Day 52: Off to work

This morning the girls discovered the unalloyed joy of a luxury buffet breakfast – and I eventually left them all to it so that I could go back to the room and prepare for my first day of work for some time. Then it was off to interview the resort's general manager, a very friendly Frenchman who had spent time working in Port Douglas, which is very close to one of my PhD study sites in north Queensland, while Kate and the girls had a buggy ride off to the resort's other indoor pool. We all then drove out to the Navarino Environmental Observatory, a research station set up by the resort, where the others went for a walk along the beach while I interviewed the station manager. 

Work duties dispensed with, we all then set off to do some sightseeing. First was Voidokilia, an amazing semi-circular beach with a very narrow entrance to the sea that's framed by rocky outcrops. Behind the beach is an extensive bay and wetland, where we were delighted to find quite a large number of flamingoes enjoying their winter holidays. We then drove into town for some supplies and then out to Golden Beach, which runs along the bay, where we had a picnic by the water. We also checked out a bird hide and hunted around, unsuccessfully, for an Africa chamaeleon – there's a colony of them around the lagoon, the only one outside Africa.

On the way back to the resort we stopped off to have a look at some Bronze Age tholos tombs - impressive chambers sunk into the ground by the Mycenaeans in what is now an olive grove. This little archaeological adventure inspired us to go in search of the Palace of Nestor, a much more extensive site up in the hills. However, we didn't have a proper map and Sally didn't seem to know the way either, and we spent a very frustrating time driving around aimlessly. We did eventually pick up some signs and stumbled across the site, only to discover that it was closed until 2015 as they put a new roof on.

So it was back to the resort, where we all went for a swim and then Kate and the girls took a yoga class – a private class as they were the only guests who turned up. Dinner was at the restaurant at the resort golf club, which required another buggy ride – a little luxury that still gives the girls a thrill. After dinner, we wandered around the resort a little bit more, gawping at the grandiosity of it all.