Stage 30: From Preveza to Etoliko

To get from Preveza to Patras, you can either drive all the way around the Ambrakian Gulf or you can go through the underwater tunnel to Aktio that opened in 2002. I chose the latter, but unfortunately pedestrians and cyclists are not allowed in the tunnel. So I had to take a taxi through the tunnel to continue my journey. From Palairos, I went along the coast in the best weather until Astakos. After a refreshment and some uphill cycling inland, I made it to Etoliko. This place looked fascinating on the map already. It is like a small floating island connected to the mainland by two bridges. A few thousand people live here, and there are probably hardly any tourists here even in the summer. English won't get you very far, but fragments often suffice. There were no hostels or campsites in this region either. The only hotel in town couldn't be found on Google or Booking.com, but luckily they still had a room available. In 2018, there was apparently a natural spectacle on the beach of the town; a 300-meter-long carpet of spider webs because the spiders could multiply like crazy that year due to favorable weather conditions. Anyway, I'm glad that didn't happen again in 2021, but this place definitely has something crazy about it!