Written while crossing the Adriatic (Patras – Ancona), camping on board the Minoan Lines ferry 'Europa Palace'

Barry and Margaret Williamson

May 2006

INDEPENDENCE DAY

In the fishing harbour of Finikounda, our nearest village, the National Holiday on 25 March was marked by a morning church service, speeches and wreath-laying. The children wore national costume, bells rang and buns were handed out. In larger towns we have seen military(-ish) parades and bands, commemorating the start of the revolt against Turkish rule on 25 March 1821, although the War of Independence took 100 years to reach its disastrous conclusion.

SOLAR ECLIPSE

On 29 March a full solar eclipse was visible across the eastern Mediterranean. Back in January, on the ferry crossing from Italy to Greece, we had met motorhomers Don and Maureen Madge, on their way to Antalya in Turkey for the event. In the sunny southern Peloponnese, a partial eclipse was visible by 1.30 pm and from our beach we clearly saw the moon's shadow cover the bottom right quadrant of the sun before slowly moving left, reducing the sun to a crescent against a black sky. For a minute or two, the light dimmed and we shivered in a sudden chill. The phenomenon was captured on Barry's digital camera, its lens wearing 3 pairs of sunglasses.

CYCLING

March began with gales, thunder and lightning, which encouraged us to read, write and work on our website between power cuts. Once it became calmer we began to cycle regularly in the mountains to the north, through tiny villages with romantic names: Evangelismos, Homatada, Pidasos, Kinigou, Mesochori. We rapidly regained our fitness in terrain where feet (above sea level) count more than miles ridden: the average for all the rides we made was 1,450 ft of climbing! This fitness was tested in the warmth of mid-April on a return day-ride to Pylos, taking minor inland roads. Though covering only 37 miles, we climbed over 3,000 ft.

Encouraged, we made a 2-day cycle tour from Finikounda, spending a night in Hora, the village near ancient Nestor's Palace. On the first day we rode north, climbing steeply to the village of Lachanda and on through Militsa, Ano (Upper) Ambelokipi at 1,500 ft, then a few miles of unsealed road to Platanovrissi (15 miles out), where we rested under the shade of the trees by the springs (Platanos = plane tree, Vrissi = springs). Meeting the main Pylos-Kalamata road at Handrinos was an opportunity for coffee and cakes, before turning off north-west through splendid countryside round the tiny settlements of Kremidia and Papoulia. We eventually reached Hora, which is only a couple of miles north-east of the 3,500 year-old Mycenaean site known as Nestor's Palace and mentioned in Homer. We had enjoyed a previous visit to this unique site, as well as its archaeological museum in Hora itself.

Luckily, the new Hotel Melivoia had recently opened about 2 miles NE of Hora, next to a Taverna run by the same family. Standing at over 1,000 ft, it provided an excellent room with mountain views from its balcony, a good meal, a TV showing a Sean Connery film in the evening and a substantial breakfast after a deep sleep. What luxury after 34 miles and 3,515 ft of climbing in 4.5 hours.

The next day, 21 April, was Orthodox Good Friday. We rode eastwards across the grain of the mountains and through more beautifully named villages – Metamorphosis and Milioti – to Aristome. Here a delightful old chap who joined us at the Kafenion insisted on buying our coffees. He took us to watch the activity at the lovely church close by, proudly showing us the Easter preparations inside and out. The women-folk, armed with toothpicks and baskets of flowers, were busy decorating the wooden Epitafios (representing Christ's bier), ready to be carried round the village after an evening service.

Riding on through Strefi, we came to Rizomilos and had to join the holiday traffic heading south for 4 miles to the coast at Petalidi. Here (after 26 miles' ride) we lunched on warm pies from the bakery before turning inland to climb the deserted lanes through the hills, avoiding the busy coastal road. We gained superb views back over the Bay of Messinia, across to the white scar of Kalamata city and the Mani peninsula, where a little snow still clung to the peaks. The 5 miles of steep stony track from Kastania to Tripes (abandoned hamlets, both) involved some walking and took 2.5 hours! Up and up, through olive groves, scrub and new fig plantations, as the heat went out of the late afternoon sun.

We rejoined the tarmac road with relief, returning via Kokinou, Kambo and Kalithea (another coffee at our favourite Kafenion). As we descended steeply through Perivolakia and Evangelismos dusk fell, as did a few drops of rain. We reached the shelter of our motorhome after 7 pm, just as a downpour started – brilliant timing! The total distance ridden over 2 days was 88 miles, climbing 8,171 ft, although the highest point, at Tripes, was only 2,000 ft. (We know all this thanks to our Magellan GPS receiver, bought from Ian Shires in Budapest in 2003.)

