Rather than head straight to nearby Wadi Rum from Petra, we first made a little detour to Aqaba, Jordan’s main ( and only ! ) port at the very south end of the country ( at the very north end of the Red Sea).
Road to the Red Sea ( Aqaba ).Lots of signs like this but not too many camels are just wandering around !
Were it not for a relatively short 12km sliver of Red Sea coast, Jordan would in fact be totally land-locked. Until 1965 it had even less coastline, when a friendly deal with Saudi Arabia gave Jordan a few more kms of coastline in exchange for Saudi getting more desert ( like Saudi Arabia needs any more desert – but that was the deal !). It’s a busy road down to Aqaba since everything that is shipped in comes via this road. Aqaba is an interesting spot – warmer, very tropical in appearance, and home of the original Arab Revolt in 1916 which was the beginning of the end of Ottoman rule in the area. There’s an interesting castle, a not too impressive beach, but with the option to snorkel in the Red Sea – sadly, at only 18 degrees it was a bit cool for us. Perhaps we’ll do that when it warms up as we head further south. We did uncover some great local restaurants and bakery/coffee shops ( a little hobby of ours ) while we waited a day for weather to improve in advance of driving on to Wadi Rum.
Map showing where Aqaba is at the bottom of Jordan, wedged between Israel to the left and Saudi Arabia just a few kms to the south.Street scene, Aqaba.Historic Aqaba Fort..Fort from the inside.There’s not much beachfront in Jordan but there were a lot of people out on a midweek day that was definitely too cold for swimming..! Everyone seemed kind of out of place.
If you remember “Lawrence of Arabia”, Wadi Rum will be a familiar name. A stunning section of UNESCO – listed Jordanian desert and now a Protected Area, we were keen to explore it. Once past the throng of touts (who descend on you as you exit your vehicle at Wadi Rum village) our hosts at the Wadi Rum Desert Camp collected us and took us out to the camp site where we would spend the next couple of days. A wonderful spot, relaxing, quiet, and a bit of a crossroads for traveller’s from all over, we shared our time with an interesting cast from Turkey, Poland, China and South Korea. The hospitality from our hosts was exceptional and their 4×4 Wadi Rum tour got us to places our own Sprinter probably could not have. Wadi Rum played a pivotal role in the 2016 Arab Revolt which saw the local Arab population (with a little help from T.E. Lawrence 😉) evict the occupying Ottomans from the region.
Wadi Rum has become a huge draw in Jordan.On the way in to Wadi Rum you pass a section of the old Hijaz railway. They recreate scenes of the Arabs attacking what was, at the time ( 1916 ), an Ottoman supply train running though Wadi Rum up to Damascus. Sadly, not running the days we were there.Our “bubble” glamping tent at Wadi Rum ( there are no hotels ). Very comfortable and well equipped just like a hotel – beautiful view to the east for desert sunrises…..….or just to sit back and chill out..!The glamping experience includes beautiful traditional Bedouin dinners- they were delicious!View out in the desert on the tour.Regular stops always included the offer to sit and drink tea in Bedouin tents. With every visit, “Welcome to Jordan” was the greeting we got. We were made to feel very welcome everywhere in this country.Camels kept by the Bedouins. Rides available for those so inclined. Had no inclination to do this again !You can make out a rock wall in this picture, the crumbling remains of what was T.E. Lawrence’s desert home.Lawrence’s image carved into rock nearby, with the date, 1917.There was just Lois and I on the 4×4 tour so our guide insisted on taking us up high onto a sand dune to show us how capable the vehicle was – lots of fun !“Bridge” Rock.“Face” rock.Wadi Rum is famous for its sheer canyon walls and rock bluffs. They were interesting to walk around and explore.
Working our way north back towards Amman, a brief stop was made at Karak Castle. This place was a little disappointing – the history of it ( a major Christian fort during the Crusades ) attracted us but the fort itself ( at least in its current state ) was less than impressive. Fortunately Karak was on our planned route to the Dead Sea so the detour was not material and the drive down a very winding desert road to a point 440m below sea level took us to a place that is the lowest elevation on earth. Famed for that, of course, but also for the fact that it is extremely salty ( 10 times normal ocean salt levels ), which means one can literally float “on” the surface rather than float “in” it – quite the surreal experience !
