Chalkidikí
On day 8 of our journey, we leave Thessaloniki and head for the Chalkidiki peninsula in the south-east. After the stress of the last two days, we’re longing for some relaxation. We are lucky enough to find a quiet spot near Agios Mamas, right on the beach, that invites us to spend a whole day relaxing, stretching our tired camper van muscles, jogging (where I see wild flamingos!) and jumping into the Mediterranean for the first time on this trip.
As we continue to explore Chalkidiki, we head south on the most beautiful middle finger of Greece: Sithonia. Unfortunately the weather is not great and we spend a long time looking for a place to camp. We finally end up parking in an abandoned ghost town (some kind of construction project that was never completed) called Kriatsi Project. Not only is the place scary, especially the condition of the roads and bridges, but the weather gets even worse during the night and we barely get any sleep for fear of being blown away or washed out to sea (unrealistically). Note to ourselves: Never park on a cliff near the sea when bad weather is forecast…
Kavala
On day 11, not well rested and still in the rain, we leave Chalkidiki for Kavala. Luckily, the clouds break around midday and we spend a few quiet hours in the tranquil little town with its lively harbour promenade and old warehouses from the town’s golden years during the tobacco boom in the early 20th century.
Komotini
In the evening we drive to the Nestos Delta National Park, where we again find a nice parking spot in a small pine grove near the beach. The next morning, after a short stop at the monastery of Agios Nikolaos in the delta, we drive on to Komotini. Here, the architecture, the narrow streets with their bazaar-like markets and the many mosques remind us that the Turkish border is not far away. We soak up the town’s oriental flair, do some long overdue laundry and grocery shopping, but also take time to enjoy a coffee and a long walk around the town. We spend the night at a campsite in Alexandroupolis and are now only about 50 km from the Turkish border, which we plan to cross tomorrow.