A noisy night and a much travelled romantic poet

Lady Caroline Lamb, one of his many lovers, described him as 'mad, bad and dangerous to know'. He was a spendthrift and serial seducer who wrote some of England's best known poetry. When he died Westminster Abbey refused to give him burial because of his 'questionable morality', and it was 145 years before a plaque in his honour was placed in Poets' Corner. To the Greeks however, Lord Byron is a hero for his part in their struggle to throw off the yoke of the Ottoman Empire. That is why we found ourselves standing in front of his towering statue in the Garden of Heroes situated in the town of Messolonghi. 

Legend says his heart is buried here

Byron had arrived in Greece with a fortune, having sold his English estate, and he intended to spend it on helping in the Greek War of Independence. Despite having no military experience, he raised and equipped a regiment which he proposed to lead as part of a Greek assault on the Turkish-held town of Lepanto. However he contracted a fever which his doctor tried to assuage by bloodletting. Unfortunately the instruments used were infected and Byron died of sepsis on 19th April 1824, a day commemorated as Byron Day in Greece. His heart was removed and, according to legend, lies beneath his statue in Messolonghi. The rest of him was embalmed and shipped back to the family vault in Nottinghamshire where he lies alongside his only legitimate child, Ada, Countess of Lovelace, who was a pioneer in the development of the computer.

The Greek version of MDCCCXXXVIII

The commemoration of the heroes of the struggle for independence

We had driven further than usual from our overnight stop near Diakopto, the journey taking us alongside the Gulf of Corinth to Patras. There we boarded a ferry for the short crossing finally leaving the Peloponnese after more than two wonderful months. We have been really fortunate on this trip, experiencing peaceful nights wherever we have stayed, whether in towns, small ports or out in the countryside. Unfortunately our rest was disturbed on the quay at Messolonghi by youngsters racing cars and motorbikes up and down the harbour until the early hours. It was therefore with bleary eyes, that we gazed at Byron's statue. A quick visit to a Sklavenitis supermarket, the Greek equivalent of Waitrose, and we headed north

Saying goodbye to the Peloponnese

Wednesday afternoon saw us in the small town of Amfilochia, set at the head of a large sea inlet where we found ourselves a spot down by the quay. As luck would have it, we had a second disturbed night. It seemed that, after midnight, someone was prowling round the van but got shouted at by some fishermen and shot off on a moped. All this excitement disturbed Max who insisted on going out for a pee in the small hours. Just as we got back to sleep, some of the local cats started shouting at each other, something guaranteed to get Elsa barking. We woke late on Thursday morning to the sound of rain beating down on the roof. 

Elsa's turn to drive

We had been keeping an eye on the sea state forecast in the Adriatic in order to get as calm a voyage as possible to Brindisi. We decided that next Monday night looked the most promising so we finally booked our passage for the eight hour crossing  leaving Igoumenitsa at midnight. They offer pet friendly cabins so we will be able to have the spaniels in the cabin with us, rather than down on the car deck in the van. 

The landscape changed dramatically as we headed further north. We were now in the wetter west coast of Greece and the countryside was much more lush than we were used to. The number of olive groves diminished to be replaced by pasture and crops. However, there were still some orange trees about so we were able to stop at a roadside stall and get 5 kilos of juicy oranges for €2. We arrived at our overnight stop, looking down on a lake outside the city of Arta. We share the spot with a large number of waterfowl, including geese. Hopefully, any attempt to mess about with the van tonight will be thwarted as they emulate the sacred geese of Rome who warned of an attack by Gauls on the city's Capitoline Hill in 390 BC. They look vicious enough. 

Looking down on the geese

A mountain railway, another birthplace of independence and choppy seas

We looked straight ahead through the window of the drivers' compartment at the tiny trackway which appeared to vanish down the hill in front. Suddenly I remembered once having been on a rollercoaster ride called Runaway Train. Luckily the driver slowed to a crawl and inched down the 17.5% gradient leaning on the brakes. Any faster around some of the tight curves sliding between solid rock faces and over deep ravines and we would certainly have left the tracks and tumbled into the gorge. 

