When we first arrived at Camping Ouzouni Beach we were puzzled. As we approached, there appeared to be two separate campsites using the same entrance. The sign said Camping Ouzouni Beach, but it was not clear which site to enter. As luck would have it Mr. Ouzouni saw us approaching and waved for us to come into the right hand site.

“Our” Ouzouni Beach on the right

As our stay has progressed this situation has puzzled us. Our site is modern and renovated, but the site next door is not, but does have a mini market and what looks to be a restaurant which isn’t open at the moment.

Today, putting together information from the ever well informed Alan and Carol, our fellow Brits and the English woman at reception things have become clear(er). The Mr. Ouzouni who waved us into the site is “our” Mr. Ouzouni and the site next door is owned by another Mr. Ouzouni. There has apparently been a falling out between two brothers and what, in the past, has been one big Camping Ouzouni Beach has been split in two. The brothers can’t agree on who keeps the Camping Ouzouni name and so they are both using it.

So if you are coming to this part of Greece, as you face Camping Ouzouni, the one on the right

is the new, renovated site run by “our” lovely Mr. Ouzouni and it is also the one with the official ACSI recognition (I think!).

Today has been dull and overcast, which has suited me fine because I have been planning Romania. Like Bulgaria I am unsure of what we are going to find in Romania from a telecoms viewpoint and so I have written details of campsites and areas of interest down on paper and on a physical map, in case 3g and wifi are not as good as we are used to.

The benefit of spending time looking at the country in more detail, is that I already know what to look forward to in both Bulgaria and Romania, and I’m quietly excited. I knew very little about either country, but they both appear to have some interesting places to visit and both countries look very cheap!

In addition to reading guide books and poring over maps we have also been for a nice walk along the beach in the opposite direction to the big hotels. There are some very nice private houses in that direction, but erosion means that some of them are losing their gardens to the sea. The Aegean, like the rest of the Mediterranean, does not have a great tidal range, but I presume it is winter storms which are doing the damage.

One other issue I have researched slightly today is bears. Bears I hear you ask. Yes bears. I mentioned in a blog a few days ago that we had seen road signs warning about bears and Sarah said in an off the cuff comment that she would like to see some bears. That got me thinking and I remembered that in the last year or so at the camera club where I am a member, we had a lecture from photographer who had photographed bears and other wildlife in Finland. So I have done some googling today and found some places in Finland, near the Russian border, where you can spend the night in a hide to see bears. We will be travelling near that area in about two months and so I have sent an email to enquire whether we can go bear watching on our way through Finland, so watch this space!