Our Greek lessons in 30 days!

Our Greek lessons in 30 days!

One of my first impressions of Greece as we rolled off the Anek Lines ferry, was how the full moon lit up Drepano Beach, Igoumenitsa and made the sea sparkle in its darkness.  It welcomed us with open arms and from that moment on our love affair with Greece began.  And now as we sit in Nafplio in the south-east Peloponnese, the full moon once again reminds us of his dominance over the night, signalling that we have, incredibly, had one calendar month in this beautiful land.  It seems almost impossible to imagine that we arrived here just 30 short days ago on 11 April.

And yet in one month, we have already learned so much about the country, its customs and diversity, how to fit in with the locals and how to ease into Greek life effortlessly.  I absolutely know that the next full moon will have taught us even more, although for now, I thought I would share my insights from my Greek teacher!

  1. Greece is amazing in spring.  Before the sun turns on her power, you have some amazing weather that starts to acclimatise you

    Spring poppies

    for the hotter days ahead.  On top of that, the spring brings new life in the floral world with yellow cactus flowers, red, pink and purple bougainvillaea and the most intense deep red poppies. The kaleidoscope of colours just wake up our dark, winter eyes with joy and beauty.

  2. Talking about weather, the afternoons, at least at this time of year, seem always to be windy.  There has been an uncanny pattern that as the sun’s heat rises, the wind decides not to be outdone.  Even on the eastern edge of the Peloponnese, almost without fail, our afternoons have been rather breezy.  It has been great to keep us cool, although does thwart our bar-be-que efforts.
  3. Wild camping is a joy in Greece.  Now I know that this can be a contentious subject and often rallies the hotly debated issue of campsites v wilding.  Although for those of you who follow us regularly, you know how respectfully we treat wild camping in terms of contributing back to the community for the privilege of camping in the wilds.  At that’s the word I would use for camping in Greece – it’s an absolute privilege.  We’ve camped in some of the most wonderful, wild, secluded and sensational places I have ever had the honour to call home and the memories they have created will stay with me forever.  And certainly camping in this way, ‘out of season’ has caused us no issues with locals or authorities, despite indications in camping books suggesting otherwise.
  4. Of course wild camping brings its own problems such as toilet dumping and water.  Water is not a problem here as almost every beach has a shower and tap, which you can fill up from – and whilst not potable water, it’s fine for showers and washing up.  Just use bottled water for everything else.  Also find yourself a marina that are two to a penny here, as they always have taps for the visiting boats.  The toilet is a bit more of a challenge.  The biggest advantage we have is that we have a second cassette, which has been worth its weight in gold, giving us up to six days if we need it.  Although when it comes to emptying, we either drop into a campsite and tie it up with washing and internet or we find a garage who often let you use their outdoor toilet, if you fill up with petrol.  So it’s doable, although it would have been more challenging with one cassette.
  5. And whilst talking about camping, it’s also worth saying that many of the campsites certainly early April are not yet open.  The season doesn’t really start until mid May in Greece.  And although some of the campsites are beginning to open up slightly earlier as us snow-birds are making our presence known, this is the exception and not the rule.  So do be aware of this as you plan your trip if you are not a comfortable with wild camping.
  6. Not all wild ‘pitches’ are as they seem.  There are some of the most wonderful spots to pitch up on, on beaches close to the water’s edge, although this does come with some dangers.  Firstly, Greece is incredibly mountainous, which means that some of the roads to these out-of-the-way spots can be a trek, down narrow, steep and sometimes tricky to navigate roads.  So we would recommend parking up and assessing on foot before making a decision to commit to a road that might be difficult to turn around in.   These beaches, with their azure seas are a magnet.  Why wouldn’t you want to park up close the sea with the crashing waves as your lullaby?  Although do check these spots, as the pebble pitches lure you into a false sense of security and are not always as stable as they look.  We had to tow two vans out of said beaches because their tyres sank into the pebble floor beneath them.
  7. Camping here feels safe.  We’ve had some ‘incident’s during our 14 months full-timing and although it hasn’t put us off our wild camping experiences, it certainly turns your dial to ‘high alert’.  Although so far in our first month, we have felt as safe as any other country we’ve been in.
  8. Travelling in Greece takes time.  It’s a strange thing to see your next destination on the map just around the corner, and then, on putting in your co-ordinates, finding that 30km is going to take you 90 mins!  Still, when you see how windy some of these roads are,  you will understand why.  There is no rushing here and the routes are so magnificent that you will want to take your time to breathe it all in.
  9. Our convoy buddies

    Being in convoy is a great way to cut your Greek teeth.  We’ve had the joy of travelling with our buddies Andi and Paul, from Followourmotorhome, for the last three weeks.  And whilst we are about to ‘go solo’, having a chance to travel new lands together with someone else makes it for a great virginal experience.  The support you can give each other is priceless and it enhances your confidence and pleasure in your early weeks.

