Greece 2021

As the ferries are running again, this tour is scheduled to start at the end of August. Let's see if everything goes as planned... At least the ferry tickets are here now and the new camper (Hymercar free 602, again a 6m car) has finally arrived. And only 5 weeks late ;) So we got the tour done. After we met the others at Lake Como, we set off with three campers. Comfortable through Italy with less beautiful places on the Adriatic. Unfortunately still quite full. Not just with umbrellas, but also with people. Our overnight stays: SP: Camping Adria in Riccione and CP: Camping Il Pioppeto in Vasto Marina. Arrived in Bari we still had one afternoon until the crossing. We found a great place for the 3 motorhomes/camper vans: Area Hobby Park Wash parking space (Via Carabiniere Giovanni Del Conte). Although very busy because cars are also parked there, but guarded around the clock by super nice employees. There is also a toilet facility. Advantage: You can stay in the city and don't have to hang around at the ferry port. We would also stay there in an emergency. After the pleasant crossing Bari - Igoumenitsa we went directly north with overnight stays in Ioannina (CP: Camping Limnopoula, Kanari 10, Ioannina) and drive to the Vikos Gorge, the narrowest and deepest canyon in the world (at least it said so). Beautiful monastery and very nice restaurant on the platia. From there to the Meteora monasteries. Hadn't seen our passengers yet, so had to go to the program. Was very impressive again and the campsite was really great (overnight CP: Camping Vrachos in Kastraki - super restaurant on site, great view of the Meteora rocks. Nice little place) By the way: All campsites/parking spaces of the tour are indicated in the route or. most also here in the text. From Meteora then on towards the Peloponnese with an overnight stay at a very nice campsite with really nice operators in Agios Serafim (CP: Camping Venezuela, Paralia Agios Serafim) and on the Argolis. There we first stayed near Corinth (CP: Isthmia Beach Camping, Isthmia Corinth). Even if the place was nice, we wanted to continue and so we continued south on the Peloponnese. Eventually we ended up in Leonidion. Unfortunately, despite excellent reviews, the place was rather mediocre. Small pitches, packed, beach very coarse large gravel. The operator was very nice, but space and only 3 toilets let us continue after one night. Across the finger in the direction of Sparta over a really impressive mountain range with all the switchbacks that a motorcyclist needs and road widths that often forced you to honk your horn before a bend. Near Sparta we visited the old monastery town of Mistras. Free in the 70s and 80s, now 12 EUR. Since we had enough switchbacks, the next mountain range was bypassed and we landed in Kalamata to buy the world's best olives (!! sic) The campsite there was not bad, the operator was even extremely nice, but we were drawn to the first finger to Messinia. In the Navarino Bay near Pylos we found a very good campsite with a good restaurant (CP: Erodios Camping, Pylos). The French operators attach great importance to hygiene and cleanliness. Upon arrival, even the body temperature wg. Corona measured. The food was good, but the atmosphere in the restaurant was more like that of a factory canteen or canteen. Luckily, the neighboring town of Navarino Bay can be reached on foot in a few minutes, where you will find plenty of taverns and bars. A detour to Methoni was a must. Firstly they have the best olive oil there, secondly we spent important times there in the 70s and 80s ;) And then we went back to Patras with a stay at Amaliada (CP: Camping Paradise, Palouki-Amaliada - nice place, great beach). Patras itself is of course unsuitable for stopping, so we drove towards Corinth and looked for the nearest place. From Corinth then the rethinking, we didn't stay there but drove on to Patras after what felt like the 100th visit to the old bridge in the last 40 years. One night before on the coast (CP: Tsolis Camping, Old National Road, Lambiri - great view of the Gulf from above and the mainland opposite, good restaurant, nice operators) and then over the new giant bridge to the mainland. The journey then led along the coast towards Amfilochia and Arta. In contrast to the past, roads are well developed and pleasantly empty. We first drove to Igoumenitsa to visit the campsite there as a waiting destination until the ferry departure. A disaster! We have never seen a more disgusting and filthy place. Although the young operators were really very nice; but unfortunately that's not enough. So back towards Plataria. A place to stay was sought there until the ferry departed from Igoumenitsa. There were three to choose from, Camping Nautilos, Camping Kalami and Camping Elena. Unfortunately Elena was too full so we chose Kalami. The place is run by two sisters whose father "forced" them to learn German as children. Why? Because that's where most visitors come from. The mother cooks, the sea is super clean as usual in Greece and the place is very pleasant. But after two days we had to go back to Igoumenitsa and get on the ferry at night. Arrived early in the morning in Bari, we looked for our parking space in the city (see above) and looked for a cafe for breakfast. Then off to Matera, this ancient inland city. A long tour and then back to the coast and north. One night in the almost closed CP Agricampeggio Brezza tri gli Ulivi, (Via Imbriani 441, Bisceglie). Place quite nice, but almost everything is closed, so continue the next day... to the other end of town. And there we met Italy as before. At Camping La Batteria (CP: Camping La Batteria, Panoramica Umberto Paternostro 1 6/1#8, Bisceglie). It was very difficult to swim there, since the rock probably consisted of a concrete slab for military reasons, but we liked the place very much. In the pines some colonies of parakeets (surprisingly quiet). The place is run by some young, very nice and cool people. The restaurant offered a very good typical Italian cuisine from mothers. In addition, the simple setup and music like in the film "Solino". We really liked it! Unfortunately we had to continue after 2 days. We then found another highlight of a campsite in Bologna. The municipal square there turned out to be super great (CP: Centro Turistico Citta di Bologna, Via Romita 12, Bologna). Since the place is a bit out of the way, it is very quiet. The city is easily accessible by public transport. It's a fairly large area, so there's plenty of space for everyone. Despite this already very good impression, the whole thing was topped. The restaurant! A "revelation". Excellent cuisine at the highest level. Waiters with pronounced wine knowledge, competence and friendliness. We sat in the garden and felt like we were at the noble Italian restaurant in Munich. Well. It had to go on. So off to the north where pouring rain awaited us behind Milan. So no overnight stay on Lake Maggiore, but continue to Lörrach on the local (expensive) campsite. De was full, so on the associated parking space in front of it. Sanitary facilities and toilets on the CP may not be used. Strange, the parking space is expensive enough. In the end we stayed a few more days in the Black Forest with good weather again (CP: Camping Bankenhof, Bruderhalde 31a, Hinterzarten am Titisee). A bit of hiking and tourism to round off and off you go home. Overall it was a very nice trip! And one more thing: Not all places are necessarily listed in the text, but the missing ones are entered in the route description.