A week to go, and we haven't booked a ferry across the channel yet. Still getting last minute vitals and checking kit. We have a new, all singing all dancing satnav this year - a Garmin instead of our usual Tom-Tom. Annoyingly, the Garmin doesn't tell us how far it is to our destination, and I much prefer Tom-Tom's map colours. However, we are hoping the Garmin's ability to track the route can be used to display the route here - will it work? Who knows!
The plan is to get to Greece before it gets too hot, but the downside is missing the English spring. May is absolutely glorious - fresh air, fresh life, fresh flowers, fresh green leaves on trees. As a reminder, here some recent bluebells on Duncliffe, in Dorset
Part of the preparation is remembering how to use Blogger, hence this post.
Fri 1st May
To Dover, to catch the 2015 P&O ferry to Calais. Uneventful drive and voyage (thank goodness!), spent the night at the aire at Gravelines, about 10 miles from Calais
Sat 2nd May
An early start, leaving at 0700. Took the route via Lille, Namur, Luxembourg (very cheap fuel here), Mannheim, Karlsruhe. Now stopped at a very nice motorhome stop (MH stop) beside the Rhine and the A61 at Karlsruhe. 610 miles, i.e 440 miles today.
Sun 3rd May
Another long stretch, total miles 929, so 319 miles today. A very pleasant route, quite scenic, especially when we got into Austria. A8 to Munich & Saltzburg, turning right down a really beautiful road at Bad Reichenall past Zell to Saalfelde Could have done without the rain though . Stopped at a commercial (12 Euro!) MH stop at Maria Alm. Very rural - on a small farm with an enormous dung heap. Spectacular views of the Alps - you'll have to get used to that word! There is no other word that does them justice
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| King of the dungheap |
The Grossglockner (http://www.grossglockner.at/en/) opened only 4 days ago. This was built in the 1930's as a tourist route, and it is certainly spectacular, especially when there snow is still thick. This our 4th trip over - costs around 30 euros. The top is at 2500 metres, and the road is good and wide. Some parts were still closed, including the road to the Franz Josef glacier. The ascent is fine, it is always the descent that makes me nervous, having had the brakes overheat a few times. The trick is to come down in 2nd gear, at no more than 20 mph. Now at a small site at Irschen we stayed at 6 years ago - and it now has wifi. Distance now 1011 miles. Into Italy tomorrow.
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| Grossglockner, at 2500 metres |
Tues 5th May
That really is a lovely campsite - small, nothing special in the way of facilities. but quite the friendliest welcome and cheeriest wave goodbye. Hopefully we can go there on the way home - "Camping Ponderosa" (OK Hoss?)
Ponderosa is in a valley between the Grossglockner and the Plocken pass - the Italian border is on the summit and a few years ago we spent a night on the Italian side of the border. The road surface on the Austrian side is, surprisingly, pretty awful, but (surprisingly) pretty good on the Italian side. The descent, although not that steep, has some very tight hairpins, accompanied by quite low tunnels - I can imagine an HGV stuck fast, blocking the road completely.
The pass was the scene of some seriously bloody fighting in WW1 between the Austrians (then the Austro-Hungarian empire) and the Italians. Whole mountain tops were mined and blown up. There is also a Roman road that still runs along the top of the ridge.
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| Austrian WW1 cemetery |
Wed 6th May
In the event, the check in desk opened at midnight, so an hour's sleep before that. We started loading at 2 am. When we got to the front of the queue, and about to board, a young jobsworth noticed our ticket had the name of a different ship (because they had changed the schedule after we bought our ticket) and we were sent back to the check-in desk to get the details changed. We could have done without that at 3 am! An hour later we were in our cabin, and just dropping off as the ferry sailed at 4.30.
We woke (late) to the sound of the foghorn and the sight of thick fog, which cleared by mid morning. Late morning we picked up more campervans, caravans and lorries at Ancona (Italy), and set off once more for Igmounenista. Learning from past experience, we took an electric kettle, adapter, mugs, milk and teabags and bottles of drinking water as well as snacks, so at least we could have some reasonable tea.
Thurs 7th May
8 am, and we are are stern to in Igmounenista, and waiting to disembark. Weather is lovely, but fresh. (the freshness didn't last - by 11 am it was 27 degrees). Took the (new) motorway to Ioannina. Lovely new surface, and hardly any traffic - I can remember when the M1 was like that! There was a toll at one point, just 2E40 (E = euro - I don't have a symbol)
The campsite is quite small, slightly unkempt, and expensive, but is right beside the lake, and about 1 Km walk from the old Byzantine castle (later Ottoman) where Ali Pasha is buried.
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| Ali Pasha's mosque, at Ioannina |
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| Ali Pasha's mosque |
Now at 1214 miles.
Fri 8th May
The plan had been to move on today, but it is really very pleasant, so we have decided to stay another day. I chilled on site, watching the election results come in - a big surprise that the Tories won, and good news that the odious Ed Balls lost his seat - but he will still have a Commons presence in the shape of his wife Yvette Cooper. Meanwhile Rosemary went back into the Byzantine/Ottoman castle to do some sketching.
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| Family of grebes, Ioannina |
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| To Ioannina
Sat 9th May - Greek Mountains
Awoke to a nice fresh morning, as yesterday, crowds of youngsters came into the site to launch sculls - singles, doubles, fours and eights, and a number of rubber dinghies buzzed around shouting instructions. I'm no oarsman, but some crews seemed very competent indeed.
We paid our 40 euros for 2 nights, and left, heading for the mountains, first to Monodendri, at one end of the world's deepest gorge. The primary reason for coming here is a superb view down the gorge. This involves a fair trek from the village to a tiny medieval monastry.
 
We had expected the roads to be narrow and difficult, but in fact they were wide, well surface, and not too steep. It is quite a touristy little town, and several coaches disgorged tourists.
The road continues a further 6 Km, passing through a "stone forest". We were puzzled as to what this might be. In the event it was some interestingly (and naturally) shaped rocks.
The road ends at another viewpoint, and the road was good all the way.
 
You can only spend so long looking at a view, no matter how nice, so our next target was even further into the mountains, Papigko. Mostly the road was good, only one hairpin, in a village, that required a three point turn to get round. That wasn't helped by being stared at by the old men of the village. However the final climb into Papigko was quite hairy. Road was fairly wide but very tight and steep hairpins that required first gear.
 
As we neared the top we had thunder and heavy drops of rain, making the road quite slippery - skidding alarmingly on one of the bends. Luckily at Papigko there is a large car park, where we are planning to spend the night - I REALLY don't fancy going back down those hairpins with a wet and slippery road!
1251 miles Overnight at N39.96799 E 020.71782
Sun 10th May - Thunderstorm and Open Vents!
This is a charming village, touristy in an untouristy way. Quite a few restaurants and tavernas - all open and all empty, just like the car park. It is apparently a retreat for wealthy Athenians, and a large number of stone roofed houses are locked up holiday homes. The is just one "mini-market" - more of a micro-market - it didn't even sell bread or milk.
