Monday 4th April 2022

Only the second full day, and it seems we have been here for weeks.

We do a full day's orchiding, then back to the hotel to freshen up, have dinner, review the species seen and by then its nine in the evening or later.

During the day we stop to eat a packed lunch, other than that its either orchiding or travelling beteween sites.

Full on days.

My first wife (don't ask) made strong coffee in a pan. I guess you would call it Greek or Turkish. I got quite the taste for it, especially when sweet.

So, after visiting the ice cream parlour I would round off a visit with a double sweet Greek coffee.

I was up early enough to go for a walk, and why not go to the parlour for an early morning cup of Java?

So, I did.

Along the main road into the centre of the village, past the filling station, then doubling back to the parlour where they already know my order.

I sip it sitting outside watching the swallows and martins swooping for food.

A good start.

Back down the hill to the hotel, have breakfast of yogurt, honey and cake. And more coffee.

Then it was outside to wait to load the busses up, and a short drive up the hill where we did a search of an abandoned olive grove where, after an hour, an ellusive species was found, and we went in two by two to the sensistive area.

We walk up a steep and long since used lane that wound its way up the hill, once past a new house that has just been built. Up and up we walked, spotting the last few Giant Orchids growing out of one of the stone terraces that cover the hillside and so made the old olive groves level. We reached the right grove, and split up to look, careful not to fall down the terracing, and not to step on any orchid spikes we might have seen.

I was thrilled on the way down the see a Mandrake in flower. Now made famous by Harry Potter, so finding out much online means trawling through many pages of Potter-related links, but the plant itself has attractive blue flowers, growing out of a large and low crown of leaves.

We drove a few miles further on, and stopped on the edge of the main road. We had to walk a couple of hundred yards, then limbo under the crash barriers to get to the narrow path leading down to a stile then into a steep meadow.

That we all made it, limboing under the barrier and down the narrow steep path says something about the orchid-mania we each had inside us.

We climbed through the steep meadow and came at last to a small colony of Bee-type orchids, they could be mistaken maybe for Late Spiders, but the pattern on the lip is very unusual, and it is that, and that they flower early in the season and are usually long gone by the beginning or April, which marks them out.

But the cold, wet winter meant the season started late, so many species that would be over were clinging on.

Lucky for us.

On the way back to the bus I took shots of the vineyard, the stumps yet to show any sign of new season growth, though we would see that in other places later in the week.

Also a roadside shrine, lit with a single candle illuminating an image of the Virgin Mary.

There are orchids on either side of the road, we were told having been dropped off at the bottom of the mountain road. The road went into the wood covering the mountain,. Its about a mile to the top, the guide lied. I mean, it might have been, but the road was steep, about 1:10 or steeper in places, and the haze from earlier had given way to sunshine. It would be hot.

We should try to walk up it, after about an hour, the buses would drive up and pick up any stragglers.

Dave and I forged ahead, looking for and spotting orchids on both sides of the road. At a roadside meadow, I pushed on, and was soon out of site of the rest of the group. One car past me in that time, slowing down to look at my struggle. I wouldn't have minded but we had soon left all the orchids way down near the start of the track. But there were other plants to see, and then the promise of the trees opening out to reveal a fine view, but it never quite happening.

As I climbed up the steep road, clouds cleared and the temperature rose and rose. I was out of sight of everyone now, and neither of the buses came past.

With each bend, I expected to see the expanse of a car park, but each bend revealed just the road forever climbing.

I came to a hairpin, I was hot and nearly out of water. The road continued to climb, ever steeper. This was where I would wait. So I did.

Over the next hour most of the group arrived, as did the buses with water, so was able to fill up my bottle and begin to appreciate the view and fauna there about..

We climbed in the bus and it took us up the last and "brutal" climb to the summit, or just below it.

We parked beneath threes, and sat on boulders to have our lunch and recover from our climb. At least under the canopy of the trees, so cool too.

A few orchids and other flora was all around, which we went on to investigate once we had eaten.

A short walk away was the view down from the road, the land plunged down, and away to the rugged coastline, and in the haze of the saharan sandstorm, we could make out the shapes of small islands.

Time was getting on and there were more orchids to find, so we drove down and then round the foot of the mountain, along a road where all the hills were either 10% up or down, no matter how steep. According to the roadsigns. The trip was somewhat enlivened by a buzzard which swooped down over the front of the bus, and crashed into a rocky crag beside the road. Almost without a pause, it shook itself down and took off again. I only wish my camera had been running!

The final call was in a bend in the road, and we had to climb up a narrow gully to the orchids above, but were rewarded with dozen upon dozen, mostly of species we had seen, but in a corner were a group of slightly different spikes, and in the world of orchids, this could mean a new species for us to mark off.

I won't lie, but by this time, I was pooped again, so having seen nothing to wet my whistle, I walked back down to the bus where one of the other members of the party had stayed to sit this visit out. Jon called to me: we've found something interesting he shouted. I told him, it had better be good or my legs would be guilty of murder later. So I got back up and climbed the hill where a hybrid lay. Just about worth it, Jon. Back down the road, one of the group was snapping a group beside the road, noticed something different about them, and that turned out to be another new species for us.

It was half five by the time we got back to the hotel, no time to walk to the ice cream parlour, anyway, too tired. At these times only a beer will do.

Dinner at seven, which was stuffed peppers and salad. Healthy and delicious.

I had another beer, and a wine, so would sleep well once I went to bed.