MOTORHOME TRAVELLERS' DIARY FOR APRIL 2003

GREECE

Barry and Margaret Williamson

What follows are extracts from a diary we kept during our travels in mainland Europe by motorhome, bicycle and sometimes motorbike in the years since we early-retired in 1995.

01 APRIL 2003 GR CAMPING AGINARA

In which we get a perfect picture via the Hot Bird Satellite - no fooling!

Back into Gastouni on Alf, still running well. We got a 30 metre satellite cable from a better shop, collected prints and left another film at the photographer's, picked up a birthday card and letter from Mum, and visited the woodman who made our stools and worktops, despite speaking not a word of English. Barry eventually conveyed the meaning of his latest diagram and (we think) we've ordered a made-to-measure shelving unit to take the video, satellite decoder and TV set.

The satellite reception was much better with the new cable properly installed - various Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish and even Polish channels, Deutsche Welle, and most importantly BBC World, which has excellent world news and weather coverage, very much appreciated right now, to follow the war in Iraq.

Later, went a short walk along the beach to see the effects of this winter's storms ('worst for 50 years') and a minor earthquake, then watched the first instalment of a new Touch of Frost video, 'Mistaken Identity'. Whose and why or how it was mistaken we were never to discover.

Wrote to HSBC, asking why the new Mastercards are only valid for 1 year, and sent in cheques from Mum and Comfort Insurance (refund allowed for new alarm system). Started work on the album for Round the World II, selecting, sequencing and grouping 200 photos to cover S Africa, Australia, NZ and USA.

After lunch, our first cycle ride since France - via Arkoudi to Loutra Kylinis and up the hill to Kastro village and Chelmoutsi Castle. The vast hexagonal structure, built in 1220 by Guillaume de Villehardouin, founder of Mystra, still looms over the plain and the port of Kylini, though today the view across to Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Ithaka was shrouded in haze. Restoration work continues but entrance is still free, according to the 2 attendants who sit in the ticket office all day! Our return route swooped down to Machos on empty lanes through lemon and olive groves, then climbed up from Vranas to Lygia and down to Glyfa - favourite places all.

Back home, made a lemon meringue pie with some of the fruit gleaned in the lane. There is a glut of lemons and they are dropping faster than the Albanian pickers can gather them.

Rang Mum to thank her for the birthday letter.

Another cycle ride, to Gastouni, overtaken by Mick & Flo's motorbike. Shopped and posted letters, collected photos and watched the senior school Peace March chant its way through the town. Learnt some new Greek words: Eirini = Peace (as in Irene); Polemo = War. We wish they wouldn't use school kids in this way, whether for or against - in Vartholomio we'd encountered the mixed infants carrying banners they'd made and banging drums - much more fun than Maths.

After lunch Barry washed off Rosie's coating of salt (from Camping on Board) while M updated the diary, into April already.

Watched the rest of the 'Frost' video, as well as keeping up with the Battle for Control in Iraq on satellite (BBC World) and radio (BBC World Service) - the latter is available via a good short wave signal and as a sound option on the satellite BBC World TV picture..

B printed the diary for March and worked on the captions for the new photo album. The print cartridge is playing up again, despite re-inking, so M rang 'Advantage' to order a new one to be sent to Gastouni (and Spa Cycles to thank them for the package). Rain after lunch (the first we've seen since Cherbourg) - probably because they've just turned the campsite irrigation system on to water the trees and bushes - or because Spa Cycles man said we wouldn't need mudguards in Greece! Today's news is of the Battle for Baghdad, with the airport now in the hands of the coalition and renamed Baghdad International Airport.

A motorbike convoy to Amaliada to shop at the busy market, Dia and Lidl. Sheltered from a heavy rainstorm in the Pikantika where we treated Mick & Flo to the traditional chicken, souvlaki, chips and Greek toast, with ouzo on the house.

Back at Aginara, a wet afternoon passed with mending, baking and finishing the photo album.

