#he also spent the weekend fishing with high explosives

[preposterousgreen]

Lazard: So, how did everyone spend their long weekend?

Angeal: Looting peasants’ houses right in front of them.

Genesis: Getting sworn at by twelve-year-olds.

Sephiroth: Fishing with high explosives.

Lazard:

Lazard: [to Zack] New game release?

Zack: Yep.

Zack: I couldn’t find my charger cable, though. :(

[atimburtonfan]

How Tim Burton influenced my life

I haven't posted very much on here in the past months so I tried to find the reason why and thus decided to write down how Tim Burton's films and art have influenced my life. I also like to divide his films into three distinct periods to explain how his works have changed over time and what might have been the catalyst behind this.

First period: 1982-1999/2000 These above mentioned years I like to classify as the first period of Tim Burton's films and fame. It started in 1982 with the production of his short animated film, Vincent. It was during this time that Tim Burton started to produce/direct films for a world wide audience and that he started to build up a name for himself.

The short films of Vincent, Frankenweenie and Hansel and Gretel are nowadays true Burton classics and show his distinctive style of art. The beginning of the 80's were basically the beginning of the imagery that nowadays people call Burtonesque. It's this period during which Tim Burton could truly be called an outcast in the film industry, making eclectic films that would captivate millions.

Each of the three periods is also defined by a woman and it was during the first period, 1992 to be exact, that Tim Burton and Lisa Marie met each other, they got engaged in the following year until the start of the second period which is defined by another female actress, the woman most people associate with the name Tim Burton.

In my opinion it was during this period that Tim Burton made his most personal and creative films, my all time favourite film was made during this period. It's clear that Tim Burton was able to express himself quite purely before he got influenced by the studio that once rejected him. Some of these personal and creative films include: Ed Wood, Mars Attacks, Beetle Juice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Pee-wee and his adaptations of the Batman films.

It was also during this period that I was born and introduced to his films at an early age. The first Tim Burton film that I have ever seen was Mars Attacks, an underrated comedy that I still love to watch these days. Even though I saw his films during the 1990's, I never really concerned myself with learning the names of directors or even be remotely interested in the background of them or recognize their distinctive art styles.

Second period: 2000-2012 These years are what I like to call the 'golden age' of Tim Burton's fame and influence. During the late 1990's and early 2000's, alternative music such as metalcore, nu-metal, gothic and industrial metal started to become incredibly popular in mainstream culture. Many teens became obsessed with this type of music and it was especially the explosion of the Emo-culture that introduced many teens, including myself, to Tim Burton's distinctive artstyle.

Shops like Hot-Topic became incredibly popular and many people began to dress themselves as if they were a character of a Burton film. Therefore it isn't very surprising that Burtonesque merchandise started to appear in the same shops where Emo, alternative, gothic and metal teens liked to shop, further fueling his fame as the lonesome different gothic filmdirector.

Why 2000 you might wonder? As I have said earlier, each period is defined by a woman in his life and it was during this year that Tim Burton met Helena Bonham Carter on the set of Planet of the Apes. They quickly fell in love with each other that eventually resulted in them having two children and living inside two homes that were connected to each other. Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton together formed one of the most eccentric couples that Hollywood has ever seen and they were much beloved by their fans.

It was during this period that films such as: Corpse Bride, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd, Big Fish, Alice In Wonderland, Dark Shadows, Planet Of The Apes and Frankenweenie were made. They captured the hearts of millions of people throughout the world who felt like an outsider in this society and gave them a place they could call home. This was the era of the golden trio, Burton, Depp and Carter.

I myself became an awkward gothic teen at the age of 12 when I first entered high school. It was a time before youtube, the internet was still a relative new thing therefore it was incredibly hard to get your hands on anything remotely Burtonesque. I can remember reading magazines of alternative shops like Large and the McFiber and begging my mother to buy me some stuff.

As I grew more awkward and awkward, eventually getting an autism diagnosis, I got deeper involved into the alternative scene. All of my friends were exactly the same, different, alternative and thrown out by mainstream society. Many of us had serious mental problems which resulted in self harming and even episodes of attempted suicide.

It was then that I started to find comfort in his works. I could identify myself perfectly with the characters of his works and I adored the image and lives of the adorable couple, Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter. I became truly obsessed with some of his films and started to finally learn English in order to write fanfictions about Sleepy Hollow. The alternative/emo scéne reached its highest moments during this period and it was almost fun to be that weird outsider who liked the art and films of Tim Burton.

