Part 4 Southern Peloponnese

Southern Peloponnese: After two completely rainy days, we leave the Ochsenbauch Bay alone. Constant rain, storm, and hail made our lives difficult. For the first time since the beginning of our journey, I am completely annoyed. Dogs soaked and dirty, we: wet to the skin.... everyone get in the bus!! Strong nerves are required... but in the evening we are rewarded with a beautiful rainbow... everything is fine again :)

The next day, the sun finally shines again and we drive to Pylos. A small fishing village at the end of the Ochsenbauch Bay. We park in the harbor surrounded by other campers. We stroll into the town and meet some German expatriates. Unfortunately, all the curbs are raised here in winter. In summer probably a dream... in winter, a walk is enough. Nevertheless, we enjoy it and spend the night here in the harbor before continuing along the coast of the Peloponnese.

We drive to Methoni. Here there is a well-preserved fortress to visit - we don't want to miss that. We are amazed as we walk through the huge grounds. Some buildings are in great condition, but only wall remains of the many houses. We walk along the fortress wall and at the sea gate we are amazed when we see the great Bourzi Tower standing there in the sea. An old stone path leads us there. What a great photo opportunity... I can't put the camera away. Unfortunately, it starts raining again (of course) and we decide to continue driving.

Today we are having a bit of trouble finding a great sandy beach because this part of the coast has many rocks and steep cliffs. The few sandy beaches are occupied by campsites and hotels. Eventually, we stand at the gates of Koronis. Actually, we didn't want to go to a city again - but something pulls us in. The alleys are narrow - strong nerves are required - but eventually we arrive at the harbor and YES!! The journey was worth it. We found it here!! The typical old Greece - just as you imagine it. Narrow winding streets, beautiful white houses on the hillside, whitewashed stairs in the village, palm trees, cacti, and potted plants everywhere. What a fantastic little fishing village. We park right on the quay in the harbor and meet the only tourist. Paul - from England. He has been living in a camper van for two years and is happy to meet nice people again (he means us :)). It turns into a super nice evening. When it gets dark, we even make a bonfire right in the middle of the village!! Right in the harbor!! Unthinkable in Germany - no one here cares. The next day we feel the Greek wine - in our heads. Ouch ouch, will we ever learn?? :) Today it is very stormy. Huge waves pass our camper van - into the little bay next to us. The houses here are built right up to the water... they have to endure a lot. Sometimes the terraces are underwater. For us, it's a really spectacular sight, and we sit with Paul all day long at the pier and watch this huge surf. How beautiful it is to be timeless and just watch the waves for a day - pure luxury :)

A day later, we continue... in a convoy with Paul. He gladly joins us... he is happy not to be alone for once. Our English is improving. It gets better and better... I catch myself thinking in English when falling asleep at night (Wow!). Our plan is to find a great sandy beach. Our furry friends want to play again. It's not easy in this corner of the Peloponnese. Eventually, we decide to drive the 30 km to Kalamata. We all need gas and groceries soon. So off we go. In the meantime, we know our way around Kalamata very well... we were here just 2 weeks ago in this wonderful little town. We park in the harbor again and stroll into town in the evening. We want to eat something in a small snack bar. All three of us order a kebob. The average German (like us) naturally thinks: MMMhhhh kebob.. delicious with salad and tzatziki. The waiter tries to talk to us while we are ordering. Somehow he doesn't understand us - and we don't understand him. He keeps asking us every third question?? And of course, we emphatically say - NO, oh God. Each person only one!! He looks at us somewhat confused - we look at him somewhat confused - hhhhmmmm what does he want from us?? Then he brings the order!! The whole pub looks at us with big eyes. Kebob here are small sausages - not the typical meat in a flatbread for us. So we each get a plate with a piece of white bread and a small sausage. Lonely and abandoned, it lies on the large plate!! Now we know what he meant with every third question. Embarrassed, we enjoy our mini-sausage. It was eaten in two minutes. When we paid: 4.50 for everything together, I just want to get out of here quickly... they probably think: Now they're completely crazy... the Germans. With a big hunger, we go back to our campers. Also a laugh for us afterwards. No one has ever eaten so cheaply with three people.

