Day 9 - Igoumenitsa to Camping Nautilos
Thursday 5th July 2018
The ferry is due to dock at 8am and when I get up on deck just after 5am the rising sun is beginning to highlight the rugged coast of Albania to the east. As it begins to climb over the mountains the opposite coast of the island of Corfu to the west comes into view.
The rear deck around the swimming pool looks like the morning after at a pop festival with tents and inflated air beds tucked into every corner, full of sleeping hippies. There are entire families here with dogs and small children snoring away.
Disembarcation is a long and tedious affair but finally we roll down the ramp and out into the Igoumenitsa sunshine. There are no document checks at all as we ride out of the new port and into the streets of Igoumenitsa in search of a a cash machine for Mick, a cafe and then petrol in that order. Fuel prices are the highest so far, €1.66 for a litre of 95 octane.
Camping Nautilos must have been wonderful once, but now it is all faded glory. All the facilities are there but most of them are closed or obviously little used. There are a few tents and lots of caravans and campervans but most look as if they have been parked up for years and are evidently neglected.
First job after putting up our tents is to strip off and get into the sea. The beach is all big stones so I’m glad of the crocs I brought with me. Mick has to wobble and stumble into the shallows before launching himself into the water. Fortunately the beach shelves steeply so the water is over head height 3 or 4 metres out from the shore.
We are the only diners in the restaurant and the bored staff are delighted to serve us. Excellent ‘Special Omelette’ and chips. It has ham, cheese, onions, capers, peppers and parsley garnish and lord knows how many eggs to bind it all together. It is quite excellent.
The ferry is due to dock at 8am and when I get up on deck just after 5am the rising sun is beginning to highlight the rugged coast of Albania to the east. As it begins to climb over the mountains the opposite coast of the island of Corfu to the west comes into view.
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| The sun rising over the coast of Albania |
The rear deck around the swimming pool looks like the morning after at a pop festival with tents and inflated air beds tucked into every corner, full of sleeping hippies. There are entire families here with dogs and small children snoring away.
Coffee is available in the bar downstairs so I’m happy. I leave Mick to sleep on in the company of the narcoleptic Bulgarian but he soon appears, like me in search of a cappuccino. Before long the deck area is filling up with early risers.
Soon the tannoy is instructing truck drivers to report to their vehicles. The trucks are on the lower car deck and will be off first before the ramp from our parking deck is lowered. We head back to the cabin to pack our gear and change into our biking gear. Our Bulgarian friend has gone.
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| First stop - coffee in Igoumenitsa |
Disembarcation is a long and tedious affair but finally we roll down the ramp and out into the Igoumenitsa sunshine. There are no document checks at all as we ride out of the new port and into the streets of Igoumenitsa in search of a a cash machine for Mick, a cafe and then petrol in that order. Fuel prices are the highest so far, €1.66 for a litre of 95 octane.
Our destination for the night is just 14km down the coast at Camping Nautilos. We had planned to be on the later (cancelled) ferry with an arrival time in the late afternoon. But after a broken night’s sleep in the cramped cabin we are weary and decide to stick to the plan.
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| Our lovely camping place at Nautilos |
Camping Nautilos must have been wonderful once, but now it is all faded glory. All the facilities are there but most of them are closed or obviously little used. There are a few tents and lots of caravans and campervans but most look as if they have been parked up for years and are evidently neglected.
There is a beautiful large swimming pool with absolutely no one using it and a closed down bar near where we are camping. But just above us is a good restaurant with a lovely big terrace and further along the coast there is a busier beach bar with waiter service to the rows of sun beds and umbrellas on the stony beach. both have fast wifi.
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| Wine and olives at the camp restaurant |
First job after putting up our tents is to strip off and get into the sea. The beach is all big stones so I’m glad of the crocs I brought with me. Mick has to wobble and stumble into the shallows before launching himself into the water. Fortunately the beach shelves steeply so the water is over head height 3 or 4 metres out from the shore.
We have a couple of beers in the beach bar then go to find the advertised mini market. Of course it isn’t open. In fact during our entire stay we never found it open. So no breakfast before we set off early in the morning.
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| Sunset over the Adriatic |
We are the only diners in the restaurant and the bored staff are delighted to serve us. Excellent ‘Special Omelette’ and chips. It has ham, cheese, onions, capers, peppers and parsley garnish and lord knows how many eggs to bind it all together. It is quite excellent.
The WiFi is good here so in the evening I sit with half a litre of the local red and a bowl of olives and finally get to grips with this blog. I am able to get the first seven pages published.
As night falls we sleep the sleep of the just with the gentle lapping of the Adriatic Sea ever present.
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