Greece Part 1 - the East and Chalkidiki

The East: We enter Greece near Komotini, high up in the mountains. The temperature immediately jumps to 12 degrees. Yay, we're here. Joy spreads... and on my birthday... we couldn't have timed it better. The sky clears up and it finally becomes brighter and warmer. We want to go straight to the sea near Alexandroupoli. Really 'arrive'... in Greece. With a smile on our faces and Greek music in our ears, we head towards the sea. In Imeros we find a dreamlike spot on the beach just for ourselves... except for? - Yes, of course... except for two strays who cautiously come closer. A big brown dog and a little puppy (about 4 months old). They are hungry and start eating. They are really cute and the puppy is very clingy and wants to be petted. Of course, gladly :) Kilian bakes me a birthday cake (delicious chocolate cake).. and in the evening we take a long walk on the beach. It smells like the sea and the temperature shows 18 degrees. Perfect! The two dogs (we named them Pat and Patterchen) run with us naturally. Amy likes it. The three of them race along the beach. A birthday couldn't be more relaxed. At night it starts to rain. Pat and Patterchen huddle up in front of our bus. We don't want to leave without them noticing. The next morning we are greeted with wagging tails. Is it breakfast time now?? Yes, of course... and plenty for my dear fur babies. We decide to stay here a little longer.... it's raining and we have a lazy day. In the afternoon we take another long walk on the beach with three dogs in tow :) and in the evening we do laundry (we have a well in the front yard).

But the next morning it's time... we want to move on. The sun is shining from the blue sky and it's warm. Pat and Patterchen already sense something and look sad. Oh my God... I would love to take you with us... but we would need a camper so that all the dogs would have enough space. They watch us for a long time as we drive away on the road. I really have to fight back tears... I hope they will make it through the winter... the two sweeties.

We drive a bit further to Lake Elos right by the sea. We see beautiful villages. The white houses shine in the sun.. What a sight compared to the gray, bleak houses in Bulgaria. At Lake Elos, just before the sea, we see that the lake is full of pink flamingos. It looks amazing to see them standing there in the water. And once again we are at another dreamy sandy beach. All alone again... with water and trash cans... what more does a camper's heart need? We explore the area and climb the rocks next to us. From the top, you have a great view of the sea, the flamingos behind us, and the cliffs on the other side. In addition, there is a small white church on the summit. We sit in the sun and enjoy the moment. On the way back, we collect driftwood... tonight we will barbecue again :) Anglers are there the next morning and pull out one octopus after another. Bulgarians even come with diving suits and harpoons for hunting. There is a lot going on here.

Then it's time. We drive to Xanthi. The hometown of our dog. We want to visit the shelter and arrange to meet Anna-Maria at a location. The shelter is apparently difficult to find, so she wants to come and pick us up. But it turns out differently. We are summoned to a house. Dog emergency!! A 78-year-old German alcoholic has been hoarding animals here. Now he has been admitted to the hospital and the dog emergency call was made. We are totally shocked. He kept 45 big dogs in and around his house. The whole apartment is cluttered and covered in excrement. You feel nauseous after taking 2 steps. The dogs are all beside themselves and jump up with their dirty paws. In a very short time, we look like pigs. The police are called... it is a complete disaster to see this. Almost all the dogs are sick and will likely be shot today. Anna-Maria cannot take these dogs into her shelter... they are sick and there are too many of them. Then we want to go to the shelter. On the way there, the next call comes: the next emergency. We are called to an abandoned industrial area. Already on the street: many hungry dogs... we stop and feed them... then we go to the actual emergency. A female dog has given birth. 5 puppies. In a dirty empty warehouse. She is shaking and emaciated. A horrifying image... here among all the garbage. It is decided to leave her alone. We are contaminated by the horror house. They will be vaccinated tomorrow and then picked up... in quarantine... and then off to the other 150 dogs in the shelter. Unfortunately, it didn't come to that. The female dog died during the night - but the puppies will go to the shelter... which means Anna-Maria will have to give them puppy replacement milk every 2-3 hours for the next few weeks.... a real challenge in addition to the many other work. Anna-Maria, you can be really proud of yourself :)

