Back in Euroland! The custom officer on the Greek side gave me a hearty smile and welcome to Greece. Not all custom officials have to be unsmiling and gruff, it seems!

First order of the day was to find a camping spot. Google was helpful again, and I found the perfect place right at the sea, in a little town called Preveza. (See pictures). One of the first things I do after having set up camp, is to take a swim or a long cold shower. The shower and toilet section at this place was a big disappointment. They showed total lack of upkeep, and hardly any signage for the various sections. Standing in the shower, I thought I heard girls and women’s voices just outside my shower door - sure enough, i had strayed into the women’s shower section. I quickly finished, dressed and darted for the exit so fast that no one could tell whether I was male or female. Phew, lucky escape!

This campsite simply survives on it’s location, and is obviously full every season - so why spend money on improvements, seems to be the reasoning of the Greek owners.

The next day I wanted to find a place in the vicinity of Athens, so I could be at Salamis Shipping in Piraeus early on 15/8, to arrange shipment of the bike from Greece to Haifa in Israel. I found a wonderful place in a seaside resort called Loutraki, and was ready to hit Piraeus the next morning.

Salamis Shipping’s vessel, the Alexo, leaves Greece every Monday and arrives in Haifa 3 days later, after a brief stopover at Limassol on Cyprus. It is a so-called Ro-Ro vessel (roll-on/roll-off) and it takes no passengers at all. I would have to drive the bike onboard myself on Monday morning, and then find my own way to Israel! That would give me 3-4 days in Athens to see the sights, and not least to get my bike serviced at one of the 3-4 BMW dealers in Athens.

I left Loutraki early morning, and noticed there was barely any traffic on the roads. I was virtually alone on the toll road I was using to get to Piraeus. What was going on? I pulled up at Salamis’ office building an hour later, to find everything locked. Another man was waiting at the front door, obviously hoping someone would let him in. He explained that today was a very important holiday for the Greeks - the Day of the Virgin Mary - and that most businesses would be closed til Monday!

That meant no service to my bike, but even worse was the prospect of “missing the boat” for the bike, and have to spend another week in Athens. Fortunately, Salamis were open the following day, and I got my bike booked in. Hallelujah!! Great service from Salamis, despite the holidays.

The Acropolis has to be a “must see” if you are in Athens. I booked into a hotel room near the center, with safe parking for the bike, and took the Metro to Acropolis. I have to admit, this is one of the most impressive sights I have ever seen - and that’s before you even get into the site! Buying a ticket, I asked the young lady if there were discount for seniors. Jackpot! Not only could I get a ticket at half price, but she insisted I showed her some ID. I could have kissed her!

Acropolis with the Parthenon are incredible structures, and it is - apparently - still uncertain how they managed to build these structures. Having spent a few days in Athens, one wonders what went wrong with Greece since then. A slippery slope, it seems. Perhaps I shouldn’t post this until I have boarded the plane to Tel Aviv!

My ticket to Tel Aviv has been booked. Will be leaving Greece on Tuesday, and will while away the next couple of days at a camping site about an hours drive from Athens. 

This European stage of my trip has come to an end. It was never meant to be a major “sightseeing” stage, but a chance to visit a couple of countries I hadn’t seen before, like Montenegro, Slovakia, and Albania and also to visit a couple of interesting attractions. I certainly feel that has been achieved, and I am now really looking forward to visiting Israel.

The next update will be from Tel Aviv!