Sadly, the Jordanian vehicle rental did not permit us to travel into Saudi or Iraq 😟. Kept driving !Karak castle looked quite imposing from a distance….…but was not so impressive inside.The Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth and has some of the highest salt content anywhere. Here, approximately 440m below sea level. Sadly the Dead Sea is shrinking by almost a metre ( 3 feet ) a year due to irrigation demand on its on its inflows. One can easily see how high it used to be.One can float “on” it rather than “in” it due to high salt content.It’s now a bit of a walk down to the Dead Sea from the road, since levels have dropped considerably over the past decades.
Only a stop in the old heavily Christian town of Madaba stood between us and Amman and this stop proved to be an entirely unexpected highlight ( made up for Karak ! ). In addition to stumbling on an excellent little boutique hotel, enjoying our best meal in Jordan at a nearby restaurant, the Greek Orthodox Church in Madaba contains an incredible, original 6th century floor mosaic showing a map of the Holy Land. Well worth a stopover as was the nearby Catholic Church which had been visited by two recent popes. Not a lot of Christians here but those that are go back a very long way !
Pretty night view of a mosque in Madaba.Madaba Greek Orthodox Church, home to the Dead Sea mosaic map from the 6th century AD.Much of the mosaic was destroyed in an earthquake centuries ago but what remains is in very good shape. Ditto.
Dropped off our rental car and bussed into Amman for our last couple of days (in the preceding 8 days we’d put 1,000 kms on it exploring this amazing country). Amman is an easy place to discover, with an excellent National Museum, two Roman era ruins ( the Citadel and Amphitheatre, the latter far more impressive than the former ) and a host of great markets – a thoroughly enjoyable way to wrap up our first couple of weeks in the Middle East.
Roman amphitheatre, downtown Amman. Very well preserved and still in use !Ruins of Amman’s Citadel. We found the Jerash ruins far more impressive ( much better preserved ).More Citadel.Jordanian sweets. If you have a “sweet tooth”, this is your town !
Till next week, as we continue exploring the Arabian Peninsula.
I think it was the poet Burns who first mused about the “best laid plans”, and how they often came undone. Perhaps even back then it was ‘travel’ plans he was talking about – certainly this past week threw us a couple of a curveballs, one fairly minor, the other, well, not !
Managed to squeeze in one more visit to downtown Athens ( we were camped a bit out of town ), here entertained by some excellent street performers. Shipping challenges, logistics planning, and then a vehicle battery issue used up much of our first few days in town.
So, we got back to our van in Athens and clicked the door opening fob….nothing. No reassuring “click” (as when all the doors would normally open in unison). Hopefully just a dead fob battery ( as has happened before ) so we opened the van manually, then tried to start it. Still nothing. No reassuring display of multi colored dash lights, not so much as a ‘click’ from the starter motor. No, this battery was probably dead, likely VERY dead ! Alas, hope springs eternal – tried a trickle changer over 24 hours ( nothing ), then a “jump” from a big diesel Landcruiser, still nothing. Seems there must have been some phantom “draw” on the battery over the past 5 weeks while it was stored. Fortunately our host, Thasos, connected us up with a nearby battery shop – the manager, born in Canada as luck would have it, took kindly to us and they delivered and installed a new unit the following day. Now all was good with the van ( I also learned a trick about how to avoid this problem during future long storage periods ). In the scheme of things this was a minor issue, easily fixed – the next ‘issue’ was far more impactful on us.
After much coercion and several attempts to bring it to life we accepted that this battery was VERY dead. Learning – vehicle AGM batteries do NOT like multiple extended periods of inactivity.Fortunately, a replacement was available at a nearby shop. Delivered, then installed and suddenly all was good. Most importantly they provided some excellent advice on how to prevent the issue in future.If only I had known sooner. The Sprinter actually has a battery setting that preserves the main starter battery during long periods of storage. This “standby mode” setting should ensure it stays strong for up to 22 weeks. Good to know.
