Goodbye Greece, hello Italy!

Our last destination in Greece was Delphi's Sanctuary of Apollo which had a huge temple, several treasuries, a theater, a stadium, many stores (stoa) and many monuments provided by those grateful for the prognostications of the oracle. What remains after years of earthquakes and theft is still impressive. The oracle of Delphi (in all her various incarnations) was consulted on major decisions by everyone from regular citizens to rulers for hundreds of years.  Here's more information :

Wiki's take on Delphi here

What remains of a life-sized bull in silver

The nearby museum houses many of the items that remain as well as information and even a watercolor painting that helps you envision what the site looked like in its heyday.  Rick Steves' book did a good job of describing what pilgrims to the site would have experienced including a purification ritual, the scene inside the temple, the oracle's behavior, and the interpretation of the oracle’s utterances by the priests.  Socrates is said to have pondered the results of his visit to the oracle for many years.  

Photo album here

After climbing most of the way to the top, Dermot said "I don't know why the Greeks put everything so high up. It's like they said - Why build it here, let’s go even higher and make everyone miserable! Let’s put the stadium so high the air’s too thin to breathe. That’s a great idea!”

Since our flight home is on December 5 and there is alot of ground to cover between Greece and England, we considered our options for returning home.  A farther eastern path would require wild camping, fewer resources and colder weather. We chose to return via Italy and France, hoping to have time dip into Spain to see Barcelona if time permits.  My original plan was to get a ferry to Venice but then it had the worst flooding in years so we chose a ferry from Patra to Ancona, Italy. So this time, not planning ahead really paid off!

Our route down the mountain from Delphi to Patra. 

Our last morning in Greece, we experienced cold showers at the campsite so we were glad to be moving on but sad to be leaving Greece.  We drove to Patra and boarded the ferry. Since it's past season for camping on board, they offered us an inside cabin with shower/WC and 30% off the self-service restaurant.  Once again, Dermot found himself anticipating a day on a ship. Luckily, the Adriatic was calm and the ship had some better than average ferry offerings. The top deck featured tables with great views and a pool (now closed). There were also several lounges and a "show" which consisted of a guy playing his heart out on a synthesizer and singing along in Greek to an average audience of two people. I decided this was more like a cruise than a ferry. The limited menu was adequate and Dermot and I passed the evening in the most appropriate way - playing backgammon on the tiny board we had bought in Athens. 

We'll miss Greece with its warm weather and treasure trove of archeological wonders but I’m excited about our next destination too! 

Athens!

Visiting Athens is a dream come true.  It's been called the birthplace of Western Civilization. I’m not going to go into the history because there are much better sources and I'd never finish. 

What's great:

1. Incredible I-can't-believe-I'm-really-here sights! I mean, the Acropolis, Pantheon, Agora, churches, and world class museums! I’m geeking out here!
2. The prices are lower than the rest of Europe - even when restaurants, entrance fees, etc. could be higher, they aren’t. We’re eating out here more because it’s so reasonable.
3. The food is healthy and delicious. Yum!! 
4. People are friendly, they’ll try to help you even if they don’t speak much English - and even before you ask for help. We can’t read greek letters but there are enough signs in English so that we don’t get into trouble. 
5. Public transportation is a good, reliable way to get around. Not too over-crowded either. 
6. Happening on archeological dig sites they're still working on as you're walking down the street. It's so cool!

What’s not so great:

1. We're camped outside the tourist area so it takes us awhile to get in to the tourist sights and there is a considerable lack of urban planning. The surrounding area is just sprawl and graffiti - lots of graffiti. It's not a pretty city on the whole.
2. Smog. Blech!

Photos here.


All that being said, the good outweighs the bad by alot. If you think you'd like it, you have to go!! I'm so glad we were able to make it here!  

Hydra - the Greek island without cars!

Our first Greek Island!  We sought out the closest port to the island of Hydra. It sounded idyllic. This island is completely free of privately-owned vehicles - no cars, mopeds, etc.! Goods are mostly hauled by donkey.  

