December trip to York

December trip to York

We usually have a trip to York in December to meet friends and go to the Christmas Market. We have stayed at various sites and certified locations but this time we stayed at Manor Farm Caravan Park. It’s fairly convenient as it’s opposite the Racecourse on Bishopthorpe Road and about a mile and a half from the centre of York. It’s a flat walk or cycle along the riverbank, which is pleasant – even though we didn’t have good weather this time. There’s a lovely Millennium bridge, which is very pretty when lit up at night. 

This small site is hidden behind tall hedges ( a requisite of the Council so that nasty vans and caravans can’t be seen from the river) and has a couple of ladies’ loos and one shower, a couple of gents’ loos and a shower, waste emptying, recycling bins and a tap near the entrance. There are two fields with hard standings. It was impossible for us to empty waste water as our hose wouldn’t reach the drain so we had to wait till we got home to do it. The toilet block is ‘heated’ but a dimplex heater on the wall wasn’t really adequate to heat the area in the awful weather and we preferred to use the shower in the van- much warmer.

We had the first afternoon and evening in the van and I had made soup and Katie cooked salmon in a lovely marinade so we ate well and chatted and laughed as usual with friends Stewart, Tom and Lucille.

The next day, we walked along the river into York. We all went our separate ways before meeting up in the Royal Oak for a drink. Sadly, the Christmas Market is now housed in a collection of little wooden chalets. It must be better for the stall holders as they can lock their things away and it must be a bit warmer for them but for us, the atmosphere was missing. We missed seeing the sausages sizzling, the fabulous smells of the food stalls and the bustling stalls. It seemed just a bit sterile though there were some lovely things to buy.....though I didn't buy much at all!
We managed to avoid the worst of the rain and got back to the site without getting wet. Lucille cooked a big Shepherd’s pie for dinner and again we had a lovely evening.

We were hoping to be joined the next day by some more friends but it was snowing, then there was sleet and our friends had car trouble so they didn’t come. I cooked a big brunch then once again, when it was dry, we braved the walk and the temptations of the shops.We stocked up on lots of little necessities in a wonderful hardware shop which seemed to go on forever behind a small shopfront. We met up again at the Royal Oak where we had a wonderful meal.  It rained really heavily in the night. In the morning we all gathered in our van to book next New Year’s eve. We thought we would like to come back to York and stay in Rowntree Park- the Caravan Club site – which is always busy. It was the day that bookings were accepted for next year and we all tried to ring the Caravan Club office to book. Luckily Katie had her call answered so we all got booked up for next year.   We had a wet and miserable drive home but as it’s only an hour, we didn’t mind too much but Pete got really wet walking home from where we park the van as the car was still in the car paint shop getting some scratches removed. It won’t be too long before we are off again for New Year at Hawes.

the journey home, Patras, Ancona, Bellinzona, Kaysersberg, Calais.

89  Goodbye to Aginara- Patras for the boat.
Oh no - 5 am and three mosquitos! We did a mosquito massacre and went back to sleep. We set off for the ferry calling at a little shop in Gastouni for fruit and vegetables ..and lettuce.  We took  Exit 2 from the New National Road (which seemed to come immediately after exit 5) and the port isn't on the signs. After calling at Lidl, we went into the port and took the blue road ( the road is painted blue) to a parking area where Pete stayed with the van while I checked in the new buildings. The ticket office lady told me to go out and follow the red road to Gate 3 which we did. At Gate 3 there were security officers who checked all over and inside the van and told us to go to park down to the left. There are security cameras pointed at number plates but the security guy still wrote our licence number on a piece of paper. There was a refrigerated lorry next to us and the sophisticated surveillance technique was to get a ladder up the boxes at the back and fish around a bit inside! There could have been a whole compartment in the middle filled with people that the security man couldn't see.  
We went left and parked with some other motorhomes and caravans about two thirds of the way down the port area. When the boat came in, motorhomes around us started moving to the end of the port where some lorries were parked and the boat docked. When the boat was unloaded, and crew told the lorries to come on, there was a free for all as motorhomes and caravans all tried to go at once! There was no-one to direct traffic into a queue so it was just as disorganised as the old port had been. It's a pity because the new port is far more secure and feels safer than the old one but it could be much better organised and instead of having parking bays marked, lanes for vehicles waiting could have been made as other ports have.