A vanishing track

We were on the Diakofto to Kalavryta rack railway, which goes south from the Gulf of Corinth inland across the Vouraikos Gorge, travelling to a height of 720m in 22km. The tiny 2'6" gauge railway was built in 1895, and one of the original steam locomotives is on display at the station. The scenery through which it travels is breathtaking, red cliffs scoured by wind and water rose up around us, and a fast running river bubbled and span as it forced its way through narrow gaps and steep drops below. On the ascent we slowed to a crawl on the steeper sections, feeling the rack in the centre of the track biting as it hauled the train up. The hoarse whistle sounded constantly, warning traffic at level crossings near the top and bottom, and giving notice to hikers who travel up on the train and walk back along the track. It failed to deter one obstruction and we came to a shuddering halt shortly before seeing a handful of goats wandering nonchalantly over the rocks.

Snow is melting somewhere

We had expected the train to be quiet on a Monday in February, but had in any case booked our tickets the day before when checking the train times at the small station in Diakofto. Either the train is always busy, or other people had seen that the weather was forecast to be exceptionally warm and sunny, as we were joined at the station by several large groups creating a holiday atmosphere. It made for a tight squeeze on a train seating two either side of the aisle, with facing seats forcing almost indecent knee contact. We understood why dogs were not allowed, and decided Max and Elsa were much happier to be napping in the van in the car park. The only down side of leaving them behind was having to return on the same train we'd gone up on, giving us no time to explore the ski-town of Kalavryta - yet another place we have visited which claims to be the birthplace of Greek independence. Although the temperature was definitely much colder than at sea level there was snow only on the surrounding peaks.

Waiting for the train

Engine from the early days...

...and now

We'd arrived in Diakofto on Sunday, after meandering west along the almost deserted old national coast road, enjoying views across the gulf. We wanted to check that the train was running to timetable on Monday and that there was somewhere suitable to leave Florence and the spaniels. We had then driven down to the small harbour and along the shore where there is rough parking next to a shingle beach. Historically this is an area where wild camping is allowed, and we were surprised to have it all to ourselves, apart from the odd person fishing, some dog walkers, and someone learning to drive. Having had a good clean at the camperstop in Corinth, and done the laundry in Athens, we were free to spend the afternoon relaxing, enjoying the sun and grooming the spaniels.  

So good we stayed here twice

It was such a nice place that we decided to stay another night and make a slightly longer journey tomorrow, when we will return to Patras and say goodbye to the Peloponnese after more than two months here. We've had a wonderful time, but we're ready to move on, and Italy beckons. We are crossing from Igoumenitsa to Brindisi, and we'll spend another week or so driving north, keeping a weather eye on the sea state forecast in an attempt to book the calmest possible crossing. It may be 20º and sunny here in Diakofto, but even Max says it's too rough to swim, and he's a sea dog. 

"Those waves are too big for me, Mum"

Rocks around the clock

Cue the Pale Rider

Some very expensive gin palaces and lunch alongside Arsenal fans

We hadn't made firm plans to visit Athens. We are not great fans of cities and having experienced the packed and often narrow streets in places like Thessaloniki, we knew it would not be the best place to take a motorhome. Athens is also one of the worst cities in Europe for air pollution which didn't encourage us. However, the need to pick up the replacement laptop meant going to the Apple store in the city and we had also ordered some spare parts for one of our toilet cassettes and that shop was in Athens too.

A small but bijou parking spot

One of the issues we face when in a city is finding a secure place to leave Florence. This was particularly important in Athens as dogs are not permitted on public transport, so we would need somewhere secure to leave the van and the spaniels if we wanted to explore. We had seen rave reviews for a parking area in the port of Piraeus, so on Monday morning, having walked the spaniels from our overnight spot near the town of Nea Peramos, dodging guard dogs and a few hairy bastards (see blogs passim) on the way, we took the motorway into Piraeus. Neri skilfully took us down a narrow side street jammed with cars, into a small parking area where we received a warm welcome from the owner, Maria. The area had CCTV and was gated at night so we knew we would be secure. It also had the advantage of being a five minute walk from the Metro.

