We’ve Arrived!🇬🇷
Well, we did it. I’m sitting on our second floor balcony outside our nice two bedroom apartment with a hot cup of tea and some nice bread with golden Attiki Greek honey😊 It took us 29 hours of travelling door to door to arrive here, but we made it.
We touched down last evening as the sun was getting low in the sky. After getting through customs we said a nice goodbye to our new friend Julia who shared our roller coaster of emotions as we moved from one Air Canada delay to another. We made our way to the car rental area to discover that our Peloponnese exploration vehicle (PEV) was an Italian import. A hybrid Fiat Panda to be specific. I once owned a Fiat 750cc Sport Coupe and I suspect that this one is probably a much better car. It has a 6-speed stick to boot! It should do, and with the price of fuel more expensive than usual, the hybrid feature was a pleasant surprise. If you think fuel at home is expensive at $206/l, well it’s $3.60/l here!
We got on the road just after sunset minimally prepared for our 315 km drive south along the autostrada. Lots of traffic initially, but eventually it thinned out. The route is tolled, and once we figured out how to roll down the windows (after a bit of a mad panic as we approached the first toll gate) we quickly sorted out which of the many lanes to enter so that we could tap-pay using our visa. There were lots of toll stops along the way and I figure we spent about $30 during the course of our journey.
We had a bit of difficulty setting up our eSIMs in the airport (must have been the jet lag) but Annemarie later figured it out after we arrived in Kalamata.😬 The young guys at the car rental place gave me a typical generational response when I asked them for directions to the freeway and the new western Athens bypass. They looked at me blankly and said that they had no idea. They said that they always use their phone navigation when driving. 😂 I swear that one day if/when there is a satellite outage that their generation will be so lost!
Fortunately our Google Maps app finally kicked into gear which was a blessing for two jet lagged Canadians trying to find their way in the dark. I did have a map with me…old school.😉
Almost gleefully my watch informed me this morning that between 12:56 AM and 5:22AM when I woke that I’d managed to sleep a grand total of 3 hours, 48 minutes. It also brilliantly informed me that I needed a lot more sleep. Sometimes I don’t like my watch very much.😑
However, feeling somewhat revived by my hot tea we set off to see a little of what Kalamata has to offer the wayward traveller.
I’d read that there was an impressive Greek Orthodox Church in the older town centre. Given it was in the vicinity of two other places we wanted to visit we decided to start there.
It was quite strikingly painted inside.
From there we climbed up to Kalamata Castle which was principally built by the Franks in the 12th C and later taken by the Turks.
The views from the top were lovely on this beautiful clear day.
And then we were off to wander the market. A favourite experience wherever we travel. Who doesn’t like a market, right? There we stopped for a cold drink before wandering through the food stands.
We happily sampled the olives and olive oil on offer.
It’s fall here in Greece, though the 27° today could leave one thinking otherwise. This means that local grapes and other products have reached the market.
Finally, I’d like to remember someone special who left us early this week. If you’ve read some of my travel mussing over these past 15 years you will likely have seen references to a dear lady who I simply referred to as Carol’s Mom. Carol tells me that her mom followed my blog posts for years and even reread them. Clearly she was a very brave person. I often thought of Carol’s Mom when I was on my long walks, sometimes thinking of things that she might enjoy reading about. Carol’s Mom, you will be greatly missed by your family and those of us who knew you. My sincere condolences to Carol, Curt, Ryan, Cameron and your families. RIP Carol’s Mom.❤️
Geoff🍷