We were a bit dismayed to be right inside the boat , not near a window but we went on deck to watch the loading. We only saw a couple of young men outside the perimeter fence trying to get in but the police in a van went to chase them away, unlike other years where poor unfortunates were hanging about all around the port, causing problems for police and travellers. We watched till Patras faded into the distance then went back to the van to the relative comfort to read ( Charles Dickens 'The Old Curiosity Shop' in my case...and there's a Bevis in it!) We had lovely hot showers , salmon salad and an early night though two refrigerated lorries who got on at Igoumenitsa made a noise through the night.
90 Bellinzona, Switzerland

At 11.30am we docked in Ancona. We got off the boat at 12.30, and at 1pm we got to the Autostrada. We stopped twice for diesel en route but I'd made sandwiches which we had in a rest area so we didn't stop long for lunch. It's a fairly boring drive through Italy  and it's strange to see very old farmhouses next to the Autostrada surrounded by fields with a railway behind and sometimes huge factories next to them.


At 6.55, we pulled into Bellinzona service area just as it was getting dark. I opened a can of Lidl's chilli and had a quick meal and then a shower. We locked everything securely and put a ratchet strap across the two front doors before settling in for an early night.


91 Kaysersberg, France
We woke up early and set off at nine. There's a different light in Switzerland at this time of year and it made the scenery look even more dramatic. Clouds were lifting from the valleys into clear blue skies. The mountains looked absolutely amazing.

We stopped for coffee near Sursee. Heading for Basle, we then took the  A35 towards Colmar where we stopped at E.LeClerc for an hour while we shopped and filled with diesel. There were a few fresh prawns left for sale so Pete of course had to buy them all. I needed a fresh raspberry eclair too.....We drove the last few miles through vineyards to Kaysersberg where I guessed the camper stop might be about half full- wrong! It was very busy. We emptied and filled and found a spot down the bottom of the car park. The prawns didn't last very long when eaten with a fresh baguette and some salad. We went to the tourist office to get two hours free internet. We were horrified to find that we couldn't carry on the tradition of having some home made ice cream in the town as they only had three flavours left...I didn't fancy geranium, spicy brown bread or pistachio flavours......

I cooked a version of spaghetti carbonara using feta  and cooking cream to use up the feta. It was delicious.

92 Calais
We woke to a sunny but cool morning and set off again at 9am. We drove over the mountain and saw the wonderful views from up there. On the other side, towards St Die, we stopped at a bakery in Fraize for bread and I saw some different bread so I bought it not knowing what it was. It was fantastic! It tasted like a bacon sandwich ( my favourite food) as it had chunks of crunchy bacon in and was sprinkled with cheese on the top. It didn't last very long!  
We took our usual route, Nancy, Metz and stopped for lunch at Aire de Vitremont in the sunshine.We headed up to Petange near Luxemburg for diesel ( 1.18 euros per litre) and as we sat waiting for the lady in front to fill up, we both had the same thought...'head for Calais?' We usually have a night in Stenay or Le Cateau but it seemd that no sooner had we made the decision to drive straight up to Calais than the sun went in and clouds came over. We headed for Arlon and the E42. It was raining a little and there were a few roadworks between Namur  and Mons but it cleared as we neared Calais. We got to the aire near the beach  just before seven and bought frites ( not very good ones) before having a quiet night. We were both very tired. The aire cost 7 euros collected by a man coming round the vans in the evening.
93 Home

It was very windy in the night. We went to Auchan to stock up on favourite wines ( and the obligatory prawns and raspberry tarts) . We went to the ticket office at 10.30 am- a day early- and got tickets for the 11.10 ferry! We had a coffee and soon we were in Dover with slow traffic from the port, slow traffic on the M25 and the M1 round Luton. It got very windy as we passed Sheffield and the signs showed a 40 mile an hour limit on the viaduct because of it. I was much amused to see another sign at the end of the viaduct which said END...was it signlling the end of the speed limit or the end of our trip?
We got back just after five and it was lovely to see the house with the  garden looking green and tidy thanks to good friends Katie, Stewart, Roy and Rose and even nicer to find a 'welcome home' carrot cake made by Katie. How good it was to be home and on Wednesday too- music night up at the Huntsman pub- our lovely local,  so we just had to go up to listen to the super musicians and Pete was very happy to re-acquaint himself with British beer! 
How lucky are we to have such good friends and such a good time? 

And the next day,in heavy showers then sunshine, we emptied, cleaned and put the van away till next time...........

