Tuesday 24th June 2008 – Asprovalta, Greece

We decided to investigate Asprovalta, a few kilometres from the campsite today and then move to the EOT (Greek Tourism) site closer to the town.

We bought a replacement basil plant for the one that was overcome by the heat whilst we were in England and also found a shop selling Phillips shavers – Jane was relieved, she didn't want me to grow a beard! We also had a look around the town that is inundated with visitors from Thessaloniki at weekends and in July and August but it was quite quiet when we were there. If we had wanted a meal, we could have chosen from a huge number, all of which were empty.

The EOT campsite 'Campsite Asprovalta', is very large (ACSI shows 770 touring pitches and 140 permanent pitches) but the number of shady pictures with electricity are limited. I suspect that tented camping is very popular here and there is plenty of space for them. We found a huge pitch with two very large trees providing a lot of shade, very desirable given that the temperature is now in the early thirties. When it is as hot and humid as this, any movement results in profuse sweating especially when we are still acclimatising. This was a very good excuse to sit in the chairs and do very little except drink lots of water and lemonade. Later we walked around the site and began to realise just how big it is. Most of the permanent pitches are very large and many have vast lawns, gardens with vegetables, plumbed in outside kitchen sinks, brick barbecues and even, in one case, a large shrine. There are so many trees on the site that it still feels intimate despite its size.

It is definitely barbecue weather and we had chicken with honey and wholegrain mustard accompanied by a nice cool Greek salad.

Photos: Our pitch at Campsite Asprovalta.

Monday 23rd June 2008 – Asprovalta, Greece

It was a horrible awakening at 02:45 when the alarm went off and we hurriedly, but quietly, washed and dress and crept downstairs. It was above and beyond the call of duty, but Simon came down to wish us farewell and we drove off to Gatwick. The journey was a breeze - if only the M3 and M25 were always like that! It was almost worth getting up at that time to enjoy the empty motorways! The queues to check in at the Easyjet desks were long and slow-moving but we eventually got through and grabbed some coffee and a sandwich before we boarded. The flight left slightly late but still arrived early and we were soon in Henrietta heading out of the airport. We knew that there was a garage near the airport that sold Autogas, so I pulled into the first garage and asked. They directed us to the garage across the road and, with the tank full we headed off. We were heading for Asprovalta two thirds of the way between Thessaloniki and Kavala. We chose this area as it has two campsites and they are the nearest to our route to Bulgaria.

We didn't want to go on the motorway so headed off on minor roads, stocking up at a handy Champion supermarket on the way. We got lost, heading up a mountain past military barracks and eventually finding a 'no entry' sign on the road. We back-tracked to find the subtle turning that we had missed and headed past two lakes and on to Asprovalta, choosing the second, smaller campsite. It was very basic, rather run down and all of the shady pitches that weren't occupied by permanent caravans were on a considerable slope. We found the best that we could and, given that the temperature was approaching 30°C, we got out the chairs and put them in the deep shade. We had serious problems with the electrical supply that appeared not to work and my shaver blew up when I tried to test one of the outlets. We eventually found one that worked but when the kettle was switched on, all of the other electrical equipment refused to work, including the fridge that reverted to gas power. We have had this problem before when the electrical supply was very poor e.g. 3 amp but the ACSI guide showed this site as 6 amp, which should have been fine.

Photos: A modern monastery on the 'road to nowhere'.

Tuesday 17th June to 22nd June 2008 - England

We drove to Makedonia (Thessaloniki) Airport and parked in the long term car park as planned, arriving in plenty of time for the flight. The Easyjet plane left on time, was not full and arrived more than 20 minutes early, making for a very pleasant flight. The Europcar car was a Skoda Fabia with only 350 miles on the clock – at £20 per day (through Easyjet) it was a bargain. However, when we arrived at the desk, we were told that there was a £600 excess for any damage but we could reduce this to £100 if we paid an extra £6.50 per day or remove the excess totally for £12.50 per day. This is an excellent example of keeping the headline figure low whilst trying to increase profits on 'extras'. We didn't fall for the trick but I did drive carefully for the next six days! There was a fuel tanker driver strike threatened for the weekend so we opted to purchase the tank of fuel (at, surprisingly much less per litre than the current pump prices) and then return the car empty. This is also a profit-making move as most people don't drive very far and therefore leave a lot of fuel in the tank. I was delighted to be able to return the car with the 'reserve tank' warning light on!

I know that it is a cliché, but England did look wonderfully green as we landed at Gatwick and the journey back was delightful once we left the motorways and headed down the A303 towards Somerset. Stonehenge, often an area of huge traffic jams, was no problem although there were large warning signs for delays over the coming weekend, Summer Solstice, when Druids and other strange people descend on the stones. And then we arrived back in the lovely Somerset countryside and our beloved village. Dinner was purchased from the local village shop and the work began. There was much dusting, hoovering and general cleaning to be done in the house and the gardening would have to wait until tomorrow.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) dawned but before starting the gardening, I had some other necessary visits planned. Pete the barber recognised me despite the long hair and earned his very modest fee by cutting most of it off whilst keeping up an entertaining conversation. Then, with trepidation, I went to the dentist to see what he would make of my disintegrated tooth. I was lucky that, despite the fact that I had lost a piece of the tooth and many pieces of filling over the last six weeks, I hadn't had toothache. However, I had been warned many years ago by a previous dentist that I was likely to lose the tooth in the future and expected this to be the time. When our Polish dentist first arrived from Poland, his English was poor and his lack of communication often gave people the idea that he was brusque. However his English is now good and it is easy to have a conversation with him. To my delight, he told me that he would be able to save the tooth and fill it without the need for anaesthetic, although I had more filling put in the tooth than with any other filling that I have ever had. The rest of the day was spent around the house, updating software on both computers and gardening, including weeding and removing of that awful Lemon Balm plant that spreads everywhere. Our next door neighbours, Anthony and Jude very kindly mow the small lawn for us and we are very grateful that we didn't come back to waist-high grass! Jude has also adopted part of the vegetable patch and her courgettes, kale, beans and onions were coming on well.

Thursday was spent visiting my mother and Jane's parents in Weymouth. It was great to see Jane's mum recovered from her broken wrist and much more cheerful than during that traumatic time. We took my mother out in the car to Abbotsbury and parked the car in a lay-by with a wonderful view of Chesil Beach, the Fleet (known as the Little Sea to the locals – a small stretch of water between Chesil Beach and the mainland) and over to the Isle of Portland. Dorset is a beautiful county and this sea view and the views inland are some of its best. We popped to see my brother and sister-in-law and exchanged news since our meeting in Skopelos and, after picking our our mountain of redirected post from them, we headed home.

