04-06.11 - Days 294-296 - Lusignac, FRA to Athens, GRE
Monday 4th November - Wednesday 6th November - Lusignac, France to Athens, Greece (Day 294-296)
Monday we head along the windy roads 20 minutes to Aubeterre where we visit L’eglise sur terre - underground church St Jean Dite Monolith. Over the course of many years some 800 years ago, a cavernous church was carved out of the limestone cliff.
We’re the only ones there, barring an American couple from Kentucky who were nervous about which way the US election will fall tomorrow. We climb up the narrow stairs carved yet further into the rock to view the church through the arched open windows from above. Something different for sure.
Tuesday, after visiting the Post Office to send back to Sydney some of the kids school books, it’s the same lunch we’ve (happily) had 5 days in a row; fresh baguette from any nearby boulangerie along with 3 cheeses, 2 hams, salami, cucumber, tomato, pepper (capsicum if you must) and unsalted butter.
As our time here draws to a close, it’s been a very relaxing 5 slow days down in the Dordoyne, a peaceful island toward the end of our European adventures before the final push through Greece, Cambodia and Thailand.
Wednesday morning, with mist settled over the valleys, we pack up our own gear, and lock up the house again for winter, saying farewell to Pauline and Alan. Our little Citroen C3 Aircross has a final tootle to Bordeaux airport. There is no long extended goodbye to the car, mainly because the lady waiting for us at the rental expected us at 10:30 am and we arrived at 11:45 am. She said she was going to leave without us at 12 noon. But thankfully we made it and it was an extremely quick shuttle by her in our car to the airport. Never in doubt.
And soon Easyjet (no issue with bag weights - although we are carrying a few extra kgs compared to when we left Sydney - bags and people) is whisking us away from familiar France, three hours over to Greece.
The first sight in Greece? A smoking glass panelled room for those who can’t wait the time it takes to get your luggage to appear on the carousel. Manolis, our taxi driver, takes us the 45 minutes to the centre of Athens in the yellow Skoda Octavia that seems to be the compulsory make for taxis.
Our apartment is accessed with keys from one of those airbnb-style-apartment giveaways; a small lock box affixed to the wall out front. With an hour lost in time zones it’s already 8 pm so the kids head to bed.
I just want to check if the Acropolis is still there so walk just a few minutes to Philopappos Hill to find a vantage point, though I don’t hang around as there are no lights in the park and no one else around.