The road is now dry, so we descended gingerly, and headed for the ancient site of Dodoni. Until Delphi came along, Dodomi was the location of ancient Greece's major oracle, centred on a sacred oak tree. The site had been long sought but was only discovered last century, and excavations are continuing. There is an impressive 17,000 seat theatre, some lovely wild flowers, but not a lot more for a non archaeologist to get their teeth into.
   
Next stop, Plataria. A pleasant, but uninteresting town with a large marina. We stopped here on our way back from Turkey 7 years ago. Unfortunately it is no longer possible to park where we did then, so we stopped at the far end of the cove where there is a car park and a slipway. There was a small group of British travellers with young families, very obviously home educating their children - the children were playing like children always used to and really ought to - off having adventures.
We walked the half mile or so back into town, bought some milk, looked at some impressive yachts, including an impressive 2 masted square rigged ketch out of Plymouth, and went for a beer (and free wifi). We hadm't been there 5 minutes when there was a flash of lighting, a crack of thunder, and the heavens opened. Torrential rain. We knew the rooftop vents were open, but said at least the vent over the bed closes automatically if it rains. The rain was far too heavy to attempt a dash back to the van. The bar owner said that was the first rain they had had for a month.
After half an hour (and a couple of beers) the rain stopped, leaving huge puddles everywhere. As we approached the van we could see that the automatic vent had failed us, and was still wide open. Two of the seat cushions were drenched and dripping, one corner of the bed was soaked - duvet, sheets, 2 mattress toppers, and right through the mattress. We did have a spare duvet and sheets, and we managed to dry the mattress and cushions to merely damp by turning on the heating full blast for a couple of hours. We are hoping that tomorrow will be hot and dry, so we can get to a campsite and spread everything out.
.... and as we went to (a damp) bed, I found an open wifi connection. It seems that complete idiot Michael Gove has been made Justice Secretary! A pity he and Grant Shapps (aka Michael Green) didn't lose their seats.
1362 miles, overnight at N39.44400 E 020.27164
Mon 11th May
Hopefully today will be warm enough to dry everything out - and it has certainly started well. Leaving our overnight spot we headed south a few miles, to a campsite just beyond Parga, Camping Lichnos. Access from the main road is via a steep and narrow hill with numerous tight hairpins. To complicate matters we had to also squeeze past a mechanical digger. It wasn't far and we were there by 10 am, and almost immediately bundled all our washing into the site's single washing machine. An hour later it was on our new drier, and on some washing lines we put up between the trees. Hot sun, a gentle breeze - dry in no time, we thought. Another hour - and sky suddenly darkened and the heavens opened again. No problem, we thought, we'll erect our ripstop nylon cover over the drier. Ten minutes later, the gentle breeze, suddenly and without warning, became a stiff breeze, and our drier instantly took on the semblance of a square rigger rounding Cape Horn in full sail. The sea, which had been flat calm, became quite rough in just a few minutes. Luckily we were around to rescue the situation, and brought the now just damp washing and bedding back into the van, where it continued drying for the rest of the day.
We have a prime position, overlooking the beach, and the site has free wifi.
1392 miles, N39.28142 E 020.43528
Tues 12th May
Dry bedding made for a much more comfortable night. We have decided to spend 3 nights here, go into Parga the nearby town today, and spend a day chilling on site/on the beach tomorrow. It is too far to walk into town along very unpleasant roads, so we took a taxi, 7 euros each way. Parga is, I guess, typical of Greek tourist towns. A tiny harbour, a long strip beside the sea almost entirely taken up with cafes and restaurants, and a narrow main street almost entirely filled with shops selling tourist tat. Above one end of the town is a Venetian castle, owned by various nationalities at various times, including Britain. We sold it to Ali Pasha. It does have some great views over the town.
Lunchtime, and we examined pretty well every restaurant on the seafront, settling on the Veneziano, a family run restaurant. Chatting to the Maitre D, probably the owner' son, we find he did a degree at Bradford and an MBA at Bournemouth uni, and knows our part of England well. An interesting guy to chat to. The food was excellent - simple and freshly cooked.
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A nice site - but nothing to do from it, so we squeezed our way out past 2 badly parked trucks and continued heading south. Along the way we stopped near Nidri, to visit a waterfall a few miles inland. A bit of a walk, but worth every step. For me it was the highlight of the trip so far. A narrow gorge, a modest waterfall of around 30 metres, with not a vast amount of water - but the setting and lighting was superb. Whilst there we chatted to an English couple who were holidaying in Nidri for 2 weeks. They said there was so little to do there they would have gone home after 1 week, and had already walked out to the waterfall 3 times just for something to do. There is an excellent cafe at the waterfall, so a walk to the waterfall, lunch at the cafe and a walk back would make a good day out.
At Sivota, which we stopped at briefly, Rosemary met an English girl with 2 alsation puppies. It seems she had rescued them from a rubbish skip. There is certainly no shortage of dogs here!
Fnally, a campsite at Vassiliki, where we were expecting to find a letter waiting for us - and it was! I'm amazed! Quite an old campsite, slightly run down, but in a good position. A VERY flaky wifi connection, sometimes excellent, mostly flickering between almost non existent and completely non existent. There seems to be no rhyme or reason why it should vary so much. And I now have a € symbol, thanks to one of my readers! Thankyou Alan:)
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| Vassiliki |
Mon 18th May
The site is just a 5 minute walk from the small and, mostly, unspoilt town. The compulsory quayside restaurants and cafes all have a rather amateurish feel, which we much prefer to the really slick and shiny restaurants that clutter most quay sides.
There is a lot of dredging and construction works going on. A local Greek lady said that yet another yacht marina was being built, despite local opposition - the result of corruption and back handers. It has to be said that a big marina completely changes the character of a place. Currently in the harbour are just 5 yachts.
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| for my yachtie friends;) |
Tues 19th May
Rain overnight. We knew it was coming because we had looked at the forecast. And the automatic vent works! It had cleared by the morning. That's my idea of rain! A pleasant unassuming site in a pleasant unassuming town, we plan to stay for a few days
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| To Vassiliki |
Wed 20th May
There is a reasonable beach, about 2 miles away along a track on the hillside. Whilst Rosemary was drawing in town I walked out to it, spent half an hour there reading Scientific American (did you know there is evidence that sugar substitutes like aspartane and saccharin makes you fat!) then came back. Quite a nice shingle beach, and not too busy. It was rather hot - I should have gone in the morning.
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| he was investigating the contents of a skip, wondering if her could get in |
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| Stalker |
Thurs 21st May
€60 for 4 nights. A lovely homely sort of town, we are sorry to be moving on. We're not going far, to a car park at Porto Katsiki, which I think translates to Port Catsick - but I could be wrong. This is down towards the end of the southernmost point of Lekada. Really photogenic, and appears on a huge number of postcards. It might not have been far, but the trip was quite exciting, especially when I took a wrong turn up a steep hill that got narrower and narrower. I had to reverse about 1/4 mile down an extremely narrow road, with overhanging bushes, and walls on either side. The drop down to Port Catsick was quite exciting, too.
Our target was the car park for the beach. Cost €3 for cars and €6 for motorhomes. We parked up beside an Italian van that has been here 4 days. A very friendly couple. The car park is substantially higher than the beach - a slope and 102 steps before you're at sea level, but the view from the van door is stupendous. Huge white cliffs, an empty golden beach and azure blue sea.
