Always expect the unexpected 😯

Our journey around Greece has certainly thrown us a few surprises from shipwrecks to ancient sunken cities. Having left Vigklafia and said farewell to Andy & Linda we arrived at a rather unassuming harbour town of Plytra, the weather was grey and cloudy but good enough for a stroll along the seafront. We spied a sign for Ancient Asopos, not knowing anything about it I quickly googled it only to discover it was the remains of a city destroyed by earthquake in 325 B.C and now partly submerged.
As we looked at all the shapes on the seashore, you could image a thriving port from over 2000 years ago, many of the structures were still visible and the area is popular with divers who can see more of the submerged city. I would have loved to go snorkelling, but the sea was too cold and uninviting for me that day!

Some of the partially submerged ruins of the ancient city of Asopos

The next day we headed further round the coast and parked up by a beach with a massive shipwreck, a rusting hulk of a cargo ship abandoned by its owners over 30 years ago. It came to a natural rest on the beach having broken free from its moorings in a storm. It was reputed to have been used to smuggle cigarettes and when she was seized by port authorities, the smugglers set fire to the ship to destroy the evidence. Of course, there are also rumours that the enormous hulk is haunted but maybe that's just to increase its attraction to tourists!

Shipwreck Dimitrios and a very ancient wall in the foreground 

From here we travelled a few miles up the road to the town of Gythio where we stayed on a campsite for a few days to catch up on the laundry (Greece surprisingly is not very well blessed with launderettes so it was our only choice) We were able to get out on our bikes exploring,

 cycling to an ancient town snuggled into the hillside which was full of Greek people out enjoying the Easter holiday. On our way back we stopped at our new favourite thing - a Greek Bakery where we had a coffee and one of their delicious sticky pastries Baklava, an indulgent desert made with filo pastry, syrup, spices and nuts.

A very old house in Arepoli

We also discovered that Gythio has a small Roman amphitheatre tucked away in the backstreets - a surprise around every corner!
Our trip to Greece has revealed many unexpected wonders and I wish I could show you more of the hundreds of photos we have taken in our time here. At this time of year there is an abundance of wild flowers, in some places even the most experienced gardener couldn't improve on natures display in the fields and roadside verges. The poppies here have a deeply rich hue of silky red and the yellow broom gives off a beautiful scent and wherever we go I see another variety of flower I've never seen before, the variety is incredible.
We also saw a tortoise crossing the road on a mountain road and I later found that the tortoise is native to Greece and can be found in the wild as well as some very bright green lizards I have spied on our travels.
It all adds up to the unique experience that is Greece! 🇬🇷

The view from Acrocorinth, wild flowers in foreground