13th week Troia, Canukkale, Gallipoli, Turkish border, Greece, Alexandroupoli

Monday, 25th July 2011 Troia I went to bed early, but unfortunately something woke me up at 4am and I just couldn't get back to sleep. So about 5.50am I started the van and left as quietly as I could. Must have done because the dogs didn't bark, or it was just my luck! Didn't meet a thing going up the road, thank goodness, because perhaps I should have stayed somewhere up the top of the hill, and taken the Dolmus down. It's only 2TL a ride, that is if they don't give you back the 25cents that most of the drivers do. Perhaps I should have visited the ruins, but the heat had completely got to me and couldn't face it. However, going along the road at 6 in the morning was enchanting. All the shepherds were out with their goats, or sheep. The cows were sauntering along the road going to milked. Men were carrying out white screw topped pails with the milk they had already taken, whether to leave for someone to collect or just taking it back home. I did see a milk lorry carrying

Volcanic activity along the road

metal churns a bit later on. Boys and men were going various places on their donkeys, sometimes with dogs in tow. It's a very lively place first thing in the morning. I took the coast road, which was quite pretty and took some pictures of the dawn. I got a lot of weird looks yet again because a European was driving at this time in the morning!

It wasn't that far to Troiapension N39-57-21 E26-15-01, and I arrived about 9 am. Said hello and then said I was going to sleep because I'd been up so early. Managed to get camping for one for 30TL. I flaked out for another two hours, felt much better and had a good look around Uran's shop. Met Mama and Papa, exchanged ages! Had a good laugh with Papa. At 85 he was really funny, he was an artist; his drawings of scenes from Troia surrounded the shop walls, the characters, were up on the wall. I did purchase a lovely green bag with whirling dervishes on it for myself, one with elephants for Sally, some bracelets for the girls and Kate, and a fez for Simon! He's been bringing out a lot of Tommy Cooper jokes lately.

Later on a Dutch couple arrived. They only had 6 weeks vacation, she was an actress and he was a Technician. From what he said, he really did all the background stuff which I would have called Stage Management etc. They were into their fourth week of travelling, having come through Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia. The eco charge for them, being an old van was €150, (bit pricey), Greece and then Turkey straight down to the ferry to bring them across at Canakale. AnnMarie had played Cassandra in a recent play and she was here to visit the site of Helen of Troy fame. Cassandra was the sister of Paris who through a dream warned the Trojans, not to bring the horse into the city. That evening, three Greek taxi drivers arrived also on a quick excursion to Turkey, heading for the island off Kas which still has about 200 Greek inhabitants and they wanted a camp site in order to leave George's Hobby motorhome for a day. I was able to oblige with Olympus Mocamp, just 2km from Kas, right near the port for a boat which they might have to hire privately and also right on the beach. They looked like strong swimmers and were hankering after a swim. I did get a bit merry, we had dinner, had a real good laugh, swooped stories, joked and it was 12 midnight before I realised. Off to sleep, fortunately yes, I did get off quite quickly.

Tuesday 26th July 2011 Up reasonably early because we were going for the tour, led by Uran, to Troia at 9am. A taxi turned up, with another 4 people, so we had a taxi full to go down to the site, which was really only about 800 metres up the road. Already full with about 8 coaches, but warm enough to head for the shade as soon as you were out of the car.

Diggings showing various levels dating back several 000 years

The first port of call was, this big horse, apparently donated by Brad Pitt and the film set of Troy (found out later this was untrue!) It had been well used by the thousands of tourists, but the steep steps made me come down them backwards, much easier. Archaeologists were working under their tent, sorting various finds. Apparently, although a lot had taken place since 1870, none of the Roman ruins have yet been excavated. The site is huge. What were shown was similar to the digs I saw at Catalhoyuk, where they have unearthed the various stages of the town, in time. There are plans of the structure showing the stages of the settlement back almost to 3000BC. The history behind the rise of Troia, it's history, about Helen, Cassandra, Paris and all their legends/stories, fact or fiction, was fascinating. It's really all the do with Homer and his two epic books.

