Category: Greece

Sunday 21st January

Raining quite heavily today so decided to take a short trip to a fully serviced campsite.

Our campsite for tonight: Camping Aginara Beach, Glifa/Ilias

Top class place right on a beautiful secluded beach and at this time of year only €13 for the night including electricity and great high speed internet (a rarity). Only one other caravan here in a huge place that takes more than a couple of hundred. It has its own small grocery store, a taverna and a beach bar (none of which are open now – sadly). Would be a real rocking place in the warmer months.

Enjoyed the use of the internet today as we were running short on our monthly Telstra quota. With rain pelting on the rooftop and winds rocking Ziggy this was thankfully the best place to be.

Monday 22nd January

Woke up to a little sun today for the first time so took advantage of this and did the pile of clothes washing early and hung out to hopefully dry a little before we headed off. Took a long shower and welcomed the opportunity to use the hairdryer for the first time in months.

Had a blonde moment and hooked up the dryer to a plug and switched her on. Plugged the 2000 watt dryer into the 300 watt inverter power board by mistake and realised my mistake when the dryer immediately came to a grinding halt.

Should have known better from our boating and caravan days and kicked myself hard – the excitement of using the hair dryer took over common sense. Cooked the inverter we thought, so headed off soon to try to find a place that could help.

Our campsite for tonight: Parking Marina, Katakolo

Arrived here where the Marina is also a Port for incoming cruise ships. They dock here and are taken to Ancient Olympia which is around 30kms from here.

Sadly no marine shops with 12 volt electronic gear here, so my driver (who had been just absolutely great about my mistake) set about looking for hopefully only a blown a fuse and not cooked the inverter. After spending an hour wrapped around the two front seats on the floor, in the most awkward position ( the 2 x 110 AH leisure batteries are under the front seats), he located six fuses (just for the batteries only) and found one blown. Saved my bacon and for the first time today, I could smile.

A lovely old lady (about my age 😂) walked past and stopped for a chat. She welcomed us to Greece and wished us a happy holiday (how wonderful). Later that afternoon, we received a knock on our door and a gentlemen did exactly the same, welcomed us and said he owned a hotel in the town and had some home grown olive oil and other goodies for us if we wanted to come up. We gratefully declined and thought how special these people were.

Went for a walk about town which reminded us of the cruise ship ports we had experienced in Alaska. All colourful restaurants and souvenir shops mostly, eager to take the tourist dollar,

Settled in for a quiet night with magnificent views across the harbour and Marina and to the islands in the distance.

Tuesday 23rd January

Happy now that the inverter was fine, we moved on early to visit Ancient Olympia, the site of the very first Olympic Games.

The 30 km trip took us to the town of Archaia Olympia where for a cost of €6, we visited the Museum of Olympia which displays sculptural decorations, many statues (including Hermes) from the temple of Zeus, pottery, jewellery, tools and helmets.

From there we visited the Archaeological site of Ancient Olympia which covered acres including the entrance to the Olympic stadium and the stadium itself, the temple of Hera, altar of Zeus, baths and pools to name just a few.

So unreal to think how they were able to build these without the technology and equipment we have today.

Some of the artefacts on display were dated back to around 4000 B.C.

The city was destroyed by an earthquake in the 6th century A.D.

From there we wanted to visit the Temple of Apollo Epikourios which was another two hours inland from where we were.

We took the scenic drive from Krestena to Andritsaina which took us up and down so many mountains and valleys where the views were more spectacular than one can ever imagine – felt like being on top of the world so many times during this trip which took us up, down and around and back up again so many mountains. 2 hours and approx 50 kms later, we were on top of Mount Kotylin and at the front gates of the Temple only to find the gates closed and chained with a huge lock.

The Temple is shrouded in canvas covers on all sides to protect one of the most important and imposing Temples in Greece. This was built in 420-400BC. We could only see the canvas covers from the roadside and dejectedly left to head back down to the coast.

Only 200 meters and around the next corner, we came across what looked like the back end of the hill the Temple was on. We parked Ziggy and set off up and past some old buildings where we found a large fence which was not padlocked. Through the fence, we followed a path and soon we were at the bottom of the Temple. One of the sides of the canvas was open, so we ventured in and took photos before heading out of there as fast as we could and so happy that our trip was not wasted. Maybe we should have checked if the Temple was open before we headed up.