Battery issue resolved we moved to the bigger of our two problems – renewed political tension in the Middle East, specifically Iran. And, of course, the Middle East was exactly where we had been planning to ship our vehicle next. The mass protests and killings in Iran were causing alarm all over the world but especially in the Middle East. The original plan after returning to Athens and collecting our van, was for us to send it on a Salamis Lines RoRo ship from Athens to Haifa, in Israel – Israel being a planned conduit for further travels through to the rest of the Arabian peninsula. Now the fact that just six months ago Israel and Iran fought an all out war gave us pause for thought in terms of how the current situation in Iran might affect our own van-based travel plans. We certainly don’t go looking for danger but with the United States pulling troops out of neighboring gulf states, one had to take the threat of expanded hostilities somewhat seriously. Even the shipping line, which had only a day before finally confirmed passage for our van on their ship, issued a warning ( see image below ). When these things go sideways in the Middle East, they can go seriously sideways very quickly – meaning shipping routes get canceled, borders get closed and even personal movement can be restricted. We also had to factor in our van likely leaving the region via the same route ( Haifa to Athens on the return journey ) and there was now no guarantee that would be possible. While we were still super keen to go to the Middle East ourselves, we now really had to reconsider taking the van. While we can always fly out ourselves if things heated up, matters become exponentially more complicated when you are cruising around in a 7m long ( non-containerable ) camper van, a vehicle for which where your exit options are already limited. We needed to think very carefully about proceeding with the original van-shipping plan, and if not, then decide how to proceed instead.
The warning provided to us by Salamis Lines, the shipping company that was to ship our vehicle to Haifa, Israel. It was not exactly confidence-inspiring. Not a cheap shipping route and we could not afford for it to go sideways, or to have our rig stuck in the Middle East with no other way out.While we waited in Athens for our shipping confirmation to the Middle East, the region was getting headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Following a very deep dive on all the pros and cons, putting our van on the ship to Israel just did not make good sense right now. The only practical option was flying to somewhere in the region, just renting a suitable vehicle(s) and hoteling it everywhere for the couple of months that we planned to travel around. Not the way we prefer to travel, and certainly not the way we would normally travel, but the best of the limited options that were available to us in the current climate.
Decision made, we then had to confirm that we could leave our rig for 2 or 3 more months in Athens ( got a quick green light there ), and so decided on a route. Amman, Jordan ( also an ideal gateway for onwards exploration ) had a convenient direct flight the very next day, so without further ado, we packed up, prepared our rig for more storage time, and hopped on the flight to Amman. In the end it all happened rather quickly…no looking back now !
One must stay “flexible” with one’s plans when overlanding. Literally overnight we decided to store the van and do our Middle East leg with rental vehicles. Too much drama going on in the region right now. The reunion with our van was sadly brief !We’ve seen some weird and wonderful overland rigs, but this no name ( we could not find one, anyway ) vehicle from Poland looked positively scary. Parked near us in Athens, looked like it was out of a Mad Max movie.
There are few ( if any ) countries we’ve been to where the hospitality and warm welcome we received has matched that which we experienced in Jordan, way back in 1990. We were keen to see how it had changed and specifically to make sure that this time we got to Jerash ( for its historic ruins ) and Wadi Rum ( for the spectacular desert area ), both of which we missed on the earlier visit. Having picked up our rental car on arrival in Amman we took off for Jerash right away, figuring we’d then work our way north to south exploring the country.
Conveniently all Jordan’s major attractions lie more or less in a straight line, running north to south.While Jordan requires a costly visa to enter, pay just a little bit more and they provide you a “Jordan Pass” where the visa fee is waived and access to ALL major tourist sites is included. Burned by some expensive admission costs to famous Turkish attractions we jumped at this offer.
Jerash did not disappoint, the ruins are expansive and in most places extremely well maintained. Remarkable to travel in the parts we have travelled over this past year and see just how far the Roman influence had reached – and this was all 2,000 years ago ! The images below show the extent of the ruins and how the modern day city of Jerash has just grown around the ancient site. As large as it is, as with so many such places not all of it has been excavated – probably a hundred or more years to get it all done.
As is typical of many Middle East sights, you run a gauntlet of tourist stalls and trinket sellers before getting to the main entrance. In Jerash we met up with “Shorty” ( yes, his actual nickname ) who was one of the friendliest, and quite likely the tallest Jordanian we had met. He stood 7 feet 2 inches tall. We’d never met anyone 7 feet tall before. Lois is 5’2”.Main gate into Jerash Ancient Ruins.Famous colonnaded street, Jerash.Oval plaza.Theatre, Jerash.Some trick photography, Temple of Artemis, Jerash.