These are the small ones

Ferries in every available space

We had planned to stay for two nights but things changed when Maria told us that there would be no public transport on Tuesday because of a strike.This meant we would have to spend the Tuesday in Piraeus and go into Athens on Wednesday, so we extended our stay. The first task was to collect the new laptop so I left Neri to do a bit of food shopping while I got the metro to the shop in the north of the city. Although it was an Apple reseller, rather than a full-blown Apple store, it was still full of geeky types testing the goods on display and  staffed by earnest youngsters in tshirts, none of whom looked older than twelve. Having been warned that pickpockets were common in Athens, I spent the journey home tightly clutching my expensive purchase and looking out for suspicious characters. In the event, none appeared.

People here make it clear that Piraeus is NOT Athens

The next morning we set off with the pups to explore Piraeus. It is the main port for Athens so naturally our walk took us down to the harbour. There we were confronted by more ferries in one place than I can remember seeing, Greece has a lot of islands. There were also millions of pounds worth of yachts from the reasonably small and practical, in the affordable one to two million pound bracket, up to an Arab-owned monster which was well out of the price range of someone on a BBC pension. It rather amused us to find space was still reserved for somewhat more down-market and definitely grubbier Greek fishing boats, which happily bobbed alongside the gin palaces. Many of the latter were British registered and we concluded they probably belonged to Russian oligarchs resident in London. Having returned the spaniels to the van we set off in search of a car charger for the new Macbook having discovered that since buying the original one only some two years or so before, Apple had changed all the connectors. 

The metro station at Piraeus is rather splendid

Wednesday morning saw us taking the spaniels for a relatively short walk before leaving them in the van and boarding the metro to go and explore the Acropolis. The Athens metro system is the second oldest in the world after the London Underground. The service to Piraeus was opened in 1869 but it was some 130 years later before they got round to adding two further lines. But the system is clean and efficient and about a third of the price of the Underground. Visiting Athens in February is a real bonus. The weather is pleasantly warm, more like a Lancashire summer, and the number of visitors relatively low. We were therefore able to enjoy a stroll up the hill to the Parthenon, shrugging off the attempts of a guide to rope us in to an organised tour. We hate being organised. 

It fair takes the breath away

I was astounded by the Parthenon. We have been to many archaeological sites in Greece but nothing compared with the sight of this amazing building on the rocky outcrop high above the city. The presence of cranes and scaffolding, it is in the latest phase of restoration, could not take away the grandeur of the place. Quite why it failed to make the list of Wonders of the Ancient World, is a mystery and it is incredible that so much of it has survived. As a visiting Brit I felt a touch of guilt that the Elgin Marbles, part of the frieze around the pediment, were lodged in the British Museum. The fact that they are there probably saved them from the damage pollution has done to some of the stonework. but maybe the time has come to restore them to their rightful place. 

The Ancient Agora

We took time to walk to the viewpoint where we could look down on the Ancient Agora, the former administrative, philosophical, educational, cultural and economic centre of the city. The site dates back to prehistoric times but its zenith came during the Greek Classical period in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. Our minds sated with ancient history we walked back down to the city street where we were accosted by a young lady waving a couple of menus. It seemed rude to refuse so we had a nice lunch in a small restaurant. It was a little noisier than it might have been because of a group of loud Brits on the adjoining table, two of whom were wearing Arsenal shirts. A little Googling revealed the fact that their team was playing Olympiacos in the Europa Cup the following evening at the stadium less than a mile from where were were overnighting and which we had passed on the metro. 

The Erechtheum, an ancient temple by the Parthenon

We were greeted with rain on waking on Thursday morning, the first we had seen for some weeks. After Neri's run we walked the pups around the ferry port, the only place nearby where we could get off the crowded streets. Then it was a case of saying goodbye to Maria, squeezing out past the gaggle of parked cars and heading back in the direction of Ancient Corinth. After three days off-grid we decided to return to the small site where we had stayed before. This will give us a day to have a bit of a clean and replenish and empty things. After three and a half months in Greece, our time here  will soon be over as we make our way across the country to Igoumenista  where we will, in a couple of weeks, take a ferry to Italy. 