The 'Ghost Mountain Dogs'. Then we arrive. All the dogs start barking, wagging their tails... going crazy with joy that someone is here. A large area is fenced in. Many separate enclosures are inside. There are always 5-10 dogs together. Young dogs, puppies, big ones, small ones... and they are all friendly and wanting attention. We go through all the kennels and are amazed. Here there are not only mixed breeds, but also Labradors, Australian Shepherds, Boxers, German Shepherds, and more. And they are all super people-oriented and desperately looking for a family. We still dream of a second dog.... a buddy for Amy... let's see what happens. It needs to be well considered. Traveling with one dog is not easy... traveling with two dogs is even more complicated. We take out some favorites and show them to Amy. But she stands still and shocked in the meadow. Does she remember? She was here four years ago too. Anyway, she stands like a statue and doesn't make a sound. We are puzzled and decide to sleep on it for now. We park our bus on the meadow next to the shelter. It starts raining at night and in the morning we are stuck. And I mean really stuck. Knut has dug himself knee-deep and we have no chance of getting out on our own. So Kilian walks to the village. Find someone with a tractor. He quickly finds a nice Greek guy. He immediately comes with his tractor and pulls us out. We express our thanks profusely. Efcharisto - thank you very much. He doesn't even accept a tip. The Greeks are really nice.

Our bus is on dry ground and we are relieved. But the dog matter is still on our minds. What should we do? We have a cute white-spotted setter in mind... really sweet and people-oriented. But she's actually too big and has a foot problem. Hmmm... not really the right one?! Yesterday we noticed another young female dog over and over again. She was more reserved than the others. Didn't bark but waited. She is beautiful and not too big... we take her out again and go for a walk with Amy and her. Then we try to see her reaction when we carry her into the bus. No problem at all. We are impressed - very impressed :) We decide to take her to the sea for two days. On trial (with the option to bring her back - hahaha yeah right :)) We have to see how it works with Amy, with driving, etc... and behold. It becomes clear in the evening. That's her!! Our new family member is here. She's great in the car, comes immediately when called, gets along well with Amy.... and she's super sweet and very clingy (she definitely has a petting addiction). Welcome Lucy to our family :)

I want to mention the incredible work that the animal rescuers - and especially Anna-Maria - do here. This is not just a job!! This is a life task... no weekends or vacations. I appeal to everyone reading this: don't get a dog from a breeder for a lot of money. Get a dog from a rescue organization. They are the most grateful, friendliest creatures you can imagine. If you're interested, you can even see the dogs available for adoption on the internet with a lot of information and pictures. Everything can be found under: Ghost Mountain Dogs. In addition, all the work here - food, medication, neutering, vaccinations, etc. - is based on donations. Every cent is needed.... otherwise, the dogs have no chance!!!

So we pack up our fur babies and off we go towards the sea. We immediately find (which is not difficult in Greece) a dreamlike spot on a hill with a small church nearby. The road is far away and we let the two fur babies run around. They race along the beach all day... you could watch them forever. In the evening, we try to figure out where our new family member should sleep. Amy sleeps under our bed. There is a kind of cave - she likes it. But Lucy doesn't have space there. So she gets her new bed in the driver's area. A shelf on the seat and a blanket on top. She likes it and falls asleep immediately, completely exhausted and happy. The next day we go to the vet again. A final vaccination is due and we have to pick up the vaccination record. The vet knows about us from Anna-Maria and is totally friendly and thrilled that we are taking another 'Greek' with us. - But of course. She wants to know everything about our journey and is very interested. The veterinary official who joins us is also completely thrilled and thanks us very much for 'saving' another dog.

We say goodbye to Anna-Maria and thank her once again for everything. She doesn't want an adoption fee for Lucy - she is just happy that one of her charges has found a good home. We leave a generous donation for the shelter and packed with good wishes, we start our journey with four people :) We arrive in Kavala. The city with its white houses is picturesque against the backdrop of the Pangeo Mountains. We pass by the famous white marble quarries. Even on the beach, you can see the large blocks... the excess is dumped here. But it doesn't spoil the beach at all - on the contrary - it looks beautiful. We pass through deserted holiday resorts. Everything is deserted. We are the only tourists far and wide. The beaches belong to us alone :) Unfortunately, it is pouring rain today, so we continue driving along the coastal road. We take a short detour inland to Lake Volvi and then back to the coast. We are drawn to the sea :)

