Well, it has been cold today. Not proper cold, but Greek cold. It’s been enough to have me rummaging for a fleece and Sarah has refused to join me when I’ve suggested sitting outside.
If nothing else it has made us do a bit of exercise. We’ve been for a long walk to the nearest village, which I think is called Mavrovouni. It was a pleasant enough walk because seventy five percent of it was along the long beach which fronts Camping Meltemi.
While we have been in the southern Peloponnese we have seen the snow covered peak of Profitis Ilias, the highest mountain on the Mani peninsular at 7,900 feet (2,400 m), but always from a distance. On our walk today we could see it at relatively close hand for the first time.
Mount Profitis Ilias
There is nothing much to report from the beach except, not surprisingly, it was empty today. There was evidence of preparations for the coming summer, but all enterprises, bar one taverna, are closed. It’s a blue flag beach, with beach showers and graffiti adorned changing cubicles, so I suspect, come summer, the beach will be packed. I called in at the sole open taverna to look at the menu and we may visit this evening.
Preparations for summer on the beach
We were welcomed in the village by the usual friendly howl of dogs and Mabel was driven to distraction by the bin raiding local cats. Other than than that the village was as shut as the beach front. The village is set on a hill overlooking the sea and had several shut tavernas, so again I suspect it is quite lively in the summer months.
The usual Greek greeting
More friendly welcomes!
One of the things about travelling is that you notice things that are surprising in ways you don’t expect. I thought I knew about fruit trees, or at least enough that I didn’t think I would learn anything new about them. But southern Italian and Greek fruit trees have confounded me. I thought fruit trees flowered, were pollenated, produced fruit, the fruit was picked or dropped in one year and the next year the process was repeated. Well that is not the case with oranges we have observed. At the moment the orange trees are full of fruit from last year, but are also flowering at the same time. Who knew? Not me clearly!
Oranges – Fruit and blossom on the same tree – that’s just wrong surely?
On the way back Melek decided he had had enough walking for one day (Sarah had taken him out first thing in addition to our walk to the village) and on the way back showed us in no uncertain terms by characteristically just flinging his four limbs out horizontally so he skids to a stop on his underbelly, leaving me with a taught lead and an unresponsive dog. He took some coaxing to complete the walk.
Melek makes it clear what he think of his long walk!
The Easter holidays has made a bit of a change to campsite life. The sites are no longer just full of the old and bemused, but ring to the sound of children from young families. These families seem to be made up of enterprising families, mostly in motorhomes, from Switzerland, Austria and Germany. At first we thought it sounded a long way to come for a two week holiday, but if you start just north of Italy, there are ferries from Venice to Greece, so I suppose it’s not much more adventurous than a family from the north of Britain taking a ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge for an Easter holiday in France.
The coast from Mavrovouni – Camping Meltemi is in the distance
Tomorrow we are promised persistent rain, so I’m hoping I can weave Zorba the Greek into our day!
(Today’s strap line is in homage to the late great Larry Grayson (look him up anyone under 40). To those of you from outside Britain it will mean nothing, even if you look him up, I suspect!)