Leaving Jerash our itinerary took us south, back past Amman, on the long Desert Highway to the town of Wadi Musa, home of Jordan’s most famous site, the rock-cut architecture of Petra, carved by the ancient Nabatean civilization over 2,000 years ago. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Famous for all those reasons of course but given a further boost when Steven Spielberg chose it for a scene in “Raiders of the Last Ark – The Last Crusade” ( click on the link to watch the scene ). Of course, it’s on everyone’s bucket list now. Petra is a full day affair ( some spend 2 days ), involves long hikes and considerable climbing to see it all but it’s absolutely worth any and all effort expended. The place just leaves you breathless. How this was done over 2,000 years ago boggles the mind – right up there with Machu Picchu and the pyramids of Egypt as far as we are both concerned.
Jordan has some famously stunning attractions, but also a lot of sparse desert in between. Wadi Rum and Aqaba are planned for next week.Breakfast provided by our hotel in Petra. All the Middle East/ Mediterranean favourites included here, including hummus, baba ganoush, tzatziki, yogurt, fruit and various cheeses. The fried egg done on request !We were very excited to revisit incredible Petra. It was a stunningly clear, sunny, day and we enjoyed the company of people we met from all over the world. Resting with a couple of young Greek ladies. Lots of tea breaks where we could soak in the views as we hiked in through the “back door” ( a more circuitous route, but involved more downhill walking than uphill – recommended. We saw some pretty exhausted people coming the other way).Bedouin “guides” were a constant presence, offering donkey rides for those who could not handle the walk. In 7 hours we estimated we’d walked well over 20kms. Thankfully it was not hot. Many of the Bedouin men wear a kind of mascara which gives them a very distinct appearance ( a kind of ‘Jack Sparrow’ look )Views from the hike in to Petra.Coming into Petra from the “back door”, it’s very famous Monastery is the first structure you see. Sculpted out of pure rock by the Nabateans around the time of Christ, it’s an incredibly impressive sight.They also constructed some free standing buildings which have not survived as well. Note the many caves in the background which are found all over the site. Here, Qasr Al Bint.Others appear to been started an not finished. Nonetheless an impressive testament to the craftsmen of the time working with what would be considered primitives tools today.A sneak peek of the most famous sight in Petra, the Treasury accessed through the “Siq”, a narrow chasm between the rock bluffs. A famous scene from “Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Last Crusade” was shot here.The Treasury. Absolutely impossible to get a shot with no people in it. Moments later there were hundreds in front of us !Treasury, close up.
Going to be hard to top Jerash and Petra but next week brings us to Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea and a few other highlights that Jordan has to offer. Stay tuned.
A short blog this week to welcome in the New Year and let folks know that we have just left Kelowna and have headed back to Europe to be reunited with our rig. We’ll have more to share re “what’s next” in the subsequent blog but here are some brief tidbits about our time spent back in Canada.
Wonderful to be home with family and friends over the Christmas holidays, the weather even cooperating ( eventually ! ) giving us fresh snow late on Christmas Day and thus a “white” Christmas of sorts. They don’t come every year of course so this was a nice treat. It’s the time of the year that can be extremely cold, but I don’t think in all the five weeks we were there that there was even one day that we could call really cold, certainly by Canadian standards..!
Not sure if this technically qualifies as a true “White” Christmas but we did get a light dusting of the fluffy white stuff by the end of Christmas Day !Nothing like having a toddler around at Christmas to add a few more gifts under the Christmas tree. Quite a few more it seemed !When in doubt this is always a safe gift for an Aussie abroad !Building a gingerbread house, a Christmas tradition, which the girls took care of (boys were busy watching the hockey 😉) There is a street in Kelowna known as “Candycane Lane”. Almost all the houses go seriously overboard with candycane-themed Christmas decorations, attracting visitors from all over. Quite the spectacle !
Five weeks back in Canada not only gave us lots of time with our own family but also the opportunity to meet up with many old friends and former colleagues – always good but especially enjoyable over the festive season. We were reminded by some that it is coming up to 7 years ( in May ) since we retired & began our overlanding travels – where did all that time go ? In addition to much time spent with friends and family, very unexpectedly – and quite delightfully – we managed to catch up with several fellow overlanders ( and some “upcoming” overlanders ) while we were home – pretty crazy how those connections were made and even crazier that they all happened to be in ( or near ) Kelowna while we were back. Lots of tales from the road were shared and tips reciprocated – nice to know there is a small “local” overlanding world out there. We’ve often marvelled at how few Canadian-based overland travellers there seem to be out there ( or Americans and Aussies for that matter – it just seems to be ALL Europeans wherever we go ) so it was really nice to connect with a number of like-minded souls on this return visit. See pics below for some background on the “catchups”.
