The Journey back to Grimsby.

Day 93 - Tuesday 01.7.14        Leaving day continued !

We drove to Corfu Port and checked in for our ferry across to Igoumenitsa, We sat in the shade and had a cold drink watching the world go by. Our friends Loretta and Terry turned up to wish us bon voyage, that was so kind of them. They  are leaving Corfu on Thursday to go back to Kent. We met them in Bari, Italy on the way down and they are going back home for 2 months because Terry has some work planned and they are due to have a new granddaughter. (Dolly was actually born, about 4 hours after they arrived - she must have been waiting for Nana and Grandad before she put in an appearance). We are getting the ferry to Bari as we had booked a return ticket. Terry was telling us that they will be going to Ancona this time as it saves a drive of 288 miles = a days driving. We will certainly be looking at this next time as he said for them it was only 40 euros difference in price.

Our ferry, Eleni.

Sailing away from Corfu!

When we arrived in Igoumenitsa we crossed to the other side of the port and checked in for our ferry to Bari, due to leave at half past midnight.

We had plenty of time to kill, so we decided to drive along the coast and find somewhere to have a meal. We found Plataria - a sleepy little harbour town. 

We had a walk round and then had a Meze in a taverna overlooking the Marina

We drove back to catch our ferry to Bari, it was late arriving and was almost 2am by the time we got on board. This 'camping on board' is excellent. We got a mains hook up as soon as we were in position. Poppy jumped up on our bed and settled down. We nipped up to the bar for a quick cold drink and then to bed. It was very hot in the van as there was not much air about, We decided that we need to invest in a 12v Fan for future trips. 

Day 94 - Wednesday 02.7.14  

We arrived in Bari at 11.30am - it took ages to unload the vehicles. We finally disembarked at 1.30pm. We stopped off for lunch just 22 miles away from Bari. We are amazed how many campervans were on the road, there were hardly any in April. We stopped for the night just north of Rimini at Autogrill Rubicone Ouest. I have never enjoyed a shower so much as I did tonight, it was very hot and sticky in the van with no AC. We had a light meal and settled down for the night, there was a breeze  so we kept the side windows open and had a good nights sleep. 

Day 95 - Thursday 03.7.14

We drove north and stopped off for lunch not far from Lake Garda 

We sat at a picnic table and spoke to a German couple who were on their way home in their campervan after spending two weeks at Lake Garda.

We drove on a bit further towards the Brenner Pass and saw some spectacular scenery on the way, with a little snow on top of the mountains.

We stopped off at the Brenner Museum  for a cold drink and to buy the Vignette which we need for passing through Austria.

'At the Brenner Pass, where once stood customs between Italy and Austria – a place of exchanges and encounters, but also of divisions – rises Plessi Museum, that hosts inside it a permanent exposition space dedicated to Fabrizio Plessi (born in 1940), an artist from Emilia but raised in Venice who is famous for his video-installations.

The building, designed by engineer Carlo Costa (director of the Brenner motorway), is the first museum space on a highway in Italy and wants to be a symbol (in its architecture and the works on display), connecting the Latin world with the Germanic one.

Inside it, what immediately stands out is a sculpture made by Plessi in 2000 for the Expo in Hannover, joining 3 compositions representing the provinces of Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck, the historic heart of Tirol. Other than the installations, the paintings and the sculptures of the artist, there are also other exposition spaces and a conference room conceived to host events. And for all those car travelers who need more than a cultural stop, the museum also contains an eating and service area.

Without wanting to reduce the concept, Plessi Museum is a kind of rest stop that becomes an occasion for cultural discovery, in which travelers can explore its over 15,500 square yards in the form of a crystal shrine, with looming above it an impressive covering able to communicate with the main architecture and the alpine landscape, and to reflect its historically charged location'

We spent the night just south of Ulm in Germany at Rasthof Illertal.