Had coffee with Mick & Flo and were introduced to their new digital satellite TV, on which they get all the UK channels and radio stations, with reception as good as in England - amazing. The boat race is on today. On a more serious note, the battle for Baghdad proceeds and the veteran war correspondent John Simpson was wounded reporting from the Kurdish north near Kirkuk (where Barry once worked).

After lunch we picked more lemons in the grove belonging to Aginara (a carrier bag full for us and a couple of bags for Flo to take back to England), then the 4 of us walked round the lanes to Glifa harbour - about 3 miles, which is good going for Flo.

In which we make marmalade and entertain Mick & Flo for the last time

Stormy and wet, though not cold, the poor weather coming across from Sicily and North Africa. Mick & Flo watch anxiously while packing up to get the Ancona ferry tomorrow. We had them in for a farewell coffee and digital photo-viewing session. Also made 7 lb of marmalade and wrote to Mum, to be posted with the diary for March and a selection of photos from 2002.

The site is getting slightly busier, with a few German and Dutch vans coming and going. The restaurant is being prepared for action and workmen are starting to build a disabled toilet/shower (ie one that doesn't work). Even Dennis, the Albanian, has returned to take over Mick's caretaking duties and run the Beach Bar.

In Iraq, the British Royal Marines have taken the Presidential Palace in Basra, with very few casualties. We think of Barney and his son.

Mick & Flo left mid-morning, leaving a strangely empty pitch by the entrance (theirs for the last 6 months). We then Alfed into Gastouni to shop, photocopy the diary for March and post Mum's packet. There was mail for us - birthday cards from Alan and Brenda, and the new ink cartridge ordered for this Brother, which Barry fitted.

In the afternoon we finished typing the captions for the Round the World Two album, did some dhobi and even missed Mick & Flo (just a bit).

In which we cycle 23 miles to Kastro and Kilini, make lemon curd and a birthday cake

Made 2 tubs of lemon curd and used some in a lemon slice gāteau for tomorrow.

A short sharp cycle ride, up to Kastro and down to Kilini, where we enquired about ferries to the Ionian Islands and had coffee by the port before returning the same way.

Finished labelling the photo album and sorting/filing the papers which gather in 'Pending'.

We Alfed into Gastouni again to shop and gave Dionysus, the photographer, a present (books in English on landscape and portrait photography), which he'll love to display. M posted a competition to the HSBC to win a £2,000 computer set-up, hoping today might be lucky! (Where would we put it?)

After lunch, a walk along the beach to Arkoudi and back with Barry's kite, but the wind had dropped. No messages but we sent Alan a text thanking him for the cards. Opened mum's tin of M&S chocolate biscuits (which have travelled well).

A birthday dinner (pork chops cooked with apple, sage and onion; lemon slice; a bottle of Aldi's dry cider and choc liqueurs from Lidl). Finished by watching the first half of the excellently atmospheric 'Tea with Mussolini' starring Cher, Maggie Smith, Judy Dench and Joan Plowright: a lovely evocation of war-time Italy. What a beautiful country it must have been before the Motor Car took hold.

We wrote the postcards bought yesterday (to Angela, Andrew & Laila, Barney & June, TB Turbo, Ian & Nina, Daphne, Mick & Flo) and made half a gallon of lemonade for filling cycle bottles.

After lunch, a ride to Vartholomio and through Thinon Forest against a strong wind to the beach, where the sun shone and danced for joy on the water. Returned via Loutra Kilinis, where we met Kurt and his Chinese wife, out picking flowers and dandelion leaves ('we don't eat those, they're for the rabbit: we eat the rabbit'!)

Finished the video of 'Tea with Mussolini'.

We rode Alf to Amaliada, not for the market but to spend an hour in the Internet Cafe, keeping our Hotmail address alive. We replied at once to an Email from Turners (our tenants have given notice and they assume we wish to re-let at a higher rent - worth a try), and read letters from Paul & Gen Walsh (busy cruising), Jeff Mason (3 pages with photos scanned in) and Andrew H (the usual amusing collection). After checking bank balances, we couldn't stand the noise of disaffected youth playing video games any longer, so further replies will have to wait till we find a better place.

