Athens – 1969 European Games 18 Sept and Elevsis Campsite

Up at 7:15 and on the road to go to European Games (16-21 Sept) in the Karaiskaki Stadium of Athens, where we saw Lilian Board (UK) win the 800 metres. Normally European Games are held every four years, but there were games in 1969 in Athens and 1971 in Helsinki instead of 1970. Mysterious! More excellent navigation to Karaiskakis Stadium near Piraeus. Walk right round stadium before we find ticket office next to subway station (groovy wooden trains). Tickets 75 Drax (£1) each, can only muster 60 - change money. Have to get police officer to take us into press/radio enclosure to get to bank. Most of this was conducted in French. Get tickets and in by 9:15. Fascinating day. A highlight was one of the lady javelin throwers spearing an official through the calf of his trouser leg! He wasn't injured but moving was difficult.

Afterwards we couldn't find our way out of Athens. Went to bar and got water then out on Corinth road. Eventually, after squashing exhaust pipe on agricultural excursion, parked above road on sort of rubbish tip. Food cooked and, for some reason, I ate the most monumental meal you have ever seen! Sleep in car, about 1am by now - sinful hour.

Wake to the roar of traffic and the buzzing of flies - damned things. Feel as if eyeballs are on fire. Eventually manage to get up, after Brian has had his usual wrestling match with the cooker. After breakfast discover flat exhaust pipe. Brian wants to go into Athens to find Eva's hotel, I veto, and we go to find camp site. Stop at Elevsis to buy food - almost impossible to find bread, but the place is full of shops selling toilets - perhaps a lorry lost its load, or the wrong lorry was stolen. There were four such shops including one very upmarket one.

Elevsis Campsite and President Pud-Pud 19 Sept

We stop at the first camp site (International) not very good at all. Moved on again seeing there was another site nearby (Pelecan). Instead we find Attikon "under English management". Frederick Porter-Miles, ex BOAC pilot, greeted us and showed us his bit of 'beach' - a circular pond and then we talked for hours - were introduced to retsina champagne (with less than 50% soda) - had conducted tour of the toilets - and were introduced to the camp site's president Pud-pud (dog) and chairman Charley Boy (donkey). Mrs Daisy Porter-Miles is a Coptic Christian, educated in France (first language French) and speaks about 7 languages. After 2 bottles of retsina we had lunch.