Back on the road....Gialova, Katakolo and Aginara Beach

82 Camping Erodios, Gialova

Well , it eventually came...the time to move. It would have been easy to stay put and make a run for the boat but there are places we want to see before leaving Greece for the drive home back to grim weather. We packed up in the cool morning and it didn't seem too much of a chore.We were sorry to leave Marje and Mike who have made the time at Thines even more pleasant. We took the Pylos 'ring road', a cut along the back of the town and no sooner were the words ' I wouldn't like to meet anything big coming along here...' out of Pete's mouth when an  mega artic driven by Dimitri ( his name was in huge letters on the front) hove into view...oh 'eck. However, a bit of reversing and Pete being cool meant the huge beastie got past. I love the view from Pylos over Navarino Bay and soon we were settled in Camping Erodios in a nice spot with a sea view. We had a lie on the free sunbeds  on the adjacent beach and a swim before lunch then we had an adventure. Okay it's was not a big adventure in terms of a mountain climb, a deep sea dive or even in Marje's case, Moray eel scaring, but for me cycling with no power ( can't charge the battery cos I stuck the key in the charger hole when I wasn't looking carefully) is akin to scaling a mountain. I didn't realise how much the power has come to be an absolute necessary not a  helpful extra.




Navarino bay

 

Navarino Castle

Anyway...we were going to cycle to Gialova...a mile away but Pete decided to turn left and go along to the lagoon. He said 'we'll just have a look along the road a bit'.....huh! So with no water, no hat and no anti insect spray we cycled along the 2.5 mile stretch of lagoon, went in a bird hide and got bitten to bits by lurking insects.
We did see a couple of white egrets and grey herons. We cycled along to the end of the road and started the walk up to Navarino Castle which is closed but we thought we would have having amazing views there. We were stunned by the scenery and the fabulous blues of the water but even we weren't daft enough to carry on when we realised it was quite a climb in the heat.

Voidikalia

So we thought we would just 'have a look along' the south side of the lagoon. We looked in a well and Pete saw a huge snake skin at the side of it. It was nearly five foot long! Me, I was looking round for the snake! Of course we had to take it with us......

We walked in the shadow of the cliff along the lagoon to Voidikalia, a beautiful bay with white sand ( one of the ten best beaches in the world according to the New York Times) Pete had a swim ( I hadn't got my bikini and there were people about who might be offended by the sight of my bra and Asda pants) then we went back and sat on the campsite beach with a glass of rose wine watching the sun go down. It had been a five mile cycle and a three mile walk.


this dress gets worn a lot!


We had a meal in the camp restaurant- self service- my food was good but Pete’s wasn’t. They gave us waffles when we finished and they were huge.

83   Camping Erodios Gialova



that dress again

 I had aching knees after yesterday. We cycled into  Gialova ( 1 mile) It's a sleepy place at this time of year.We had coffee in Ionnis then another drink as we found it very comfortable to sit and watch the world ..( and a bus full of elderly people, mostly women, ) come out for Sunday lunch. I'd hate to have been the waiter at the  table of 15 Greek women who barely put their mobiles down for a minute to  shout orders across the table, resume their phone conversation and squabble at the same time...merely an observation, not a racist or sexist remark!

We went to the beach then walked into Gialova again in the evening just as the sun was going down. There's a place where a stream comes into the sea where you have to paddle across but it was quicker than going by road and quite romantic. We sat under the trees at a bar near the quay and had ouzos while getting attacked from not so romantic mosquitos. We had a lovely meal at O Spitikos and my prawn spaghetti was delicious though there was more than enough to share.  We walked back along the beach with torches and I got very anxious when I saw the beach gates were closed! I could see myself climbing over the gate when we notices that one was still open- thank goodness!

84 Katakolo and Aginara Beach, Glyfa


Kalo Nero



After I'd been bitten several times while I was eating my toast outside, we left the site. ( damp grass= mosquitos) We drove to Kyparissia stopping to shop at Carrefour and Lidl before having lunch on the beach at Kalo Nero.


 We then drove through Pyrgos to the port of Katakolo. The tiny port was dwarfed by two huge cruise ships docked there. We parked up with the intention of staying a couple of nights and visiting Olympia by train but we'd seen the train go past us and we couldn't find any information about train times. We wandered around the shops to the little beach but it was hot  and I'm not good with people who want to sell me things.......if I want something, I'll go and get it. We went back to the car park on the harbour and changed our minds about staying as there was no shade and no breeze. We might go another time.