Apparently the first two archaeologists around 1870 actually plotted the hills they then proceeded to dig up, because nobody until that time had actually found the city of Troia. It started with an English man then another until he found treasurer and skipped off with it and sold it to the Berlin museum. WWII saw the Russians taking this hoard from Berlin and placing it in their museum in Moscow, but this didn't come to light until the break up of the communist state. The world is full of rogues, what hope is there for us very honest folk?

Had a quiet evening. Greeks went south to their island, but were heading later on to Istanbul, with 3 drivers, you can do it! (Actually found out they didn't get there!) Anne Marie and Ray going only a bit further south; then heading to Istanbul too, gave them both the Fisherman’s Wharf co-ordinates because it is so convenient for all the big sites, the whole city in fact. I really made a mess of things when I put water in at Kusadasi, it was tainted with a bad smell, not chlorine! So I dumped all the water and filled up again. Getting to Canakale wasn't difficult, I'd got money yesterday, paid Uran, said my goodbyes, took some photos of Mama, couldn't find Papa unfortunately and drove off.

4th C BC Goddess Aphrodite

Aerial shot of Assos which was above where I had camped

Finding the Museum at Canukale wasn't difficult either, it was well sign posted. Managed to park right outside under shade of tree. On paying my 5TL entry fee, the guard said what I heard as "No Flesh" my immediate thoughts were I would have to put some more clothes on! "No Flash" he said, we all had a good laugh, I wondered how many times that had been used to break the ice with women! No English explanations, shame, some small explanations, but all the big info boards were in Turkish. All the finds from Troia were there, various diggings in the burial mounds near there; lots of things from the Behram Kale (Assos) site, exquisite gold jewellery from various graves, around 3BC. Took over 1.5 hours for me to digest everything. Uran at Troiapension said they were building a museum on site so that all the relics could come back to their proper place.

Unloading ferry at Canukkale Docks

The ferry was easy to find too. Everybody dutifully lining up after paying their fee. Mine was 35TL which was quite reasonable I thought. Saves a lot of driving. We didn't have to wait long, but the Turks are so impatient, everything's done at too quick a pace. Rush to get off the boat, rush to get on! It was a very good trip, very stable, it was quite windy, couldn't get out the van, the cars were too near, couldn't open the door, so I stayed put. The other end is what got to me. I'd pulled in my wing mirrors because they were just at a height to get smacked by some of the cars, vans and I had to stop to put them back out so I could see what other people were doing. Horns honking, I just honked back! Put winker on to turn left, a Merc from my left cut right across in front of me, even though we had been asked to stop by the port official in front of us, it felt as though all hell had let loose!

When eventually I turned left, I found a restaurant, Maydoz just outside the port with a big car park and dived inside to find a lot of Aussies about to tour the Peninsular. I nearly said to them that I'm here because on my 1998 Aussie tour when I had been stripped off, and told in no uncertain terms that Churchill had used the Anzacs as cannon fodder back in 1915. Unfortunately this was on Anzac Day in 1998, my historical knowledge of that time didn't include WW1. I was taken aback and felt guilty for the entire British nation. On my return to UK I did delve into history a bit further and read books including Bryce Courtney and saw many films too, they seem to be on when I needed to learn. However, good Spag Bol, bread and water, 9.50TL. Good price, left tip. Proceeded south to the monuments, lots of Turkish ones, just quite simple, but the most intriguing one was at where there was a single white marble monument at the south, placed in a five pointed star and in front were circles of Turkish helmets, each bearing the names of towns and cities for the entire nation. Around the outside there were plaques bearing the regiments of soldiers. Another was just a simple black obelisk in a black square plinth surrounding it. I went on to Ataturks big square monument, but there is scaffolding all around it and parking was going to be difficult, so I gave it a miss. Past the town of Abide and down to Cape Helles Memorial there were the Turkish gun emplacements on my left and the British Memorial on my right. I managed to park in it's shadow. Again some of the grounds were blocked off for renovations. One doesn't realise how many ships took part; how many soldiers were engaged in these battles; how many men lost their lives and their bodies never recovered. As I was leaving, a whole family who had gone behind the monument, appeared. A little boy waving the white toilet roll high in the air. I just wondered why they had done this, when I knew and had seen plenty of WC'S around each large monument, did they really have to choose this place? I was a bit disgusted to say the least. But I really don't know whether it was intentional, but I know of their animosity towards the Greeks, perhaps they feel deep down the same about us too, or is it just the uneducated people who do this sort of thing.

