We had bolted from Georgia and across Turkey to get van repairs done, doing some long driving days. I woke and had a revelation. An epiphany. We don’t need to drive today. We are in a lovely place. Let’s stay another day. So we did.
We walked along the beach and around the lagoon.
Lagoon at FanariDistant flamingosAnd cotton fields! Google revealed that Greece is the largest cotton producer in Europe, c. 9% of the world’s production.And fell into a bar … a couple of Aperol Spritz for me. Wine for J
We elected to eat in, but joined Mary and Tony for drinks before supper in their van. Lots in common and very easy to chat too.
On a Spit
21/10/2025
The BG van hogging the spot by the water tap departed, so we were able to use the hose to fill. Said goodbye to Mary and Tony. Quick shop and short drive to between another flamingo lagoon and the sea. Several walks, but limited by the geography. And knitting. But you can have too much downtime. I was a tad bored.
Lagoon behind. Aegean in frontMore flamingos
A Busier Day
22/10/2925
Not having planned spending any time, other than travelling through Greece, I’ve no guide books. We spotted a cruise ship at Kavala across the sea, so googled why it was a cruise stop. Kavala is pretty and an aqueduct that was only decommissioned this century. And an ancient site. So that’s the plan then.
Filipos is named after Philip of Macedon. St Paul created the first Christian church here and was imprisoned. Sadly it was full of American cruise ship tours and all the local schools must’ve been empty, as they were all here. Signage and info boards lacking.
Filipos
We couldn’t park in Kavala, so only got a flash retina image of the aqueduct and pretty painted buildings.
Big Lidl shop. It had gin … our first in 3.5 months. I can’t tell you how fabulous it tastes, even if I forgot to buy a lemon.
We came onto the Mount Athos finger on Chalkidiki to Ierissos. A spot recommended by Brian and Gillian.
Just lovely with our wheels almost in water.
Ierissos Walk
23/11/3025
A non driving day. A walking day.
Up past unmanned Akanthos C7th BC … not a lot hereIt doesn’t look overgrown or steep, but it was!
The path disintegrated and we could have done with a machete. We came down a steep section on our bottoms! The route then took us along a ridge so we could see both sides of the finger.
Salad and smoked mackerel at a lovely taverna. And a couple of glasses of wine. Our solitary spot has become a little congested as we’ve been joined by 3 other vans.
We will stay again tomorrow and walk over to the west side. Then, I think we will then need a campsite with a washing machine. We tried the laundry in town, but he claimed to be too busy with hotel laundry. Poo to him.
Both Sides of the Finger
24/10/2025
After a leisurely start, we walked over the spine to the other side of the finger. Maps aren’t always correct. Well, they are in that there is a path. But maps don’t show when there is a house, wall, gates and barking dogs. So we had to retrace and divert at one point.
Bigger olives than Crete and lovely views. Glimpses of a cloud covered Mountain Athos Could see sea either side of us
I washed our knickers in the afternoon, before we run out. Knicker chandeliers deployed. Supper out. J had pasta. I had a perfectly cooked Blue Fish … new one to me. Apparently it’s a cross between mackerel and sea bass
Just one of the many boat builders at Ierissos. A government notice to our Greek phone. Not sure how I feel about this.
We stopped at a large mall to spend the £170 we had left over from the van repairs. J came away with jeans and a top.
We had our last Pide, not the best version but possibly the best of Turkish foodComing around Istanbul we crossed a long bridge. My bridge expert passenger was able to tell me combined cable stay and suspension cable construction.
Still with cash left we stopped at a seaside resort next to a C15 bridge built by Sinan the architect to carry Ottoman troops. He features in a book club read … The Architect’s Apprentice.
Sinan the architect and his bridge to carry Ottoman troops. I ceased carry vehicles in 1970s.
Dinner a lot more expensive and very disappointing. I had Roquefort salad, but the cheese was flabby and tasteless. It certainly had never been to Europe, let alone France. Perhaps we should choose destinations by the food!
Fantastic Fanari
19/11/2025
Filled with diesel just before the border, as it’s just under £1/ltr. Paid cash. A quick two item purchase in a supermarket got rid of the rest of the cash.
