After Parga, we drive to the East for our next destination: Meteora. We take a small detour through the Pindos Mountains, but eventually end that day on a camp ground in the Meteora area. The weather changed. The blue sky disappeared and is replaced by dark clouds that bring rain once in a while. But the days after, the weather improved. Meteora is a fairy-tale destination, and it is strange that we never heard of it before. The spectacular rocky landscape is unique, and on many of the rocky peaks, spectacular monasteries are built, many centuries ago. It is possible to hike from monastery to monastery, but also the less active visitor, or even the disabled ones, can enjoy the area, thanks to a road that connects the sites. Meteora is a must see for the people that decide to visit Greece’s mainland. However, most visitors to Greece arrive on a beach package tour and travel directly to one of the many islands. But that the area is spectacular, was already recognised by James Bond in 1981, when the last scenes of his ‘For your eyes only’ movie were shot here. So, those who consider a trip to this area, watch this movie, or take a look at our photo impression.

After Meteora, we spend some days in Stylida, and non interesting town on the east coast of Greece’s mainland. We waited here till the rainy days were over before we headed to ancient Delphi. We used the days in Stylida to work on the website and to do some maintenance on the car. We were lucky that the owner of the almost deserted camp ground agreed that we put our car on the covered terrace. So, the days were for us as dry as possible. We also spend a Monday morning in a local café, drinking a cappuccino of 3 Euro! We were surprised how many young people (of an age that most people work in other countries), were enjoying an expensive coffee on this day in the week. It seems that the crisis did not arrive in Stylida yet.

By the time we arrived in Delphi, the weather was perfect again. However, we decided to stay in a pension. The altitude of 600 metres in combination with the clear skies and the fact that it was already November, made camping too cold for us. But we were lucky. It was low season so we could make a good deal for a comfortable budget room. For dinner, we visited a local snack bar, where we had a perfect ‘pita bread with gyros’. Now we understand why the Greek youth belongs to the fattest youth of Europe. It is so difficult not to get addicted to these tasty calorie bombs. And that for only two and a half Euro! Probably the best value product of the whole country.

After Delphi we brought a visit to Athens, for the first time in our lives. We expected a lot from it, and that was maybe also the reason why the visit disappointed us. Most of the city centre is a typical tourist place, with many souvenir shops and a high density of over priced restaurants. The sites are nice, but not really spectacular. The Acropolis for example, was completely under construction and the best part of the visit to this world famous temple, were the views over the city. The idea of how big it must have been during that time makes impression … much more than the present sight itself. At least, that is our feeling. After some days in Athens, we drove to the Peloponnese province. Our first destination was the Epidavros theatre, the best preserved theatre of ancient Greece. We were lucky that it was Sunday, because that means that all ancient sites in Greece are free. We enjoyed the site and decided to spend to night on the parking of Epidavros. That is officially not allowed, but in the low season, it is a so-called ‘tolerated camp place’. During the afternoon, a Belgian and also a Slovenian family joined us. We had briefly spoken to them already on the camp ground in Athens, and now we had more time to exchange experiences. Both families, travelling in 30 year old Mercedes campers, decided to do where other families only dream about. They took a long time off and decided to make a big journey through Europe. During this time they take their own responsibility over the education of their children. When the children went to bed in the evening, all wine and Raki was collected from the cars, and we made it a nice evening. We slept well that night!

We said goodbye to both families the next morning and started our exploration of the Argolis area. It is a typical agricultural area where many people work in the olive and orange business. We learned so far that Greece is a beautiful country with many interesting areas to visit. If the weather stays fine, we will be here for a while.