Final destination

We have been quiet lately as so much has been happening and we are here!!! in Cyprus!!! Goal achieved, new life started, spacious living (after Essie) and happiness all round.

Let me recap....

On August 6th, last Wednesday, we finalised the sale of Esmerelda with Manos and the local authority people and he handed over the cash - very good bit of business there on our part. So Wednesday night was our last night of caravan living.

We got up early on Thursday morning,packed the last few of our belongings in the car and handed over the caravan keys. Saying our final goodbyes to Esmerelda and wishing her a happy life in the sun we headed for Piraeus port to find our dock to load the car for its trip. That was fairly straightforward as we had completed a dummy run the afternoon before - thank goodness - the dock is huge and it took us ages to find the right area. All the road signs and port signs are in Greek and hardly anyone seemed to speak English - but we got there in the end.

Before we could release the car we had to deal with customs - that was two men in a delapidated shed inside a derelict warehouse - honestly! later I will add a photo of the place. It looked like something out of a second rate gangster movie! No computer in sight, just bits of paper and a lot of chatter. No ticket or any other paperwork was given to us and when I asked if we needed to produce anything in Cyprus to receive the car there I was handed a business card and told "If you have any problems just phone me, my name is Mike!". He then charged us 40 euros for customs clearance!!! no receipt for that either - it went straight into his colleague's pocket. We took some of our stuff out of the car and handed him the car key with trepidation and wondered if we would ever see it again.

Then we found a cab to take us to Piraeus metro where we caught a train into central Athens and found a hotel. They sold us a room for the day at a very reasonable rate so that we could have a siesta and a shower and that was wonderful.

After eating an early evening meal we caught the metro again to the airport for our flight to Larnaca - straightforward again and it was more or less on time departing at 11.05pm due to land in Larnaca at 00.40.

As a result of the restful afternoon we were both fresh for the flight and all went well until the pilot was on his final approach and the plane suddenly took off again. After many confused looks amongst the passengers we were told there was dense fog on the runway and we could not land in Larnaca so we were diverting to Paphos !! What a result we thought as that is just where we wanted to be!! Not so... We landed at Paphos about 15 minutes later and sat on the tarmac for the next 1.5 hours. No one could get off the plane as the airport had no staff and were not expecting any arrivals. We only had hand luggage, the rest of our stuff had been packed in the car, so I asked if we could get off - but no! After what seemed like an eternity, and after the pilot had stand up arguments with many Cypriots who also wanted to get off in Paphos, the plane had to take off again and fly back to Larnaca where the fog had cleared by now. So we landed at 3am - tired by now, fed up and frustrated - and with a two hour car journey ahead of us.

We managed to get the hire car easily enough and Steve drove along a very quiet but very foggy motorway. We eventually arrived on Friday at about 5.30am just as the sun was beginning to rise.

Straight to bed in a VERY hot house - it has been closed up since January! and we slept until about 10am. Then we caught up with some of the neighbours, did some grocery shopping, ate and had an early night in readiness for our car journey to Limassol port on Saturday morning to collect the car from the boat at 8am.

Off we went, back along the same motorway, and duly presented ourselves at the port gates to be told the ferry wouldn't be arriving until 1pm !! We did keep quite calm considering, and decided to use the time to have a look around Limassol and grab a spot of lunch. At 1pm off we went back to the port and saw the boat dock. Then we had to leap through the hoops of officialdom again. Fill in this form and take it to that office who will give you another piece of paper and you take that to another office. You complete more forms and pay more money and eventually we collected the car from the compound where it had been driven from the ferry. Hallelujah!! It had actually worked smoothly - can you believe it?? we couldn't!

Not finished yet though - now I had to drive the hire car back to Larnaca and Steve drove our car, we handed back the hire car and Steve drove us all the way back home - we arrived back at our home with our car at 6.30pm - ready for a long drink - or two!!