At the border, James was allowed to stay in Jez rather than walk through as a pedestrian. Issue with the van reg … the vehicle had not been registered as entering Turkey from Georgia. We have had this issue at some motorway tolls. The 1 is a number not an i, said I. Aah, never seen that said he. I didn’t bother explaining about a private plate. Two cursory glances inside from the hab door. Didn’t even open the garages. We could have illegally imported the dog I had liked, as no one was interested in Corrie or wanted to see her passport. Took just over an hour.
Onward to Fanari where we stopped on the way to Tr. Two BG vans that later departed and a UK van. We’ve not seen a UK motorhome in 3.5 months. Mary and Tony joined us for a drink whilst we ate. And then for a nightcap in Jez. Lovely evening.
I WhatsApp called my father’s 89th birthday party.
Four generations
We had a great time in Turkey, but we decided the SE corner that we missed out on due to van repairs in Ankara, could stay missed. I had particularly wanted to see the stone heads at mount Nemrut, but just not worth the driving distance. We may re-visit Istanbul at some point by plane, but out of tourist season!
Georgia we would bolt back to anytime. Loved it. Amazing diverse scenery for such a small place. And fabulous food.
24 days in the UK for me and 14 for James. Maddy and I actually got on well! I did a lot of cleaning and sorting… my daughter and son-i-l are both messy, well compared to most! We met up with a lot of friends and saw all the family, which is great. I won’t see family till November.
We had the Easyjet flight from hell on Thursday. 6 hours late landing. Broken aircon was fixed. Then, crew out of hours. Then, another 2 hours to get an air traffic control slot. I guess they thought that our flight was so late already, we went to the bottom of the queue.
We should be due £350 pp in compensation, but won’t forward spend it, as it will probably take months! And we don’t want £700 in vouchers … that would be more trips than we’d ever book!
Arrived in Chania Crete at 1.00 a.m. Cancelled our friend who was due to collect us and booked a taxi. Only €48, normal rate, despite the late hour. Bonus of 2 snoring 5 year olds on the rear seat.
3.5 nights at home. Not ideal, but we are getting close to having had the motorhome in Greece for 6 months.
New UV vest, as white animals more prone to cancer And all because I decided to prune her
Out to dinner twice. A short early morning walk with friends. So quite social but a lot of unpacking, cleaning and repacking. We collected Jez at 0900 this morning for the final time from his private parking. Loaded. Had a late taverna lunch.
We are now on an Anek ferry at Heraklion. I was reversed, within inches, between lorry trailers. Now on deck with a glass of well-deserved 🍷. Lovely cabins. Anek really is much smarter and newer than Minoan, whose ship is adjacent to us … feeling relaxed and smug!
Really decent cabin.
Reoccurring Fridge Repairs
15-16/07
We managed to follow the sat nav around Athens from the ferry port and not get lost, for once. Probably too early for rush hour 😊 We were booked into Camper Club Athens motorhome stop and workshop for fridge and hot water on gas, or lack thereof. Arriving at 0730, somehow the gate opened for us. We parked on an empty shady pitch and filled with water. We’d emptied the fresh water tank on Crete as it had been sitting in heat going stagnant. Whilst parked up, the internal thermometer had registered 48C. Blue tack had melted! The workshop replaced the fridge / freezer component that switches between gas/engine and EHU. Got hot water working … too hot to check heating. Replaced in in-line gas filters. New fridge fans and placed the control switch inside, as apparently humidity is what killed the previous two sets of fan controls. Sorted the plug to the fan over the bed (think this had also melted). Bill was just under €570 and 20% of that was tax. Didn’t think to bring cash. Worth pinning as the mechanic knows his stuff.
With temperatures at 36C, we sat in the shade. The owner kindly did a coffee and pastry run (with lack of fridge, we’d no food and hadn’t passed any cafes on the way from the port).
We left at 3.30 and stopped at a large supermarket to provision up. The camper stop would have been €40 with EHU, so we drove for 3 hrs … parked at Thermopoli overnight … battles and springs. A small square with houses on one side. I asked at a house if it was ok to stay overnight. Lost in translation, he panicked, thinking I meant in his house! His young sons put him right, as he’d seen the motorhome.