Katakolo



 We headed back to Pyrgos, went to the A and B store which is the only place I've ever seen XUXU strawberry vodka which is amazing. It's crushed strawberries in vodka and is just fantastic!  We got  a smiling welcome from the Aginara 'family' and we got a nice pitch so we  soon settled in. We went for a swim and looking across the beach we saw Sue and boxer dog Duchess who we'd met in Githio so I went over for a chat.. We went up to the restaurant and had a lovely meal and a laugh with the waiters. We went to the beach and watched the stars and the lights on Zakynthos.

85 Aginara beach
I skyped Katie and had a lovely chat.I had an email back from e-bikes direct telling me how to change the fuse in my bike battery- what helpful people they are. Pete helped a French couple in an enormous brand new Carthago motorhome get into the space next to us and get his 200cc scooter out of it's garage......fabulous van, costing far too much money and far too heavy a scooter for an old guy to try and get out of the van. Pete did a wonderful meal of grilled chicken , courgettes and potatoes on the  Cadac. We went in the van for the evening as it was quite cool and tried ( almost in vain) to watch Man Utd v Basle (3-3).
86 Aginara beach

This is a good pitch we are on- 
we can see the sea, have plenty of space and it's quite private with lovely trees around. I took the bike battery to bits and Pete changed fuses - it looks like it's charging up. I washed the breakfast dishes and normally I'm lazy and don't dry things but for some reason today I decided to dry the coffee pot which has a chip in the glass rim and really should have been thrown out.........I cut myself from inside my thumb round to the outside! It's a  huge gash and while Pete was taping it up, I felt a bit faint.........So the moral of the story is, let dishes dry themselves!!! I couldn't go swimming but had a lovely day on the beach. Pete even went back to the van and brought ouzos and ice so we could have a drink and watch the sun go down. ....perfect! It gave me a chance to try 'arty' shots with the camera.

He was a super star and cooked pork chops to dinner too.


87  We had an early morning call by yet another mosquito....don't know how or where they are getting in but that one didn't get out again... we went to the beach, went to the restaurant, talked to  German Greek and his wife for a while.
88. The morning mozzie got earlier- 5am. I tightened the fly screens on the windows and sprayed some anti mosquito  stuff about....maybe there's a mosquito plan to escape Greece by hiding in our van? Another lazy day and goodbyes at the restaurant. We are always sad to leave here.



Githio, Karavostasi, Finikounda...and not much travel!

37. Githion Bay camp site Githio

We woke up early- Pete got mozzied in the night- it seems to happen when we’re not on hook-up. Maybe when we have a fan on, it blows them away….? We stopped in a village for bread then I had a confidence loss and thought we were on the wrong road and had missed a turn,so turned round for a few kilometres. I put the sat nav on and it said to do a u-turn…..if I had waited for a few seconds more before turning, I would have seen the sea and been sure we were on the right road. We drove through Githio and went into Githion Bay campsite. We’ve been here before about five years ago and we’d seen a fox and cubs just outside the side fence. It’s greener and nicer than I remembered with the showers blocks retiled and new fittings, spotlessly clean. We got a nice spot under olive trees and I saw an English van .As I came back from the camp office, where I told the lady we’d be staying a couple of days*, Jayne the van co-owner was talking to Pete. It felt slightly odd speaking English ………

We had a lovely swim and I cooked fasolakia ( green beans in tomato sauce) and Pete cooked local sausage- sausage as it should be! It feels very comfortable here.

38 Githion Bay Githio

We had a quiet cool night. We talked to the Swift owners, Bri and Jayne before cycling into Githio.It was a six mile round trip with a hill at the entrance to the town but not too bad for Pete – and quite easy for me even when fully loaded with shopping. We had  coffee on the roundabout – a square that traffic goes round where there are lots of coffee shops. We then went to the shop that Pete bought me my birthday present five years ago- I hadn’t wanted a double hammock but he did, so that’s what I got. We bought blow up beach pillows- naff I know but comfy. We did internet stuff by the camp site café- the signal’s not very strong. Pete fixed the bathroom cupboard magnetic catch, which had come adrift. Jayne and Bri came round for drinks and the evening flew by……

39 Githio

Jayne and Bri had been to Methoni and met people there that we knew from previous years so we caught up on news. It was very windy so we put the storm strap on. In the evening we went to Takis' Taverna just along the beach with Jayne and Bri and another English couple Ian and Sue who were also at the campsite. We had a lovely evening chatting and doing the ‘small world’ stuff about who lived where etc. Takis’ is a lovely taverna where you go and choose your food in the kitchen- I had gouvetsi ( pork and pasta) Pete had stifado ( beef cooked in tomatoes with small onions). It was delicious and a really pleasant evening.