The biggest challenge is identifying which bits go where


What remains of the ancient odeon of Herodes Atticus 161AD.


Whose lion is it anyway.

Gazing at ruins and gongoozling at the Corinth Canal

  “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” You won’t often see us quoting from the bible, but it’s hard not to think about First Corinthians when you are standing in Ancient Corinth at a place where St Paul preached, and which later became a church dedicated to him. If Apollo ever wrote letters to his flock they’ve been rather lost in the mists of time. As you might expect though, his temple here is substantially bigger, in fact bigger than almost any ruins we’ve yet seen, with the possible exception of the temple of Zeus at Olympia. 

Acrocorinth drapes around the hill

Ancient ruins are on quite a scale in Corinth. We’d spent the night before perched on
the massive rocky outcrop above the old town, known as Acrocorinth.  It is draped in massive stone walls, three kilometres in circumference, with three concentric rings comprising either wall or sheer rock. The fortress was started in about 600BCE, and has been added to and amended by the now familiar succession of Romans, Byzantines, Franks, Venetians, Ottomans and anyone else passing through. Its location was just too good not to make the most of, with views across the Gulf of Corinth, and to the other side of the isthmus. You’d see an invading fleet several days before it could land.

A good place to watch for enemies

We’d arrived at Acrocorinth on Friday afternoon, having spent the previous night at the small harbour of Nea Epidavros. These little harbours have been good to us on this trip, and they usually offer a safe, hassle free place to spend the night. Nea Epidavros was different only in the style of vessels moored. As we get closer to Athens the rustic fishing boats are increasingly giving way to motor cruisers and sleek yachts. 

We like spring water

On Saturday morning we took the spaniels for a ramble around the slopes of Acrocorinth, before exploring the fortress. After taking in the views we drove back down, stopping to fill up at one of the many roadside fountains which invariably have the nicest tasting water.

After lunch in the car park at the archaeological site we paid our €4 each (winter rates) to explore the ancient city, which is fairly compact, but has a lot to see. That’s partly because so much of it is Roman and has survived better than the Greek constructions that predate it by several hundred years. We are in the cusp of a time when computers could give instructions for reassembling the thousands of fragments lying around. Would that be better or not? We’ll have to wait and see.

When we had seen our fill of marble and limestone, and wandered through the small tourist village, we drove about 500m to one of Greece’s rare  camperstops. For €13 a 

St Paul was here

night it offered electricity, and black and grey water dumps, as well as fresh oranges and eggs. Much to Nick’s delight it also flew the St Piran’s flag, left by regular visitors from Cornwall. We’d decided to make the most of it before heading towards Athens, where we’ll be in a gated car park with no facilities.

We try to make Sunday mornings a little different from the rest of the week, with a cooked breakfast and a more relaxed start. As it was also my run morning, it was after one by the time we had walked the pups and were ready to leave. Our walk took us back through the tourist village, and after the spaniels had had the usual fuss from several passers-by we wondered whether we should fit them with a collection box, or perhaps set up a spaniel hugging stall next to a tourist site?

Temple of Apollo, now...

...and then (1909)

Our first stop was the Corinth canal, specifically the submersible bridge at the western end. We took some photos, and then sat and drank our tea, reading about its long gestation: Nero had it started, but it was only finally completed in 1893, after which it still faced numerous problems. It has never been used to anything like its capacity. Perhaps even more impressive than the canal was the Diolkos, the paved way across the 6.3km of the isthmus, along which the ancient Greeks used to drag their ships, rather than sail or row around the Peloponnese.

Submersible bridge in situ...

