The direct route via Egypt is closed to 4×4 vehicles (see information), so we take the small detour via Turkey and Iran.
On July 15, we set off as planned. However, an oil leak on the front axle gave us another scare. But it’s not so tragic – it’s not the oil seal, but in the area of the kingpin and looks worse than it is. We can live with this for the time being and are considering a repair in Turkey, for example. At least we still receive the necessary spare parts.
In a cheerful mood, we drive towards the Gotthard Pass, but soon get stuck in a traffic jam. A mobile home had caught fire. As there is no information about the duration of the traffic jam, we decide to take the detour via the San Bernardino Tunnel.
Another heavy traffic jam before Lugano – “somehow they just won’t let us set off” we feel. But at least we make it to Chiasso. Early in the morning we take the Milan bypass and head for the port of Ancona. A thick column of smoke outside Bologna – another vehicle is on fire on the highway. We drive past it carefully. Fortunately, the driver was able to get out in time and nobody was injured.
In Ancona we spend the night directly at the harbor. The check-in area at the ferry port closes at 10 pm. Right next to it, however, there is a truck parking lot that we can use for the night. We are quite astonished when a family clan suddenly pitches its tents in the middle of the truck parking lot and begins to live there. What else is there?
Our feelings are mixed. In any case, there is no feeling of world or long-distance travel. Rather, we feel as if we are going on vacation like we used to.
For the ferry crossing, only Minoan Lines had space for us and we were lucky enough to get the last two-berth outside cabin.
The Cruise Olympia arrives two hours late and sets off two hours late with us on board.
People lying around on mats in the corridors or even pitching their tents on deck is new to us. When we think back to the dignity, pride and service of the former Greek ships, many things have not necessarily changed for the better. The sea is calm and so is the night.
We reach Igoumenitsa, Greece, quite unspectacularly. We stay one night in Igoumenitsa. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to stand freely on the beach here, as the police carry out checks every evening, which is why we are forced to visit the untidy and gloomy campsite.
On the recommendation of a Greek petrol station attendant with excellent English, we drive to Glycki, to the sources of the Acheron River. The food right by the river under the plane trees tastes excellent. The springs that gush directly from the mountain are impressive and the water is cool and clear.
We take the E06 over a nameless but beautiful pass to Ioannina, where we want to do some small jobs at the Limnopoula campsite. In particular, we are planning our trip through Turkey here. Download maps and plan the route with Garmin BaseCamp V2.6 (V2.7 should not be used).
Two days before the planned onward journey, I am hit by abdominal pain, severe flatulence and fever, combined with watery diarrhea. We want to see a doctor, but he sends us straight to the hospital two kilometers away.
We spend 6 hours there waiting and undergoing numerous examinations:
The hospital is in urgent need of renovation, but we were able to observe that all the work was carried out professionally by doctors and nursing staff. Although there were a lot of people waiting for help, the whole thing ran according to an orderly and calm principle – and in the end the examinations were free of charge. We paid 14.30 euros for the antibiotics, which would have cost several times as much in Switzerland.
Despite the positive experience, I am grateful not to have to stay in this hospital. We spend the next few days at the Limnopoula campsite with its extremely friendly groundskeeping crew. The antibiotics make me tired and heavy, I have to force myself to eat and drink, I have no energy and often just lie around. What could be better than looking up at the sky and counting the clouds?
Things are slowly looking up. After the nightly scramble for a spot at the lake by the invading hordes of campers deep into the night, we are happy to finally set off. Our next stop is the Kerkini reservoir, where there are said to be pelicans and other birds. Standing here on a short-grazed meadow by the lake is relaxing and we enjoy the peace and quiet, including the tinkling of the sheep and cows as they graze past us.
Again and again, groups of pelicans perch on the shore and preen their feathers. Herons and seagulls and other bird species strut about in between.
The journey continues leisurely along the sea to Alexandroupolis, where we find a corner for ourselves on the overcrowded campsite. Alexandroupolis is the starting point for the next stage, Turkey.
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Wow how wonderful to hear from you again. Thankyou for the information. Where will you enter Africa. When can we expect to see you. Regards Nelus
Thanks a lot Nelus
We are likely to enter africa in sudan. If we receive the Saudi Arabian transit visa, we will arrive from Jeddah by ferry in Sudan. It is very difficult to say anything about our arrival in Africa or South Africa. We hope to be in Sudan in October / November. South Africa not before the end of 2020.