This morning at 09.40 finds me sitting by the harbour in Praeus, having just bought my ticket to Heraklion. If anything deserves a sit down and time to write in my notebook, then spending money for travel is right up there! The equivalent of £2 for a 12-hour trip. The only draw back is that … Continue reading Big Trip Day 57 – Piraeus towards Heraklion
Author: Derek Lee
I was born in Croydon, South London and eventually settled in Northamptonshire. After more than 30 years as a clinical psychologist in the NHS, my welcome retirement finds me dabbling in bits and pieces - e.g., writing, running, martial arts and photography.
Big Trip Day 56 – Mykines to Piraeus
A little leftover from yesterday - I finished reading Henry Miller's Colossus of Marousi and started Hemingway's Snows of Kilimanjaro that some guy gave me. So already this trip has also been a bit of a literary journey for me as well as a geographical and psychological one. I hit the road at 09.00 this … Continue reading Big Trip Day 56 – Mykines to Piraeus
Big Trip Day 55 – Mykines
Note: Day 55 refers to 5th June 1973. I am a day late in posting this in real time. The day began with a visit to the Treasury of Atreus (or Tomb of Agamemnon). These names were probably confected in the 18th century because the structure dates back to around 1300 BC, during the Aegean … Continue reading Big Trip Day 55 – Mykines
Big Trip Day 54 – Andretsaina to Mykine
This has been quite an eventful day. It began with my final breakfast with Liz and we said farewell on the street… Such is life; we drift towards each other and we drift away on the great tide of time, caught occasionally, and spun. I was feeling great as I walked along the mountain road, … Continue reading Big Trip Day 54 – Andretsaina to Mykine
Big Trip Day 53 – Olympia to Andretsaina
The day began with Liz and I hitching a ride to Pirgos in an open truck. We caught a bus from there to Krestena. We got two quick lifts in vans carrying milk churns between villages. I lost my sunglasses on the first ride due to the wind, but it was fun. We then picked … Continue reading Big Trip Day 53 – Olympia to Andretsaina
Big Trip Day 52 – Oh Olympia, my Olympia
This place is starting to grow on me, notwithstanding my failure to leave it. Today I toured the ruins again, this time with my new Australian friend Liz. Actually, the site starts to have more meaning this time round and starts to resonate with me. Not passing through it but passing with it. We saw … Continue reading Big Trip Day 52 – Oh Olympia, my Olympia
Big Trip Day 51 – Olympia
Emerged from my sleeping bag around 09.00 hrs. Spent a bit of time playing with the dog that was making all the noise last night. Doug had talked about The Hound of the Baskervilles, which was quite accurate given the ferocity of the barking. However, as is often the case, the dog was actually quite … Continue reading Big Trip Day 51 – Olympia
Big Trip Day 50 – Tripoli to Olympia
I picked up my first lift of the day after being on the road for an hour. It was a short lift in a van with a Greek poultry farmer who had an Australian accent. My notes record that 10 minutes later I got another lift from the same guy. No idea what happened! I … Continue reading Big Trip Day 50 – Tripoli to Olympia
Big Trip Day 49 – Athens to Tripoli
The day began with another of my valiant attempts to leave a town or city. In the end I caught a bus to Elfesis, a thirty minute ride to the north-west of the city. I soon picked up a lift in the rain on the back of a motorcycle that took me the couple of … Continue reading Big Trip Day 49 – Athens to Tripoli
Big Trip Day 48 – Athens again
Unusually, I did not record anything in my travelogue for this day - 29th May, 1973. The next entry in my diary was written on 1st June, but does make reference to what happened on 30th and 31st May. So, I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to write about today. The … Continue reading Big Trip Day 48 – Athens again
Psychologist on the Move 