kaminia to Kyllini port

Sunday 28th March
Kaminia to Kyllini Port
Oh no, the clocks have changed again so in the space of 10 days we have lost 3 hours sleep time. The plan today was to go about 25 miles as we wanted to spend the day in the wetlands and the forest of Strofylia which is a landing point for migrating birds – at this time of year they are going north. So secure in the knowledge that there was a hotel there which was definitely open we set off. The downside to this was that the hotel wanted 90 euros for a bed and no breakfast (120 with) which we thought was a tad cheeky. But with that as a fallback position we hoped to find something on the way which was a little more reasonable. However, the further we went the more we were told there are NO hotels, rooms or any sort of accommodation in that area. We never found the one we knew was open so after a relaxing morning meandering through the district we lost our nerve and headed for Kyllini which is a very long way. Luckily the route across the Ilian Plain was fairly flat, the traffic could have been a lot worse and to our amazement we made the 42 miles before the sun had even thought of setting. On the way we passed through very rural and agricultural land, tiny villages, orchards festooned with orange blossom and olive groves all being grazed by flocks of sheep, goats, tethered cows and happy hens.

The vast Plain of Ilia, at least it's flat for cycling.

Stray dogs are a bit of a problem but on the whole dogs are on very long chains which stops them one foot short of the road, although there is plenty of evidence to prove some must slip their collars! This area is covered in poly tunnels filled with strawberries and there are a great many immigrant workers. They live in the most appalling conditions not unlike the townships in Africa so you have to be a little careful where you stop and park your bike. They really look on their uppers and life must be hell. One was blown up in Athens last night as he rummaged through a rubbish bin for some food and came across a bomb left outside a government office. The bomb was yet another intended to influence the government’s decision to tax Greece’s way out of bankruptcy.
Anyway, Kyllini Port is a small harbour where the ferries leave for Xante, Zakynthos and Cephalonia. It is at the heart of those islands tourist industry but has failed so far to take advantage of the situation and is very quiet, but perhaps that is not the case in the height of the tourist season.

All there is of the commercial port of Kyllini

A few miles south in Kyllini itself the situation is very different. The price we were quoted by the Kyllini Port hotel was extortionate but for cash it was a lot more reasonable and we can now see why the poor Greek government is having such a torrid time a moment. Still – since we feel we’ve kept the economies of France, Spain, Italy & Sicily and Malta going single handedly it felt good to get one back for a change! The hotel owners could not have been kinder and as usual sent us to the best and most Greek restaurant in the village. Like the Italians they cannot believe that we only want to eat one course, and by the time the main course has arrived you are already stuffed with hot bread, olives, Greek salad, big beans in tomato sauce and many other goodies. The meat is delicious, and the pork chops are the size of elephant steaks and all the meat is very tender. (we have not seen a free range pig yet , in fact we have seen less than a dozen since we left England). Then when you think you have finished, they present you with a pannacota or fresh fruit. Yet again we roll home, and it is lucky we always have a bit of a walk.