Mesalonghi
Arwenofbosham
Rob and Jacky Black
Wed 19 Aug 2009 15:48
|
38 21.7N 21 25.1E
We left Sami on the 13th of August and motored all
the way to Mesalonghi on the mainland of Greece. The wind (less than 3 knots)
was from the east so on the nose and the sea was glassy calm. We had an
uneventful journey as we passed the off lying island of Oxia ( a possible
anchorage for another time) and into the bay of Patras. As usual the breeze
picked up as we arrived off the entrance to the canal going up to Mesalonghi.
The trip up was interesting as we passed small bungalow style homes built on
stilts in the shallow water either side of the canal. Each had it's own wooden
dock and many were being used as sunbathing and swimming decks with rickety
ladders going into the water and brightly coloured umbrellas for shade! Several
looked very well kept and had glorious coloured climbing plants spreading across
them. fish were jumping and there were many egrets to be seen. it reminded us a
bit of the Florida Keys and in some ways too of the river bank
in Shoreham. At the end of the canal a wide lagoon opens out and there
are withies marking where the small fishing boats work - these are usually
propelled by a punting action. The commercial quay lies at the head of the bay
and the marina to the western end. There are several tavernas lining the bay and
the town is a 15 minute walk inland. The marina itself has pontoons a nearly
finished office/ cafe with two showers and toilets plus a water hose on the west
end and a concrete quay to the east where there is a limited supply of
electricity (enough for 4 boats) and a water hose. Plans are for this area to
have both facilities up and running for the winter. Most boats go alongside the
pontoons or the quay but one long quay has lazy lines attached.
The town is really good with proper shops and no
tourists! It is a University town so at the moment it is quiet but come
September there will be 3000 students here. We found an excellent small
supermarket that delivered to the boat so did a major re- stock of water bottles
beer and some tinned goods (all the heavy stuff). It was brought by two people
on a mo-ped carrying our 11 bags!! The whole town has free wifi but
unfortunately the signal is not quite strong enough for us to pick up in the
marina - but going to one of the cafes is no problem. Yanis the marina manager
is a delight and so helpful. We have met several other live-aboard boats and
have decided after more investigations that we will winter here this year. The
price is half that of the quotes we have had from the Turkish marinas we had
approached.
Piper and Grand Slam arrived on Friday and we had a
BBQ on Saturday evening (Pam's Cobb BBQ is brilliant we shall have to get one!).
We discovered one of the tavernas on the quay (the 2nd one past the old military
park - full of planes, tanks and guns) did excellent Meze with each round of
beers (2 Euros for a large one) so no need to order food. This bar also promised
the football on a big TV for Sunday afternoon so Andy could watch the Liverpool
- Spurs game.
We found out that the marina was having a
'blessing' and official opening ceremony on Tuesday so decided to stay a bit
longer.
On Tuesday afternoon I cycled to the beach 5
kilometers)along the cycle path this takes you across a causeway with lagoons
both sides. There were several stopping points with narrow beaches and here
people were having mud baths and then showering off and swimming. The curving
beach to the east of the canal entrance is partially protected by two
concrete moles and has several tavernas with sun loungers and umbrellas for rent
(1.5 Euros). there are fresh water showers at intervals along the bay. I chose
to sit on the taverna terrace that was right on the water's edge. Here I
had a Frappe (iced coffee) while sitting at a shaded table on the deck
before stepping off into the water for a glorious swim - the water was so warm
and clean.
The party was good although the blessing from the
Greek Orthodox priest took about 20 minutes all of which was chanted or sung
while he sprinkled water around and incense was burnt. We met several more Brits
and had a long chat with one couple - Mary and Rick who set off from Thailand in
January and have travelled all the way to here already! They are going east
again to winter the boat in Marmaris Yat Marina to get it ready to sell as they
have been sailing now for 11 years.
Mesalonghi is a very important town in Greek
history as it was here in the early 19th century that the Greeks made their bid
for independence from the Turks The town
controlled the western route into the Peloponnese peninsula where the revolution
began so the Turks had to gain access to it.After two fruitless attempts the
Turks were still being held a bay and in January1824 Lord Byron arrived to lend
his assistance to the worthy cause, bringing money from the philhellenic
society. Fortifications were improved around the town and despite Byron's death
they withstood a land and sea blockade for 12 months before finally being
starved into defeat - 12000 men women and children were lost and the Turks whose
forces were in excess of 40.000 finally took the town in April 1826. There are
several places to visit in the town - in the square a museum and on the western
outskirts the Byron Centre plus a monument which record Byron's participation in
the events.
No doubt when we return in late October we will
explore further.
|