Grecian adventure

Sorry for the lack of posts; we've been in Greece.

First stop was Athens. Ian had been before, though barely recognised the place from his previous trips - it was given a facelift before the 2004 Olympics and is now much less down-at-heel, with excellent shopping (the cheapest Zara in Europe apparently) and countless trendy restaurants (things have moved on since the days of the ubiquitous kebab and Greek salad).

The Acropolis was impressive, particularly at night when you couldn't see all the scaffolding. We didn't need a tour guide as Isabelle had the whole story of Athens down pat. She's a sucker for a good Greek myth.

And we watched the changing of the guard by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma Square. Olivia: "Mummy, why are the soldiers wearing dresses and tapping shoes?"

Answers on a postcard, please.

After Athens we spent some time on Hydra, one of the Saronic Islands off the coast of the

Peloponnese.

I knew it would be good when the blurb on the internet described it as the St Tropez of the Greek Islands. Unsurprisingly, Ian didn't recognise this one either from his days-of-yore bachelor trip round the Greek party isles.

Hydra is very definitely not a party island. It is sophisticated, stylish and picture-postcard pretty. The Greek Prime Minister spent his Easter here and while we didn't see him, we could see why: wisteria-covered cottages; grand mansions built by pirates with their ill-gotten gains; glorious coastal walks; crystal clear seas; and white-washed chapels at every turn.

And the best thing was the quiet. There are no cars or motorbikes on Hydra, except for 2 rubbish trucks by the harbour. Transport is either by donkey (pretty pricey at Euro 10 a pop for the shortest distance) or on foot.

It's amazing how much noise traffic makes. At night, the silence on Hydra was almost deafening. I haven't slept so well in years.