Thats it!!! We did it!! Now for lots more officialdom to register the car, register ourselves as permanent residents, get telephone and broadband to the house etc etc. We have a long list of things to do.... adventure over as far as travelling is concerned - our new adventure of our new life is just beginning.

Ministry of silly walks

We went off to Athens again today as it is so big and there is so much to see there. Again the bus and train journey went smoothly and this time we wanted to see the Parliament building and the changing of the guard in particular.

It was very, very hot and humid when we arrived and the area in front of the guards is very open to the elements so we timed it just right to get there for the changing at 1pm. Very impressive it was too. They have a very distinctive uniform with a short pleated skirt and matching top in khaki, thick cream coloured tights, soft red leather shoes with large black pom poms on the tops and black soles that had serious stud work in them and a matching red Tommy Cooper hat with a long black tassle. There were also black tassles hanging from garters around their knees.

The gathered public went very quiet as the replacement guards appeared with their escort officer and they made a loud noise with their studded shoes on the marble pavement. Then they began their ministry of funny walks - John Cleese got it from them - seriously. It may sound funny but as a ceremony it was very moving, well timed and co-ordinated and very ceremonial. It was like a very well choreographed dance scene conducted in a very serious manner and with a serious rifle at their sides. Some people started to titter at the beginning but all were in awe at the end. - see pics.

Then we went on to visit the original Olympic Games stadium of the modern games in 1896 - see pic - that looked good too.

After some lunch, a drink and a sit down in the shade we set off to the flea market area which is an alleyway of shops and stalls in bright colours. Steve bought himself a couple of bracelets there - very hip cool and trendy they are too. They go nicely with his new relaxed lifestyle and long hairstyle.

A couple of statues later - and we were ready to catch the train and bus back to camp. There is only so much we can do in this intense heat - especially in a city where the heat is magnified further. We must say though that the city has large areas that have been pedestrianised (take note Rome)and so a lot more pleasant to walk in. All areas are spotlessly clean and safe, particularly the metro areas and trains, and there doesn't seem to be the usual amount of pollution in the air that makes it impossible to breathe in the cities. Yes, there is lots of traffic, but it is well regulated and not anywhere near as frantic as the traffic in Italy or London. A good place to be really.

Back at camp we had a sit down with a drink to recover, then cooked pork burgers, home made chilli fries, zucchini a la lemon followed by a choice of praline iced dessert or frozen strawberry cheesecake. Delicious!

Tomorrow is our last day here! We have to visit the authorities with Manos to sign over Esmerelda to him (and he gives us his money), then we want to have a test drive to the port - the whereabouts of our embarkation point has baffled the internet and the tourist information staff in Athens. We now have a rough idea of where we should be - we just have to find it. Wish us luck....

Acropolis now!!

We had a wonderful drive through the mountains from Delphi towards Athens. The scenery was spectacular - such a surprise to us - we hadn't anticipated this at all. After about 2 hours we hit the national road - their motorway. It is fast moving but the surface is poor and Essie got shaken somewhat - but she is made of stern stuff!

We arrived at Dionissiotis campsite in Nea Kifissia, which is a pleasant northern suburb of Athens. A lovely campsite again with plots under pine trees. It has a swimming pool and free wifi. We thought that Greece would be backwards in its technology and facilities but actually it has proved to be the most forward thinking of all the European countries - how about that!

After we settled in we went shopping for groceries - still expensive here. Then we had a quiet evening.

Sunday came and we decided to go into Athens and see some of the sights. Would you believe the bus and the metro into Athens from here costs all of 80 cents each way all in - and that is for a 10 minutes bus ride and about 15 stops on the metro! We went past the Olympic Village too - it was spectacular to see it in all its glory - but it was a ghost town. All the apartments were empty, no cars parked or people walking around, and the facilities were unused - whats that all about then?

