Chasing the sun round a car park and the trains to nowhere

Touch wood but we reached the halfway point of our journey with no mechanical issues. Avid readers will remember we had to replace our leisure batteries a few weeks ago but, other than that we have been problem free. However we had begun hearing a squeaking noise from one of the wheels a couple of weeks before Christmas and I decided it was either a wheel bearing or a brake problem. Given that we had to return to Kalamata to chase up our missing Christmas parcels, it seemed a good idea if we found someone to have a look at it.

Flowers in January

We left Ancient Messini on the Sunday and returned to the spot by the beach at Analipsi where we have spent several days on this bit of the trip. It’s really handy because the beach is great for the spaniels and there is a fresh water tap. As a bonus the beach bar, shut up for the winter, has an outside toilet with an unlocked door. We met a Dutch couple, touring in their old van, and a second Dutchman, travelling with his dog. We planned to visit the Fiat dealer in Kalamata, but Monday was a public holiday in Greece (Epiphany).  

Christmas arrives in the New Year

On Tuesday Greece came back to life after the holiday so we drove into Kalamata to check if our Christmas parcels had turned up, and were very pleased to find three of the five at the post office. We assumed the remaining two would be arriving at any time.....we were wrong as we found out later. On the way back to Analipsi we called in at the Fiat dealer and booked Florence in at noon the next day. We received a visit from the trader with the pick up who we first met before Christmas. This time we bought a big bag of oranges and some tomatoes but were disappointed that he had no more black honey. Not ready until March he told us.

Analipsi beach was becoming a familiar sight

The following morning we drove back to the dealer. However, it soon turned out that ‘noon’ in Greek time was rather flexible. Having done all the paperwork we sat outside in the car park with the spaniels. It was warm and sunny and the staff were a bit iffy about having them in the showroom. We confidently expected to be done and dusted in time for a late lunch. The first hour came and went, and it was not until nearly two that someone came out to take Florence in to the workshop. By this time the sun was starting to go behind the building, and we found ourselves shuffling spaniels, chairs and water bowls across the car park to stay in the warm. Luckily they finished the job by four, any later and we would have completely run out of sunshine. We drove away with eight new brake pads and €400 euros lighter but the squeak had gone.

Waiting in Neri’s shadow for the van

The train not departing

The following morning we decided to get some shopping done, so walked with the pups up to the town centre. This took us through Kalamata Railway Park, a sort of open air museum built around the old station. Kalamata used to be linked to Athens by a metre gauge railway, originally constructed in the late 19th century. But, in 2011, with Greece suffering a massive financial crisis, all metre gauge lines in the Peloponnese were shut down. Thus we found ourselves walking through a linear park, with railway lines, on which stood a collection of locomotives and rolling stock. It was as if the trains had arrived and suddenly discovered the line behind them had closed, so they remain trapped where they came to a halt. There are no barriers, no ‘keep off’ signs and no information. Everything has just been left to moulder away.

Shopping done we rewarded ourselves with lunch in a bistro, with some rather nice German white beer. The pups got plenty of attention from the waiting staff and some of the customers. They certainly seem to have been a hit with many Greeks. On our return to the van we found an e mail from the courier company who had found our parcels and will return them to Kalamata. In true Greek style we are not completely sure when they will turn up so we will stay in the area until they do. 

The sun set lights up the mountains behind Kalamata

This is being composed on an iPad as we have confirmed that the MacBook Air has definitely given up the ghost. Luckily I have found an Apple dealer in Athens who can order a replacement machine with a British keyboard. I think we will both struggle with the Greek version. We will collect it in four weeks or so when we head North to the Greek capital. Hopefully the one finger I use to write this won’t wear out before then.