Saturday 16 June: Kalamata to home

Breakfast at our rather unglamorous Hibiscus Hotel before setting off on our unladen bikes to the historic part of Kalamata. There is a cycle lane most of the way and we arrive in the old back streets with quaint shops selling hats, leather shoes and exotic blends of hand roasted coffee. We explore the massive market with is humming. Row upon row of vegetable and fruit sellers as well as a very impressive fresh fish section. We are only able to carry dried oregano. An authentic Fredo Espresso in the square by an ancient Byzantine Church. The weather is unsettled and there are occasional drops of rain and stormy clouds are threatening. Unperturbed we cycle to the beach and have our last dip in the Ionian Sea before a Greek salad and some rustic rose wine. We cycle to the airport for 5pm and manage to get our bikes through security. Only a little delayed and we manage to leave Heathrow by 10pm local time. Unfortunately this feels more like midnight so by the time we are home it feels like 3am. Simon does well to stay awake but at least the motorway is empty. Home to reminisce.