Monday 30th May 2011 - Akrata Beach, Greece

A day of relaxation and blog writing, taking advantage of an excellent WiFi connection in the campsite. We were even able to listen to the Today Programme on Radio 4 this morning!
Photos: The taverna at Akrata Beach Camping. Last time that we stayed here, Manolis was helping to lay the concrete foundations for it.

Sunday 29th May 2011 – Akrata Beach, Greece

This area of Greece is full of archaeological sites and, like Heraion and Acrocorinth, we had not visited Sikyon before. It was only just off our route west along the northern coast of the Peloponnese and was clearly signposted until we were diverted. This led to a little confusion but we soon arrived at the village of Ancient Sikyon. We did some shopping here and I was very tempted when the butchers had both goat and hare for sale but I chickened out (apologies) and bought pork chops.
The Blue Guide said that the “excellent” museum was closed but it they have now finished the refurbishment, it is open again and it is still excellent. It is actually housed in the amazingly intact shell of the Roman bath buildings. Very little of the town has been excavated and there is much more to be uncovered but there is an archaic temple to Artemis or Apollo and an impressive Gymnasium part Greek and part Roman. I always think of the arch as being a Roman invention but in the partially excavated theatre (3rd century Greek, modified later by the Romans) has two vaulted passageways built in the 3rd century BC and using just the same building techniques as a Roman arch. This is apparently a rare example of early Greek vaulting.
After stopping for lunch under the shade of trees in the Sikyon site car park, we retraced our steps to the main coast road and headed for Diakofto. When we came to Greece three years ago on our European Odyssey, we hoped to walk down the Kalavrita to Diakofto railway, something that we had done many years before. Unfortunately, the railway had been badly affected by the horrendous fires in the Peloponnese the year before. Bridges and rolling stock had been damaged or destroyed and it had been decided to take the opportunity to refurbish the line and replace the rolling stock. This meant that the walking trail was also closed and nobody knew when it was likely to re-open. However it is open now and we were able to book a train from Diakofto to Kalavrita Tuesday morning at 08:45.
We drove back east for a few miles to our favourite campsite in Greece – Akrata Beach. We came here twice on our Odyssey, the first time Manolis, the owner told us that it was closed but insisted that we stayed without charge. The second time we came it was open and Manolis was as friendly as before. We met his wife Tula and his children Yiorgos and Cleo. Manolis and I had a competition skimming stones from the beach and we got to know two Californian ladies, Pat and Sandy, who were the only other motorhomers there. Manolis was overseeing the construction of a café and new sanitary blocks for the new season and Pat and Sandy were painting the gates, tables and chairs for him. We had a great time there and we were keen to see how the business was doing. The answer was very well – it was difficult to find a pitch! Manolis was able to find time to chat with us but it was obvious that he was going to be much busier this time!
Photos: The Roman Baths, now the museum, at Sikyon; The Sikyon two-level Gymnasium; The 3rd century BC vaulted entrance passageways in the theatre.