Friday was Jane's turn for a haircut (or rather a hairdresser's appointment) and a visit to the dentist. Jane had cracked a tooth just a few days before we returned and was lucky to be able to get this appointment at short notice. She had, for her, a very rare filling and, like me, did not have to have anaesthetic – perhaps this is the latest fashion? Meanwhile, with rain promised later in the day, I was attacking the hedge between our and Anthony and Jude's gardens. I managed to complete that, cut the beach hedge on the other side and severely prune the vines growing on two walls before the rain started. Anthony and Jude had invited us over for a meal and we had a lovely relaxed meal chatting with them. They have also bought a motorhome and much of the time was spent talking about their plans and our experiences.

Saturday we visited parents in Weymouth again before setting off for the Cotswolds and joining, briefly, the BAGS Packed weekend. BAGS is an informal village walking group that I formed many years ago. There are walks planned every month and the BAGS Packed weekend is an extension of this where the group head off to a walking area for the weekend, walking each day and staying in a small hotel. We had deliberately planned our return trip to England to coincide with this weekend but couldn't be sure that we would be able to join them. However, closer to the time and once we had booked our hire car, we knew that we would be able to go. Our friend Ann had managed, with difficulty, to find us a place for the Saturday night in a B&B close to their hotel in Bourton in the Water. This meant that we could join them for an evening meal and walk with them on the Sunday morning. It was great to be with the group, which consists of most of our closest friends and the evening was spent catching up with news from all of them.

The walk on Sunday was excellent. Although we had a little rain whilst we were enjoying our full English breakfast, that was the last rain that we saw that day. The walk was a circular one from the pretty and much visited village of Bibury, six flat miles in beautiful green countryside watered by picturesque streams and with many traditional Cotswold houses. The landscape was painted, leopard style with spots of shade from the small, white clouds that were scurrying across the blue sky on the very strong wind. We were lucky with the weather as the group got very wet on their Friday walk and the Saturday walk had started with drizzle. However this was much better than the forecast that I had seen earlier in the week that showed Friday, Saturday and Sunday as heavy rain, rain and heavy rain respectively! After lunch at a hotel in Bibury, we all said goodbye, the rest of the group heading home and us heading off to Bracknell to see Simon and Katie.

It was another easy journey and we arrived shortly before 17:00. Katie was doing her voluntary work at Whipsnade Zoo but arrived home shortly afterwards. The evening was spent in great company with great food. Simon told us lots of things that he thought that he had already told us but hadn't and we were able to see pictures of the new house that they are renting in Ascot from August. Katie is still enjoying her job and we are keeping our fingers crossed for the results of her latest round of CIMA accounting exams.

Photos: The river in the centre of Bourton in the Water; The BAGS at Bibury; There are plenty of footpaths on the Cotswolds but sometimes it is difficult to decide which one to take!; These sheep took an interest in our passing – it seemed strange to see sheep without an accompanying shepherd.

Monday 16th June – Nea Moudania, Greece

A day of relaxation and preparation for the flight tomorrow. Fortunately, the time of the flight tomorrow is quite civilised, so we don't have to have a ridiculously early start and we will have time to empty the toilet and waste water in the morning. We have to pack lightly but are not sure what the weather will do to us in England – we have to plan for rain but it might be quite warm. So, its T-shirts, jumpers and wet weather gear! I have decided that the case, with a little manipulation to correct the splayed wheels, should just about last the trip and we eventually got it packed ready for the morning.

Photos: The Ouzouni campsite.

Sunday 15th June 2008 - Nea Moudania, Greece

We were wrong! At about 01:00 it started and would have been quite pleasant if it hadn't have been for the volume and the time of the night! It being very warm, we had many windows open and at about 02:00 we decided to close them. Although this reduced the volume, the bass (and there was lots of it) goes straight through closed windows – Henrietta is not soundproofed! Eventually, we got back to sleep and we think that music stopped about 03:30. Shortly after dawn the thunderstorm started – we didn't get a lot of sleep last night!
Today is hot and humid again and soon after setting off, we stopped for fuel and heard a nearby thunderstorm rumbling. This was to be the pattern for the day, although we only ever had a few drops of rain and were normally bathed in sunshine.
We had decided to return to the Ouzouni Camping site for the two nights before we fly back to England. The route took us passed some tourist signs to the Springs and Baths of Eleftheron, so we turned off to take a look as they were only 1 km from the main road. As we drove down the road we noticed signs of flooding – part of the road had been washed away and large areas of the road looked more like a beach with silt and soil all over it. Entering the small hamlet where the baths were was like entering a ghost town – nothing moved. On the side of the road was the twisted remains of the bridge that used to span the river and furniture and mattresses were stacked outside a building. It appeared that the flood had been quite severe and recent.
We called in at the Amphipolis site that we had by-passed on the way. The museum came before the site and we restricted ourselves to 45 minutes there so that we had an hour for the site itself. The finds were interesting and very well displayed with information in Greek and English. However, when we moved up the hill to the site, we found only a small compound with a notice in Greek only that said that it was only open Monday to Friday! We could have spent more time in the museum! Still it was a good position for lunch with excellent views inland to the plains. The area around the site has many Macedonian tombs signposted off the road but they never indicate how far they are down the tracks and there is only ever one sign even if the track has many branches. I followed one sign but soon gave up when I realised that I could spend a long time trying to find the tomb.
Jane plotted a different route to the campsite in order to avoid retracing our route of a few days ago. We passed close to the large Volvi Lake and then took a road south towards the mountains. This area is a huge fertile plane with thousands of hectares of wheat and it must be a very important area for that crop. As we climbed the mountain we had superb views back north over the plane and the lake to the mountains beyond. As we went over the pass, we started to descend rapidly towards the coast with equally spectacular views of two of the Halkidiki prongs, Sithoni to the south east and Kassandra to the south west. Being so high up, the view looked like an aerial photograph and it was easy to see the very narrow strip of land that joins Kassandra to the mainland, once defended by the wall of ancient Potidea.
We arrived at Ouzouni Camping to find it much busier on this Bank Holiday weekend but there were still plenty of plots to choose from. We had dinner and were sat munching cherries when we said hello to one of the families walking passed. The husband spoke very good English and we invited him to join us for a drink. Tassos lives in Thessalonika but had learned his English at a college in Exeter and he then took a degree an Coventry University. He has an interesting job working for a company that provides drug rehabilitation programs. After the clients have finished the program, they are given a six-month placement in industry to learn a skill and prepare them to return to the outside world. Tassos works in a printing shop owned by the company where the clients spend their placement. This gives added interest to his job as he has to deal with some interesting characters. Travelling gives the opportunity for such interesting encounters.
After the lack of sleep last night, we opted for an early night and drifted off to the sound of two men, a few pitches away, playing folk songs on a guitar and bouzouki. So much more pleasant and less intrusive than the dance music of the early morning.
Photos: The wreckage of the bridge in Eleftheron; A view from the site of Amphipolis showing the river Strimonas that was navigable in ancient times and the sea beyond. Inland there was a clear view over many tens of kilometres of fertile plane.