40 Githio

Githio

Have you noticed a ‘couple of days’ have passed and we’re still here? Well spotted! We are too comfortable to move and enjoying being here a lot. We had an early morning swim before cycling to town again. I arranged to meet Pete at the corner where we’d parked the bikes last time but couldn’t find him. I cycled around and eventually found him. He’d cycled down the harbour because he’d spotted the ship Gernika that had been with the Palestine Solidarity flotilla trying to take supplies to Gaza and got talking to one of the guys there. We cycled back to the ship and were invited on board and talked to the very brave Spanish group of people . They told us they had good support from local people and others too- people had worked on repairing the ship for free, others had given up holiday time to help them, they’d had food and money donated….but the Greek government wouldn’t let them leave Greece. We had a fascinating time talking but sadly didn’t have the camera with us so we took their email address and arranged to send messages of support to them as they are off tomorrow to Corfu.Pete was really pleased to have met them.

On the way back I went ahead to the supermarket and coming out, Pete was outside clutching his swollen lip. He’d come down the hill and been hit by a flying creature with such force that his lip was twice the size- we hurried back to get some ice on it.It got better quickly and he cooked bream for tea with potatoes and courgettes. We listened to a talk from volunteers about the turtles nesting on the beach then had a walk on the beach in the moonlight.

41 Githio

Still here….Pete cycled to see if he could get a photo of the ship but they’d gone. We spent most of the day on the beach. Pork chops and salad for tea. Pete tried unsuccessfully to get the football match on computer. There was Greek live music in the bar and we met up with Ian , Sue , Bri and Jayne there. The band was good and so was Duchess- Ian and Sue’s lovely boxer dog- you wouldn’t know she was there, she’s so quiet. We had a good laugh and even joined in for one dance only and again the evening went fast.

42 Githio

Yes still here….we have thought about moving- but not too much…

Sue came round for coffee- they are moving tomorrow. Bri called round for coffee too. I slept most of the afternoon on the beach- lazy!!!!

We had an evening walk on the beach after grilled chicken and the family opposite called us over for ice cream  as it was Despina and Maria’s name day. I gave them some Christmas cake in return.

The family are from Athens not too far from George’s.

43 Githio

Cycled to Githio, had coffee, went to the supermarket, got spanakopita and bread in the bakery…..went to the beach…….could this get boring? Well I suppose so but not yet- especially when Pete came down to the beach with a flask of tea for me! I couldn’t believe it! The only one on the beach with a cuppa- it was great!

octopus drying

We went round for a farewell drink to Bri and Jayne’s as they are off on their travels tomorrow. Jayne swapped some books with me and gave me a birthday card for tomorrow- that was really kind.

44 Githio

We had an early swim- the sea is like a huge swimming pool with no ripples here in the morning before the wind gets up later and fabulous to swim in. We had fruit and coffee and Jayne and Bri called to say goodbye- we hope to meet up again and will keep in touch. I opened my cards and presents and had bacon and egg brunch- lucky me eh? I went on the internet and picked up birthday messages and that was lovely. I had a long chat to my mam too.  We went to Takis again for a meal and we had spinach, rice and shrimps, and pork in lemon and wine sauce. We also had melon and ouzo on the house and a moonlit walk back. Me, I’m just lucky, lucky , lucky.

( having said that, today Pete fell through the sunbed as it ripped and disintegrated and the new brolly came adrift at the top and had to be fixed with glue and a jubilee clip)

45 Githio

We cycled along to the supermarket calling at a shop to get a new sun bed but at 52 euros , felt that it was a bit too much to pay. We swam. It was hot. I cut Pete’s hair and we lost a screw from the hair trimmer. I made spaghetti carbonara for tea.

46 Githio

 We cycled into town as it was market day and had a great time looking at the stalls and stall holders selling so much wonderful fresh fruit and veg. We loaded up with nectarines at 1 euro for a kilo, a huge bag of oranges, tomatoes, courgettes, lemons – and so cheap. We could have bought tons but I wouldn’t have been able to carry the three lettuces for a euro that Pete wanted so he settled for one huge lettuce.

