We sped into Greece and didn’t stop until we were well past the point where the border police might chase us down. It is not unheard of for travelers to be stopped well after crossing a border. This isn’t just rumor, this actually happened to fellow travelers Dave and Lesley when they entered Norway last summer. They thought they were in, but 26 kilometers past the actual border they were stopped by the border police and turned around. This incident is always in the back of my mind every time we enter a new country.
Our first destination in Greece was a Lidl grocery store in Ioannina. Because of being on the ferry and having to turn our fridge off, we had not done a big shop since returning from the U.S. We are always happy to find a Lidl on our route because we have become so familiar with the store, how it’s laid out and what’s on offer. In Europe, there are 11,550 stores in 30 countries, and even though products like vegetables and such are local, most staples like toothpaste, coffee, mayo, etc., are the same except the packaging is in a different language. Product consistency is key to avoiding surprises like that time Steven put buttermilk in my coffee. Yuck.
The other thing we like about Lidl is that there is almost always plenty of room to park Bijou. Sometimes we will just stay put and have a snack, or lunch before taking off again, as we did in Ioannina.
By mid-afternoon we had arrived at our destination, Campsite Vrachos in Kastraki, located at the foothills of the famous Meteora. Much of the trip was on a beautiful toll road, which was fairly inexpensive, but the last bit was twisty. The campsite is huge, but deserted when we arrived.
Meteora is famous for the pinnacle rock formations and the network of high-in-the-sky monasteries precariously perched on said pinnacles. In fact, meteora means lofty, or elevated. Of the original 24, there are only six monasteries remaining. If you have seen the James Bond film “For Your Eyes Only”, then you have seen the most dramatic of the bunch, the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, built in the 14th and 15th centuries. Because, of course, 007 climbed it and barely made it (!!) since the bad guy uptop kept cutting his rope. You can see the clip on YouTube here. Back in the day, residents had to be hoisted up with ropes and buckets, but now there are proper roads.
One thing Steven and I rarely do is sightsee in Bijou. Of course if we are traveling and there is something to see, we will stop. But we don’t usually get parked up and then pack everything up and leave again just to go sightseeing, instead, we would either walk, ride our bikes or take a taxi. But Meteora was made for driving. The roads wind all through the formations and lead right up to each monastery. There is a hike, too, which would have been great, but it was too cold for us. No doubt we would have warmed up, but we couldn’t muster the courage to get started. So we drove and it was lovely. There was almost no traffic and plenty of places to park, sometimes we were the only ones there.
We did not visit inside any of the monasteries, we were there for the architecture and the vistas, both stunning. As we were parked at one location, a man came speeding up on his motorcycle. He insisted on giving us a flyer to his hotel and restaurant, claiming that his mother was the best cook in all of Greece. Also, he offered free overnight parking for motorhomes.
The following day, when lunchtime rolled around, we decided to check out his restaurant. We had read the reviews and apparently we were not the only ones to have been accosted by Kostas from his motorcycle. This would be our first meal in Greece, made by the best cook in all the lands.
We were greeted by Kostas who speaks a very heavily accented English at about 90 miles an hour, and repeats the same phrases and conversation over and over. This isn’t a bad thing because it took us a few tries to understand him. What he wanted most in the world was for us to give his place a review on all the online apps people use when they travel. He sat us by the lovely warm fire and went to alert his Mama that guests had arrived.
His restaurant must seat 50-60 people, or more, but on this sunny day, we were the only ones around. There was no menu, no choice, it was all a big fat Greek surprise. First to arrive was the traditional Greek salad, which I must say absolutely blew me away, it was so delicious. Greek salad is really just hunks of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, slivers of red onion and a few olives and feta cheese.
In the States, whenever I’ve had Greek salad, the feta is cut into cubes or sprinkles, and for me, it’s too salty. As a result, I have really never liked feta cheese. But in Greece, on this salad made by Kostas’s mother, the feta came in one large slab and it was so creamy and delicious I couldn’t believe it. There was not even a hint of salt, which really surprised me. To top off the salad, local olive oil and a generous sprinkling of oregano. I loved it.