Continued along the New Nat Road to shop in Pirgos for a change and have lunch at Goody's, Greece's answer to McDonald's (and very good too - you even get plates and cutlery, and no-one is throwing eggs at it, in protest against all things American). Back home, we watched an interesting programme with Melvyn Bragg about the development of the English language, on the end of the 'Tea with Mussolini' video.

A full day's ride, out through Gastouni and on to Ancient Elis, where more excavations have taken place since our last visit. Once one of the biggest towns in the Peloponnese, this was where the Ancient athletes gathered to train for the Olympic Games. It fell into decline when the Games were declared pagan and forbidden (393 AD). We ate our picnic by the site, with its remains of a theatre, gymnasium and shrines to Aphrodite et al, then bought coffee in a quiet little Kafenion decked in flowery wisteria in the nearby village of Sosti. Feeling stronger, we came the long way home, via Andravida, with its ruined Frankish church, up to Kastro on the back road and down to Loutra Kilinis. Our longest ride for many weeks, our last from Aginara.

Into Vartholomio on Alf to buy a length of metal pipe for fixing the satellite dish, part of the preparations for packing up to leave tomorrow, along with dhobi and cleaning.

Barry wrote a piece about Greek campsites in general, and Aginara in particular, and we used it for letters to Charley & Janet, Dick & Audrey and Karsten & Agata, in each case enclosing copies of relevant photos of our time in NZ or USA. Also put it in a letter to Mum, along with envelopes from Barry to the Inland Revenue and Pensions people, for her to post.

Then a last walk on our beach, past Ionion Beach Camping with its new imported beach and back round the usual lanes.

We made Dennis a present of Mick's tripod for the satellite dish, persuaded Rosie to carry the rest of it, plus the motorbike, and escaped Aginara after 17 days. Angelika gave the promised 10% discount, making it a reasonable e9.00 a day. Posted all the letters and cards in Gastouni and continued to Amaliada. Here, Lidl had short-sleeved men's summer shirts (Barry got 2) and the Pikantika was empty, unlike our usual Saturday market-day visits. Enjoyed their chicken & chips, as ever.

Then we headed south, bypassing Pirgos, parallelling the coast and railway till the turnoff for Lake Kaiafa. The seasonal spa buildings by the thermal pool were still closed and the car park occupied by the usual small gathering of motorhomes, Germans predominating. We took our place, below the cliffs where the warm water flows out of a cave, through an al fresco swimming pool and into the lake. A walk by the lake before tea took a long time (we could have used machetes on Barry's 'short cut')! We soon got used to the smell of sulphur and the croaking of the frogs - Teutonic merrymaking is the drawback to freecamping here.

50 miles. Free parking.

In which we cycle 25 miles to Gianitsochori, bake a Simnel cake and take a warm swim

Cycled on the back lane to Zacharo, then along the New Nat Rd to Kato Taxiarches, where the mountain road turns off left to snake up and over to Andritsena. Searching for a camping or parking place, from which to climb tomorrow, we turned down to Tholo. The campsite, over the railway near the beach, was officially closed but the owner gave us oranges from his trees and said we were welcome to come and park for the night free of charge - excellent! We cycled on the rail-side track as far as Gianitsochori, paused by the ramshackle beach bar there (next to a new notice forbidding camping among the pines and dunes for 'environmental' reasons - the only eyesores being the beach bar and the notice), then rode back to Lake Kaiafa.

A busy afternoon, making a Simnel cake for Easter and a meatloaf for dinner, then a swim in the thermal pool.

In which we cycle an adventurous 51 miles, climbing 3,700 ft, past Perivolia almost to Bassae

Packed a lunch and moved Rosie 10 miles along to Tholo Beach and the 'closed' campsite visited yesterday. By 9.30 am set out to cycle the mountain road, just as light rain began. Despite last night's perfect calm, a strong wind was blowing from the north.