Saturday 28th May 2011 – Acrocorinth, Greece

More ancient sites today starting with the site and museum of Isthmia where at 10:00 we were the first visitors and had the place to ourselves for the two hours that we were there. It really does deserve more visitors but the site at Ancient Corinth is the the big pull in this area and Isthmia is overlooked as a result.
Isthmia was a cult centre from the 11th century BC but is best known for being one of the four centres for Panhellenic games along with Delphi, Nemea and, of course, Olympia. The first games are though to have taken place in 582 BC and they continued until the Roman Lucius Mummius defeated the Archaean League near Corinth and destroyed Isthmia. Winners of the games were awarded a wreath of celery or pine and possibly a statue or ode. Still, it is the honour of winning that matters not the prize! These days Isthmia is not as well known as Delphi and Olympia mainly due to the fact that little of the site is left standing. This is due to almost all of its stones having been robbed for the construction in the 5th century AD by the Roman Hexamilion of the 9.5 km Isthmian Wall, a futile attempt to protect the Peloponnese from invasion by Barbarians. The last temple of Hera at Heraion, which we visited yesterday, was also a victim as it was reduced to lime for the wall. We strolled around the excellent, recently renovated, museum and then into the site where good information boards helped to explain what we were looking at. At the bottom of the site is a large Roman bath complex that apparently has some very good mosaics although they are now covered to protect them and cannot be seen. The information boards here had not been upgraded and were very difficult or impossible to read. However, I was able to establish that the baths existed in early Greek times and had been been extended by the Romans. The baths were in use for nearly one thousand years – quite impressive!
We moved on to Acrocorinth standing on the hill 575 metres above sea level. The Blue Guide suggested that it should be open to 17:00 in the Summer but it appears that the opening hours are now 08:30 to 15:00 all year. This meant that we had to delay lunch and head in straight away. The site is very large and spread over a steep hill and needs some time to fully explore it. The hill was continually occupied from before the 6th century BC until the Greek War of Independence in 1821. The existing defences are very impressive and were built, re-built and improved over this time. Walking up from the car park we crossed a dry moat where a drawbridge once stood to pass through the outer gate and wall (mainly Turkish), then to the second gate and wall (Venetian and Frankish) and finally the third gate and wall that is part Byzantine and part Ancient Greek. This just shows how important this castle was, protecting the entrance to the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland. We climbed to the highest point of the site where a temple of Aphrodite once stood and where there were one thousand religious prostitutes. All I can say is that the men must have been desperate to have climbed all the way up the hill for that. The views however were fantastic, deep into the Peloponnese and out over the Gulf of Corinth.
On the way back down we visited the Upper Peirene Spring a vital water source for the castle. Everywhere that we walked on the site we found cisterns designed to collect rain water but here there was a plentiful supply of fresh water, essential during sieges. Steps lead down to a pool of water some 3 to 4 metres deep.
We had parked Henrietta in a lovely position and were able to sit outside and enjoy the view whilst having a very late lunch. We liked the view so much that we decided to spend another night wild camping.
Photos: Lake Vouliagmeni; Roman glass (375 AD) from a house at Kenchreai near Isthmia; Commemorative stele erected to the honour of Loukios Komelios Korinthos who won many musical competitions including in the Isthmian Games; The impressive walls of Acrocorinth; The underground Upper Peirene Spring at Acrocorinth.

Friday 27th May 2011 – Heraion, Near Loutraki, Greece

Although we were staying in Ancient Corinth, we did not intend to visit the site as we had seen it before. Our target was actually Acrocorinth set high on a hill to the south and we had intended to visit it yesterday but decided to wait until it stopped raining! And that was the problem again this morning with more heavy rain in the early hours and low cloud made Acrocorinth look very unappealing!
We implemented Plan B, which was to cross the Corinth Canal and visit a site on a peninsula that sticks out into the Gulf of Corinth that separates the Peloponnese from Northern Greece. On the way we passed through the bustling, cosmopolitan town of Loutraki famous for two things – its water and its casino. Loutraki means baths or hot springs and this is one of the most visited spa resorts in Greece. It is built on the site of ancient Therma (hot springs) and has saline waters at 30°C that are used internally and externally to treat dyspepsia, arthritis and liver complaints. Loutraki is also the source of Greece's most popular bottled water but this must either be from a slightly different source or they must remove the salt first.
We didn't stop in Loutraki but drove on to Lake Vouliagmeni, once a land-locked lake until 1880 when a channel was cut through the narrow strip of land that separated it from the sea. This is a very pretty spot with pleasant-looking tavernas and some wild camping possibilities at the northern end, just off the road.
We drove on to the tip of the peninsula where we found the lighthouse that we had seen looking across the sea from the Aphrodite Waters Camperstop. Here we parked in the large car park and headed towards the lighthouse and the hill that looked down onto the archaeological site of Heraion. There were small signs of an ancient settlement on the lighthouse promontory but from the hill looking down to the harbour and the hill behind we had an excellent overview of the major buildings. The Heraion was a site sacred to the goddess Hera and three temples have been found dating to the 9th, 7th and 5th centuries BC. The earliest temple is thought to have been a mud-brick structure with a thatched roof. It is a very compact site and there is very little information available but its position by the sea with views across to Corinth, the mainland to the north and down the Gulf of Corinth make it rather special. One intriguing building is a dining room where diners feasted as part of the rituals associated with the Hera cult. The benches on which the diners reclined can still be seen. We were lucky with the weather here as we had sun and no rain whereas we looked across the Gulf to see Corinth and Acrocorinth under cloud and more rain.
We wanted to spend some more time looking at the views so we decided to wild camp there. I went in search of a round structure east of the site mentioned in the Blue Guide but failed to find it in amongst the trees and scrub but it was a pleasant ramble.
It was noticeable how popular a spot this is with the locals who came out for picnic lunches, afternoon strolls and to watch the sunset.
As we sat in the van, a sudden thought came to me – our rarely used, old, second mobile phone has a camera. I had always dismissed it as it is very low resolution and certainly no match for either of our cameras but it could be a life-saver. I tried it out and it is poor quality but for posting on the blog it might just do. I will let you be the judges.
Photos: Heraion – view down to the lower site; Heraion – the 5th century BC cistern.

