Tuesday 26th April 2011 - Kastraki, Meteora, Greece

We woke to light rain and occasional light showers and overcast skies were the order of the day. We sat and read and listened to CDs until we heard some chanting, loud enough to be heard above the music in the van. We both had the same thought – a procession. We had our shoes on and were out of the van in no time hoping to track down the route. Jane said that they would have to return to the church and she was right. As we approached the main street we saw the procession heading up to the church and square. I ran on to get ahead of it, passing many people carrying icons and relics and a tall wooden cross. As we approached the church, the bells rang out but the procession continued past the church and into the square where the priest gave a short service before wishing the congregation 'Good health' and 'Many Years'. After the priest had blessed the icons and icon carriers by sprinkling them with holy water, the congregation queued up to be similarly blessed before they processed round kissing every one of the many icons and relics. I found out that these icons and relics had been brought from every church in the area for the blessing.
The rest of the day was spent reading and catching up on the blog.
Photos: The procession approaches the church; Blessing the icons (and the photographer and camera!); Blessing one of the icon bearers – he kisses the silver cross whilst being sprinkled with holy water.

Monday 25th April 2011 - Kastraki, Meteora, Greece

Simon had said that he wanted to take some early morning photographs of the rocks and monasteries and we all readily agreed to meet at the relatively early time of 08:00. Simon drove us in his rental car up to the rocks above Kastraki and we spent an hour and a half admiring the views in the lovely early morning light. The low sun casts wonderful shadows and the contrast between the sunlit rocks and the dark background gave some great photographs. We returned to Kastraki for a well-earned late breakfast.
Unfortunately, it was time to say goodbye to Simon and Katie who were moving on to Zagoria to do some walking. It was sad to see them go but we had a fantastic Easter weekend – sunny, warm weather, Greek Easter, wonderful views and, above all, great company. We hope that they enjoy the rest of their holiday and that the weather holds for them.
Jane's cough has improved significantly so in the afternoon I took her up to the rock pinnacle of Adrachti. We took it very slowly in order to prevent coughing fits but we made it to the top. It had clouded over so the views weren't quite as good as on Friday but the scenery was still dramatic. Strangely, Jane decided that she would rather return to Kastraki using the same path rather than pressing on to Kalambaka!
Photos: Agios Nikolaos and Rousanou monasteries; Rock formations with no visible monasteries, although I am sure that there will be some ruins; Rousanou.

Sunday 24th April 2011 (Easter Sunday) - Kastraki, Meteora, Greece

It is Easter Day and once again the church bells are ringing. When we opened up the van we could smell the charcoal fires, a sign of what is to come today.
When Simon and Katie arrived, Katie had been counting the number of lambs that she had seen spit roasting – 30 in the short distance between their hotel and the campsite. Everyone was roasting more than one lamb, some had three – they were going to have a big party! The roasting is done over very long barbecues (lamb size!) and these days the lambs are normally turned on their long spits using electric motors however Simon and Katie saw three women turning one lamb each by hand in the tradition method. This must be very tedious, which is probably why the men had generously left the women to do the job.
We had spotted a footpath sign opposite the campsite and decided to follow it. We could see that it was going towards two abandoned monasteries and we wanted to see if we could get to them. The first was an ancient hermitage with extensive skeleton wooden structures in a series of caves. The second, more distant and more substantial was a walled-in cave complete with doors and windows.
As we set off across the fields, we spotted a small tortoise and then another and another – we had never seen so many tortoises in such a small area. Katie is very fond of animals (she works as a volunteer at Whipsnade Zoo) and she couldn't resist the temptation to take a closer look at one of the tortoises. She sat on the grass, gently placing the tortoise on her leg and asking Simon to be ready with the camera for when the tortoise emerged from its shell. We all watched and waited. Eventually we saw the tortoise's head move partially out and it stuck out its tongue and waved it around, perhaps to sense what was around? And then things happened rapidly. There was a shout from Katie, the tortoise was placed rapidly, but gently, on the ground and Katie jumped up. Has she been bitten, or scratched by the tortoise's feet we thought? The large wet patch on Katie's leg told the story. Gentle though Katie had been, the tortoise had been frightened! Still, I assured Katie that I had read in my 'A Travelogue in Greece and a Folklore Calendar' book that in Thessaly it is considered very good luck to be peed on by a tortoise on Easter Day. Apparently, it ensures good health and keeps away the evil eye!
We had arrived at Aghios Grigorios with its wooden constructions in the cave when we found that they had completely rebuilt an ancient monastery in one of the caves. I think that it is called Aghios Antonios but I can't be sure. It must have been a huge amount of work but it looked very smart with new new doors and windows, electric power, mains water and sewerage. Potted plants lined the balconies. The remains of the old access ladder were still in place but it was obvious that they had built a more modern and convenient entrance. Walking around the pretty chapel of Panagia we came to a gate that clearly stated 'Monastery of Aghia Trias and Asketerion of St. Nikolas – Entrance is Prohibited'. So the restored building must be Aghia Trias and the cave dwellings must be the Asketerion of St. Nikolas but we weren't going to get a closer look. We couldn't find a route to the higher monastery as the way was blocked by the fences of Aghia Trias but it appeared that it has also been recently restored with new windows and doors and even a radio aerial. I am almost certain that these monasteries have been restored since we last visited Meteora three years ago.
We took the small road to the top of Kastraki and walked down through the town and watched the Easter lunch preparations. The smell of roasting lamb filled the air and we greeted people with “Christos Anesti” and “Kronia Pola”. I took pictures of the roasting lambs and on one such occasion I was invited in and presented with a fork full of Kokoretsi, spit roasted lamb offal – sounds awful but actually delicious. I chatted to one of the men who could speak English and asked him how long it took to cook the lamb – about 6 hours. That is a long time to turn the lambs by hand but these two had electric motors. It is important that the whole family group watches the cooking, just to make sure that goes well and it gives time for much chat and the odd drink or two.
We popped into the 'O Fournos' (the bakers, literally 'the oven') to buy some bread. Yes they were open on Easter morning, it is a hard life being a baker in Greece. In the bakers there were two small lambs that had been cooked in large trays using the residual heat from the bread ovens. This was the traditional way of baking food when most villagers did not have their own ovens.
We walked back to the campsite and prepared the gas barbecue for the lamb souvlaki (kebabs) that had been marinading over night. The lemon potatoes took an hour and a half in the oven, so we had time to enjoy some mezethes (starters) before the main course.
It is a tradition that everyone has red eggs on Easter Day and we had bought a packet of six. However, Simon and Katie had been given one each at breakfast, we had been given four as we left the campsite this morning and we were given another two when we visited Simon and Katie's hotel in the late afternoon. Here the owner insisted on giving us coffee and Easter biscuits as well as the eggs – genuine Greek hospitality – whilst we used their WiFi Internet connection. We bashed some red eggs in the traditional way – Simon was the winner as his egg remained intact and all of ours cracked against his.
We returned to Henrietta for a small snack and a game of cards before wishing Simon and Katie 'Good Night' and 'Kronia Pola'.
Photos: Aghios Grigorios; Aghios Antonios in the same cliff face just a few metres away; The calm before the storm, just before the tortoise incident!; Kokoretsi.

Saturday 23rd April 2011 - Kastraki, Meteora, Greece

Bells dominated once again today during the long church services. We thought that this would be a good day to visit some of the monasteries. Driving past Agios Nikolaos and Roussanou, both perched on the top of seemingly inaccessible rock pinnacles, we turned right towards the two active monasteries that Jane and I have not yet visited – Agia Triada and Agios Stefanos. There were many stops to admire the fantastic views of stunning rock formations and the 'monasteries in the air'.
Agia Triada, reached by 130 steps cut into the rock was in use in 1438 but may have been established one hundred years before that. It is one of the smaller monasteries and has a cosy feeling to it. There is a impressive smoke blackened chapel cut into the rock with its walls covered in paintings but the most interesting area was the winch room. Before the steps were cut, the only way to access the monastery was by being hauled up in a large net. The monks turned a large capstan and this pulled up the net attached to the rope. This method was obviously also used to bring up supplies and construction materials. Much of the equipment, including the capstan are still in place.
Most of the monasteries were uninhabited for many years and this was the fate of Agios Stefanos until it was taken over by nuns in 1961. They have completely renovated and modernised the buildings but this does mean that many of the buildings are now off-limits. Another Easter custom was notable in the monastery church – lemon leaves were scattered on the floor. The monasteries are interesting but I must say that it is the views of and views from the monasteries that impress me most.
We relaxed in the afternoon, planning what we were going to do after Meteora and also preparing the evening meal. We had barbecued pork chops that had been marinaded in lemon juice, oil, garlic and herbs. We took our time over the meal and then had a game of Scrabble before walking to the church just after 11 o'clock.
The service had been going on for some time but was building to the climax. People strolled around the square outside the church and we listened to the chanting broadcast over large speakers. And then the congregation spilled out of the church, filling the square and grouping around the lectern where the priest continued the service. Somewhat before the appointed hour of midnight, the priest announced “Christos Anesti” (Christ is risen) and all Hell (an inappropriate word perhaps) broke loose – the church bells rang joyously, firecrackers went off everywhere and the firework display started. It is traditional that the priest lights a candle at this point and then passes the flame around to the whole congregation but they had done this in the church before they came out, probably because they were concerned that the candles would blow out. We lit our candles from other peoples and Simon demonstrated the problems of doing this by putting out six people's candles before succeeding in lighting his! Everyone in the square greeted all of their friends and relations with the traditional greeting 'Kronia Pola' (Many Years).
Photos: Agia Triada; The winch room of Agia Triada; Kristos Anesti and make sure that the candle doesn't blow out!

Friday 22nd April 2011 (Good Friday) – Kastraki, Meteora, Greece

Jane is still recovering from a bad cough that I generously shared with her so she decided to stay with Henrietta whilst we walked. We took what the map called a 'narrow ascent' to the slim pillar of Adrachti above the village and between two of those massive cliffs. The morning light on the sculptured rocks was fantastic and the whole of our walk was accompanied by the sound of bells as the churches of Kastraki, Kalambaka and the monasteries held their Good Friday services. Is was a very easy walk up and we were full of confidence that the second part of the walk, described as a 'footpath' on the map, would also be easy. We changed our minds when we reached the Adrachti rock and looked south where the footpath should have been. We walked/crawled up the steep hill until we could see that we would need climbing gear to continue. We tried an alternative 'footpath' up to the north but gave up when a squeeze ended with a near vertical section that we couldn't get up. The only option left, apart from returning to Kastraki, was to head down the steep Adrachti Gorge to Kalambaka. It looked much easier than the other routes but if we had realized quite how difficult it was going to be, we would not have tackled it. There were quite a few hairy moments and much team work was needed to get down but we made it and were elated when we got down. “We made it” I shouted and then realised that a funeral procession was passing us, wending its way slowly to the nearby church. The walk back from Kalambaka to the campsite was a doddle – we ignored the short cut using another 'footpath' marked on the map.
The mountaineers are slow starters but by midday they start appearing and by mid afternoon they are dotted over all of the vertical rock faces. There does seam to be a written or unwritten rule that they do not climb on any rock where this is an occupied monastery. This seems reasonable as at times when your monastery is not being invaded by tourists, you wouldn't want a group of mountaineers to appear at your window.
After dinner at a local taverna we stumbled across the Good Friday procession where the Epitaphios (the bier of Christ) is paraded around the village. The Epitaphios is beautifully decorated with fresh flowers such as carnations and lillies and the white sheet that covers Christ's body has been sprinkled with petals. When they reached the church the bearers held the Epitaphios up and the whole congregation clutching lit candles filed underneath it, many kissing it on the way. According to my book, this is for good luck.
Photos: Sourloti Rock over Kastraki – there is at least one abandoned hermitage in a cave part way up the rock; The three intrepid climbers on a very steep descent.

Thursday 21st April 2011 (Maundy Thursday) - Kastraki, Meteora, Greece

We set off this morning for one of favourite parts of Greece, Meteora. This visit was going to be extra special for two reasons, firstly it was Greek Easter (this year it is the same as our Easter) and secondly, and most importantly, we were meeting up with our son Simon and partner Katie.
First of all though we wanted to visit the archaeological museum in Ioannina as our attempt to do so three years ago failed when we found it closed for restoration for an indeterminate period of time. This time it was open and we spent a pleasant hour looking around it. There wasn't a huge amount of finds (only one floor) but it was displayed very well with clear descriptions in English as well as Greek. Many of the displays were done by period rather than site, with the exception of Dodona, which had its own room. There are arguments for and against this method of display but it did make it difficult to spot finds from the sites that we had visited. They had made a replica of one of the catapults from the Necromanteion, so it is official, the metal parts were not a windlass mechanism for lowering sheets with depictions of the dead ancestors – shame. We were the only visitors in the museum and were followed, sometimes preceded if they could see that we were about to move, by two museum guards. If we split up, so did the guards and we had one each. Jane wondered whether they were going to follow her into the toilets – they didn't. It made us wonder what they expected us to do – mind you there were some lovely bronze jugs with a woman's head on the handle! Just to make some conversation, I asked whether I was allowed to take photographs and much to my amazement, they said yes provided that I didn't use flash. I hope this enlightened thinking applies to all Greek museums although I suspect that given that many people do not know how to prevent their cameras using the flash, a blanket photography will be the easy option.
On the way back we walked through the town centre and saw many shops selling hand-made metal goods from barbecues to beautiful hammered copper trays. Ioannina was always a centre for metalworking and it is good to see that the tradition continues. I took a picture of the impressive display outside one of the shops which was obviously also a workshop. Most of the goods had been made in the workshop and Jane spotted something that I have been looking for ever since I started building my wood-fired bread/pizza oven. It was a small grill designed to barbecue over coals and this one had a long metal handle and was small enough to fit through the low door of the oven. That was my birthday present from Jane sorted!
When we came through Ioannina on the way to the campsite, it was fairly quiet and the driving was easy. However, today being the last shopping day before the Easter weekend, the roads were packed. So we decided, after doing some shopping on the way back, to take the road away from the town round the north end of the lake. We were sure that we would be able to join the motorway (the Via Egnatia) to the north of Ioannina. We had excellent views of the lake and Ioannina from the road as it rose into the hills. It got higher and higher and we passed a huge metal sign telling us that the Via Egnatia cost €34,000,000,000 and lots of other facts that we couldn't understand. As we passed an identical sign designed for traffic travelling in the opposite direction, we decided that the sign must say that we had missed the motorway as it was travelling through a tunnel directly below us. The road went on and some distance further on we came within a tantalizing few metres of the Via Egnatia and cars were able to exit from it but there was no way on to it. We thought that was our last chance gone but a few kilometres further on we were eventually able to join it. This section of the motorway goes through many tunnels and cuts out the Katara Pass west of Metsovo with its long, steep ascent and descent. This is however a very pretty road and would probably be quiet now that the motorway is open. When we went over the pass three years ago, it was a very tedious journey as haze obscured the views and large numbers of very slow heavy lorries destined for the motorway construction slowed our progress to a crawl.
We left the motorway on the Trikala road and were soon arriving at Meteora. We checked in at the Vrahos (Greek for Rock) Campsite in Kastraki – in our opinion, a much nicer place to stay than Kalambaka. There was a huge amount of space in the campsite but it was surprisingly busy for this time of year. We chose a pitch in the old part of the campsite and soon discovered why it was so busy. We were the only motorhome in our section and all of the tents were occupied by climbers – some German and Austria but the vast majority Greek. We have never stayed in a Greek campsite out of season where the majority of the customers were Greek and it was a pleasant experience.
Simon and Katie came to join us from their hotel in the centre of Kastraki and we set off to explore the village. The backdrop to Kastraki is the massive range of rock pinnacles that rise in sheer cliffs nearly 400 metres over the village. It doesn't matter how many times we come to Meteora, it takes my breadth away and it was great to see that Simon and Katie were equally in awe. Over dinner in the evening we made plans for the next day. The campsite gives its customers a map that shows all of the monasteries, occupied or ruined, and the roads, tracks and footpaths that link them. We decided that we would try one of the walks.
I have a book called 'A Travelogue in Greece and a Folklore Calendar' and this has a very good description of the Easter celebrations along with endless descriptions of local traditions and superstitions associated with this time of the year. The book noted that on Holy Wednesday (yesterday) when the Greeks go to church the priest makes the mark of the cross on the forehead of each of the congregation. There was a large extended family group close to us in the restaurant and one of the women used a cotton wool ball soaked in olive oil to anoint each person. This was a long process as she made the sign of the cross on the forehead, both cheeks, the chin and both hands of every one of the family.
Photos: Mid 6th century bronze jug – the woman's headdress is also a place to rest your thumb whilst pouring – not only decorative but very practical; The Ioannina ironmongers where I bought my grill – it is the one in the front.

Wednesday 20th April 2011 – Ioannina, Greece

It is a relatively short journey today so we had a very leisurely start and headed in the same direction as yesterday, the main Igoumenitsa to Prevesa road. Heading briefly north, we left at Morfi following the road signposted to Paramythia. In typical Greek fashion the next turn had no signs but we correctly guessed that it was the road that we needed. The Greeks attitude to signs is interesting – it certainly keeps you on your toes. They often signpost places when it is totally unnecessary and frequently fail to place a sign where it is absolutely imperative. We saw an example of the former when we were approaching the main road from Parga – 'Perama Caves 125 km'. It didn't tell you where it was or which road to take and, needless to say was not signposted again until we arrived in Ioannina, which is where they are. It is like signposting Cheddar Caves from Birmingham!

The road up through the mountains was wide, in good condition and deserted, which made for very pleasant driving with plenty of opportunity for looking at the views. We had noticed that there was a site of Elea just off our route and approaching a major road junction at which we intended to turn left, we saw the site signed (no distance, of course) to the right. After 6 km we decided to turn around but saw a sign to a different site, Marmara, and decided to follow it. It was a short way down a dirt track where we found a 3^rd century B.C. burial monument. One of the grave chambers was open but there seemed to be many others where the stone slab covers were still in position. Checking the Blue Guide, it said that the site was outside the village of Chrisavgi but we hadn't seen any signs to it. On the way back, I spotted it – the only village sign that had not been transliterated into the Latin alphabet. Needless to say there was no sign to Ancient Elea. Once in the village there was a sign that showed that it was straight up the road and I mean up – 3 km of very steep twisty mountain road rising 375m to the site at 550m. Elea's position is spectacular with fantastic views for miles up and down the valley and into the mountains on the other side. Surrounded by impressive defensive polygonal walls, it has a spectacular backdrop of mountains with steep cliffs and rock pinnacles. We arrived in the car park to find one car and the gates open – hurray! We parked and prepared to leave the van when we saw a man walk from the site, to the gate and he started to close it. I rushed over and he explained that the site was closed and wasn't open to the public until May – this was all in Greek, so some guesswork was involved! We obviously looked crestfallen and after some more conversation he told us that we could go in, obviously for a quick look. We walked the few metres to the main gateway and on entering were stunned by the size of the site. Leaving Jane near the entrance, I jogged around the site taking photos of information boards (in Greek and English), buildings and views. It really deserved a few hours but it only got a few minutes. If you are in the area and like ruins, do take the trouble to find the site, it is well worth the effort of finding it. After lunch sat on benches overlooking the walls, we sat in Henrietta and took a relaxed guided tour of the 4^th to 2^nd century BC Thesproton site by photograph!

We headed up through Paramythia joining the new (and controversial) Via Egnatia motorway. This made the driving very easy and we were soon leaving the motorway, heading into Ioannina. The campsite is on the north side of the city centre on the lakeside and we parked up on a pitch that gave us a lovely view of the lake, its island and the snow capped peaks in the distance. Just over the other side of the lake are the Perama Caves, one of the best in Greece and so famous that they are signposted 125km away!

Photos: The main gate of Elea with its mountain backdrop; The lower town of Elea showing its eagle's nest position and a hint of the fantastic views from the site; Ioannina University rowing on the lake – they set off from in front of our pitch.

Tuesday 19th April 2011 – Parga, Greece

Today is the birthday of the author. In England they will be firing the 21 gun salute but here they don't know the significance of the day so there will not be any great celebrations. This is good as I prefer to keep the occasion low-key – I can't cope with all that pomp. I really don't feel a day over 56, which is just as well because that is how old I am.

After a gentle start, we set off for the nearby Necromanteion of Ephyra my favourite ancient site in Greece. Situated on a low hill close to the ancient River Styx (the river of the dead), the building dates to the Hellenistic period and was destroyed by fire in 168 BC. This is where the ancient Greeks came to visit the Oracle of the Dead and communicate with their ancestors. The buildings are surrounded by a large polygonal wall and after passing through the entrance you arrive at the courtyard and the priests' houses. Next are the visitors rooms and baths where they are fed on a diet of fermented beans and lupin seeds, inducing hallucinations. After offering sufficient gifts to the Oracle, the devotee is taken to the purification room before being lead through the famous labyrinth to the Underworld. At the end of the labyrinth is the cult room where votive offerings are made before the victim is taking into the depths of Hell. This is a massive room cut into the solid rock below the buildings. Here he is able to meet the shades of his ancestors and ask questions of them, a process helped by the priests who lowered down images of the dead on sheets and could reply to the questions in suitably deep Underworldly sounding voices from the room above using holes in the roof of the cellar. This must have been a very frightening experience but worth every penny to get that important advice from your ancestors. Pithoi for storing the grain and quern stones for grinding it lay around the rooms and areas have been identified that were used to store the votive offerings. The windlass mechanism for lowering the pictures of the shades was found in the room above. It is believed that the site was used into the Roman period. It is a fascinating, evocative site.

All of this is very poorly explained on the site but I have an excellent guide book bought many years ago that explains it all. I noticed that the guide book is no longer on sale but this might be due to the fact that, as explained in the Blue Guide, some experts have suggested that the Necromanteion theory is not correct. They say that it was a fortified house in a strategic position on the Acheron Lake (now dried up) and that the Hell room was actually a very large water cistern. The windlass mechanism is explained as parts of a catapult and missile points. They claim that other houses of similar design have been excavated elsewhere. I must say that this has some merit although the labyrinthine corridors need to be explained. Perhaps they were a security device to restrict access to the inner stronghold of the house? Anyway, this is all far too practical – I will continue to believe the romantic explanation of the Necromanteion.

Continuing on the theme of death, we drove on to Glyki where visited the source of the Styx. The modern name of the river is the Acheron and Glyki (Greek for sweet) is so named because of the vast quantity of sweet (drinkable) water that emanates from the nearby Archeron Gorge.

We parked the van next to the rivers and watched the aquamarine water rushing by whilst we had our lunch sat in the sun. We then walked up the gorge with vertical cliffs towering above on both sides and it was only a few metres before we came across our first spring pouring out at great speed from a hole at the bottom of the cliff. This was repeated many times as we went deeper into the gorge. Sometimes the water came up under pools causing violent currents in the water – bubbles rose as trapped air was release. The walls closed in until is as impossible to walk any further. Our way was blocked by a massive spring pouring out thousands of litres every minute from a fissure in the cliff. Many years ago, with our son Simon, we waded though the freezing cold water and here it was almost impossible to stand up due to the force of the water. It is said that anyone who immerses themselves totally in the Styx will become immortal. Achilles was dipped in but his heel was not immersed and that led to his weakness. Jane is immortal but Simon and I failed to live up to the challenge, we both decided that the opportunity for immortality did not justify the pain of that freezing water.

If you are passing through this area of Greece, do drop (literally perhaps) into Glyki. The kayaking down the gorge looked like great fun (we saw lots of people doing this) and they also organise pony trekking and horse riding through the gorge. And whilst you are here, why not consult the shades of your ancestors at the Necromanteion.

Whilst we were within the cellar of Hell, I received a phone call from my, very much alive, mother wishing me a Happy Birthday, so I was able to consult one of my ancestors by the magic modern technology. We were amazed that we got a signal in a cellar with solid stone on all sides considering that we can't even use the mobile phone in our house in Somerset!

We drove back to Parga going into the town for a meal in the evening, starting with an ouzo at a café overlooking the beautiful bay with its islets, whitewashed chapel and ruins on the Venetian castle high above us. We had intended to eat in one of the smart restaurants on the front but then discovered a Giro (Greek kebab) shop with tables outside. That was it, a Giro plate washed down with Retsina. As we returned to the campsite the bushes on both sides were alive with the flashes of fireflies. A perfect end to a perfect birthday.

Photos: The Necromanteion labyrinth; Hades – ideal for mobile phone calls; The limit for walking in the Acheron Gorge – after this it is very cold wading or swimming!; A major spring gushes from the rock.

Monday 18th April 2011 – Parga, Greece

The alarm clock sounded at 07:00, the equivalent of 06:00 Italian time as we had to put the clocks forward for Greece. Looking out of the window we could see the Albanian coast although it looked dark and rather forbidding in early morning light and overcast conditions. We sailed past bays protected by sand bars and then small islands before arriving at the port of Igoumenitsa.

We travelled north to an area we had never visited but was mentioned in the Blue Guide. This was until very recent times a restricted military area because it is very close to the Albanian border. It is an indication of the lack of perceived threat after the fall of communism that the area is now dedicated to tourism and nature parks. The fact that it was a restricted area has helped greatly to protect the flora, fauna and architecture of the landscape.

We attempted to find 'Pyrgos Raghiou' – a fortified tower and settlement but ended up on the wrong road so we went to our second target, Segiatha. On the way we passed the abandoned village of Lisi high up and spread over the hillside, once the home of a Greco-Albanian people who lived in 'kulla' tower houses, very reminiscent of tower houses in the Mani. The Albanian people were driven from their homes in the progroms of 1943-45. We drove on to Segiatha passing and failing to locate an archaeological site in Asprokklisi but we did locate 'O Fornos' (a bakery) and shop to purchase bread, baklava and feta cheese. Entering Segiatha we were greeted by large areas of shallow salt water and brackish lakes full of jumping fish and many herons and egrets feeding. The once important port is now only used for small boat fishing and tourist sailing although it is said that with Albania so close, smuggling is an important part of the local economy!

Retracing our steps we stopped at a junction where the archaeological site of Gitana was signposted. As usual with Greek archaeological site signs, no distance was mentioned which is a total pain. Greek authorities please note, life would be much easier if you put a distance on your signs especially given that you often don't ever sign the site again. This would give us a clue as to whether we had passed the inconsequential site or it was just round the next corner. End of rant.

After 15 minutes walking we came to a cave above the road overlooking the wide river Kalamas that we were following. Was this the site? A desirable prehistoric residence perhaps? I went to investigate, saw some signs of buildings in the entrance and disturbed some beautiful, large bats that flew around the back of the cave making those amazing high-pitched bat squeaks. We walked on and at 20 minutes we were about to turn back – just one more bend (for about the fifth time!) - when we saw another sign to the 'Archaeological Site'. We pressed on , the road widened and we were greeted with a sign telling us (in Greek) that €1,000,000 had been spent on the site. A large part of this must have been spent on the road widening (why?) and the totally unnecessary lighting. Like many Greek sites in the middle of nowhere, they install floodlights all around the walls, but when do they ever use them? We have never seen these sites lit and the sites are closed after dark. For the major sites that host dramas in their theatres, I could almost accept it although temporary lights must be more cost-effective, but for sites like this it surely doesn't make sense. End of second rant.

The gates and ticket office window of Gitana were open but there was not a soul in site despite the fact that there were two workers' cars parked in the car park. We met nobody when we went around the site using the very good information boards that explained (in English and Greek) the context of the area and showed the route to the next board. We spent a happy hour walking, passing another worker's car in the site and only met one person as we were walking through the gates on the way out. He appeared to be a shepherd who had brought his sheep (and car) to graze the pastures above the site on the neighbouring hill. The fortified site with its polygonal walls was an important one in the 4^th century BC when it was a tribal centre. There is an impressive Agora, residential area and a Prytaneion that housed rooms with mosaics and one that contained over 3,000 clay seals one of which confirmed the name of the site as 'Gitana' and another confirmed the tribe as the 'Thesprotons'. The theatre is very important as, very rare in Greece, many of the seats were engraved with the names of people, presumably those who they were reserved for. The theatre would have had an lovely view over the important river of Kalamas and out over the Kalamas delta with Corfu in the distance. All you fans of heaps of stones, do visit this site but drive your car or motorhome all the way to the site – it may be a little muddy in places but it is much easier than walking.

We found the site of Pyrgos Raghiou set on a low hill on the edge of the salt marsh (sea in the 4^th century BC) but the gates were closed – this could have been because it was closed on Mondays but we suspected that it had been closed for some time.

We drove on to Parga Camping found a pitch, couldn't find anyone to pay (we are in Greece now – that will wait until tomorrow) and wandered into the town. Out of season, Parga is beautiful. The small bay with fishing boats and islets, one of which has a whitewashed chapel on is very picturesque and can be viewed from one of the many cafés or tavernas lining the promenade.

What a fantastic first day in Greece. We had ticked most of the boxes – at least 10 flocks of sheep and goats with greetings from the shepherds; free-roaming herds of cows; huge amounts of wild flowers and butterflies; interesting birds, including the first stork (of many I suspect); ancient archaeological sites; beautiful views; oh, and those Greek specialities of feta cheese, ouzo and retsina. Life can't get better!

Photos: Best foot forward in Segiatha; Gitana mosaic in the Prytaneion; Dried mud in the Gitana theatre; The busy highway to Gitana.

Sunday 17th April 2011 – ANEK 'Hellenic Spirit' somewhere between Italy and Greece

We slept extremely well and if the road and if railway were noisy over night, we didn't notice it. I suspect that a weekday morning would have been noisier.

Given that we only had a 30 minute drive to the port at Ancona to do today, we had a very leisurely start to the day, both having showers and a relaxed breakfast. We still arrived very early, about 11:30 for our 16:00 departure but there was nothing to distract us between Senigallia and the port. We had bought a return ticket for Ancona to Patras in the Peloponnese knowing that there was an option to change either leg from Patras to Igoumenitsa in North Western Greece. Subsequently we had decided to start our visit to Greece at Igoumenitsa and return from Patras. We were able to make this change, without charge, at the ANEK office at the port and we then drove round to the embarkation point. We had been told at the ANEK office that we could go off to explore Ancona, leaving the motorhome in the port provided that we returned by 14:30. We took the opportunity and were very glad that we did. The port area was full of history from Roman times to the Mediaeval and behind the port was some stunning architecture such as the 13^th century church of S. Maria Della Piazza built on the site of an early Christian basilica and incorporating Roman material; the 15^th century Governor's Palace and many beautiful 19^th century houses. If you are leaving from Ancona port, do get there early and have a look at the town.

We were one of the first motorhomes to board and as such, we had a position on the side with views directly out over the sea. This was the same as the trip from Bari to Patras that we did on our 14 month trip around Europe in 2007/8 when we were the only motorhome but this time there were many motorhomes and we were lucky to get such a good position. With 'Camping on board', where you can stay in your motorhome over night, they always advertise that electricity is available. Last time, we couldn't find it but this time Jane spotted drums of power cables 5 metres up on the roof. But how were you supposed to get the plug to the motorhome? I asked one of the staff and was supplied with a very long pole with a bent piece of wire attached. It was very efficient at retrieving the plug, we were soon connected and the pole was passed around all of the other motorhomers.

We enjoyed our normal entertainment of watching the rest of the lorries, coaches and cars being loaded. Every time I think that they must be falling out of the other end of the ship, it just seems impossible that they all fit. We spent a while investigating quite the most luxurious Greek ferry that we have travelled on before returning to the van for Raddichio Rissotto – we were after all still in Italian waters!

Photos: The Arch of Traiano; The author's better half with Ancona in the background.

Saturday 16th April 2011 – Senigallia, Italy

A straightforward journey today east to the sea and then south along the coast to an aire at Senigallia. Just before the sea there was a site marked on both of our maps, Necropoli di Spina and we decided to take the short diversion to it. We drove a little further than we expected from the map but we then came to a tourist sign proudly displaying 'Necropoli di Spina' down a turning to the right. We expected the site to be very close but nothing was visible and eight kilometres later, with no further signs, we gave up and returned to the junction. We had another good look around but still couldn't see any sign of it. We did come across another minor archaeological site but that was closed.

