Yacht Pania

Having recharged our batteries in Umbria we moved next door to Tuscany on the 5^th July. We had booked ourselves a week at the Agriturismo Diacceroni near Volterra. The farm was beautifully nestled in the rolling Tuscan hills and was in the middle of nowhere. Volterra was the closest place for shops and took about 25 minutes in the car. So, we stocked up on provisions and spent a few lazy days soaking up the sun by the pool, hunting for lizards and meeting some great people from all over Europe. The boys met up with Sophie, Casper and Fredrick from Denmark and spent much of the time hanging out with them. It wasn't all lazing around though and we spent a day in Volterra, a typically impressive Tuscan hill town. The boys liked the torture museum, but it made Maxine feel sick and she had to come out. It was quite gruesome.

The following day we left Jasper at the farm and drove to Pisa. We went into full tourist mode, reserved our place for the walk up the tower and wandered round the Duomo and museum. After our 2 hour wait we walked the spiral staircase to the top of the tower. It's a strange sensation with the steps on one side feeling slightly too steep and the ones on the other side feeling slightly too shallow. It's only five degree lean but it does make a big difference! The view from the top was impressive although outside of the piazza containing the Duomo and the tower, there's not a lot else to Pisa. It makes you wonder what the place would be like if the tower hadn't tilted. It certainly wouldn't be as busy and the stalls selling plastic towers and other junk also wouldn't be there. Still, the buildings are magnificent and make a worthwhile half day out.

We spent the following day around the pool and the farm so that the boys could recover from the trials of sightseeing in readiness for visiting Florence the day after. We got on the road nice and early so as to maximise our time when we got there, but unfortunately got lost on the way (Italian signage not the best, honest) and then drove in and out of Florence three times trying to park. So, three hours after leaving the farm we managed to park up in the Piazza Michelangelo (where the larger statue of David stands) and take in the spectacular view across the rooftops and along the river to the Ponte Vecchio. We had Jasper with us on another leg of his Canine Grand Tour and couldn't go inside many places so we spent the day walking the streets, breathing in the Renaissance, looking up at the architecture and eating gelato (not necessarily at the same time). We also hopped on a tour bus to get some commentary to go with it. It was a long day and by the end the boys were over-Renaissanced, but at least they know that Michelangelo wasn't a mutant ninja turtle. We drove back in half the time it took to get there and flaked out at the farm.

After another day of rest we packed up, said our goodbyes to all the families we had met and left the farm. We had a long drive north and east to get to Venice and by mid afternoon we had abandoned the car and jumped onto a vaporetto down the Grand Canal to get to the Hotel Saturnia. The hotel was fine, just a few minutes from St Marks and was priced accordingly (oh dear!). Still, it was a comfortable base and they were happy for Jasper to tag along.

We spent the next three days in Venice and totally loved it, certainly our favourite city of the whole trip. If it wasn't for the tourists it would be perfect (!) Still, if there were no tourists it would spoil the game of spot-the-Venetian. We did all the essential sights and sounds – St. Marks, Grand Canal, Bridge of Sighs, Rialto Bridge had an evening meal by the side of a canal and we all (including Jasper) went on a brief and expensive gondola ride. The best thing about Venice though was just wandering the streets and seeing what we could find. Not a bad view anywhere and the hustle and bustle of water taxis, vaporetti, gondolas and other assorted boats makes for an unforgettable experience. It was also good to be back on and near the water after a few landlocked days. So, having parted with a well spent fortune, we jumped on the return vaporetto to the car park and drove out of Venice promising to return.

We left Venice on the 15^th July, suitably dressed in our shorts and t-shirts for the 29 degrees of heat. Just three hours later we were high in the Tyrol in northern Italy and it was 7 degrees, cloudy with the occasional spot of rain. For the first time in ages we were too cold. Maxine was starting to worry because we were heading into the mountains with no waterproofs and only one sweatshirt each. Hopefully it would warm up.