Saturday 14th June 2008 – Kavala, Greece

We really liked Kavala last time that we came – it is a real working town and port, not a tourist resort. We caught a bus for the short ride into the centre and discovered that it was market day. We wandered through the market without buying anything and then visited the archaeological museum next door. I was surprised to find that the entrance fee was only €2 but we soon discovered why. Jane was stopped by the museum guard from going through a large door into the another section of the building. She then explained that that part was closed, in fact it was all closed apart from the one room and a short corridor that we had already looked at. There were no signs at the entrance to the museum or on any of the interior doors to explain that parts were closed – you were just supposed to know! They are, like many other museums in Greece, arranging a new display and 80% of the museum was closed until the end of the year. Who knows how long it had already been closed for – these things seem to take years. The museum used to house the fantastic finds from Vergina but these were moved to the site itself many years ago. Perhaps they have been rearranging the displays ever since?
It was in Kavala many years ago that Jane first noticed that the locals drank the Greek wine retsina mixed with Coke and so, for old times sake, we found a small café opposite the bus station and had gyro pittas washed down with that lovely 'cocktail'.
We walked up the hill to the castle via the Imaret, allegedly the largest Islamic public building in Europe. Built in the 18th century when Greece was under Turkish occupation, it was a hostel for Islamic theological students, with space for 300 of them. When we were here last, much of it was sadly neglected, although part has been refurbished as a bar restaurant, but now it is a very impressive hotel. A huge amount of money must have been invested in the latest, high quality refurbishment with new roofs for all of the domes and the walls cleaned and restored so that they looked new. I resisted the temptation to ask how much a room at the hotel would cost, but it wouldn't have been cheap!
The Imaret was endowed by the Pasha of Egypt, Mehmet Ali and we next walked further up the hill to his birthplace. With a large bronze of Mehmet Ali on horseback in the square in front, his luxurious Islamic house has been preserved and is normally open to the public but was firmly closed when we were there. In fact, two men were stealing the carpets or perhaps they were just taking them to be cleaned. Anyway, it was an impressive building from the outside and, with luck, it and the museum will be fully open when we next return.
We walked on up to the castle, which is also being restored (with EU contribution, of course) and there were excellent views across the old town, sea and the spread of the modern town.
We returned to the campsite to find the beach and pool absolutely heaving, Jane found it difficult to claim a tiny area to put her towel when she went for a swim. Being such a good beach and so close to Kavala, it is used by many locals and t had calmed down by early evening when they had all gone home.
We had techno music coming from the nearby bar during the afternoon but when we went for a stroll before going to bed, we couldn't see any sign of the promised disco and DJs. We came to the conclusion that they had been there during the day rather than the evening.
Photos: A terracotta bust of a woman from the site of Amphipolis, still showing the original paint; The Imaret as seen through the entrance of the new hotel; The Aqueduct of Kamares.

Friday 13th June 2008 – Kavala, Greece

This morning, on our way out of the site we found out how they managed to fill the site. They have regular music events and there was one this weekend. Tonight is a major DJ night and tomorrow there is a Greek band. The band would have been good but I don't mind missing the DJ. The receptionist said that they currently had 50 guests but tonight this will be 500 and tomorrow it will be over 1,000!
We headed towards our next stop of Kavala and, as lunchtime approached, we came to signs to Ancient Stageira. The guidebook suggested that this wasn't always open and, although subject to annual excavations, wasn't particularly geared up for tourists. However, it was open and had received an EU grant, so it had been much improved. After having a quick lunch we walked the site and I can recommend it just for the walk but the site was also very interesting. Like Olynthos, there are two hills occupied at different times (the north hill in the 7th century BC and the south in the early 5th century BC) but this time they are on a short peninsular that juts out into the sea. The views are excellent, up and down the coast and over to Athos, although that view is even hazier than yesterday. It is very unusual, possibly unique, in that it is constructed in granite rather than the limestone or marble that was used in other sites in Greece. The defensive walls have been consolidated, paths improved, information boards and wooden steps erected – and the site is free. However, what they haven't done is put signs up to direct people round the suggested route and this meant that we had to find things by exploration. Most of the site is scrub and woodland on fairly steep hills, so low-level remains are difficult to see. Close to the acropolis of the south hill were two recently excavated kilns or furnaces, one large and one small, with very obvious signs of burning and colouration of the rock due to the effect of the heat.
As we passed right by it, we stopped briefly to admire the wonderful Lion of Amphipolis but by-passing the main site of Amphipolis.
We arrived at the campsite just outside Kavala, which has the very unromantic name of Vatis Multiplex. It is another large site with an excellent beach, swimming pool, restaurant and two bars. We discovered that this site too is having a DJ on Saturday so we wait with trepidation to see what that is like.
Photos: The walls of Stageira; Stageira kilns / furnaces; A colourful lizard at Stageira; The Lion of Amphipolis.

