Ciao!

We reluctantly left Rome on Monday the 16th of May. Even after nearly four weeks for me, three for Vicki, and seven for the Grey Wanderer, it was hard to leave. Our camping situation at the Prato Smeralda, while not ideal, was at least secure and very cheap, and the commute into the Eternal City was a snap. And then there is Rome, with all its sights, major and minor, food and drink, and just the thrill of being in one of the world's oldest and still most vibrant cities. Our leaving was at least helped along by the decision to keep the Grey Wanderer in Europe, rather than shipping it back to the States this summer. We like our mode of travel very much and want to be able to continue it in Europe in future years.

Our place at Prato Smeraldo, camper-stop, -storage, -service

Giovanni's roses

We'll be back!

Sciacca

From Agrigento we drove on, further west, generally close to the coast, to the town of Sciacca. Sciacca is not on the major tourist destination lists, but it was listed as having a "camper stop," that is, a designated parking area for motorhomes, something we have seen rather little of in recent months. We had only GPS coordinates. Getting into town we found a relative hurricane of activity, police, detours, monstrous traffic, all kinds of pedestrians all over, and were hustled down little winding alleys to the port area. It's evidently a major fishing town with a big port. Anyhow, after a little pedestrian reconnaissance of our own and discussion with some other campers, we found our way to a huge parking area with 30 or more motorhomes already set up. Nice, we thought. We'll stay here. But by this time it was also apparent that all the hubbub was about Sciacca's Carnevale--one of Sicily's two largest such events--Mardi Gras, as we Americans know it. Vicki especially enjoys folk happenings, and we spent the whole evening absorbing this rather incredible event.

Happpily camped, by the great sea wall, Sciacca in the

background

Looking across the marina toward sunset

Vicki on the grand staircase from the port up

to the town center

Looking back at our camp site...and anything but a quiet

evening ahead...

Straits of Messina and On To Sicily

The Straits of Messina divide the mainland and Sicily. It looks like 2-3 miles wide, and we rolled-on and rolled-off the ferry so quickly, half an hour, I barely got the ship's name.

I think it was Themestieri, or possibly The Mestieri

Part of the procession of ferries across the Straits; a bridge has been under 
discussion for years; but I gather both the Italians and the Sicilians are quite 
comfortable with this much separation

For those really in a hurry, a hydrofoil plies the waters

The voyage is so short they let you remain with your vehicle

So we rolled off in Messina, found the toll-way, and headed south along the coast for 
our first stop, Giardini and the Bay of Naxos, and Taormina; and the Lagani 
"campground," an attractive parking area for motorhomes--no trailers, tents, nothing 
not fully self-contained--the usual amenities, but only 8 euros a night; mostly Italians 
and Germans, aNederlander, an Austrian, us, and a Finn, who is apparently

driving a big toy-hauler with a Smart Car inside...interesting

Our current encampment



Bay of Naxos, Giardini in the distance, Taormina is its aerie above

Italian Outtakes #1

No menu at the Azienda Agritouristico restaurant? No

problem: just look around to see what's for dinner

Someone's sculpture garden near Paestum, notable for its

eclecticity (220v), also demonstrating that such taste knows

no boundaries (we have seen similar in Spain, Switzerland,

Scotland, Sweden, and that's just the S's)

The very, very famous Winged Phallus of Paestrum (in the

museum and in sourvenir stores all over the Bay of Naples)

Campagna is home to Mozzarella di Bufala, "the pearl of the

Mediterranean," water buffalo cheese; it's really excellent,

hints of nut and smoke in addition to the usual flavors; we

are stocking up 

Statue of Tinkerbell in Naples' Royal Palace

Wedding cake at Gambrinus'--we swear we saw this very

cake decoration at Walmart in the States

Mindo di Gappo

So we're riding the train back from Naples to Pompeii, sitting

in the first car, and the conductor notices I am trying

mightily to get a decent picture of Capri out the window; he

tells me wait a bit, after the next stop or two, then motions

for me to step into the driver's compartment; then he and

the driver positively maneuver the train to a spot with an

unobstructed view and stop it there for me to get my shot

The Shot

They grow these really huge lemons around here

Camping Spartacus, our home for four days and nights; the

bungalows apparently rent by the hour, too, providing an

endless stream of entertainment...