  10. Greek customs are wonderful to share.  If you come at Easter, go to Corfu, where they apparently have one of the most amazing celebrations on Easter Saturday and Sunday.  It’s a short ferry ride on foot or bicycle from Igoumenitsa.  May Day is where you will see ladies out picking their wild flowers for headdresses and wreaths to celebrate summer’s battle over the winter.  And each morning locals gather at the most charming chapels found along the road and coast, to honour their Greek Orthodox faith and light their candles of remembrance.
  11. Eating out here is a joy.  Slouvaki (kebabs), Moussaka, Prawn Saganaki, Tzatziki, Taramasalata, Greek salad with fresh feta, olive oil and fresh oregano blossom, pitta breads, aubergine, courgette balls and meatballs are all laced with garlic and homegrown love.  And it’s not that expensive.  For two with a main meal and a beer each, you’re looking at €30.  And what is so delightful, is that in each restaurant we’ve been in, you are presented with either a complementary liqueur or a biscuit cake at the end of your meal.  We have found some wonderful places, off the beaten track.  Some of the tourist places will draw you in with a their sales pitch, where you feel obliged to sit down.  Avoid these and go back a couple of streets to find more authentic Greek hospitality in family run establishments.  Out of season and in some smaller villages and towns, many of the restaurants will not have very much fresh food in and so their menus may be limited and frozen.  You will though get plenty of grilled food, although not the long-baked dishes that Greece is famous for.  Although hunt well for your restaurants and you will not be disappointed.
  12. On a practical note – lamb is really expensive here. I thought that we would have an abundance of lamb here, and although you can buy a whole carcass (especially around their feast days), minced lamb in particular is impossible.  Because the meat is so expensive you pay €10 per kilo and given that most of that is bone, it makes for an expensive option.
  13. Whilst talking about money, the cost of living here is an interesting one.  So far we’ve found that food is more expensive than say Spain, although perhaps on a par with Italy and France.  Although the Greek wine is cheap, the boys say it’s not great, although they happily report that the Ouzo is superb.  You can get a 2 litre bottle for €16. Other spirits are expensive so stock up before you come.  Beer is more than palatable although again can be quite expensive.  Six small cans of Fix larger is around €4.65. Do try the local road-sellers as their fruit and veg tends to be a little cheaper and more tasty, especially their oranges.  Diesel prices vary; in larger towns like Igoumenitsa we were paying €1.29, although further south in the Peloponnese we found it at €1.15.  And a lovely surprise has been the regularity of LPG.  There are no issues on availability here and is coming in around €0.79.
  14. So far we’ve found three main supermarkets; Lidl of course are pretty much everywhere and there is also My Market and AB. At Lidl you know what you’re getting as it’s pretty standard across Europe, although the other two have some different ranges on offer and some staples that Lidl don’t offer.
  15. If you want big shops for clothing, haberdashery, health shops etc, then look for a larger town.  In our month travelling south from Igoumenitsa to the eastern board of the Peloponnese, we’ve only come across two big shopping centres, Patras in the north and Nafplio, south east.  Whilst butchers, bakers and local supermarkets have always given us our day-to-day essentials, other items like clothing etc have been a bit more limited, so you will need to work your way to a larger town for other essentials and the good old ‘Chinese Shops’.
  16. Sea Urchin, Porto Cheli

    If the ocean calls you, you will be treated like a king or queen.  The waters here are incredible for all sorts of activities.  We suggest that you wear water-shoes as around some of the coastline, the sea-urchins will act out their revenge on human imposters, so take care.  There are jelly-fish too, although they look pretty harmless.  Look out for turtles as they call this coastline home, evidenced sadly by one that was washed up on shore this week.  The snorkelling apparently is amazing, if this is your thing.