We had only been there a few minutes when 3 pleasure boats hove into view, and ran up the beach, disgorging passengers. Thy had to descend a steep ladder into the surf to get ashore. One boat in particular made an enormous racket, playing pop music at full volume. Then, an hour later, the passengers all re-embarked, and the boats set off for a different island for lunch. We weren't sorry to see them go.
Halfway up the hill is a very enterprising restaurant. You can phone an order, and they'll deliver it, free, anywhere on the beach. They even walk along the beach taking orders, very distinctive in smart yellow tee shirts.
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| 102 steps |
Later in the day, about 4 pm, it had quietened down, and the sun had lost some of its power - and we ventured onto the beach - and I still got sunburnt! By sunset, all the cars had gone, and just 5 motorhomes remained: 1 Italian, 1 French, 2 Dutch and 1 Brit
Miles 1572, N 38.60300 E 020.54915
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| A Turneresque sky |
Fri 22nd May
We left fairly early - with hindsight I wish we had stayed another day or two.
The road out proved quite exciting - we came across a village with a very steep hill - and it took 3 attempts to get up. Either the clutch was slipping or the wheels were spinning - I'm hoping it was the latter, but it was difficult to tell at the time, as I as more interested in getting to the top. It was the only road out! Subsequent tests - putting the handbrake on, selecting 3rd gear, revving up and letting out the clutch - just stalled the engine, a slipping clutch would have continued to slip.
Our next wild camping spot was another beach - but that didn't find favour, so we found ourselves back where we started, in Lefkada. We wanted to buy a larger electric ring to replace the cheap small one we had, so we could cook outside more easily. However, I then discovered I had left the tools I needed to replace the plug at home. How annoying!
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| Add caption |
Late afternoon, and we were back in Camping Kariotes Beach. Still no beach, but there is at least water in the swimming pool.
Miles 1611, N29 deg 48' 15.7" E020 deg 24'50.7'
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| Our route to Methoni |
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| "That damned bird has crapped on my head!" |
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| Monument in the Garden of Heroes |
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| Lord Byron - home is where the heart is |
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| The artist in residence |
We are spending the night on the quay, a location we found in Camperstop 2015
Miles 1706 N 38 deg 21'49.1" E021 deg 25'13.9"
Sun 24th May
A very quiet night. When we awoke the fishing boats in the harbour had obviously already put to sea. A nice, quiet and still morning, so we went back to the Klisova Lagoon for breakfast. I had a mind to have a swim before breakfast. I only got in as far as my ankles before deciding it was way too cold for an Englishman! We did, however, see just one wading bird in the lagoon. I hope there are more in the breeding season!
We have revised our plans for Greece, and now plan to return to the Peloponnese, last visited in October 2010. So on to Patras, for the new toll bridge. It is a beautiful looking bridge, and cost us €13.60, about £10. Cars are cheaper. There appears to be less LPG available here than in Northern Greece, so when we saw some on the A5 between Messolongi and Patras we topped up. Should have enough now to get us home. Last time in the Peloponnese there was only 1 LPG station, right in the middle. |
| The bridge at Patras |
Once over the bridge we took the inland route south to Panapoulis, then a minor road south west to join the E55 on the coast. That was a tiring trip - constant concentration! On the coast road we turned south looking for somewhere to spend the night - we have notes of where we stopped 5 years ago. Near Zacharo we passed a garage selling LPG - worth noting if you're heading this way.
Eventually we stopped at a very non touristy fishing village, Marathoplis. There is a large open space at the end of the village, overlooking the sea and the harbour, and a 2 minute walk into town.
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| Marathopolis - an untouristy tourist strip! |
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| Overnight at Marathoplis |
Miles 1865 N 37 deg 3'35" E21 deg 34' 26"
Mon 25th May
We like this town very much. Very understated. Shopped for bread and groceries - if we spend a night in a town we try to spend some money there too. One storekeeper said "English?! We don't get many English here". I guess that is part of the charm of the place. There are no yachts, which change the character of a place . Besides, the coast is very unforgiving - no sand, just very sharp rocks. There are the remains of a shipwreck to be seen, primarily a rusty ships boiler. and other marine detritus, on the shore.
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| Shipwreck remains, Marathopolis |
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| Gialova castle |
Tues 26th May
More shopping, and more Internet, and we left Marathopolis for the 2nd time. A very homely sort of place.
Back up into the hills with the tortuous bends, to Chora (or Hora) to find the museum. It houses Mycenaean (a bronze age civilisation) artifacts found in various local tombs and palace. Found with difficulty, it costs only €1 to go in, and is stuffed with clay pots and other items that archaeologists go potty over, all very well arranged and presented. No descriptions, dates, or interpretation whatsoever, not even in Greek, never mind English. Worse, attempting to take a photo of a huge pot with Rosemary alongside to give it scale, along came a faithful retainer to say we could take photos, but no posing! And he followed us from room to room - I guess they don't get many visitors! I didn't stay long, but Rosemary stayed, (she professes an interest in archaeology,) but then rushed from room to room just to watch him scuttling after her.
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| illicit photo in the museum - Rosemary, not the pot! |
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| Mycenaean pots |
Rain was forecast for 3 pm. At 1 minute past 3 we felt the first drops, and soon thunder. - Just the same as last time we were here. Eventually, just as we thought we would have to close it manually, the rain detecting vent closed itself. Thunder rattled around for a few hours, then suddenly stopped.
Lots of eateries, of course. We chose the least touristy one for a Moussaka and a carafe of wine.
We weren't turned off by police, and later we were joined by French, Slovenian and German vans, and a peaceful night was had by all.
Miles 1933 N 36.91561 E 21.69518
Wed 27th May
We have been wild camping for 4 nights, and in need of some bunkering facilities. There is a campsite about 10 miles away at Methoni. We went there 5 years ago, when it was a run down municipal site - and we got stuck in the mud. No one was collecting money then. Now it is still run down, but is charging €12 pn. At least they have water, electricity and chemical toilet disposal - we carry 2 toilet cassettes, one slung underneath, that need emptying. (I hope you're not reading this over breakfast!). We got there late afternoon, when everything is closed.
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| Methoni |
Thurs 28th May
A much nicer day - hot sun and cool breeze. Methoni seems even more run down than 5 years ago, but it does have a spectacular castle. Initially Venetian, but later Ottoman. It has 2 Turkish baths, but the piece de resistance is the lookout tower on the seaward end. There's no cost for entry, but Greeks work funny hours. The castle is open from 8 am to 3 pm. Not many visitors at 8 am, but lots who are disappointed to find the gates locked after 3 pm.
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| Venetian watch tower, Methoni |
Last time we were here I took a photo of a brilliant piece of health and safety observance. It was so good I have reproduced it here.
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| Health & Safety Executive - eat your heart out! |
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| The owner's friend - free to hop around the shop in a busy town |
Fri 29th May
Awoke to a lovely dawn - but half an hour later it rained heavily. The Australian catamaran opposite has left already. A police car drove slowly past, inspecting us all, but didn't stop. I'd guess they are not bothered about casual visitors, but don't want people setting up residence there.
