ITALY – ALBANIA – GREECE – TURKEY 2012
Helen and David Homewood
January 2012
Part One: Brindisi – Vlore – Saranda – Igoumenitsa – Ioannina
Here is the breathless account of a great motorhome journey, linking Italy to Greece in a different and more adventurous way, then on to Turkey. It was written by Helen on their tablet computer, battling with predictive text, using WiFi links as and when they appeared, and via a mobile phone SIM card. This is travelling at its best.
The occasional lapse into French is explained by the simple fact that the Homewoods live in France!
“We have unexpectedly got an Internet connection at a motorway services just west of Thessalonika. Herewith a brief report of the journey from (the Italian port of) Brindisi to Greece, via Albania.
The ferry from Brindisi to Vlore (Albania) was fine: cabin like a French two-star hotel of 30 years ago ... sheets, towels, very old but clean. It was the same price as the Brindisi to Igoumenitsa (Greece) ferry, plus around €35 each for the cabin, as it was overnight.
So glad you warned us about the tunnel leaving Vlore. We asked a bod at the port, he said: 'Turn right end of road, then right at roundabout, follow coast. There is a jardin, with a sign about the tunnel about 2 km out of town'. And so there was. You turn left and climb on a little road behind some houses, then re-emerge later on the coast road.
Spectacular drive, perfectly good road, with men sweeping up rocks, they are so proud of it. Well worth it just for the views over the sea and then the mountains inland. There was even a white line, so when we were in the clouds we could stay on the road.
We took the road for Ancient Butrint but turned back as it was not tarmacked. So approached it from the south, on the lovely winched ferry. We were parked behind a car on this small rickety river ferry, even though we are 3450 kg max. We watched as a car and a bus went across, side by side!
At Butrint we parked up waiting for the rain to abate but next morning it was even worse, so we still need to see the ancient site!
Leaving there, we should have turned initially towards Saranda, so ended up on an unmade road for a few km, eventually emerging on tarmacked road.
NB Don't take the sign for Konispoli, that is just to the village. The border post is at Qafe Bote.
No hassle at the border, so we drove into Greece and past our first ever camping spot at Sagiada - something I have wanted to do since we were there in 2008!
The Petit Fute guide book says Albanian is not far linguistically from French, and looking at the signs I would agree - easier than Greek in fact!
We would have gone for the road east towards Macedonia if it had been May
Once in Greece, we found it was Epiphany (6th January) and a feast day, so we ignored Igoumenitsa and drove to PJ's Sosta at Ioannina lake for the night.
Ioannina seems a lovely spot. We did no more than check out its Byzantine museum (with mosque, minaret, and white and black women's national dresses.”
.JPG)
