IN GREECE: WINTER 2017-18

Margaret Williamson
March 2018

Continued from: Baltic Republics to Greece Autumn 2017

Introduction

After travelling in Spain and Portugal in the winter of 2016/17, we returned to England in the spring via France, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Much of June and into July passed in the East and West Ridings of Yorkshire, before we were able to recommence travelling and the writing of this travel log.

During the remainder of the summer, we motorhomed in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. The Tallink ferry Star took 2 hours to sail the 50 Baltic miles from Helsinki to Tallinn for the beginning of our long journey south through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria, keeping to the east all the way until we reached Greece in early November.

Settling for a while at our favourite campsite of Ionion Beach (first visited in 1995), we will catch up with cleaning and writing of every kind - including the completion of this travel log. 

1.  Greece is an EU member and the currency is the Euro, currently €1.13 = £1.  

2.  Greece is in the Eastern European Time zone, like Romania and Bulgaria (so 2 hrs ahead of the UK).

3.  There is no vignette to buy but there are regular small tolls on most of the motorways, as well as on the Rio-Antirio bridge over the Gulf of Corinth, payable in Euros or by card.

4.  Dipped headlights are NOT compulsory during daylight hours.

5.  Diesel costs about €1.25 a litre (over £1).

6.  Greece naturally uses Greek letters, though major road signs will also show place names in the Latin alphabet.

7.  National museums and ancient sites are free of charge for EU citizens on the first Sunday of each month between 1 Nov and 31 March. At other times, there is often a reduced rate for age 65 and over. They are usually closed on Mondays.

November 2017

Kromidovo, Bulgaria to Elodia Taverna, Kerkini, Greek Macedonia – 35 miles

Open all year (restaurant closed Mondays).  www.elodia.gr  Free overnight parking for customers in grounds of excellent restaurant by Lake Kerkini. Free WiFi covering car park. WC inside.  N 41.211441  E 23.095873

On a fine sunny Saturday morning it's a great joy to leave Kromidovo, its campsite and its disintegrating road behind, drive 3 miles west along the lanes and turn south on E79 for Greece, our favourite European country. At the Kulata border, 6 miles later, there is a double check point as we exit Bulgaria, even though both countries are EU members. A guard looks inside before waving us on.

And so ends a journey of 2,300 miles in 34 days from the Finnish-Estonian border, an average of 127 miles between the 18 places where we stayed along the route. But there are another thousand miles yet to be enjoyed before we settle for a while in the southwest corner of the Greek Peloponnese.

Continuing south alongside the Struma River (Greek name: Strymona), the E79 is now a motorway with a toll of €2.40 on entry. We exit 7 miles later, turning west to cross the Strymona on a minor road via Neo Petritsi to Livadia, along the north side of the river's dammed lake. This is Lake Kerkini National Park, a protected area, though there are fewer birds than we remember, just the odd heron, and the lake is clearly shrinking. In Livadia we turn south to Kerkini village, where there is a left turn signed Limani (Harbour) for the final mile to the lakeside.

The Elodia Taverna is a traditional restaurant in its own park-like grounds, on the left shortly before the lake's western shore. There is plenty of space for customers to park overnight, with free WiFi and a tap available, and lunch is being served inside the rustic tavern. Delighted, we sit by a log fire and enjoy a really outstanding meal. The local speciality is buffalo steak, sausage or meatballs, though chicken and pork are also on the menu. The Greek Salad starter, topped with tasty buffalo-milk cheese, includes beetroot and boiled eggs as well as the usual tomato/cucumber/onion/olives: a meal in itself with wonderful bread and olive oil. The tender meats are served with rice, chips and vegetables. It's good to be back in Greece!

In the afternoon we walk along to the lake where a few visitors have parked their cars, come to take a horse ride through the buffalo pastures or a boat trip to see the flamingos and pelicans, or to buy souvenirs from the stalls. We politely decline any of this (Barry can't swim and we only ride bicycles) but we do climb the new wooden observation tower to look down on the assorted flying ducks and pygmy cormorants drying their wings. Then we walk back past the Elodia and sit outside a café in the village square, drinking coffee in a sheltered corner as the sun goes down.