Greg and Margot, ( Ikes Epic Adventures ) visiting in Kelowna. A couple of overlanding Aussies ( our second “Aussie” group through in the last 12 months, these guys with a Sprinter 4×4 like ours ). They took the same route up through Asia as us, but when we turned east, they turned west and drove across Russia and the ‘Stan’s’ to Europe. Had a wonderful time sharing tips and travel stories during our visit with them.Lois and I caught up with Ashley ( and later Richard ) Giordano ( Desk to Glory ) for a Christmas coffee. Richard and Ashley are from Nelson, British Columbia and are inveterate overlanders. Currently with family on a break back in Kelowna from a Central Asia expedition, they had bumped into our old friends Andy and Serena in Kazakhstan who connected us up once they realized we were both Kelowna-based ( small world ! ).While parking our van in Athens, the owner, Thasos, pointed out another Canadian vehicle that was stored there, and…..… it turns out that the folks at “Whereistheworld” are neighbours ( of sorts ) based in Grande Prairie, Alberta. We connected over the holidays and had a great catch up. Many similar experiences ( both joys and heartaches !) were shared. They are part way through what will be a substantially global expedition with their two teenage girls. Can’t think of a better education for them !In addition to catching up with several others already on the overland trail during the holidays we had the pleasure of a follow up meeting with Alex and Nadja, fellow Kelowna-ites ( Kelownians ? ), planning to set off in 2026 and currently working on van plans of their own. Always happy to share a few “what we love” and “what we might change” tips about our own rig, since they are planning something very similar for their own overland travels.
Our trip back to Athens had us once again transiting London. As before, we decided to break the journey there, and being the night of our 41st wedding anniversary felt something a little special was called for. Splashed out on a nice hotel and dinner, while a restful night made the long haul from Kelowna to Athens just that much easier. It was only while sitting there for dinner that we realized we’d also spent our very 1st anniversary ( way back in 1986 ! ) also right here in London. A coincidental touch of serendipity, as it were 😊.
Always curious to see the route a plane actually takes on these long flights. Hard not to notice Greenland’s rather strategic location in light of recent headlines about it !
Once back in Athens, it was an easy transfer to the camper storage facility where our rig was safely stored. Arriving back we were amazed to see then place literally overflowing with overland rigs; we thought it was kind of full when we left, we really had no idea !!! In the coming days we plan to get resettled and examine some options for our next moves, but more on that in the following blog.
With just 10 days remaining before our flights home we had to cross the rest of Turkey ( not far ), zip up to the Bulgarian border briefly to get Green Card insurance ( as we’d soon be back in Europe ), and then meander down through the major sights of northern and central Greece before flying out. Some of Greece’s very best sights lay ahead, most of which would be completely new to us.
On the Greece/Bulgaria border one can buy “Green Card” insurance giving you coverage all over Europe. Hedged our bets buying it here in case we head back to any European countries after Greece.
In contrast to the brutal experience when leaving Georgia and entering Turkey, departing Turkey and entering Bulgaria was an absolute breeze – 3 minutes to cross out of Turkey and 5 minutes to cross into Bulgaria, this time not one issue at all with our vehicle registration documents. Fast and friendly ! The Bulgarian border at Edirne is widely reported to be the best place to get Green Card insurance and as it was only 30 minutes or so out of our way we made the detour. All went smoothly and we were shortly afterwards in Greece.
This is what it looks like. Only provides third party coverage but is valid in all EU countries.
Every time we’ve come to Greece we’ve eagerly anticipated it and this was no exception. Noticeably cooler in this part of Greece ( being inland and further north ), our first impression was how remote it seemed and also how many police checks there were – turns out this is a major area for people smuggling in to the Schengen zone. We’d become used to these in Turkey, but had now experienced one in Bulgaria and two in Greece in the space of a morning drive.
Greece, in yellow. We entered this time from Turkey/Bulgaria in the northeast and swung around to the southwest to Athens with some great sights on the way.
Once down to highway 2 the route took us straight west across to Thessaloniki and on to Mount Olympus, the drive in equal parts scenic and also rather dull ( the latter part, weather related ). A couple of great beachside wild camps ( one, a revisit to the scene of the great toilet cap fiasco 😉) broke up the long stretches.