...and sunk

Suddenly Nick’s shipping app informed us that a ship had entered the canal at the other end. The prospect of watching the bridge in action was too enticing to miss, so we stayed to watch the bridge descend into the water, the 2080 tonne general cargo ship Agios Georgios being tugged along the canal and through the bridge, and then the bridge deck emerge from the water to allow cars to drive across it again. We had been alone in the small car park, but as the bridge closed cars beetled in from all directions, so we clearly weren’t the only ones to enjoy the spectacle. At home, people who hang around to watch narrowboats go through locks are called gongoozlers. I wonder if there’s a Greek equivalent?

A short time later we drove over the canal, looking down into the vast canyon it creates across the isthmus, and said au revoir to the Peloponnese. We’ll be back in a few days, but first we have a quick trip to Athens planned. We are parked up tonight on small gravel area used by people fishing off the nearby beach, just half an hour from Athens. So I’ll end this post, which includes Valentine’s Day, with love to all our readers, and the hope that we have managed to avoid being either a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.

The Agios Georgios leaves the canal

Acrocorinth towers above the ancient city

One of the gates to Acrocorinth

Biggest bag of roadside oranges yet!

A bit of a crack and an encounter with hairy little bastards

During our time in Greece we have visited a number of the big archaeological sites including Olympia, Mycenae and Messini, all offering spectacular ruins spread over large expanses of ground. So it was nice to visit one of the smaller sites at Asine a couple of kilometres from where we had spent four relaxing days on a campsite where laundry and cleaning was carried out and the spaniels romped on the beach. 

The original inhabitants would have loved these stairs

Asine is built on a steep outcrop of rock overlooking the modern resort of Tolon and, looking at its history, it’s amazing anything has survived. Founded around the 10th century BC it was razed to the ground by the Argives some 300 years later after the inhabitants had rashly joined in an invasion of Argives territory and left it in ruins. What was left suffered even more damage 2,600 years later when, during the Second World War, occupying Italian troops took it over as a defensive position, and further damaged the ruins. Enough remains to appreciate the cisterns built into the rock to catch and store drinking water, and what is left of a stone dwelling at the top of the hill with glorious views across the bay.

We had originally planned to head round the smallest peninsula of the Peloponnese but we had noticed a crack in Florence’s windscreen, caused no doubt by an encounter with one of the many potholes. A call to our insurance company confirmed the glass could be replaced but, being Greece, no one quite knew when. So we headed back to Nafpoli and resumed position in the large car park overlooking the bay and waited for events to unfold.

Asine artefacts

Gold never decays

Our enforced stay did give us the opportunity to visit the local archaeological museum where we were delighted to see among the displays, artefacts from Asine. As well as the usual pots, ornaments and spear heads I was fascinated by a skeleton of a man, almost completely intact. Here was I, in the second decade of the 21st century, looking down on the remains of someone who had walked, talked and breathed the air of Greece 3,000 years before. 

He’s been lying around for three millennia

You really don’t want to mess with these

We had planned to take the pups along the lovely cliff path we had discovered on our previous stay. But when Neri returned from her run it was to report that the path was crawling with pine processional moth caterpillars. For anyone not familiar with these rather unpleasant creatures, they are covered in fine hair which they can release when threatened. They are toxic to humans and often fatal to dogs. They are easily spotted because they travel nose to tail in long lines, hence their name. We confined our walks to the quay and surrounding paths. Even then we spotted more of them under the only pine tree we passed. We will have to watch out for these as spring advances. 

Waiting for the adhesive to bond

There was positive news about the windscreen. The insurance company phoned to say they had identified a local repairer and we were booked in on Thursday. We celebrated with lunch on a quayside taverna. The next morning we drove down a series of rough lanes to a small garage where we left Florence and took the spaniels for a walk dodging the various Greek guard dogs that seem to be attached to every property. We then spent three hours sitting in the van waiting for the bonding agent to dry before the friendly repairman would allow us to depart. We have a short journey to New Epidavros this afternoon where we will overnight. Tomorrow we begin the journey north towards Corinth and Athens

The ancient Greeks did like a pot around the place

Mycenaen bronze armour from c1500BC