We got off at the Acropolis and only had a short walk to the site - it loomed large in front of us. Well - it was impressive in its own way - mostly by being HUGE, but there wasn't the atmosphere or the magic about it as far as we were concerned. It certainly didn't rate as high as Delphi, Pompeii or Rome - but it needed to be visited and we were glad to have seen it. One fantastic thing about it was the 360 degree view of Athens from the Parthenon. We couldn't appreciate how densely populated or how large Athens was until we had seen it. - see pic.

The other very important thing to note is that this is our very last camp on our journey!! We have very mixed feelings about that - in some ways we want to carry on travelling, and in others we look forward to seeing our home and friends in Cyprus.

We raised a glass of bubbly to the occasion - see pic - and had an evening reminiscing - it seems like yesterday we crossed the North Sea, yet we seem to have been away for ages and have seen the Mediterranean, the Adriatic and the Ionian seas in the time spent travelling - as well as a number of lakes!

Now we need to sell our darling Esmerelda as she has nearly finished her work for us. She has done so well for an old girl - all those miles, nearly 6000 in all on this trip. And all those mountains too - she has kept on trucking through rain and sunny weather, smooth and bumpy roads and hasn't let us down once! well except for one bulb and a split pin - we all have our moments!

The lovely owner of this site - Manos - has come up trumps and offered us the asking price for her. He will keep her on this site and rent her out - so she has retired to the sun too! We will stay in her until Thursday morning when we leave for the port to take the car to the ferry. It will be a sad day for us but we know she will be in caravan heaven here.

So today we have been deciding what to leave in the caravan and what to take with us and Steve has been filling the car up with all our goods in readiness for leaving - what a lot we have got.

Tomorrow we go into Athens again for another sightseeing day - there is so much of it!

To the Gods in Delphi

We have been up to the top of the world to visit the ruins in Delphi and were they impressive!!

We thought we were high up in our campsite with such panoramic views but we ascended the mountains yesterday for another 10 km or so until we reached Delphi. After researching it on the internet we visited the museum first as reports said that helps to put it all into perspective and that was amazing in itself.

A bit about Delphi first for those that know nothing (like us before we went).
Zeus released two eagles from opposite ends of the earth and when they met and collided, impaling each other with their beaks, they dropped to earth, marking its centre - and that was at Delphi. A large stone marked this place called the Navel Stone and an oracle would listen to people's questions at this place, go into a trance and tell them (via the Gods of course) which decision to make. Some say that if you keep an open mind and ask a question, the answer will come to you there. We tried and I heard zilch, Steve reckons that after he asked his question a bird started singing and stopped again when he opened his eyes. It was a lovely song so he thinks thats a good omen!!

Spiritual or not, as we approached the magnificent setting appeared to be extra special and a visitors attraction in itself - then we visited the museum and ruins and were even more impressed.

There are statues in stone and bronze - some tiny and some huge - and all with great detail on and very well preserved considering their age - some from 500BC. The statues have inlaid eyes, eyelashes and veins visible on the feet. Now we know where the Romans got all their ideas from - they copied the Greeks. Their examples of mosaic floors exceeds the Roman versions and were way before they had a go at it.

The ruins themselves are set amphitheatrically (thats a word used a lot around here - even the campsites are set that way!) so we had to keep climbing, and climbing and climbing to see them all. There are lots of them and its very easy to visualise the actual place in its day. The Temple of Apollo is simply immense - see pic and the Stadium huge and set at the highest point in the mountain. The athletes needed to be very fit and strong to just get up there never mind participate in games!

Although the day was very hot - 36c+ we were determined to see it all and we did. It will last in our memories as one of our greatest finds.

After our trek and climb we went into Delphi town to have a look around and a spot of lunch. It was very quiet - everyone is complaining at the lack of tourists and we can see why - how they make any money we don't know. It made it easy for us to get around though.

Then back to the campsite, a siesta and then we cooked a lovely cassoulet for dinner. I have received quite a few emails from people who say they love to hear about our culinary efforts - so that is for them specifically. Afterwards we had some juicy melon.

Then a couple of hours on the internet and a couple of chats on Skype and it was time for bed.

