28th Jan - 8th Feb
We spent an extra day at Mycenae getting some bike tinkering done while it blowed a gale outside. Next day was warm and sunny (although still with a stiff headwind) and we set out northwards towards Corinth. Just after Corinth we crossed the Corinth Canal by a small crossing at its western end. The bridge was open when we arrived to let two ships through.
Next day climbed over a headland past this monastery. Snow on the tops of the mountains behind it!
At a spot called Loutra Yialtra, on Evia, near Loutra Ediphos, we tracked down a hot spring. This is of course the Holy Grail of unwashed cyclists so we spent a good hour wallowing in it. It was right by the sea so if we got too hot (the water was 45°C) we could hop into the waves to cool off.
In February, as we headed north and inland towards Meteora, we had several days of high pressure and it got pretty cold. Temperatures in the tent dropped to -3°C some nights and we were wearing most of our clothes during the day.
Here's Ju swaddled up against the cold, and a picture of ice crusted grasses where a leak in a water pipe had been spraying them. Bit of a change from the hot spring!
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