However the route back to the main road did allow us to drive alongside Lake Spina. The whole area is a wetland with a mixture of land drained for agriculture and wetland in its natural state, very similar to our own Somerset Levels wetland. We had already seen egrets and were sure that there was plenty more interesting birds and wildlife in the marshy areas. When we reached the lake we saw three birdwatchers equipped with large binoculars and telephoto lenses on their cameras. We then came to an area where the road was lined with cars and over a hundred fishermen were fishing the waters of the wetlands. None were fishing the lake on the other side of the road, so it was obviously the wetlands that provided the best fish. This was proved when we watched an otter swimming across the open water just before we reached the fishermen. Just a few minute later, after we had passed most of the fishermen, we saw another otter swimming. In all of our years in Somerset and many walks on the Levels, we have never seen an otter although we know that they are there. Here we saw two within a few minutes and whilst driving past!

The rest of the journey was uneventful, passing resort after resort with occasional views of the sea. Arriving in Senigallia, we headed for the first of two aires shown in our book. This no longer existed and we found ourselves on the sea side of the railway separated from the main road by a series of low, too low for Henrietta, bridges. We eventually found an underpass and headed for the second aire, in a car park on the SS16. This was open and popular with seven motorhomes there when we arrived and more joining during the evening. With the main road next to the aire (fortunately no lorries) and the busy railway line (with express trains) just a few metres further away, it wasn't the quietest site but it was acceptable.

We had time for a long stroll along the promenade and watched the proprietors getting their private beach facilities ready for the season. One of the abiding memories of Italy in season is the private beaches with their regimented rows of sun umbrellas, a very unappealing sight.

Photos: The aire at Castelmassa with the Po in the background; The second photo shows what we saw of the Necropoli di Spina.

Friday 15th April 2011 – Castelmassa, Italy

Before we set off, we decided to go down to the lake and, once again, we heard English being called out, this time by a different voice. A timekeeper sat on the shore was keeping track of the pairs rowing a set course. I went over and chatted with him. It turned out that he was with a rowing charity that helped junior rowers in the London area. They had brought a group of promising rowers from a number of rowing clubs and were training them on the lake. It certainly wasn't a holiday! They were up at 06:30, rowing by 08:00, back on the coach at 15:00, three hours homework each day and in bed by 10:00. Apparently the training was very hard work and most of them were shattered – this was their last day. We also found out that the previous day it had been the English rowing team who had been there for two weeks. This would explain the Antipodean voice yelling “Keep those oars up! The waves at Henley can be one foot high!”.

As normal, we tried to avoid the motorways but it wasn't long before we were caught in the urban sprawl that seems to spread all around Milan and the journey became slow and tedious. We joined the motorway ring road around Milan and left on the SP415 towards Crema and Cremona. Soon there was a significant improvement with rural scenes replacing suburbia.

There were two noticeable features in the flat green landscape. The first was farms with the farmhouse, livestock buildings and barns totally enclosing a large square courtyard. This is very reminiscent of the standard layout of an ancient Roman villa, which was after all an up-market farm. The other feature were the many very large walled cemeteries placed in an open areas outside village and towns. Huge mausoleums poked their heads over the high enclosing walls that were obviously designed to encourage the souls to fly up to heaven rather creeping out into the surrounding area.

Jane had spotted a number of aires close to the River Po and that was where we were heading. The journey was much easier than yesterday, still flat but without the traffic delays. We approached the river but could not see it but what we could see was a massive bank, flood defences for the river and we follow this for miles. We saw a sign to the first of the aires and this took us up onto the bank where a narrow road along its summit. However, despite the directions, we could not find the aire and decided to look for the second one. Some miles further on, we again ascended the bank but this time found the aire on the top of the bank with a wonderful view of the Po. We sat and watched as the sun set colouring the sky and the river a glorious red.

Photos: The life of the lonely timekeeper, Gavirate; Sunset from Castelmassa aire.

Thursday 14th April 2011 – Gavirate, Italy

Never having visited Lake Maggiore, we decided to investigate it on route. We travelled down the east side and were very impressed. Pretty Swiss villages gave way to pretty Italian villages and all the time the lake was in view with the backdrop of dramatic mountains, some with snow-topped peaks.

We came across a viewing area and parked up. We sat drinking coffee on the enormous picnic tables taking in the view and listening to the bird song. This was very soporific and by the time that we moved on, we had decided that we didn't want to drive all the way to Lake Iseo. I had spotted Lake Varese on our route and asked Jane to check whether there were any options to stay there. She discovered that there was an aire close to the lake at Gavirate and we set the satnav up to take us there.

When we arrived, we found the site right on the edge of the lake and the facilities were very good. For €1 for every 3 hours we had a generous pitch with a view of the lake and fresh water and dumping facilities provided. Electricity was available at €1 for 12 hours. We sat outside in the sun enjoying a very late lunch and listening to English instructions being barked out to rowers on the lake. In the afternoon we took a pleasant stroll along the lakeside and back though the town.

Photos: View across Maggiore from the viewing point to Carmine (Italy), just south of the Swiss border; Rowing on Lake Varese – possibly the shoes of the England rowing team!!!

Wednesday 13th April 2011 – Lake Maggiore, Switzerland

We plugged in our destination into the Garmin Satnav and set off. At the very first turn my Sitnav (i.e. Jane) said “I don't know why it has done that – we are going in totally the wrong direction.”. However, we were heading due south and that seemed OK to me. It took us on a route down a pretty valley through villages with lovely timber-framed houses and we were soon in France via a road that was not on Sitnav's map. This enabled us to fill up with fuel in France before we crossed over the Rhine and back into Germany at junction 56 of the A35. Unfortunately, there was a considerable delay at this point due to the repairs being done to the dam at the massive lock for the ship canal. There were also many roadworks on the German E35 where the road widening looks likely to continue for many months, probably years to come. Although the delays were only speed restrictions, we would probably been better off to stay on the French side and cross the Rhine further south.

