Mykanos

Well we never actually landed. The trip over saw me confined to my bunk. (at least 5+Metre swells) The stabilisers went out eventually then in, then out....
When we got to Mykanos it was no surprise we were denied port entry, the port Authority said it was too rough to dock, and too dangerous to tender, so on to Kasadusi (Ephesus) in Turkey.

Athens again

Greece has paid it's debt and every one is happy.
The church bells have been pealing at 15 min intervals for a few hours now, easter is taken very seriously.

Athens2

Here rethink the poppies that seemed to get missed, all very appropriate for the time.

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Wild poppies

The view of the Parthenon is amazing from our rooftop, I may have the best view in Athens. 

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Here it was closer up

The Parthenon from half way up the hill. There is an amazing amount of story on this hill. It is where Paul preached to the Athenians. It is all being rrestored, currently under construction. 

Tonight is the night of holy Thursday,  tomorrow is good Friday here and Christianity is very apparent. Tomorrow there is a huge procession in the streets commemorating laying Jesus in the tomb. We will be off to the islands so will miss this in Athens,  but in the islands it is bigger as it includes a procession on the water.  It is positively balmy now having warmed up to 11 degrees, and the snow has gone.

Athens

 The food is great and not a supermarket in sight.

Here is the meat market and there is a similar fishmarket and wonderful dried foods also all very reasonable. Nothing costs a lot here, and is great quality. There are people everywhere and police everywhere particularly near the markets. Not sure if it is because of the crazy Athenian drivers or because things are tensing up here due to Greece defaulting on a payment of 448 m euro. The have claimed they are owed 500 b euro because of nazi war crimes against Greece. It's as good a tactic as any to delay I suppose. However for the average Greek it is a tense time waiting to see if they will remain with the euro. To return to the Drachma would be a real problem with banks and investors ( depositors ) taking a no1 haircut.

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The poppies are out as wild flowers really cool. And speaking of cool,  it was 5 degrees, and there was snow on the hills of Athens this morning,  not often I need 2 layers of merino and still feel cold.

How's this for some serious coffee?

Athens is so steeped in history, it's just everywhere you look. At the hill of the muses, the treasures from the acropolis and the Parthenon were hidden during the 2nd WW in Socrates prison.

The acropolis is an amazing place,  not only is it where the Parthenon is built, but there is also on the acropolis the place where Paul preached to the Athenians and many other historic events.

Here  is the Parthenon from half way up the acropolis. 

Takapuna sunrise

We are at Abu Dhabi airport following 4 hrs to Sydney and 15 hrs to Abu Dhabi.  Very warm, 23 at 6th and heating up fast. No picture because it is very hazy here. It is a real desert, no plants apart from cultivated ones. Abu Dhabi is right on the Gulf Coast,  and a huge airport. Fortunately I was helped to my next gate, from one aircraft to another. It would have been quite a challenge to find the next gate by myself. The last time I was in this part of the world the conveniences were a hole in the ground. Now they are western style,  a great relief. It is interesting to note some of the cultural differences, Islamic ladies are hugely helpful, especially if they perceive you need assistance.  I noted a prayer out of the Qu'ran before take off.

Masterton