Kefalonia with Paul and Pip

I left Ringwood at  'silly o'clock' on Thursday 8th October 2015 on the National Express coach bound for Gatwick airport. After a good journey and a smooth but delayed flight I landed in a warm and sunny Kefalonia and was met by Dave.
We headed straight for St Thomas' beach and enjoyed a swim from the rocks. From there we went round to Jim and Denise's house where they were having a barbecue.
On Friday we woke up to a beautiful hot and sunny day and spent the morning down on 'No Shoes' beach.

 

 At lunch time we went up to St. George's castle and had a delicious lunch with superb views of the bay.
In the afternoon we had a swim and siesta at Makros Gelatos Beach in Lassi , and then had to go to the bus station in Argostoli to collect a tortoise that had been sent from Athens for Paul at Villa Mandalay.

On Saturday we collected Paul and Pip from the airport. We wanted to show them the castle but it was extremely windy and they weren't seeing Kefalonia at it's best. The harbour front at Pessada had huge rolling waves crashing over the sea wall and it was way too rough for a swim there. They checked in at the Sunrise Inn and we ate that evening at the Perratata Grill.
On Sunday we had fun playing in the waves on Trapezaki Beach and then had lunch at the newly renovated café at St. Thomas'. In the evening we invited Jim, Denise, Mick and Laney to the plot for chilli, rice and garlic bread. It was a good fun evening.
On Monday we spent the day at No Shoes Beach. The water was beautifully warm but rather murky after the previous days winds.
Tuesday was Paul's birthday so we did a tour of our favourite places to the north of the island. Myrrtos Beach looked fabulous, as usual,

 

Emblissi Beach to the south of Fiskardo looked beautiful. We climbed round the headland to the megaliths and added stones to some of the existing towers.

 

 

I love this photo of Pip behind a stone tower!!

 

We continued round to Fiskardo . The harbour looked lovely so we decided to have a meze lunch on the waterside. It was delicious.

From there we went on to Assos and had a swim and snorkel,

 

 

 

and then went back to a desserted Myrrtos Beach where we cooked steaks on the barbecue. Dinner was delicious and the fire was kept going with driftwood from the back of the beach.

 

 

I think Paul enjoyed his birthday!

 

On Wednesday we started off at No Shoes Beach with a quick swim, then I showed Paul and Pip the 'Secret Beach' but there was a bit too much swell so we decided not to swim there. Instead we went round to Spartia and Paul and I snorkelled from the rocks in a nice sheltered bay.

In the afternoon we left Paul and Pip to go off exploring while Dave and I packed the caravan away for the winter.

For our last evening together, we had a fantastic dinner at The Olive Grove, and then stayed the night at Paul and Pip's apartment.

On Thursday they took us to the airport and continued with their holiday while we flew home.

 

 

 

Andalucia September 2015

Dave and I flew out of Bournemouth Airport early on Wed 9th September 2015 bound for Malaga in Andalusia, southern Spain.
After a short flight we collected a hire car and started on our way to Sedella, a village high in the mountains to stay for five days with Helen and Stoney at their current house sit.
The drive took just over an hour. It wasn't far but once we left the motorway the drive up the mountain consisted of numerous hair pin bends.  Finally, after passing a 'no entry' barrier and then driving up a dirt track we arrived at the house that Helen and Stoney were house sitting at.

 

It was a huge, luxury log cabin with beautiful outside areas and a swimming pool. Lots of tropical plants decorated the terraces and patios, whilst slightly further away numerous plum, almond and apple trees were planted.

 

 

Having unpacked and had some lunch we got acquainted with the property and enjoyed a good catch up with Helen and Stoney. Later we drove into the nearby village of Sedella and had a wander and found a bar. Prices in this area were incredibly cheap so we had a few drinks outside with the locals.

 

The next morning we drove back down the mountain and visited the market at Velez-Malaga. We bought a few provisions and did some other errands then went to Torre del Mar and found a nice restaurant on the sea front. We all choose the set menu which cost 7 euros ( about £5 ) for a three course meal.  I had seafood pasta, followed by the fish dish of the day and then profiteroles.

After that we went over to the beach where we thought we'd have a swim, but there was a mass of jellyfish so we didn't fancy it at all. There was even a boat going along the shore line scooping the jelly fish out of the sea with a net. Instead we went back to the house and swam in the pool.