Time to move on - another short hop to Finikounda, Camping Thines. We stayed here 5 years ago, too. Finikounda is a rather sad little town, not at all thriving like Pylos. The campsite, almost on the beach, seems to a place where Germans, mostly, come and spend the summer. The German caravan close to us has obviously just removed its winter covers (they're still lying on the ground. ) The elderly German owner surprised us all by being a pretty good wind surfer. The pitches are very small, and quite difficult to negotiate.
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| Slovenians into Tai Chi |
Miles 1961 N 36.80476 E 21.79613
Sat 30th May
Not much to do here except sit on the beach - and the sand is quite gritty, so time to move again. Next stop Koroni, another place we visited 5 years ago, and we rather liked it. It has no marina, so it feels more like a real town than just a tourist resort. The campsite, Camping Koroni, is an easy walk into town, and has excellent wifi reception. And it is one of nicest sites we've been to here. We got a really friendly welcome from the owners wife.
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| Koroni |
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| Koroni |
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| Fishing boat, Koroni |
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| The harbour at Koroni |
There is a castle at one end of the village, and this has a working monastery within its walls, with now just 6 rather elderly nuns. It is open to visitors, and has a very tranquil atmosphere to it (and a little gift shop). I left Rosemary painting some watercolours here.
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| The monastery at Koroni |
Miles 1976 N36.79981 E 021.05058
Sun 31st May
This is supposed to be crunch weekend for the Greek Euro crisis. We haven't seen any sign of anything different. At other places we've seen rubbish collection points overflowing with uncollected rubbish. There is a collection point just outside the campsite, and it was emptied at 5 pm on Whit Sunday, so services are still functioning here.
Rosemary spent the day at the monastery painting, she is becoming quite friendly with some of the nuns, even though they have little mutual language.
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| Rosemary's convent watercolours |
Later: the concert was outdoors, which was unexpected. Greece may be hot during the day but it cools down a fair bit at night. The concert organisation was nicely amateurish - it started 15 minutes late because people were still turning up without tickets at 9.10 - and there weren't enough seats. The performers were anything but amateurish, and the pianist in particular was delightful - I think I'm in love!. A one mile walk back to the site, made easier by the torch we brought and the ice cream we bought at 11 pm.
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| Love at first sight.....? |
Mon 1st June
Rosemary went back to the monastery to do some more painting - and was welcomed like a long lost friend. She took a jar of English marmalade as a gift. It seems that one of the non English speaking nuns is also an artist, and wanted to know how she did water colour without water. (The brush is like a fountain pen, contains a supply of water). They also want photos of her paintings which they might turn into postcards, or include in a book. Fame at last! Today a priest was there, who had been brought up in the USA, so was able to translate.
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| seen one patriarch you've seen them all! |
Meanwhile, I spent the day reading, with a brief foray to the beach.
Tues 2nd June
We both have itchy feet, so it must be time to move on. First, we walked back into Koroni to do some shopping. It is surprisingly easy to get fresh milk in Greece - tea with UHT mik is horrible! And in many parts of France that's all you can get. Under way by 11 am, and we made our way to an overnight parking spot just outside Sparta. It isn't far, but you have to negotiate hills and passes much tricker than the Alps. It isn't surprising the Spartans left no fortifications - the mountains between Sparta and the sea are much more impregnable. Let me quote from Lonely Planet -
"The 59 Km Sparta-Kalamata road is one of the most stunning routes in Greece, crossing the the Taygetos Mountains by way of the Langagda Pass. The climb begins in earnest at the village of Trypi, 9 Km fromSparta, where the road enters the Langada Gorge. To the north of this gorge is the site where ancient Spartans threw babies too weak or deformed to become good soldiers.
From Trypi, the road follows the course of the Langada river for a while before climbing sharply through a series of hairpin bends to emerge in a sheltered valley....The road then climbs steeply once more to the high point of 1542m...
The descent down to Kalamata is equally as dramatic, although the area is taking a long time to recover from the devastating forest fires of 1998."
That 59 Km took 1 1/2 hours (in the opposite direction) of constant concentration. I was quite exhausted when we stopped. There wasn't a great deal of traffic, but motorbikes seem to like doing hairpin bends on the wrong side of the road. The entire road is double white lined, and looking down on the zigzags below the road seemed just like a Scalextric layout. As we left Kalamata we passed a sign warning of rockfalls for the next 43 Km, and indeed there were rocks on the road in many places. There is a lot of concrete wall in places, intended to hold back rockfalls. This has proved to be invitation to graffiti artists, and there are a lot of superb ones, not just random spray.
We have a faint smell of gas. I have found there is small seepage of gas between the bottle and the connection valve. Not too serious, but I'll see if I can get some sealant to apply to the outside. I can't add sealant to the thread - that would see 22 Kg of LPG rolling down the hill looking for a spark!
Miles 2045 N37.07338 E 022.41343
Wed 3rd June
The reason we have battled our way up here is to return to the ancient Byzantine city/fortress at Mystra. At one point it was the second city after Constantinople, but was overrun and burned on numerous occasions. It takes up one side of very steep (about 45 degrees) and very high hill overlooking the plain wherein lies Sparta (only about 5 miles away). What isn't a ruin has been rebuilt - the palace is being rebuilt completely - they've been at it 10 years so far. There are numerous churches, with fascinating frescoes. I particularly like Jesus raising the dead - and the by-standers are holding their noses:)
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| Mystras |
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| Note the holding of noses:) |
Right at the very top of the hill is a castle. We went there last time, but this time decided it was way to hot to go again. There is an entrance at the top of the hill, and coaches drop their passengers there and pick them up at the bottom gate - very sensible, but not an option for us.
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| Portrait of a locust (I think) |
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| Neo Itilo |
Miles 2093 N 36.69312 E 22.38925
Fri 5th June
We have moved further into the Mani today. The whole of the Mani is unbelievably barren, it's amazing that people managed to make a living here - there are very few flat bits, hardly anything grows on the mountain slopes, except a very fierce thorn. There are terraces on the sides of the hills in a number of places, but it is difficult to believe they were very fertile.
A feature of the Mani is the number of houses that are small forts - towers up to 5 storeys high. Some of the older villages had lots of these, close together. We have a number of reasons for them - protection from Barbary pirates, protection from the Turks, and because many families were involved in blood feuds that lasted generations. The most spectacular of these is Vathia. When we came 5 years ago many of the houses and towers were inhabited. This time the whole village on the seaward side of the road was deserted. Doors were open, or off their hinges, windows broken, not a dog, not a cat...it had a very creepy feeling rather like, I imagine, the finders of the Marie Celeste felt. There was a strong breeze, and tiles rattled, & gates slammed ..just illuminating the otherwise eerie silence.
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Deserted Mani village Vathia
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We revisited the most southerly point in Greece, and maybe in Europe, at Cape Tenaro, but this time we didn't walk out to the lighthouse. Close to the end of the road, where we spent the night 5 years ago but now has a No Camping sign, is the "Sanctuary and Death Oracle of Neptune Tainarios". A tiny building of large stones. At one end is a small alter - just a piece of flat rock - and people have left small gifts on it - sweets, coins (even a few euros), trinkets. Completely informal and completely fascinating.