We arrive in Chalkidiki. The landscape is beautiful. We see many palm trees, cacti, orange plantations, olive groves, and pine trees. In addition, the green mountains of the Pangeo Mountains and the blue blue sea. You can't get enough of this intoxicating landscape. In Ierissos, we find another dreamlike secluded beach. Rock formations shaped by the tides over thousands of years into bizarre, surreal figures. Unfortunately, here too (like almost everywhere) - plastic waste everywhere. Our seas are polluted!! We see it on the beaches!! Nevertheless, we enjoy the great place and the solitude. We spend the day wandering around with our dogs. Little by little, the four of us really get together. Amy and Lucy play together all day. They also love the great walks on the beach. Lucy grew up in the shelter. Everything is new and great for her. Running around... off the leash... on the sandy beach - she's completely beside herself with joy. A cold storm arrives in the evening.

The wind howls from the sea and throws huge waves onto the beach. We parked in an unfavorable position. The wind hits our bus head-on. The cold wind comes through all the cracks. For the first time since the start of our journey, we feel cold despite the heating system. The surf is loud and the wind too - on this night. We can't sleep for a long time - unlike our fur babies - they are always so exhausted in the evening and snore away.

The next morning we leave. Our destination for today: the Sithonia Peninsula. The landscape becomes more and more spectacular. We stop repeatedly and marvel at the landscape and the view. It is very mountainous and the coastal road often moves away from the sea - up into the mountains - and then winds back down to the sea with breathtaking views. The Greek Aegean is simply indescribably beautiful. With its many small islands in the sea and the countless sandy coves... we can't get enough of it :)

We learned from Anna-Maria today that Lucy's brother is suffering immensely since she's not there anymore. I promise her to mobilize all my social networks and try to find someone for poor Max. The two came to the shelter together as puppies and were always together - well - and now his sister is gone... and the poor thing is suffering a lot. And behold. Exactly 1 hour later, I learn from my friends at home that they will take Max. That means - when we come home again, the two will see each other again. He actually lives right around the corner from us!! Isn't that great?? We immediately pass on the good news to Anna-Maria. Now Max still needs to be neutered and fully vaccinated... and then he'll be off on a plane... to Germany :)

We have arrived near Agios Nikolaos and find THE dream spot. On the pine forest - on rocks - with a direct view (of course) of the sea. Here too (almost everywhere) there are these bizarre rocks that go far out into the sea. Washed away and great for 'climbing'. The four of us have a lot of fun (even though it's only 9 degrees today). We spend the whole day wandering around and exploring the area. Actually, we would like to stay here for a few days, but our water in the bus is running out... which means tomorrow we will look for drinking water. With heavy hearts, we set off the next day. We end up in Porto Koufus. A sleepy, picturesque fishing village. When we drive down from the mountains, it offers us a great view of this beautiful bay. Typical white houses compete with the turquoise sea. The sidewalks are basically folded up. Almost no people can be seen. Everything here is geared towards tourism... and well - we are the only tourists :) At the harbor, we find taps. Unfortunately, they are all turned off. We ask a few fishermen where we can get drinking water. They are super friendly and immediately come with us to a restaurant, explaining to the owner that we are from Germany and need water. No problem!! He gladly shows us his hose and lets us fill up the bus. Of course, he doesn't want any money for it (as always). So we decide to have a beer and Ouzo in his tavern!! Yes indeed!! We have earned that after this shock :)

We find a motorhome parking space in Neo Rysio where parking, water, and electricity are free. Can you believe it? We like that. And there's even a washing machine!! Great. Off we go. When we drive onto the parking lot, a German monster motorhome catches our eye. Wow. A dream on six wheels. A truck converted into a motorhome. With all-wheel drive and double axle. The ultimate dream. We get to know the owners. Wolf and Ute from Neu-Ulm. The sympathy immediately connects us and we chat a bit. Unfortunately, the two have to start their journey home today. So we say goodbye again soon. What a shame... it could have been a cozy evening with the two of them. Dear Ute, dear Wolf... thanks for everything :)... it was a pleasure to meet you.

Kilian then spends the day tinkering with our solar system. The rear batteries don't charge while driving. Only through sunlight. And since it's often cloudy, we don't have enough power for heating, hot water, etc. But of course, Kilian will fix it :) 'Man' can do it :)

I do laundry and write this first Greece blog. Tomorrow we will leave Chalkidiki and head towards the Peloponnese. We are excited about what is to come... here in amazing Greece :)