An excellent park-up in Makri, right by the beach. Some of our most peaceful nights have been by beaches, listening to the waves.
In Greek mythology, Olympus is home to the gods ( Zeus, Aphrodite, Hades and all that crowd 😊 ) and while likely very beautiful in the right conditions we unfortunately caught the leading edge of some rain and cloud so did not see it at its best. Some glimpses through the clouds were tantalizing, while the drive up the very narrow road called for constant attention and some degree of fearlessness. Sadly, not hikable in the conditions.
Mount Olympus National Park.Pretty as it was, after a long hard climb, but better weather would have helped.By the time. We started a short hike it was actually raining. No fun !
Heading south west took us to Kalabaka and the absolutely stunning monastery complex at Meteora. Actually 6 separate monasteries, all perched high up on rock bluffs, they are truly a sight to behold
. If they look at all familiar, you saw one of them in the James Bond classic, “For Your Eyes Only”. Click on the link to see the scene. Very impressed with Meteora – and to think we almost did not visit 😳! Highly, highly recommended.
The lighting was unusual in this shot but gave the first monastery we visited a sort of faded, surreal appearance. The whole site is absolutely stunning and easily accessible.View down from up high between some of the monasteries.A pretty steep walk up to this one ( featured in “For Your Eyes Only” ).From afar. The stairs up are tight and recessed into the rock walls.Pictures were not allowed inside the actual churches but we could get some of the artwork. Very well preserved.If you look closely you can see four monastery complexes in this distant shot.You could even get above them in places.To think these were started in the 11th century. A difficult build !
Continuing on ( eventually ! ) down towards Athens, the next sight on our route was the archeological complex at Delphi ( famed for its links to Apollo and considered by the ancient Greeks to be the centre of the world ). Not just a great ruin complex but also an incredibly comprehensive museum of artifacts from the period ranging from well “BC” to several centuries “AC”. Initially we were a little underwhelmed, but that feeling soon changed when we reached the top and looked back over the complex from above – just a completely different perspective and easier to realize what an incredible place it was back at its historic peak. An added bonus was a wonderful night of camping at the nearby port/beach community of Itea, with an excellent little bar nearby – we’d forgotten how good Ouzo was !
An absolutely spectacular day was the backdrop for our Delphi visit.Treasury building, Delphi.Temple of Apollo, Delphi.The massive amphitheater.The ouzo was great ( had not had any for years ). Camped by this scenic little bar/cafe in Itea, near Delphi.
Regular readers will know that a huge part of our overlanding experience ( the main part ? ) is the chance to drive some of the world’s great roads. While Greece does not have a Carretera Austral, a Route 66, or a Birdsville Track ( that we know of anyway ), it’s Langada-Taygetos Pass offers up a dramatic, twisty, narrow, scenic, rock cut overhung “road” that we were ( ok, ok…..”I was” ) determined to challenge. Two things attracted us – a 4.9 Google score based on hundreds of reviews, as well as a ranking on the Worlds Most Dangerous Roads site. Described by Tripadvisor as “not for the faint- hearted”, it was somewhat distant from where we were and still a long drive from Athens, but we nonetheless made the trip. Coastal Kalamata is the start of the road, from which it winds 56 torturous kilometres from there to the legendary Greek city of Sparta, the end of the road. It’s definitely a detour road trip we’re glad we did, more so because it was off-season with very little traffic giving us the time and room ( it’s not very wide in places ) to fully enjoy it. While I would not rank it with any of the aforementioned, it was a great road to drive – the unexpected pleasure being the abundance of autumn/fall leaves that were still on the trees – in December !
One of the prettiest spots we camped at, just north of Kalamata. Alone, up in the mountains, quiet, safe and with a beautiful sunrise before starting the Langada-Taygetos Pass road.Fall colours just made the trip.One of the rock cuts, near the Sparta end.A ton of tight hairpins need to be navigated to reach the top.Another “tunnel”.
With this, only the historic Corinth canal lay between us and Athens, a journey we completed easily in the one day. Corinth was started back in 67AD but only finished in 1893. While no longer used by today’s much larger ships it still functions and is quite a marvel of engineering. Not what I would call a “must do” destination, but we had to drive right through it anyway en route to Athens. Sometimes the sights just conveniently fall in your lap.
The Corinth canal.Shot taken driving over the canal en route to Athens.
