It took almost exactly 36 hours for us to get from Riemerling to our campground, even though we had a flat tyre shortly before Sparta.
We started at 6.00 a.m., eight persons sitting in our VW bus and thus not having much room to spare. For our still spry bus, it was a special occasion: its birthday. It is now exactly 11 years and 11 months old – and soon after our arrival in Greece, it drove its 111,111th kilometre.
What a memorable number!
Immediately after Ottobrunn, we hit the motorway towards Innsbruck. We crossed the Brenner, passed Brixen, Bozen, Modena, and Bologna on our way to Ancona. It was a nice drive, without any strain and we paused often enough, too. We arrived in Ancona well in time, so we could embark on the EUROPA CRUISE of MINOAN.
The EUROPA CRUISE is another one of those huge ships. Our VW bus was supposed to board (almost) last. It took more than an hour for all passengers and cars to get on board.
Consequently, we set our hopes on the LIFO principle (First In, First Out).
The cabin looked friendly, had five beds and a huge window. Our three deck passengers also had found quiet places for the night and thus the EUROPA CRUISE started with no more than the usual delay around 6.30 p.m. – the expected time of arrival on Patras was 2 p.m.
It was a truly enjoyable crossing. A mild mediterranean evening was an additional bonus for us, so we had a truly good time. We admired the beautiful sunset from the stern and spent a leisurly morning on board ship during the next day.
In Patras, the ship was still late by just as much as when we had started, so we disembarked from 2.30 p.m. And indeed, our red bus was one of the first vehicles to leave the huge bilge.
The last almost 300 kilometres south via Konrinth went well, with the exception of a flat tyre before Sparta. Since (many thanks to Patrick!) this damage was repaired quite quickly, we arrived on our campground at Porto Ageranos at exactly 7 p.m. – which was precisely 36 hours after our departure (you have to remember one hour difference in time zone).
Consequently, there was still enough time for pitching our tents, take a quick swim in the ocean and then be happily on our way towards our first Greek dinner (and festive dinner). Spending the first night in the tent, under the clear Greek stars, felt truly magnificent. Except that my back complained, because the self-inflating air mattress was just too soft …
My only problem on the campground is: there is no WLAN. So I had to spend three whole days without reading or replying to a single email – and I never knew how Haching had played…
Now I read that they lost 1:0 in Oberhausen.
But that will not dampen my enthusiasm about this nice vacation.
RMD
(Translated by EG)
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