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We arrived in Athens and set up in a campground that bordered the main highway entering the city. Four lanes in each direction with traffic that never stopped, day or night. Not the most restful location but ideal for getting into the city. The bus stopped right outside the gate and cost only 100 drachmas (50 cents) per trip and took about 30 minutes to deliver us to Syntagma Square in the heart of the city.

Our first stop was the American Express office to get mail, and boy, did we get a lot. Friends and family sent us news from home and made us feel a little less isolated.

The most important monument in Athens is the Acropolis. It sits, resplendent, on a hill overlooking the city. Time, invaders and the “enlightened” thievery of aristocratic art lovers, Lord Elgin in particular, have taken their toll. What remains is still what Pericles conceived 2500 years ago as a Sanctuary for the Greek nation. The most recognized sites of the Acropolis are the Parthenon and the Erechtheion. The Parthenon had a dual purpose, to house a massive statue of Athena and to serve as a treasury. Building began in 477 BC and was completed in 438 BC. An Ionic frieze 160 meters long ran all around the Parthenon. Much of it was damaged in an explosion in 1687, when the Turks were using the Acropolis to store munitions, but most of the rest of it now resides in the British Museum, as the Elgin Marbles. The surviving columns are very impressive, and ongoing restoration is meant to restore it to much of its former glory.

The Erechtheion was a sanctuary to the cults of Athena, Poseidon and Erichthonius, a mythical king of Athens. It is probably the most photographed building of the Acropolis because of the exquisite statues of the Caryatids. They are so called because the models for them were women from Karyai. They are actually building columns and support the southern portico of the building. What you actually see today are concrete reproductions. Five of the originals are in the Acropolis museum and the sixth, courtesy of Lord Elgin, resides in London. Greece has demanded for years that the one Caryatid and the Elgin Marbles be returned to Athens. Fuel was added to the argument recently. Britain has always said that they would care for them better than the Greeks would. It has just been disclosed that, during the 1930s, the British Museum used wire brushes and acid to clean them. And so the debate continues.

Lying below the Acropolis is PLAKA, the old Turkish quarter of Athens. Its narrow, labyrinthine streets are packed solid with restaurants and souvenir shops. It is busy, fun and interesting to walk through. Merchants stand outside their shops and try to convince passersby to come in and look at the wares for sale. If you want something, you can probably find it here. From sophisticated jewellery, antiques, sandals, clothing on through the tackiest plaster souvenirs in the city.

A visit to the National Archaeological Museum is a must. It contains the majority of the treasures recovered from all of the historical sites in the country. The Hall of Mycenean Antiquities is, without a doubt, the highlight of the museum. The treasures that Heinrich Schliemann recovered from Mycenae include some of the most gorgeous gold artifacts I have ever seen. The most famous of these is the supposed Death Mask of Agamemnon. It has since been proven that the mask belonged to a king who died three centuries before Agamemnon, however, that does not detract from the beauty. Another exhibit worth seeing is the frescoes from Akrotiri on the island of Santorini that were only recovered in the late 1960s. They depict scenes of everyday life in the 16th century BC. Their colours are vibrant and the artwork is really quite sophisticated.

After four noisy and busy days in Athens we moved on to Delphi. What a glorious change! From eight lanes of traffic we went to the melodic sounds of goat bells and bird song in a campground that overlooked a veritable sea of olive trees and beyond, the Gulf of Corinth. Delphi is the home of the Oracle. Ask the right question, interpret the answer correctly and you have the future in your hands. If the future didn’t turn out the way you expected, you didn’t interpret the answer correctly. The priestess of the Oracle had all the bases covered.

The site of the monument is superb. As our guidebook said, if the ancients hadn’t decided to make this place the “navel of the world”, some modern day developer would have come along and put up a tourist resort. Situated on Mount Parnassos, the view is marvelous. The tourist today enters the site and follows the same path as did the ancient pilgrims, starting in the agora, or market, where they could buy a gift for the gods, on up the Sacred Way past smaller temples and treasuries until they arrived at the Temple of Apollo, the actual site of the Oracle. Above the temple lies a 5,000 seat theatre and beyond this a stadium for athletic games. The museum holds many of the treasures that were given to the Oracle.

