Pottering around Portugal

Staying on the West coast of Portugal we head to a Camperstop set in a secluded bay south of Nazaire where we stayed a couple of days, wandering around the nearby village or heading out on our bikes to explore. Having spent quite a lot of time in Spain we find Portugal very different even though they are such close neighbours. The Portuguese people are very much quieter (although still plenty of barking dogs!) they are also warmer and kinder, although its a rather rundown country there are plenty of historic monuments and places to visit. Our next city being a fine example - Evora, an inland city enroute back towards Spain had some really interesting monuments,

The Roman temple not far from the cathedral Evora

the most striking being the remains of a Roman temple of Diana right in the middle of the historic centre. The nearby Gothic cathedral rises majestically from the highest point in the city its fairytale windows giving a rather surreal feeling to the facade. The town's main square was filled with cafes and bars and a great place to people watch. Wandering around the narrow cobbled streets we came across the chapel of bones - decorated from floor to ceiling with skulls and over 5000 bones, the inscription on entering reads "We, the bones that are here await yours"
Hopefully not yet.....
With a free Aire quite close to the city centre Evora was wel worth a visit.

Our next stop was a medieval hilltop town of Monsaraz , dominated by its crumbling castle, time has stood still for this fortified town rich in history since prehistoric times, its strategic position making it much fought for over the centuries.


Our final destination in Portugal before crossing back into Spain was the village of Luz (translation:light) a village that was rebuilt when the area was flooded to create a reservoir. We visited the rather quant little museum of the village which gave an insight into what it was like to have to leave your home to make way for progress. The whole village was relocated and every resident was given a new house in the newly built replica settlement, even the cemetery was relocated!
Leaving Luz we headed back to Spain towards Seville and another Via Verde or 2

Evora cathedral

Bad hair day at Monsaraz

Our journey into Portugal

Ecopista do Tamega (Green cycle route)

If any of you have driven around Portugal you will know that the motorway toll system is somewhat complicated for the foreign tourist so after much deliberation we decided to keep with our tradition of touring toll-free enjoying the slower and quieter roads, it may take longer to get from A to B but it's always more interesting.

The Aire from Bragança castle

From Zamora in Spain we headed west into northern Portugal and the city of Bragança, a historic town with its old, walled citadel perched on top of the hill.

The municipality provided a great terraced Aire right below the castle making it easy to walk up the hill to the castle and then through the narrow cobbled streets into the town. We stayed long enough to explore the city before heading further south and inland to an area we visited five years ago, a town called Arco de Bauthe, we parked by the old station museum of a disused railway which is now a 25mile long tarmac cycle route through amazing countryside. We had a wonderful couple of days cycling along the route. We had the cheapest cup of coffee in a small town next to the track, it was only 65 cents (about 50p) and equally as good as Costa!
Our journey continued slowly west following the Duoro valley, along our route we found another great free Aire at Sauselo with water, electric, toilets and hot showers (first time ever for free hot showers!) but annoyingly it was quite noisy there and there was nothing to do in the vicinity, no walking or cycling trails and the walk into the local town was along the edge of a main road with no pavement. Such a shame, also the Aire was poorly designed for the larger Motorhomes with really awkward access especially to the service area.

On a more positive note I met an amazing lady who invited me to join her doing Pilates, she was an instructor and she gave me a lesson in which I learnt more than I have done in years! I also  got to star in her Pilates video on Instagram!
It really inspired me to get over my self consciousness, to get my mat out and do Pilates more often whilst we are away.
The Duoro valley route is one of the best and most scenic in Europe, the road (the N222) follows the gentle curves of the river as it winds its way through the hills covered in vineyards, if you're interested then just search for N222 on YouTube and you can see wonderful videos of other travellers journey along the valley, sadly none of my photos do it adequate justice.
So where to next? We decided to head to the West coast of Portugal, not sure what sort of weather we would encounter at this time of year (October), but we were not to be disappointed as we enjoyed a few days at Figuiera da Foz parked up right by the beach and seafront cycle path.

Beautiful sunshine reflected on the sea at Figuiera da Foz

Our journey through Spain to Portugal

The rugged coastline of Northern Spain 

Leaving France we headed into Spain following the winding up and down northern coast road heading west. This coastline is very hilly and very rugged so progress is slow, but at least it gives you time to admire the view - as a passenger that is, Keith is busy keeping an eye on the road!
Our first stop was in the car park of a Bird sanctuary with free water and waste facilities. Parked next to us was a lovely lady we got chatting to, she was travelling with her two young daughters who she was home schooling whilst they roamed all across Europe - what an experience for them!
We then headed along more narrow and winding roads into the Picos mountains where we stayed on a campsite for a change. The site was on the outskirts of the lovely traditional town of Potes which we explored on foot having decided to leave the bikes back at the campsite.

