Sabbatical Road Trip

April - May 2024

We're taking some time off with our two Border Collies and our Camper Van to travel south Read more

45footprints
7countries
46days
331photos
34videos
6.5kkilometers
4.7kkilometers
1.5kkilometers
112sea miles
70kilometers
21kilometers

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Sabbatical Road Trip
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- Apr 17, 2024, 10:00 AM
- ☁️ 18 °C
- Altitude: 11 m
- Greece Peloponnese Loutraki-Perachora-Agioi Theodoroi Limni Vouliagmenis Cape Melangavi Light 38.028468, 22.85015938°1’42” N 22°51’1” E
Day 12
Melagavi lighthouse and Heraion
April 17 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Found this cute little lighthouse and excavation site on Google maps. The drive out there was well worth it and the cliffs are beautiful. We even watched some fishermen fish from the cliffs.

There is a temple dating back to 700 BC which is dedicated to Hera. Twice a year, the Corinthians from the very opposite coast came by ships for rituals and tributes to the goddess.Read more
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- Apr 17, 2024, 12:30 PM
- ☁️ 21 °C
- Altitude: 10 m
- Greece Peloponnese Loutraki-Perachora-Agioi Theodoroi Límni Vouliagméni 38.031511, 22.87297538°1’53” N 22°52’23” E
Day 12
Heraion Lake
April 17 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Found this shallow salt water lake on our way back and let the dogs cool down for a bit.
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- Apr 17, 2024, 1:30 PM
- ⛅ 22 °C
- Altitude: 48 m
- Greece Peloponnese Loutraki-Perachora-Agioi Theodoroi Gefyra Isthmou 37.927313, 22.99452437°55’38” N 22°59’40” E
Day 12
Corinth Canal
April 17 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
The Corinth Canal is an artificial canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland, making the peninsula an island. The canal was dug through the Isthmus at sea level and has no locks. It is 6.4 kilometres in length and only 24.6 metres wide at sea level, making it impassable for many modern ships. It is currently of little economic importance and is mainly a tourist attraction.Read more
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- Apr 18, 2024, 8:30 AM
- ☀️ 13 °C
- Altitude: 472 m
- Greece Peloponnese Sparti Káto Chóra Palace of Despots 37.074425, 22.36690637°4’28” N 22°22’1” E
Day 13
Mystras
April 18 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
After an early wake up we arrived at the gates of Mystras shortly after 8AM and had the beautiful place all to ourselves. Everything's in bloom and the ancient place has a certain magic. You can almost imagine what it looked and felt like back in its glory days.

Mystras, the 'wonder of the Morea', was built as an amphitheatre around the fortress erected in 1249 by the prince of Achaia, William of Villehardouin. Reconquered by the Byzantines, then occupied by the Turks and the Venetians, the city was abandoned in 1832, leaving only the breathtaking medieval ruins, standing in a beautiful landscape.Read more
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- Apr 18, 2024, 2:00 PM
- ☀️ 21 °C
- Altitude: 209 m
- Greece Peloponnese Sparti Kemál Agá 37.081643, 22.42725237°4’54” N 22°25’38” E
Day 13
Sparta
April 18 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
We also visited Sparta today but weren't too impressed. There's not much left and it's hard to imagine the epic sceneries from the Hollywood movies.
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- Apr 19, 2024, 9:00 AM
- Altitude: Sea level
- Greece Peloponnese Monemvasia Monemvasia Monemvasia Swimming Area 36.686651, 23.05458736°41’12” N 23°3’17” E
Day 14
Monemvasia
April 19 in Greece
Got up early again today to make it to Monemvasia before the tourist buses. Took a stroll through the almost deserted little town and found a breakfast spot with a perfect view.

Monemvasia means “only (mone) entrance (emvasis)” refering to the only access point to the island, which is over a bridge.

In 1890, a small part of the natural tombolo was cut to create an artificial bridge for ships and boats. Its area consists mostly of a large plateau some 100m above sea level, up to 300m wide and 1 kilometre long.

Founded in the sixth century, and thus one of the oldest continually-inhabited fortified towns in Europe, the town is the site of a once-powerful medieval fortress, and was at one point one of the most important commercial centres in the Eastern Mediterranean. The town's walls and many Byzantine churches remain as testaments to the town's history.Read more
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- Apr 19, 2024, 1:00 PM
- ⛅ 19 °C
- Altitude: 102 m
- Greece Peloponnese Monemvasia Áno Kastaniá Kastania Cave 36.545972, 23.12427236°32’45” N 23°7’27” E
Day 14
Kastania Cave
April 19 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Took the dogs for a swim at the nearby Panagia beach first, because they had to wait in the Van during the 30min guided tour. The cave itself wasn't as big as some others we've already seen (Czech Republic, Gibraltar....) but the variety of colors was impressive.

The cave’s surface covers 1,500 square meters separated into two levels and the visitor is guided along a 500-meter route. The cave was formed from limestones of Jurassic age (195-145 million years old) as a result of geological turmoil and chemical reaction. The stone décor owes its seven-color palette to crystalline carbonate lime enriched with several metal oxides.Read more
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- Apr 19, 2024, 3:30 PM
- 🌬 19 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Greece Peloponnese Monemvasia Áyios Míron Ákra Zómpolo 36.440129, 23.14323736°26’24” N 23°8’36” E
Day 14
Geopark of Agios Nikolaos
April 19 in Greece ⋅ 🌬 19 °C
We came here mainly because of the Petrified Forest which stretches from the coastlines of Agia Marina and Agios Nikolaos to the Voies plain and Elafonisos. The modern Geopark is essentially a natural snapshot of time itself, showcasing a time over two million years ago when Greece was a lush, tropical forest, filled with palm trees and giant hardwoods before a mixture of volcanic and tectonic activity submerged the entire region. In a tale reminiscent of Atlantis itself the entire forest was submerged under the Aegean sea almost overnight, petrifying and calcifying the trees and preserving them in their current state forever.Read more
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- Apr 19, 2024, 8:00 PM
- 🌧 15 °C
- Altitude: 5 m
- Greece Peloponnese East Mani Agadaíika Platís Potamós 36.725915, 22.54480936°43’33” N 22°32’41” E
Day 14
Taki's Tavern
April 19 in Greece ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
This cute little Tavern was right next to our Camping spot in Gythion bay and we loved it. You get a menu for the starters but have to follow the chef to the kitchen for the choice of your main course. Depending on the day you get a variety of 4-6 home cooked local dishes. Desert and Ouzo are on the house 🇬🇷😋.Read more
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- Apr 21, 2024, 6:45 AM
- ☁️ 10 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Greece Peloponnese East Mani Ágios Konstantinos 36.789333, 22.58578736°47’22” N 22°35’9” E
Day 16
Dimitrios shipwreck
April 21 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
Heard about this "special" location on YouTube and Instagram and had to check it out during sunrise. Maybe Jack Sparrow got stranded here, the story of the ship is in any case ominous.... The photographer in the family was very happy with the light and will be editing "dogs in front of shipwrecks" for the next few days 😍🇬🇷📷.Read more
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