It’s always a good idea to manage one’s expectations when returning to a city after a long absence ( 35 years for us ) – we recalled Athens then as being polluted, smog ridden, and traffic snarled ( all of which it once was ). Happy to report that, however, they did it, they’ve certainly cleaned up the pollution, (we saw no smog at all), the days were beautiful and sunny and the traffic was absolutely manageable both going in, coming out and while driving right through the heart of the city.
Having seen most of Athens’ famous sights the first time we’d reconciled ourselves this time to just exploring some bits we’d missed, making shipping inquiries, cleaning up our van and then getting it safely stored while we went home for Christmas. Alas, the allure of the Acropolis/Parthenon complex was too great so we did venture there – thinking surely this time all that scaffolding from 1990 would be gone ( it had been 35 years after all ). Sadly not !
Widely considered one of the greatest ancient structures of the Western world, the complex is still under a degree of renovation ( and will be for some time ). Stunning it definitely is, but disappointing that you still can’t get a clear shot of it all 😟.
Acropolis, Athens.Ditto.The “big” attraction, Parthenon. Sadly still covered in some scaffolding ( and will be for some time yet ).AcropolisAcropolis Many well-preserved ruins exist outside the Acropolis complex.Hadrian’s Gate, also outside the Acropolis complex.Athens was right into the Christmas spirit, here a backstreet heavily decorated that we stumbled upon.
With our Athens sights done, a little shopping completed and our van safely stored, we trekked off to Athens airport for the flights home to Kelowna. An overnight in London ( always a great stopover ) broke an otherwise lengthy journey, the excitement of seeing our kids and granddaughter tempered only by the knowledge that we were swapping rather balmy Mediterranean weather for a cold blast of Canadian winter. Brrrr !!!
Due to Athens strategic location as a great port, the gateway to Europe and a jumping off point for Egypt and the Middle East, it’s also become a place where Overlanders store their vehicles . Interesting to walk around the place and see where people were from and where they had been.Check the plate – Alberta, Canada. Yes, there ARE other Canadians out there roaming around ! First we’ve met in many years.Someone was VERY excited to be heading home to see our kids and grand daughter. Lois in the airport lounge, London.
If you’ve been following along we hope you’ve enjoyed the ride and look forward to restarting the blog in mid – January. At this point I’ve exhausted all the “In Case You Wondered” questions we’ve been asked ( all I could remember in any case ! ) but if you are curious about any aspects of overland travel just pop in a comment or send us an email and I’ll address it – we do love hearing from people ! Meanwhile both Lois and I want to wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !
Back from Cyprus, the weather was still holding nicely in the mid 20’s and with generally sunny days. This bode well for our planned travels west along Turkey‘s Mediterranean coast where we hoped to revisit a couple of our old haunts and explore some new places. The week ahead would take us through Aydincik, Fethiye/Oludeniz, Bodrum, Kusadasi, Pergamon and Canakkale before heading out to Greece ( actually, 10 days, but I’ve squeezed it all into this “week”s blog 😊 ).
Sunset from our camp site, Aydincik beach.Aydincik beach.
Aydincik was one of those diamonds in the rough that you just occasionally stumble across when on the road. A cuter town than most, fronted by a large bay with a huge beach and a big flat area for picnicking and camping right behind. Provided gratuitously by the municipality, it has toilets, a freshwater supply, lots of garbage cans and is kept in very good shape – a nice boulevard provides for an easy walk into town for any and all supplies Such “finds” not being too common, needless to say it attracts a big crowd of both local and foreign tourists with campervans. We had one beautiful day there while the sun shone brightly and got some swimming in, but then the wind picked up to levels that were too high to be comfortable. We left, but it’s the kind of place people stay for days and even weeks. Some had.
Typical Turkish coastal road, near Antalya
The next section of the Turkish coast was very developed, sort of a playground for Turkey’s well to do ( and there are lots of them !) but it was a pretty drive and nice break from the long miles of flat nothing further to the east. One of those places we were keen to revisit was Fethiye/Oludeniz, a real favourite from our first visit in 1989. Of course, we knew it would look nothing like it did back then, and indeed while it has exploded in size, the town, marina, beach, and lagoon remain as pretty as they ever were. In Fethiye, the marina provided a wonderful, safe, flat and convenient location to park up for a couple of nights. Like Bodrum just further along, Fethiye is an extremely popular place for the yachting crowd, and lots of tour operators here offer boat charters out to the nearby islands. It’s an extremely pretty part of the Turkish coast with several Greek islands just a few kilometres away.