The trip back was a nightmare as we followed something like a goat track for klm after klm. We passed through many small villages built on the sides of hills and so many times we came within an inch or two of becoming part of the village walls – they werevso narrow. At one stage, we followed a shepherd and his flock of a couple of hundred or so sheep down a hill for several klms. I am sure there was a better way back but there was no turning around available anywhere.

We arrived at the coast just as it was getting dark and had no place picked to sleep for the night.

Our campsite for tonight: Kalo Nero – on the beach N37.297747 E21.695154

The sunset was magic and finding the beachfront here was a blessing in disguise. One of the most magic places we have stayed in. We were right on the beach again with only a few houses and a restaurant and taverna nearby. We sat for only a few minutes enjoying the sunset and listening to the small waves lapping up on the beach in front of us – then it was dark.

The driver and navigator were exhausted from the last part of the day and the trip back to the coast but Olympia and the Temple of Apollo were amazing.

GREECE – the birthplace of Democracy

Wednesday 17th January 2018

Ferry details: Grimaldi Lines – Brindisi, Italy to Igoumenitsa, Greece. Travel time 7.5 hours. Cost £200 approx (nearly $400 AUD).

Greece has a population of around 11 million people, the capital city being Athens and has been a member of the EU since 2001 – there are numerous Greek Islands, 227 of which are inhabited.

A new country, new language, new alphabet, new customs, new food, new driving regulations, new camping regulations, but the currency is still Euros thank heavens – when we first visited Greece in 1978 they still had Drachmas as their currency.

We loved that tour of Greece in 1978 and still talk about it regularly.

Not long after we returned to Australia the ABC ran a mini-series titled “Who Pays the Ferryman” which was based on the Greek Island of Crete. It was a great mini-series and brought back treasured memories.

The day after we saw the first episode we went out and bought the theme music (by Yannis Markopoulos, on vinyl of course). The TV series may be available on DVD and if you get a chance to watch it you will want to go out and book your tickets to Greece.

Arrived into the Port of Igoumenitsa just as it was getting light which made us happy as we do not like to travel in the dark. The only passport check was in Brindisi and that was by the ferry company to check if the ticket names matched the passports. No checks on arrival in Greece.

As soon as we entered Greece we felt much more relaxed after the frenetic pace of Italy.

Our campsite for tonight: Parking Ammoudia

It rained quite heavily along the way however the scenery was special and reminded us of some of the spectacular Fjord views in Norway.

Only travelled 40kms to here from the ferry port. A very small fishing town but the campsite is right on the beach and beyond that – the ocean. Fishing boats lined the small waterway beside the beach and were dancing about in the wind and swells. Crab pots are everywhere in the lagoon.

We had a beachfront uninterrupted view across to the Greek Islands and sat and watched surfers in full wet suits brave the cold for hours on end to tackle what we would call “inferior waves” back home.

Still drizzling and a very cold windy day but we took a short walk around this very small village. Lots of tavernas and hotels and accommodation to house the millions who would flock here in summer. Only one taverna that we saw was open.

We sat on the beachfront and enjoyed the view until nightfall. Around 9pm the wind became much stronger and being out in the open gave us cause for concern so packed down and headed for the protection of the village and nestled in amongst the houses for a peaceful night.

We had encountered a strange looking old man the day before – a Lieutenant Colombo look alike (a little fatter though) with his unkempt long hair and long flowing dark coat. He stood right beside Ziggy – just smiling. Rob got out and spoke with Lieutenant Colombo who turned out to be just a very lonely old man who loved to chat to everyone. He couldn’t speak English but his eyes lit up when my German speaking driver spoke to him in German and he responded in German and then I watched as between them, verbal diarrhoea took over. Apparently quite a few Greeks speak German – hopefully as we are really embarrassed as we can’t even say hello or thank you in Greek.

Thursday 18th January

Headed back to the beachfront and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast while watching the surfers again. Lieutenant Colombo returned again and smiled and waved but this time did not stop to talk.

Our first choice for camp was called Parking Palaitos. Looked great in the photos. A beachfront campsite taking only 4 motorhomes. The little village looked really cosy with lots of tavernas in the Main Street. Just before we reached the street to the oceanfront, it became very narrow and with cars parked on both sides, we had no room to pass. We had to reverse back up the hill, do about a 7 point turn and then find a way back out again. Not much fun and expect this may happen over and over again in our travels. Sadly we moved on to our next chosen spot.

Campsite for tonight: Hotel- Restaurant Delphina, Mytikas

Our APP said it was closed but as we passed by it on the highway, the roadside sign said “open” so we followed the track down to the ocean.

