greece, until now undiscovered territory for us. as we prefer to travel with and beside the water, we head along the peninsula of the peloponnese.
right at the beginning, in igoumenitsa,  we meet a german-albanian couple plus cat with whom we spend uncomplicated days and enriching evenings. topics range from albanian culture through education to waldorf and co to harpooning. the highlight is when we stew a goat’s leg at the bottom of the bay and there is always the last precious whiskey.
in a large trough you make a glowing bed, cover it with sand or stone. on top you dress the spiced fresh leg in baking paper and cover this with other stones.
after a few hours, when the scent pervades the entire bay, a delicious tender meat awaits you.
the peloponnese is characterized by rugged and wild nature, gnarled kalmata olive trees and fragrant pine trees which remind us of apulia in the south of italy.
bushes grow between beige and grey rocks. small houses typical for the region with coloured doors and shutters, but also a lot of fragile things which are doomed to decay, line the paths.
due to the declining tourism we often have picturesque beaches with finest sand and wonderful water to ourselves. with the bus we stand directly next to the sea. early in the morning the sun tickles our faces and the sea cools our feet.
here and there we visit a handful of excavation sites like kassope, the world-famous olympia or the immense amphitheatre of epidauros, where the view from above takes your breath away and induces a little dizziness. while luk tests the first-class acoustics, a mini whirlwind roars around us.
in the area around nafplio we stay a few days, it’s nice here. a cute greek place. with frappe to go, a sweet foamy refreshing coffee drink, you stroll along the promenade and meander up and down the alleys.
the abandoned station with its abandoned trains has mutated into a voyage of discovery, while tall eucalyptus trees provide shade. the juicy dark figs hang from the tree in front of our noses and disappear into our mouths immediately.
in the evening, when the shops open and the chairs of the bars fill up, it comes to life. the long-established bakery at the corner sells unique sweets and homemade mini ice cream on a stick. vanilla, pistachio, chocolate, a paradise for those with a sweet tooth.
the way leads us over the korinth canal. soon we have a family appointment in istanbul.
in 1881 greece was cut at its narrowest point in order to shorten sea routes for shipping. here the 6 km long breakthrough with several bridges was built.
from above you look down two steep walls, 80m deep.
the view of the water is surreal and fascinating at the same time. ingenious engineering without parallel!
in athens we exchange the acropolis for the bureaucracy and visit the german embassy. we need another passport for luk, which will be approved after some days. all three passports fly to germany for the visas for iran, pakistan and india.
on the way to the beach of athens, suddenly a happy excited wave from the box wagon next to us, it is jorgos. a few days ago he and his friends helped us to free our vehicle at the beach of elaia. after a short exchange the journey continues.
greece has a somewhat introverted effect on us. is it the culture, the season, the places or the current situation? at the beginning, many local people seem grumpy, but when we persist, they turn out to be lovable and cordial.

see you soon for the next frappe.