There were enough other sites of interest around Delphi to keep us occupied for another couple of days, including a Byzantine monastery, ancient sea ports, and charming villages. It was with some regret that we left what was probably the most peaceful campground that we have been in on our whole trip.

Next stop was the Pelion Peninsula and a campground outside of Volos. We met up with a couple from our townhouse complex in Victoria who have retired to the charming seaside town of Afyssos. In the winter they, and one German couple, are the only expats living there along with about 150 locals. In the summer it is absolutely overrun with tourists. We beat the season by a month and could enjoy it at its tranquil best.

After talking to our friends and other campers we decided to head for the Islands for a week. The Aegean Sea is home to several groups of islands. The ones nearest the Pelion are the Sporades, further south lie the Cyclades, to the east, the Dodecanese and north, the North Eastern Aegean Islands. Our destination was the Sporades. We parked the car and trailer at the campground where we would be charged $5 per day storage.

We decided to head for Skopelos first. We took a taxi to the ferry terminal. Di sat with the luggage while I went to a travel agent for the tickets, to a bank for money and to a grocery store for supplies. Tickets and groceries were no problem. Money? Due to a series of rotating bank strikes it took me about 45 minutes to find an ATM that would actually give me money. We have had this problem before in Greece but when you have to catch a ferry, and time is of the essence, you really don’t revel in chasing all over town looking for and trying every cash machine you find. I got back to the terminal in time to find Di talking to an American woman who became a good friend as well as a guide to the ways of travel on the Islands. Mary had been travelling for a couple of months the way we all would like to do it: with one small suitcase and a purse. She uses public transit, stays in small, inexpensive hotels without reservations and has a ball. We travelled together for a couple of days and got lots of valuable tips. When the ferry arrives in port, every owner of a hotel, pension or a house with a single room to rent converges on the dock. They will often have pictures of their establishment and quote you a price. If you think the price is fair, fine. Most people try to haggle the price down a little and with experience you become quite expert at knowing how much to ask for as a discount and when to say fine. We spent a total of three weeks in the Sporades and the Cyclades and never spent more than $30 a night for a room with private bath. And not once did we get a lumpy mattress.

We spent three days on Skopelos and, except for my 7 o’clock in the morning, 3 km hike up a mountain to see a monastery, we did nothing culturally significant. Amazing! Di had started to think that I didn’t know how to relax. After our time on the Islands she knows that I can. We sat in the sun, on our balcony or the beach. We enjoyed the cuisine of the islands and I didn’t have to drive anywhere.

From Skopelos we took the “Flying Dolphin” hydrofoil ferry to Alonissos. We were again met by a hotelier who pointed out his wife’s establishment directly overlooking the port. It was a charming location even if it did entail a strenuous hill climb to get there. We spent three days on Alonissos, and used the bus to take us to the old city which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1965. The residents had been moved to a site closer to the sea after the earthquake, the threat of pirate attacks now pretty much a thing of the past. As quick as the original occupants moved out, people from Northern Europe bought the houses and repaired them and now use them as cottages. It was here that I bumped into a chap that I had flown with in 1978 and had not seen since. He was an exchange officer from the Royal Navy and has since retired and moved to Greece. A small world.

We returned to the mainland, picked up our car and trailer and relocated to Rafina, a port city some 50 kms from Athens. We would leave our vehicle here and take the ferry to the Cyclades. As we drove from Volos to Rafina we saw major highway construction being carried out. In conjunction with the building there was also major archaeological work underway. I am sure they were finding much of historical interest but the scale of the archaeological digs must impede the progress of construction. However at the same time it provides employment for an army of archaeologists.

When most people think of the Greek Islands, they picture brilliant white and blue buildings. To see these you must go to the Cyclades. The term comes from the Greek word “Kyclos”, or, circle. The chain of islands form a circle around the ancient religious centre of Delos, the birthplace of the twins Apollo and Artemis.

Our first stop was Mykonos, noisy, expensive, full of bars and discos, the undisputed “gay” capital of Greece, but also a charming Cycladic village complete with five windmills perched on a hill that was right outside our pension. Including a day trip to Delos, two nights were sufficient here. As the saying goes, “If the music is too loud, you’re too old”. Must be true.