Third period: 2013-present day This is what I like to call the decline of the alternative scéne and thus also the decline of Tim Burton's popularity. There are of course multiple reasons why Burton eventually became less popular but I think the most important reason is the fact that the alternative scéne is slowly dying. Most of us who were teens during the early 2000's have now grown up and most have shed off their unique gothic/ alternative/emo skins and entered adulthood life.

The internet has also changed. Platforms such as myspace, vampirefreaks and the countless of forums have died, these spaces were havens for alternative kids. Youtube was by then well introduced and started to commercialize quite badly, I honestly miss the times during which Youtube was just a free platform to share your videos without any intent to make money.

Like I said at the beginning, each period is defined by a woman in the life of Tim Burton and it was around the end of 2012 that the relationship between Burton and Carter started to wobble. It was also during this year that Eva Green made her debute in Dark Shadows. Rumours quickly rose that Eva and Tim were having an affair and in 2014, Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter separated, which was absolutely stunning news to their fans as they were long viewed as the ideal 'gothic' couple.

In my honest opinion, the quality of Burton's works started to drop dramatically after the separation. The period of the classic Burton/Carter films was now officially over and this era is defined by films such as: Miss Peregrine, Big Eyes and Dumbo. None of these films really felt like a classic Burton film and I feel like he has sold his soul and creativity to Disney. Where he once was the outcast, the one who opposed Disney in order to produce his own unique works, he is now fully part of the Disney company and his distinctive style is now barely visible.

He also has made barely any works since 2012, the aforementioned films are basically the only ones he directed since the last decade. At this current moment, there is no work in production, although there are rumours he is making a sequel to Beetlejuice and his own adaptation of the Addams Family but this can't be verified. Most of his original fanbase have grown up and either shed the alternative scéne skin entirely or are still stuck loving his older works.

I can place myself in between. Truth be told, I also lost most of my interest after 2012. I became an adult and the emo scéne I once loved so much, was now officially dead. I didn't like the films he produced after Frankenweenie (2012), it somehow lacked that classic Burton magic. Not to mention that Tumblr itself has also been dying, and still is.

I still love his early works very dearly and rewatch them quite often until this day. I have however stopped obsessing about them, with the exception of one film, Sleepy Hollow. Tim Burton created a home for teens and young  adults who didn't fit into modern society. I was one of those teens and his films have really helped me get through an extremely difficult period of my life. He made me feel that I belonged to something and the weekends I have spent holding Tim Burton marathons with my alternative friends were the best moments in my life.

I'm so sorry for this incredibly long post but I wanted to try to explain how Tim Burton influenced my life and how this eventually led to me barely posting anything on this tumblr account in 2021. What do you think of Tim Burton currently? Do you agree with the three periods that I have defined?

[dirtdiggersanddinosaurs]

#Press Trip

Just So 2019 will go down in history, maybe because it was the 10th birthday of the now well established festival, but mainly because it was the year of ALL THE MUD! It certainly was NOT for the faint hearted! I‘ll quickly explain that this was our first time at Just So…and, did the conditions put us off? Did they heck! I’m not gonna lie, it made getting around the site with a trolley and a baby in a stroller much much harder, but we got a free workout (I used muscles I didn’t know I had!), and the boys absolutely loved doing their best ‘We’re going on a Bear Hunt’ impressions squelching through the deep oozy mud!

In fact, from what I saw there were A LOT of mud loving littles about. I might suggest to organisers Wild Rumpus that from now on they create a mud pit area regardless of the weather so that we can chuck the kids in while us parents relax nearby on dry land!

We had an absolutely amazing weekend despite [or maybe because of] the mud. Full of magic, fun and laughter. Just So Festival really is the perfect place to spend some quality time together as a family.

These were our favourite muddy moments:

Dressing Up and Letting Go

We decided to go big or go home and threw ourselves into the craziness of the Just So tribal tournament, we were all kitted out as a shimmering shoal of five fish – read how I made our costumes here. For those of you planning a Just So adventure, I highly recommend dressing up letting go of your inhibitions.

Seeing herds of stags, swarms of bees and some roarsome lions strolling around the aptly named Spellbound Forest, really is truly magical. A sight you’ll honestly never forget, and your photos will look absolutely amazing too!

Feeding the fish

Eli small fry

It was like being part of a real life fairytale and really helped us to see the wonder of the weekend through our childrens eyes. Stanley really got involved and was instantly drawn to other fishy families, we enjoyed a game of Giant Guess Who with some fellow fish team mates and won a golden pebble in a wager! Woo hoo!

