There is always time for a party!!

AS SURE as night follows day you can be certain that going out with a group of Greeks will end in a party of one kind. It was just that yesterday with a trip towards the southern shores of Crete with a excursion organised by a cultural/church group from the village.

  The signs were there as soon as the coach pulled up to meet us in Pano Hersonissos, when we spotted one of the party carrying an accordion.

  First stop was to the new Amazonas Animal Park just outside Neapoli. Set high in the hills above the town with stunning views, it's mainly a sanctuary for exotic birds. It's well laid out on steep paths with well presented cages for parrots and macaws. It's not really animals, although there are goats and a donkey, and they need to widen their horizons to a greater audience.

  Ierapetra was new call sitting the the sun to taken in the delights of a beach side coffee and the fortress, before Miros a pretty village on the coast and eventually a splendid and cheap lunch high in the hills of Pano Symi before setting off for the area around Viannos, scenes of much war activity and eventually back to the village.

  Lunch was where the party was. We had already had music and signing on the coach, but, as soon as lunch was under way out came the accordion again, more signing and then group dancing, it was a splendid way to spend the afternoon.