Ladies, mostly, came out to dance once it got cooler
With daylight came the realisation that the fridge was no longer working on gas. We should have shelled out the €40 for the Camper Club camperstop to make sure the f’ing fridge was working. Camper Club suggested we drive back, but the instinct is to keep going forward. So we headed for Zampatas Camping megastore, Camper stop and workshop. The lovely Stavros worked on the fridge for 4 hours. Gave us homemade raki and a cake. He rang Dometic who basically said, you’ve tried everything. But he persisted. Problem seemed to be something to do with the exhaust. Have to wonder if the money was unnecessarily spent on a new controller, burner and source switch over the last 2 years.
The freezer was working so we left it on gas overnight. And stayed the night to be sure! Free!!! By morning the fridge was cold. Yay. We filled with water, emptied the cassette and paid €80 for all that labour. 😊
Fantastic Fanari
17-18/07
Brian recommended a beach stop at Fanari. P4N indicated motorhomes had stayed recently, which was reassuring. The concern is that Greece passed a law stealthily, essentially prohibiting campers from parking, just about anywhere. Public pressure had forced amendments to the law. But this hasn’t filtered down to all the police. It is an interesting way for the Greek government to effect change without lengthy and costly consultation periods … pass a draconian law, let stakeholders create a fuss, meet them halfway.
We started off dry, but the holiday mood won
Up to do Pilates, gosh I ached and was stiff after a lack of. Despite rescinding much of the law banning Motorhomes from parking, many police are still trying to impose €300 fines. I was nervous as I saw a police car cruise by whilst I was mid one leg balance. I mouthed kali mera and got a thumbs up. Phew.
We spent the morning reading the Turkey guide book and doing a few chores. After lunch we had an ice cream and had a swim. All very chilled. Dinner on the sea front was OK prices, but pretty rubbish wine and not marvellous food. The cool breeze was marvellous.
The Turkish Border
19/07
Fanari early dog walk
Up at 6.00. No one was around other than the fishing smacks coming in. J emptied the cassette in the public standing up loos and left them a lot cleaner. I moved the van to the beach edge where there was a convenient tap. Breakfast and underway by 0800. Lidl for 3 days’ worth of food. Fridge still working, so some meat into the freezer. 😊 Border all fine, other than waiting 30 mins in our own queue (campers and coaches). Insurance from a super helpful chap €195 for 3 months. A cash point and a Turkcell sim. And coffee and lunch.
We drove to the Boomerang Bar in Eceabat
We were here 5 years ago with David and Karen. A penultimate stop for 2 nights after our lockdown 1 extended Turkey stay. We had a mini tour of Gallipoli as David’s uncle fought here, injured, sent back to war, injured. But then died of Spanish flu. 😲
A walk and ice cream. People have said Tukey is not the cheap destination it once was, but a double scoop was just over £1.
Fascinating watching all the ships, mostly oil and chemicals. Apparently we still buy a lot of Russian oil but through third party countries.
Marine app to see their destinations across S Europe and N Africa.
We left our gorge overnight location and walked the 1km to the village – through and headed for the barragem. About 3km on the road – we heard a sheep’s cry ! A newly born lamb appeared with its umbilical cord. It stuck to us and was obviously hungry – would not take water. We decided to take it back to the village and look for someone to help. A shepherd we spoke to said he might know the lambs flock and took it from us. With a “efharisto,” we turned back on the road to the reservoir and deserted village… The reservoir was almost empty, and the village was high and dry. We took a shorter road back to the village. It was “clean Monday” – the precursor to Lent in Greece – the taverna beckoned – wine appeared as if by magic! We managed to consume a half kilo with crisps… a further vino jug was brought with lunch – the road back to the van took no time.
Nearly new member to our family … NOT!Wine led to lunch!Reservoir cost €330m. Opened in 2012 … nearly empty. They’ve had to stop supplying water to nearby towns as levels are so low that the infrastructure is at risk. The residents of 450 year old Sfendili were forcibly moved on, and now their village is well above the water line.
Krasi and Gouves
4th March
After a restful night we headed in Jez to Kera a town with a famous tree! Parking at a basketball pitch – up in the plateia – the oldest plane tree in the world (?) – 2,400 years old! It suffered storm damage recently, as the photos show.
The mineral rich springs serve the Krasi and local agriculture. Better than the expensive reservoir!Ironically Krasi is Greek for wine, but the village is known for its water. Apparently the trunk needs 12 men linking hands to encompass it. The top was decapitated by a lightening strike, then recently a large branch fell. So sad that after 2,400 years, the recent years have not been good. Pretty village, with many tavernas for the summer tourists. Worth a revisit as good hiking trails.