 

On Friday morning Dave helped Stoney to do some repairs on their car, and I picked some almonds with Helen which we would later shell, toast and salt to accompany evening aperitifs.

 

 

 

After lunch we went to a local waterfall and Helen and Stoney collected some more spring water.

 

 

Then we took one of the cars into Sedella and went back to the house in the other. We climbed up behind the house and took the footpath into the village. It was a nice walk and we picked some figs along the way.

 

 

We cooked a lovely barbecue that evening and watched the sun setting behind the mountains, and the stars come out. Another good day!

 

On Saturday I had the chance to collect some honey from the bee hives in the garden. I was very excited because I'd always wanted to learn more about bee keeping but hadn't had much opportunity to. I'd done a course, but not had much practical experience as it had been too cold on that occasion to lift the lids on the hives.

Anyway, after donning the apiarist's suit I collected my equipment and had some instruction from Stoney, then off I went to the hives.

 

 

Using the smoker to calm the bees, I took the lid off the hive and managed to replace two of the frames, laden with honey, with two new frames. I left two other full frames for the bees to feed from.

All went very well, no-one got stung, and I collected about 3kg of honey. Unfortunately we couldn't bring any back home in our hand luggage.

 

In the afternoon we had a short drive to a nearby village for an explore, and an ice cream, and then came back and relaxed by the pool.

In the evening we went back to Sedella for a meal with some of Helen and Stoney's friends. We had a steak, baked potato with aioli and vegetables for 5 euros. Wine was 1 euros a glass!!

Cheese and an Ameretto night cap back at the house, then a few hours sleep before the 4.15am alarm call at which time we had to get up and make our way back to the airport for our flight home.

 

We had a fantastic five days; great company, lots of laughs, delicious food, lovely sunshine and a stunning venue. Thank you Helen and Stoney for having us.

xxx 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The End!

We arrived in the Champagne region in the dark, so although we drove through plenty of lovely villages, we didn't get to see them this time. I can't believe I didn't even indulge in a glass of bubbles, I don't know what was the matter with me!!

Next morning we made our final tracks to Calais. A quick supermarket sweep, some cheap diesel and in the queue for the ferry. This really is the end of our Adventure before Dementia. We've had an amazing ten and a half months. Seen some gorgeous, and fascinating places, met some lovely people and made lots of great new friends. We've loved having visitors, so thanks to Roger and Julie, Chris and Lin, Dot, Paul and Pip, Barbara, Susie, Jackie and Lisa, and Charlie who all came to visit us in the Dordogne. Chris, Lin, Roger and Julie who also came out to Kefalonia, and Chris and Lin again who met us in Brittany. We loved sharing our adventure with you all.

 

 

We've got lots of favourite memories, probably too many to mention, but these are amongst our best moments:

 

 canoeing near Brantome, France

  les Calanques, near Cassis, France

  turtles in Argostoli harbour, Kefalonia

 

 looking inside Mount Vesvius, Italy

 

 

         Pompeii, Italy

 

 Rocamadour, France

 near Bardonnecchia, Italy

 'No Shoes ' beach, Kefalonia

 overnight on Myrtos Beach, Kefalonia

 Soca Valley, Slovenia

 Italian Dolomites

 

Sand dune at Arcachon, France

 l'Abyme, Dordogne, France

 

........... and many, many more!

 

The End!

 

 

 

 

 

Six countries in six days!

Whilst on Lake Konstanz Dave was keen to visit the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen. It traced the history of the airship, both in it's civilian & military roles, and it's passenger carrying Trans-Atlantic crossings, one of which finally ended in disaster with the explosion of the Hindenberg in the U.S.

 

 

This shows the size of the Hindenberg compared to the Queen Mary and a jumbo jet.

 

This model shows the cabins and restaurant on board.

 

Leaving there we drove around the lake, leaving Austria and into Germany, before finally crossing over the border into France. I'd always wanted to visit Colmar, south of Strasbourg, known for it's beautiful timbered buildings. Today was a cold, wet November morning, but we enjoyed a stroll around the town, and coffee and croissants in the square.

 

Typical colourful timbered buildings in Colmar.

 

Worth coming back here in the future to see the wine trail and the Vosges mountains.

 

From there we continued north towards Calais, stopping off about halfway at Reims in the Champagne region.

 

6 countries in 6 days.....Greece, Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Germany, France!

The Italian Job!

