Greece 🇬🇷 - Ferry, Salt Pans and Kefalonia

Sven Walther

September 25, 2026

From Brindisi to Igoumenitsa

Today we say goodbye to Italy: we take the ferry from Brindisi to Igoumenitsa in Greece. And, completely by chance, we are not travelling alone: On Polarsteps we happened to notice that the previous owner of Mammothon, back when it was still called “Charlotte”, has exactly the same plan.

View across the harbour basin of Brindisi to a fort on a promontory — Farewell to Brindisi

Getting Mammothon onto the ferry means driving up several ramps until we stand on the very top deck. Basically a floating multi-storey car park.

View from the top deck of the ferry across the stern ramp to many parked trucks and the open sea — The car park from above

The crossing then unexpectedly turns into a long chat about Mammothon, travelling and everything that has happened since the truck changed hands. Another couple travelling on the same ferry joins us too. Meanwhile, Lou finds two fellow dogs on deck and is perfectly content.

And believe it or not, I even manage to get some important, time-critical work done. There is good internet on board, for a fee of course, so I can finish a complete test system for a customer, built entirely from scratch. Quite possibly the most productive ferry crossing ever.

Igoumenitsa

We arrive in Greece deep in the night. Antje shows us a small harbour where we can spend our first night, and there is not much left to do except sleep.

The next morning we see where we ended up: a quiet bay, mountains in the background, a pebble beach. Then our paths separate again, at least for now. Greece, here we are!

Quiet bay with a pebble beach and mountains in the background in the morning — The bay near Igoumenitsa in the morning

Mammothon next to a white overland camper on a gravel area by the sea, Lou on a leash in front — Mammothon with neighbours

Tourlida

Looking for a Lidl somewhere between us and Patras, we drive south for a good two hours, with regular views of the sea. After stocking up, the question is where to spend the night, and the answer is Tourlida: a parking area with the sea on one side and the salt pans on the other. It feels like we are parked right in the middle of the water.

Mammothon between trees behind the salt pans, a yellow church with a blue dome on the right — Salt pans, church and Mammothon

And of course it is time for our first proper Greek meal. Hello tzatziki, hello garlic! And yes, it is delicious.

Wooden jetty between small fishing boats with a light-coloured dog standing on it — The fishing jetty of Tourlida

The wonderfully warm sea, by the way we are on the Ionian Sea, practically begs us to jump in. In my case it even becomes a rather effective way to wake up and cool down the next morning. Afterwards there is a fresh-water shower right at the spot. And in the salt pans stand flamingos, which, to be honest, were not on our list.

Several flamingos in the shallow water of the salt pans with a mountain range behind — Flamingos in the salt pans

Mammothon in the morning light on a sandy area with mountains in the background — Mammothon in the morning

Greece, you are off to a very good start.

Patras and the Ferry to Kefalonia

On we go to our planned intermediate destination: Kefalonia. Near Patras we first cross a rather imposing bridge, the Rio-Antirrio Bridge, and continue to the ferry port.

The Rio-Antirrio Bridge with its four white pylons in front of mountains — The bridge near Patras

On the way we pass the large Church of Saint Andrew, and then it is almost three and a half hours over the water, to be precise to Sami.

Large yellow church with a green dome in Patras — The big church in Patras

View from the ferry deck with an orange lifeboat across the calm sea to a mountain range — On the way to Kefalonia

Sami on Kefalonia

For the next two weeks we have booked a holiday house in Sami on Kefalonia. Mammothon gets its own pitch right in front of the house, and we first have to get used to this completely unfamiliar life with several rooms, doors and even different floors.

Light two-storey house with a balcony and red roof tiles behind bushes — Our house for two weeks

Mammothon with its door open, backlit by the sun, on the harbour grounds — Mammothon in the harbour of Sami

The first week, however, is still a perfectly normal working week. So it is working during the day, and beach and “town” are moved to the evening hours.

Wooden signpost with distances to Beijing, Buckingham, Athens, Colosseum and to the restaurant itself at 0 km — Signpost outside the restaurant

Luckily the water is not far: Lou inspects the pebble beach, and a cat is waiting there too, only moderately impressed by Lou. We also have a look at a cave with deep blue water.

Lou on a leash on pebbles by crystal-clear water, sailing boats behind her — Lou on the pebble beach

Lou looks into the camera, a tabby cat sits on the beach behind her — Lou and the cat

Cave with a deep blue pool of water, overhanging rock and greenery in the foreground — A cave with blue water

But we know what comes afterwards: holiday! And we are especially looking forward to that right now.

Sunset with dark clouds over the mountains and the bay of Sami — Evening mood in Sami