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I went on to Lone Pine cemetery. The Anzacs Memorial. Since my trip to the Antipodes, where I was more or less labelled an Aussie, by them and some people since, I felt quite tearful. There stood the lone pine, don't know whether it's the original, but someone, presumably an Aussie/Kiwi, perhaps from the party I'd met earlier, had placed a branch sitting up like a tree and underneath was a sign "Lone Pine's Mate" and a heart made from stones. Well I laughed and it broke my solemn mood. Typical Aussie. Lovely. Actually do hope it might have been a small tree, perhaps will never know unless I come back. Turned out of here and went on to another Turkish monument, met two dogs who really liked my biscuits and water I gave them. Decided to head back to the Camp site at Kabatepe because there were notices specifically asking people to respect the cemetery. “It is forbidden to camp, picnic, light fires, or pick flowers”.

I arrived at the camp site, Kabatepe Turism Sam Vi

Tic. Ltd Sti. Orman Kampi Dinlenme Tesisi to be told that the camp site closed at 8pm and opened again at 9pm. They just wouldn't relent, so I just went back to the French cemetery and knowing their feelings about motorhomes and parking freely, thought they wouldn't mind if I parked there, albeit on a bit of a steep slope, and slept fitfully until about 5am where upon I decided to drive down and park by the sea in the little car park I noticed earlier on. This is where I'm sitting now. I explored the beach, but it's got stringy sea weed, so I wont be going in. I've also found my fridge is not working on gas, so I used all that gas last night to find it's not making ice. So that will have to get fixed somehow.

Wednesday 27th July 2011 Spent most of the day there, until I decided it was cool enough to start driving towards the border.

My fridge is not working on 12v either, so yet to see if it works on electricity. Got to the border after a lovely drive along the Gallipoli peninsular, lots of little places you could drop off for a swim, if you felt like it. No problems at all through the border, except that I drove past the 3rd office, because the 2nd police officer had said “Fini”, parked up outside the duty free to find a young Turkish man hammering on my window saying “Vehicle Documents”, “Already done them” says I. He repeated himself. So I locked up, got out and marched back to his office, to be followed by a man from another cubicle, who took my passport which showed it had been stamped off, probably closed, and he said to me “OK no problem” and to the other young man, “Fini OK”. The last office he said “Spears, Speirs, Spiers” “Yes all three!” Says me. “OK Fini” “Thank you and Gulle Gulle” says I. It's about the only Turkish I remember!

Lone Pine's mate!

I drove on a lovely new motorway to Alexandroupoli and find the car park for the night by the beach. Quite handy this one found it in Camperstop. 3 Italians joined me later on. Lots of youngsters parking for a walk on the prom. Some maniacs demonstrating how fast and noisy their cars were but nothing stopped me from sleeping though. It was a good night.

Sunset over Greece from Gallipoli

Thursday, 28th July 2011 Woke early, decided to go to Camping Alexandroupoli Beach which I had actually passed last night about 9pm and didn't notice. It was going to be about 12€ for the night, not bad. So internet first to see whether I could get anything on www regarding Thetford fridges; found two motorhome dealers around Athens, but not much else. So I decided to email my cousin Sara and her husband as they could talk Greek. Within seconds I had an email, a phone call; John had found someone in Thessoloniki which was 300 km down the road, a Thetford agent, so I decided to rest today and then start off first thing in the morning, along the lovely smooth motorway which hopefully didn't have any roadworks to cope with. Had enough of those over the last two months!

I also texted George who I had met in Troia. Within no time at all, I had a text from him telling me where to go to find exactly the same motorhome agent that John had found me, so I reckoned it must have been the place that he bought his motorhome. Today I lived on pizza as my fridge was not working on electricity either. There were a lot of Bulgarians on the site, and all the placements were well lived in! The showers and toilet facilities were good too. It was really hot again, so I tended to stay inside and finished off reading Sam Bourne's “The Righteous Men.”

