The Adventure has started!!

On Monday 13 June, which was a public holiday in Greece, a small group of the early arrivers (Cynthia, Margaret, Marli, Kevin, Anne, Grant) decided to join Jane, Jan and Dick to make the most of the mild weather - it has even poured with rain! - and walk up to Lykavettos Hill, which is one of the magnificent sites we can see from the roof top bar of our hotel, the Royal Olympic.

As we walked through Syntagma/Constitution Square, which has been taken over by peaceful protesters demonstrating against the extreme measures the Greek government has been forced to inflict upon its people due to the country's financial crisis, the group was lucky to see the two Evzones guards change places. The Evzones were still in their winter uniform which is the traditional one where they wear the 'foustanella' or skirt and the shoes with the pom-poms - the very next day they had changed into their more conservative summer uniform.

Marli and Cynthia arriving at the top of one of the many stair cases leading up to Mt Lykavettos

Special mention has to be made of the fact that Marli, Kevin and Margaret had just arrived from Australia and were still in their winter clothes, as they had not yet been able to check into their rooms.

After the changing of the guards, Margaret decided to leave the group as she was a little hot and tired, but the rest of the group gallantly trekked up the steps to the bottom of the Lykavettos hill - we likened it to trekking to the base-camp of Everest! Once we had reached base-camp, Cynthia and Dick wimped out and opted for the finicular railway which takes you to the top of the hill. However, the real troupers kept on and with the masterly skills of the map-master (Grant) we found the path and wended our weary way up the hill and finally made it to the top, where we were rewarded by the most magnificent 360 degree view of all Athens.

And who should we find sipping a Mythos (local beer) or two but Cynthia, Dick, Geoff and Judy and Malcolm and Judy who had independently found their way up the hill as well - Geoff maintained that he had run up the 277 metre hill, but the rest of us found that difficult to believe!

Amazing who you bump into on top of Mt Lykavettos

Anne, Grant and Jan decided to complete the task and walk down the hill as well, the rest of the pikers took the finicular railway down the hill.

We are going to have an awards night at the end of the trip and Marli and Kevin will be put on the list - for tackling the hill having just got off the plane, but Anne and Grant will also be on the list for walking up and down the hill. Jan doesn't count because she doesn't like finicular railways and would have walked twice the distance rather than take that option!!

Further photos of the trek can be seen in the gallery of photos - still a work in progress.  If there is anyone who knows if there is an easy way to add slideshows to a blog, please email me on panners@iinet.net.au,