On the way back

We left the Blue House feeling blue. We drove back via the Cokkinis Hotel near Megara and had the most lovely afternoon on the way, late lunch and early dinner, and although the room was not quite as amazing as on the way down, we had a sea view and it was very comfortable. We even managed breakfast before heading off to Athens, which took about an hour.

I wasn’t looking forward to the rush-hour traffic before our flight, and I was still not feeling quite comfortable about the car rental. Setting off for a midday flight, we would have to get the car back by 10 am. As expected, the traffic going around Athens was dreadful. We passed the Agip Theodori refinery and then the Aspropyrgos refinery, both reeking with diesel fumes. I have no idea what they were up to, refineries should never smell as bad as that. We also went past dozens of large lorries belching diesel fuel into the environment.

How different this felt to the previous evening. Watching the sun go down, listening to the waves, and enjoying the slow pace of the beach hotel was so soothing. Somehow, the words “I will arise and go now” spring to mind, even though the poem is about the Irish island of Innisfree, rather than anything Greek.  But it’s nice to have all this relatively nearby, and to feel that it’s only a few hour’s flight away.