Waterfront on the Mediterranean, Alanya..Harbourfront, beautiful Fethiye.Nice evening view over the harbour from our camp spot at Fethiye marina.Busy by day….…just a few campers at night.Oludeniz beach, to ourself !Amyntas stone temples, Fethiye.
Continuing west, popular Bodrum was our next stop – in addition to revisiting the town we had some service work to be done on the van ( transmission oil/filter/gasket change ) so kind of killed two birds with one stone. Bodrum, too, has changed beyond recognition, and grown enormously but its downtown waterfront area remains lovely, and is delightful just to explore.
Entering Bodrum – it was not this big last time we visited !Main tourist street, Bodrum.Statue of Herodotus.Beautifully lit mosque at night, Bodrum.Early morning walk – the Turks stay up late but don’t get started very early.Bodrum Castle.Father of the nation, Mustafa Kemal – his image is everywhere in Turkey.Typical Turkish sailing yacht.The woodwork is beautiful.Bodrum backstreets – no one was up early ( except us ! ).Finally found a Turkish Mercedes dealer who had the parts for our V6 diesel. Had the transmission oil/filter/gasket changed. Booked it Monday had it all done Tuesday – great service !Fortunately this dealer had a commercial duty hoist and high doors for entry ( some others did not ).
Kusadasi is a hugely popular pit stop for all tourists, even the cruise ships stop here, given its proximity to Selcuk and its stunning Ephesus ruins. Tempting as it was to revisit Ephesus ( yes, it’s that impressive ), time was working against us and rather than do a repeat visit we opted instead to visit the Ancient City of Pergamum, just a bit further north, with an en-route stop at the historical Ottoman village of Sirince. Details of each under their respective links but suffice it to say we really enjoyed both – a real joy to have Pergamum almost to ourselves due to a very early start.
Kusadasi has a beautiful waterfront and vibrant tourist scene.No question about what kind of watch you are getting in this Kusadasi store !!!!Waterfront sculpture, Kusadasi.Now being on the western side of Turkey, the sunsets were impressive – here at a beach where we stayed just north of Kusadasi.Autumn/Fall was a great time to visit the historic village of Sirince, near Kusadasi.Sirince is famed for its Ottoman era architecture, and great wine/cafe/restaurant scene. A cute little town which we enjoyed and where we overnighted.Bought some of their wine – we liked the coffee better 😉.Stunning Pergamum. Pergamum.Roman bust, Pergamum.While not all Pergamum is well preserved, the amphitheatre is. It’s massive, with a view over the nearby town ( modern day Bergama ).
Swinging further west there was really only one major attraction on our radar before crossing back to Greece – Canakkale, on the eastern shore of the Dardanelles and its connection to Troy. While the ruins of Troy are visible, most reviews were less than glowing, complaining that there just isn’t enough left to make it a compelling stop – we’d been badly burned a couple of weeks earlier visiting the much over-hyped Gobeklitepe ruins ( “another hundred years of digging needed”, said one critic, and I think he was underestimating 😊) so did not want to make the same mistake again. Hollywood has come to the rescue of Canakkale in this case – the very Trojan horse featured in the 2004 Brad Pitt epic, “Troy” is now on display right downtown for all to see, probably the city’s biggest attraction along with its majestic waterfront promenade and proximity to the historical Gelibolu peninsula just across the Dardanelles.
Star of the movie, “Troy”, the Trojan horse, Canakkale.Ferrying across the Dardanelles and officially back in Europe from Asia. A beautiful day as we shifted from one continent to another !Some charming Turkish military lads on the ferry – very curious about, and interested in, our van and our travels. As with everyone we met in Turkey they extended a very warm welcome to their country – so incredibly friendly, it’s what we will miss when we leave😟.
Given our plans were now fixed for a trip home over Christmas, all that remained was the drive across to Greece, making our way ultimately down to Athens for our flights home. Still some more of Greece to explore before leaving, stay tuned for that.
The PanAm completed in April, 2022 and with the truck camper sold, we shipped our new Sprinter van to Australia in late 2022. We travelled there through all of 2023 and into 2024 before shipping it up to North East Asia where we travelled for 4 months between Korea and Japan, before shipping it back to North America. It’s our plan to continue exploring the world in 2025.