Thursday 12th June 2008 – Sithonia, Halkadiki, Greece

The Rough Guide said that Kassandra (the first prong of Halkadiki) was very developed and had little of interest except for beaches, so we headed for the second prong, Sithonia. On the way, between the two prongs, is an archaeological site called Olynthos. Set on a pair of low hills and with a commanding view over the land and sea around it, it was settled in Prehistoric times and became the main city of the Bottiaians between the 7th century BC until it was destroyed by the Persians in 479 BC. This settlement was built on the southern hill but a more recent settlement was built on the north hill, joined to the south hill by a low saddle. The northern hill was developed from 432 BC when it was used as the city of an alliance of 32 settlements in Halkidiki and it became very politically active and powerful. It did well for a short time but, less than 90 years after its formation, they made the serious mistake of upsetting Philip II of Macedon. He lay siege to the city, entered and destroyed it. This was however very useful for the archaeologists because the short life meant that the buildings that have been preserved are often exactly as they were originally built without the many phases of alteration and rebuilding found on most sites. This Classical Greek city has two claims to fame – it was built on the Hippodamean system, the earliest example of a planned housing estate, and has the oldest known Greek mosaics (late 5th and early 4th centuries BC). The Hippoddamean system, as we were told on almost every information board on the site, consists of a strict grid system with each square of the grid containing 10 houses on a back-to-back basis (5 to the North and 5 to the South) and between them a drainage channel that took away the water that came off the roofs. The plots were quite large and must have provided comfortable houses, all with similar but not identical layouts. A typical house had an open courtyard (often with a cistern or well and an altar for domestic worship), covered portico, kitchen (with chimney), bathroom (with clay bath and drainage system to take away the waste water), reception rooms (normally including an Andron, a men's dining room, sometimes with mosaics) and bedrooms. A few houses had second floors and some had workshops and shops either inside the house or attached to it. A large area has been excavated but this is only one third of the Classical city, still they know what the other two thirds contains, more 10-house blocks! When the houses were excavated, they showed direct evidence of Philip's attack with signs of fire and they found many lead slingshots and arrowheads engraved with the name of Philip II. This kind of evidence must be an archaeologist's dream – unless, of course, it was someone trying to put the blame on Philip!
We had a light lunch of tzatziki, bread and chips washed down with frappe (cold frothed coffee) at the site café – excellent portions and reasonably priced. We then moved on to Sithonia and were pleasantly surprised by the east coast of Sithonia. There was a very pretty combination of islands and sand spits near the top of the peninsular, very few settlements on the way and vast areas of unspoilt mountain woodland. There must often be very good views of Mount Athos but it was very hazy today and difficult to see anything. Mount Athos is a self governing part of Greece (actually a 'Theocratic Republic') that has many Orthodox monasteries on it and does not allow any females (humans or domestic animals) on its land. So, if you have 'women trouble', then this is the place to come, although you will have to convert to the Orthodox faith first if you want to stay. You don't have to be a Greek to become a monk there, many Russian, Romanian and Serbians have moved to Athos although the Greeks insist that all monks adopt Greek citizenship. However, you could become a lay worker, many of these live on Athos, including Muslim Albanians who work in agriculture or as manual labourers. We trained our binoculars on Athos and were able to make out some of the monasteries and admire the severe mountain of Mount Athos itself.
The Armenistis campsite, where we are staying tonight, is notionally in Sarti but is actually a long way from that town, in fact it is in the middle of nowhere. It is large and has a very good beach, bar, shops and restaurant but we still wondered how they managed to fill it.
Photos: The southern hill of Olynthos – remains of the prehistoric settlement were found on the edge of this hill; A block of houses with the drainage ditch between them. The houses only had low rubble stone walls, topped with unbaked mud brick, reinforced with wood. This technique apparently gave them much better resistance to earthquakes but made it very easy for Phillip's army to destroy them; A pebble mosaic showing Bellerofon riding Pegasus and killing Chimaera.

Wednesday 11th June 2008 – Thessaloniki, Greece

We planned to go into Thessalonika today and, had asked about buses from the campsite. I discovered that one of the people working here is English and had married the son of the campsite owner. This meant that we could have a good discussion about the buses and our options for travelling home next week and storing the van. The first issue was the buses – there are lots of buses to Thessalonika that leave from the main road just a few hundred metres away but they have recently moved the bus station and it is now out of the city centre. A further two buses are required to get into the centre, making it a complicated and time-consuming operation. Likewise, she though that getting to the airport would involve a taxi from the bus station (likely to be expensive) or three bus journeys. We decided to take her preferred option to get into Thessalonika today – parking in the Ikea car park and taking a bus into the centre. This worked very well and is a good tip for anyone wanting to visit Thessalonika from the Halkadiki direction. Ikea is close to the huge Cosmos shopping centre, signed off the main road from Halkidiki and parking in the car park without visiting the store seems to be accepted practice. Next to the car park is a new bus station and we took the number 8 for a long but straightforward journey in. Unfortunately, we didn't realise how long the journey was and got off far to early at a stop that had a similar name to the one that we wanted. After asking for directions and discovering that we were still 5km away from the centre, we caught the next number 8, some twenty minutes later.
We decided to find the Tourist Information Office first, so that we could ask about campsites closer to the city. We followed our old Rough Guide map to where the office was shown – nothing. I asked in a couple of cafés but nobody knew where it was and we were finally directed to the Tourist Police. They said that the office was closed but volunteered to help. Our request – where we could store a motorhome for six days and travel to the airport – was, understandably, too complex for them. Time was getting on and we decided to have lunch, which would still leave us time to visit the Archaeological Museum before it closed at 3 pm. We had an excellent lunch and then walked towards the museum only to find an open Greek Tourist Office on our route. This was less than half a kilometre from the Tourist Police, who obviously did not know that it existed! We went in and explained our requirement. They suggested a campsite that had also be mentioned by Sikia Camping (in the Pelio), Retzikas. The people at Sikia couldn't tell us where it was, they only had the name, but now we had a location – Epanomi. This unexpected stop meant that we would only have had about 30 minutes at the museum before it closed, so we wrote it off. Back then to an Internet Café that the Tourist Office had told us about. This was quite close, very large and reasonably priced. However, when we enquired they told us that they didn't have wireless, nor could we connect the laptop to their network. They directed us to a Starbucks with free wireless Internet just a few streets away. We found it close to a large Roman arch and I decided to test out the Internet before we bought any of their very expensive coffee – it didn't work. This was turning into a disaster! We returned to the Internet Café and used the USB key to update the blog and checked the emails. Two hours later, we had caught up with everything – success at last!
The area around the Internet Café and Starbucks was interesting with (scant) remains of a Roman palace, the Roman arch and the Rotunda, a Roman mausoleum that had been converted into a very early church in the 4th century. Unfortunately the Rotunda closed at 3 pm, so we couldn't visit it. We will have to return to the city some time when, hopefully, we will be able to achieve a little more!
We returned to Ikea on the number 8 bus and on the way we looked at the map provided by the Tourist Office and the location of the campsite. We realised that the campsite was the very basic, €5 per night, site that we had seen on Sunday. It was still a long way out of Thessalonika and would have the same problem with buses to the airport. Despite the cost (€25.50 for the first night and €0.50 per hour thereafter), we decided that the airport long-term parking was our best bet. We called in at the airport on the way back and confirmed that they would accept the motorhome in the car park.
Jane pointed out that we could have gone to Nea Moudania (close to the campsite), had a good meal and used one of the many Internet Cafés there, and they had a market this morning. Still we wouldn't have had all that excitement of visiting Thessalonika!
Photos: The Rotunda in amongst the city buildings – below the street level between the camera and Rotunda were remains of the Roman palace baths(?) and out of view but to the right, a little closer to the Rotunda is the Roman Arch.

