It’s been hot here along the coast of the Peloponnese. Basically, if the wind blows from the north during the summer months, it keeps the temperature in the low 30s, which is manageable. But if it blows from the south, through the mouth of the Argolic Gulf, up from the Sahara, it pushes the needle into the low 40s. After late morning, everyone disappears indoors and only reemerges once the sun has set. Still, it’s interesting how life just continues—no complaints, just quiet acceptance.
For our part, we’re still enjoying our early morning routine, followed by a late-morning trip to the Évita Beach Club for a couple of coffees under the shade of the trees, looking out across the gulf toward the other side of the Peloponnese and chatting with the locals.
We slipped into the rhythm of Xiropigado very easily. If we weren’t still committed to our nomadic lifestyle, we could have quite happily stayed. But as they say, all good things come to an end. After saying our goodbyes to all the wonderful people we’ve met here, we set off the next morning for Athens to catch our flight back to London, only to discover it was delayed by five hours. (We could have had that final swim after all!)
Arriving late threw us out of step for a few days, but with most of the UK enjoying a rare stretch of unbroken sunshine, everyone seemed in good spirits. Soon enough, we were back to our walks along the banks of the River Ouse, exchanging good mornings with familiar faces. One afternoon included a walk around the interesting Hinchingbrooke House, of Oliver Cromwell fame now, somewhat surprisingly, a state school.
After one failed attempt, we finally managed to plan a weekend in Cambridge with Rachel and Keith. With the weather set fair, we made our way to the city for a mid-afternoon rendezvous. Once the cars were parked and our bags dropped off at the weekend’s accommodation, we set off exploring, catching up as we walked along the River Cam.
The best way to take in the beautiful schools and colleges is by boat, so we hired a punter. Cambridge dates back to the 9th century, though the University of Cambridge, the first of its academic buildings wasn’t established until 1209 by a group of scholars. The stretch of river that backs onto the colleges is less than a mile, but it’s packed with one architectural masterpiece after another, with only a few modern intrusions.
We opted for an early dinner at the rather excellent Mercado Central, which we all thoroughly enjoyed.
The next day, after Keith and Rachel completed an early 5K parkrun (having failed to convince us to join them!), we headed off for breakfast, which by the time we found it, was more like brunch. Still, it was well worth the walk.
From there, like a small herd of goats, we spent the rest of the day roaming the city. Rachel and I have visited Cambridge a number of times, but this was the first time we truly wandered on foot, which really is the best way to appreciate it.
After a quick freshen-up, we headed out again for dinner, recounting the day’s exploits and all agreeing it had been a wonderful weekend.
Keith and Rachel left early the next morning, having further to travel, but Rachel and I decided on one last long walk along the river before heading home.
Dream Chasers 