We ate very well in our Slovenian hotel. Can't remember what some of it was called because my knowledge of Slovenian let me down, but it was all recognisable, wholesome and cheap! The hotel Gostilna Pre Martinu in Kranjska Gora comes highly recommended by us.

 

Next morning we left in glorious sunshine and deep blue skies, past the ski slopes where I learnt to ski, and ventured back into Italy.

 

They hope the ski season will start next month.

 

The drive to Cortina de Amprezzo in the Italian Dolomites was spectacular. High rugged mountains bathed in sunshine with beech forests turning all the impressive autumn colours was stunning. We are lucky with the weather.

 

 

Coffee stop with a view!

 

The town of Cortina,  was the playground of the rich and famous many years ago, and inspired Ford with a name for their newest model of car.

 

Always unhappy with the rising costs of fuel, Dave seeks alternative methods of transport!  How long would it take us to do our 1200 miles in this, and would I have to travel in the back???

Overnight in Italy in a hotel run by Germans, very confusing, and not entirely sure what we ate last, (but don't tell Dave that!).  Just about to leave now, drive through Innsbruck in Austria, and into Germany to Lake Konstanz. Sun is still shining, hooray!!

 

Autumn in Slovenia

We said our goodbyes and left Kefalonia in glorious sunshine!  Typical, once we'd decided to leave the warm weather returned. We enjoyed the 3 hour ferry crossing from Sami to Astikos on the mainland, docking briefly in Ithaca. The drive north then hugged the coast and was a lovely drive as far as Paleros,  after that it was dark but we continued on to Igoumenitsa which is on the mainland opposite the island of Corfu.
We were happy to be able to swap our tickets for the ferry to Trieste in Italy, bringing the crossing forward by two days. Whilst we were waiting to board we were treated to an entertaining game of 'hide and seek' between the Greek port police and some illegal immigrants who were hiding on the axles of some juggernauts!! It was a long crossing, 26 hours, but it was very calm and we had a comfortable cabin.
We docked in Italy at 2 am, so we drove for an hour to the border with Slovenia, then pulled in for a sleep for a few hours because we wanted to drive along the Soca Valley in the daylight. When we woke up the scenery was breathtaking, we were high up in the Juliana Alps. We headed for Bovec first and took a track up into the mountains for some fantastic views, but the best bit was the drive still following the river Soca up through the Vrsic Pass.

 

The river was an amazing light turquoise blue colour, and crystal clear, with the autumn trees as a backdrop it looked very impressive. The level was low, but normally this is an excellent area for kayaking and rafting, as well as walking and cycling.

The Vrsic Pass rose to an altitude of 1611m and consisted of 50 hairpin bends, but well worth it.

This lead us to Kranjska Gora which is where I enjoyed my first skiing holiday, about 30 years ago. A pretty alpine town where we had an overnight stop. Going down to dinner now for some typical hearty Slovenian cuisine!

 

 

Final Fling!

So, after a busy three and a half months back in England, as predicted we were ready for the final chapter of our gap year.
We arrived to a sunny Kefalonia on Tuesday, and were collected from the airport by our friends Jim and Denise, and taken back to Pessada where we were eager to change into shorts and flip-flops. However, the sunshine was short lived, and almost straight away the blue skies gave way to clouds. Big, black clouds, full of torrential rain, laced with lashings of thunder and lightening! Not quite what we were hoping for, and sure enough the plot quickly turned into a claggy, wet quagmire. The overcast skies meant that there wasn't enough sunlight to make much solar power, so we had virtually no electricity. I slipped over in the mud wearing a pair of white jeans (which are now cut into shorts!!), and the prospect of a weeks swimming and snorkelling suddenly seemed highly unlikely.

Having survived the storms, we got out and about and did some local walks, met up with friends, and finally got a swim in at St. Thomas' beach, well Dave did, I wimped out on that occasion.

On Monday evening, with the weather more settled we invited Jim and Denise over and had a bonfire party. It was a lovely evening sitting out under the stars, supping local wine and eating chilli and potatoes baked in the embers. A bit like bonfire night in England, but warmer!

Anyway, the weather isn't going to improve much over the next week, so at the moment we're making plans to get off of the island (easier said than done this time of year!) and get an earlier boat from Igoumenitsa, near Corfu up the Adriatic Sea to Trieste, east of Venice where we plan to have a look at Slovenia. Fingers crossed!!