If you cross the border at Mavromati, you don't really notice any difference until you get to Igouminista. The places are a bit cleaner but that's about it.
Since Easter was approaching, I had to buy food and water for the long weekend. The first supermarket I passed was a Lidl. I entered little bit skeptical Lidl with a mask. My first mask after 3 weeks.
The first surprise came while shopping. Milk, fruit, water, most fo what I needed was more expensive than in the countries before, or in Germany. Igouminista is a lively town and parking is rather difficult with a 7m Dog.O.Mobil. When I had a seat, I was almost outside again.
So I cruised along the coast towards the south with a bright blue sky and temperatures just over 20 degrees. In Syvota I found everything I wanted, a parking lot, a harbor and various bars. I enjoyed the blue sea with a Greek coffee. And the shock came when I paid. Coffee and water for €6.
Over Easter I stood at Perdika at a small bay and let my soul dangle. When I continued to Lefkada I made a detour to Limni Kaneta and Llyn Kalodyka, two lakes. Total disappointment twice. The lakes had very little water in April and were overgrown with reeds and I suspect water lilies.
The fauna shone in bright green, yellow and white. Many shrubs were flowering and the bees and bumblebees were buzzing around
Many Park5Night pitches before Preveza were directly at the beach, but also directly on the E55. Idyllic is for me something different.
I had 2 options to get to Lefkada, by a toll for the tunnel oder drive 100 km around the bay. I started to get lazy and took the tunnel for a few €
And Lefkada was a hit in April. Small beaches, small villages <developed for tourism>, little traffic, wonderful motifs for pictures, just a perfect holiday environment.
It quickly gets lonely south of Nydri. Much of the west coast is just nature and beaches. It is sometimes difficult to get downhill to the beaches, especially with a mobile home. But it's worth it.
The route along the coast from Lefkada to Patras is beautiful but relatively sparsely populated. There is almost nothing but sea and nature in between Mitikas and Katochi. I was looking for a bar, couldn't find one next to the road and none in the 2 towns or nothing was open. It's unusual for Greece.
The islands in the Ionian Sea are more than Lefkada or Kefalonia. The multitude of tiny islands along a mountainous coast is really picturesque
There are enough places to stand freely along the route, whether 100% in the sun or under the trees on the small beach
And then came Katochi. Minimum 8 bars and 1 tavern. And the tavern was full at 1pm. Workers, pensioners and a single young woman. I had the choice of salad, pork or chicken. Both were grilled on a rotisserie behind the counter and came with potatoes and tomatoes. It was simple but tasty and I didn't mind that there was smoking around me. Because I was hungry! I also noticed that I wasn't in a tourist place because I paid €6.50 for the meal.
Smoking is apparently still normal in Greece, just like walking around with a mask in April 2022. The tavern and the street in front of it were filled with the noise and smell of scooters and pickups. With 26 degrees and a bright blue sky, Katochi was alive and I liked it better than Lefkada.
Katochi is on the river Achelous and I took the Frapee in a bar by the river. The light wind and the hip hop music in the background created a slightly different atmosphere. Will I ever find Katochi on TripAdvisor, probably not. But it is a good stop for vanlifers on their way to Patras
Louros beach is huge, simple and beautiful. After a few meters you will find a space for the night. Tried to continue along the beach but gave up after 2km. Why drive on a dirt road and hope there will be a better space when a good one is right at the beginning.
One work steam of the EU program "Interreg V-A Greece-Italy Programme" is Integrated Environmental Management and does something in the area
I don´t know how this relates to the flamingos, the farming and the cows that graze behind the beach. It´s only € 123 mio that the EU has invested.
And in front of the coast you see cruise ships or ferries, thank God you don't smell them