The humongous Tribal Scoreboard situated on The Village Green is updated throughout the weekend as golden pebbles are handed in to Tribal leaders and counted.

Keeping Score!

We earned pebbles for our costumes, picking up somebody elses litter when the wind blew it away, for the Guess Who game, and then for ingenious costume repairmanship using duck tape – note to self: need to vastly improve sewing skills! I’m still not sure if there are any hard and fast rules on how to earn pebbles but it’s certainly fun trying.

Meeting our Tribal leader blub blub blub!

Stanley really was rooting for the fish team to win and was cheering us on all weekend, he also got involved in some lighthearted taunting of the other teams too. We came 5th overall, the Foxes bagged 1st place this year! I think it teaches children a great lesson about competition, teamwork, loyalty and doing your best.

Getting Our Groove On

One of the things we all agreed on when we looked at the programme was that we wanted to take in as much live music as possible. We joyfully discovered at Timber Festival that we have two little groovers on our hands.

My little fish swimming at High Seas

The Footlights stage was at High Seas and after a true trek to get there via the mud (it was at it’s worst at this point), a toilet stop, more mud, then skirting around the field with the trolley, and a bit more mud we finally set up our ‘base’. After all that effort it made sense to stay put for a bit and it was a great excuse to enjoy the music, we were also reasonably close to a bar and some yummy food vendors – perfect!

The Baghdaddies’ exuberant and rampant brand of world music is an exhilarating cocktail of Balkan melodies, ska and latin grooves and sizzling brass played with furious energy and theatrical humour, making them as unforgettable on stage as they are when performing as wandering brass troubadours. They take themselves incredibly seriously so you don’t have to…

The Baghdaddies blew us away, they got everybody (including us) up on their feet and dancing! The lyrics are also hilarious, and you cant help but smile. It’s pure feel good music!

We also caught Harry Bird & The Rubber Wellies who again provided a very toe tapping mix of folk inspired sea shanties, Mexican rancheras and reggae. And finally Mr. Tea & The Minions for some gypsy flavoured party music. Not your average playlist eh?

One of the Baghdaddies songs included the line ‘Have a Tequila son’ which Eli took literally!

Oh, and just in case you’re wondering, YES mud does make dancing in a field absolutely 100% more enjoyable if your aged 5 and 2!

We also tried out the silent disco hosted by Our Kids Social in the Flamingo Lounge. My boys weren’t sure at first and found it all a bit odd, but they soon got into the swing of it for a bit of oops upside your head! There was a parents vs kids dance off battle that got very animated – think Dadtastic air guitar moves on one side with some fierce flossing on the other. Great fun!

And finally, it was a bit of a surprise when my cautious 5 year old wanted to try out Circus Swing! So on Sunday we had a lesson in swing dancing that included some neat circus tricks too. I only dropped him on his head once while he did the no hands cartwheel over my legs, so I’m calling that a win!

I love the fact that Stanley was willing to try out new things, James has experienced a silent disco at the ripe old age of 2 and that we all got to listen to some excellent live music.

Singing Along

Watching David Gibb perform in the natural amphitheatre of the Woodland Theatre on with Stanley was my highlight of the weekend. He’s not a big fan of sitting still but the combination of catchy tunes, audience participation and easy to remember lyrics meant that we made it through the entire performance with big smiles on our faces.

We learned all about bats, discovered that we (and the rest of the audience) couldn’t count to five, became roses and showed off our muscles. Stanley also became a huge fan of Teddy at the Disco and has been singing it on repeat ever since. We sat next to our good friends over at Typical Mummy (there’s nothing like sharing a plastic poncho to sit on, to really cement a friendship) and we were all happily singing along together.

It was during this performance that I experienced what I’ll always remember as the Just So spirit, a real sense of camaraderie. The steep incline of the Woodland Theatre plus wet ground made it more than a bit treacherous underfoot. Getting in and out was no easy task and to this purpose I saw children being passed along rows, hands and arms being offered to help steady balance and people sharing seating arrangements to ensure everyone had a great time. There was a real sense of we’re in this togetherness, the mud was not going to stop anyone having fun!

I’m happy to say we now have David’s new album Rolling down the Road (released 23rd August) winging it’s way to us (order yours here) and also Climb that Tree for our Teddy at the Disco fix – my car journeys are never going to be the same again!