Day 96 - Friday 04.7.14

We slept very well last night as the further north we go the cooler it gets. We stopped for lunch at Rasthof Bruchsal, not far from Hockenheim. 

Parked up for the last night!

Tonight we stayed at Raststatte Aachener Land Nord, Germany. Another nice, peaceful spot,  we slept well in the cooler air. 

We are really pleased with how 'Mercy' the motorhome has performed. She has behaved well, coping with all the steep hills and mountains and only using just under 1 litre of oil for the whole 2.892 mile round trip. We have estimated that we have got approximately 29 miles per gallon on the trip. 

Day 97 - Saturday 05.7.14

We packed the beds away and had a general tidy up this morning. We stopped for lunch near Antwerp. It rained most of the day,  as we arrived at the ferry port in Zeebrugge it was cloudy but not raining. We took Poppy to have her microchip scanned and get her DEFRA notification which we will need in Hull. Then we checked in and drove onto the 'Pride of Brugge' Poppy was put into her kennel - she seems happy to do this, she just settled down on her bed. We are so proud of her she has been such a good girl - she takes everything in her stride, calmly and without a fuss. We went to our cabin and had showers, then went to visit Poppy in the kennel to take her a drink and feed her. We went for a meal - Cornish Pasty washed down with Zinfandel, before retiring to our cabin.

Day 98 - Sunday 06.7.14            Back in England!

We docked at 9am, collected Poppy from her kennel. She was so pleased to see us and disembarked by 9.30am. We went straight through customs - they didn't even look at Poppy - just her documents. Drove back to Grimsby in the rain - welcome home! Our son Gary was at our house with the gates open and kettle on. 

We have had an amazing 3 months and look forward to doing it all again in 2015, with a different route next time. Thank you all for reading our blog and for all the positive comments and good wishes. Now back to reality - clean Mercy, put some laundry in the machine, sell our house and plan our next outing.

Last few days in Arillas

Day 89 - Friday 27.6.14

It was 26 deg by 10am - I spent the morning writing my blog.

We decided to go to 'Effies' - Eftihia  (EXYTHIA it means happiness ) for lunch as we have not been, up to now this visit. I always have the same meal - Grilled prawns with extra garlic - as recommended to me by Phil Poffley a few years ago. I think I died and went to heaven - they were just as delicious as always.

Effie came out to say hello, she is pregnant, due to have a baby girl at the beginning of September. She is keeping very well and had just come back from Corfu town where  she was buying some bigger clothes as nothing fits her now.

Phil and I spent a lovely couple of hours in the dappled shade, (30 deg outside)  reminiscing about this trip and previous holidays. The main pleasure for me is seeing how relaxed and well Phil is! It is just over a year since his heart bypass operation. I am so pleased we got to live our dream! I was doubting it when I saw him in intensive care last June.

Arillas sure is getting busy now and very hot!

This evening we walked down to the front. On the way we stopped to have a chat to Clare who is now working in the Silver Moon shop, she is loving it. 

Then we went to Portofino for a Meze. It was very windy so not as hot as it has been but still humid. Spiros was very stressed as he had had a visit from the police, right at his busiest time, when the restaurant was full. They wanted to check all his paperwork, which was all in good order except for one form which  he has to get from his book keeper. The police have visited most business premises today. They are looking for people who are avoiding paying tax.

We called in the Coconut for a nightcap and had a chat to Yiota.

I asked Kostas if we would be seeing Hannah and baby before we left and he told me that the Greeks have a tradition that they do not go out for 40 days. So we will have to wait until our next visit to see them  both. I gave him our present for baby. I had it made in England before we came to Greece - so it is well travelled.

I was curious about this 40 day tradition, so I looked it up and found that:-

The Greeks are very superstitious and believe a lot in religion but also in supernatural or paranormal phenomenon. Traditions and superstitions vary from island to island, from villages to villages and from region to region. In the past, it was believed that the new mother was the source of jealousy and must avoid the “evil eye” (κακό μάτι, kako mati) Therefore, she was never seen in public for forty days. After this period, she would take her baby to the church, the baby was blessed by the priest, and they could both start going out.