We headed through the Dolomites and stayed in the pretty alpine village of Castelrotto It couldn't have been more of a contrast to our morning in Venice if we had landed on the moon. We could see snow on the peaks, see people taking precipitous chairlifts into the mountains, hear cowbells nearby and everyone speaking German.

We stayed in an alpine dairy farm on the edge of Castelrotto. They made us all very welcome and supplied a great breakfast each morning. Thankfully on the second day we awoke to brilliant blue skies and warm air. The main reason for us coming here was to walk around the Alpe de Siusi which is the highest Alpine meadow in Europe so we all jumped on the shuttle bus and headed up to Compatsch in the hills. The scenery was an impressive bowl rimmed with high and snowy mountains with Marmolada (highest peak) at 3342 metres to the north and Val Gardena (for all you Ski Sunday fans) to the east. The air was clean and the walking was relatively easy (we didn't have much equipment with us so a 3000m ridge walk wasn't really on). After a good stroll through the meadow we headed back to Compatsch and took the cable car back down the mountain side to the farm. We spent the evening eating out on a restaurant terrace overlooking the hills we'd been walking on and had an early night ready for a long drive in the morning.

We had already planned that we would spend the last week of our trip by travelling across France to stay with our friends Ruth, Paul, Sophie, Beth and Joe. We've all had many holidays together and we were all looking forward to seeing them and having a real "holiday" before we returned home. Better still, although we'd said we would try, we'd not made any firm plans in case we couldn't make it and so Ruth, Paul and the kids weren't sure we would be coming. So, Edward and Alexander had been over excited for days wanting to surprise Sophie, Beth and Joe when we arrived. The run from Castelrotto to Les Moutier in southern Brittany is 850 miles and takes you through Italy, Austria,Switzerland and across France. We managed it in two days with an overnight stop near Dijon. We arrived at the campsite mid-afternoon. Ruth and Paul were out! So we checked into our holiday home and waited for them to return. Needless to say we had a great reunion and we've spent the last week in true French holiday style, eating and drinking and not much else. The kids have had a fantastic time swimming in the pool and generally terrorising the campsite. We leave tomorrow, but there could have been no better way to end the year.

Tomorrow we head for Belgium and then back to Calais for the ferry home. Watch this space for the final blog entry.

The day dawned bright and clear, the day when we would remove the last of our belongings and say goodbye to 'Pania', our home for the last 11 months. The days leading up to our leaving day had been frenetic with packing, cleaning, arranging maintenance jobs and more importantly making sure Pania looked her best for her first sale viewing. Everybody worked incredibly hard to make everything happen on time, we got everything off the boat and surprisingly it fitted in the car but by far the best news of the day was agreeing a sale on Pania! After a last walk around the decks we left and set off for Igoumenitsa, where we caught the overnight ferry to Ancona, Italy, no night watch this time, sitting back enjoying a drink and watching the waves. It was however difficult to switch off, "What would you say the current sea state is Steve?" "We've never been this fast before even will 28 knots of wind behind us!" It was a nice change for us all to go to bed at the same time on a night crossing!

We arrived in Ancona refreshed and looking forward to a change of scenery, we had a pleasant drive through Umbria to Castiglione Del Lago where we are now staying for a few days. The boys have thoroughly enjoyed having the space to run around and do what they want to do, favourite activities include swimming, table tennis, football and going to the park, it's so nice to see them having the freedom to choose and then go off and amuse themselves. A trip to Cortona fulfilled Maxine's wish, having read Frances Mayes 'Under the Tuscan Sun' she was eager to visit to see if the place was really as nice as the book claimed, we all agreed that the town was delightful and enjoyed wandering the streets rounded off nicely by some fantastic pizzas for lunch. On our return Edward and Steve took part in the football tournament which was taking place, they played five games but unfortunately missed out on a place in the final by one goal, never mind boy's better luck next time!

