The morning dawned clear and blue (again) and the light was already bright by the time I had hauled myself out of my pit. Our location at Voidokilla Beach was more beautiful every time I looked at it. It would have been nice to spend another day on the idyllic beach, but we wanted to get ourselves relocated for the Easter festivities.
Sarah spent an hour or so walking the dogs around the dunes and discovering the site of a Mycenaean settlement. I, on the other hand, took my birding lens to seek out what we term at our local camera club “birds on sticks”. This is because inevitably photographs of our feathered friends are shot with them posing on a branch or twig. It is meant, I think, slightly dismissively, but as I found out again this morning getting good photographs of wild birds is no easy matter.
Last evening if I had had my camera instead of my binoculars I would have had a good chance of nice shots of a flycatcher and some little wading birds I now know are Little Stints. This morning, of course, I saw nothings within shooting range except the Little Stints. In my bird book it says that Little Stints “often seem oblivious to approaching danger”. Well not today. Everytime I got close they took to the wing only to reappear once I had retreated. Very frustrating. The last occasion I was getting close when Sarah let Mabel off the lead who came bounding towards me. The Little Stints were not oblivious to that approaching danger.
My best Little Stints
This morning I read in Rough Guide that Voidokilla Beach is one of the few places in Greece where turtles still breed and is also a good site to see chameleons. I think it is a spot we will return to if we come back to the Peloponnese.
We moved an hour or so further south to Camping Koroni (36.799598, 21.950625). The roads were easy today, but the Greeks like to give me a scare as today a small car came round a bend completely on the wrong side of the road, the driver with only one hand on the wheel. Luckily he swerved at the last minute but my nerves were jangled once again.
On our arrival at Camping Koroni the owner’s wife gave us a dyed red egg as an Easter gift. The campsite itself is small and the toilet blocks are only adequate, but they do have toilet seats and even toilet paper which is definitely the exception rather than the rule in Southern Europe. It will have a working swimming pool and restaurant by the end of the weekend. (€17 ACSI rate).
Basil’s spot at Camping Koroni
Sarah left Melek’s short lead behind at our last stop and we don’t have a spare, so showing her usual resourcefulness she has crocheted him a new one until we can replace it. I didn’t even know Sarah could crochet, but she has brought knitting needles and a crochet hook with her to wile away the boring hours in my company! In fact she has just said she has not crocheted since she was about 6 years old, but it has come back to her, as things learnt young tend to.
We have had a quick walk down to the lovely beach and there is a bay of crystal clear blue sea between us and Koroni town. We were hoping to see Greek Orthodox Easter celebrations in Koroni and the campsite owner’s wife has told us that tomorrow (Good Friday) there is a candle lit parade from the town’s church to the castle at 8.30 pm, which sounds a must see. The owner has also told us that there are festivities throughout the weekend and another big event on Sunday evening. It is only a 10 minute walk into the town so we are well placed.
Koroni from our campsite’s beach
If anyone knows what the etiquette is with the dyed egg can they let us know. Are we allowed to eat it or would that be disrespectful. We’ve never received one before.