The rest of the meal didn’t quite match the salad, but it wasn’t bad and we ate every bite of it. We each had a sausage and souvlaki, hunks of grilled pork on a stick. I didn’t care for the sausage because of the seasoning, anise or some such thing that I do not care for, so Steven ate mine. I ate his pork, which was a little tough, but flavorful. All in all, we enjoyed our lunch and I look back on that experience as the one that opened my eyes to really good feta cheese.
We enjoyed our stay in Kastraki and our visit to Meteora, but we were ready to get to the Peloponnese. This is one of those locations that has been on our list since we moved to Europe and we were really looking forward to it. We drove a long day to reach our first destination, Camping Ionion Beach, where we would hunker down for a few days and do absolutely nothing. Well, almost nothing. If you recall, I purchased a pair of sunglasses frames while in Albania and I wanted to order the lenses. We found an optical store in a dinky town about 14 kilometers from the campground. It was going to take a week, so what better place to wait than one with a view of the gorgeous Mediterranean Sea right out our front window? None that we could think of, so we stayed put for the next 10 days.
And, as has become tradition, here is another of Steven’s art works. This time, he has painted a scene from a photograph he captured in Prague in the Czech Republic. If you would like to keep up with what he is doing, you can follow him on his Visual Art Facebook Page here.
Next Up: Ancient Olympia
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Kostas had accosted us as well! We did not visit the restaurant though.
I think you’ll love Peloponnese region. For us, it was best in the section south of Kalamata. Looks like you might be getting better weather though, and that always makes a huge difference!
Kostas is a real character, apparently well-known for his antics on the monastery roads. We have enjoyed the west coast of the Peloponnese and are looking forward to the south and east. We are heading to the basketball court on Thursday, Steven is itching to take a look at the (nearly) abandoned village! And, the weather is supposed to be spectacular!
Wow, what an amazingly beautiful landscape and nobody around! Practically unheard of these days.
Thank you for the great photos.
The only positive (for us) to come from this pandemic is that we have seen Europe as it was 50 years ago, before “Big Tourism”. What a treat it has been! Thanks for taking time to comment!
Since I read both you guys and Kevin and Ruth, it’s fascinating how you are seeing the same places but somewhat differently. I so wish I was there! Thanks for sharing!
Yeah, we are traveling to many of the same locations as Kevin and Ruth! We use their blog for inspiration and information, so it isn’t surprising we are covering the same ground in some areas. Lucky us, right?
Gorgeous pics of a country I have yet to visit. Those monasteries are just incredible.
Nina
I didn’t think people were allowed to visit the monasteries (especially women). But you can go inside? Are they still active monasteries?
Kathy, yes, they are active and you can visit, but you have to cover yourself with a sarong or some kind of long skirt. I think they have something to give you to wear, but we didn’t go in, so I didn’t find out for sure.
Nina, when you do plan a trip here, give yourself lots of time, especially on the Peloponnese. Lots to see but also the roads leave a lot to be desired. The monasteries were a great place to start our trip in Greece! Some folks leave it to the end, from Athens, but it is more mountainous to get there and so we would have likely missed it if we had waited. So glad we went when we did!
After your blog on Norway, it went on my bucket list. Now I have to add Greece as well! Absolutely gorgeous. I am ashamed to admit that I had never heard of those monasteries. As a vegetarian though, I did recoil when you mentioned no menu at the restaurant. I recalled that my sister (also a vegetarian ) found it very difficult to find anything to eat in Greece. Although that was a long time ago. We travel the US in our RV in the winter Your blog makes me wish we were younger and could follow in your footsteps. Your words and pictures will have to do. Thank you!