Medieval bridge in central Potes

We found a great place for a coffee overlooking the medieval bridge in the centre of town.
The scenery of the Picos mountains is spectacular, but my hiking in the hills days are over due to my dodgy knees, so we didn't stay in the area for long, after a couple of days we headed back out of the region on the narrow winding roads further south to a very Spanish town for another overnight stop - an Aire right on a Via Verde cycle trail! Sadly we discovered it was only 11 km long so it really wasn't worth taking the bikes off the back of the van. We did enjoy a walk around town and a cortardo coffee sitting in a cafe watching the world go by.

Zamora 

We had one more night in Spain in the large central Spanish town of Zamora where there is a large Aire for Motorhomes next to a park. In the evening all the families came down to the park with their children to let them play while they chatted, one of the pleasures of living in a warmer climate. We  discovered we were located right on the major EV1 cycle route from the north to southern Spain we pedalled out for a ride into the flat plains surrounding the city. On our ride we met a Belgian lady who was cycling solo from Biarritz all the way to South Africa, what a brave adventure for a single woman to undertake!

Zamora

Meandering down through France

Some years ago in the days when were both working and taking two week holidays in our VW campervan we had a favourite destination in Central France - St. Gaultier. We used to stay on the Municipal campsite, a pretty small site with basic amenities (but cheap!) a gorgeous little town in the Indre region with a disused railway cycle track running right through it. So this trip we thought it would be good to go back to revisit the area and cycle the trail. This time though we stayed on the free Aire in the outskirts of town right by the cemetery (the neighbours are quiet at night!). Nothing much had changed in the town since we were here last unlike the village in the U.K. where we live where we are being hemmed in by all the hundreds of houses being built all around us.
With lovely warm sunny weather we set out along the track doing what we love the best! The track took us through countryside and sleepy villages       (where does everyone disappear to in the afternoon?) it's always such a delight cycling on the traffic free paths in France.

Leaving St Gaultier we headed further south to the Dordogne to visit some motorhomer friends we met in February in Mojacar Spain who live at La Coquille. Barry and Jean moved to the Dordogne a year ago and have a fabulous house and new life in France, we were fortunate enough to be invited to their friends BBQ which was a wonderful afternoon spent meeting lots of people who have either moved to France or have holiday homes there. And it set us to think that maybe it could be something we would like to  do - sell up our house in the U.K. buy a smaller property in Sussex nearer to our daughter and the grandchildren and a house in France. With property prices so low in France we could buy a really nice property in which to enjoy the tranquil country life - it all seems very appealing and gave us a lot to talk about!

After a lovely couple of days socialising we went deeper into the Dordogne to a pretty village near the epicentre of the region - Sarlat (easily accessible on the cycle track we were parked next to!!)
It's an interesting area to visit maybe a bit touristy but the ancient buildings in the town are amazing. If we do buy a house in the Dordogne we would prefer to keep to the edge of the province rather than in the thick of the main attractions.
Leaving the Dordogne we headed to the Lot valley to stay with our friends Rik and Marie. We were able to park in their garden where we had a couple of really peaceful nights - late one night I was looking up at the night sky filled with thousands of stars, the Milky Way stretched  across directly above, a sight never seen above our home in the UK with all the light pollution there is there. We had a great couple of days catching up with our friends and enjoying Marie's cooking before moving on to one last stopover in France before heading on into Spain.

Villefranche-du-Perigord - Market place

Medieval houses

Back on the road again!!

After spending six months of touring already this year you would have thought that we would want to stay at home, but it's actually quite the opposite - we just love the travelling life! The last couple of months have been wonderful being at home with all its comforts, taking time to catch up with our friends and family especially our beautiful grandchildren who seem to grow and change every time we see them - even if only a few days have past. We always miss them when we are away on our travels.
This time for our Autumn travels we have decided to head slowly down through France, taking time to explore and find some good cycling as well as visiting friends. Then as the temperatures start to dip we will head south to Spain, the plan being to tour the north before heading down the middle eventually ending up in the south and the Costa Del Sol. We might travel west into Portugal at some stage to visit the Douro valley we have heard so much about. Well that's the plan, but who knows where we end up going to as we have no fixed agenda just a few ideas of where we would like to visit.