After a stiff 8-mile climb to the first village, Lepreo, we sheltered from a heavier shower in the Kafenion, where the old men played cards and stared briefly at the crazy foreigners. Then onwards and upwards, through the hamlet of Faskomilia, the larger village of Nea Figalia and tiny Petralona. From here on the road became even quieter and lonelier, not even shepherds to wave to, the wind buffeting us from different directions as we turned and twisted to reach Perivolia, 20 miles up. Too cold for a picnic, but the girl in the surprisingly large restaurant, empty but for an Orthodox priest, was happy for us to eat our own food with her coffee, even giving us some sweets.

Perched on the mountainside, the windows looked across the ravine at the recently surfaced road, still climbing to Bassae. We've ridden it once before, coming from Andritsena and down from the ancient temple of Bassae on the motorbike, but then it was a dirt road and very hard going.

Despite the weather worsening, we continued for another 5 miles or so, almost to the turnoff for Bassae, until we rounded a bend and were literally stopped in our tracks by the strength of the wind. Time to turn for the coast, putting on all the remaining clothes we had with us, fortunately downhill for most of the way. We didn't stop on the return run, keen to get back before the storm worsened, and made it by 5 pm after a very wet, windy and wild day. We just had the strength to get the bikes back under cover, eat dinner and dry out.

10 miles. Free camping.

Good Friday in most of Europe and an easy day. We drove south a few miles to Kyparissia (town of cypresses), pausing to shop at another Lidl (bespoke tailor's, where Barry got a good pair of shorts!) The campsite by the beach, run by a Swiss woman, has just opened for the season and she is busy mopping out the ablutions, brandishing tins of blue & white paint and hoisting new flags at the entrance (8 nations + the EU, but no Union Jack - probably they've all been burned in Athens, with so many Iraq War demos.)

After lunch Barry set up the satellite again, with remarkable speed and accuracy. M updated the diary and decorated the Simnel cake. A text message from Martin explained why we hadn't heard from them since Italy - shortly after our meeting their van was broken into and the mobile phone stolen. They are now with their daughter in France, using hers. We replied, and await more details by Email.

A lovely film on Greek TV, George Eliot's 'Silas Marner' with Ben Kingsley.

15 miles. £10.50 inc elec.

In which we walk into Kyparissia, check Emails and rediscover the 'Athens News''

A pleasant 15-min walk past the small harbour into town and the Internet Cafe called Heaven's Net (ugh!). Martin's missive hadn't yet arrived but we spent an hour deleting junk, checking bank balances and finding info on ferries to Dubrovnik (Jadrolinija, from Bari or Ancona, but not from Greece). Bought a copy of the weekly English-language paper 'Athens News' and spent most of the afternoon reading it - good national and international news, crosswords, weekly TV guide, recipes. It covered this week's Athens Summit, welcoming 10 new members to the EU (Malta, Cyprus, the 3 Baltic Republics and most of Eastern Europe, except Romania and Bulgaria); the Iraq war; and a horrific bus crash last Sunday in the Vale of Tembi where 21 were killed on a school trip when an overloaded lorry shed its load.

Also did some filing and planning and wrote to the Financial Services Authority re the mortgage.

In which we cycle 30 miles inland, climbing 2,000 ft to Raptopoulo

A calm sunny day for a morning's ride, quite unlike last Thursday. We climbed steeply at first (10% on the sign) into the Egaleo Mountains, with wide views back to the long sandy coast. Modern Kyparissia is tucked below the ruins of the Frankish castle (on the site of the ancient acropolis) and the abandoned ochre mansions of the old town.

