Day 169 – EU – Greece [Manolada to Amaliada]

09/08/20

40km

  From Manolada (Greece) to Amaliada (Greece)

Europe

A trip down memory lane on a fine and smooth day of running in Western Peloponnese

As I set out running this morning, I was very aware that I was running on the very same road we drove on as a family some 30 years ago. The road is now dubbed the “Old National Road” but no doubt back then it was the only one available. It all looked very familiar… but I couldn’t quite tell whether it was because I have since lived in the country for over 5 years, or because I really recalled the memory of the trip itself.

My older brother Matthieu has sent me the copy of the paper map where he was pinning down the roads we drove on and the places we stopped by. I am now in the area of the early days of the journey. We stopped by a few beaches along the way as we drove to the Old Olympia site – which I will revisit tomorrow.

One of these beaches we stopped by was the Kourouta Paralia, which is just down the road from the place I am resting in today, Amaliada. I went in for a swim, maybe hoping it would somehow revive some old memories. As I reached the beach I knew it was all different. There was a massive car park, fully packed – and as I looked down towards the sea, all I saw were rows of umbrellas. Organised tourism.

Anyhow – looking forward to running towards Kaiafas tomorrow, which is just at the foot of the Old Olympia site. Another memory of the family holiday, and racing the olympic track with my siblings…

Today was Sunday – and the churches get very very busy in the countryside on Sunday mornings. The chants of the popes were playing on loudspeakers throughout the villages, giving the morning a sense of seriousness and solemnity. A different kind of Sunday!

Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: