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

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