Our journey began last Wednesday when we took the 11am ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe, a four hour crossing and not our usual route, but it all went well, the crossing was smooth and the time seemed to go quickly. Unfortunately after we disembarked as we were sitting in the queue for Passport control the driver of a campervan wasn't paying attention and swiped our driver mirror- the plus side is that we have 'Mirrorguards' on both sides which protected the mirror and all the delicate workings inside so Keith was able to fix the guard back on and no damage was done, but it wasn't the best start to our trip! What we did enjoy though was not having the long drive to Dover to catch the ferry as well as a two hour drive at the other end.
We headed to a free Aire at Mesniere en Bray only 25km from Dieppe for our first night on French soil, after a very peaceful night we then headed south to the Loire region for some cycling adventures. We found a great place to stop at Pontlevoy with free facilities including electricity overlooking a pretty chateau.

With a free cycle route map from the local Tourist Information office we found plenty of  peaceful lanes and

tracks to cycle on in the region and
really enjoyed the peace and quiet as we cycled through the forests. The jewel in the crown of the Loire region has to be the fabulous Château de Chambord built in the 16th century as a hunting lodge for the King, with all its rather whimsical pillars and towers and its central double helix staircase it is a fascinating place and so over the top! Apparently King Francis 1 only ever spent about seven weeks here in total! It's hard to believe that it is in such wonderful condition after hundreds of years including being left abandoned for some of that time.
We are in our element staying in an area with so much cycling to do and ended up staying another three nights based on an Aire in a pretty little village (Tour de Sologne) right on a number of routes for us to chose from. Perfect!

Cycling through the forest with the beginnings of the Autumn colours

The last leg of our epic trip

With heavy hearts we left Austria and headed across Germany towards France, we decided not to spend much time in Germany on this trip as we wanted to make for the Ardennes , an area of natural beauty which we had researched to have some excellent cycling.
The Trans-Ardennes cycle trail seemed to us a perfect ending for the last week of our trip, it also served as a reminder of how wonderful the cycle trails are in France as well as how easy Motorhoming is in this beautiful country, there are facilities everywhere for Motorhomers as almost every village and town has designated free Aires.

We had a wonderful time cycling parts of the 83km trail alongside the spectacular river Meuse, the trail is almost traffic free which makes for a much more relaxed journey especially when we come across a bakery that serves delicious coffee and cakes!
We booked our crossing home from Calais to Dover and were so surprised when sitting in the queue waiting to board the ferry we saw our friends Martin and Isabelle also waiting in their motorhome for the same ferry. We just couldn't believe the co-incidence! Having not seen them since our stay in Mojacar in March we had a lot of catching up to do about where we had all been and the adventures we had over the last few months! They had been mainly in Portugal, Martin had a big birthday whilst they were there and they hired a huge villa for all the family to join him in his celebrations - you can imagine he had a few tales to tell about that!
What a wonderful end to our travels, the crossing went by in a flash whilst we chatted and we didnt even notice the sea was slightly more choppy than usual!

And so our six month trip across Europe is over, we travelled 6500miles in the motorhome, cycled 1500 miles on our bikes, took 2 overnight ferry journies and visited 12 European countries. We have made many new friends and certainly had some really interesting experiences.

I wonder when and where our next experience will be?

Somewhere in Greece 3 thousand miles from home....

Austria - our perfect destination

Having scurried out of Slovenia to escape the persistent rain we arrived in Austria for just a bit more rain before the dark clouds cleared and we were blessed with beautiful weather, hot and sunny in the daytime and cool in the evenings (although when we were up in the mountainous ski resorts it was quite chilly during the night). We started our Austrian adventure in the south at Rosegg, a pretty little town on the river Drau, conveniently situated right on a cycle path which follows the course of the river and this begins the theme of our stay in this beautiful country - cycle paths! We stayed in the car park by the cemetery, the neighbours are quiet and most cemeteries have a water tap which is very convenient!

Our favourite spot in the mountains- so tranquil

The first impression of Austria is how impeccable it is everywhere, the beautiful chalet style houses, often of pine construction with colourful window boxes and manicured gardens. There is no litter anywhere but one thing astounded us about this rather pristine country, if you go in a bar or restaurant you may encounter a smoky atmosphere. Apparently the smoking ban was overturned by the Freedom party, against the stern advice of the medical profession and cancer charities, notably the leader of the party is a smoker himself! I have to say it was Weird and not very pleasant to go back to the days of sitting in a restaurant next to a smoker, it's like going back in time!