Thursday 26th May 2011 – Ancient Corinth, Greece

I have been coaxing my camera to work since an accident whilst walking at Easter left the lens hanging on by a thread. I could only focus manually but at least I could take some pictures. Yesterday it parted company completely and I can no longer use it. Jane's camera has also stopped working, so I am unable to take any photographs. For me, this is very difficult and I get a twitch every time that a see something worth photographing. I couldn't take any photographs of the Christmas meal yesterday and can't show you the wonderful view from Glenn and Venice's house.
After collecting some more oranges for juicing, we paid for the campsite and left. We headed south to Paralia Tirou to take a look around but that is when the thunder, lightning and rain started and after a brief run to the butcher on the main road, we turned around and headed north.
The bad weather continued and, apart from buying some honey from a roadside stall near Mycenae, we just drove on until we got to Ancient Corinth. We were heading for the Blue Dolphin campsite but spotted some signs to a camperstop close to Ancient Corinth so we decided to follow them.
When we arrived (approx. 15:30) there was nobody around so we parked up and had a cup of tea whilst the rain poured down. Then a man appeared from the house and, giving us a warm welcome, presented us with Greek coffee and 'glyki', literally 'sweets'. Glyki can cover many different things but they are always sweet and are a traditional thing to offer people who come to your house. In our case the glyki were large raisins in a syrup and they were delicious. Later, I returned the tray with many thanks and learned that the owner was taking his grandson Vissilis who learning English to the dentist in Patras.
Between heavy showers and using the map given to us by the campersop owner, we managed to walk the 400 metres into the centre of Ancient Corinth and looked at the site from outside the fences. After dinner I went to the toilet by the house and found the owner cooking souvlaki for the grandchildren. I explained that we had eaten 'arni sto fourno' (lamb in the oven). Vassilis appeared and I asked him how he had got on at the dentist – he showed me the gap where the tooth had been! Something about the meal had got lost in translation as the owner appeared from the house with a bowl of salad for us to have with our meal. It was beetroot and horta (wild greens) in an olive oil and vinegar dressing. It was delicious but we saved most of it to have with our dinner tomorrow.
More thunder and lightning followed in the evening with spells of torrential rain.
The Aphrodite Waters Camperstop (N37.91128 E22.87893) is basic (only one toilet, washbasin and shower combined) but it is very convenient for Ancient Corinth and at €10 including electricity it is very good value. And the owners are very pleasant people! Brush up on your French before you come, it is much better than his English but smiles are international!
Photos: No camera – no photographs.

Wednesday 25th May 2011 - Zaritsi, near Paralia Tirou, Greece

We phoned our friends, Glenn and Venice, last night and made final arrangements for seeing them today. They had some more English friends staying with them and decided to put on a Christmas meal with turkey, of course. We spent the day relaxing at the campsite, Jane went for a swim and said that the water was warm, although it took her a while to take the plunge.
Venice had ordered us a taxi and we set of for Sapounakeika just above Paralia Tirou and just below Kato Tiros and Ano Tiros. The taxi dropped us down the hill from Glenn and Venice's house (they don't like going to the square above because the roads are so narrow. Jane spotted their house as I was walking past it and we were soon on the balcony with Glenn, Venice, Patrick and Annabel. The view from their balcony is absolutely fantastic, encompassing mountains, sea (the Argolic Gulf) and the mainland and islands beyond. It was quite hazy whilst we were there but it was still beautiful.
Glenn and Venice are going through the wars at the moment. Venice has had a frozen shoulder for some time meaning that she is unable to grip anything and cannot drive. Just after Easter Glenn noticed that his eyesight in one eye had deteriorated rapidly and this turned out to be a blister on the retina. He took himself to the ophthalmic department of Tripoli hospital who diagnosed the problem and referred him to a specialist in Athens the following morning at 08:30. He arrived there and was admitted for surgery with the operation performed very early the next morning. Glenn said that the nursing care in the hospital was non-existent (they expect patients to be looked after by relatives) and the food was poor. Of the four men in his ward, two had wives who stayed with them over night, one sleeping in the bed with her husband and the other sleeping in a chair. Relatives came and went all day and night! The operation was not pleasant and the advice given to Glenn on discharge was poor but it was successful and Glenn is on the way to recovery. I was very impressed with the speed of the Greek health service in diagnosis, speed of referral and time to operation. I can't imagine that the British National Health would be as fast as that although the nursing care, food and discharge advice would have been better.
We had a lovely evening exchanging news, catching up on family matters and eating a lovely Christmas dinner complete with roast potatoes and bread sauce. There is a distinct lack of Brussels sprouts in Greece but some would say that was an improvement.
Photos: Jane swimming on Zaritsi beach; Over lunch we were joined by 16 cats but they were obviously well fed as they didn't bother us at all.