Back in the motorhome, we listen to BBC Radio 4 'Any Questions' and watch an old Clint Eastwood film – the most relaxing evening for quite a while! The journey overland from Estonia, following autumn south, has been full of incident but now our aim is the Greek Peloponnese, our favourite winter base.

Kerkini to Coach & Camper Parking, Vergina, Greek Macedonia – 105 miles

Open all year. Private guarded parking. €4 (+ €3 for elec). Free water and WiFi. No WC.  N 40.484958  E 22.319752

The first Sunday of November is sunny and warm as we drive southeast from Kerkini village alongside the fast-disappearing lake. After 3 miles we pause to photograph some flamingo (on the far side of the water, as ever), then continue past a couple of new observation towers, their small parking space occupied by Sunday morning anglers. At 11 miles by another tower with a larger parking area we stop to view the pelicans clustered on a small island, as well as flocks of gulls, ducks and pygmy cormorants skimming the water. Two miles later at Porto Lithotopos, by the dam at the foot of the lake, there is a spacious car park (where we once spent a night), a café/bar as well as a Cantinaselling food, horse riding and boat trips with Kapetan Kris.

At 20 miles we meet the new A25 dual carriageway (toll-free at present) to Thessaloniki (Salonica), which climbs to a tunnel at 485 m/1,600 ft and then reaches 580 m/1,900 ft by a rest area/restaurant. Descending to Salonica, we are glad to bypass the centre of Greece's second city as we turn west (signed Athens) on the A2 ring. It's well worth the €1.20 toll, paid at the booth where there is space to park for lunch at 71 miles. The heat of the sun is noticeably stronger as we come down towards the coast.

At 78 miles we turn west for Veroia on A2/E90 (the Egnatia Odos roughly following the Roman Via Egnatia), while the A1 continues south to Athens. After 17 miles the exit for Vergina is clearly marked and there are brown road signs for the final 10 miles, crossing the long road bridge over the Aliakmonas River on our way to the village that is now a World Heritage Site: the ancient city of Aigai, first capital of the Kingdom of Macedonia. Here lie the remains of the palace and royal tombs of the dynasty that ended with Alexander the Great.

Arriving once more at the guarded parking on Aristotelos Street, a short walk from the Macedonian tombs, we are greeted by Mr Theocharopoulos, the friendly owner conversing in fluent German: he worked there for 21 years and has a German wife. As we've seen the magnificent tombs several times in the past, our intention is just to break the journey here. Our host, however, urges us to visit because today entry is GRATIS! (At all state museums and sites on the first Sunday of each month, from November to March). Schnell, schnell, it closes at 5 pm!

So we take an hour to gaze again in wonder on the tombs and their treasures, as the coach parties thankfully begin to leave. Photography is not allowed inside the chamber tombs where Philip II of Macedonia, his mother, his last wife, and the wife and son of his own son, Alexander the Great, lie under a huge tumulus. They have been expertly excavated and resealed, their entrances now enhanced by a display of the finds and grave-goods in the air-conditioned bunker. The first time we came to Vergina (August 1997) the artefacts were exhibited in far-off Thessaloniki Museum. By 2004 we found them all here: the fine gold crowns and filigree jewellery, the weapons and armour, the horse trappings, the silver and bronze dining sets, the purple and gold cloth, the golden caskets, emblazoned with the Macedonian star, in which the cremated bones rest. The finest craftsmanship, gleaming like new, over 2,000 years old (4thC BC). The reverential atmosphere inside quietens even the Greek tourists!

Back at the parking lot we keep as far away as possible from the only other vehicles, a pair of vans with dogs, strings of washing and more laundry underway (using the cold tap and a bucket). The occupants have set up outdoor tables and chairs and drink noisily into the night. We very much regret to say that these are not gipsies; they are British motorhomers in expensive machines.

