Today. In which Deb and Bella Go On An Adventure.

An Easter Sunday filled with churches, donkeys and other essential Easter elements.

It was one of those days you get in Greece where you hatch a great plan...and the day doesn't turn out anything like the plan at all!

So the plan was to scoot down to beach called Isternia about 20 kms from us. The dawn dawned sunny and downright hot - I don't remember March being like this. So off I go....in shorts, as you do. First off, I think I maybe should get petrol, have half a tank and that might be enough but...anyway, its Sunday but I figure I can go past 3 petrol stations, one is bound to be open.

Wrong. So I decide to head off anyway and am sure I will pass a petrol station. After a few miles I am slightly losing my nerve and decide no, must have petrol. So I the get thoroughly lost trying to find a place called Steni which I know does have a petrol station and end up using all the petrol I do have to go round this blob of mountain in the middle of the island to get to Steni which was only about 4 miles from home....but it was open, and it was a nice day so no harm done. Off we go again. Toot toot.

Then I get distracted at a cross roads, and decide to go to a different beach called Romanos....so off I go....all very lovely, but all very shut..not a Greek salad nor a frappe to be had anywhere. So back onto Bella and toot toot off we go gain. almost back on the main road, I am again distracted by a some sort of church with lots of trees and all looking like it needs its photo taken. This was really a bit magical.....despite being catholic Easter Sunday I had the place entirely to myself...not a soul...except for some very nice nuns ad some cats, one of whom spoke perfect English ( a nun, not a cat!)and said I was very welcome to look round...pretty darn amazing and the views....more like Corfu than the Cyclades..it turns out this place is called the Shrine of Our Lady of Vrysi, and the most BEAUTIFUL church..........and I found out that every first Sunday in May, during a special celebration, drivers and their vehicles are blessed.

They must have spotted that Bella and I are not in the first flush of youth, and need all the help we can get.

Anyway, it was really quite special.......after that, it as off again toot toot, first avoiding a stray cow on the road, as you do. Down to Ktikados for a wander around and to take more arty-farty photos (HH would have been tearing his hair out by now...it was 4pm and I was still indulging in a masterclass of dithering. I had hoped the taverna with the big view might be open but it wasn't so having fed a few straggly cats, it was more toot toot. I had by then decided I would head for the coast and have lunch with seaside view...what could be nicer?

Only a few miles to go and feeling quite peckish by now, I round a corner to find.............a donkey ROLLING in the road.....its a good job I don't go fast!! So I thought oh heck...what to do, I must get him to move. So I stopped and went over, and he just upped and went and stood further up the road......right on a bend...I shoo'ed at him, and he went and stood in the bus stop! I'm still wondering what to do, when he gets back in the road.....and I can hear a car coming...so I run up he road, in the direction the car noise in coming from and flap my arms like a mad woman to get them to slow down which they did, giving me a thumbs up as they went past. Probably thinking I should bloody well take better care of my donkeys.

Then another guy came by and he stopped, told me this donkey was loose! I know this. And that he must not be on this road. This I also know. But then he says that I should wait as he makes a phone call. Then he says he has called the police and that I should wait and continue with my Donkey Road safety campaign till they arrive.

Donkey is watching this from a bank now, which he than fell off just as motorbike came round the corner, a proper one, not a Bella, I am afraid I just shrieked and hid my face, but thank goodness, donkey had righted himself and was ok, on the very edge of the road. After about 30 minutes, I am still there, and now donkey has gone back up the bank, and is now serenely grazing, looking back at me every few minutes, and moving ever more UP the hill. I decided at that point I was giving up..it could be a long wait.....so with a last cheery 'Bye Donk' a and a toot toot, off we go again. I thought that if I saw a police car I would do a u-turn and go and explain...lucky I know the word for donkey is gy-dooory. Although my favoured Greek phrase 'yes please, we'd like another kilo of wine please' WASN'T going to help much!

No police appeared so I trundled done to the cost at Kionia and had a very nice bit of 'lunch' at 5.20pm....some lemon water and 16 blueberries were all I'd had up to that point. Could have eaten the bloomin'donkey!

Having just had enough money to pay (I'd gone a bit mad it the church place and left them 5 euros) I settled the bill and toot toot, headed for home, taking the through town route.

Just after the centre what happens???? And you couldn't make it up....it's the police...so THIS is where they are!!!

For a mad moment I wondered if they were going to ask me where the donkey was and why had I not styed with him.

But they didn't. They asked me for my papers ( I only had my Uk provisional liscence, but the nice man seemed happy with that' and then I got told off for not wearing a helmet. The day couldn't really get any madder.

I was very lucky to just get a mild telling off.....last time this happened, on Paros, I tried speak to the police man in Greek, telling him I'd lived there for 2 years...turned out I had told him I was 2 years old!!!! This time I just did a lot of saying thank you and smiling and nodding.

Anyway, I was waved on my toot toot tootin' way and off I went...the only remarkable sight left to report being a veritable DFS of a road side, bin side sale as I pootled home.....ena i Ellada...ena i ZOE!!!

I think that is..This is Greece...this is LIFE!!

and it jolly well is!

TOOT BLOODY TOOT!!!!