We directed our van to Gouves on the seafront via some sharp twists and turns – to a beach wild camping place – it’s lovely to camp and hear the waves. Eggy lunch – I napped and K walked C. Then we sought a cafe for coffee and biscuits – not vino! Back via the beach to chill for the evening….
Gouves parking. Our first ever stay on Crete was at Creta Camping. Clouds ominous, but no rain.
Meeting Zorba the Greek
5th March
Meeting Zorba the Greek, well his author. Well, to be really truthful, not the author himself as he’s long since deceased. The museum is dedicated to him. Nikos Kazantzakis was recommended to us after James recently gave a talk on James Joyce. Both reacted to the restrictions and controls dictated by the Church, lived for years with their lovers before marrying and travelled. But actually, I thought Kazantzakis is Joyce on steroids. He travelled and lived in many countries worldwide, studied religions, held government offices, had books placed on the Vatican banned list … and had 2 long term lovers whom he finally married (not concurrently!). I’ve just started Zorba the Greek audio book. Stunning descriptions and use of language.
A steady drive home to collect the car and give Jez a quick clean, parked up by the beach. Also collected some parcels from Hassan’s bar … the local police are on a money making exercise … massive fines for any one without an in-date fire extinguisher, enough hi vis for all passengers, triangle and first aid kit. All local shops out of stock, hence the delivery. Jez back in his secure parking, until 18th March when Jez will get new break pads and disks.
Our ferry from Corfu was not until 7.00 p.m. so we mooched around the town. Had our tyres checked but told we don’t need to replace the front ones as they are new (20 months!), but sold us snow socks €40 to keep us legal in Greece from 31st October. Had a very indifferent lunch… another rip off the tourist place. Shame. And I walked along the sea front whilst J nanny napped in the car.
Looking back to the old fortress
At the port, we both had to walk through passport control. I then had the car documents checked. But this car belongs to James Clune. No, look, there is my name too … he laughed when I said 50/50. I had to reverse 150m towards the ferry. Water one side and a fence the other. At least I did that in a straight line! It was a tight turn to get onto the ramp. The German lady ahead of me, well, behind really, had done it before and said it was no problem for her small car. A member of staff offered to reverse my car on. Bugger that … I was going to do it myself … and I did… just had to trust the staff instructions. What was remarkable was the chap who reversed a trailer with a large speedboat. It looked like it would jacknife. Then an inch forward and an inch back. 6 staff helping: 4 on corners and 2 trying to bend the fence to prevent the bumper snagging it. Really impressive driving. But, why oh why, is that fence there? It would be so easy to reverse on … in a straight line!!!
The tight reverse turn onto the ferry due to the stupid fence.
Our apartment was only 10 mins from the port. Quirky… they’ve added extra single beds to the kitchen and bedroom so it will sleep 4. Slightly lacking in crockery, cutlery and charm… but I have those 😆.
On Wednesday we took it easy. A no drive day. We walked into Sarande, as much as we could along the beach. Beaches were disappointing as small and stoney, but still some hardy sun worshippers out in cosies.
Coffee stop. They cranked up the music when it was a good ‘un Typical stone beachPretty harbour development Determined to walk as much of the beach as possible, meant trespassing at a hotelSeriously loads of unfinished buildingsHeard lovely bird song. Looked up … oh dear!
We didn’t stop at either of the 2 museums, it only took 3 seconds to circumnavigate the exterior. Mixed it up with the locals at a super cheap and tasty restaurant … my moussaka was only £3.50! It was bustling with young men, coming, eating, going and coming back. Lots of conversations and fist pumps. Why? And no, I didn’t see any packages exchange hands. Then, it was busy with a huge tour group.
Fortified with a half litre of red (between us), we took a few nano seconds to marvel at the remaining sites.
Another Hoxha bunker Roman remains and lucky to survive as most things of historic interest were destroyed during Communist era building. This is all that remains of the castleTold Maddy I’ve bought my mother of the bride outfit!!!Want one in each colourBought some salad at the market. The vendor stroked my arm, so I guess I overpaid 😆We stopped for one on the way home. Very pleasant. Had a 2nd. Paid. Started rain, so had a third! Total bill £6.65!