Tomorrow we are going to the farm in Tuscany where we will be staying for a week; we are really looking forward to this as it promises to be relaxing, swimming pool, nice walks for Jasper, beautiful scenery etc. Whilst there we are going to be well placed for both Florence and Pisa so look out for the cheesy tourist pictures of the leaning tower and other "must photograph" sights.

Goodbye Pania and thanks for a comfortable, safe and unforgettable year.

On leaving Lefkas we headed for Paxos, a very small island just south of Corfu where we planned to spend the week before collecting Grandma and Grandpa. Our first stop was at Mongonisi, a beautiful bay with crystal waters and the only sandy beach on the whole island. Our days here were spent swimming, fishing, playing 'save the citizen' a game which involves throwing the fenders overboard then jumping in to rescue them!

Next stop was Gaios, the main town which was so busy with tripper boats that we gave it a miss and headed for Lakka. Once again a beautiful bay with a small village which was delightful, the boys thought it was perfect because there was a small bar serving 'English' breakfasts which were fantastic. Steve hired us a car one day, although I say car it was more like a trendy golf buggy, the plan was to tour the island, however once we had all piled in the clouds starting gathering and the heavens opened. We stopped at Gaios and sat the weather out in a cafe with a very soggy dog and soaked clothes, we didn't have to wait long until the sun came out and we set off once more, enjoying a walk and picnic in the woods.

Next port of call was Petriti on Corfu, a small undeveloped fishing village on the east coast. One of the local tavernas had a swimming pool which you could use if you had a drink, so the three days waiting for Grandma were spent by the pool, a refreshing change from all the sea water swimming. Friday couldn't come soon enough for the boys, Grandma and Grandpa landed safely and our first evening together onboard was lovely. We left Petriti and made our way back to Paxos, after all this time travelling and seeing so many places Paxos rates as one of our favourite islands. Whilst in Lakka there was an open air concert which was literally just on the shore in front of us in the grounds of the village hall, it was a lovely evening, glass in hand listening to the music, perfect. Our days with Mum and Dad were very relaxing, catching up on news, swimming, nice walks, some fantastic meals and a little bit of retail therapy. Friday saw us leave Gaios, and Mum and Dad transferring from Paxos to Corfu by sea plane, alright for some!

The journey back to Lefkas was our last sail onboard 'Pania' and we were duly rewarded with a pod of dolphins on the bow, our first sighting of dolphins in the Ionian this year!

So here I am in Lefkas marina, Steve and the boys flew back to the UK on Sunday for two reasons, one to collect our new car so we can get home and secondly for Alexander to go to his open evening at his new school where he will meet his teacher and class mates, Edward just went along for the ride! As you can imagine both boys were as high as kites when they left.

Pania is now up for sale with a broker and I am busy trying to condense a years' worth of shells, rocks, sticks, and other junk oops I mean treasure into boxes and bags which will fit in the car. Don't think that our journey ends here though, we are aiming to leave Greece around the 2^nd July and are going to stay on an organic farm in the middle of Tuscany for a while, then onto Switzerland, Belgium and France, arriving back in the UK on the 29^th July.

Keep checking back as we will continue to write our story as we travel from our onboard home to our land based home.

Well it's been a while so here goes............

Since leaving Epidavros and working our way west towards the Ionian we have once again experienced the diversity that sailing in Greece offers from choppy seas and high winds to calm crystal waters in beautiful anchorages, small villages that time seems to have passed by and the hustle and bustle of busy town quays.

Early May saw us saying goodbye to the Aegean and going back through the Corinth Canal the only boat this time so no pressure from the canal crew to "Go faster Captain", we pushed on through the Gulf of Patras partly due to 'having been there before' syndrome, we stopped briefly at Galaxadhi, a pleasant town with a great maritime museum and then Missalonghi a small town at the end of a very long canal surrounded by saltwater marshes. With Cephalonia in our sights we continued, this journey wasn't the best high winds and rough seas making us thankful when we finally came into Poros, a fantastic meal in the taverna overlooking the harbour restored everyone's nerves!