Greeks don’t so much cook as they grill everything. So lots of meat, for sure, but lots and lots of veggies, too. That salad would be a meal, but I’m sure there are plenty of other options. Just not at Kostas’s place. 🙂 Certainly in the big cities there are all kind of vegetarian and vegan options. Thanks for taking time to comment!
Fantastic photos! What an incredible place. I love the painting too.
We know who you are. 🙂 We highly recommend Meteora if you plan to travel to Greece, it is a spectacular location to visit. Not far from Athens, if your travels take you there.
Loving my virtual traveling, Kana and I are going to Italy and Greece in May, of course to the touristy places. Stevens art looks like a photo, beautiful!
By the way after 2shots and the booster Covid found me, I was sick for 3.5 weeks, you don’t want to get it, especially when you can’t breathe. Stay safe and I look forward to more adventures.
Oh, no, Jeanne! I am so sorry you suffered with Covid even though you had the vaccines. I can only imagine that you would have been so much worse if you weren’t vaccinated. At least you have your trip to Italy and Greece to look forward to now! I know you will love both places an I hope you have a wonderful time!
Yes, I follow Kevin and Ruth also. I like both blogs. Kevin and Ruth give a macro view and write up of the area traveling and I like the up close micro view and write up of The Crouters. I love the close up view of cities, people, food, scenic views, etc. If I travel at all, I go for culture and history. Love Stevens paintings.
Thanks for your kind comment, Rita. We are fans of Kevin and Ruth, too! How lucky are we that we have such interesting and detailed footsteps to follow?
Wow…spectacular scenery and photos!! Your artistic talents aren’t too shabby either Stephen. 😉
Thanks, we certainly lucked out with good weather and no crowds. Not sure we would have been so lucky at any other time. 🙂
Oh my goodness! These views are stunning. It makes you want to go. Greece is on our list, maybe next year. How lovely to have it to yourselves.
Greece in a pandemic winter is most certainly a different animal than what most folks see at any other time. We will not visit the famous islands, or see much of what it is that attracts so many millions of folks, but we’re okay with that. Hope you guys are having fun on your journey!
Fabulous photos again of the monasteries! Fun to follow both your blog and the Read’s to get different perspectives. Safe travels!
Thank you, Liz. I can’t imagine writing a daily blog as Kevin and Ruth do, but I am so happy they do! It is fun for us to get their perspective. too!
As always great photos and outstanding write up of your travels. Your blog is much appreciated. Someone should really
pay you for all the advertising you do for their countries.
thanks, Vern, for your kind words. As always, we appreciate you taking time to comment. As for paying us, lol, wouldn’t that be nice? 🙂
Cool pictures as always. What an interesting place with all the monasteries and spectacular scenery.
The geology of the area is amazing, as are the monasteries. It all seems so old and crumbly, yet it is all still standing and has been for hundreds of years!
The picture out the RV window was fantastic !
Isn’t that cool? We were the only ones in the parking lot, so it was easy to get those shots! Lucky us. 🙂
Just wonder… i get dizzy and sick feeling looking out from any heights.. so wonder what those people do/did every time they looked out a window? or if they just didn’t do it or got used to being so high and looking out at the vastness.
And yes, beautiful pictures again… as always
Well in the old days the only way to get up there was in a basket kind of like those attached to a hot air ballon, so if anyone was afraid of heights, they probably laid in the floor. Lol, I would have!
I think you might be sitting on a nice business opportunity. After 2 plus years of NO tourism, every town could really use something to help get it going again. Your photos without tourists have got to be rare and recall life 50 years ago. I’d be surprised if an email with some pics, wouldn’t get you some interest.
Because I think of you as a son, I’ll waive my normal 6 figure consultancy fee. 🙂
Loveya,
haha, we’ve already thought of that, but we are too lazy. But you are right, we have seen many major European cities the way they were before “Big Tourism” took over. It has been an unintended (but wonderful) consequence of the pandemic.
Sure an amazing place and food.
Good to hear from you, Deb! Hope all is well with you guys!