T

And then there is the scenery, we fell in love with the breathtaking snow capped mountains, the lush valleys, the fairytale villages and the abundance of clearly way-marked tarmac cycle paths, we arrived in ebike heaven! As we progressed slowly north towards Strasbourg, we were blown away by the stunning beauty, having never been a skier, I now understand the draw of the exhilaration of skiing combined with what has to be the most amazing scenery in the world.  We found plenty of places to park for a night or two without any disturbance, being off season the ski lifts are closed but the car parks make great places to stay! Everywhere we went we were wowed by wonderful views, the hot weather melting the snow from the mountain tops, the meltwater rushing down the hillsides in torrents and falls. One place we stayed next to the river we had to get used to the constant roaring of the gushing water, it was like White noise!

Top of the mountain 5606ft above sea level

One day we cycled up a mountain alongside the ski lift, the road just went up and up past heaps of compacted snow, it was still warm enough for short sleeves, in fact right at the top where the air is thin the sun was really hot! At the summit was a lovely restaurant where we sat and enjoyed a coffee, taking in the superb views. Without our ebikes we would never have made it to so many places we visited. 
We stayed in Austria for over a fortnight and when we left we both felt really sad to be leaving such a wonderful country. One day we will return as we only explored a tiny bit of Austria and just maybe the weather might be as fantastic!

A lovely spot for a picnic lunch!

Hungary, Slovenia and into Austria

Cycling Lake Balaton, Hungary 

As we left Romania and headed through the open border into Hungary we certainly felt that we would return to spend more time in both Romania and Bulgaria on another trip - especially the coast which we had heard lots of good things about. As we travelled into Hungary we could tell we were moving towards Austria and Germany - the roads were in good condition with excellent signposting, the surrounding countryside very tidy and organised, the towns and villages we passed through much more modern.

Lunch! Cheese Langos and chicken filled Gyros

Our first stop was in a car park of an Arboretum at Szekesfehervar, which was right on a cycle path so handy for a pedal off to explore our surroundings. We stayed a couple of nights then headed to the Lake Balaton area and a campsite for a few nights (catch-up on my washing). Hungary is a land-locked country so they make a big thing of the Lake, it's a major tourist attraction with a cycle path which circumvents the lake, on the way are lots of cafes and restaurants with large lawned areas for people to laze in the sun or swim in the lake. We stopped and had lunch, it was lucky they had a menu with pictures because we don't speak a word of Hungarian, it may look like a pizza but the base is entirely different- it's deep fried dough, no wonder it was so tasty! I'm often asked how we get on with language in all these different countries and the answer is that we get by with asking in English first, sign language, pointing at things and Google translate, it also helps if you don't get too disappointed if you don't get quite what you wanted!

Leaving the campsite but not wanting to leave the area we found a Park4night spot in the wine growing area, just a car park but great views across the countryside to the lake, there was also a water fountain nearby with a constant flow of icy cold spring water. We had a very
peaceful night here but the weather changed from hot and sunny to cold and wet so it seemed a good idea to move on into Slovenia. We always try to use bad weather as "down time" for moving on our next destination, unfortunately there was a huge band of rain across Central Europe and from this we could not escape!!

Great place to stay, loads of walks and cycle rides but the rain would not stop!

We easily crossed the border into Slovenia (dusty old border control point with nobody in it!) and headed to the small town of Ruse where we stayed on a dedicated Motorhome parking with free facilities including electric hook-up which was very useful whilst we sat in the van for two days waiting for the rain to stop - which it didn't. At times like this we are eternally grateful for all the films downloaded onto our hard drive (Thanks Paul!)
So once again we hit the road and headed into Austria, here we fell in love with the breathtaking scenery, the snow capped mountains,the lovely towns and villages, but most of all the abundance of amazing cycling on well marked tarmac trails - we also had wonderful weather! Ebike heaven!
Don't miss my next blog post to find out what we got up to in Austria!

Our favourite stopover in Austria at Zedehaus

From Bulgaria to Romania

Crossing the border from Bulgaria to Romania took two hours sitting in a queue of cars and vans, the huge lorries had even longer to wait as all our vehicles and documents were checked (including the vehicle registration) by a rather grumpy official. We also had to pay 6€ for crossing the New Europe border bridge, thankfully they took Euros as we didn't have any local currency. Once we arrived in Romania it felt calm and orderly, the small single storey buildings were tidy and well kept, their gardens well manicured in contrast to the rather scruffy and rundown houses in Bulgaria. One thing that struck us about both countries was that nothing was new (except in the city areas) there is no building work going on and time just seems to have stood still. 

