GREECE - Landscape and Culture in Change by Klaus Metzger (thriller book recommendations TXT) 📕

We have seen several times holidays in Greece. Therefore, it was also possible to observe the changes in the country and people over the period 1986 to 2014 and write down at this point. But there were also significant changes in ourselves, which were reflected in the vacation planning. This influenced our approach to the Greek conditions.

According to my enterprise (1977 I had made with my family on an exciting tour North Cape with a total distance of approximately 5,200 km) there designed our first vacation in Greece in 1986, a veritable adventure holiday. My friend, Generalkonsul Norbert Handwerk had provided us with his House "Mäandros" in Porto Cheli (Peloponnese) available for free. 

As the only condition he called the thorough cleaning after arrival and before departure. This agreement was certainly very generous. But but I was not aware of the effort of patience and energy was required to travel with our AUDI 100 and the two surfboards (from my son Jochen and me) on the roof rack with the distance of nearly 3,000 km away. 

We started out on Friday, 25 July 1986, full of excitement and excited anticipation of Hildesheim in the Greek adventure. Jochen and I were looking forward to the fantastic surfing in the private cove, the "Mäandros" belonged to the estate. My first wife ULLA did not have good premonitions. This eventually led to our divorce 1989 (after 20 years of marriage). However, a stopover in Munich was once provided where handed us the secretary of Mr. Handwerk smaller items for the house.

                               Fahrtroute 1986

From Munich we drove over Salzburg on the Tauern motorway. Behind Klagenfurt we approached the Yugoslav border. 23 against clock we reached in Ljubljana at the infamous AUTOPUT. This transit route through Yugoslavia to Greece / Turkey  has a total length of 1,188 km and many toll booths. During the Balkan War of 1990 to 2000 AUTOPUT could not be used.

  Behind Ljubljana I needed as the vehicle driver a rest break (after a journey time of approximately 12 hours). I spread a blanket on the floor in front of the car and tried to sleep. We had parked our car for safety near a campsite. There was obviously still celebrated with loud music. So intense sleep was not possible.

  After a driving distance of about 140 km we reached Zagreb. This name was already familiar to me, because on June 12, 1981 I'm on the local airport (Amsterdam incoming) landed. I was working at the time as Technical Manager in the Dutch branch of the Danish engineering firm NIRO Atomizer (based in Copenhagen).

In a new dextrose plant several faults were encountered which could not eliminate my two employees at site.  With my experience as a troubleshooter I was now required. The younger staff picked me up in his rental car and we drove 200 km along the AUTOPUT south to Banja Luka, where was the plant. The solution of the problems was not easy and I could only with a temporary operation to make sure (the beginning of November 1981, I came back for 2 days to convert the system to the proper operation). My first presence lasted until 17 June 1981. Before I left I had to pick up my passport to the Directorate. That was remarkable! 

While the abundant free time I also visited the nearby concentration camp JASENOVAC. There were 600,000 Serbs killed by Croats during the 2nd World War. The tensions of this period eventually also resulted in the horrific Balkan War, which lasted from 1990 to 2000.

  By continuing our journey we passed on Saturday morning, June 26, 1986, in Belgrade. The city made an impression on me very busy. No more than 4 years later was here and in the wider environment "madhouse" (the Balkan War broke out). Something like that I experienced in 1972 in Argentina. I had at that time in La Plata several socialist friends. While the military coup in 1976 they were mercilessly persecuted and I do not know who has survived from them.

  To the City of Nis I can still remember some extent. The scenery was very pleasant and not too mountainous. But this changed, however, on the way to Skopje. This area was very winding and demanded custody of me as a driver - after driving distance of more than 2,000 km - the full concentration. On top of that, it was getting dark and the continue resembled a flying blind! 

Fourteen years later (2000) I experienced something on the same kind with my second wife, Jutta Hartmann-Metzger, on our trip through Ireland. Due to a strike we had delayed the car ferry from Brest (France) to Rosslare (Ireland) travel. We met 18 clock in Ireland and then drove across Ireland to Cleggan on the west coast, where we arrived early in the morning to 2 clock in complete darkness. And in an unfamiliar left!

This was also a special test for my second wife JUTTA (we had met on 20 February 1996 under very "mystical" circumstances and on 20 February 1998 in a civil ceremony in Hildesheim married). She was so good that I gave her a cerificate "Best Co-pilot of the World" her after the trip. 

It occurred when passing in the sense that Skopje was almost completely destroyed on July 25, 1963 an earthquake. 1,070 deaths were lost. With international assistance, the city was completely rebuilt. The earthquake of Agadir of 29 February 1960, with 15,000 deaths the worst natural disaster in the history of Morocco. When the earthquake, the port city of Agadir was almost completely destroyed and also constructed with international support again. We were there from 17 to 29 April 2012 in Agadir and could find no trace of the devastation.

