Europe :: Greece, Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Croatia

Now that we were back in Europe and had about six weeks to spend before we could move back into our house at the 1st of August, we could take things -very- easy. And so we did 😀

Greece

After a smooth flight via Istanbul on June 12th we arrived back in Europe. First we fetched the car from Lavrio port and then drove to nearby Athens, where we strolled through the city for a few days.

Amphitheatre next to the Acropolis in Athens.

View on the Acropolis from the temple of Zeus.

Guards in front of the presidential palace in Athens.

From Athens we went west towards Greece’s main peninsula, the Peloponnese. Next to some relaxing snorkeling along the beautiful beaches we visited the sanctuary of Asclepius in Epidaurus. This ancient Greece site was a healing site and contains one of the largest preserved amphitheaters.

Largest remaining amphitheater in Epidaurus.

Next up was Mycenae, a site that far predates and had enormous influence on the classical Greek culture. Its walled city (citadel) is beautifully situated on a hill (acropolis) overlooking the Peloponnese all the way until the sea.

Moving north to the mainland we crossed the Gulf of Corinth via one of the world’s largest suspension bridges.

The Rio-Antirrio suspension bridge from Peloponnese to mainland Greece near Patras.

And later that day we visited the famous sanctuary in dedication of Apollo in Delphi.

View over Delphi from the top of the amphitheater.

After a brief visit to the east coast at the foot of mount Olympus we went to the Adriatic coast in the west which we mainly followed all the way north to Italy.

20160619_Greece_Pargas_streetView — Houses along the coast in Parga, Greece.

Albania

The south coast of Albania, between Sarande and Vlorë, proved to be as beautiful and impressive as we’d heard. With magic blue water and wild cliffs scattered with small beaches.

Kamping Pa Emer in Karpen (Golem, Albania) seen from the Adriatic sea.

Macedonia

From Albania we took a brief deviation inland towards Ohrid in Macedonia. The stunning deep lake on the border of Albania and Macedonia with crystal clear water is one of the oldest lakes in Europe and contains some unique endemic species.

View over lake Ohrid from Samuel’s fortress.

Montenegro

Further north our coast trip brought us through Montenegro, that in 2001 cleverly convinced the German national bank to temporarily adopt the Euro, but to date still has not let go of it.

Bay of Kotor in Macedonia around sunset. — Bay of Kotor in Montenegro around sunset.

Croatia

The old city of Dubrovnik. — The old city of Dubrovnik, walled all around.

Main market street in the old city of Dubrovnik.

Back in the EU Croatia proved to have even more beautiful nature to offer. Especially walking in the Plitvice lakes National Park proved a wonderful experience with fairy tale-like images.

Steef and Jasper through Africa