The next day, Gaby and Fred actually join us again. How nice - how nice. Not only the dogs are excited. Now we have 3 campers. We can all park next to each other. Kilian takes out his tools again. Our sliding door is jammed... and needs to be repaired. No problem 'Man can' of course - and in an hour everything is fixed again. The sun is shining today from the cloudless sky, so we sit: 5 people and 5 dogs, the whole day in the harbor in the sun. It could be much worse. By now, we know many people here in the harbor and it's a real hello when we see each other again. I used the washing machine again and did some laundry. Tomorrow we will all continue... looking for a secluded beach.

In a convoy with three campers, we leave civilization. Off we go to Mani - the middle 'finger' of the Peloponnese - the wild side of the Peloponnese wants to be explored. Unfortunately, it is raining again a bit. We learn from a nice Greek man that we probably hit the wettest and coldest winter in many years. But that doesn't bother us much - even the wettest winter in the Peloponnese is still better than the endless gray winter in Germany. And the temperatures are acceptable. We have mostly between 14 and 18 degrees.

We start our journey into the interior through part of the mountains. Dreamlike winding roads take us higher and higher. Pine trees, cypresses, pines, and olive trees line our path. The cacti are in full bloom.

We find a dreamy parking lot at the small church Agios Nicolaos. We are high above the sea and have a fantastic view - and for free a few meters further there is an almost new amphitheater that was built eight years ago - but never finished properly.

Our group becomes even larger in the evening. The nice young travelers Tani and Sarah join us by chance. The sympathy with the Dresdeners is immediate, and a few minutes later we are all sitting together in a large and fun circle. News and experiences of travelers are exchanged. The two have been on the road since last May and there is a lot to tell. They also started in Scandinavia but then went to England/Ireland/Scotland, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and then took the ferry here to the Peloponnese. We go down to the amphitheater with Gaby and Fred. Kilian goes on stage and inaugurates it with the question: 'To be or not to be... that is the question' :)!! With an incredibly great acoustics, his words echo through the theater. A shame that everything is abandoned here. Under the theater, a door is unlocked and we peek under the grandstand. Changing rooms with marble floors, a half-built kitchen, great showers... everything incomplete. What a shame.

The next day (the sun is warm in the sky) we spend playing 'Mölkky' with Gaby and Fred and Paul. Paul flies his drone again (envious envious) and we see our place from a bird's-eye view. Well, everything looks even more beautiful from above.... and we are even more thrilled!! One thing is written all over Kilian's face - WANT TO HAVE :)

In the evening, we all sit together by the campfire. The topics of conversation never run out, and it's great to see how complete strangers - of different ages - get along well. We have mid-twenties, mid-forties, and mid-sixties... and it's great :) 'Traveler news and traveler experiences - stories are exchanged. The topics never run out. On the second evening, I unpack my pois, and Kilian his laser pointer, and we put on a little light show.

After three wonderful days, we decide to go back to the sea. Gaby and Fred say goodbye temporarily. Unfortunately, they have to go back to Kalamata because there is no LPG gas down here in Mani. The three remaining buses drive together to the sea.

We pass through small dreamlike typical 'Mani villages'. The houses here all have their own charm. They are not white, but built with natural stones without plaster. Beautiful to look at. Then we find a dreamy bay with turquoise water. The 'Dinosaur Egg Bay' - Why?? Because the white stones here look exactly like dinosaur eggs. The sun is shining, there is no wind, and we have 18.5 degrees Celsius, woohoo. Gaby and Fred report from the mountains: They are stuck in snow and hail chaos!! I can't believe it!! And here by the sea, the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and spring is in the air. Tani and Sarah even go swimming (respect) after picking up 5 bags of trash on the beach (great action, you two). And a few kilometers away, there is snow chaos. We convince Gaby and Fred to come back to us with pictures on their phones after refueling, and in the evening we are 4 campers again. Cool thing :)