Here's a link with more information and pictures.

The trip south from Lefka Beach towards the very small port of Metochi was only 1 1/2 hours and the boat trip there was only 25 minutes - very important as Dermot is prone to seasickness.  The night before we fretted as a very windy day was forecast for our crossing but Dermot had already booked the hotel room for two nights. The drive seemed longer as we traveled over and around the mountains but finally made it - having missed the 12:00 ferry by 10 minutes.  Part of our decision to go this route was made because we found a secure parking lot near the port so we could be (relatively) confident our campervan would be safe. We also worried the leisure battery which powers the refrigerator would run out of juice while we were gone.  Nonetheless, we buttoned it up and headed out, hoping for the best.

Dermot eyed the heaving boat with trepidation but, half-dosed with dramamine and with seasickness wristbands in place, he gamely boarded. Then he held on tight for the very rough ride. He made it without, uh, incident!

Once on the island, we headed for our hotel room, checked in and then went wandering around the island. The day was very windy and cold. We could tell that it was long past tourist season here as we were among the very few people strolling around. Quite a few of the restaurants and stores had already closed for the season. We walked through town and up each side before turning back and exploring through the back streets. Of course, as in the rest of Greece, cats were everywhere. It was so quiet and relaxing to be able to walk without having to worry about cars, mopeds, or bikes mowing us down! I assume the cats agree.

A few days earlier I had noticed that I would run out of one of my prescription drugs before the end of the trip and that Greece may offer an answer as some of their drugs are not regulated as they are in the rest of Europe. There was a pharmacy on the island and Dermot suggested I try there but I hadn’t even brought my pill bottle to prove I had a prescription from my Dr. The sign on the door said "No pictures inside" so, of course, I didn't take any but you've just got to see the inside of this place. It was like a museum!  I found this on the internet:

Pharmacy pictures here. 

After some gawking at the displays, I typed the name of the generic drug in my iphone (which then provided the premium drug name as well) and asked the pharmacist if the drug was available without prescription. He recognized the premium drug name and said "Well, you have a prescription from your doctor, right? You know the drug so you have it, right?" I said yes, but I didn’t have it with me. He said that was okay, went the shelves and returned in less than a minute with a box of 30.  He didn't bat an eye when I asked for a second box. The kicker? The charge was $3.75 per box for the premium drug. I usually pay a lot more than that for the generic version in the U.S. That pretty much made my whole day! No more worrying about running out and having to get a prescription from the states!

That night we went out for a dinner on the dock and then roamed the back streets of the town in the dark.  It has a very nice ambience and there were interesting passageways, doorways and buildings around every corner.

That night it was difficult to get used to having more than three feet of clearance over our heads as we slept but somehow we managed. The next morning we ate a big breakfast provided by the hotel. We usually just have cereal in the morning so it was a real treat! We went on a long walk on the streets paved with rocks from the main town to the towns west of the port along the sea with gorgeous views all along the way.

Photos here. Warning: island fever may be contagious. Proceed at your own risk!

We spent a second night on the island and took pictures of the sun slowly sinking below the mountains on the mainland's horizon.  Then we had a dinner sitting on the harbor and watched people coming in on ferries pulling their luggage - probably arriving from Athens to enjoy a weekend there. The next morning it was time to board the ferry once again and head for the mainland. 

Nafplio, Mycenae and Epidavros

Nafplio was once the capital of Greece and we enjoyed the city very much. Campsite Lefka Beach was right on the beach in a protected bay and the weather was very nice most of the time so we listened to the sounds of lapping water whenever we were in camp. We visited the National Archaeological Museum here and were amazed at the finds they had from prehistorical Greece and the Mycenaean civilization. The star was a 15th-century B.C. suit of bronze armor that was discovered in a Mycenaean chamber tomb which is the oldest such armor in Europe. My photos don't do it justice but the link below shows it much better.

