Left Paxos this morning. We had a Taxi pick us up at 6:30am and took us to the port to get on the hydrofoil.
Got to Corfu at about 8:15 and then walked down to the port where the ferries to Igoumenitsa leave from. There was one leaving at 9:30 so we got 4 tickets and sat down to wait.
Only after getting these tickets did we see the other guy waving frantically that there was a 9am ferry but oh well, we just had to wait another 30 minutes. No big deal.
Got on the ferry which took about 90 minutes to get to Igoumenitsa. We had booked a hire car to be picked up at 11am so we were doing well on the timing. Got off the ferry and got some directions to the Europcar office and things were looking good.
Of course, just when you think things are going well they generally turn to crap, and right on queue things turned crap.
The hire car place had arranged a Group C car for us, when we had ordered and paid for a Group D car. Not much difference you say? Well I can tell you with 4 adults each with a large pack and a day pack, there is a big difference between a C and a D.
After arguing with the chick about what we ordered and what was supplied Kath eventually got her to find out what she could do. She rang her boss and they arranged for us to take the Group C car to the Airport at Ioanina, about an hour away, and then we could swap it for a Group D car.
This was acceptable to us so we stuffed everything and everyone in the Fiat Punto and off we went.
The new freeway they are building across Greece is wild. Its not finished yet so you find yourself getting on and off it, but the scenery while driving along it is breathtaking. The mountain range is called the ‘Pindos Mountains’ and is the most spectacular in Greece, in particular the Katara Pass. Just amazing.
We got to the Airport at Ioanina and swapped the Punto for an almost brand new Hyundai Accent. Pretty top spec unit with only 3000k’s on the clock. It was big enought to fit all the big packs in the boot plus a couple of the smaller ones. More leg room, more comfortable seats. We were much happier.
Continued diving towards Meteora (Kalambaka) where we were planning to stay the night. Kalambaka is at the foot of the Meteora, where Monks have built monistaries (spelling ???) on top of these huge cliffs, made famous (for me anyway) in the James Bond film ‘For Your Eyes Only’.
We pulled into town and found the Meteora Hotel and they had rooms available so we checked in and unloaded all our gear. Gaz isn’t feeling the best so he hit the bed and Kath, Leo and I went in search of a Pharmacy to get some tablets for Gary.
Found them easy enough and got them back to Gaz. Then we went into the town to find a Cafe or Taverna to get something to eat. There is quite a few places here and we basically ate at the closest one to the hotel. Food wasn’t spectacular but not the worst we’ll have either.
Back at the hotel now writing this blog. Yay! I’m finally writing about something that happened today!! Lets see if I can keep it all together for the rest of the trip.
Lots of Love to all the Family and Friends.
Kent and Kath.