The next day, we all visit the 'Cave of Diros' - the Diros Cave! Unfortunately, we can only do the short tour because the water is high in this 'sea cave' due to the heavy rainfall in recent weeks. What?? Some people might wonder. What is a sea cave?? That means the cave is at sea level and part of it is explored by boat. So all of us get on the boat and the amazement begins. The cave is beautifully lit, and we see stalactites and stalagmites. We feel like we are in an elf country. A little troll could jump out from behind a stalactite - wouldn't surprise me, grinning. We explore the other half of the cave on foot and everyone takes photos like crazy. The trip was worth it :)

In the evening, Kilian bakes a mandarin cake for Fred. It's his birthday tomorrow and he deserves a cake. A storm is expected, and the sea is already throwing big waves into our bay. The next morning, Fred is the first to receive a birthday serenade and the cake. We toast his special day with a good sip of ouzo. At eleven in the morning!! The day starts pleasantly :) We play Mölkky and let the day pass by. Gaby and Sarah even go swimming. In this wonderful bay, it's a difficult endeavor, as the big white stones are very slippery. The waves knock the two over and it's not easy for them to get into and out of the water. In the evening, the waves get bigger and bigger. The over 5-meter-wide beach in front of us is submerged in the sea and the waves come closer and closer to our campers. Then it starts raining. Unfortunately, the birthday bonfire has to be canceled.

The next morning, I wake up to the noise of the water. Wow!! Huge waves are coming in. I look skeptically at the sea. It must not come any closer, otherwise our campers will get wet feet. The storm has brought a lot of plastic trash to the beach again. We learn from acquaintances who are at another beach that large turtles have been washed up there. Others have seen dolphins. Unfortunately, we have to be content with the plastic trash and the big waves (well, you can't have everything, grinning).

After a few days, we all part ways for now. Paul needs gas and has to drive over the mountains to Gythio. We need water, groceries, and cash and drive to the next small town. And Gaby and Fred follow Tani and Sarah to Cape Tenaro. We three remaining buses also head to the cape after our errands. Cape Tenaro is the southernmost tip of Greece that is accessible by camper van. Only 390 km as the crow flies separate us here from Africa. The road there quickly proves to be one of the most beautiful routes on our journey. I'm thrilled and glued to the windshield. We go up into the mountains. Below us, we see many small turquoise-colored bays. We pass through many small 'Mani' mountain villages. In their typical architectural style with natural stone, it's a great sight. Marguerites, poppies, daisies, and many other plants that we don't know are blooming now. The road becomes even more spectacular. We can't stop being amazed. We are high up and have a spectacular panoramic view. What a wild and magnificent landscape.

At the cape, we meet the others. Unfortunately, it is extremely stormy here and it keeps raining. The others continue, but we want to walk around here a bit - at the southernmost tip of Greece. We discover the ruins of the 'Oracle of Death'. Predictions used to be made here. We also discover an old mosaic floor in the scree. It dates back to Hellenistic times. Before the birth of Christ. Amazing!! We stand on a floor that is thousands of years old. We find the walk to the lighthouse too far - it keeps raining. But still, this path was worth it. Rarely have we seen such a magnificent - indescribable landscape like here. The way back - to the other side of Mani - is also great. The road leads steeply up the mountains again. Our Knut is huffing and puffing but manages more than 20 km. We pass through several small mountain villages. Narrow alleys with great houses - high up in the mountains. A rainbow accompanies us for many kilometers.

In the evening, we meet up with everyone again just outside Gythio at a wonderful long sandy beach. Our four campers stand side by side again. We enjoy having met nice people and always having some company. At some point the next day, Tani and Sarah take out Christmas goodies from their van. They still have so much left. Spontaneously, we decide that today is Christmas again. We put on Santa hats and enjoy gingerbread cookies, Dominos, and other delicious treats. In the evening, after a warm sunny day, we all sit together by the campfire. It could be much worse, grinning.

Tomorrow we will leave Mani and continue to Gythion. Spring has definitely arrived. Everything starts to bloom. The air gets warmer... here at the southernmost tip of the Peloponnese.