Vassara, Peloponesse, Greece

Rome to Greece

Coming into Athens, we could see loads of snow on the mountain tops, lots of sparse rocky hills, and the huge big bay.  Quite close to the airport there was a huge quarry, looked like they had taken half the mountain away.  We got a transfer from airport to bus station where we caught the bus to the Peloponesse.  This journey took around 3.5 hours.  Athens harbour had heaps of ships anchored in it, and seemed to be a really busy port. The scenery was a bit bleak, it was cold and there was snow everywhere.  We thought we were heading to a warmer climate!  Huge rocky outcrops and olive trees was what it was all about.

Coming into Athens

Huge quarry

Snow capped hills in the Peloponesse 

We met Phil at the bus stop and after a short 15minute drive from Sellasia we reached the house in Vassara.  We met Shema, Annabel and Charley and two other English helpx’s Nick and Dee.  Not forgetting the two lovely dogs, a mum and son combo!  Everyone seemed really nice, but we kind of had discussed that a week here and we will have seen and done all we need too – how wrong were we!

The next day we mistakenly slept in, as we hadn’t changed our alarm clock, so it was a bit of a late start.  After breaky we went for a look around and helped tow the van out of a mud hole, and sorted out our project.   One of which Phil had many of.    They had a small block of land on the outskirts of the village which had a few olive trees, a small building which he was doing up and not much else.  The plan was for us to create a veggie garden area, a chook run and a dog run.  So, the planning began.  Orders were placed for the materials and within a couple of days we had started building fences.  All this time we were getting to know the family and Nick and Dee who were currently helping out on the renovation project on the house next door.  All of a sudden our week was up and we were in no hurry to move on.  We asked to stay another week, which in the end became two.

Starting from scratch

Nick, Murray and Phil inspecting the slide hammer

Working hard on the back garden fence

Out to dinner with the locals

Our days were filled fighting with rocks under the soil as we tried to ram angle iron as posts, it was so frustrating!   Murray made a slide hammer which was good but couldn’t get past those dam rocks. So everything seemed to take ages, and we felt like we were getting nowhere.  Luckily our nights were filled with good food, conversation and laughter, everyone got on so well – it was great. Every Saturday after work we were treated to a bbq and bonfire which was really relaxing.  And on Sundays Phil and Shema took us on outings to see sights in the Peloponesse and also out to their favourite Greek restaurants.

Monemvasia

The clan - Nick, Annabel, Dee, Shema, Delwyn and Murray

Rocky outcrop by the Church of Sophia

Looking towards the Mediterian Sea

The first trip was to Monemvasia.  This is a walled village on the rock of Monemvasia.  Cobbled streets and stoned houses galore.  We walked right up to the top of the fortress ruins to the Church of  Agia Sophia built sometime in the 16^th century perched precariously on the side of a cliff.   The views were amazing from here you could see for miles, the water looked beautiful and the spring flowers in places were shoulder high.  After walking back down and across the bridge we sat and had lunch at the marina and had fried sardines and other seafood and drank Ozu on ice.  Yummy!   We returned to Sparta and walked around the ancient Sparta ruins and then met up with Phil, Shema and Annabel and had delicious Geros (wraps) for dinner before heading home.

A gorgeous wild flower!  not to mention the one taking it !  Murray told me to say that

The view from the top back towards the township

the winding pathway down

one of the streets in the village

Freedom riding - no helmets - it is against the law but very few use one.

Awesome place !

The marina where we had lunch

200 year old Olive tree at Ancient Sparta

We had another busy week fighting with stubborn rocks. Then we had Friday morning off so we caught the school bus at 7am to explore Sparta and then out to dinner with our new friends for our 27^th wedding anniversary.  Un be known to us Dee and Annabel had baked and decorated a cake, Annabel made a beautiful card, Phil had brought some bubbles and we headed off to a small village about 30 minutes away to enjoy a village restaurant meal.  More delicious local Greek food was enjoyed with excellent company.  This was an anniversary to remember.

The Vassara village square

Downtown Sparta streets lined with orange trees

Sparta - snow capped mountains close by

Our Wedding anniversary cake

27 years......

Anniversary celebrations with our new friends

Another bbq and bonfire on Saturday night followed by a trip to the middle of the three southern fingers of the Peloponesse to a beach called Kardamyli. (I think)  The water was still a bit cold, and a little windy, but it was so good to be beside the sea again.  On the way back we drove through Gythio a fishing town with its waterfront areas on the harbours edge packed with cafes and tavernas. Beautiful.  We stopped and had some refreshments before heading to yet another great Greek restaurant for “pig on paper” for dinner.  Yum – great little restaurant great food and great service – the barmaid went out across the road to another tavern to get me a gin! -  Only wish I could remember its name to recommend to other travellers.  The pig on paper was exactly that, bbq pork belly cut into chunks, red onion rings, hot potato chips, blobs of mustard and lemon segments all this surrounded by sliced bread. We also had chicken and beef souvalki, hourta(special wild green weeds) and black eyed beans  and a mixed salad.  Delicious, can’t wait to get home and copy this.

Walking through the village on our way to work

Murray in his element

Gythio waterfront after a hard day sight seeing

Gythio wharf

Pigs on paper - yummy!

The three goofies sitting on the couch in the back of the mini bus

Vassara village

Vassara clock on the top of the hill behind village

A big bettle about 5 cm - Delwyn loved seeing this criter



The pressure was on during our last week to finish our project – our personal pressure that is, there was certainly not any pressure from Phil and Shema.  We worked really hard, but kept coming up against those bloody hard things below the surface and there was now lots of welding to be done, so I found other things to do, while I was waiting. I planted some fruit trees and made a fence around them and tidied up the cottage.   We worked right up to Saturday night, and were both gutted that we never finished. Three pens were made, and the gates were welded but not hung, so I guess wasn’t too bad.  There won’t be too much more for some else to finish off.

Wild flowers at Mystas

 

Just chilling out !

 We enjoyed a walk one day with Annabel through what she called the tortoise land – we thought she had made it up, but as she was telling us that there was actually tortoises living here, Murray spotted one just off the track – yep no camera with us of course.  The tortoise land was close to a river and was full of spring flowers, it was very pretty.  Shema used to take the dogs for walks down there.  Vassara itself was a neat place, with a mixture of old houses, ones partly renovated and ones completely renovated.  It was a very friendly village, and people got to know us strangers pretty quickly as each day we would walk through town on the way to work.   We were so lucky to have experienced this off the beaten track village life and have made life time friends during our time there.

Next stop was Zante Island and Kefalonia Island for a well earned break and a few days in the sun!

On our way we caught up with Pat whom we had met at Phil and Shema’s and meet his wife Heidi in Kyparissia to talk about our Bulgaria stopover.  We then continued on our way up the coast to Kylini  Where we would catch either the ferry to Zante then a few days later island hop to Kefalonia or vice versa.  On arriving in Kylini we were told the next ferry that night was to Kefalonia and the inter island ferries were not running yet, so we caught that ferry to Kefalonia.  Zante was the island that the movie Mumma Mia was filmed in, so we were a bit disappointed.

Happy times at Vassara - enjoying an ale or two