Central Greece - Culture, Cities, Villages, Excavations and the Sea

One of the nicest rides you can do with a mobile home is certainly a trip to Greece..

Greece - that means millennia-old culture, beautiful landscapes, small villages, but also the metropolis of Athens and of course the sea with its long beaches.. The whole thing under a beautiful blue sky and the Greek sun..
These are the ingredients from which a great holiday is made!

Before the enjoyment, however, the map has set the arrival, either via the various land routes «Serbia / Croatia / Albania or Hungary / Romania / Bulgaria» or you can take the ferry..
Whether from Venice, Ancona, Brindisi or Bari, in any case our destination for the here presented route is called Igoumenitsa..

The tickets for a ferry passage with or without camping on board can be ordered in many ways:

* either through the travel agency of your choice
* or via the ADAC / ÖAMTC

* also recommended in the network
Voigt Seereisen - Agentur GmbH
Koberg 17 23552 Lübeck
Tel. +49 «0» 451 505617-20

* Minoan agencies <1001> can be found here

* or you can contact a Greek agency «both are in Igoumenitsa at the port»:

Milano Travel , Inh. Balaskas Spyros
Tel. 0030. 2665. 023565
E-mail: milantvl «at» otenet.. gr

and

Linos Travel
Tel. 0030. 2665. 024187
email: linos-travel «at» linos-travel.. gr
«here you can find the German honorary consul as soon as you need it»

So we have already got the journey behind us and, with the help of the MeinWomo database, also found great places on the way to the ferry ports and The ship will dock in the harbor of Igoumenitsa ..

The city, which lies at the end of a long bay, is just peeling out of the morning mist «or we can see its lights at night, depending on which line we´ve driven».
When the ship safely moored is located, breaks Greek bustle, of which we can not but rush, after all, we have a holiday
So our Womo rolls under the ´ella-ella´ calls of the Greek Fährbediensteten from the ramp and drives on Greek soil..

There is not much to see in the harbor, just behind the new harbor we take the new driveway to the Egnatia Odos, the new highway that connects Igoumenitsa with Turkey and is now completed after years of construction..
Steadily, the Egnatia winds its way up from Igoumenitsa lying on normal zero in the mountainous hinterland..
We can make a first trip in terms of culture after a short drive, on the right side of the highway is the Sanctuary Dodoni , with Delphi one of the great oracles of Greece..
Just a little further away is the beautiful city of Ioannina with its popular Ioannina Lake.. Here you still feel a little oriental flair from the long Turkish occupation, but also thanks to the university vibrant, young life..

We continue up the mountains until we reach Metsovo at just under 1200 m, where you can enjoy wine and cheese and satisfy the shopping craving with weaving and wood carvings can..

Now it is not far to the Katarapass , which is closed in winter, or only to be driven on by chains.. Snow is still sometimes here in April, so this should be included in the planning..
The E92 will take you to Kalambaka, a small town with major attractions, the Meteorak Monasteries
. No Greek tourist leaves out those seemingly 12th-century monasteries floating on pinnacles..
Depending on your interest you can visit all 6 monasteries still inhabited or just one.. ,. ,. beautiful and worth seeing is everything, the camera will overheat!

After so much culture and landscape, we are now drawn magically to the sea!. Via Trikala we drive to the Gulf of Volos , where we enjoy sea, sun and salt air..
Pretty little tavernas on beautiful beaches want to be explored and the Greek cuisine does the rest, so we feel good..

Our tour continues via Lamia , where we can go shopping and stock up in large supermarkets, the Thermopylae , which is good for a stopover and a relaxing bath in the 38 ° warm, crystal clear, yet sulphurous thermal water are..
The thermal water comes out about 42 ° from the rock and is derived from an artificial waterfall and an equally artificial channel, where you can ´get in´ anywhere at any point, free of charge..