Tuesday 10th June 2008 - Nea Moudania, Greece

We pulled back the skylight blind this morning and saw blue sky! The whole sky was blue but cumulus clouds soon started to build. Today was a day for chores and treats. Jane did the washing (very expensive at €6 a load), I cleaned the sink traps in an attempt to improve the flow and the treat was for Henrietta – a wash in a specially designated area. This was indeed a very rare treat and included me sticking my head out of the skylight above the bed and attempting to clean the roof with a long-handled brush. We were able to attach our brush to a hose and this enabled us to give the Henrietta a very good wash and soak ourselves in the process! It was also a treat for the frogs that had taken up home in the flooded inspection pit below the washing area. Their croaking was amplified when Henrietta was parked over them and reached a crescendo when the water started to reach them!
The rest of the day was spent with more chores and reading and we were entertained by a pair of redshanks (wading birds) based in a wetland area next to the campsite. I thinks that they should be called 'orangeshanks' rather than redshanks as their legs and upper beaks were a bright orange rather than red. Every time that a hooded crow appeared, and this was often, the birds would set up a continuous alarm call and fly at the crow, trying to persuade it to leave.
We have discovered that the standard campsite charges for leaving the van here would be €20 per night, which makes it a very expensive option when we return to England. We are reconsidering our options!
Photos: Redshank in the wetlands next to Ouzouni Beach campsite.

Monday 9th June 2008 - Nea Moudania, Greece

We had decided to have a relaxing day today, which was a good decision as it rained all day until the skies cleared in the early evening. We enjoyed watching a hoopoe, with its crest erect walking over the sand nearby but only ventured out of the van when absolutely necessary. The day was spent reading, blog writing (there was a huge backlog) and planning inside the van. We were treated to a colourful sunset and hoped that this was a sign of better weather tomorrow.
Photos: The beach at Ouzouni Beach campsite.

Sunday 8th June 2008 - Pella, Greece

We headed north and started to see effects of the overnight storms – mud across the roads and fields bearing the marks of large amounts of running water. We followed signs to the site of Pella's Archontiko, set on a low hill a few kilometres west of the main site of Pella. We went through a village obviously hit by flash floods, our road only just cleared by a JCB and eventually found a sign directing us down a track. We were concerned about the state of the track and Jane checked it out on foot. When she had twice sunk into the mud, we decided to try to find another route on asphalted roads. However, this also had been blocked by flash floods so we gave up and retraced our steps to the main road.
Our main objective was the site of Pella, another Macedonian city. King Archelaos moved the capital of Macedonia from Aigai (Vergina) to here in the late 5th century. When Philip II had united Greece under his control, Pella became the first capital of Greece. The site is massive but only a small proportion has been excavated. Macedonian chamber tombs abound in the area and the centre of the city has a huge agora (meeting and market place). However, Pella is best known for its impressive mosaics from the palatial houses near the agora. The mosaics use pebbles rather than the tesserae (small pieces of stone) typically used by the Romans. As you will see from the pictures, they were able to produce wonderful scenes using the different colours and shades of the pebbles.
After looking round the small museum where some of the mosaics have been relocated, we went across the road to the site itself. Apart from two houses, one of which still has in-situ, covered mosaics there is not a lot to see although the agora is impressive just because of its size of 70,000 square metres.
We wanted to locate a campsite close to Thessalonika as we will be flying back to England from there next week. However, this was not as easy at it seemed. The first site was permanently closed and the second site was little more than a grassy area, having no electricity, no showers and only very basic toilets. At €5 per night, it was cheap but not very secure. We moved on to Ouzouni Beach, a site just above Kassandra, the first of the three prongs that make up Halkidiki. Much further from Thessaloniki than we would have like but there seemed to be little other option. We were treated to yet another thunderstorm in the evening as we looked over the sea from out beach-side pitch.
Photos: Pella – House of Dionysos where many fine mosaics were found; The Lion Hunt pebble mosaic from the House of Dionysos; A beautiful stone table from a Pella house – it would not look out of place in any large modern house; Collapsed columns in a Pella building currently under excavation.

