
Unfortunately my head was banging the next day. I’ve got used to not really drinking on my travels. So a wine hangover is brutal. 😩
Tracey & Jacques old friend George came to visit in the morning, he lives on a fabulous farm near Athens. It was lovely to meet him.
We then all got an Uber into Athens.
The last time I was in Athens was approximately 40 years ago. 😬
It is a beautiful city.
After a much needed Gyros Pitta we walked from Monastiraki Square up to the Acropolis. It was a beautiful walk, past fabulous ruins with glorious views.
We opted to not go into the Acropolis, as Tracey & Jacques have been before, and my hangover wasn’t really feeling it!
We walked some more, stopped for an iced tea while Grantley & Jacques clambered over some rocks 😀
Then more exploring around the Plaka area, windy streets, shops, views, ruins. Absolutely gorgeous.
We were meeting up with Sandra & Chris in a great rooftop cocktail bar, with fantastic views.
Having managed to find the hidden entrance, we got a perfect table with awesome views. The cocktails were also delicious. Having sworn off ever drinking again, I somehow managed to drink 2 cocktails 😂
It was incredible sharing cocktails and the stunning views with everyone.
We walked from there to a restaurant that George had recommended, Seychelle. Unfortunately when we arrived they said they were full. There were however some empty tables outside, so Sandra asked if we could sit there, they were a little surprised, as by now it was quite windy and pretty chilly! However they were so accommodating, the lovely waitress risked life and limb climbing up to light the heater, then went and fetched another heater from storage for us. I’m so glad we stayed as the food was amazing. We shared lots of amazing home cooked traditional Greek dishes, which included Oz tounge, meatballs, mutton patties, hotipitta, tzatziki, the most delicious gnocchi, Mussels, fries, fennel sausage with fava beans, a veritable feast.
It was one of the best meals I’ve had in Greece.
After dinner, we all grabbed Ubers and headed home.
We arrived back at the boat, cold, tired but relaxed and happy after a fantastic day.
We all went straight to bed and I could not have been happier to be lying snuggled in my bed!
This happiness was short lived. After about 10 – 15 mins I could hear noises that were not normal, the wind by this point was pretty fierce.
I then heard movement and voices up on deck, I got up to see what was happening.
The 2 front mooring lines that secured the boat had snapped and the boat was not secure. The wind was high and we were in danger of damaging Mossy Joe and also the other boats surrounding us!
This was a serious situation. Jacques and Grantley were busy trying to sort out something to secure the boat but the mooring line we had rescued was to short to tie off, we needed more hands, strong hands. Tracey was on the VHF radio asking if there was anyone in the marina who could help, no reply. The agent who booked the mooring said she would send someone to help but it would be over an hour! The marina staff were also less than helpful. Meanwhile Jacques and Grantley are running around desperately trying to keep the boat safe and Jerry rig some secure lines. Eventually thanks to Jacques ingenuity and knowledge and Grantleys brute strength they managed to get the boat stable and safe. But if the wind kept up, this solution might not hold.
At this point some guys from the marina appeared, they explained that they were security staff and knew nothing about boats! Helpful, not! Then the guy sent by the agent turned up, also not very helpful just said someone would come by at 8.30 in the morning. It was now around 1.30!
I was not the most helpful member of the crew although I did make great tea and stayed calm and positive. 🥰
Eventually it was decided that Grantley & Tracey would go to bed, as some of us should get some sleep. Jacques and I stayed up until 3 – 3.30 am when the wind dropped and stabilised and Jacques felt it was safe for us to go to bed as well. Needless to say none of us actually slept.
By the morning the wind was calmer and the lines had held. Quite the drama. 😬😳
I was so impressed with how calm everyone was and how
Jacques managed to avert a disaster, life on a boat is never dull. 😍
Grantley and I decided to head back into Athens and see the Acropolis.
Initially I was sooo tired, but being back in Athens amongst all the history soon perks you up. First we visited the Temple of Olympian Zeus, which was interesting, a little annoying that we paid €20 to see what we could have seen from outside, but hey Ho. Then we walked back towards the Plaka and up to the Acropolis.
The Acropolis and Parthenon were utterly amazing, it’s so much bigger when you’re close up! What a fabulous feat of civil engineering to build these magnificent structures atop a huge hill, over 2500 years ago. It was remarkable.
Unfortunately our visit took longer than I’d anticipated so we were unable to meet up with Sandra and Chris again before they left Athens. But good to know I’ll be seeing them again very soon.
We had a dinner of nibbles and bits & bobs on board as everyone was exhausted from the previous nights drama, then it was time for sleep! 💤😴🥰
Grantley went back into Athens on Wednesday for more exploring, I stayed on the boat to catch up on writing this blog and emails etc. I’m sure Grantley was pleased to be on his own as he can get around to see more when he’s not having to cart me with him.
I had a fabulous lazy day mooching around the marina, drinking hot chocolate and having a nice lunch with Tracey. Grantley enjoyed doing his 30,000 steps around Athens, Win, Win! 😂
Grantley and I had planned to go into Athens again on Thursday to visit some more sites and some museums, however we forgot it was Labour Day so everything was closed! 🤦♀️ We went in anyway and mingled with all the Labour Day celebrations/marchers which was fun. Then I had a walk around soaking up the sites and sounds and Grantley climbed a big hill! 😂😂 Weirdly we had arranged to meet up at 2pm in Monastiraki Square but I was sitting in a little Cafe in the Plaka writing my blog (it takes a while!) when I just glanced up and spotted Grantley. He’d finished hiking up the hill early and come to find me. I’m amazed I spotted him. 😀
We stayed in the cafe and enjoyed some baked feta and then we left in a hurry having stolen the Ouzo glass! 😬😂 (we left a big tip!) it was for Grantley. TBF, the glass was branded and probably given to the cafe by the ouzo company.
We spent Grantley’s last evening on the boat enjoying some meatballs and a little drink!
Grantley left for home this morning (Friday) I have absolutely loved spending this time with him, he is a wonderful travel companion, knowledgeable, helpful, considerate and great company.
He has also loved being on Mossy Joe and has proved himself to be a good choice for crew on the Ark Atlantic crossing that Mossy Joe is taking part in later this year!
Thank you to Tracey & Jacques for giving him this fabulous opportunity.
I was sad to see him go, but I will be seeing him again very soon.
Tracey, Jacques and I are now on our way to the pass through the Corinth Canal and the next stage of the trip!
That’s it for now.
Have a fabulous Bank Holiday weekend everyone, I hope the sun shines for you.🧡❤️🧡❤️
Books read.
The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris. Evie Woods. A charming little story, the perfect read after the my last epic book.
Hereandthereclaire.com 