Sympathising with our host, who clearly hopes they will soon leave, we ask him whether the Palatitsa, the remains of Philip II's Royal Palace a mile or so away, are now open to visit. The site was closed when we were here in 2011 and again in 2014 - and it is still closed for 'restoration'! As before, he says that even the villagers cannot get near and have no idea what is happening there.

Vergina to Hotel Aigli, Farsala, Thessaly – 147 miles

Open all year. Hotel open but restaurant closed. Overnight parking with manager's permission (no charge).  N 39.306310  E 22.354167

Leaving Vergina, we return 10 miles to join the A2/E90 and head southwest for Kozani. The new Egnatia Odos motorway climbs for 15 miles through several short tunnels to a toll point up at 850 m/2,800 ft where we pay €2.40. It's a lovely warm morning with no wind, the smoke rising vertically from the distant power stations.

At 40 miles, still up at 673 m/2,220 ft, we exit at Drepano onto E65, a 2-lane road heading southeast for Larisa. Our lunch break 9 miles later, parked by the cemetery in Vathylakos, is at 399 m/1,315 ft. Soon we cross the dammed lake Aliakmona on a mile-long bridge, noting the low water level, then pause in Servia at a Lidl store opposite a Shell service station. Climbing high into the hills again we reach 993 m/3,280 ft at Metaxa village before a gradual descent, twisting down above a lovely gorge.

The town of Elassonas at 90 miles, down at 300 m/990 ft, is badly in need of a bypass! Signs for 'E65 Larisa' take us round in circles but eventually we get onto the correct road, which widens to 4 lanes as it climbs to 500 m/1,650 ft. A war memorial at the top looks down over the Plain of Larisa and its cotton fields. Descending once more, we skirt the west side of Larisa at 115 miles and continue south on E65, signed Lamia.

Looking out for a quiet overnight parking spot in the villages on our route, we see nothing: no car park, no taverna. It's 6 pm and going dark as we reach Farsala at 146 miles and turn off the ring road at a roundabout to follow a sign: 'Aigli Hotel – 1 km'. The hotel/restaurant has a large empty well-lit car park which looks promising and I go in to negotiate overnight parking as restaurant customers. Unfortunately, the restaurant is closed and the Caretaker, who speaks only Greek, is adamant that we can't park unless we take a room. He reluctantly fetches the Receptionist but the answer is still Ochi.

Eventually, I persuade her to phone the Manager who speaks to me in English and gives permission to park overnight! Pity about the restaurant, though. 

Farsala to Grill/Restaurant at Psilovrachos, Nr Episkopi Bridge over Kremasta Reservoir, Central Greece – 138 miles

Open all year. Free parking for customers. Free WiFi covering car park. WC.  N 38.879050  E 21.599769

Back on the E65 on a calm dull morning, driving south towards Lamia, we pass an electric rickshaw making its stately way along the road! Astonished, we pull up at the first chance and are soon talking with the charming Rickshaw Wallah, Sohan Singh, who lives in Bern where he works as a tour guide. He is 'living his dream' of pedalling the rickshaw from Switzerland to his father's native village near Bhopal in India, with the aid of a flight between Athens and Delhi. We like his slogan: Reisen statt Ferien (Journeys rather than Holidays).

Anxious about reaching Athens in time for the booked flight, he has underestimated the Greek topography with no contours on his SatNav! The Larisa police have been less than helpful (no surprise there), forbidding him the easiest and safest route down the hard shoulder of the coastal motorway to the capital. We show him a relief map and wish him luck. (Sohan does, in fact, make it and we are later delighted to read of his safe arrival in India. There is even a picture of our meeting on 7.11.2017 in his photographic account of the journey.)