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Sanctuary and Death Oracle of Neptune Tainarios - gifts for the gods
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Now we are heading up the east side of the Mani. We think our clutch must be OK, the road out of Cape Tenaro to the east is one of the steepest I have ever encountered, with lots of tight hairpins. Not especially narrow, but I was relieved we didn't meet any traffic coming down, and I was relieved when we got to the top - a long way on an average 1 in 4 slope.
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Roadside orchid
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Our target is Kotronas, a tiny fishing village where wild camping on the quay is tolerated. When we arrived an Italian and a Brit were already there, and a French van arrived later. The cafe close to the quay has good cheap coffee, and wifi that is available from the quay. It seems that free wifi, like fresh milk, is not a problem in Greece.
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Kotroni
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Miles 2152 N 36.61827 E 22.49446
Sat 6th June
It is really very pleasant here, totally unspoiled. There's a good sandy little beach, mostly deserted. Seems a shame to move on, but we have a loo crisis - 2 full cassettes. So after an early lunch we moved on to Camping Meltemi, near Githio. A large and well shaded campsite, large pitches, extensive wifi coverage, and access direct to the beach. We seem to manage 4 days wild camping to one day on a site.
Miles 2169 N 36.72950 E 22.55392
Sun 7th June
Not a lot to do here unless you like beaches - and we don't particularly, unless there's something special about them;) The campsite is on a large working olive grove, so we bought a couple of bottles of their olive oil, and headed a few miles to Gythia. Quite a large town - last time we were here there was a rubbish collectors strike - nd the streets were piled high with rubbiish for several hundred yards. No such unpleasantness this time, but there isn't much here of interest - just long lines of cafes and umbrellas - so on again, to Monemvasia.
On the way we passed the wreck of the coaster Dimitrios, close to the shore on a long sandy beach. Below is a photo from 5 years ago, and its current condition
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Dimitrios - 2010
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Dimitrios - 2015
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Monemvasia is rather like Gibraltar, or to a lesser extent, Portland - a huge rock attached to the mainland by a narrow isthmus - it was an island before they built a causeway. A natural fortress, just built for defence. There is only one narrow tunnel into the town, at the seaward end, and the roads are way too narrow for cars - and even the main street has steps, There are numerous bijou hotels, and guests have to carry their luggage quite a way through a maze of streets to reach their hotels. Wheeled suitcases would fall apart in no time - the cobbles take no prisoners!
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The only way in!
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transport
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It is very touristy - but in a nice way - a few better class gift shops, quite a few cafes and restaurants, and lots of ruined Byzantine churches. The main fortification was the "upper town", on the top of the rock. Artisans lived in the "Lower Town", which is the only bit that survives and prospers, We visited the Upper Town 5 yeras ago - a lot of steep climbing in fierce heat - but this time the Upper Town was closed for renovation - so that saved me some sweat:).
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Monemvasia - main square
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Monemvasia - lower town
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The main street
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There is a large car park just over the causeway, where we parked whilst we visited the town. It does have a "No Camping" sign, so we have moved back onto the mainland, to an area beside the harbour - a mixture of visiting yachts - there are ensigns of most European countries - and fishing boats. We have a good view of the Rock, and we can see that about 10 motorhomes are planning to bed down in the no camping car park.
Miles 2214 N 36.68302 E 23.03859
Mon 8th June
Drove back to the car park on the causeway, and walked the 3/4 mile or so into the Lower Town quite early - they were still opening up the shops and bars. The are, of course, numerous restaurants, all rather more classy than in most Greek resorts. (They wouldn't regard Monemvasia as a resort - neither would I). Very few just did snacks, and the one that did, Di Biscotto, is superb. The owner speaks excellent English, is chatty, and the food is good value.
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the artist observed...
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...the artist observed ...
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Sea gate
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Rosemary spent the afternoon painting scenes of Monemvasia, and I returned to the van for cups of tea and catch up on my reading. Foreign coffee is fine (generally) but for a decent cup of tea you have to make it yourself. later, we drove back to our overnight spot by the harbour.
Tues 9th June
Another day like yesterday - Rosemary painting, me reading and sorting photos. We met up for lunch at Di Biscotto. Peple often refer to old towns as being a maze of streets - but nothing prepares you for this maze of streets - it's rather like walking around an Escher drawing - nothing goes where you think it goes. I walked up from the Sea Gate, thinking if I just went upwards I'd come across the main street. I didn't. Unbeknown to me I had walked underneath it.
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Monemvasia, sunrise
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...and the boats sail out to sea
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...and back to the port for the night. Moving on tomorrow
Wed 10th June
3 nights in one place - and our feet are beginning to itch. Time to start moving north towards Igmounenista. Not far from Monvasia there is an acroplis of Zarax, just above Gerakas Port. We found Gerakas Port OK - a quiet unspoilt fishing village in a hidden cove - but the Acroplis was rather trickier. A plan in the car park made it sound easy - but the path fizzled out. We found another path, also over grown, and that was quite a difficult scramble. When we got to the top there were a few walls, but the whole area was overgrown with weeds and thorns, so we came back the way we had come. We had lunch here before we left - but one of the seats in the van came apart, and I spent a happy hour fixing it.
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Gerakas Port
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We attempted to take the coast road north to Leonido, signposted and marked as a major road. We had to stop to allow a huge herd of goats pass - and some huge goats with huge horns too. And dogs. As we approached half a dozen fearsome looking dogs lunged towards us, looking very threatening. As we drove on, they kept up with us for at least half a mile - I must admit to driving slowly enough so they could.
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goats - and feral dogs - and good wide road
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The road surface here was new, wide and excellent. Then we reached a county boundary. Good road stopped, no road started! Not even a dirt track, but a levelled out rock surface, with boulders sticking out, and loose stones. This was not a level piece of road, but a mountain road complete with steep hills, hairpin bends, and no edge barriers. We continued for a bit to see if normal surface resumed - but it didn't. Thinking it would be insane to continue, in a motorhome, we turned round and let the satnav find a different way - (that allowed us to tease the wild dogs again:).
The alternative route was 25 miles, took over an hour of very difficult roads, and delivered us just 3 miles from where we turned round. Driving in the Greek mountains is HUGELY more challenging than the Alps. Bends and gear changes occur every minute or so, there are large unguarded drops beside the driver, and you cannot lose concentration for an instant. Exhausting!
Eventually we arrived at Camping Zaritso. 120 miles or so by road, but only a few miles as the crow flies. Exhausted from a tiring drive, we started to get dinner ready - to discover that a jar of runny honey had tipped over, the lid had become dislodged, and assisted by steep hills and hairpin bends had spread itself underneath the cupboards. So another happy hour was spent dismantling the cupboards, cleaning out a very sticky mess, and reassembling it all.
Not one of our best days!
Miles 2321
Thurs 11th June
Continuing our march northwards, we are heading for Nafplio, when we spent some time 5 years ago searching for an English speaking Dentist. On the way we called in at an ancient Mycenean centre, Tyrins. The books say this is the equal of Mycenae, but the Tyrins ruins are definitely worth a miss unless you're a committed archaelogist (which I ain't!).