Soon after Easter, driving north from Finikounda, we paused at Camping Tholo Beach, near Gianitsohori. Though officially closed until May, the kind owner let us camp there free of charge, asking only €3 for electricity and nothing for the oranges and lemons. (We're inveterate marmalade-makers!) The campsite was the base for our ultimate Greek cycling fitness test, the return day-ride to the Doric Temple of Apollo Epikourios at Bassae. For this, we had ideal weather - cloudy, light wind, dry, not too hot.

Starting (obviously) from sea level, a very quiet minor road leads inland from Tholo Beach. Our first stop was at Lepreou Springs (5 miles, 830 ft), where we looked in the delightful little Folk Museum, staffed by a trio of black-clad grannies, and had a coffee. Then onward and upward, passing through Faskomilia (8 miles, 1,340 ft) and larger Nea Figalia (10 miles, 1,540 ft). Frustratingly, the road descended for a while before climbing again to Petralona (15 miles, 2,180 ft), where we lunched on the church steps. We crossed more gorges, dropping and climbing with only the odd goat-herd for company, before reaching remote Perivolia (22 miles, and lower at 2,130 ft) for a rest by the springs. From here, the road climbs steadily for the last 7 miles until we got our first view of the marquee which protects the temple. After riding 29 miles, we were at 3,600 ft.

It was another half a mile to the Ticket Office outside the ancient site at 3,688 ft, which we reached at 3.45 pm after 4.5 hours' ride. The unimpressed custodian demanded €3 each to cross his threshold so, having visited before, we bought old postcards (showing the temple 20 years ago, open to the skies) and then retreated. It is one of the best preserved monuments from the 5th century BC, reputedly designed by Iktinos, the architect of the Parthenon in Athens. An imposing sight, perched up in the clouds, until World Heritage put its tent up in 1987.

Returning wasn't exactly downhill all the way to the sea, though it was mostly a freewheel to Perivolia, then up and down across 5 wild gorges back to Petralona, where we had a welcome coffee after 43 miles. Much easier after Nea Figalia, coasting home to Tholo Beach by 6 pm.

We were very happy with a total distance of 59 miles up to a maximum height of 3,700 ft, having climbed a total of 5,800 ft. This is nearly the equivalent of climbing England's highest mountain TWICE, from sea level!

EASTER

Easter (Pascha or Anastasi) is the most important religious festival in the Orthodox calendar. Not a mournful occasion, it focuses on Christ's resurrection, allowing the fasting of Lent to end with celebration and feasting. In Holy Week, the radio and TV are given over to religious programmes, with biblical epics like 'Spartacus', 'Ben Hur' and 'Jesus of Nazareth' shown every year. Orthodox Easter Sunday can vary by 3 weeks each side of 'Catholic' Easter: this year it was one week later, on 23 April. This also happens to be the name day for those called after St George – Georgio and Georgia – a very popular saint. (Name Days are more important than birthdays in Greece and an occasion for cakes and presents.)

On Good Friday (known as 'Big Friday') there is a church service of lamentation at dusk, before taking the Epitafios round the village in a solemn procession. In a large town, several processions will meet in the centre for a candle-lit outdoor service, which we once witnessed in Sparta. We still remember the sombre band music.

Late on Saturday, all the churches are packed for the resurrection mass, which we attended in Finikounda. In the 1,200 year old ritual of the Holy Fire, a flame is lit by the Patriarch at the tomb of Jesus, in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre (which we visited at Easter 2000). It is then flown to Athens, to be relayed round the Orthodox world. On the stroke of midnight, in every church, the faithful are plunged briefly into darkness until the Priest emerges from the inner sanctum with a lighted taper. The flame is quickly passed round the congregation, all carrying special candles (and the impatient perhaps a cigarette lighter), until a river of light streams out of the church and along the streets, witnessing the miracle of the resurrection.

The youth of Finikounda enjoyed throwing firecrackers against the outside walls of the church, the bangs apparently representing the Devil's anguish as he is banished and the gates of Hell clang shut. The spent casings bore the brand name 'Mefisto Mann'!

The traditional greeting Xristos Anesti (Christ is risen) is answered with Alithos Anesti (truly, He is risen). It's good luck if the candle reaches home still burning, when a smoky sign of the cross is drawn on the lintel. Bells ring, ships' sirens sound, all Greece is awake. An early (and literal) breakfast of Magiritsa Soup will follow (made from the entrails of the lamb or kid which is about to be spit-roasted for lunch). Some places even have a tradition of burning a guy, representing Judas.