Farewell, Greece; Cruising the Adriatic

We had seen the sights we wanted to see in Greece and were anxious to move on to Italy. (In retrospect, we might have stayed warmer and drier by spending another week in the south of the Peloponnese.) So we drove up the west side--not the pretty side, I'd say--of the peninsula to Patra, where we planned to take the ferry to Bari, Italy. Patra looked like a scary town, not a place you'd want to linger. Even in the security-controlled port area, young jerks were trying to get at our vehicle. So it was with some relief that we boarded the ferry, the Superfast II--part of the Superfast fleet--after only half an hour in the port, and got ourselves and the Grey Wanderer ready for the not-so-superfast 15 and a half hour voyage. We embarked at 6PM and debarked in Bari at 8:30AM Italian time. The vessel was quite large and full of amenities, for sale, and the voyage was very smooth. A week later or even a few days later and it might not have been so smooth. Vicki brought her eye-shades and ear-plugs and was able to sleep much of the night. I couldn't find mine and suffered accordingly. (I did catch a bit of an apparently 50s movie bio of Verdi). But we made it just fine and just in time to see the last of sunny Italy for a few days. By nightfall temperatures had dropped into the 30s and rain was threatening. It's still February, and we are a couple hundred miles north of where we were in Greece.

The fortress above Patra; we wanted to get out of Patra

Typical port scene

Our ship, the Good Ferry Superfast II; note stylish tail-fins

The Grey Wanderer safely and securely parked; it was its

2nd longest voyage ever (counting the Atlantic, of course)

Leaving Patra

Farewell, Greece

The Snoring Lounge aboard the Superfast II

Arriving in Bari; we spent our first few hours in the port

parking lot, looking at maps and guides, planning our tour

of southern Italy

Epidauros

Epidauros is best known for its theatre, but it was actually the oldest and perhaps largest of ancient Greece's Asclepeions: healing centers. Asclepeios, the god of healing, was the son of Apollo and was born at Epidauros. We saw many such healing centers of Greek origin in Turkey.

The theatre in Epidauros, reputedly the best in the Greek

world; which must mean Greece, because we saw half a

dozen better in Turkey

Vicki checks out the front-row seat-backs

And the acoustics, which were remarkable (we had
the place to ourselves, as we often do, camping on

site the night before, getting an early start, way ahead of the

tour buses)

Surgical instruments in the museum

Offering in thanks for healing deafness (original in Athens)



Main hall of the museum

Statue of Asclepios; note the snake thing;
the Hippocratic oath is addressed to Apollo
and Asclepeios

Out on the grounds, near the ruins of the baths, where we

had camped

More of the grounds; such healing centers included baths,

gymnasium, temples, theatre, lodgings for priests and
patients...

Even a stadium

Evoiko Sea Center

We stored our rig for two months at the Evoiko Sea Center, a dry marina near Chalkouti, up from  Athens, http://www.evoikoseacenter.gr/. The Marinos family were wonderful looking after us and our rig, lending tools, giving directions, providing transportation. Their clientele is almost entirely yachts and big power-boats, but they can accommodate RVs, affordably and with care. The facilities include toilets and showers and a cafe, and the site is within walking distance of public transportation and the town. It is certainly the most scenic storage imaginable. And they are great people. (But beware: the GPS coordinates given on the website are for a buoy out in the bay!).

Avast!

Athens Miscellaneous

Our campsite, among the olive and orange trees, at Camping

Athens, a bit pricey, but nice



View of the Acropolis from the Museum





Looking across the Agora and the Temple of Hephaestus at

a small bit of Athens--4 million people


















Ruins of the Temple of Zeus, under the Acropolis

















Looking toward Piraeus, Athens' port



In the meat market, silly wabbits

Absolutely best sign store yet; "and in English, too"

Greek Parliament

Guards strutting their stuff

Cute skirts and goose steps

Athens is the most tagged city we have seen yet