During the Summer, when most everyone else is on holiday, it's not possible to leave Ithaki, but once October comes, rain or shine (usually shine, but this time rain) I was off to discover more parts of Greece. This time we headed a little further north, making our way through some well known sites along the way.

To avoid a 6am rising, we headed off on the afternoon ferry and spent a night in Patras. The Art Hotel along the bay road, was an excellent treat.

In Patra, the weather was quite mild, and although the skies looked a little grey at times, there was no rain and the forecast in the area, was for more fine weather over the next day or so. Patra is the port city of the Peleponnese and is the major connection for Ithaki with the rest of Greece and then the world. Because we wanted to cut through the center of Greece to make our way north, we didn't choose the Lefkada connection which is no doubt a whole lot closer to the north of Greece than Patra, but the route we chose has some significant Greek wonders along the way, and as it's been some time since we had visited them, it was time to see them again, this time through my digital eye.

Most people visiting Greece rarely see Patra. It's a place that we all seem to pass through, but there is quite alot going on. Patra has a vibrant music scene. Some of the best popular bands seem to stem from this port city. Patra is also blessed with more town squares than you can poke a stick at and has one of the biggest Carnival Parties and parades in Greece. People from all over, travel to Patra to take part.

Patra is also an easy city to shop in. You can walk your way around quite comfortably and find most things you are looking for. On the outskirts you can also find the major chain stores such as Carrefour and Marinopoulos Supermarkets. We always make it a habit to shop up big just before the return to ithaki. It's quite a bit cheaper.