Slowing Down

In a way the conditions did us a favour, it made us really think about what we wanted to see and do. Most of Saturday was spent in and around High Seas and the nearby Roll Up Roll Up simply due to logistics, we took in the music as I’ve previously mentioned but we also watched Clown about Town which thoroughly entertained the boys and only mildly terrified me (she was absolutely lovely but I’m not a fan of clowns!)

A clown on the run, wanted for a crime she didn’t commit. In trying to prove her innocence, she finds that the silver lining is daring to be yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. A joyous celebration of what it is to be human with slap-stick comedy, puppets and silly dancing!

Even I admit that the overly theatrical blood scenes (not as bad as it sounds, honest!) were really funny! This then inspired Daddy and the boys to wade over to the big top to try their hand at some circus skills while I stayed with a snoozing Eli.

Again, after watching David Gibb in the Woodland Theatre we ambled to The Spellbound Forest via the Corn Shack and settled in to watch our old favourites at Campfire Stories. I’d been eyeing up the huge corn cobs all weekend and me and Stan treated ourselves on Sunday – they were absolutely delicious!

We love Ian Douglas and have been lucky enough to sit and listen to his stories at several different events so he was an easy and relaxing watch while we nibbled away.

Then it was onto our crazy haired friend Professor Pumpy-Knickers Pumpernickel who we first encountered at Timber Festival. Once again he was thoroughly entertaining, and made the forest come alive with explosive science!

Embracing the Eccentricity

Just So proved to be just as bonkers as we were expecting – we’ve experienced nothing else like it! One thing we definitely wanted to catch was the lantern parade on Saturday evening. We didn’t make a lantern at the workshop as we’d heard that it gets very busy but we were armed with our Jelly fish umbrellas which lit up and looked the part.

Well, it’s hard to describe the spectacle that was the lantern parade, there was a clog wearing lady singing and dancing with some enormous Ghost Caribou. Then, the Baghdaddies arrived, the Caribou suddenly lit up and off we went, following the craziness towards Footlights!

Over the weekend we also bumped into the Dream Antelopes, Boudicca in her chariot (the moving puppet/sculpture horse was AMAZING) and got soaked as water pistol wielding passengers sped past in Vesaqua, shooting at us as they went. What’s Vesaqua? It’s a bathtub on wheels attached to a 1966 Vespa of course!

Vesaqua

Anything We Would Change?

The weather played such a huge part this year that I’m not sure what a ‘normal’ Just So looks and feels like. I would have liked a few more seating areas – we took chairs luckily, but pulling them around in the trolley was really hard work because of the ground conditions. I’m assuming that there are usually more hay bales dotted about to perch on but again due to the weather these were probably repurposed as ground cover on the worst affected areas.

The golden pebbles – are still a complete mystery to us! I don’t know who can give them out, or what they can be earned for! Having said that I’m not sure if a full explanation of this via the programme or a information board would take the magic away? It felt like a secret that you had to learn about from fellow more experienced Just So’ers…but maybe that’s the point, to get people talking and build a community of seasoned Just So families? I will say this – once you’ve earned one it quickly becomes a quest to get more, it’s so addictive!

And Finally…

There you have it, if you want to let go of the stresses of everyday life then this is the festival for you. You can completely immerse yourself in a bubble of make believe for an entire weekend. Got kids? Then it’s a super family friendly festival (mud aside), it has everything to entertain little ones and baby changing, bathing and quiet areas too. We can’t wait for next year!

Earlybird tickets for Just So Festival 2020 (21/22/23 August 2020) will be available from TODAY (Friday 30th August). Visit the Just So Festival website to grab yours.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the team at Wild Rumpus, the volunteers and site staff who when faced with almost biblical conditions on Friday went the extra mile to ensure people got on and off the site safely and pushed cars out of the mud, all with a smile on their faces.

Disclosure: we were invited to attend Just So Festival by Wild Rumpus as part of their Press Team. Our weekend tickets were gifted in exchange for a review of our experience and promotion across my social media channels. All opinions are my own. All images and media are my own.

Five Go to Just So! 2019 Festival Review #Press Trip Just So 2019 will go down in history, maybe because it was the 10th birthday of the now well established festival, but mainly because it was the year of…

[debbiehross]

The Sporades - From Skopelos to Athens

June 20th

Skopelos is famous for being the island where the musical Mama Mia was filmed in 2008. Although much of the film was set in neighbouring Skiathos, California, and on a set in the UK, the Islanders are very happy to ignore that little fact, and there are many Mama Mia tours, bars and tavernas here.

