I slept outside in my hammock but needed to put on a T-Shirt around 03:00 as it felt cooler. I took the opportunity to put Skinny inside too.
There was plenty of moonlight for the first walk and I’d taken the precaution of kitting out the dogs with their collars so that we could go straight down to the river valley after the Promontory walk. There were a couple of cars and perhaps the odd FreeLoader however we didn’t fall over any so that’s the main thing. The moon was overhead giving a slightly surreal and eerie view over the sea and the mountains.
From the Promontory we walked via the track parallel to Alonáki Beach to the beginning of the dried-up river bed. There we followed its course for a little bit but diverted to a pathway to avoid the hole created by the excavator. Once across the road, I can start to release the dogs once passed the house next to the river. We were there soon after 06:00 and the occupants were already moving around making their coffee etc.
Having navigated past the viscous guard dog and the decomposing goat, I released Luis and Fido retaining Obi and Skinny on the lead. It was cooler so our progress was brisker and we were soon at the turn around point. We went on a little further just for the sake of it. I think the dogs were probably game to continue another km or so but I wasn’t going back to snooze like they were, I had other fish to fry.
We picked up the usual mud so took the opportunity to go for a quick dip on the way back along the beach. I put Fido and Luis back on the lead as we approached the end of the beach as Fido caught deafness yesterday and decided to extend the walk a little further up the beach until I mentioned it might be good to go back to the camping.
I walked down to the beach to find Maria who’d just finished her swim and was on her way up to reception to start her duty. We chatted briefly and I mentioned the dogs and I’d already walked nearly 10km and it was only 07:45! I swam around for a little with only one or two other swimmers I could see. I didn’t go very far as I wanted to go for a bike ride.
I took a hosepipe shower then jumped on my bike for a quick ride to Krios. It was still cooler so I had more energy for the hills than recently. It’s surprising just how much a few degrees of temperature and humidity change the way you feel.
Gregor, Bella and Boy were under a tree. I explained I’d been shopping a couple of times and that it was too hot at the weekend for cycling so I’d been swimming instead. We were talking about the upcoming fig season so Gregor shared a story with me. Many years ago, he was down near Matala for the grape harvest but had arrived a couple of weeks too early. He had no money, which was why he come for the harvest, so the only food he could find was figs! He said his life was very regular for a while!
I set off back to the camping to feed myself and let out the dogs who were awaiting my return. Isabella was at the main gate and Charlie was at the SDC gate. The others were inside.
I got my breakfast ready and then fed the dogs. The previous evening I’d filled up the green plastic bin used to store the biscuits. There wasn’t enough space so the top didn’t fit properly anyway. Skinny, in his excitement to receive food, accidentally pushed over the plastic bin sending doggy biscuits all over the place. I picked up the majority and left Fido and Luis to eat the remainder. Skinny insisted on having his out of a bowl!
Having eaten breakfast, I slipped into a sound sleep to recuperate from the 10km walk, sea swim and 10km bike ride. The dogs were fairly tired too so there was a bit of sleeping going on. The weather was perfect for it as it wasn’t too hot or windy. The humidity has averaged around 62% so I’m a bit sticky again.
Only a couple of support calls so the day has been one of contemplation and reading the newspapers and very little else. I did exercise quite a bit at the beginning of the day and the weather has been conducive to inactivity.
I watched The Crown which dealt with the demise of Edward VIII in France on 28 May 1972, and his relationship with Charles, Prince of Wales. Like his brother George VI, he was also a heavy smoker and cancer of the throat took him a month before his 78th birthday. He outlasted his brother who died of lung cancer at age fifty-six.
This evening I shall dine on potatoes, vlita, tomatoes and other salad items including possibly some large, black olives from Kalamata*.
*Kalamata is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula, after Patras, in southern Greece and the largest city of the homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia regional unit, it lies along the Nedon River at the head of the Messenian Gulf. (Wikipedia)
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