The E35 took us down alongside the Rhine (although we rarely saw it) and into Switzerland at Basel where we bought our vignet (€35 with 2 Swiss Francs change!) to allow us to use the Swiss motorways.

The scenery became much more mountainous and pretty with alpine houses clinging to the slopes. There were lovely views over Lake Lucerne. The road tunnels became more numerous and we continued to climb until we arrived at the Gottard Tunnel. Our memories of this tunnel from many years ago were of huge queues, huge heat and fumes. However, it was relatively quiet, the controlling traffic lights were only operation for lorries and although it got up to 29°C, the fumes were not a problem. Some ten miles later we emerged back into the sunlight and started our sharp descent.

We decided to spend one night in Switzerland and we chose a site, Iseo Camping, from the ACSI book. It is located near Locarno, just north of Lake Maggiore. The route to the campsite is somewhat convoluted involving a journey south to a bridge crossing the river that feeds the lake before travelling north to the site. We did this in rush hour and the traffic was bad leading to a good 30 minute delay. It has to be said that the site did not justify the effort to get to it and the local Swiss taxes added an extra €5 to the normal €15 ACSI price. We would have been better off travelling an extra 30 minutes on the main road to reach the Italian campsites on Lake Maggiore.

Photos: Our pitch at Dahn with Altes Bahnhof in the background.

Tuesday 12th April 2011 – Dahn / Reichenbach, Germany

The temperature had dropped by 10°C since yesterday and it felt really cold in the strong breeze. Strong sunshine and strong precipitation (mainly rain but some hail and sleet) was the order of the day. We took the E40, E411, A13, A8 before leaving the motorway at Pirmasens. Too much motorway driving for us really but it we want to get to Italy fairly quickly. The roads were not too busy but the scenery, although rural, was not very exciting until we left the motorway. We did experience some exciting Belgian driving, the most interesting being a silver BMW that came in from the outside lane to the middle lane, clearing Henrietta by no more that two feet and then proceeded to undertake three cars before return to the outside lane. Needless to say, this was all performed at great speed and to the accompaniment of some expletives from me!

The journey from Pirmasens to Dahn is very pretty with forest, valleys and beautiful coloured cliffs and rock formations. There are a number of campsite options on this road but we wanted to try for Altes Bahnhof between Dahn and Reichenbach. This came out of our Camperstop Europe 2007 book and as its name suggests, it is the old station building of what is now a preserved railway. The restaurant allows motorhomes to stay provided that the occupants eat a meal there. We arrived just before five o'clock after a 480 km journey and parked up in the car park just over the other side of the railway track from the restaurant.

Photos: Teufelstisch (Devil's Table) formation.

Greek Sojourn Spring 2011 - Monday 11th – Klein Strand, Jabbeke, Belgium

We have had a few days of glorious weather in Somerset – it felt like Summer but it is only early April. The grass has been cut, weeds extracted, runner beans and courgette seeds planted and copious rhubarb sticks pulled and distributed to friends. We are ready!

We woke at 06:45 to find the skies overcast and the temperature lower – it must be time to leave for warmer climes. By 08:30, the last minute packing had been transported to Henrietta and I climbed into the driver's seat next to co-pilot Jane.

The weather forecast said that the cloud was spreading from the West and travelling through Wiltshire we outran it and had sunshine all of the way to Dover. It was great to be behind the wheel of Henrietta again and the journey went easily with only a small delay on the M26 where drivers on our eastbound carriageway were slowing down to view the accident on the westbound carriageway. We felt very sorry for the people in the 10 mile westbound queue, many of whom were wandering around on the road. It was noticeable that all of the motorhomers in the queue had their front seats rotated and were probably enjoying a cuppa. I have always thought that the enterprising thing to do under those circumstances would be to sell drinks from the van!

We travelled on the 14:20 Sea France crossing and were in Calais 90 minutes later after a very smooth crossing. Despite the lovely weather, it was freezing out on deck and the constitutional was done at pace.

Our plan for this sojourn is to visit Greece and, given the distance involved, we are going to make a fairly speedy (by our standards) journey down to Ancona to catch the ferry. We have often travelled to the south of France to get to Italy so this time we decided to try a different route. We have not visited Belgium or Luxembourg in Henrietta and we wanted to correct this anomaly. Travelling north on the E40 we crossed into Belgium and stopped at the Klein Strand campsite in Jabbeke, just a few kilometres from Bruges. This turned out to be a huge site with many permanent pitches but also plenty of touring pitches. Klein Strand has 3 restaurants, a supermarket, a lake for fishing, swimming and watersports and excellent facilities for children. It took Jane 25 minutes to book in – we had stopped at a second entrance and it was a long walk to the main reception. I was just about to send out the search party when she returned.

The pitch was good and we sat out to enjoy the last rays of the lovely warm sun. After dinner, the wind got up and the rain started. We went to sleep with sound of rain on the roof and the van gently rocking in the wind. Great motorhome memories.

Photos: Some serious rowing was going to be done somewhere on the continent; One of the many permanent pitches at Klein Strand – this one had a gnome (oh dear) and a shed named T' Zumernest' - could almost be in our native Somerset (or should I say Zummerzet?).