Saturday 7th June 2008 – Prespa Lakes to Methoni, Greece

The road was very quiet and we slept very well. The morning was dull and the view even more hazy than yesterday – we couldn't see the northern end of the lake at all and could only just make out the hills opposite our pitch despite the fact that they were much closer.
We drove round the northern end of the lake, through very fertile land, to Arnissa, a distance of about 15km, passing two cars, three tractors and a pedestrian – it was a very quiet road! We plotted a route than would take us on more minor roads down to Naoussa (famous for its wines). Initially however, we took a fairly major road to Edessa, stopping briefly at a wetland nature park and buying some wonderful cherries. I love cherries and there is an abundance of them in Greece at this time of the year. This road was lined with stalls selling cherries, apricots and peaches. We came off the main road on the outskirts of Edessa and started climbing up into the hills. The views were still hazy but would have been wonderful on a clear day and we passed orchard after orchard of fruit trees, especially cherries. Picking was in full swing and I was greeted by some of them when I stopped to take a photograph. Unfortunately, they didn't present me will kilos of fruit but we did have the cherries that we bought earlier. We were pressing on to Vergina so, against my better judgement, we didn't stop at any of the wineries in Naoussa.
Vergina, ancient Aigai, was the capital of Macedonia until the late 5th century BC, some time before the reign of Phillip II (Alexander the Great's father). Even after the capital was moved to Pella, the city was still used as the necropolis (burial place) for the people and the royal family of the new Macedonian capital. The necropolis is huge with vast expanses of land filled with small bumps indicating the burial places. The Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos spent decades working on the site and was convinced that a hill, 100m in diameter and 12m high, was a very large tumulus that covered important tombs. Andronikos was ignored by much of the establishment who thought that Aigai lay under Edessa, some 40km north east of Vergina, but he proved that he was correct when he uncovered four royal Macedonian chamber tombs. Andronikos had made the most important discovery since that of Mycenae and it revolutionised Greek archaeology. Three of the tombs are intact and the most important tomb, established as that of Philip II, had not been plundered. The frieze above the stone doorway of the tomb depicts Philip and Alexander in a hunting scene and inside there were great treasures. Philip was a great leader of men and a nation builder, uniting Greece under his leadership and the luxury of the tomb and grave goods reflects his station. Philip's body was burned on a funeral pyre together with his dogs and horses and, in line with tradition, one of his wives walked willing into the fire to join her husband in the afterlife. Her bones, wrapped in a gold and purple cloth, inside a gold 'larnax' (box) were placed in the antechamber of the tomb together with rich grave goods. Phillip's bones were placed in a large gold larnax embossed with the Macedonian star and this was placed inside a marble sarcophagus. His grave goods were of unprecedented richness.
When we first visited Vergina, it was a small village with no tourist facilities and the tumulus had been flattened but we could glimpse the openings to the tombs in amongst the huge excavations. We had to travel to Thessaloniki to see the finds in the archaeological museum. Now a museum has been constructed around the tombs and the tumulus reconstructed around it. The village is much bigger and has many hotels, rooms and tavernas and there are many coaches in the large car park. Inside the tumulus it is very dark with only the exhibits brightly lit – very disconcerting when one walks in. However, the lighting is very effective, especially for the many gold finds. It is a shame that photography is not allowed and I am glad that I have some slides taken in the Thessalonika museum all those years ago when photography was allowed. A guard there even pointed out to me the tiny, beautifully crafted golden sphinx on the hilt of Philip's sword, something that is no longer visible due to the way that the sword has been displayed.
We wanted to see the palace above the royal tombs but discovered when we got there that the site is closed until the end of the year. We looked through a fence at the scant remains of the theatre at which, in 336BC at the age of 46, Philip II was murdered whilst attending his daughter's wedding. We then visited the only one of the many Macedonian chamber tombs that is open to the public. It is thought to be the tomb of Philip's mother Eurydike and has an impressive frontage with a throne and sarcophagus visible inside.
We stopped for a very late (3pm) lunch overlooking the site of Aigai and then drove on to the nearest campsite on the coast at Methoni. On the way down the main road close to the coast, we passed a café that I remember from all of those years ago when we first visited Vergina – the Café DC3. It is a case on 'once seen, never forgotten' as it has an aeroplane (a DC3) on its roof. When we saw it last time, one was able to walk up steps into the aircraft from the café's flat roof and have your coffee there. Sadly it has now closed, so anyone wanting to buy a café and an aircraft could get a bargain!
At the campsite during the evening we were treated to a spectacular thunderstorm. It started with distant rumbles and faint flashes in the sky and gradually built until the area north of us was lit by almost continuous flashes. Then it hit us with the thunderclaps shaking the van and the rain, turning to hail, pounding on the roof and bouncing off the windscreen. We thought of all of those orchards and hoped that the hail had not destroyed the fruit. The storm soon passed but we were woken by another violent storm at 01:30, this one coming on us very quickly with more heavy rain.
Photos: Cherry pickers; Densely packed cherries on the tree; The Vergina tumulus; One of the Macedonian chamber tombs, probably that of Philip II's mother Eurydike; The 'Café DC3'.

Friday 6th June 2008 – Prespa Lakes to Lake Vegoritida, Greece

Before moving on, we wanted to visit the village of Psaradhes and do some walking. Psaradhes is a pretty fishing village also popular with coach trips due to the nearby hermitages and rock-painted icons. Local fishermen take visitors in their boats to see these sights but we wanted to walk to the promontory on the opposite side of the bay where one of the hermitages is located. The walk took us through attractive scenery with lots of wild flowers under the low trees. The trees provided welcome shade along the walk until we burst out onto the tip of the promontory know as Roti. This was a spectacularly beautiful position, set high above the lake with 270° views over the whole of Megali Prespa. The mountains and villages of FYROM were to our right, those of Albania to our left, lines of pelicans and formations of pygmy cormorants flew below us, solitary pelicans and storks flew just over our heads and hooded crows and wagtails hopped and walked around us. It was so peaceful – no cars, planes or any other sounds of the modern world. We sat in the shade of a wooden shelter with seats and admired the scene – we could have stayed there all day.
Retracing our steps a little way, we took another track to the Hermitage of the Metamorphosis. It was rather a scramble down the cliff to get to the beach, so Jane decided that discretion was the better part of valour and backtracked to wait for me at the top. Meanwhile I continued to the beach and walked the few metres to the hermitage. This is the oldest one in the area, dating from 13th century and its small church is thought to have acted as the monastery church for all of the hermitages in the area. Part of the church it intact and it is possible to see the ground plan of at least one cell but little else remains. In what appears to have been a cooking area, judging by the evidence of fires, a quern stone is still in place. Set into the cliff, the hermitage has a wonderful view across the lake to the mountains beyond. One can imagine the peace and solitude that allowed the hermits to dedicate their lives to God. On the way back to Henrietta, we encountered our third tortoise in twenty four hours, retreating into his shell as I approached. It took him a few minutes after we had stepped over him to pluck up the courage to move, and then it was backwards – he had obviously decided that the track was too busy even though we didn't see another sole during the whole of the walk.
Reluctantly, we left Prespa, but I had fallen in love with the serenity of the area. On the way up from the lake I stopped to take a picture of a field full of wild flowers, dominated by the vivid red of poppies, yet another example of the beauty of the area.
We drove over the Pisoderi pass at 1420m and down to Florina, arriving on a plain with a number of power stations in the distance. I suspect that there is brown coal in this area as we saw evidence of what looked like a large opencast mine, although we didn't actually see any coal. The Rough Guide told us about a small basic campsite at Aghios Pandeleimonas on Lake Vegoritida. Don't think about going there – it is closed! It took us three trips through the village to find it (no signs) and we then asked at a café close to it. It is possible that it might be open in the hight of Summer, but I doubt it. Instead, we moved further north along the shore of the lake and found a large open area overlooking the lake where we wild camped. The lake was not a pretty as the Prespa lakes but did have Great Crested Grebes and herons. The views however were not good and the weather closed in as the evening wore on. There was rain at both ends of the lake, with a thunderstorm in the north but the rain missed us.
Photos: A pelican fly past; A line of pelicans flies below us, just above the surface of the lake; The view from Roti – Greece in the foreground, Albania to the left, the island (Golem Grad) and the land on the right is FYROM; Metamorphosis Hermitage; Field of wild flowers south east of Mikra Prespa.