I found the missing screw! Oh and we think we might move on Sunday…….or maybe not.

Pete cooked chops for tea and now he’s marked the Cadac grill so he can see how fierce the heat is, it’s easier for him to time the cooking and the chops were perfect. As we were eating, Despina came over with a couple of grilled steaks and some home made tzatziki for us- how kind…..Pete gave them a couple of bottles of English beer and explained that the barbecue chef has to have a beer…it was appreciated.

47 Githio

We went to the beach and got covered in sand as the wind got up and a windsurf sail blew over missing Pete by inches. There was a bit of a plumbing problem as water bubbled up  on the road next to us and Jimmy the handyman came to sort it out with a pressure washer but it wasn’t enough. We went to eat in the site restaurant which wasn’t a good move as there were two young men taking orders and only one lady in the kitchen cooking. The orders were getting mixed up and we waited what seemed like forever only for Pete’s meal to come and mine came 15 minutes later….overcooked souvlaki and  burnt pitta wasn’t the best meal I’ve had!

48 Githio

beach showers 

We had an early morning wake up courtesy of the Greek equivalent of Dyno- Rod who had come to sort out the drains. It was windy with big gusts that lifted the kitchen window clean off! It was easily fixed. I took a photo of the beach showers- they are surrounded by banana trees with bananas on. When we last came here , the trees were knee high, now they form a lovely canopy. We went along to Takis’ again in the evening but it was very busy and he had no oven cooked food left so he offered us food from the grill. It wasn’t very good- the best part of the evening was the stars on the walk back along the beach.

49 Karavostasi ( Neo Itilo , close to Areopolis)

Areopolis

We’d cleared and packed up mostly the night before so it didn’t take us long to get ready to move. We said goodbyes to Petros and Maria opposite and headed for Areopolis. We had coffee in the square there and noticed the buildings rebuilt after the fire then the earthquake. We had a lovely walk round this pretty place with the mountain towering over it. We went to the traditional bakery and got hot bread and spinach pies, the supermarket for supplies and the fruit shop for more  wonderful grapes.

Limeni

the 'swimming pool'

We turned second left after Limeni and Neo Itilo to Karavostasi, said ‘hello’ to the guys in O Faros – the fish restaurant that you drive through and went into the field marked ‘free camping’ There were several Italian vans already there but they’d only stopped for lunch. We went for a fabulous swim after cycling along to the right on the bikes….gorgeous crystal clear warm water- best yet. We watched a kingfisher dive, catch and eat a fish- marvellous to watch but impossible to catch on camera as every time I got out of the water, he flew off, only to return when I was swimming. We also saw a huge brown and black bird just skimming the surface of the water
  and two aeroplanes tracking a fire behind the mountain. (We found out later it was a huge fire in Vathy, near Githio, and the fire chief himself was killed.)  We went for a meal to O Faros- it is usually more expensive there than we usually pay but we set this against a free campsite. We had shrimps saganaki and octopus with the lovely toasted bread and oil they serve there. It was a wonderful meal sitting by the sea watching the lights of Limeni and the fish swimming underneath the balcony.

free camping field

50 Karavostasi   

little church , Limeni

We cycled along to Limeni and saw that the whole place has gone upmarket. Houses once ruined are now being rebuilt in stone at great expense. The hotel complex on the side of the hill has been expanded too and the little village shop in Neo Itilo has closed down. Pete picked lots of figs by the church and we had coffee in Neo Itilo before going back for lunch and a swim. I talked to the Greek family who have a caravan in the field behind- they are going to build a house there eventually and after a chat, Nikos brought us a bottle of their home grown wine! I fed the stray dog who looks like she has just had puppies. We watched the brilliant stars there and we both saw the same huge shooting star.

51 Camping Thines, Finikounda

pitch 303 Thines

We said goodbye to Nikos and Sofia and hoped we’d meet again and drove along the scenic road to Kalamata. We stopped at Lidl and did a big shop then again at Carrefour to get the things Lidl didn’t have ( beer and mosquito spray)  We got to Camping Thines to lovely welcome by Sylvia and Michael who we met here last year. It took ages, three helpers and a lot of backwards and forwards wriggling and neighbours moving their car to get the van into our space as there was a branch which was in the way. How we’ll get out of here is a problem yet to come! We sat with Sylvia and Michael for a chat after meeting Herman and Helga, Bernhard and Uschi  who we’ve met in previous years. I fed the cat- also a friend from last year – I’d called it Chairman Miao then  as it usually ended up sitting on one of our chairs and it made a lot of cat noise! We went to Palamidi for dinner and it was lovely food and the starry walk back was lovely to- it felt as if you could touch the Milky Way, it looked so close.

