V8 goes East - 6
Gordon and Jennifer Hesketh-Jones have joined the MG Italia event in Greece following a long ferry crossing from Italy and now report on the delights of sightseeing in the cool of the mountains and driving on interesting roads where V8 power is useful. (10.5.05)

I am sending this report from an internet cafe at the ancient town of Sparta, and the really good news is that only about 15% of the keyboard is different to the normal UK/USA version! I had been dreading being faced with a cyrillic keyboard!

First impressions of Greece - well it is too soon for any firm impressions - but it is a place blessed by continual sun but cursed by continual un-restricted development in the coastal fringes. Our first night stop was at Loutraki, an unpleasant combination of the worst parts of Blackpool and Clacton-on-Sea. Matters improved however as soon as we went up into the mountains for a panoramic trip to one of the many ancient Greek temples. Full details of those details of visits will follow in a proper article for Safety Fast! in due time.) The long slow MG convoy (sadly!) broke up and Albert/Ireene Hagdorn in their LHD RV8 and ourselves had a lovely run at our own speeds along empty mountain roads with spectacular views. The day finished at an excellent new hotel, the King Minos at Tolos where most of us had rooms giving beautiful views across the bay and the islands. Many enjoyed the pool before the Greek Dancers arrived to give us a display, with much hilarity as MG people tried to emulate the professionals.

Today's run took us further North into real mountains, and although the temperature at sea level had been 35C, there was still snow at some of the mountains of 6,500ft and more. We had a fantastic climb up the road from Napfoli to Tripoli which has been given "E" road status by Brussels so has been the subject of EU vast expenditure. There are countless first or second gear hairpins - great fun - probably knocked 15% off the rear tyre's life but well worth it.

Petrol at major suppliers like Shell is around 62p/litre, but there are numerous smaller local