Today we had a change of plan. I decided to put off my “planning Romania” day until tomorrow and instead we resolved to go for our last Greek meal of this trip.

We also had our question answered about half term. There evidently isn’t a half term, because today all the children, and just about everyone else, has disappeared! Presumably the people we have seen over the last couple of days just come for the weekend.

There are probably ten or so other couples on site including a French couple with the a stunning cat. Yes a cat. We have seen people bring cats in their motorhomes or caravans before. In fact there are few domestic pets we haven’t seen. There was a parrot on one of the sites we were on earlier this trip and in a previous year we even saw someone with a tortoise! No need to bring tortoises to Greece, there are plenty of wild ones here. Back to the cat. It is a long haired breed with very dark grey fur, but the thing that makes it stand out are it’s deep amber coloured eyes offset against the dark coat.

One couple who we have got to know, Alan and Carol, are from Essex in England. They have been retired for 18 years and have travelled extensively around Europe in both motorhomes and caravans. We’ve had lots of conversations with them and they are on tenterhooks at the moment because they are expecting their first great grandchild at any time.

The nearest restaurant is in the village of Nea Poteidai which is about 3 miles away. So we set off along the beach, past several large hotels with literally hundreds of sunbeds. We had been warned that technically we were not supposed to have our dogs on the beach at the hotels, so I, but not Sarah, was a little worried we may be stopped. But the opposite happened. Lots of the guest coo’d and aah’d as we walked past and even members of hotel staff came up and petted the dogs. It is not my past as a solicitor that makes me worried about breaking rules – I’ve always been a mug for petty officialdom!

The beach stretches all the way to a large canal, which cuts across the peninsular we are on a bit like a mini Corinth canal. As we came to the end of the beach we discovered a boat yard with dozens of yachts and other craft out of the water being repaired or refurbished. I don’t think we have ever been so close to big boats out of the water and they made an impressive site.

Boatyard

The village was on the opposite side of the canal, so we had to walk the not very considerable length of the canal and across a modern bridge to reach our destination. Having chosen a taverna we then made a radical decision – we were not going to have a Greek salad! Instead we chose a delicious selection of starters. A bit like tapas in Spain. Cheese croquettes, courgettes with taramasalata, aubergine with feta and pepper, portabello mushrooms and a grilled really spicy whole chilli dish. It was one of the best meals we have had in Greece. The bill reflected the quality and we paid nearly twice as much as our cheapest meals on the Peloponnese. This part of Greece appears more subject to mass tourism than the Peloponnese and we, and our much more experienced fellow Brit campers, think this is reflected in the prices.

Canal

Melek suffered in the heat both going and coming back despite us taking plenty of water with us. On our return journey however, Sarah discovered that giving him a good dunking in the sea improved his energy levels. Melek is a dog that will walk round a puddle rather than get his feet wet, but he bore his immersions with his usual equanimity. He really is one of the most laid back dogs either of us have ever come across.

Fishing Boats at Nea Poteidai