  17. Talking the lingo.  We have always adopted the philosophy that wherever we go, we learn the language basics, so we can at least show we’re trying.  My sense is that the locals always appreciate you having a go.  So I have put together The Motoroamer’s Guide to Getting by in Greek list, with some of the basics that we have learnt over the last month.  Although it must be said, that many Greeks, especially in the retail trade, speak a little bit of English and German.
  18. The Greeks are the most delightful people; warm, welcoming, polite, helpful and engaging.  We have loved being amongst them.  They invite you into their kitchens, give you tasters in shops to sell their wares and are always offering you something complementary.  They shake your hand, smile at you, wave and, there are often impromptu serenades at restaurants from budding Pavarotti’s. If you are ever in need, just ask and the Greeks will do as much as they can to help you.  They have kindness at their very heart.
  19. The Greek economy may be in dire straights, although we haven’t really seen much evidence of this on the whole.  Some of the roads are a bit ropey, although not as bad as we thought.  Italy is definitely worse!  In fact some roads have been recently relaid, making some of the advertised wild-spots listed in books and apps impossible to reach because of the drop.  There’s evidence of new cables going in for better internet provision and some of the villas you see here are quite magnificent.  The only real issue we’ve seen are some of the hotels in more ‘out of the way spots’ that just have gone to wrack and ruin.  Otherwise I thought that Italy showed more deprivation than Greece, so far anyway. Interestingly, we found in Nafplio that they have half day shopping on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday – we’re not sure whether this is because of the economy or contributes to the state of the economy!  So do check before shopping.  This is not true though for supermarkets, it’s worth adding.
  20. The countryside is to die for.  In our first week, I was so shocked to see such a rich, luscious and diverse landscape.  In many ways it reminded me a lot of the Lake District in UK.  Rolling hills, stunning greenery, dense forest and so many beautiful flowers.  It will blow you away and that’s before you even set eyes on the craggy coastline with azure blue seas that invite you to test their waters and the ancient monuments that take you back to Greek mythology and historical intrigue.

So Greece, what else can we say?  It has taught us a new tongue, it has taught us about the art of convoying, how deeply profound the Greek culture and heritage is and how much it has brought us into the heart of the way of life here.  It is beautiful beyond any adjectives I could use from the Thesaurus and that beauty comes as much from Greece’s soul as what you see with your eyes.  So if you are considering coming here, then do.  It is a stunning place to learn about, call home and rest awhile.  I have a fancy we will not want to leave.  Here’s to more lessons coming in the next moon month of our Greek Odyssey that takes us to the island of Crete and then up the eastern coastline.  For now, yamas!

Karen and Myles, The Motoroamers

 

Setting a Route for Greece

Setting a Route for Greece

Sitting in Spain at the beginning of the year, we started contemplating the next chapter in our Motoroaming adventures – our Greek Odyssey.  How best to get there?  Did we go overland and take two weeks to get there with the investment of diesel, wear and tear on the van and campsite fees or use the ferries, via Italy?

A conundrum indeed.  Even after a year on the road, we still feel like we’re building our confidence and we have plenty of green tendencies in our nomadic life. So the thought of travelling through Albania and Bosnia didn’t greet us with huge joy, especially given that our insurance wouldn’t cover us in those countries and we would need to reply on buying insurance at the Borders.

At this stage on our trip, we decided that going by ferry was the right option for us just now.  So we have documented our route, costs, camping spots and experiences so that if you have the same contemplation any day soon, this may help your planning.

Leaving Spain – It’s Grim all the way

Grimaldi Ferry Embarkation

After three months over winter in Spain, we wanted to get to Greece for springtime, given that the summers would most likely be too hot for us (read me – Myles was born in Cyprus so he’s a sun-baby).  So leaving end of March or beginning of April gave the weather enough time to warm up and yet not fry us to a crisp.

We decided to go from Barcelona to Italy, then cross the country to Bari, then catch a second sailing to Igoumenitsa, just south of the Albania border.  Barcelona offers two ferry operators; Grimaldi Lines who go to Savona and Civitavecchia and GNV to Genoa.  Barcelona is such a great option as before you sail, you could fit in a quick city tour, a visit to Monserrat up in the mountains and Sitges to the south has to be on the cards.  Here’s our Guide to Barcelona, without Blisters to help make the most of your visit here.