The weather forecast for going round the coast to Argostoli was good so we set off, only to change course to Zakinthos two hours later due to the wind changing direction, increasing and gusting to 25 knots plus. We arrived in Ay Nikolas, a small village with a very shallow quayside, exhausted and ready for a quiet night but the weather had other ideas, in the course of an hour the wind had changed direction again so what was a sheltered harbour became untenable, we finally gave up the battle of trying to stay safe on the quayside at 4am and anchored in the bay, this lasted briefly and first light saw us riding the waves heading back to Cephalonia. Arriving in Argostoli was great not only did we have a safe berth at last but we also had a beautiful villa that we had booked for a week's 'holiday'. Thanks to Jan, Steve & Ron (www.villamargaretrose.co.uk) we had a week of pure heaven filled with endless baths, no washing up, no hand washing and best of all for the boys a dart board, pool table and swimming pool! We did manage to drag ourselves away occasionally; visiting the old village and ruins of Skala which was completely destroyed in the 1953 earthquake, eating 'Pukka Pies' for lunch and then buying extra for dinner that night! Going to Sami to see the QEII come into port, and the Arcadia into Argostoli, as Steve maintains "there's always a bigger boat!"

After leaving the villa we stayed for a few more days in Argostoli, riding out high winds of 30 knots plus, thankfully this time we were completely safe and secure. Assos on the west coast was our next destination, a small but very beautiful village with amazingly clear water, lovely walks and good tavernas. Fiskardho came next a large village almost on the north tip of the island, we had been told how beautiful it was but very busy and expensive, and sure enough it was! We thought we would arrive early to ensure getting a berth but on the approach we counted seventeen other yachts, inside the harbour it was even busier with three flotillas being moored two deep on the pontoons, so the fenders went away the long lines came out and we anchored off, we were the first boat to do this but by the end of the day there were at least a dozen more! One of the boats to come alongside us had David & Tom onboard who offered to take the boys scuba diving, both the boys jumped at the chance and the next day saw them in the water, feeding the fish and swimming under the boat, an amazing experience for both of them, which then resulted in Steve and the boys signing up for an introduction to scuba diving course. Cedric and Yannick (www.fiskardodive.org) the instructors were brilliant, patient and knowledgeable which meant that all had a fantastic time and an amazing experience. So huge thanks to David and Tom for inspiring the boys!

We moved to the town quay for our last couple of days so we could get water etc, sitting on the town quay was nice watching the world go by, it was great for the boys because it was half term so there were lots of children around to chat, play and fish with. Fiskardho is very pretty and most of the buildings are original as it was untouched during the earthquakes of 1953, however the 'village' has been lost there are no longer the individual shops that there would have been, only the bakery remains, souvenir shops and extortionately expensive supermarkets. The restaurants were disappointing; a huge selection to choose from but few that offered value for money, The Lord Falcon (Thai) and Tselenti were the best both serving excellent food. This aside Fiskardho was definitely worth the visit and rounded off our tour of Cephalonia.

Vlikho came next, a landlocked anchorage on the island of Lefkas, very peaceful but very green water due to the weed! A quiet night with an excellent meal ashore , once again the boys enjoyed the company of children while we chatted with other holiday makers, we have all been so lucky to meet so many nice people along the way to share time with. Meganisi came next an island with a couple of small harbours but many anchorages, we spent an amazing three days at anchor enjoying the peace and quiet, swimming, bird watching, fish catching and snorkelling.

Island hopping again we are now back on Lefkas moored on the busy town quay in Lefkas town, we have come here to start to organise our return home, we are meeting with a boat broker, organizing a few maintenance jobs on the boat and dropping off the majority of our belongings that are being shipped back to the UK. We aim to be out of here by Thursday ready to sail north for Corfu ready to meet Mum and Dad on the 13^th, Alexander and Edward are very excited about Grandma and Grandpa visiting especially the 'English' treats that they have requested!