Friday 29th July 2011 I was ready about 7.30am to leave, paid up, they'd given me a CCI discount which was good, so the bill was about €11. The motorway again was lovely to drive on, and I still cant understand why the Greek Government haven't got their act together and were charging tolls. They were loosing a lot of revenue. Apparently they have installed new equipment and are waiting till the tourist season is over before starting them! Very pleasant driving along, no holes in the road, no honking of horns, no creeping up your rear and then darting out to overtake. In all, a much more pleasant experience. John had given me the GPS co-ordinates, so it didn't take long to get to Zampetas, except that when I got there, there was not a motorhome shop in sight.

Must be wrong GPS, my fault, I had put a wrong number in, no wonder!. Oh well, still have George's instructions, found the main road, nearly ran out of diesel. George had asked me to text him when I arrived, didn't know quite why. However, did as I was asked and when I arrived a Greek gentleman bounded towards me “Hello, I'm Makis. A friend of George's. He phoned me from Turkey to ask me to look after you.” Big shaking of hands, then it was Alex and then Antonius, the co-owners of the business. So, the fridge they had was a Dometic, not LED as on the Thetford, which I actually preferred, just manual switches and gas lighter. They wanted to charge me €700 cash, fitted. This seemed quite reasonable to me, but I got the model number anyway and John in Andros, looked it up on the www to find that the Retail price was about £788 +VAT and then fitting charges. So we both reckoned it was a very good price. I learnt later that it was a new fridge taken out of a new motorhome because the owner wanted a taller one with a big freezer box. No more leaning on the front of the fridge and changing it over from gas, to battery and then going away and not realising what I had done. The workshop was very busy, at least three or four vans waiting for attention. When I finally found that I could only get €300 out in any one go, I went up the road and did precisely that. We arranged for me to come back the next day and they would exchange the fridges.

Saturday, 30th July 2011 Rushed off quite early to get another €300 at the same bank, just my luck the money in the machine had run out. So where was another bank, I could only drive on a little way and try to find one. Eventually at a BP station a young woman spoke English and she told me to go the Jumbo store up the road, they had an ATM. Sure enough they had, so I did the transaction quickly and scooted back to Zampetas. Where they were again full up, but I was asked to wait out side the workshop and they would call me when it was time. Getting the old fridge out wasn't too much of a problem, getting the new fridge in the old space, was! Unfortunately, the new fridge was about .5 cm larger! A lot of tooing and froing, small arguments happening, something was not right, the fridge was also too deep. Well to cut a very long story short, the fridge was finally in, not quite the exact fit, protruded a little to the front, but a fridge that worked. It was gone 6.30 by the time everything had been put back in its place. I paid my money, was invited to Halkidiki for the night and Sunday, but I declined because, it was late, and I wanted to do some spring cleaning in the morning and sort out the van a bit. I had been neglecting it for some time. Texted everyone concerned that the fridge was fine, I now had ice cubes.

Sunday, 31st July 2011 Didn't hear from George any more, but I new he was on his way home from Turkey. The beach at Angelohori was sadly neglected but it didn't stop the many Greeks from coming for the day. Again it was hot, but the sea breeze was very welcome. Another lot of Bulgarians had arrived to meet their friends and I felt there was a party coming on! I think that was their intention however the heavens opened around 10pm, everything was quiet except for the thunder. I do hope their tents were not too flimsy. I was fine, but it was the first rain I had had since Ankara, and it literally was a deluge. The whole car park was under water, should I move? no, decided it was better to stop where I was and by the morning it would have drained away. I got to bed, slept to be woken at 12.30am by the sound of banging of car doors and a great deal of shouting. A Greek domestic, except that it was two men and a woman. I thought blows were about to be exchanged when I heard one of the cars drive off, screeching of tyres up the road. About 10 minutes later, back came the car. Another lot of shouting etc. Could I get back to sleep no! It was about 4am and I was still looking at the ceiling listening to the intermittent rain; fortunately the domestic had ceased.

The French Cemetery

Angelohori

Relocating some Sand!