Tuesday 24th May 2011 – Zaritsi, near Paralia Tirou, Greece

Although we were next to the road, it was quiet during the night and we slept well until the farmers went off to their fields just before 7 o'clock. Goat bells sounded around us although we couldn't see them until they appeared in the road beside us. We exchanged a wave and 'Kalimera' (good morning) with the goatherd who was a lady and, unlike the one in The Sound Of Music didn't look lonely at all. She controlled the herd without a dog, using whistles and calls to move them or to stop them eating the parts that they shouldn't, such as the olive trees.
We drove on south descending until we reach the plain just before Geraki. Here we turned towards Geraki but turned north before reaching the town. This is a more major road with more traffic than yesterday's road where we only past one tractor in the first 30 miles, but it still couldn't be classed as busy. We stopped in Kosmas and took a look around the pretty square but otherwise the village is not terribly interesting. Whilst we were there, two Belgium motorhomes arrived but soon left on the road towards Leonidio. I was surprised to see then come back a couple of minutes later but then a full-sized tour coach came down the hill and parked in the square. I say that it was a tour coach and it certainly looked the part but then I realised that it was actually an enormous motorhome converted from a coach and complete with a roof of solar panels. A young couple (late 20's or early 30's) emerged – this was their full-time home and there were in Greece for just three weeks. Negotiating the narrow roads in Kosmas was difficult but they would never have got through Kastanitsa yesterday. I hate to think what their fuel bill was like but they were Swiss and obviously had some money behind them.
A whole group of Belgian motorhomes then arrived in the main square and totally blocked the main road through the village whilst they tried to decide which way to go. It was an organised tour (they all had a number displayed on their windscreen) but the organisation obviously didn't run to knowing the route! We gave them a few minutes start before we also headed towards Leonidio.
A few kilometres out of Kosmas we started an extremely long descent from the mountains to the coast. I remember this from other holidays when we were always driving up from Leonidio and the climb seemed to go on forever. At each hairpin bend we would catch sight of the trail of Belgian motorhomes snaking its way below us. A long way down this road we came across one of my favourite monasteries in Greece, Elonas, which is also a very important pilgrimage destination for Greeks.
Elonas is now a convent and its location is stunning. Built into an overhang on a sheer cliff is has wonderful views over the gorge and mountains. As normal, it has a foundation myth and, of course, a miraculous icon. The icon and a lit lamp was found in the 16th century in a cave in the cliff and the people wanted to build a chapel for it but decided to put it in a more easily accessible position. They moved the icon down the cliff but each night the icon moved itself back to the cave, telling them that they had to build the chapel there. It is an interesting monastery with a nice church full of lamps but it is its position that makes it a 'not-to-be-missed' sight.
We had never been along the coast south of Leonidio and took this opportunity to do so. We drove to Poulithra (very small harbour with pleasant looking tavernas and a bar) and then back to Plaka with its pretty harbour and equally good-looking tavernas. I spotted some motorhomes parked north of the harbour and we walked over to find an official camperstop with 3 British motorhomes parked in it. These were the first British motorhomes that we had seen in Greece this holiday and there were three of them! There were seven motorhomes in total and the price was €5 or €7 with electricity. There were toilets and showers, although we didn't inspect them, as well as fresh water and dumping facilities. Very close to the beach and harbour and reasonably easy access to Leonidio (probably too far on foot), I think that it is good value for money and we have certainly noted it for future reference. We had a long and very pleasant chat with one of the couples, Roland and Christine(?) who live near Bath probably only 20 miles from us. Roland was also the archivist for the Yetties, a Dorset-based folk group that Jane (Dorset born and bred) and I (Dorset bred) know well. The group has just retired after more than forty years and Christine said that Roland doesn't quite know what he is going to do with himself! They were a lovely couple and we could have spent all afternoon talking to them ........ come to think of it, we nearly did.
On the way back to the car we passed another huge luxury Swiss coach that had been converted into a motorhome. This was even more modern that the one in Kosmas with solar panels and a massive satellite dish.
On then past Paralia Tirou to the campsite at Zaritsi where we had our choice of pitches and were given some oranges for squeezing. I love fresh orange juice and this, straight from the tree was delicious.
Photos: Elonas monastery in the cliff high above the valley bottom; The view from Elonas.