Thursday 5th June 2008 – Prespa Lakes, Greece

It was a relatively short journey to the Prespa Lakes and it was a very pleasant journey. Getting out of Kastoria was, however, interesting. We knew that we needed to head towards Florina but at one point we had three choices – the roads ahead, behind and to the left were all signposted to Florina. We looked at the map and took an educated guess at the left turn. It was correct but the steepness and narrowness of the road at the beginning made us wonder. One of the reasons for going to Prespa was the wildlife but we were treated to some views early when a pair of Golden Oriels flew across just in front of the van with a brilliant flash of golden yellow. This reminded me of a holiday in Greece many years ago when our son was very young. Simon had already developed a strong interest in birds passed on by his grandparents. He was very keen to spot unusual birds and knew all of their names. He would point and exclaim that he had seen a bird that simply doesn't live in Greece. We tried to let him down gently by showing him the bird book and explaining that it couldn't be that bird, to which he would reply “But it might have been”. We heard this on many occasions during the holiday. It was when we were visiting the royal palace in Vergina (north west of Thessalonika) that Simon pointed to a tree in the centre of the site and confidently (as ever) stated “Golden Oriel”. I wasn't there at the time but Jane looked over and, amazingly, it was a Golden Oriel. I arrived back just in time to see it fly away! They are the shyest of birds and, despite the many visits that we have made to Greece, today was only the second time that we have seen them.
We arrived at Mikri (Little) Prespa Lake and made our way to Aghia Germanos where there is a very good visitors' centre. Much has been done to improve the environment for the wildlife here and the project is supported by the EU (unsurprisingly) but also by many wildlife organizations including the British RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). The most encouraging aspect of the project is that it involves Greek, Albanian and FYROM (Former Yugoslavian Republic Of Macedonia) all of whose borders meet in the middle of Megali (Large) Prespa Lake. It is good to see these three countries, who have many tensions between them, cooperating in the non-contentious area of nature conservation.
Outside of the conservation area immediately around the lake, the very fertile land is used mainly for growing beans. Prespa is famous for its dried beans and whilst we were there the farmers were erecting poles to support the beans. This is another example of cross-border cooperation – the once vilified and hunted illegal Albanian immigrants are now accepted as essential to the economy of this region. They provide all of the labour for the local agriculture and most of the fields would remain unused if it were not for this workforce. The Albanians work through the Spring, Summer and Autumn, returning in the Winter when the harsh weather (down to -10 to -15°C) means that agriculture comes to a halt. Both lakes freeze during this time and there are snowfalls right through to May – we were visiting at the right time!
Whilst we were in Aghia Germanos, we sought out the church of Aghia Germanos built in the early 11th century. It contains some excellent frescoes including the common 'guide to martyrdom' or '101 ways to be killed'.
We drove to the strip of land between the two lakes and stopped before lunch before moving on to the island of Agios Achillios, linked to the mainland by a floating bridge. We were already captivated by the area, abundant in wildlife and so peaceful. On the way to the island we watched pelicans and egrets fly overhead and cormorants drying their wings on the edge of the reed beds. The island was linked to the mainland in relatively modern times and there are traces of both the fortifications that protected the narrow strip of land and the paved road under the shallow lake. Occupied by the Ancient Greeks and Romans (of which little evidence survives), the island has on it the ruins of five monasteries many built with the stone from the ancient towns. The island and the surrounding countryside was an important religious area from the 9th century up to and including the Turkish occupation. We walked to the far end of the island and admired the views over Mikra Prespa before getting back to the van before the impending thunderstorm broke, spotting two tortoises on the way. We were lucky – there was rain over Megali Prespa and at the opposite end of Mikra Prespa but it missed us.
We had checked with the visitors' centre that it was OK to wild park and we parked up on the small strip of land between the two lakes, close to a sailing club. As I was phoning my mother I spotted what I thought was a tortoise and Jane went out to take a photograph - it turned out to be a terrapin. This really was a magical place to wild camp. We were on Greek land facing out on to Megali Prespa, with FYROM to the right and Albania to the left. The sun was going down and colouring the sky, Pelicans were flying over us and just behind the van at the top of a telegraph pole was a storks nest with a number of young. The parent birds arrived back with food on a regular basis and occasionally they would make that evocative clattering sound with their beaks.
Photos: Typical fishing boat on the lake at Kastoria; Frescoes in the church of Aghia Germanos; The island of Agios Achillos; Tortoise; One of the many fields of beans at Prespa.

Wednesday 4th June 2008 – Kastoria, Grece

We were heading further north in Greece than we have ever travelled in our many visits. The problem when one heads inland in Greece is that there are very few campsites. We knew that we would have to wild camp for a few nights but needed to keep that to a minimum. The Rough Guide and Camperstop Europe books both mentioned a monastery in Kastoria that had a very basic camping place – that was our target. Our route took us via Volos and Larissa stopping in the middle of nowhere for lunch. We chose a spot with a view of the highest mountain in Greece – Mount Olympos – the home of the ancient Greek gods. As always, the mountain had its own weather system and the peak and most of the sides were covered in cloud.
The roads had been good for the first part of the journey but when we approached Kozani, they became even better and the journey to Kastoria was completed at speed. The roads into Kastoria were fur-lined! The name Kastoria comes from the Greek for 'beaver' and it was the centre for the production of beaver skin products until the beavers were hunted to extinction. It is now famous for production of fur products skilfully made using the off-cuts from skins from other countries. Almost every other building on the main roads is a factory or shop selling fur products. As we headed for the monastery we passed along the side of the large lake on which Kastoria is built. Passing a huddle of twenty or more pelicans swimming past, we felt as if we had arrived in a very different and somewhat exotic part of Greece.
The monastery is positioned on the tip of the headland that sticks out into the lake and on whose base in the town of Kastoria. We arrived at the monastery and were directed by the priest and his lay worker to a patch of ground next to the narrow road – hardly a camping place, not even a basic one. Later the priest explained to us in basic German that the proper campsite closed 25 years ago and the basic camping facilities closed 10 years ago! However we were welcome to stay and it was a very pleasant place to wild camp. We watched the monastery ducks waddling backwards and forwards along the lakeside, taking great delight in annoying the very occasional passing car driver by wandering across the road very slowly or just stopping in the middle.
Photos: The multi-layered chapel at Sarantaporo, typical of many that we would see over the next few days, it had a commanding view over the huge fertile plain below; Ducks sheltering from the pouring rain – so much for the saying “good weather for ducks”!