At Arkitsa we take the ferry and transfer to Euboea , a mountainous island with beautiful beaches that we explore from north to south and leave at Chalkida over the new bridge..

Athens beckons!. Indeed.. ,. ,. To say something HERE about Athens would go beyond the scope of this introduction..
Let us settle here by stating that Athens is visited with all its varied sights and that in the catchment area of ​​this metropolis it is safe to park the rolling home safely in a campsite and to take public transport to the city drive..
It is also advisable to have the EARLY visit to the Acropolis, early risers have better maps here..

After the manifold impressions and the hustle and bustle in Athens we drive again into the quiet mountains.. We pass Thiva and visit one of the most important monasteries in Greece, the Ossio Monastery at Distomi, before we set our wheels to the sanctuary in the mountains with oracles..
Every stone here breathes history and a long walk through the famous site is beautiful.. Above all, you have breathtaking views of the surrounding valleys, just great!

And again pulls the sea, in this case the Gulf of Corinth .. We pass through the not so attractive city of Itea and visit Galaxidhi , a pretty little fishing village, before heading west along the Gulf..

Here are many small picturesque villages on our way, as well as small dreamy bays and beautiful, mostly gritty beaches..
If we are lucky enough to find a parking space for our Womo in , a walk along the harbor is recommended..

We are now approaching the transition to the Gulf of Patras , which is marked by the breathtaking bridge spanning the Rio-Antirio strait, a masterpiece of engineering..

Mesolongi is soon to come, a city that is not only historically very interesting, but also by its sometimes directly Indonesian-looking, colorful wooden houses, on high stilts in the surrounding the city Marsh and brackish water landscape are built and are still inhabited today..

Via Etoliko with its beautiful lagoon we continue to the beautiful coast on the Ionian Sea.. Now begins «and will be continued from Preveza much nicer» a beautiful coastal road, which offers new breathtaking views behind every bend..

Just drive, watch and enjoy.. Small villages with tavernas invite everywhere to rest, beaches to bathe..

If it gets too hot, we recommend stopping at Mitikas .. The islands of Kalamos and Kastos, which are opposite the village, sometimes produce heavy downdrafts around noon, which bring wonderful cooling..
At Vonitsa we have the opportunity to see the Ambracian Gulf, where there are dolphins and turtles, as well as a rich birdlife..

If you want, make a trip over the swing bridge to the Lefkas Island «this will soon be your own travel booklet» or continue through the underwater tunnel «until 3. 5t = 5 euros, payable at the southern entrance» to Preveza , a bustling Greek town with an imposing necropolis on the arterial road to Arta..

The last part of our tour has begun and landscaped my personal highlight.. In front of us is one of the most beautiful coastal roads in the Mediterranean..
Left the deep blue Ionian Sea with endless views over the water, along the road masses of beautiful oleander, deep green fragrant pine forests, in between small villages and really really full only in July and August «as everywhere.

A landscape to unwind, where you can still find his ´lonely´ beach, with crystal clear water..
For me Greece at its best!
So our last leg of the journey takes us along the Ionian Sea, where such beautiful and above all hospitable places like Ammoudia welcome the guest.. From here it is worth taking a trip to Glyki to the «icy» springs of the Acheron, which are not its real sources.. ,. ,. ,. However, the cold river is a popular summer destination..

The picturesque Parga is also worth a visit, as long as you do not drive there in July and August during the peak holiday season, at least not with a roomy camper..

But every dream holiday comes to an end and so one day we have no choice but to roll back to the ferry and take us back to our homeland , full of wonderful impressions and experiences and the desire to come back..

       
   

I hope the travel book is a lot of fun and is helpful on the way through Central Greece
Comments, criticism, but also praise you can in the forum of www.. meinwomo.. net get rid of
In addition, it would of course be nice if you were in the parking spaces, where there have been changes, noted this in the database, or would enter newly discovered options..

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But now have a nice holiday and there you go!


~fritz14~womo66~, 2016-01-18