Greece 3 - From Vergina to the seaside/Baggy 1/jetskis/I’m only human after all/ Perfectly heavenly Volos

---

You know us by now don’t you? We like peace and quiet. We like to be on our own sometimes. Some might call us antisocial. We just like our own company but we also like to talk to other folks.

The journey we took today had changed because we believed that the road was closed. We picked Camping Poseiden Beach II which sat right on the Aegean Sea. On the face of it it sounded quite nice. We struggled to find it hidden away along the beachfront. Reception was as always helpful and we were told to go to the right, follow the road and park anywhere. Our first thoughts were that the road was narrow and dark with overhanging trees which caused a lot of shade. All along the roadside were the usual tent cum man shed cum caravan motley assortment that made up a summer home for the Greeks who wanted to come to seaside for the week. We found the only six motorhome plots right by the sand and the sea. There was only one other van there so we parked up awkwardly in front of them and plugged ourselves into the electric. Well drilled now in the art of setting up it only took minutes to get ourselves sorted and to start to make sense of our overnight stop.

To be fair we had a brilliant view of the castle on the hillside and the bright blue Aegean. We had a fantastic spot within feet of the sand. However if anyone parked opposite we have the devils own job getting out. We watched the lone jet skier going up and down the coastline. We spotted the rows upon rows of sunbeds. The beach was full of them and we seemed to be next to a hotel of sorts. Then it started Boom Boom.

I shot a look at our neighbour Baggy. We never did find out his real name. I asked him if he had stayed before . I told us that like us he and his wife had only just arrived and if the Boom Boom of the music continued he would be off. The music stopped . Within minutes it boom boomed again. The base resounded like thunder claps . We did not recognise most of the stuff apart from Rag and Bone Man – I am only human after all. Boom Boom stopped for a few minutes again only to start up with a vengeance. Baggy and I walked to reception to ask how long it would continue. He came from the south of England and had travelled to Greece via the Balkans. He told me that the roads of Bulgaria and Serbia were fine, that there was not much to see in Hungary and that he had seen thick snow in both Austria and Switzerland. He produced his green cards and discussed insurance options with me. Food for thought for another trip down here if we chose to come back . Reception told us that the hotel next door were trying out their new sound system for a party. OK time to move on. We packed up as quickly as we arrived and hit the road .

The roads were empty. Brand new motorways with no traffic. Some just left unfinished . Signs explaining how much money the EU had given to build the motorways . Tolls were both manned and unmanned . The fees ranged from a couple of euros to nearly ten at one stop. It seemed expensive compared to some countries for what were pretty naff roads in places where EU money had run out. On one motorway we paid 4 euros 40 and somehow ended on the normal road running at the side of the motorway.

Beginning to feel frustrated we ended up in Volos . Port of Jason of the Argonaut fame. A busy place the motorway ended with a sign “End of road” Read by that End of EU cash and bale out. We had a job trying to get round roadworks as Sally Sat Nag kept trying to get us back on the coast road. Ignoring her we finally found our way to Camping Hellas.

We were greeted by two tail wagging dogs and Yannis who took me round the site introducing me to the plots whilst he stroked my bottom. Do you like quiet or very quiet ? Quiet I said and he showed us to the part of the camp away from the restaurant and beach. We could park up in between the German vans on a plot big enough for at least six vans. We had the lot to ourselves. He introduced me to the wash rooms with their locked doors., to the laundry. He explained that we could stay as long as we liked. It felt like heaven.

At night we walked to his restaurant , at souvlaki with the nicest chips I have tasted for some while. Greek salad all onions, olives, cucumbers and feta cheese followed by a cake with honey and ice cream and washed down with half a carafe of white wine. 29 euros all in . We could have breakfast in the morning at 8 if we wanted. There was everything here. A blue sea, roses , mint and rosemary scenting the air, bread from his little shop. A lovely clean beach and later we were to find the village. A little footpath took us into the centre which was filled with small cafes. The owners all shouted hello and beckoned us in. We ate ice creams . Mine something unpronounceable and translated as Mastic. Nothing pretentious , slightly workaday sort of place but with charm. Nothing was too much trouble . The water was clear and we sat for a while looking at the tiny fishes who were harassing the even smaller crabs. Fishing boats bobbed about on the sea. It felt a Shirley Valentine moment . Could we live here? Yes I think we could.For some reason we kept on saying It’s just ……………but never quite finishing the sentence . Words were failing us. We had not expected to love Greece quite this much. We hoped our bubble would not burst .

We decided to have one last meal . Us and the Germans. We ate Stifada a beef dish cooked in tomato and souvlaki again washed down with the quaffable wine and another greek salad. This time no pudding it was not offered . 28 euros – good value and brilliant when the fridge is very very empty. What a lovely piece of heaven to have found accidently .

---