The morning was fine when we got up at seven o’clock but soon turned to slight rain. After a while it stopped leaving a cloudy morning behind.
Before we could drive another mile, we had to try and get the engine working properly again, so we started first thing after breakfast. Cleaned the carb, changed the points and oiled the throttle cable. That may not seem much work, but it took several hours before we were finished. The engine seemed O.K so we carried on with a wash and shave and clean up, determined not to enter Athens looking scruffy. It’s not very easy, shaving out of a cup of water, but we managed it with no loss of blood.
All set to go at eleven o’clock. It soon became obvious that all our efforts with the engine were in vain for it was still giving trouble. We have no idea what the cause of it is. The engine seemed to act well enough on choke, so we drove on at all speed for Athens.
One distinct impression we gained on passing through the various towns and villages was that no one seemed in a hurry to do any work, which I feel is just what it should be. People just lazing around, sitting in the sun. After all, why is the sun there? Apart from crossing three mountain ranges in a morning, the trip was quite uneventful. After a while though, motoring in Greece tends to become rather boring due to the continual up, down, up, down of this extremely mountainous country. It is remarkable how the Greeks manage to eke out an existance in this rough terrain.
The towns fly by. Lamia, Levadia, Thebes, Elevsis until at last we reach Athens itself at 5.05 pm. precisely. Success never tasted so sweet!
The last few miles, the roads were bordered on both sides by olive groves – something else new to us. Unfortunately, we entered Athens by way of one of the poorer suburbs – a depressing experience. The depression soon lifted however, with our first view of the Acropolis which is all one ever imagines it to be. I may be suffering from delusions, but it seemed to me to have an almost supernatural air about it. Another thing, it looks much smaller than I had thought. But we will be better able to judge when we visit it in the morning.
The sun was setting by now and it was time to try and find a holiday village about five miles out of Athens where we might be able to camp. The camp was closed! However, the owner of a café was good enough to direct us to another camp site, not in English, but in German! My studies had paid off again!
We are now on a Site which is only about a hundred yards from the sea at the most in an olive grove, a beautiful position. A short distance away through the trees is a café. The owner is also the owner of the camp site. He speaks excellent English with an. American accent. We have just been in for a meal and a chat, and he has promised to give us an itinery of where to go in and around Athens. He was telling us that the government intends to build a kind of French Riviera all the way along the coast to Cape Sounion, the westernmost point in Greece. Apparently land prices have skyrocketed fifteen times their original value in only ten years. Worse than Jersey!
Now, after a good meal of steak and chips, plenty of tomatoes, bread and two pints of beer we are ready for some:-. Shuteye. See what tomorrow brings.
Speedo reading: 15860. 208 mls. (2316)