Skopelos - A Mama Mia bay - love the lushness of the landscape here.

We were guilty of breaking into Abba songs at the least provocation.  It must have been in the air – and we started planning a little video of Abba faves, that we were going to film as we scaled to the top of the mountain where the tiny church sits. A bit like a remake ?!

Entering Loutraki with the town of Glossa above.

The Port town of Loutraki is situated on the NorWestern end of Skopelos.  We spent a night here, after a full day of sunning, swimming, paddle boarding and singing Abba songs.

The erosion around the coastline is quite noticeable, and Kosta showed us where an entire village had fallen into the sea a few hundred years ago just near the entrance to Loutraki. 

The old town of Glossa sits safely high upon the hill above the harbour and we were told it was well worth the climb/ride to enjoy the view.  During the middle ages these islands were easy prey for pirates.  The inhabitants moved inland to fortified villages, and this is why many of the old towns are high up on the hillsides. (The port areas being more recently occupied in the 19th century).

Vicki and I trying out the E-bikes on the wharf.

Having only two E-Bikes, 5 of us walked and 2 e-biked, swapping half way. It was a steep climb, and Leslee and I waited at one corner for the walkers to appear. Thankfully so did a taxi, and Dimitri the driver took the overheated and exhausted climbers to the Taverna at the top.

The taverna perched above the port. Glorious views.

After a delicious meal while we soaked up the view, we handed the waitress a card and asked her to call Dimitri the taxi driver for us  – She smiled and nodded, then turned around and yelled out loudly “Dimeeeeetriiii”!!!.  We all burst into laughter as Dimitri’s head popped around the corner.  It wasn’t the same Dimitri – but never mind – getting back to the boat was an easier ride down the hill and we were tired and replete.

Chris and John returning to the boat on the bikes.

Our plans to film an ascent to the Mama Mia church were dashed when Captain Kosta informed us of the huge climb it would be, and that there was no bay to comfortably anchor in, and that it would be a lot of motoring to the Northern tip of the island.  Ok – we get it – no stars to be born today.

Instead we spent the morning in a beautiful bay on the southern end of the island (where a beach scene from the movie had been shot), called Kastraini.  A gorgeous pebble beach, surrounded by lush green trees. I can picture the exact scene from the movie.  And I now have a wooden bowl full of different coloured marble stones as a centerpiece on the coffee table to remind me of this idyllic spot.

Later that afternoon we motored to Stafilos Beach.  Yet another bay with the most incredibly clear deep water.  More of the same, which we never tire of as the beaches and bays all have their own unique character.  And we love spotting the beautiful villas set above the water, some with the most divine gardens.

Approaching Skopelos Port from the sea was a beautiful sight.  The town was a wash with the evening light, rising up from the harbour - an amphitheater of white and terracotta.  We decided an early morning exploratory walk would be a must-do.

G & T’s before heading ashore.

It was dinner ashore again.  We set off to find a good restaurant (which we did – in a beautiful garden setting further into town).  As always the shops were a huge distraction on the way, crammed with gorgeous things. We gals are enjoying buying linen garments that are made here in Greece and Italy at a fraction of what we would be paying at home.  It’s just too tempting.  Leslee is great to shop with and manages to hunt out little gems from every store.

Our walk the next morning was full of photo opportunities.  Everywhere you looked there was another image to capture.  Here are a few...

Yay - The full team!

Leaving Skopelos Port.

We stocked up on more supplies here in Skopelos before heading out of the port to spend the day at a little beach on Alonnisos Island .  The team are now becoming very proficient at paddle boarding and it’s a great form of exercise if you paddle hard, with tummy muscles pulled in. Uggggh!  Vicky even trying headstands on the board –  smarty pants!

 Go Vicky ! - Hold the board steady Alan!

Very Cool Aunty Leslee!!

Later we headed in to a tiny bay on the island of Peristeri called Vasiliko.  It faces Alonnisos, and an old Goat herders’ house sits alone in the bay. We stern lined to the old concrete wharf there.  No one was in the house, but a few goats clambered around outside.  An oily calm night  - not a breathe of wind.  

 Vicky having her morning swim - creating ripples.

As it was nearing the weekend, it was necessary for us to start heading South away from the Sporades so as to be in Athens on Alimos Marina for Sunday night. The Clarkes had an early morning flight on Monday, and John and Vicky were leaving in the afternoon for Santorini.  So our team motored South in the morning, spending the day swimming at Skantzoura Island which marked the half way point to Skiros island.  