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Tyrins - the most interesting bit
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...and so to Nafplio, to the large car park on the quayside. Since we were last here they have erected a large perimeter fence around the port area, so we can't park by the water's edge, like last time. We like Nafplio - a pleasant town, touristy but not spoilt by it. It also has lots of real (not tourist) shops, and after a lot of walking managed to buy a tube of sealant, which I hope will cure my gas leak. I have been amused by the words on some of the tee shirts being worn. One large young lady wore one which simply read "Guess!". I'd have guessed 42 DD....
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Napflio - you can just see Tilly on the quay, where we spent 3 nights
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Fri 12th June
Summer has arrived in Greece. Previously the temperature was just about right. Today the temperature has shot up. In the shade and in the breeze it's rather nice. In the sun and out of the breeze it is hot and sticky! Before it got too hot, Rosemary went off sketching, and I dismantled the gas pipes to apply my new sealant to the leaking bottle. Typically, the joint that was leaking no longer is, but on the grounds that the leak is certain to reappear when you least need it to, I applied the sealant anyway.
Back on the quay, we have been joined by two Czech motorhomes, some Dutch and a German.
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Naflplio was the capital of Greece after independence. Losing that dubious honour to Athens has meant that it retains an old world charm, and isn't surrounded by suburbs and covered in smog. A huge Dutch cruise ship is anchored in the bay, and a stream of boats are ferrying passengers back on board. They've probably had a flying visit to Mycenae, 11 miles away
Miles 2361 N 37.56857 E 22.80111
Sat 13th June
An early start - and by 8.30 we were the 2nd vehicle in the Mycenae car park. €4 each to go in to a well preserved and very ancient site, dating from circa 1500 BC. The Mycenians had a very cultured civilisation based on trade, including tin from England and amber from the Baltic. It fell apart as a result of earthquakes, fires, and attacks by "the sea people", whom we assume to be the Phoenecians
To a non archaelogist like me, the most interesting parts were the Lion Gate - the huge lintel of which has a relief of 2 lions, the first relief in Europe by 1500 years, and the "Tomb of Agamemnon" - a huge beehive domed room, made of very heavy rocks cut to just the right shape, and self supporting,
The lintel is curved in 2 planes, to suit the contours of the tomb. Whilst we were there a French couple arrived. The man sang a snatch from an aria - a lovely voice, and the acoustics were superb. And as we left the tomb, a group of Koreans arrived. Many of the females were wearing surgical masks - obviously Greek air is dangerous - but I noticed they bravely removed them to have their photos taken.
Back at the main site, Rosemary asked if she could go back in to do some sketching. The young man said "You're English. No problem. If you were German you'd have to pay again" It was said in jest, but that is the first (tiny bit) of anti German sentiment we've come across.
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Supposedly the death mask of Agamemnon, but actually 300 years older
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I can't resist a good lizard!
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Saturday afternoon, and we're back on the quay at Nafplio...and it's hot! August must be unbearable!
Sun 14th June
There is a new arrival in the port, an absolutely beautiful motor yacht, called Nero. I was there fairly early to admire her, and was joined by a retired Greek sailor, and we admired her together. An absolutely classic design, built in 2007 based onthe design of JP Morgan's personal yacht of the 1920's. The sweep of the bow, the curve of the stern, the clean lines - I think I'm in love again, but have agreed to share her with the Greek sailor. She's available for charter, and divides her time between the Aegean and the West Indies - she's registered in the Bahamas.
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so graceful - behind is the Venetian castle
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Mon 15th June
An early start - we want to get to the theatre at Epidavros as soon as it opens, to get there before the coaches full of cruise ship passengers. Somewhere else we visited 5 years ago that demands a revisit, Whilst the theatre is the most complete bit, there is a huge site to look around. It was the sanctuary of Asclepius, the god of medicine. Lonely Planet says "Considering the state of Greece's current health system, perhaps the centre should be resurrected."
Most visitors only get as far as the 3rd century theatre. Performances of ancient Greek dramas are still held here.
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The acoustics are superb. I felt a "Friends, Romans, countrymen..." speech was called for. A coin dropped in the centre can be heard from the highest seat. It can accommodate 14,000
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The arena - still used from time to time
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Esklapion - and the coolest part of the site
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By midday it was very hot indeed, so we carried on the 5 miles or so to Camping Nicholas 1 at Ancient Epidavros. The ancient part of the town is actually under the sea, following an earthquake 2000 years ago. There 2 campsites called Camping Nicholas. Number 1 is older, flatter, and closer to the town. We have a pitch just 2 yards from the sea. When we were here 5 years ago, in September, the waves were splashing over the top.
Shortly after we arrived, a Dutch caravan came in beside us. Turns out he was the ACSI campsite inspector.
Miles 2417 N 37.62967 E 23.15853
Tues 16th June
The town is just over a mile away, an easy track takes you past a little theatre, currently closed so an archaeological dig can take place. Near the campsite we passed a very ancient olive tree, quite probably over 2000 years old, and lying in its shadow, a section of an ancient Greek column, the whole lot subsumed by undergrowth.
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just lying around! piece of culumn, under very ancient olive tree
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We ate in a nearby restaurant, but we weren't too impressed with what we got for €26. If you want a job done properly, do it yourself!
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Epidavros to Meteora
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Fri 19th June
We spent 4 nights at Ancient Epidavros - probably a day too long, in hindsight. We are now well north, at Camping Delphi, about 5 Km from Delphi itself (and several hundred metres lower).
On the way north we stopped at the ruins of ancient Corinth. These were much more impressive than we had expected. There were 2 coach parties doing the St Paul thing. An America group spent their time singing gospel songs, whilst a group from Southwark Cathedral was having a full fledged Anglican service, hymns and all.
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The ruins of Corinth;)
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Lunch was at car park at the southern end of the Corinth canal. This would be an ideal spot for wild camping - but we have to get to Delphi. We hoped to see a ship passing through, but all we got was a motor cruiser and 3 yachts. (N 37.91139 E22.87861)
Sally satnav's quickest route to Delphi was a huge loop on the motorway. That would be OK but every few miles there is a toll post extracting money, and the going rate for motorhomes is nearly 3 times that of a car. So after the 2nd such toll, we abandoned that route, and took the route across country. It is a main road - The main road before the motorway was built, but the first half is narrow, very twisty, very badly maintained, with double white lines almost entirely (which didn't seem to matter much to Greek drivers) and heavy lorries grinding their way up mountain passes at 15 mph. Really tiring stuff! Fortunately the 2nd half was a lot easier - wider, smoother, flatter, faster.
We were recommended Camping Delphi by a nice German couple we met in Epidavros - and they were right. Our pitch has a stupendous view to the sea, and across to the mountains of the Peloponnese - and the air is fresh (ie chilly!)