We found the people friendly, although at times they stared at us like we were aliens (which I suppose is true in a way!! 👽) 

For our first stop we parked right by a convent which was a 10 minute walk from the Danube, we stayed a couple of nights and ventured out on our bikes on the riverside track. It was a peaceful place to stay except for the bells in the night calling the nuns to prayer (at 2am - really?!). We then moved on to a campsite which was rustic to the extreme. The photo is the toilet- just a hole with no running water ( no - we didn't use it except to empty our own toilet!) the shower was outside under a water tank (cold water only - for those brave enough to try it) the water into a trough was cold mountain water and flowed continually. 

No electric just a warm smile from the elderly lady and her husband who owned the place, she spoke no English and we spoke not a word of Romanian but we managed to communicate. We paid £3.65 to stay for one night so can't complain! The area was in the mountains and very scenic, it even boasted thermal baths but when we went to see them they were rather crowded with tourists and disappointing so we didn't indulge this time! 

The weather was rainy which hindered our exploring so we moved on to our final stopover, another convent where we were driven mad by the church service being broadcast by loud speaker into the car park, we took ourselves off for a walk into the local bar in the village to escape (it went on for 3 hours!!) we had a couple of beers for 8.80 ROL (about £1.65) - the cost of living is definitely cheaper in Romania.

We got the feeling the Romanians were, on the whole, hard working and conscientious people which I wonder is a throwback from their communist past ( it was a communist country until 1989). Having said that, when we went to the supermarket we didn't leave the van unattended as there were a few dubious looking characters hanging around the car park which made us feeling a bit uneasy. We only stayed for five days, but we both agreed we would like to return to spend more time in this interesting country. 

A typical Romanian home well kept and very brightly coloured!

Leaving Greece we head into Bulgaria

After over five weeks in Greece we head north and cross into Bulgaria. Having never been to this country we didn't really know what to expect, we hoped their roads were less pot-holed and chaotic than Greece and we weren't too disappointed, the main roads were in better condition and the drivers a bit less crazy, but venture off the main roads and many of the side roads were in a terrible state and the van was shaken to bits in all the holes and broken surfaces!

Our first stop was at Rupite where we parked on a grassy area next to another thermal pool, which turned out to be a very interesting place to stop as it was only 1 km from the remains of the ancient city of Heracles Sinitica, built almost two thousand years ago by Philip II (who's Royal tomb we visited in Greece) and once ruled by his son Alexander the Great. We were also right by a park area with a Church, cottage and gardens of a great lady called Vanga who was famous for her prophesies and healing powers. 

We stayed for 2 nights to make the most of the natural Spa with its lovely warm water and green clay for a mud face mask as well as visiting the ruins and Vanga's garden. As you walked to the public area there were market stalls selling local produce - honey, jams, olive oil etc but we didn't have any Bulgarian Lev yet so couldn't buy anything. I had wondered what to do about cash in all the different countries we planned to visit out of the Eurozone, but found the solution- using my pre-loaded cash card (loaded in GBP) we took about £50 worth of cash out from the ATM, that provided a kitty for smaller purchases in the country, larger purchases like in the supermarket or in a restaurant we used the credit card. When we left, any currency we had we used to buy diesel in a garage before we crossed the border. This worked really well for Bulgaria and later Romania and Hungary.

National theatre Sofia

From  Rupite we headed to a Camperstop in Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria. The two guys who ran the site couldn't have been more helpful, they even lent us money to pay for a taxi into town where we could get some cash. We had a wonderful day doing the tourist thing wandering around this vibrant city with a whole mix of modern and ancient buildings. We had a huge rainstorm in the afternoon but luckily we missed it! We were having a very nice lunch in a typical Bulgarian restaurant. After a delicious salad starter, the main course we shared was a loaf of bread scooped out and filled with a whole variety of spicy sausages and meatballs. This was followed by a scrumptious desert, after that we were as stuffed as that loaf of bread!
The next day, leaving the Camperstop and our new friends Bobby and George we headed to Romania spending our last night by a quiet lake not too far from the border. It was so tranquil..... but for the constant buzz of all the insects (especially the mosquitoes) needless to say at dusk we stayed in the comfort of our van and admired the view from there!

Lunch Bulgarian style!