52- Camping Thines  Finikounda

Finikounda

 We cycled into Finikounda  and as we were cycling along the main road, a van started tooting and pulled in just in front of us. It was Sue and Ian who we met in Githio! They were going to camping Thines so we gave them directions and met up later. We also met Marje and Mike from Scotland who are here and have been for a while.

I think I won’t be doing a daily blog while we are here because we don’t do much! We swim, we cycle, we find fig trees and pick lots, we go out for dinner, we talk to friends, we cook dinner here, we watch football on the internet, fix things, make mirrors out of driftwood, watch people windsurfing and kite surfing, read a lot, listen to music and chat. After all this time of hardly talking to other people, it seemed as if we talked non stop for the first few days!

There are lots of comings and goings as people arrive and leave and it was very busy when we got here but there are spaces now as people go home

 53 Pete cooked bacon and eggs and the whole campsite noticed!

 54 We saw our first ever tornado! It wasn't very big and it was just off the coast to the south west. I tried to take a picture but didn't get one. We went up the hill to Kamaria for a buffet style dinner with Michael, Sylvia, Clemens, Martina, Ferdinand, Christina and Paula with their dog Nikki. It was a wonderful meal, a lovely walk and a free light show as we watched huge lightning light up the clouds on the way back.

 55. Thunderstorm , big rain and Pete was so happy to get help from Mario here to get on the internet and watch Manchester United score eight goals against Arsenal. He was also given a beer from Mario- Neda beer from a local microbrewery.

 56 Pete brought me a cuppa on the beach! Decadent!

57 We went round to Bernhard and Uschi's for a glass of wine

58 Cycled along to Camping Loutsa- the other side of Finikounda. Met Bernhard and Uschi who showed us another fig tree! Walked to Finikounda to Dionysos for suckling pig.

59- We  saw a baby turtle on the beach thanks to Clemens, son of Michael and Sylvia from Austria who ran from the beach in the dark to tell us- we all ran over to see this tiny creature make it's way to the sea. 

60 I cyled to Methoni ( 12 mile round trip but I did use the electric bike) because the bank in Finikounda had run out of money, plus I felt like a cycle. I got a nice fish too. 

new pitch

We moved! but only to a bigger space at the front. Takis came round to tell us there was a space free so Pete wanted to move.Fortunately there was no problem getting out of the space that took ages to get into.Pete now has a space to put up the double hammock he bought me for my birthday five years ago because he wanted one. Sadly for him, the wood strut broke when he was testing it! We went to Palamidi for a meal with Ian and Sue, and Marj and Mike as it was Ian and Sue's last night. Lots of laughs. Pete found a cat and kittens round the back of the showers.

61 Pete helped Sylvia and Michael, Clemens and Martina load up their car and caravan as Sylvia hurt her arm before her holiday and can't lift anything. They left to get the ferry after having a last coffee with us- we'll miss them. Pete cooked a bream for tea but I wasn't hungry,  and I had an early night.

62 I had a home-sick half hour so I put Radio 2 Sunday love songs on the computer, had a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich ( with brown sauce) and a long chat to my Mam...that made me feel better. I didn't swim but we had a walk into Finikounda and a pizza and salad at La Foca which was delicious.
63 I had a lovely message from Katie and Stew to say they had been gardening at our house, digging up potatoes, weeding, cutting hedges, trimming the lawn....so much work! We are really grateful- it's so kind of them to do all that.
64 Cycled into Finikounda for shopping- Pete went down 'Fig tree lane' and got more figs.
65 Had a huge swim as the sea was so calm- the calm before the storm! Pete picked more figs and I made fig jam in the van as the rain hit the van roof. There was thunder and lightning and it was cooler. It rained and rained and we spent the evening inside the van listening to the rain on the roof and watching tv- just like being in Britain!

turtle tracks

66.Saw more turtle tracks in the sand. The whole campsite was raked over by a young lad and looks very nice. I took some photos of sea daffodils- lovely plants.

sea daffodils

just hanging about

fig jam

Pete pinched my spot!

