Where

Where's Mike?

Section 14: To Crete, via the Peloponnese 2006

Click here to see Section 13: Iberia 2006

Monday March 13th

Somewhere on the Adriatic Sea: Finally on my way to Greece where I hope to catch a decent view of what could be the last European eclipse of my life...although I hate to put any specific timeline on my ultimate demise.

Turkey, or Rhodes, would be a better place for viewing, but making it there in time would mean sacrificing my trip to Crete.

The Minoan Lines has a lot of amenities on this ship...WiFi, a disco, a few bars, swimming pool, a Casino, NON smoking bar!, a couple of restaurants and lots of deck space to stretch out on. The trip will take about 30 hours and most of the cheap passengers, like me, brought a sleeping pad/bag, and some snacks verses paying double, or quadruple, to bunk with others, or get your own room, respectively.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 38

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 22e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 200e for ferry to Greece, 6e for WiFi

Odometer: 101447 on the ferry dock.

Tuesday March 14th

Monodendri; Greece: I really love ferries...fast, cheap (oh, not the food), fun, adventurous, with lots of options to meet new people and see new things. Ok, sleeping on deck without a proper pad can be a pain in the ass, neck, and back, but other than that...oh, and the snoring, it is great. On this route it is nice to be on deck at dawn for views of the former Yugoslavia and it's snow capped ranges. Cold breeze, but well worth the price of tossing on your parka.

After docking, I grabbed the coastal road heading west to find the closest place to just crash. Ferry got in late and I got little, if any, sleep last night. A little sea-side road heading to, and through, Monodendri had some perfect pull-outs to overnight at. The 18inch Mediterranean surf lapping over the break, and onto the road, as a result of a minor low.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 24e

Supplies: 7.5 for a Greek map.

Misc: 0

Odometer: 101466

Wednesday March 15th

Pylos, Greece: Cloudy but warm, with fresh snow on the peaks...regardless of a friend and I being to the Islands a few years ago, I never thought of Greece as being this mountainous.

A couple clicks NW of Zacharo there is a hot spring area. Not great since it is neither all natural, like many you find in the US, nor a maintained "spa" style one.

Lots of great beaches to stop at for reading, relaxing, vegging, etc., while traveling to Pylos, and I am staying right on the dock in town tonight. Quick walk to the attractive square with it's lively Taverna's..

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 15e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 101710

Thursday March 16th

Kalamata, Greece: Pylos is a pretty small, but entertaining, town at night. I'm told It's main claim to fame is a The Battle of Navarino, an accident really, when the Brits, Frogs, and Ruskies sank Ibrahim Pasha's fleet instead of just warning them off. Great boost for Greek independence and certainly helped with the wreck diving industry of today. The bay is beautiful, peaceful, and warrants a visit. Boat tours are cheap, but the ruins of the two castles are not worth going out of your way to see.

The short drive from Pylos to Methoni is quite scenic, especially now that spring has sprung on the Peloponnese. Lots of trees budding, flowers blooming, and sheep shitting.

The Castle and fortifications in Methoni are definitely worth a visit, regardless of the state of ruin. Great etchings, a fantastic purple granite column in the main square, an interesting additional fort extending into the sea, some cozy tunnels, wild onions growing everywhere, and a well designed moat landward.

Oh, the Greek people are VERY friendly and there is no way to politely refuse a cup of coffee when offered. One Frappe had me buzzing hard, as a non-drinker, when chatting with some fellow MoHo'ers.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 17

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 101835ish

Friday March 17th

Near Kasteli-Kissamos, Greece: Moving fast to warmer climes, I needed to skip a quite scenic section of Peloponnese (SSE finger) in order to get to Gythio on time for my ferry to Crete. The half I did see ABSOLUTELY dictates a return, and that return will be easy when I dock here again on my return from Crete.

Ferry prices to/from Crete are almost as much as from Venice to Patras!!!

The snow covered mountains still boggle a mind, set with pre-conceived notions of Greece.