  A stone fell from my heart as we on Sunday morning, July 27, 1986, 4 clock safely at the border station in Thessaloniki arrived, we were in Greece and now it could only go better in daylight. A somewhat more complex border control we were relatively calm wash over us. Later I discovered on the penultimate page of my passport a record - both our surfboards and our car (AUDI: License Plate HI-LD 866) concerning. Everything had to be performed again after 4 months at the latest. We stopped a deadline, because we left after 14 days with our car and surfboards the country. We got a nice exit stamp.

                   Registration on my passport

Thessalonki was later (2014) again for me and JUTTA important. This time it was the airport (as in Zagreb), who played a role. At 11 clock 30 (Sunday, 7 September 2014) we arrived in Thessaloniki from Hanover Airport. From there we took the shuttle bus to the Blue Dolphin Hotel at Metamorphosis / Chalkidiki. The trip took 3.5 hours. The final chapter of this travelogue I will go into detail on this week and relaxing holiday. 

After a sufficient period of rest, the tour went on the well-developed highway continues south and was very pleasant. We drove past well-known cities such as Katerini, Larisa and Lamia. Only the capital Athens, we let the left. But here led us JUTTA's strong interest in ancient Greece in 2006 but finally out. We took then part in an educational trip that took us over Delphi, the Acropolis to Mycenae.

                               The Parthenon (2006)

Significantly, we drove 1986 on the bridge that crossed the Corinth Canal, seeing nothing of this. Only in 2006 - on the way to Mycenae - has given us as part of our educational journey time for an extensive looking around. Twenty years earlier I was not aware of these treasures of the ancient world. This renewed interest I owe JUTTA (in my youth, I could not read enough about it). So is also to understand that we were at the turn of the year 2003/2004 with a Nile cruise to the treasures of ancient Egypt go.

                            Corinth Canal (2006)

Also, in the Peloponnese was our trip without difficulty. Only we were very thirsty because of the heat. By chance we found on the roadside a small, lonely stand, where we could buy chilled water in plastic bottles. Water is called in Greek "nero" (as the Roman emperor) - we learned. I never forget.

  Just before the finish, I arrived at a sloping dirt road and could not continue with my car. Due to the heavy load he was sitting on. I decided to seek the Greek Dimitri tenant to ask him for help. Obviously, we were expected. He came with his blue Mazda pickup and we loaded our luggage around. So was my AUDI 100 without causing major damage again.

  Well there we were after three days (Sunday, July 27, 1986, against 15 clock) arrived safe and sound. Such a distance of over 3,000 kilometers that I had not yet mastered. There were always a holiday trips from Karlsruhe to France to the Atlantic coast (La Rochelle) and to the Cote D'Azur (Le Lavandou) at a distance of about 1,000 km away. The aforementioned Tour 1977 North Cape launched in Copenhagen (where we lived since the beginning of the year) and lasted 12 days with appropriate accommodations. Thus, the total distance of 5200 km was relatively easy to deal with.

 Our AUDI 100 at ALTA / Northern Norway (1977)

The landscape around the house seemed very dusty and dry. There were olive and pistachio trees - these fit but my first impression. Also the House "Mäandros" was dusty gorgeous and required a multi-day cleaning.  But these disappointments were offset by the indescribable bay, which belonged to Norbert Handwerks possesion and extending below the house.

And then there was the Helicopterlanding area, but was never used in my opinion.  The bay was ideal for surfing. Water temperatures were pleasant and there is always a great breeze was blowing. A wetsuit as in northern latitudes was not necessary. For this unique surfing paradise and for that we had taken this long journey for us. Windsurfing Jochen and I learned on the island of Samso in the Kattegat.

                   Summer 1983 Samsoe

There we could live in a summerhouse of Danish friends and learn with their equipment in 1981 windsurfing. In my former place of residence Gouda / Holland I bought then in September a complete surf gear and spent a lot of time with my son Jochen (with a second-hand surf suit and a children's sailing) on the "Reeuwijksche plassen" (a larger lakes-plate Gouda). The Samsoe holidays 1982 to 1985 I enjoyed with my own surfboard borrowed Jochen. But this surfing exceeded our vacation in Greece in 1986.

For shopping and banking I drove to the dusty Kranídion. The scruffy supermarket I still remember. Sometimes I took with Dimitri in his Mazda pickup. After shopping we visited once his relatives in Kranídion who invited us to ouzo already in the morning. It did not stay: There were a total of 7 to 8 pieces together. In the holiday home arrived, I went once