Olives

Should you ever find yourself in Jerusalem, which I would recommend, but not on this trip, up on the Mount of Olives are the Gardens of Gethsemane. In the gardens, unsurprisingly, are a number of olive trees, twisted and gnarled and misshapen but definitely olive trees. As the local guides will tell you, some of these olive trees are over 2000 years old. That takes you back to the time of Brian of Nazareth and when Messers Iscariot and Christ had their falling out. 

I like olives. Not sure why, they are just salty berries after all. They remind me of sunshine and Mediterranean destinations. As we pulled out of Bansko I was looking out for olive groves as the countryside changed from lush green to something a bit more arid. I figured that the appearance of olive trees would really show that we were entering Greece. Well, that or a big sign saying 'Welcome to Greece'. 

These borders are definitely getting more formal. Going back a few countries, the borders consisted of nothing more than a sign by the side of the road that we shot past without slowing. Here though we found barriers, vehicle lanes and a female border guard who looked like Jimmy Krankie wearing a Kevin Keegan wig. She smiled as she waved us out of Bulgaria. I wish she hadn't, she looked like she had bitten on some foil. 

The Greek border guard insisted on seeing the registration document for Jezebel. Come on, do you really think we would steal something without a properly attached roof ? We got past him though and ploughed on south. Fields of sunflowers littered the landscape as we dropped out of the hills on to the plains. 

There were also olive groves, however I was driving and Eileen was taking the photos and it seems he prefers sunflowers to olive groves. 

We finally found the sea. The first glimpse of the sea since Calais all those days ago. This looked much more inviting so we pulled over for a paddle. 

We had the beach to ourselves, apart from a brown, withered looking naked chap. Oh good, our first Greek beach and its a nudist beach. I hadn't put suncream on my gentleman's regions, so we satisfied ourselves with a quick paddle and scarpered. 

Bansko last night just wasn't how I remembered it. I've been there out of the skiing season in November 2006. It was a lively, vibrant place with many bars and restaurants, live music and crowds of people. We were wandering the streets at 11pm looking for somewhere to celebrate Eileen's birthday but failed miserably. Everything was shut. I don't know if it was the time of year or the collapsed economy of the town but it certainly gave the dismal impression of a ghost town. Apartment prices have fallen through the floor since the massive building programmes of 5-10 years ago. This might also explain the ridiculously cheap hotel accomodation that the teams were finding. 35 euros for a double room in a 4 star hotel with several swimming pools, spa, sauna, breakfast, yoga and climbing walls. Marc got dragged off for an hour of yoga by Vicky and was walking around in the evening like he was auditioning for the part of Richard III. Still, it must be good for you. 

Team Milly were last in, having solved some sheared bolt issues in Ruse. The Swedes have taken a break from the tour for a few days to sort out Anna's back problem but are hoping to link up again in a few days. 

The Newlyweds have a dodgy differential that they are nursing. Doris is suffering a bit in the heat but is soldiering on. The windows on Trigger now go up and down correctly. As for Jezebel, the trim inside the cab is still dropping down frequently and really needs gluing but until we find a dry country that won't serve us beer as soon as we stop, I really can't see it happening. 

God I need a cold drink and some olives.