A lovely quiet road through tiny hamlets: Mili, Vrises, Mouratiada, past Ancient Amphigenia (we found only a few stones amid bee hives), Daras, Rodia, through a ford and then a final climb to Raptopoulo, after which the road becomes a dirt track. Raptopoulo was big enough to have a telephone box and a one-man bar. The one man made us iced coffee (no milk, no gas!) and tried to talk to us. Earlier, we'd had a one-sided conversation with a shepherd we had inadvertently woken from a midday sleep. He accepted a biscuit and invited us home for coffee (we think - but couldn't take him up on it!) This is the Greece we love - flowers, birds, mountains, glimpses of the sea, the scent of orange-blossom, incredibly friendly country folk. Bucolic. Arcadian.

An easy hour's ride home again downhill, to eat, rest and read. Rang Mum - Happy Easter.

A wet day, ideal for writing. A letter to Jeff Mason, in reply to his long Email, with a new improved 'Artichokes Anyone'. We enclosed booklets on the Peloponnese and Ionion Islands, with good map and pictures, and extracts from this log covering the 3 recent rides. Also wrote an enquiry to CaSSOA (undercover storage).

M did some cleaning, including the windows, and B some fixing, including the music centre, video player and fridge light. What next?

Phoned ADAC in Athens for advice on an overland route to Croatia and the nice German strongly recommended the ferry - any ferry - to avoid driving through Albania, Montenegro, FYROM or Serbia/Kosovo. So we studied our ferry timetables for Venice and Trieste, rang Blue Star, the least expensive, to confirm sailings to Venice and decided on that route, perhaps, since nothing sails directly to Croatia from Greece (only from Italy: Bari or Ancona).

Greek TV showed 'The Hunt for Red October' again, a brilliant cold war thriller with Sean Connery. Seen it before, but this time managed to unscramble the plot.

Our 5th day here, we like it: a pitch in a quiet corner under a fig tree with direct sea view, very near a nice little town. We cycled in to post our mail, then a couple of miles back on the main road to Lidl - German sausage, cheese, chocolate, etc, but not bread: the Greek bakers have that monopoly.

On a showery afternoon, updated the diary and accounts. Then an hour's quiet walk along the cliff path and back on the beach before dinner. Greek TV is now well into Holy Week, offering 'From Jesus to Christ: the first Christians' on ET3, 'Jesus of Nazareth' on Antenna, 'Mary Mother of Jesus' on Star, 'Solomon' on Alpha, etc! We turned to the video: the first of a new series (the only one we'll see) which is a spin-off from 'Heartbeat', set in an early 1960's Yorkshire hospital. Better than 'Casualty', with a bit of humour.

In which we drive via Nestor's Palace to Pylos, find a new campsite and cycle 12 miles

South from Kyparissia to Filiatra, then the inner mountain road to Pylos rather than the (even narrower) coast road via Marathopoli, which we've cycled in the past. Driving through the town of Gargaliani was fun, with road works blocking our path, the workmen pointing one way with their shovels while the policeman with a whistle jumped up and down pointing in the other direction. We chose the policeman and narrowly missed the workmen! Through Chora, the village whose museum houses the collection from the Mycenean Palace of Nestor a couple of miles further along. Here we stopped to make coffee in the coach park and walked up to the restored beehive tomb (Tholos), deep in the hills. The palace, burnt down about 1200 BC, had Mycenean frescoes, pottery, and importantly the first clay tablets in Linear B found outside Crete, proving the Minoan-Mycenean-Greek language link. Homer describes the wise King Nestor entertaining Telemachos, son of Odysseus, here. We'd viewed the excavations when it was free, so we saved e3 each and left them to the Dutch coachload.

On to Pylos, down on Navarino Bay, a natural deepwater harbour 3 miles long x 2 miles wide. Parked on the quay for lunch and a walk below the ramparts of the Neo Kastro, built by the Turks in the 16thC. Then drove back 5 miles to Gialova, the nearest camping to Pylos, and found a brand new campsite, past the scruffy old Camping Navarino, right by the shore.

Before dinner we cycled along to the start of the footpath up to the Paleo Kastro (not possible for bikes) and continued round the huge lagoon and back via the village of Petrochori.

43 miles. £10.71 inc elec.