This morning we decided to look around the nearby town of Itea and pick up a few things before we leave tomorrow for Athens. There was not a lot to the town as we soon found out and we were amazed at the high prices of things. The Greek yoghurt for example is more expensive here than in the UK. We asked about a car wash and they wanted 10 euros! - far more than in the UK. We did buy some very nice looking steak for tonight at a good price (if it tastes as good as it looks it will be lovely) and some lovely fresh chicken for a thai green curry tomorrow. We are now in the position of using all the food up that we have stored in the caravan as there is less than a week left. Thai green curry paste, rice, fish sauce and coconut milk need to be used up.

Back to the van and while we were having a coffee someone phoned to ask about buying the caravan. I did a good selling job over the phone (I think) and she said she will phone me back after discussing it with her husband. They are friends of a German couple we met at the last camp - he had called them to encourage them to buy it as he was so impressed with Esmerelda!! Recommended eh? can't be bad! we have all our fingers and toes crossed.

A lazy afternoon today and then a drive to a campsite just outside Athens tomorrow - our last camp!!! is that really possible??

Time for action

We have given thought to our future plans and decided to end our European adventure on 7th August which also coincides with the expiry of the annual caravan insurance - and we wouldn't want anything to happen to Essie would we??

Steve and I spent the morning tidying the caravan and Steve did a few odd jobs to make her perfect! As the owner of the site hadn't come back to us with an offer we couldn't refuse, we need to put her up for sale - along with the bikes. I asked the owners daughter to write adverts in Greek for us and I copied them out and affixed them to the car and caravan windows (see the sign in Greek).

After lunch we put our travel plans into action and surfed the net. We contacted Salamis shipping and booked the car on the ferry from Piraeus to Limassol for August 7th - yes Graham, your birthday - at 20.00hrs. Then we researched flights from Athens for us and found there are no flights to Paphos to fit in with the ferry time so we have to go to Larnaca. The only flight available leaves at 23.05hrs, landing in Larnaca at 00.40hrs. Then we have to get to our home of course.

We debated whether to get a taxi or hire a car for the 2 days - our car arrives at Limassol port on 9th August at 08.00hrs - so we have to get to the port as well on the Saturday - so much to arrange!!

We then lazed for a while around the pool and read - it is hot and we have done a lot. A lovely dinner and an early night will set us up for moving on.

We got up early today to pack things up and move on to our next stop in Delphi. Our plans for an early set off went a bit amiss when some German neighbours of ours stopped for a chat and we just had to share some of his birthday cake with him - it would be rude not to. Then when we were about to leave an Italian family appoached us and asked about the bikes for sale. After much discussion - mostly by sign language and pointing, a deal was reached and they rode them back to their caravan. That was easy! That is great for us as this trip has proved to be a much larger financial drain on us than we anticipated and it will reduce the weight and drag to give us more miles per gallon. We have got a private account now with Shell - having bought so much diesel on this trip!

A long drive later along some very scenic coastal roads we have arrived at a camp site between Itea and Delphi. It is set up on a mountainside with panoramic views (see pic)and vast olive groves all around (see pic). Steve offers a word of warning to those planning to drive in Greece - double the amount of time you need to reach your destination. The roads twist and turn and are very busy with lots of trucks. It is impossible to make good progress.

We did stop off at a roadside taverna for a spot of lunch too. It was real home cooking and very economical too. For those of you living in Cyprus - it reminded us of the small eatery beside Papa's in Chlorakas. Lots of good food, pleasant staff and good prices. As they didn't speak English they simply took us into the kitchen and showed us all the dishes in the ovens and on the hobs and we chose what we wanted by pointing - it worked really well.

As you can tell the campsite has wifi and also a swimming pool - and we can see the beach from where we are writing this blog. We plan to stay here for 3 nights, then move on to a campsite near to Athens in readiness for August 7th.

Discovering Greece

Today we have been into Preveza to explore and what a friendly town it is too.

