The trip home was uneventful which is always great. We arrived at the airport 4 hours early as Delta requested and were thru security and immigration in 30 minutes. The flight home left on time and we arrived in Portland 45 minutes early as did our bags. It doesn’t get better than that.
On this trip we visited 8 countries and 5 of them were new for us. We really enjoyed Greece because we found the people to be charming and fun to talk to. They were quick to engage with you, and did not let language barriers get in the way of a fun time. Meteora was probably the most beautiful place we visited on the trip. We enjoyed our long stay with our friends in Missolonghi, nine days in one place is a record for us, so thanks Cory and Ovi for showing us how to slow down and smell the roses.
Croatia was very beautiful, but surprisingly expensive. Campgrounds were significantly higher than we have paid anywhere else in Europe which caught us by surprise. The coast line was stunning and the food was good. Plitvice Lakes National Park was beautiful and worth the trip in and of itself.
Montenegro and Albania were both very interesting to visit as they are not as developed as the rest of Europe. We enjoyed both countries quite a lot and the infrastructure for camping is good enough to make it not a real adventure.
The last new countries were Austria and Slovenia. Our visits there were short and wet so we did not see as much as we would have liked. I can see visits again to both countries in the future.
We covered more ground than I think we have on any other trip. I was startled that the plane ride from Athens to Amsterdam was 3 and a half hours. We had gone further than I thought.
The weather was fantastic given the time of year, and we did not run our heater even one day. Costs for this trip were in line with what we have spent on other trips. The strong dollar off set some of the inflation that has been happening.
We are looking forward to returning to Greece in the spring for some more exploration. After Greece we are planning on heading into Turkey in the spring.