We took the Civitavecchia route so we would arrive on Italy’s west coast – just north of Rome.  Genoa or Savona are cheaper, although after nine weeks in Italy in 2016, we decided to short-circuit the Italian leg and save the bone-rattling ride.  Such is our eagerness to begin our Greek experience.  Sadly Grimaldi lives up to its name and it aptly describes both their ferry and service. We booked through Direct Ferries to get the best price, which was €410, far cheaper than with Grimaldi direct.

It is no cruise liner that’s for sure.  Sailings leave Barcelona at 2215, so there’s plenty of time to navigate through the rush-hour traffic, check in and have some supper.  Although be warned that as an Italian manned boat, embarkation can be flakey and disorganised at best.  That said we did get away on time, although I think we were lucky, having heard other stories.  The boat is tired and has no personality, although for 20 hours, if you can get your head down for a good night’s sleep, then a third of your journey will be over by the morning.  Our sailing was affected by 500 excitable and un-supervised teenagers running riot until 0100 and not having a working toilet due to a system problem, caused a lot of unnecessary stress.  Still a discussion with reception the next morning landed us a free lunch so that was some compensation.

You arrive into Civitavecchia around 1815 and depending on where you are parked, you will be off the boat within 45 minutes.  Again a bit of a free-for-all, although with no passport control you are through the port in no time at all.  So from here, where to next?

An overnighter outside Rome

If you’ve not visited Rome before, then this is a must.  It’s a beautiful city with an abundance of ancestry and religion to whet your whistle.  Having already ‘done’ Rome, we decided to get out into the country and I had earmarked Bracciano Lake, just under an hour away, east of the city.  There are a lot of camping options along the lake, a number of which are ACSI sites, although we had our eye on Blue Lake Camperstop in Trevignano Romano. ( Co-ordinates N42° 9.522′ E12° 13.441’)   This is a super site for €15 per night, out of season with hook up and only has 28 pitches.  You are right by the lake if you wanted to stop for some RnR, Trevignano is only a mile along the charming promenade full of restaurants, supermarkets and a dominating castle.

From Coast to Coast

Italy, Coast to Coast in 3.5hrs, click to enlarge

We decided to skedaddle cross-country to explore the east coast, which was new territory for us.  Knowing how bad the Italian roads are, we plumbed for the quickest and shortest route possible.  Now sadly this meant motorways, one of which was a toll, although as you’ll see from our route, our 150 miles took us through some stunning mountain scenery, only cost us €27.30, which was cheap at half the price. Within three and half hours we were looking at the sparkling Adriatic Sea with the promise of Greek lands just across the horizon.  Now we were in touching distance.

Petacciato Marina, Italy

Our overnighter was in Petacciato Marina, south of Pescara. ( Co-ordinates N42° 2.175′ E14° 51.078’ )  It was a dedicated Motorhome Parking area right alongside the beachfront and although there were some suspicious looking car manoeuvres that had me on edge, we actually had an uneventful night.  There is a railway not far although there are no trains at night and the views of the beach are to die for. Oh and it was free, out of season.  €3 during season when the Office at the end of the road is open.  There are no services, although for the night, that is ok.

From here we fancied exploring the peninsular that is home to the Gargano National Park, partly because on the map it is full of green – we like green. It was a bizarre journey because our destination for the night – Vieste was only 88 miles, although with a stop for lunch and a bit of shopping took over four hours.  Although you’ll understand why if you do the route.  There are more twists and turns in this road than Shirley Temple’s locks.  Hugging the coast, then up into the mountains, you weave around the peninsular being treated to some stunning scenery. It is totally worth the trip.

Be warned that out of season, i.e. before Easter, not many of the campsites are open and in fact, throughout the whole journey we only saw two with welcome signs outside. And there really are no wild camping opportunities around here.  Even the Apps indicate Sostas were open, when in reality they are not.  We found our welcome haven just the other side of Vieste – Camping Adriatico ( Co-ordins N41° 51.547′ E16° 10.453’ ) and for €16, paid in cash, we stopped a while to rest our travel weary souls.

The rest of the journey around the peninsular is wonderful, if not a bit hairy with full concentration needed.  Still it is a stunning part of the country and in fact we would go as far as to say that it is one of the better regions of Italy, especially the southern region.  In fact we are really drawn to the south-eastern region and will definitely return.

