As we awake after a good nights sleep after the Turkish Border crossing its difficult to understand why we both feel more calm, for sure the nights sleep has helped no dogs barking all night, no call to prayer (loved it, just not at 5am) but its more than that?!? I think travel (and I again reiterate we wouldnt change it) for the last 4 months our countries of travel have had their own unique challenges definitely highs but also some lows! When you holiday for two weeks you are somewhat protected from the day to day issues or they are novel but your also not there long enough for them to get you down. Travelling in a Motorhome brings its own challenges, where to go, and park/sleep and it is life, just on the road. We are also very fortunate in Northern Europe that we have a plan for rubbish and stray dogs, not perfect, but seeing this for such a lot of the trip has been Bulgaria and Turkey may have schemes to help but like always the most needy are missed and I cried myself to sleep on numerous occasions, just feeling so bloody awful that we
Walking back on a beach with out those distractions in your face just immediately gives us back the urge to continue to travel which quite frankly had sadly diminished. Turkey and the last few countries have been incredible and we dont regret the whole 7,500 miles to create these memories but being back in a less challenging environment is a blessing.
We make our way along the northern Greek coast, we were here before so know exactly the spots we will be using for our overnight park ups and we have three exciting stops to make before we get to our Airbnb in Southern Greece for the month of February. First we make our way to the KEP office to register for the Covid Booster which Greece are willingly giving to visitors and which will make our onward travel easier! The visit late afternoon is easy and when we return to Lidl for a bit of shopping we recognise the UK couple we waived to as we went off to the KEP. We take them to the beach park up and as they are on their way to Turkey we hand
over our phone SIM and travel book with some advice and a have a good chat over tea. We leave them the following morning to head East.
We are off to Vergina and the site of ancient Aigai, the first capital of Macedonia, where in 336 BC Philip II was assassinated and Alexander the Great was proclaimed king. You enter the underground museum below the oval earthworks above which were amazingly only discovered in 1976. They unearthed this sacred city of the Macedonian kingdom and found a royal palace and the royal tombs, including the tomb of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great. Incredibly it hadnt been robbed, which means that you can now admire his personal armory, his golden larnax (coffin) and golden grave crown. Even the remains of his funerary pyre are on display! We were particularly fascinating with the exquisitely fine ivory decorations which adourned his royal couch, the Silverware and all the beautiful gold jewellery. To get this close to the world of the kings of this period was truly unique and unforgettable stop.
these strange rock structures in the distance long before we actually arrive at their base. Our nights park up is a view of two of the hilltop monasteries. The area of Meteora was originally settled by monks who lived in caves within the rocks during the 11th Century. But as the times became more unsure and during an age of Turkish occupation, they climbed higher and higher up the rock face until they were living on the inaccessible peaks where they were able to build by bringing material and people up with ladders and baskets and build the first monasteries. This was also how the monasteries were reached until the nineteen twenties now there are roads, pathways and steps to the top. There are still examples of these baskets which are used for bringing up provisions.
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