Day 90 - Saturday 28.6.14

I spent the morning packing and sorting things out for our trip home. Poppy only had a short walk this morning. It was 26 deg by 2pm and the humidity was 73%. I still have swollen feet and laid on the bed with them elevated. The inevitable happened - I fell asleep.

We went to Quattro in San Stef tonight - again. It is a new this year, Italian restaurant that specialises in hand made pasta. The  four friends are very efficient and friendly, they truly deserve to do well. Michaela told us that up to now, it has exceeded their expectations, I hope it carries on for them.  If you can possibly get there it is well worth a visit - the food is gorgeous. I had Bruschetta for starters, then Pasta with tiger prawns

 and Phil had garlic bread, and a to die for steak

followed by Chocolate mousse.

Including house wine the bill was less than 40 euros - so not too expensive for such wonderful food. 

We had a stroll up to Hippopots to have a chat with Jackie and Pete before driving back to Arillas. They do some wonderful pottery.         www.hippopots.com       I ordered a couple of special items to take home with us. Jackie is going to rush them through for me as we need to collect them on Monday evening.
Another very memorable evening.

Day 91 - Sunday 29.6.14

Another hot one today - 27 deg at 1pm.  30 deg at 3pm and 84% humidity.
We went to Brouklis to see Dimitri this afternoon, we were the only people there, apart from Dr. Yannis. The four of us had a good chat about various things including dogs on the beach. It seems that the notice on the beach is not enforceable. The council will be having meetings to discuss the matter and the wording may change - to something like, dogs on leash, keep dogs under control, pick up after your dog - there are various options.

So we took Poppy for a last swim of this holiday down by the jetty.









Yannis, Vasso, Harris and Alexandra, our landlord and his family all came to say goodbye to us, we paid a deposit to book the apartment for April, May, and June 2015. Looks like we will be doing it all again - all being well.
We had a snack in Sharon's pool bar and said goodbye to everyone. This evening we packed some things into the campervan then went to Brouklis for dinner. Bifteki again for me, one of my favourite meals. Called in at the Marvel for a nightcap and to confirm that we will be wanting a room for tomorrow night as we have to vacate the apartment. We watched Greece loose their football match to Costa Rica.



Day 92 - Monday 30.6.14

This morning we packed all the rest of our stuff in the van. We went to the Marvel to check in and have lunch. We drove to Roda to the vets to get Poppy's passport stamp and for her worming tablet. Matoula the vet is so lovely, she checked Poppy's microchip, and signed the passport saying she is fit and well to travel. A painless payment of €26.
We filled the van with Diesel, checked the tyre pressures etc. Then we drove to San Stef to collect my items from Jackie and Pete at Hippopots and say goodbye.. We drove down to the port to have a last look, then on to Armourada for a last drink with Leon and Billy. We met some more Arillas.com forum members who, all came to say they are enjoying the blog. Said goodbye to Clare in the Silver Moon shop.

We drove down to the front hoping to get a photo of our last Arillas sunset of this trip, but we just missed it. Back to the Marvel for a shower, then a Meze with wine and off to bed. It has been a long, busy and emotional day.



Day 93 - Tuesday 01.7.14        Leaving day!

We had a leisurely coffee on our balcony when we woke, reflecting about this trip and how amazing it has been.












We had brunch before setting off. Just as we were leaving I had a message from Yiota saying she had made Cheese pies for our journey, what a lovely thoughtful gesture! Yiota and all the like minded locals are the reason we keep returning to our little bit of paradise.
We said our goodbyes to Sophia, Kostas and Spiros at the Marvel, drove down to Yiotas to collect the pie, said another goodbye to Sharon then set off from Arillas on the journey home.

Last view of the beautiful clear blue sky.