Tuesday 3rd June 2008 – Southern Pelio to Kato Gatzea, Greece

The cost for the night was €19, €1 more than Sikia in Kato Gatzea where the facilities are ten times better – this was daylight robbery! We will not be planning a return visit.
We plotted a route back up the peninsula that took us further in land looking down on all of the olive groves along the coast. The journey took us through pretty villages and past the rusting remains of a steam road roller in Metohion. We stopped on the outskirts of Milies at a bakers that was recommended in the Rough Guide and took ages to decided what to have for lunch – the choices of breads, pies and cakes was huge. In the end we decided to have half of an olive loaf and half of a cheese loaf, both of which were thin (2 cm) and flat and had a texture closer to crumpets than normal bread. Together with eight tiny cakes, this was enough for two meals. We would have happily returned for more lunches to try their tiropitta (cheese pie), spanokopitta (spinach pie), Hortapitta (wild greens pie) and the many interesting cakes, especially the huge round 'milk pie' cut into slices like the savoury pittas.
Milies is an interesting village with many traditional houses but the streets were narrow and we couldn't find anywhere to park, so we continued on the short distance to Vizitsa. This is a smaller village full of traditional Pelio houses and we spent a very pleasant hour wandering around it. The square was especially impressive with two huge plane trees, thought to be nearly 500 years old and reaching up 35m. One of the locals explained to us that early in the 20th century, the square was raised 10m and the base of the trees are still at the original level.
Returning to the main road at Milies, we followed a sign to the terminus of the narrow-gauge railway that we had heard but failed to locate on Sunday. The preserved railway only operates at weekends when steam and diesel locomotives are used. The pictures show it running through beautiful scenery and it would have been good to go on it. It is also possible to walk along the line, enjoying the views at a slower pace. This walk and the many other marked trails in the area are very good reasons for a return visit.
We have a long journey planned tomorrow and want to get an early start in the morning, so we decided to return to Camping Sikia. We explained to the lady in reception where we had been and how poor the campsite was, putting it down to the fact that it had only just opened. She told us that it was just as bad in the hight of the season and many of her guests had told her that the showers and toilets were never cleaned. It was great to be back at a good campsite.
Photos: A traditional house in Vizitsa; Vizitsa square with its massive plane tree; The narrow-gauge railway disappears into the woods below the village of Milies.

Monday 2nd June 2008 – Southern Pelio, Greece

We wanted to see the southern part of Pelio, so we paid our bill and set off, calling in for supplies at the village of Kala Nera (Good Water?) just south of the campsite. The journey down was very pleasant with the hillsides and coast covered with olive groves. Looking at the thousands and thousands of olive trees and the sparse population, it difficult to understand how they harvest the crop.
The slopes of Mount Pelion, after which the peninsular is named, diminished as we travelled south and the landscape became more rounded. Just beyond Milina we passed a large very pretty bay with a large island across the entrance. Here was Camping Olizon, one of the campsites that we identified as possible stopping places. It looked very pleasant but we decided to move on to investigate more of Pelio. We drove through Trikeri and on to its port, Agia Kiriaki where we parked in a large car park above the bay looking down on the village. There were excellent views to the west where the mainland curls round forming the Pagasitic Gulf with Volos at its head in the north. To the south, Greece's second largest island, Evia, is very close. After having lunch looking at this view we retraced our steps north and then turned east to Plantania. This was a pretty village and the campsite was pleasant but, despite the fact that ACSI had it listed as opening on 1st June, it was closed and the gates padlocked. There was one more campsite further east shown as opening on 1st May, so we headed for that. The road down to Kastri Beach was narrow and the overhanging olive trees brushed the roof and sides of the van as we wound our way down. The gate of the site was open but there was no sign of activity. A faded handwritten sign told to us to enquire at the taverna, which we did and were directed to another building. Here they explained that they had only opened that day and that the site wasn't completely ready. We found another British campervan, the only other customers, and parked in a shady pitch not far from them. Brian and Sue had arrived a few days earlier and were told that the site was closed but they could stay if they wanted. Apparently the site had been quite busy over the weekend with Greek visitors, despite the fact that it was closed. Brian noted that they didn't seem to be doing much work to prepare the site for opening. There was no hot water and the toilets had not been cleaned – 'basic' is the best way to describe the facilities but at least we had electricity. We took a walk to investigate the area but it consisted only of a good beach, small hotel, small taverna and two houses – not a lot to keep us for more than one night.
We invited Brian and Sue over for a drink, moving swiftly into the van when we started to be eaten alive by mosquitoes. We had a very pleasant evening and Brian gave us a map of Romania after hearing that we intended to go there later. They had driven through there earlier in the year and had decided that they were unlikely to return.
Photos: A small bay on the way down to Milina; The beach at Kastri.

Sunday 1st June 2008 – Kato Gatzea, Pelio, Greece

We felt that we should do something energetic this morning before it got to hot, so we took a marked footpath from the local village of Kato Gatzea. On the way to the village, we walked through the Hellas International campsite that is next to our campsite and, although it is quite pleasant, it is certainly not as good as Sikia. The footpath lead us through large olive groves, passed some lovely individual houses to the village of Ano Gatzea. We heard a train of the preserved railway that runs up the hills in this area but did not find the line. After a quick look at the village we retraced our steps and returned to the campsite for lunch. The rest of the day was spent reading and, in Jane's case, swimming – two days running, that is quite a record, the sea must be warm!
There was more Greek music again this evening but a quick visit established that it was the same group, so we decided to listen to them from the comfort of the van.
Photos: A choice of tracks through the olive groves; Sikia campsite and beach – Henrietta is well hidden in the trees, next to the beach on the right of the picture.