Our trip to Delos, a few kilometres from Mykonos, gave us several hours to prowl around the site. Remains of Greek, Roman and foreign temples remain. There are also exquisite mosaic floors and statuary to be seen, in situ, as well as in the museum. The climb up Mt. Kythnos, although only 113 metres, was almost straight up and the temperature was approaching 35C with no breeze to cool things off. Very hot but the view from the top was worth it.

On to Santorini, the location of what was probably the biggest volcanic eruption in recorded history. In 1450 BC a cataclysmic explosion sank the centre of the island, leaving a caldera with the capital city Fira perched on its lip. Archaeologists believe that this eruption may have been responsible for the destruction of the whole Minoan culture, not only on Santorini but as far away as Crete. There is also some romantic supposition that the lost continent of Atlantis was a victim of the eruption.

We decided to join thousands of other tourists and rent a moto. Ours was quiet and had enough power to carry us comfortably around the island. It was nice to have the freedom that independent mobility gives you. It was actually quite surprising to see the number of people who used the motos without wearing a helmet. They were offered free of charge and we certainly used ours. We had no problems, this time, but a couple staying in the same hotel hit a wall and the girl required five stitches in her forehead. That will be a souvenir of her trip that she probably wasn’t expecting. It was interesting to find out that the hospital treatment was free. The doctor suggested that a donation would be appreciated though, and they gave the equivalent of $50 Canadian and were thanked profusely.

We took a guided trip of some of the major attractions of Santorini. A bus picked us up and took us to Ancient Akrotiri. This was a city that had been covered by volcanic ash and pumice after the 1450 BC eruption. Excavation did not start until 1967 and is continuing still, but on a reduced basis. The entire site is covered by a protective roof, and many buildings, some having three floors, have been discovered. The frescoes have all been moved to the museum in Athens but it is hoped that they will be returned someday soon. As big as the excavation is, it is estimated that only 1/30th of the city has been uncovered. From the ancient city we were taken to the port of Athenios where we boarded a lovely schooner to visit three islands in the caldera. Nea Kameni was formed as a result of another eruption in 1701 and is still active but on a very quiescent basis. The climb to the top was grueling but the view was great. On to Palia Kameni, formed in 197 BC, where we swam in what was supposed to be a hot spring but was really a rather tepid rusty colored mud hole.

Next was a visit to Thirasia for lunch. The final stop on the tour took us to Oia where we watched a dramatic sunset that the village is famous for. To get from the sea to Oia we could have climbed some 750 steps but we opted to ride a donkey up the cliff. Poor donkey carrying my weight, but he got his revenge because my saddle was too small and I got a very serious case of “fanny abrasion”.

Our next island was Naxos. What a charming spot. It is the largest of the Cyclades but you never get the feeling that you are crowded or rushed. The beaches were sandy, the water was warm and we spent our time looking at the scenery and enjoying ourselves with some of the friendliest people we had met in Greece. We had dinner one night in a Mexican restaurant that is owned and run by a girl from Kelowna. She was happy to see fellow Canadians and we were happy for a break from Greek food. Our pension was an easy walk to town and the owners took pride in their establishment. It was clean, the beds were good and Panos was very happy if you complimented him on his wine. Our six days just flew by and then we were off to our final island, Amorgos.

Amorgos is the most easterly of the Cyclades and is mostly overlooked by the package tour people. Our hotel was not as professionally run as some we had been in but by helping ourselves to clean sheets and towels we were fine. We rented a moto here and this time we did have a problem. As I stopped to take a photo, Di got off on the wrong side and suffered a nasty burn on her leg, from the bike muffler. We found a charming restaurant on the beach that we dined at on three of the four nights we were there. It was owned by a Greek but he had a Polish chef who really did wonders with the local cuisine. She used more herbs and spices than the locals did and presented dishes that were very interesting, Greek but with a difference.

All too soon our time on the Islands was over. An overnight ferry back to Rafina, then a two day drive across Greece to Igoumenitsa where we had started our Greek odyssey. A 24 hour ferry trip back to Venice and then a 2200 km trip back to Marbella in the south of Spain, where we sold our trailer to the chap who said he wanted it the night before we left in April.

Our camping days are finished for now. We will be heading up to Germany, Belgium, Holland and finally England where we will ship the car back to Canada sometime in August.

My next, and in this series last, article will give you some facts and figures and the logistics involved in planning and doing our trip. Also some post trip observations and suggestions. Until then: Happy Camping.