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Camping Delphi
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We ate at the restuarant - it had been recommended by the German couple, and it was excellent. As it was getting dark we noticed people setting up astronomical telescopes. It was the local astronomy club, setting up to view the conjunction of the moon, Jupiter and Venus, and showing camping visitors the results,
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handheld shot of Moon, Jupiter, Venus in conjunction
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Miles 2610 N 38.47861 E 22.47378 elevation 1149 feet.
Sat 20th June
The Delphi site opens at 0800, and we were determined to get there early, to avoid the coach party crush. Consequently we were there at exactly 8 am - but even then we weren't first in. For the first time ever, we had to go back and collect our passports to show we were the requisite nationality and the requisite age to get reduced-price entry. There is no car park - there is nowhere to put one, the hill is so steep. Instead you park along the road. We had the prime spot at 8 am, by the time we had completed the main site parking was chock-a-block
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Temple to Apollo
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Temple to Apollo
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Delphi theatre
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Delphi - one of many treasuries
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We were very impressed with Delphi, very well laid out and presented (on a very steep hillside). The arena is right at the top of the site - a serious climb. No one seems to know where the oracle actually was, so I never did get to find out when I will win the premium bonds.
Below the road is another, free, section. This also has some impressive ruins. Finally, there is the museum. I'm not normally a fan of museums - too many bits of broken pottery (got that at home!) - but this one is well laid, and well presented - giving the objects room to breathe. Once again, photography without flash is OK, but not posing next to an exhibit. I bet they have real fun when a Japanese tour comes through!
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Delphi museum - posing is forbidden
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The lady on the right is a guardian:)
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portrait of a worried guardian:)
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Rosemary is definitely not posing!
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Early afternoon, and we're back on site enjoying afternoon tea.
Sun 21st June
So much for Delphi. Time to move on towards our destiny with a ferry. Next stop, Meteora in the north, where monasteries grow on pinnacles of rock. On the way we stopped at the British war cemetery at Bralos - beautifully kept by the Greeks. All the graves were from late 1918-early 1919, and the guess is that the died in the flu outbreak. It wasn't all British, there were Russian and Maltese, and no distinction between any of the graves.
Eventually we reached Camping Vrachas, in the village of Vrachas. in the heart of Meteora country. The village is dominated by these huge rocks of fantastic shapes, some of which have monasteries perched on top. That's for tomorrow. Meanwhile, as we went to bed the heavens opened. We closed the windows and vents, but forgot the chairs and table outside.
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Vrachos
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Vrachos
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Miles 2767 N 39.71292 E 21.61371 elevation 790 feet
Mon 22nd June
We had parked down a bit of a slope. With the rain we had a fair bit of wheel spin as we got off the pitch. We had already moved our kit - table, chairs, electric cable, etc to a good spot just vacated by a German.
The campsite provided an excellent map of the Meteora, and we thought the roads would be hassle - narrow, twisty, lots of traffic. In fact the roads were excellent - wide, smooth, space for parking, and coaches were no bother. We visited 3 monasteries, at €3 pp for each. They all involved a huge amount of stair climbing. I wore trousers not shorts for the first time for weeks, and Rosemary wore a short sleeved dress - that being the required rig for going in, although they will provide skirts and shawls to cover shorts, and ladies in trousers. It seems that jeans are forbidden too
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I wonder if Japanese ever take a photo without a grinning face in it?! A large party of Japanese arrived at this viewpoint whilst we were there, and elbowed us out of the way in their rush to have their photo taken in the prime spot - where I was standing. Individual Japanese are generally charming, but groups are invariably obnoxious and arrogant
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Tues 23rd June
Our last day in Greece. Today we head west to Igomounenista for a midnight ferry - and it arrives in Trieste at midnight:(
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The route home
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Tues 23rd June
Time to go home. We need to be at Igomounenista for the ferry by midnight, so plenty of time. The motorway to Igomounenista is a lot cheaper than those near Athens, and motorhomes are more reasonably treated, too. Eventually left the site around 11.30, having walked into town to buy pies and cakes for the ferry. (Prices on the ferry are ridiculous!). And on the way we stopped to buy fruit from a roadside vendor, and 9 litres of bottled water to take on board - that now seems excessive!
When we arrived at the port we found a check in - well hidden away - to be told the ferry was running 4 hours late, Great! However we did our check in stuff, which included having our vehicle documents inspected, and drove off to have a meal in a lay-by overlooking the bay. We wondered whether to spend the night in the layby, and head back to the port at 0330, but in the end we returned to the port, and went through a VERY rigorous security check. A man looked in our toilet compartment, and under the bed. Lorries were being inspected from on top, underneath, and trailers being opened and inspected. From there we were directed to a holding area, behind a line of motorhomes. So we had a shower, set an alarm for 0300, and went to bed.
Wed 24th June
3 am. Awake. No one else about. Could we have had a later alarm? Probably. Around us were many more motorhomes, and a huge number of lorries, all in neat lines. This is in complete contrast from our last departure from Igomounenista, 7 years ago on our return from Turkey, which was much more fun. Then we drove into the port, no security. Found out eventually where to check in, then waited. Then there was a rumour that the ferry would arrive at a certain place and everyone, cars, motorhomes, lorries rushed off to this quay, all in a bundle. You have never seen anything like it! Then there was another rumour that it would be a different quay - and the whole process was repeated. And because of the morass of vehicles around the loading ramp, vehicles coming off couldn't disembark. Brilliant! And then, of course, cars, lorries and motorhomes were all muddled up, and needed to be sorted as they were loaded, to go into their various places on the ship.
Not any more:( It's all well organised. Ferry eventually arrived at about 0430, and started loading. But because it isn't a RO-RO ferry - vehicles embark and disembark from the stern, lorries were reversing into the ship. As each lorry went on to the lorry crew members with torches checked for stowaways hiding between the cab and trailer. And in the lorry deck - which includes us, big artics were doing U-turns and manoeuvring in very tight spaces. We are packed very tightly together, and there's not much space to pass between vehicles. I did find an electric hook up point, so plugged in our electrics - mainly to keep the fridge going.
We sailed at 0600 - so much for a midnight sailing! The good news is that we should arrive at Trieste at a more reasonable hour, so no need to find somewhere to stop for the night, at 2 am. As we sailed dawn was breaking over Igomounenista - very romantic. And so to bed, again.
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"High above, the dawn is breaking....."
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11 am, awake and time for another cup of tea (it's always time for another cup of tea!). We have brought with us an electric kettle, continental socket adapters, teabags (yes! reduced to teabags - bringing a teapot and loose tea seemed a tad excessive), mugs. The only civilised thing we haven't got is fresh milk - it just goes off so quickly on board. Up on deck for some fresh air and sunshine - and it's raining!
Lunch was the picnic we bought ashore yesterday. The self service cafeteria is a bit of a bun fight, and not cheap. We noticed the restaurant was an awful lot nicer, and not a lot more expensive, so we decided to eat there in the evening. Come the evening, restaurant remained firmly closed. Bummer! So we had to join the bunfight for an OK sort of meal.
At 10 pm, we were just arriving at Ancona. No one seemed to know when it would arrive at Trieste, but a good guess was 6 am.