The gates were open but once inside, there was no sign of life. All the deck chairs and umbrellas were stored in the foyer and verandas of the hotel. Everything was closed.

We decided to stay here in what would be a beautiful paradise setting in the summer months. Even now with no sun, the views were stunning. Had a very quiet and peaceful night here by ourselves again.

Friday 19th January

Woke up to a brisk 9 degrees inside Ziggy – brrrr! and turned the gas heater on while having breakfast.  We had passed snow capped mountains in the distance so expected this.

A car drove through the gates and we suspected it might be the owner. He was a lovely young man, who, together with his parents ran the hotel in the summer months and in the off season lived with his parents on a goat farm nearby. Evidently the “closed sign” blew off in the wind and he hadn’t replaced it. He had absolutely no problems with us being there and told us about his relations in Melbourne (you guessed it they run a fish and chip shop).

Still overcast but no rain when we headed off. The road was windy and uphill all the way but what it did was hug the oceanfront which rewarded us with the most stunning scenery across to the islands.

Fish farms were everywhere in every little bay and the fishermen in their little boats, tending to them. Such a shame the sun was not shining.

Toll roads are something we will have to endure here and are unavoidable in many cases. Today we encountered our first at €7.50 for only a short distance followed by €3.15 for a couple of kms before we turned off to our campsite. The cost for motorhomes is 2.5 times the price of cars but strangely a car and caravan is only double the price – can’t see the logic here.

Our campsite for tonight: Strandparking, Kryoneri

 This village is so like the villages we experienced in our last visit to Greece and still talk about now after all these years.  A very small village with just a few houses, some farms on the outskirts and this magic restaurant/taverna right across from the beach on the Patraikos Gulf).

There was a light on inside so ventured in with Mr Google in hand to ask if they were open tonight. Three people only inside sitting beside a blazing fire – what more could one ask for. The owner spoke English so didn’t need Mr Google’s help and soon set a date for 7pm tonight.

This free campsite is within a metre of the waters edge and after scouting around found another spot the same distance to the waters edge but perched directly under a majestic rock face and with even a better view. The ocean was like a mill pond and for the first time today, the sun came out at day’s end giving us a magnificent sunset to capture on camera.

Drove Ziggy the short 100 metres to the restaurant – Captain del Mare (www.captaindelmare.gr) with the intention of parking in front for the night. Both campsites were quite isolated and with no one else there, thought this the best option for a peaceful and worry free night.

A couple of tables were already occupied and had taken the fireplace premium seats so we had to take second best. Even had a Greek Orthodox Priest here – food must be good.

Can only rave about dinner. For under €30 in total we had a huge plate of home made hommus (warm) to share with fresh bread, grilled octopus and the best seafood risotto plus their home made sweets- like a cheese cake with a honey base pastry and Greek coffee.  Included were a couple of 500 ml bottles of Greek FIX beer – nice. Highly recommended restaurant and 5 star service with a smile.

Saturday 20th January

Sadly left here but with the knowledge this would not be the last time to experience this Greek hospitality.

The landscape was not as interesting after leaving the mountains and again it was a wet and windy (had our half hour of sunshine yesterday!).

More tolls today with the first being €7.50 and the second €13.30 to go over the newly built bridge from Antirro to Patras and a furthers 16 or so kms. Magic looking bridge and is really the only option when travelling down the west coast.

To avoid these tolls, an option would be to take the ferry directly to Patras but if you do, you would miss out on Kryoneri and the magnificent scenery (and food) to get there.

Not a lot of options for campsites along here as many are closed for the winter or are so isolated and feel unsafe if we stayed there.

Our campsite for tonight:  Parking Kyllini Beach, Kyllini

Interesting campsite which is located at a Port and Marina. The coordinates take you to the middle of the Marina fronting onto the Port but the pictures show the campsite on the adjoining beach. Parked Ziggy and walked around but could not find any signs allowing motorhome parking anywhere. The beach sign said parking only between 8am and 10pm – did not want to risk a fine, so went back to the Marina and parked in the front row along with twenty or so cars where the parking was free. Many cars did not move overnight so expect it is a holding car park for visitors to the islands. So interesting sitting in the Captains chairs in Ziggy, having a drink and watching the huge car ferries come and go.

The area was alive with many tavernas and restaurants open and was well lit so had no reservations about staying here and watching the ongoing activities around the Port.

The last ferry left at 9pm so had a beautifully quiet night after that and again only heard the beating of raindrops throughout the night.