The E65 then climbs from 185 m/610 ft at Neo Monastiri, finally hairpinning to1200 m/3,960 ft at Domokos. We think of Sohan way behind us, hoping his battery lasts. On the descent we pause at a Shell fuel station/café at 33 miles, still at 550 m/1,815 ft. At Lamia we meet the usual unplanned and badly signed urban road network, eventually finding our way through the traffic to the E952. This takes us west across a low flat plain of cotton fields, with mountains looming out of a mist to our left. A new dual carriageway attempts to bypass Makrakomi but, not quite finished, returns us to its town centre!

The E952 twists and turns through the long narrow village of Ag Georgios (360 m/1,190 ft), after which the climb to Karpenisi (a winter ski centre below Tymfristos Mountain) begins. In Tymfristos village at 760 m/2,500 ft roadside stalls sell honey and chestnuts. Continuing up the zigzags, snow poles are already in place. At 82 miles and 1118 m/3,690 ft the road divides: left for a one-mile tunnel on E952, or right to climb over the Old National Road.

We take the tunnel, continue 6 miles into Karpenisi and enjoy a lunch of warm cheese pies from the Lidl bakery (900 m/2,970 ft). Then we return through the tunnel and back to the junction to experience the quietness of the Old Nat Rd. It reaches 1181 m/3,900 ft before zigzagging down again to meet the main road by the western end of the tunnel.

After passing Karpenisi the E952 twists and climbs up to the day's maximum of 1230 m/4,060 ft on this little-used route to Agrinio through magnificent empty country. Then a serious hairpin descent tests driver and brakes as we drop to cross a dry-river bridge at 294 m/970 ft before climbing again to the Fragkista Pass at 849 m/2,800 ft.

The final few miles take us down and down to the dammed Lake Kremaston and a parking spot we know by an abandoned café just before the bridge at Episkopi (N38.88534 E21.60224). As the street lights come on, we walk across the bridge to check if any of the tavernas on the far side are doing business. Two of them are indeed open and the kind woman in the second one says we are welcome to park there for the night, which will be safer. Soon installed on her forecourt, complete with WiFi access, we go inside for chicken, chips and salad by the log fire. The terrace has a wonderful view of the lake but we don't linger out there as a thunderstorm brings heavy rain. We are to come in for coffee on-the-house before leaving tomorrow, saying 'Open at 9'.

Psilovrachos to Ionion Beach Camping, Glyfa, Peloponnese – 136 miles

Open all year.  ionion-beach.gr  ACSI Card €19 (discount for long stay in low season) inc 16-amp elec, hotel standard facilities and excellent free WiFi throughout. N 37.83555  E 21.13333

Next morning the tavern is still locked and deserted when we leave at 10 am in a light rain! The E952 immediately rises into the misty wooded mountains, autumn leaves are falling and water is pouring down the gulleys to replenish the reservoir lake. The empty winding road climbs through minute villages, some just a name on a sign: Akridaiika, Chouni (617 m/2,035 ft) and up to Parakampylia at 840 m/2,770 ft before hairpinning down, in and out of the mist with a lighter sky ahead.

At 18 miles in Potamoula, down at 180 m/595 ft, we smell the olive press at work, there are people about and the rain is clearing. Down another 15 miles to Agrinio at 50 m/165 ft – almost sea level - where it is noon and sunny. After the journey through the mountains the busy town is a shock, with traffic lights and roundabouts. The E951 signed Antirio takes us south to join the new A5/E55 toll motorway at Kefalovryso: north for Ioanina or south, our direction, for the Peloponnese, signed Patras.

As we bypass Mesolongi at 55 miles, a brand new rest area with no litter and immaculate toilets is a good place to stop for lunch. The sun now has real warmth; olive groves line the highway. Wonderful! There is a toll (€7.45) at 68 miles, before a long tunnel past Makinia. Then the magnificent Antirio-Rio suspension bridge comes into view and we cross the Gulf of Corinth (toll €13.30) and continue south. The motorway tunnels its way inland past Patras (toll-free and worth every penny!), then morphs into the E55 New Nat Rd southwest along the coast of the Peloponnese. One day the motorway might continue to Pirgos or beyond, but at least the section from Patras east to Corinth is now finished.