After a morning's work - van cleaning, dhobi, etc - we used the motorbike to get to the start of the footpath we'd seen yesterday. Then a wonderful 2-hour return walk up to the extensive ruins of the old castle (Paleo Kastro) of Port de Junch, built in 1278 by the Franks on the foundations of an ancient acropolis, high on a spur of rock guarding the northern approach to Navarino Bay, where the ancient port was sited (Homer's 'sandy Pylos'). The crenellated walls and towers, with fantastic views of the sea and coast below, and overgrown courtyards and cisterns are now unguarded, the unwary welcome to fall over the cliffs without charge. We talked with the only other visitor - a young German hiker with 2 dogs - and walked back to where the path branches for Nestor's Cave. After another half-hour's walk, round the foot of the castle to the shore and then part way up the cliff, we found the huge cave with stalactites, above the site of King Nestor's harbour. This may have inspired the grotto described in the Odyssey, where Nestor kept his cows and Hermes hid Apollo's cattle. Certainly an impressive cave, once linked to the castle above by a cliff path.

Enjoyed tonight's epic on TV, 'Spartacus' (1960), with delicious performances from Charles Laughton, Laurence Olivier and Peter Ustinov.

Good Friday (known as Big Friday in Greece, a solemn public holiday). A splendid ride inland, looping round the hill villages on very minor roads (sometimes unsealed). In Iklena we stopped at the Kafenion and were treated to coffee by the head-man of the village, who spoke German. We learnt he'd worked there for many years, returning to retire and build a grand house in his native place. He'd be roasting a lamb in his garden on Sunday, with wine and dancing, if we wanted to return. His main worry was rain (if wet, in garage), but the weather seems settled. The Archbishop of Athens was holding sway on the TV, but no-one appeared to be watching.

Slow going at the end, with rough tracks leading us through olive groves and scrubland. We got back at 3.30 pm, lunch long overdue, sustained as ever by our lemonade and Lidl's biscuits.

Motorbiked into Pylos to get bread and the 'Athens News' and look in the huge church, decked out for Easter (the Resurrection Service tonight culminates at midnight, followed by fireworks and bonfires, then the breakfast of soup made from lamb entrails with literally breaks the Lenten fast).

We prepared to move on tomorrow, did some baking, took the kite for a walk on the beach, and later enjoyed 'Dr Zhivago' on TV, a change from the biblical epics of the past week.

In which we drive via Methoni to Finikounda and find another new campsite

Easter Sunday: A short drive, but far enough for a brush with a Greek in a hurry on the narrow road between Pylos and Methoni. The young woman who overtook us perhaps allowed for our length, but not for the fact that we were moving. She bumped against the cab on the driver's side as she pulled in again, damaging our hub cap and the wing mirror bracket. Luckily, nothing serious and no-one hurt so we let her go with a siga siga or two. We stopped in Methoni for lunch, parked by the citadel overlooking the bay. A walk round the fishing harbour, a photo of a group turning their Easter lamb on a spit in the garden, a stroll round the outside of the castle walls (inexplicably, the gate is locked on the one day Greeks might come!)

Then on another 6 miles to Finikounda on a splendid new wide road (apart from half a km of gravel part-way, on the bit bordered by olive groves, whose owner wouldn't agree). Finikounda, once a tiny cove known only to backpackers, windsurfers and the Rough Guide ("a fun, laid-back place") has been discovered by the Germans and clusters of second/retirement houses are mushrooming on the hills behind the shore. There is even a brand new campsite, in addition to the 3 old ones, Camping Thines (meaning sand-dunes).

We established that it was charging half the price of the others (at e8 even undercutting Aginara) and had its own 'Mick & Flo' in the shape of Gordon & Wendy, settled in a 30-ft American motorhome with an adopted mutt, waiting for a permanent concrete pitch and garden. We were soon introduced to the extended family of owners Despina & Ioannis, sitting round the remains of the Easter dinner with the few campers in residence. We were provided with drinks, some salad, potatoes and bread, and what was left of the 2 kids they had roasted. Gordon boasted that he'd been up at 7 am to light the fire for this - we just hope what they'd eaten tasted better than what was left! Also met their English friends Ray & Sue, who have just had 3 houses built nearby (2 to rent out). Gordon & Wendy are getting work cleaning and preparing holiday lets for absent owners.

