2009/8 Greece

Well the story starts in Italy after the night ferry from Dubrovnik, with all us budget passengers curled up on benches and seats etc, full of envy of the enterprising campers who set up inflatable mattresses and even one hammock. However we slept well as we tend to do in this stress-free lifestyle of ours. In Bari, on a whim as usual, instigated by a wrong turning, we decided to drive down to Brindisi with more ferries to Greece. On our way we took another look at the Trulli houses, this time in the ‘Trulli capital’ – Alberabello for a wander, some photos and a good lunch.

At Brindisi ferry terminal we learnt we could board a ferry immediately, arriving in Ignoumenitsa in Greece at 2am and after a wait it would continue to Corfu arriving at 9 am – decision made, why not go to Corfu, plus we were allowed to ‘camp on board’ meaning Stan would be on deck and we could sleep inside – bliss.

Corfu was a surprise.  The town was full bustling life with plenty of tourists in the old town where we enjoyed a special lunch with a great selection of Greek appetisers. We wandered the narrow alleyways, got lost and over-heated but got to know it quite well in a short time.  Heading to the north of the island- hairpin bends, narrow roads, even narrower villages and the occasional bus, just to make sure that our life is not too stress free, we found by chance a little camp site ‘Dolphin’ a kilometre east of Sidari.

The camp was set under olive trees but with an eclectic bunch of campers including Mad Tony from Britain who had been going there every year for 19 years, and a German family who also revisited year after year.  A little beach just down the road to work on the tan and a short cycle into Sidari to witness the ‘strip’ – everything a Brit could want - North Sea fish and chips, bacon and egg breakfasts, roast lunch on Sunday, and of course wall to wall pubs and restaurants. However the strip did include lots of modest priced Greek food and lots of night life – a late night drag show memorable. And what’s more Joanna was able to stock up on Marmite – a poor second to Vegemite but will do in times of need.

We included lots of swims and some walks to neighbouring bays through the olive groves.  We drove Stan through narrow roads to visit bays on the west coast, stopping to buy wine, herbs and olive oil from Spiros – who had a unique sales technique of walking out into the middle of the road forcing you to stop. However we were all happy with the resulting sale and we have been enjoying his products since then.

Some good spots but lots of tourists everywhere. Paleokastritsa the finest beach and harbour to look at with panoramic views, but overcrowded with tourists. Of course panoramic views always mean more precipitous drops and hairpin bends, but never mind David is getting brilliant at negotiating them.

And so to  Ignoumenitsa on mainland Greece on the once an hour ferry with a typically chaotic loading process. After the many beaches and swims on Corfu we decided to ignore the probably crowded beaches of Parga south of Ignoumenitsa and set our hearts on the mountains of the North Pindu range near the Albanian border and in particular the Vikos Gorge ,at 900 m deep, the deepest gorge in the world (says the Guinness book of Records).

Good decision. First a night in Ioannina an interesting town set on a lake , with a visit to the remarkable Perama caves with its 1.8 km walk underground through cavern after cavern of stalactites and mites. Next day, loaded up with brochures from the North Pindu Park office we headed for the hills. We visited several small mountain villages including – Vradodo, Kapessovo, Monodendri, Vitsa and Vikos,

staying overnight at Kapessovo & Vikos.  They are all traditional protected villages with unique paved footpaths, alleys and steps often down a complete mountain side. We made some short walks to see the very elegant 16 century bridges, and walks to get a view of the Vikos gorge. was the overnight in the elegant paved square of the Vikos village with the walk own into the gorge to see the spring which is the start of the river in dry season,plus an old monastery, all very hot but well worth it, aided by the beer and lunch when up in the village again. Mind you we have noticed the habit generally in Greece of adding things to the meal that were not requested so the bill creeps up.  Greece is no longer the cheap stay as Joanna once knew 35 years ago, with the adoption of the Euro, Euro prices it is.   

Next stop after a drive over the mountains past the ski resort of Metsova was Meteora, the land with great sandstone outcrops and a half dozen monasteries set on top of the outcrops, with huge views.  This area is one of the most visited sites in Greece (Lonely Planet, but why hadn't we heard of it) and certainly the coaches and cars roll up to find parking. However get moving early and all is well.  We chose three monasteries to visit – the biggest, most popular and richly endowed Grand Meteora, the most remote and sparse Agias Triados which also features in the James Bond film ‘For Your Eyes Only’, and Agiou Stefanou run by the nuns.  All are in amazing locations perched on top of limestone outcrops and the chapels or ‘katholikons’ are richly decorated with frescoes, the museums contain impressive documents, books, and embroidered cloth etc from 14 th and 16 century. We stayed a couple of days at a camp site with pool to relax as Joanna was suffering a bad cold (only cleared up when we reached Kavala).

Thence we drove east across a dusty ,dry plain past Larisa, with shanties resembling a wild west film, to Litohoro at the foot of Mount Olympus (2918m) where all is green.   Pleasant night in town with lots of Saturday night action, weddings etc, and many walks in a national park (which we did not sample).

Next stop (after a swim) Thesalonika, on a Sunday. Sunday always a good time to visit big towns as parking is easy and people relaxed in cafes etc.  We are now entering a region which has seen a fair share of disputes with Turkey only becoming Greek in 1912.  Lively city with impressive Roman remains of Emperor Galerius’ palace (for his occasional visits to this end of his empire), his mausoleum, grand arch etc all from about 300 AD.  Also the two Turkish baths also from a few hundred years later.

Driving along looking for a spot to free camp we tumbled upon Asprovalta, east of Thesalonica and a park right on a long white,sandy beach, in place that is certainly a favourite with Greeks, Bulgarians, Checks etc. There is a sign saying “No Camping” but the police said we were fine- very relaxed people these Greeks. Now peak tourist season and the ‘strip’ packed but interesting as now a Greek flavour with lots of tavernas, fast food (Greek), stalls etc, just the place for an evening stroll and people watching. No more North Sea fish and chips or Marmite.

What next - the intention is to see Kavala and then head for Turkey.

Near the end of Greece, some comment.  The country appears to have a huge excess of petrol stations all with very variable prices and tavernas for the world, although not like they used to be according to Joanna. It has been very very hot and we sweat something awful and have to drink, drink, drink, but it is tiring, even driving, as Stan does not have air conditioning in the cab, so a one hour hold up on the motorway was not good.  Most Greek males smoke and carry worry beads, so Joanna has bought some hoping this will cure David’s habit of picking his nails!!!!  Unfortunately we are also into the region of ‘squat’ loos although less than in the past, says Joanna, who hates them, also having to put your loo paper into a bin is not the nicest. Our experience of the Greek people has been quiet,friendly and gentle-natured. They are very relaxed about rules and regulations, (unlike Croatia where they love them,) we watched with mouths hanging open as a police car passed us on a double yellow line. Greece is not the place Joanna visited 35 years ago, or even as it was when we visited with the children 20 years ago, tourism has had a big impact,but still a great place to visit.

Now we are sitting in a small cafe in Turkey, taking it slowly after David’s birthday, see next blog