Yesterday we began a family trip to Greece that was three years in the making: cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic; cancelled in 2021 due to Miss M’s torn ACL. And since things happen in threes we decided to break the curse and do Italy last year, so now it’s finally time for the original itinerary.

After a quick stopover in Frankfurt for 8am pretzels, schnitzel sandwiches and a few beers, we flew to Greece.

First stop on the mainland was the Corinth Canal where we refueled on espressos, a mortadella sandwich for D and a slice of pizza for Paul and I.

First impressions of mainland greece: reminds me of southern Italy: stucco homes with terra cotta roofs, farms, lots of olive trees, the occasional tiny town, dilapidated buildings and elderly people sitting in the shade watching the world go by.

By 6:30 we arrived at our first of six destinations on this trip: Olympia. As the sun set, Paul and D took a dip in the hotel pool while swarms of birds kept nose diving into the water.

Dinner at Taverna Orestis: a basket of thick sliced bread toasted with olive oil, salt and pepper with a Kalamata olive spread. We ordered saganaki (Greek mozz sticks) to start, a large Greek salad with a slab of feta for me, a platter of assorted grilled meats for the boys, and three pieces of halva for dessert which isn’t as sweet as Armenian halva. We polished off everything!