Our Easter lunch with the extended Tomaras family was a lengthy affair, demolishing a lamb and a kid which had turned over hot coals for 5 hours. Roughly butchered, it was served with bread and salads, music, wine, red-dyed hard-boiled eggs and Easter biscuits. After coffee and ouzos, it was all over for another year. We wonder how long these simple traditions will survive, whether Orthodox Easter will become the victim of advertising and consumerism, like Christmas in Western Europe. The signs are already there.

WILD LIFE

On our way up to the temple at Bassae, we saved the life of a large tortoise, helping it across the road to a juicy grass verge, and sadly saw another who had not been so lucky, crushed on the tarmac. As reptiles come out of winter hibernation, we've also seen a variety of vivid green lizards darting about; had a little tree frog living on Margaret's bicycle mudguard for a few days, whilst parked; and rescued a baby terrapin that wandered onto our campsite, returning it to the river bank.

Birds were also plentiful, greenfinch, goldfinch, wagtails and the less common siskin, red-backed shrike and a pair of Sardinian warblers. By April the swallows returned from Africa, to join the house-sparrows already nesting in the roof of the camp kitchen. Up at Mistraki, we met the little owl living in John and Lis's garden and scops owls were, as ever, heard but not seen. Most exciting of all, on a very blustery day near Methoni, we saw a short-toed eagle trying to get airborne, a snake clutched in its talons. Giving up the battle with the wind, it dropped its prey, which slithered off into the maquis!

EARTHQUAKES

A series of tremors, with an epicentre just off the Ionian island of Zakynthos, startled or woke us throughout March and April, all measuring 5 to 6 on the Richter scale. In Europe's most earthquake-prone country, we anxiously watched and read the news, but no-one could say if they were building up to something larger. We remembered with horror our visits to tsunami-hit beaches in India and Thailand, early in 2005.

FRIENDS OLD AND NEW

We met regularly with John and Lisi (witnesses at our wedding), cycling up to their old stone cottage on a hillside at 750 ft above the small village of Mistraki. In April, John left for a walking tour in Italy, for which he had been training in the hills round his home. We saw him off with an excellent meal at the Dionysos Taverna: spit roast lamb with chips, salads and wine, followed by honeyed quince. Later we rode up to see Lisi on Easter Sunday morning, finding her very excited at her new status as a grandmother, her eldest son now father to Jack.

The Tomaras family, who run Camping Thines, also had 2 new members and we visited Vasso (Yanni's wife) to meet delightful 15-month old Theodoris and his tiny sleeping sister, Dimitra. Actually, in accordance with Greek tradition, both are simply (and confusingly) called 'Baby' until they are christened. Only after their joint baptism, in May, will they take on the names of their paternal grandparents. A second son or daughter takes the name from maternal grandparents, and so family names never change. Only in the case of a third do they need to think about it! We took small gifts and were plied with coffee and halva (a sweetmeat traditionally eaten during Lent).

Of the handful of other British motorhomers met recently, we particularly enjoyed getting to know Paul and Sheila Barker. We had admired each other's websites (visit www.langdale-associates.com for splendid thorough coverage of their journeys in Hungary, Slovenia, the Pyrenees and Greece) and they arranged to spend a night with us as they made their way from Pylos to the Mani. (What a great invention email is!) Over afternoon tea, an evening with a bottle of wine lasting past midnight, and coffee next morning, we shared insights into the Classical world versus modern Greece, and much more. We still hadn't answered the question: 'Who are the Greeks?' when they had to leave.

The most interesting motorhome we came across was the striking green and white 'dismountable' on a Ford Iveco chassis, built in its entirety by Brenda and Adrian Wilson. Invited inside for coffee, we admired their cosy interior and were fascinated by the album of photos showing the whole process, starting from a panel van! They knew us from our website, coming armed with printouts of our pieces on Greece, which led to lengthy conversations, book and DVD swaps. For some more photographs, click here.

We also befriended a German couple, Franz and Ilona Volz, living in Kamaria. Margaret helped them with some translation work, earning what is for us a lifetime's supply of the best extra-virgin olive oil.

Emailing and our website keep us in touch with old friends and fellow-travellers, as well as introducing us to new. We especially like exchanging ideas with people new to motorhoming or to long-distance, long-term travel. It helps us relive our experience of leaving work behind, buying a motorhome, reducing our worldly goods, renting the house to tenants, fixing insurances of all kinds, starting the engine and setting off for who knows where.

FINALLY

As we write, we are on a Minoan Lines ferry on the Camper Deck, watching the calm Adriatic slide by our window (21 hours at 30 mph = 630 miles) and communicating via the mobile phone network of Croatia. After landing at Ancona, we aim to drive across northern Italy and the middle of France to Caen for another ferry to Portsmouth. Our ultimate aim is Motorhome Medics in Cheltenham for a new fridge/freezer, an MOT and a service before returning to Caen for the long, and we hope lonely, road to Romania.