Museum website with better info and pictures here.

We had good food at low prices - a lunch of gyros and bottled water for a total bill of 5.80 euros. I got a pretty good picture of those gyros! 

Photos here of varying quality.

Mycenae was the capital of the Mycenaeans who won the Trojan War and dominated Greece 1,000 years before the Acropolis. Later Greeks were shocked at the huge stones of the Mycenaean ruins. Many were far larger than the largest stones in Egypt’s pyramids.  

This link will give you much better info and pictures on Mycenae.

Epidavros was a town built for healing but it has the best preserved ancient theater in all of Greece. The picture above was shot there. The acoustics were wonderful as you could hear someone rip a piece of paper on stage all the way at the topmost seats.  

Link to more info and pictures of Epidavros/Epidaurus

Yeah, I know, I'm getting lazy with the descriptions but the links are so much better than what I'm able to remember and/or how much time I'm willing to devote to writing it!!

Monemvasia

What an incredible place!  We decided to go here as a two hour detour (sort of) on our way to another city.  I’m going to let you read the very interesting history at this link. Take a look at it first as I wasn’t able to get a good picture of what the island looks like as a whole on the approach.  

Wikipedia link on Monemvasia

I’m going to let the pictures do most of rest of the talking as each is worth 1,000 words. The first pictures are of the lower town where there are shops, businesses and hotels that have retained much of their original medieval character with winding streets, houses build at interesting angles and with influences from the many different periods of habitation (e.g., during Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman rule). Note that many pictures show the upper (now mostly ruins) perched on the cliffs high above. It's a very steep climb and when I checked my step counter later that day it said I had climbed the equivalent of 27 floors that day! All that being said, what’s hard to convey through either of these is the sense of wonder and fun of climbing all around the ruins imagining the lives of the people who lived in this fortress island. Many houses in the lower town are also being renovated. It looks like a cool place to live and I’m again staying far away from the real estate offices.  

Click here for photos

Pelopponese - The Mani peninsula

We wanted to stay in Kardamyli, Greece since Rick Steves (RS) suggests it, but there are no campgrounds there so we headed to Camping Kalogria which is nearby and close to the beach. Though the area is full of twisting roads that overlook cliffs with few guardrails, the driving here is much more relaxed as there are very, very few people driving the roads. Actually, everything seems so much more laid back here.  I suppose it's more crowded in the season but we enjoyed that. The downside is that many establishments are closed. 

Sitting in camp finishing Sunday breakfast we saw a big fruit and veggie truck start driving by slowly. I was enchanted - it was like the ice cream man, except with produce! How could you resist? I over-bought because I forgot Europeans count their thumb first so everything I asked for two of, I got three. Hilariously, Dermot said "I hope the butcher comes before dinner."

We relaxed in this area for three nights then set out south along the coast and went to the Caves of Diros. We took lots of pictures but since the lighting was low, they aren’t great. I included a few but this link has both better pictures and all the fascinating information I’d write if I were less lazy: 

Diros Caves

We then went to Camping Meltemi along the Eastern Mani coast and our campsite was through an olive grove and right on the beach (if you ignored the fence and short line of cactus - which we did). We enjoyed the sound of the surf and the nearly completely deserted beach. We rode our bikes on the compacted sand/roadway on the beach and walked to a nearby restaurant three days in a row.

One day, we followed RS' suggestions for a loop trip around the Mani peninsula and many of the gorgeous photos in the album are from that trip (see explanations on most photos).  

Click here for photos

Random observation:

There are stray cats everywhere and its hard to imagine what they’ll all do when the tourists are gone. The first night we arrived, two fluffy kittens turned up at our campsite seemingly ravenous. Lacking anything like cat food, Dermot suggested we feed them Proscuitto ham we’d brought from Italy! On a subsequent night, the cats arrived as soon as Dermot brought out the grill.  When we ate out at restaurants there was always a plethora of cats around looking for handouts.