It is a modern working town with an old part and a port and there is very little tourism attached to it. We walked around the modern shopping area first as we needed a few things and were pleased and surprised at its likeness to Paphos. Shopkeepers stopped and talk with us and helped us with our pathetic Greek language and happily took our money off us! Some people will understand when I say that the pavements are not finished, the small piles of rubble are left around after an uncompleted job and there is a mixture of old Greek shop signs and English modern signs around. Deja vu experience. The car parking is a free for all (and all the better for it in my opinion) and the cars on the roundabouts just don't have a clue about what to do, how to drive or who gives way to who. You just have to edge out and drive on with eyes in the back of your head and leave them to it. They are not reckless, thoughtless drivers like in Italy - in fact they are very cautious and that creates its own problems.

Some of the roads around this part of Greece are very similar to Cyprus - in fact at times we thought we were in Kissonerga - lovely it was too.

Having travelled through a lot of Europe now we both feel that Greece is the most friendly and hospitable place to be.

We bought a few things and went back to Essie for lunch. The owner of the camp site and his wife have been to inspect Essie and we will talk later when their daughter is present to translate - fingers crossed.

After a pedicure each (again - such luxury), and another laze by the pool, reading, we cooked a lovely meal of chilli pork, tomatoes and pici pasta (from Castiglione in Italy) with basil from the campsite gardens.

So here we are again sitting round the pool writing the blog - sheer luxury. The place is quiet, everyone else having gone back to wherever they came from - the swallows and bats are jostling for position around and over the pool and the cicadas are sounding off gently in the background - better than work eh????

What a difference a week makes

We can't believe that another Sunday has come around already - and our memories of last Sunday were not good on the beach with the Italians. This week is a totally different picture thankfully.

After a leisurely start to the day we had a peaceful walk down to the beach. It only took a few minutes on a private path from the campsite and we came across a beach that had only a handful of people on it - by mid morning! Granted it is not a commercialised beach at all. It has a lot of seaweed on it and no beach bars - but it is all the better for it. See pics. We walked one way and then the other along the crystal clear waters edge and found a man made reed hut - without the man present. Very Robinson Crusoe! see pic.

After that we came back, showered and dressed and drove down to the port to seek out a taverna for our Sunday lunch. The port has a promenade that people like to strut along and it is served by lots of bars and cafes at its edge. There are lots of boats and yachts moored up on the port - some from the UK - and it made a pleasant walk for us in the sunshine.

The tavernas were all in the backstreets - loads of them. We were really spoiled for choice, but having set our hearts on a traditional Greek dinner the menus decided it for us. The Mermaid Taverna - one of the oldest in the town - served stifado and kleftiko and that was the decision made.

It did not disappoint either - the kleftiko is different to the Cyprus version which is mainly meat (goat often disguised as lamb). This one was a meal in a dish with slow roasted lamb, potatoes and peas, having a melted cheese topping over it. Very nice too. The stifado was more traditional and well known to us but equally delicious. A Greek salad accompanied the meal with some local wine and beer for Steve. We rounded it off with a Greek coffee each and were well stuffed and pleased with the affair.

While we were eating we couldn't help but notice that the owner of the taverna had a lot of young, Eastern European girls around him and obviously dependant on him. He seemed to provide bed and breakfast for them - if you know what I mean. His poor wife was left to do the work in the taverna - as usual in these cases - and she was not too happy by the end of our meal and I don't blame her. It seems to be the same old story no matter where you are in the world.

After that lovely lunch we returned to Essie, changed and lazed around the wonderful swimming pool for the rest of the afternoon. We then looked at the internet and found some sites to move on to and looked at costs of flights from Athens to Cyprus. That is only around the corner now and as soon as we have heard from Salamis shipping about taking the car over on the roro ferry we need to put all the plans in place.

The site owners daughter speaks good English and we asked her to write out an advert for the caravan and the bikes in Greek so that we can sell them before we go to Cyprus. She did as we asked but then came back to us to ask what we want for the caravan as her father is interested. Negotiations to continue.....