67 Went out for dinner and then tried double star gazing- two in the hammock! It deserves an award!
68 Pete went fig picking, we swam, had spaghetti carbonara and went round to Marj and Mike's for drinks


69. The arrival of the Boltons and the emergency Marmite!

Went for shopping, swam, watched a guy put his daschund (? sausage dog) on a lilo and take him out for a float. We skyped Tom and Lucille in Keswick where it's pouring with rain. We went into Finikounda to meet Andy and Carol Bolton who were travelling here for a week's holiday and we got there a minute before their taxi arrived. They had an eventful journey but it was so good to see them. We went for a drink to catch up then later met up for a meal at Dionysos where we had stuffed pork, chicken and lamb and a lovely evening. They'd brought us a huge jar of Marmite as we'd almost run out and were rationing it......brilliant!

 70 Mike called round to lend us their  sunbed and spare brolly for Andy and Carol's use- so kind of them. We had coffee and a swim in Finikounda  at Terra Mare before Carol and me walked back and Pete and Andy went on the bikes to get some figs. I got some bream which Pete cooked for tea with some courgettes and salad.
71 Andy and Carol walked along to the camp bringing lunch with them.They snorkeeld and found a dead tree trunk with a Moray eel in it.Pete and Andy amused themselves making an underwater sculpture park. We went into Finikounda for drinks on the hotel Finikounda balcony then to To Kima. I had a treat - vanilla icecream at the Gardenia cafe where Metaxas were had as a night cap.

72 Marj and Mike called round and had coffee. Pete fixed the brolly again.We went to the beach then had toasted bread with oil on and feta for lunch. The people in the caravan next to us left so we got a big sea view. We saw another turtle track but we haven't seen any emerging on our night time beach walks. Andy and Pete cycled down to the end of the bay to try some snorkelling there but they said it wasn't as good as where we are. Both Marj and Carol tried my electric bike out and enjoyed riding it. We went into town with Marj and Mike for a drink with Carol and Andy before going to To Karavi  for dinner- lovely courgettes in batter arranged round a huge dollop of tzatziki.  We went to Gardenia again for drinks then had a nice cool walk back. Mike told us a wonderful story that had us in fits of laughter about 'Lady' Marjory.

73. The young Armenian guy tidied the whole site again raking leaves and making the place look immaculate. Andy and Carol came round bringing assorted pies for lunch  and we saw a tiny lizard that looked like he'd lost his tail. Pete and Andy did maintenance and extensions to their underwater sculpture park.  Andy and Carol cycled back and we walked into town and went to the Elena for a meal.  The views from their are fabulous but the meal wasn't as good as others we've had.  Pete and me cycled home but his light didn't work ( found it later we were trying the wrong switch but we blamed the dark, not the drink!)
74 Pete woke up saying there had been an earthquake and Mike told us to put 'earthquake' into Google and it siad he was correct- there had been one in Kalamata. I had slept through it of course. Two Dutch vans arrived followed throughout the morning by eighteen more! It's an escorted tour run by the Motorhome club of the Netherlands and they've filled the site. It was fun to watch all the wrigglings into spaces and to see the different sorts of vans as they arrived. We got a huge Carthago next to us but they are only here two days. Pete and Andy have now got a man, a boy , a peace sign and an abstract piece..........but Pete's addition of appendages to the figures gave me the giggles. I didn't think you could giggle in a snorkel and mask but you can- and be heard all over the beach too.......

We had a wonderful evening at Palamidi's with Marj, Mike, Andy and Carol. Takis and Despina from the campsite were there too. We had a jug of wine on the house and Takis sent over an ouzo each- how nice.










75 Hmm- it feels odd having the camp busy again- there were noises in the night.Andy and Carol cycled round for a swim and lunch then back to pack. We walked into Finikounda later for a meal and a drink at To Karavi and some ice cream at Gardenia but it was a bit sad knowing they were leaving. We cycled back with working lights this time.

76  Mike found a wonderful turtle print- it had circled twice before heading again for the sea. We cycled in to Terra Mare cafe for a coffee  with Andy and Carol before the bus came to take them to Kalamata airport. It had been really lovely to see them and Andy pressed a note into Pete's hand with instructions not to open it until we got back to the camp site. We laughed loads when we read it- it was a treasure hunt clue. We ( well Pete) had to goto the 'underwater sculpture park ' and find the hidden 'silver and gold'. Marj and Mike watched as Pete came up with a bag of euro coins to buy wine to share! Thanks for the laughs Andy.......great fun.