21 miles. £5.71 inc elec.

We decided this was a good site to leave Rosie, securely parked right by Reception and near to Gordon, while we go cycling for a week. So a day of dhobi, packing and preparing the bikes.

Also a short ride round the village of Finikounda (one bakery/supermarket, no post office, a few tavernas and a newsagent/gift shop).

The weather set warm and dry (getting ever warmer and drier) and by 10 am Rosie was chained down and we were over the hills and away. The climb out of Finikounda gave great views back over the bay, then out with the map and compass to find a way through tiny quiet hill villages, like Iamia and Harokopio. We met the coast of the Messinian Gulf after zig-zagging down to Vounaria, where we made welcome mugs of coffee by the shore before riding north along the gulf, glad the recent north wind had dropped. At Petalidi the road leaves the coast, joins the main road from Pylos and heads through orange groves, with stalls at the roadside.

We ate our lunch near Velika, sitting on the steps of a deserted nightclub, the only shade we could find as the afternoon sun beat down. At Messini we stopped at Lidl for a few essentials, then on past Kalamata airport and into the city. The road got busier, with the usual hazards of lorries, railway lines and gravelly patches, and Margaret managed to skid and fall where the level crossing wasn't (level, that is). So we got an early meal at Goody's in the city centre, where she was able to wash a grazed knee and regain composure while Barry was befriended by some big blackfellas (Nigerian students actually), trying to sell CD's around the square.

Then along the seafront and south down the other side of the bay for a few more miles to the village of Avia, where we remembered getting a room above the nameless taverna on our previous ride in Feb 1998. It was still in business, a pleasant room with balcony and sea-view for only e20 (though Barry did have to fix the plumbing - not something Greeks bother with much!)

Rang Mum to suggest Sparta for the next poste restante - she is fine and going away to Grange next weekend.

Breakfast in our room and on the road before 9 am. A short easy bit down the coast, then a very stiff climb inland from Kitries, with M walking 2 sections. Rewarded by spectacular views back over the gulf, by a tiny church dedicated to Ag Nikolaos and open to view the ancient frescoes, and by a brew-up in a bus shelter at Doli after only 8 miles (evidence how steep and hot the ride). Rejoined the main road from Kalamata, before the village of Malta, then more climbing to Prosilio before the lovely zig-zag down to Kardamili, where the Exo Mani begins. Bought bread (and were reminded by the baker that tomorrow is May Day), made lunch in the little park by the church and thought of Patrick Leigh Fermour, who lived and wrote here (the original ex-Pat?)

Then a long drag of a climb, high above the coast again with views back to Stoupa and Kardamili. Through tiny villages with very old churches - Pigi, Platsa and Thalames, at last, with its little Mani Museum and, more importantly, its Kafenion with tables under a huge spreading plane tree, large frothy coffees and long glasses of spring water. A man sharing the shade, with a stall selling local honey and herbs, lay fast asleep - not many tourists here. Refreshed, we rode on to Langada and another beautiful Byzantine church to photograph. Over the border (Messinia to Lakonia) into Itilo, then another exhilerating sweep down, past the huge Turkish castle of Kelefa, to sea level at Nea Itilo. Along the beach, where we've had many a quiet winter's night in the motorhome, and the final climb of the day, up to Areopoli, Gateway to the Mesa (or Inner) Mani, named after Ares, god of war, for its part in the War of Independence from the Turks.

What a wonderful road today, between the Messinian Gulf and the Taigetos Mountains, a virtual corniche. Rewarded ourselves with a good hotel room (air-con, TV and a bathroom that works) and a pizza in the square, watched by the statue of Mavromikhalis (Black Michael) who declared the uprising here.