Hot springs, Royal tombs and our last week in Greece

Always on the look out for something interesting to do or see, our next stop was the natural hot springs of Thermopylae, bathing in the water of a natural spa is not something we have ever done, the sulphurous water, rich in minerals are reputed to be very therapeutic. The Ancient Greek Hercules used bathing in the hot springs to regain his strength after his legendary labours and Hippocrates lauded them to be beneficial so if it's good enough for them it has to be good enough for us! The water temperature is a steady 40° - just like a hot bath but not quite so fragrant, the sulphur smells like bad eggs so you have to put up with that. We lowered ourselves gently into the water, adjusting to the heat gradually, but once you were in it was bliss (although a bit stony under your bum - it's a natural formation in the rocks) It was a unique sensation with the warm water flowing around you and the green algae appearing in clumps from time to time, but despite everything it was extremely relaxing. I'd like one at the bottom of my garden at home please!

From here we headed to a village called Vergina to visit the Royal tombs of Philip II the father of Alexander the Great and were we in for a treat! The Royal tombs were discovered in 1976 and had not been plundered- the funeral was a lavish ceremony with many artefacts put in the burial chamber for his afterlife. The funeral took place in 336 BC. The massive doors to the tomb and chambers had been restored in situ in the underground vault and the magnificent artefacts are displayed in many glass cabinets in the dimly lit museum. The golden oak wreath in this photo was placed on the body on the funeral pyre, it survived not only the fire but over two thousand years in the tomb. The beautiful gold and the detailed work of the wreath was just stunning as was the Kings' suit of armour and the bronze banquet sets. It certainly was well worth the visit.

The next day we headed out for our last cycle ride of our stay in Greece, cycling up into the hills and a remote monastery, a place of peace and tranquility, an escape from the hustle bustle of modern life. This photo was taken just by the monastery- what a fabulous view!
For our last night in Greece before heading into Bulgaria we found a place to park in a National park, right on the edge of Lake Kerkinis. There was an incredible diversity of bird life- pelicans, cormorants and flamingos, as well as roaming horses, herds of cows and unfortunately rather too many mosquitoes, but that's the price you pay to park next to a beautiful lake.

Roaming cattle at Lake Kerkinis

Leaving the Peloponnese and heading north

The bay at Gerolimenas 

Greece has a lot more in store for us! After a wonderful stay at the tiny bay of Gerolimenas and some brilliant cycling we headed towards the busier area of Kalamata overnighting on a beach by a busy road which we didn't enjoy - much too noisy for us! From there we headed to the archeological site of Messene, the ruins of a city built in the 4th century BC through some very narrow and winding roads. This vast ancient city stands on a hillside with panoramic views across to the sea and has an amphitheatre, agora (market), a temple and most spectacular of all is the enormous stadium and gymnasium. We were taken aback as we came down the hill to suddenly see this massive complex devoted to sport (and later used by the Romans for gladiator sports including the use of animals)

Just half of the Messene stadium with an old relic in the foreground 

As with all of these ancient sites you need to sit quietly and imagine the lives of the people who lived, worked, played and maybe fought for their lives in this place. The magnificence of the structures just brings home how sophisticated their culture was over 2000 years ago and for the wealthy what sumptuous lives they led.
And talking about sumptuous- our next stop was at the port of Napflion where we arrived at the start of a four day Yachting show, the Marina was filled with over a hundred yachts all showing off their finest assets and plying their potential customers with expensive champagne.

It was interesting to see how the other half lives, but it was a noisy place to stay so the next day we headed a few miles along the coast to a quiet bay where we were joined by Linda & Andy again. We stayed for a couple of nights, enjoying a bit of company and a cycle ride together before we headed further north to Acrocorinth where we parked high up on the hillside with Linda & Andy, the massive fortress towering above us. We had a wonderful peaceful night, the views were stunning as were the wild flowers. The flowers of the yellow broom giving off a heady fragrance.

If you look carefully you can just see 2 vans middle right

The next day we said goodbye to Linda and Andy and headed towards Athens, crossing the Corinth canal, an incredible feat of engineering,  it cuts through the narrow isthmus between the Peloponnese and mainland Greece. We decided not to visit Athens, we just couldn't face the hustle bustle of such a big city but continue travelling north, on our way discovering an overnight stop on a hillside in the middle of nowhere - the silence was deafening!
We just love the freedom of travelling to new places and finding somewhere to park up in the depths of the countryside. It's not to everyone's taste to be out there completely alone and isolated, but we feel much safer there than on a busy harbourside, it's all part of the joy of motorhoming.

 In the middle of nowhere, hardly a car passed us by