Hesham managed to catch a fish that resembled a cod, and another octopus.  He again prepared his Stefado for lunch, with calamari and salad. Delicious.

 The further south we went, the more arid the landscape became.  Gone were the lush green tree covered hills of the Sporades. We were now heading into Cyclades territory.

 In the late afternoon we pulled into the island of Skiross.  To the port of Linaria, and another gorgeous hillside town to explore.  This time we took two taxis, as it was a good 10 kms away on the other side of the island.

The cars can only drive as far as a small square, so we walked the rest of the way. Up, up, and around, and up some more, and along small winding narrow streets, until we found a tiny taverna perched above a street looking out to the sea.  Yay.  It looked deserted – but we stumbled in, got a table at the edge (as no one was there) and ended up having the best meal we’d had to date. Little plates of deliciousness. The place did end up becoming full of people later on.  We’d just managed to time it right.

Thirsty hungry work all that walking !

Saturday morning saw us motoring off fairly early as it would be a long stretch to get to Kea for the night.

We stopped for lunch and a swim at Kalamos beach.  We were at the beginning of a heat wave, with tempreratures predicted to reach into the late 30”s and into the 40 ‘s.  

A beautiful still day for paddle boarding and swimming.  Vicky appeared back from her SUP paddle with a magnificent piece of wearable art around her neck.  She’d found it lying on the shore perfecty formed into a lei by the tides. Natures very own recycled art piece.

Well we thought it was very chic! 

Once in the little port of Kea called Vourkari, the pre-race nerves started to set in (Americas Cup nerves that is).  The races began at 8pm Greek time - much more civilized than our poor friends in NZ who had to get up very early to watch).  We ate dinner on board – which was delivered to us by a local taverna owner – a friend of Kosta’s.

Look how nervous we all looked .... so anxious.  (we needn't have been!)

What a race.  We are all so excited.  We won one and Oracle won one! Uggggh. The nerves.

We crossed the road to a little bar and had a celebratory drink.  Team NZ are looking great!  We’re feeling quietly optimistic.

Leslee and Chris - love this pic!

Sunday morning we taxied up to the town of Ioulis for breakfast and a walk around.  This little island has a huge history dating back to Neolithic times, and still has some remains from this era – c4000BC.  

Fab place for break, and above was the view!

Vicky and i with yellow wall.

Lit a candle in a tiny little church for our loved ones past and present. Tears.

This little island of kea played a strategic part in the the first world war.  I’ve included an extract taken from “West Aegean” by Rod & Lucinda Heikell :

“ The Wreck of HMHS Britannic – A few miles NW of Ay Nikoloas lies the wreck of the sister ship to the Titanic.  She sank following an explosion on 21st November 1916.  She was on duty as a hospital ship heading up to Limnos to evacuate some 3,600 soldiers from the disastrous Gallipoli campaign of the first world war. The ship is thought to have hit a mine, and sank within an hour of the explosion, but of the 1,100 odd on board all but 30 survived. With the fishermen of Kea first on the scene to help.  One survivor thought to be a nurse, was Violet Jessop, who was also on board the Titanic on that fateful first voyage four years earlier.” .... What are the odds??

The Temple of Poseidon. 

Before heading into Athens for the night, we stopped at the huge bay of Sounion, with the Temple of Poseidon looming over us. Quite magnificent. The temple was built in 444BC.

Captain Kosta - very happy to see that his son (Adam) , who is Captain on this huge super yacht, had pulled in nest to us! (Ha - So thats why we were berthed in Alimos!?!)

Once in the Alimos Marina – we again planned the evening around watching the Cup races.  On board that night we watched the next two wins (One to go) – we were so thrilled.  Went to a huge restaurant/bar for our final dinner together as a group.  It was starting to sink in that we may just be going to take the cup back.  All very excited.  

Do we look excited or what!

Monday morning was a time of farewells, laundry, filling up with water and diesel. The Clarkes caught an early flight back home to NZ.  They had come all that way for a 10 day holiday with us.  So much fun.  Vicky and John went into Athens for the day before catching a ferry to Santorini, while we took Leslee into Glyfada for a shop and to show her the “Ponsonby” of Athens.

That night - The final race – it was just Chris, Leslee and I watching.  We got a distressed Whats-App call from Vicki who was trying to get cover on Santorini with no luck.  So we did a video call with me holding the phone to the TV for the entire race so they could see and hear it all – it worked .

AND WE WON!!!!!!! What an amazing result. Brilliant. So proud of Team NZ.