We delight to see the first oranges (on trees or roadside stalls), fruit depots, cattle egrets among flocks of sheep and more olive groves. On very familiar ground now, we turn off at Lehana (signed Kyllinis port) and continue via Neohori to the new road from Kastro to Lygia.

In no time we are driving through Glyfa, then right along the lane to our favourite campsite in Greece (if not in all of Europe) at Ionion Beach. The first person we see is owner George Fligos, welcoming us with a huge smile. Soon settled on our sea-front pitch, we catch up with news from the Fligos Family and the four German campsite residents who George calls the 'winter people'. The new heated shower block is extremely welcome too.

At Ionion Beach Camping, Glyfa

During a fortnight's break at Ionion Beach, we enjoy good calm weather. Since our last visit, nearly 2 years ago, the new open air pool is complete (it closed last weekend) and several new bungalows have been added to the accommodation options. This is one campsite where money is constantly reinvested in developing and improving the facilities – unusual in Greece! At the moment it's olive-harvest time and George's mother is kept busy cooking lunches (such as freshly caught sardines, chips and salad) for the family and workers who are toiling in the orchards. The olive press at Lygia is working flat out, with stacks of sacks in the yard.

Our mornings are spent catching up with correspondence or general maintenance; in the afternoon we might walk the empty beach to Glyfa harbour and return round the lanes, or cycle a quiet circuit via Arkoudi to the Roman sulphur baths at Loutras Killinis. Laundry dries in no time on the line, with a warm breeze straight off the sea. The setting sun dips below the horizon over the 10-mile-off-shore island of Zakynthos, bathing the sky in golden light, and we sleep well to the gentle sound of the sea breathing.

One day we drive 15 miles via Vartholomio and Gastouni to Amaliada to shop (at Lidl and at the former Carrefour supermarket, now called Sklavenitis but still selling good roast chickens). The roads are much quieter than we remember, several of the small businesses have closed down and the town seems empty.

Thankfully, the excellent Ford dealership and garage at Pirgos is still open and we book in for a service and safety check, including new wiper blades and an extra air filter fitted in the cab, all for a very reasonable charge with 1.5 hours' labour. Sitting in the comfortable waiting room with a jug of coffee, it's interesting to talk once again with the owner, Themistocles Vasilopoulos, about the worsening situation in Greece. He tells a sad story of the lack of education, health and security services provided by the government, in return for paying a tax of over 70%. His younger daughter is studying engineering at a university with no lab equipment, while her sister, now qualified as a doctor, works at a hospital near Sparta that has no bandages. It is worth the 50 mile round trip just for his conversation and the insight into contemporary Greece - the version not in the guide books!

On the way back to Ionion Beach we detour into Amaliada, parking at Sklavenitis and walking into the centre for lunch at the Pikantiko. The late owner's son, returned from Australia, now runs the grill and specialises in home-made Aussie-Burgers-with-the-Lot. He tells the same story of the plight of Greece.

The weather breaks during the night of 14 November when a terrific storm with thunder and lightning prompts us to move from our sea-front pitch to a more sheltered area at the back of the campsite – at 1 am! Next day we learn that the storm caused flash floods and claimed about 15 lives in Nea Peramo and Mondra (near Athens). At Ionion Beach the wind gradually abates and we return to our original place, grateful that we only suffered wet carpets from a slight leak at the entrance door. Everything dries out quickly but it's a reminder that we should go further south before winter bites.

Glyfa to Kalo Nero, Peloponnese – 63 miles

Open all year. Free parking by beach. No facilities.  N 37.298043  E 21.695282

Kalo Nero to Finikounda, Peloponnese – 53 miles

Open all year. Free parking on sea front at eastern end of village. No facilities.  N 36.807680  E 21.809904

Finikounda to Mystraki, Peloponnese – 9 miles (altitude 220 m/730 ft)

Open all year. Free parking in 'traditional village'. No facilities.  N 36.839297  E 21.87819

Mystraki to Methoni, Peloponnese – 15 miles