Summer is finally here in Greece and our house is full of visitors getting away from Athens for their vacation, so we are getting away from home to have our own vacation too!
Day 1. We started at noon and drove about 220 kms to find our first camping spot. We arrived in a beautiful park which has a cold water spring.
We spent time and swam in the spring, the deepest part is just about in the middle of my thighs and the shallowest was just ankle deep. We were able to see some locals there and had good time talking with them how amazing this place is!
We believe that this is what keeps us young! Every dip we make, we feel more refreshed and more energized!
Day 2. We had fresh melons for breakfast (which we put under a rock inside the spring so it's like it just came out of the fridge!). Spent a little more time in the spring and left in the afternoon.
We drove off to Nairaïdospilia (Fairy Cave) and when we read that it's a 2.5 hr hike one-way, it was around 16:00 and decided that for safety reasons it's best not to make the hike today.
The hike is a bit demanding, mostly because it's a steep uphill. In the first 20 steps, you would've already climbed 2.5 meters! The articles we read mentioned that the hike is around 2.5 hours to go up and reach the cave.
The cave is full of stalactites and stalagmites. All the lakes are dry because it's summer but the temperature inside is about 10c while outside is around 33c.
Day 4. Good morning Stromi! It was such a good day that instead of packing up, we decided to stay another night. G's brother called and they will be camping with us for the whole weekend and they are coming late tonight (friday) so they can have 2 full days here.
Day 5. We started the tour of showing them the "pool" we have just in front of the tent. Then we headed to the "paralia" (beach) as it's called locally (there are a few people living there) because it has sand and you can go in the water like the sea.
We went inside the mountain through dirt roads uphills, downhills and on the side of the mountain where there was not even a road. There were even parts that once we pass, we will not be able to go back. After driving for nearly an hour, we found a way to get to a national road, whew!
Day 8. Started early to the city for petrol and some supplies. Started heading to the mountains again to explore. We met a guy he suggested a place that was not even on the maps and we're excited! This is a good thing (because it means we'll be alone) and not so good because it means we need to find people to talk to along the way to ask for directions.
Before we went in the dirt road which was going behind the mountains, we were trying to call our family to tell them there will be no signal where we are going, but we couldn't contact them so we continued looking for our place for tonight. After 40 minutes in the mountains with no phone signal, we found a refuge. Aside from the amazing view, there are picnic tables, benches and cell reception! After a quick stop, we continue heading to where we will camp.
We finally arrived and we decided that this will be our home for the next few days :)
After the calls, we headed back to camp and spent time near the river to gather some sun and to read books.
We are sitting in our chairs reading books and constantly moving (every 5 mins!) hunting the sun, it was really cold here. G went for forest exploration and taking photos while I read books.
Driving in the rain had it's perks in the summer, it's not so warm, but there are amazing places that we cannot go and camp at because since it was raining, everything was wet and we can't get out of the car.
After 7 and a half hours of driving, we arrived in a small town in Sardinia, there was a local snack bar where we could eat and relax after the long day!
Day 13. Went to Lake Pamvotida to meet up some friends. This area is a bit crowded for us and this was also the first time in a long time for us to see so many people in one place! After spending time with our friends, we went back on the road.
We continued driving and made another pit stop in Ambrakikos Kolpos. This was a very good spot for the sunset, and the best of all, it was empty! Turns out that most people go here only in the mornings. We met some locals and they said that they come there, swim for about an hour to an hour and a half then leave, but they do it everyday. This is our last camp site before heading to Peloponisos Region.
We needed to use the Rio- Antirio bridge or ride a boat to go from mainland Greece to Peloponisos. We chose the boat (10 minutes ride) so we can get off of the car for a bit and stretch.
We drove around 200kms today to get to our next destination, Akrata Beach.
Day 15. Woke up with the sun as our alarm. We swam for a bit in the sea and then looked for a place to relax. We found a table by the sea with amazing view and trees for shade so we can sit and spend our time. G said that there is a chance that we will return home tomorrow. After we swam, we packed up and headed to our last campsite for this trip.
It's called the Archaeological Site of Isthmia. This museum is not so famous but they have artifacts that are in good condition. You can clearly see the details, from small figurines to jewelry and even tiled art.
The outside part of the museum are the Roman baths, theatre, 2 temples and a pool! Aside from being a Pan-Hellenic Sanctuary, this was also the last location of one of the four Pan-Hellenic Games around 581 BC.
Imagine that once upon a time, the ancient people were hanging out here either for worship, pilgrimage and even for the games as athletes or as spectators and it's still visible until now!
We were here for about an hour, and since most of the museums most interesting things were out under the sun, naturally we felt really warm, so we decided to go back to Helen of Troy's baths and spend time there until it's not too warm to driving anymore. After 16 days on the road, it's nice to look forward to heading home and it's good that we are just about 2 hours away from home <3.
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AuthorMost of the hard work come from Kyrie's hand, Giorgos is the face on the photos, it's his "creative" shots and he's the master of the ceremony :) Live Your Myth Archives
December 2024
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