Thurs 25th June
We set an alarm for 5 am, but very loud announcements at 4.45 left no doubt about being time to get up. To make sure, stewards came rapping at doors, and again some 10 minutes later. We eventually docked in Trieste at 05.30 Greek time, and we were very quickly off the ship - most lorries and motorhomes had departed at Ancona, and straight onto the motorway- A4 and then A23. Only 2 hours later we were at the top of the Plockenpass, the border with Austria, where we stopped for breakfast. In contrast with Greek motorways, the 1 1/2 hours on the Italian motorway cost only €7
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The top of the Plockenpass, and the Austrian border
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During WW1 this was the frontline between Austrian and Italian armies, and there lots of fortifications and tunnels still visible. In the nearby Austrian town of Mauthen there is a superbly presented museum covering the 1914-18 war in the area, lots of photos, artefacts, maps, drawings - unfortunately all the descriptive text was in German and Italian, so most of the display meant nothing to us at all.
We are heading for Camping Ponderosa, at Glanz, about 10 miles from the border - the nice, friendly, little site we stayed at on the way down. We set up in exactly the same pitch we vacated 2 months ago, and opposite us was the Dutch caravan and elederly couple who were there before, sitting in exactly the same places - and they recognised us. We had only spent 1 night there. Then when we checked in, the owner recognised us too.
Miles 2997 N46.74448 E13.04395 elevation 2050 feet
Fri 26th June
Fairly late leaving the site - for another bite at the Grossglockner. On the way through in early May the Franz Josef glacier was still inaccessible., so that deserves another looking at. And the scenery in May was entirely white - it would be good to see it in green. And as usual it didn't disappoint - well worth the €36 toll. Much busier than in early May. The main problem was "bluebottles" - motor bikers in large gangs, all dressed in black, all buzzing noisily, overtaking on hairpin bends, and generally getting in the way. We kept expecting to see bits of bike and biker scattered about - but never did.
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The lift when it was built 50 years ago
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At the glacier we did something we've not done before in previous visits - caught the lift down to the glacier. Well, when installed in 1963 it did take you to the glacier. Now the glacier has retreated so much it only takes you a small way there - there is now a steep, long and rugged walk from when you get off the lift to reach the glacier. And there are marmots everywhere - in previous visits we've only seen a few, but this time there were lots, and I stopped taking photos of them. Rosemary's Fitbit says we climbed 99 staircases. No wonder I'm knackered!
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Just see how far the glacier has retreated in 5 years!
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...and the man himself! Emperor Franz-Josef ...a Good Egg
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Grossglockner, early May
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what a difference 6 weeks makes
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Eventually we cautiously made or way down the northern slope of the Grossglockner. This time we found we were not much slower than the cars - previously they have roared away. And, new, are lots of signs about using a low gear and testing your brakes. I wonder if there has been a brake failure incident in the last 7 weeks?
We have returned to the private motorhome stop at Maria Alp, where we stopped on the way out.
Miles 3089 N47.39859 E 12.90246 elevation 2660 feet (ie 5500 feet lower than the top of the Grossglockner)
Sat 27th June
Another long stretch - out of Austria and half way across Germany, and not an easy journey either. Roadworks, accidents, and almost stationary queues. Eventually we got off the motorway, and cut across under Munich. We were heading for the nice wohnmobilstellplatz by the Rhine at Karlsruhe, where we stopped on the way out. Very convenient - about 400 yards directly off the motorway, and right beside the Rhine. We always enjoy watching the barges battling hard against the current, and the empty ones coming down at some speed.
Miles 3395, N49.03761 E8.30525, elevation 334 feet
Sun 28th June
Our plan today is to get to a site close to Lille, so we can do a final shop up at the huge Auchan there. We settled on an aire just across the border in Belgium, at Tournai, Quite a large aire, with all the usual bunkering services, and only 5 minutes from the centre. When we walked into the centre, we were amazed to discover we had been there only 2 years ago - but we had forgotten. A lovely town, with a nice feel to it, Today's journey was a lot easier, although some of the Belgian motorway road surfaces were on par with some of the worst Greek roads.
Miles 3741 N50.60404 E3.38079, elevation 183 feet
Mon 29th June
A short hop to the Auchan hypermarche on the outskirts of Lille, It is VAST! Car parks right round, all protected by height barriers. With a high vehicle you have to stop at the barrierm press a button and speak to a man located somewhere invisible, who will open the barrier for you - and the same when you come out, We spent lots of money, buying lots of wine then headed for Calais, and the ferry home. Almost there, we thought!
We arrived at the port rather early, and we were booked onto an earlier ferry. This was fortunates, as we shall see. We joined our queue, and were second from the front of our queue, a grandstand view of events. The preceding ferry cast off and left. Our ferry started embarking lorries and motorbikes, Only a few loaded, when a small car drove onto the ramp and parked across it. Groups of scruffy individuals wandered over, and we wondered what was going on. Boarding stopped. Passengers milled around, and then it became clear that these scruffs were strikers from a different ferry company - Myferryline - who were do what the French always do if there's a dispute - have a tantrum, throw their toys out of the pram, and look for other people to hurt - ideally, Brits. They were going to stop ships entering or leaving Calais.
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Loading ramp blocked
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passengers begin to mill about wondering what is happening
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Toys out of the pram time
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A P&O ferry arrived from Dover, but was not allowed to dock and had to sail again. The National Police arrived - the gendarmes - all looking very butch in black uniforms, jackboots, guns, swagger, shaved heads - and proceeded to help the secondary pickets, by placing themselves between us and the scruffs, facing us - the paying passengers, and threatening us if we got too close. At one point they actually stood in a line across the loading ramp, doing the pickets job for them.
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French national police - butch and useless, and protecting the pickets from passengers
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National police are now blocking the loading ramp themselves
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Several hours went by, nothing happened, except for Brits working their way through their stashes of wine. Patience gave out, tempers began to fray, and angry confrontations began, with eual numbers of women joining in. There were some REALLY angry Dutch women! Surprising, both strikers and police retreated slightly, alyhough the altercations were only verbal. Then it was announced that the strikers had kindly allowed our ferry only to embark and sail. My view is that the police advised the strikers that as the evening wore on things could turn quite nasty, and their best bet was to get us away quickly. Just my hunch.
So we sailed about 6 hours late, disembarking in Dover at 11 pm French time, 10 pm UK time. By then we were too tired to do much driving, so went straight to Dover seafront, and bedded down for the night.
Tues 30th June
We wanted an early start, so set the alarm for 0400 - and a beautiful dawn was breaking. We marvelled again how lucky we were to get out of France. If we had delayed and gone for the ferry we had originally booked we would still be there.
As we drove up the A20 and M20, we passed at least 20 miles of lorries stacked up, and more arriving all the time. Britain has been at war with France for most of the last 1000 years - and it isn't hard to see why. I'm glad I bought Rioja now, and not French stuff.
Home by 11 am. Phew, that was a journey! In future we will be booking ferries to Dunkerque, in Belgium, to bypass France altogether. Apart from their regular tantrums, their motorways are ridiculously expensive.
...and our second narrow escape? We left Greece just 4 days before the euro crisis there blew up - queues at ATMs, queues at petrol stations. But at least it wasn't as bad as our first Bulgaria visit, 10 years ago...
