Day 2: Paris - Hotoussa

 

Village House, Hotoussa

24 December 2025

I woke up this morning feeling tired and a bit under the weather - and ready to never travel again - but felt marvellously restored after a cup of coffee and a croissant. (I was probably suffering from caffeine withdrawal).

We caught a 9am flight to Athens, which was very straightforward. Travelling between European countries is so easy - just like a domestic flight. 

At Athens Airport we picked up a car and then set off for the village. After driving for 10 minutes, it started raining - absolutely bucketing down - and the rain kept on for practically the whole trip. The two hour journey ended up taking over three hours, because of traffic jams and the rain. Luckily, we were in no hurry, but it was a bit frustrating.

We realised we weren't going to reach the village until dark, so we stopped at a nearby town (Tripoli) to have dinner, as the only food we'd had since breakfast was a very small sandwich on the plane. The dinner was good solid Greek food - wild greens with oil & lemon, white beans in a tomato sauce, a beef stew with onions and a pork stew with peppers. All hearty and delicious. I'd forgotten how nice it is to go to a restaurant in Europe where they bring bread and water to the table without you having to ask.

Once we'd finished eating, we set off in the rain to the village. We first  drove down a wide road, then turned off on a lane, and then ended up on what can only be called a goat track. The village is up a mountain and the track wound past the front of houses (with only a few inches to spare). Then we turned up an even steeper section - which the car struggled to manage in the rain! (We slipped back a couple of times and had to rev the engine to make it.) I found it all a bit stressful in the dark and the wet grass, with a steep drop on one side of the path - but Jim didn't seem concerned!

We finally made it to the back of the house, lugged the bags up to the front door in the rain and made our way inside. We had to use torches to turn on the electricity and the hot water and the heaters, so it all seemed a bit bleak at first.  We discovered that a few insects had made their way inside while the house was locked up (including an actual scorpion half way up the wall!)

Jim has renovated the place really nicely and it soon warmed up, as the rooms are only small. We had to put sheets on the bed, unpack and get things settled before the water was hot enough for a shower. I'll take some photos tomorrow outside in the daylight but, for now, I've hopped into bed and am listening to the rain outside. There are no other noises at all. The village is deathly quiet. 

Tomorrow will be an odd kind of Christmas Day!