Alberobello and her Trulli

Our route then took us to Matera and Alberobello.  Matera is an iconic cave-dwelling town that has built up around a limestone gorge, carved by the river and perched on the cliff face.  This stunning place is full of rock chapels and houses that show you life before cement and timber.  An hour away, Alberobello is one of the most unique places that you’ll ever visit, with a whole section of the ‘old’ village still with their Trulli, (small, dry-stone buildings that are made mortar-free, the roofs of which come off to avoid paying tax).  Sounds sensible to me.  With reluctance, we headed off to Bari for our second ferry within the week, with hopes that this one would be better than the previous week’s debacle.

 Ship ahoy!  Bari, Italy to Igoumenitsa, Greece

Our second ferry crossing after six days in Italy, sailed from Bari on the south-east coast of Italy.  We sailed with Anek Lines and when we arrived at the port, seeing a burnt out ship didn’t give us great expectations.  Although we were pleasantly surprised, in fact highly delighted.  This firm is terrific.  You can sleep on board your camper, which is a bonus and on board the boat, it is just classy.  A whole different world than GRIMaldi Lines.  One recommendation we would make is, if you want to fill up your fridge/freezer before hitting Greece, don’t do it in Bari.  Trying to find and get to one of the supermarkets and then out again was a nightmare and added unnecessary stress to our journey.  So shop the day before en route, would be my suggestion.

Check-In, however is tricky as there’s no clear signs as to where you get your tickets.  The Greece embarkation is right at the end of the Bari Terminal and when you see a large blue building on your right, stop there.  This is the check-in.

We used a recommended travel specialist from Crete (as we’re moving on to here in May) who co-ordinated our Italy and Greece legs and so we managed to get some great discounts that I was unable to secure through Direct Ferries or the companies themselves.  Aria is seriously worth talking to, so very helpful;

Paleologos S.A
Shipping & Travel Enterprises
5, 25th August Str.
712 02 Heraklion – Crete – Greece.
TEL: (+30) 2810 346185

aria@paleologos.her.forthnet.gr

The best tip for 2018 is to book before 28 February for an extra big ‘early bird’ discount.  I would highly recommend using them to secure every discount you can, given that the prices are quite high.  So with our discounts, our trip from Bari to Igoumenitsa cost us €237.50, given our 7.5m van.  (They charge by the metre of your vehicle).  The sailing is 9 hours, leaving at 1930pm arriving in Greece at 0530 the following morning, which don’t forget is another hour ahead than western Europe.

It was the easiest disembarkation we’ve ever experienced on any ferry and, living on the Isle of Man for 20 years, we did our fair share.  You’re off in 15 minutes and out of the port, check-free and ready to hit the road.  There are two petrol stations just five minutes out of the port and they are open.  They also sell LPG there too.  The prices are marginally cheaper than Italy, at €1.32 – April 2017.

Wild camping, Drepano, Greece

So ready to hit the road?  Perhaps not, given the time of the morning, so if you want to just place your head down for some extra ZZZs and ground yourself in this beautiful country, then head over to Drepano, which is 15 minutes north of Igoumenitsa.  It’s on a road that separates a lagoon from the bay, so you have flamingoes one side, the sea the other and you can camp up right on the beach.  Although there are signs saying NO CAMPING, out of season when the ACSI site just on the corner is not open, camping seems to be tolerated.  Well at least there were four of us when we arrived first thing in the morning. (Co-ordinates; 39.515513  20.212752)  It’s such a beautiful place to start your Greek adventure and it’s great to watch the ferries move in and out.

And so there we have our route to Greece from Spain.  Obviously there are other routes such as taking the road, going through eastern Europe and other Italian ferries, although this was how ours panned out.  In addition you could check out:

  • Ancona – Igoumenitsa or Patras
  • Venice – Igoumenitsa or Patras
  • Brindisi – Igoumenitsa or Patras
  • Trieste – Igoumenitsa or Patras
  • Ravenna – Igoumenitsa or Patras

For a full break down of sailing options and the different ferry companies available, this is a good website, you can then make plans in the best way to suit your budget and your timescales.

http://www.greekferries.gr

We wish you happy Greece adventures and safe travels wherever you are.

The Motoroamers.

Greece Ferry options, click to enlarge

Drepano wild camping, Greece, click to enlarge