Greece trip report - Delphi, Meteora, Zagoria and Lefkada
Oct 7th, 2008, 02:22 AM
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Greece trip report - Delphi, Meteora, Zagoria and Lefkada
We got back home on Sunday afternoon from our exciting 2 week break in Greece. We've experienced a side of Greece that we haven't seen before, not just in seeing and staying in mountain villages but also the weather was not quite what we had experienced before. We've had temperatures af 10C at noon, mist, torrential rain, violent thunderstorms - and some lovely warm sunshine in between too.
We were lucky that despite the weather and managed to see all we intended - Delphi, Meteora, we walked about half the Vikos Gorge and had a relaxing week on Lefkada to follow. It really did feel like the end of season there when we left.
I am writing a more detailed report for anyone who is interested and hope to post the first part soon. I've also got hundreds of pictures to organise. Meanwhile back to the grind - can't concentrate though, I think I've got Greece-lag.
We were lucky that despite the weather and managed to see all we intended - Delphi, Meteora, we walked about half the Vikos Gorge and had a relaxing week on Lefkada to follow. It really did feel like the end of season there when we left.
I am writing a more detailed report for anyone who is interested and hope to post the first part soon. I've also got hundreds of pictures to organise. Meanwhile back to the grind - can't concentrate though, I think I've got Greece-lag.
Oct 7th, 2008, 03:25 AM
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Morning (from the US), can't wait to hear your take on what you saw in Greece. I was there two years ago and absolutely loved it. We were in Athens, Corinth, Delphi, Meteora, Aegina, etc.
I can't say enough good about Greece, would encourage anyone to go, but please do more than the islands, lovely as they are Greece is so much more.
I can't say enough good about Greece, would encourage anyone to go, but please do more than the islands, lovely as they are Greece is so much more.
Oct 8th, 2008, 02:11 AM
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September ’08 - Preveza to Arachova
We have been visiting Greece since the early 90s, visiting both mainland and island destinations. On most of our past holidays, we have toured round from a coastal base but this year we planned something a little more adventurous. We had briefly visited both Zagoria (from Parga) and Meteora (from the Pelion) in years past and wished to see more of these areas and we have wanted to visit Delphi for a long time. I put together a plan to visit all three and see a different side of Greece. We had toyed with the idea of flying to Athens but decided that by using a charter flight to Preveza (easy enough from the UK), we could combine a week touring with another relaxing on the island of Lefkada. Our flights were booked with Monarch (luckily, not XL!) and the early morning flight, meant that we arrived at soon after noon and were soon on our way in our hire car, (a fairly new but already dented and scratched Fiat Punto) with our first 4 hour drive ahead of us.
The drive south from Preveza (Aktion) airport was quite straight-forward and the scenery got more interesting as we approached the Gulf of Corinth. As we came towards Antirio, we got our first view of the impressive new Rio-Antirion Bridge, a fantastic modern structure spanning the almost 3km of water between the mainland and the Peloponnese. We followed signs for the ferry where there was an old fort and small harbour where we were able to park the car, stretch our legs and get some great views of the bridge.
We continued along the northern side of the Gulf of Corinth and into black clouds and rain, At Itea the road heads away from the coast and up the hills into Delphi. We drove through the town of Delphi with its tourist shops and tavernas, past the ruins of ancient Delphi and further up to the small hillside town of Arachova.
Arachova’s main tourist trade seems to be for the winter ski season, as it on the edge of the Parnassos ski area. It felt very much out of season - too late for the short summer season and too early for the winter ski season. In place of the tourist shops we’d passed below in Delphi, there were shops selling local produce - particularly huge bags of pasta and local cheeses. Along with these were outdoor shops selling ski and mountain equipment.
We had trouble finding the Generalis Guesthouse - so much so that I had to phone up to ask directions and got through to George, who luckily spoke good English. We needed to park where we could find space along the busy main street and George came up to meet us and collect our luggage on his quad bike - the only vehicle big enough to fit into the narrow alley way where the guest house was tucked away. We followed on foot, taking the steps by the church. The old building was full of character and all the rooms were themed. Our room was called “snow” with the corner fireplace, bedcovers and pictures, all depicting snow scenes. The wooden shutters opened onto a balcony with views down over the rooftops and to the surrounding hills. Luckily the snow theme didn’t stretch as far as the temperature, as the room had central heating - something new and novel to us in Greece but needed during the next week!
There were quite a few restaurants in town, many didn’t have a menu outside and if they did, they were mainly in Greek. There were few people eating, so the first night we opted to try one on the main street that we like the look of and had one other couple eating, so we at least knew they were serving. They did have an English menu translation but this proved to be more of a list of possibilities and we were show the sub-section of dishes that were actually available. We had starters of local grilled cheese and long stuffed sweet peppers, filled with a spicy soft cheese mixture, followed by mains of tender oven lamb and pork in lemon sauce, all tasty and with drinks it came to around 39 euros.
We have been visiting Greece since the early 90s, visiting both mainland and island destinations. On most of our past holidays, we have toured round from a coastal base but this year we planned something a little more adventurous. We had briefly visited both Zagoria (from Parga) and Meteora (from the Pelion) in years past and wished to see more of these areas and we have wanted to visit Delphi for a long time. I put together a plan to visit all three and see a different side of Greece. We had toyed with the idea of flying to Athens but decided that by using a charter flight to Preveza (easy enough from the UK), we could combine a week touring with another relaxing on the island of Lefkada. Our flights were booked with Monarch (luckily, not XL!) and the early morning flight, meant that we arrived at soon after noon and were soon on our way in our hire car, (a fairly new but already dented and scratched Fiat Punto) with our first 4 hour drive ahead of us.
The drive south from Preveza (Aktion) airport was quite straight-forward and the scenery got more interesting as we approached the Gulf of Corinth. As we came towards Antirio, we got our first view of the impressive new Rio-Antirion Bridge, a fantastic modern structure spanning the almost 3km of water between the mainland and the Peloponnese. We followed signs for the ferry where there was an old fort and small harbour where we were able to park the car, stretch our legs and get some great views of the bridge.
We continued along the northern side of the Gulf of Corinth and into black clouds and rain, At Itea the road heads away from the coast and up the hills into Delphi. We drove through the town of Delphi with its tourist shops and tavernas, past the ruins of ancient Delphi and further up to the small hillside town of Arachova.
Arachova’s main tourist trade seems to be for the winter ski season, as it on the edge of the Parnassos ski area. It felt very much out of season - too late for the short summer season and too early for the winter ski season. In place of the tourist shops we’d passed below in Delphi, there were shops selling local produce - particularly huge bags of pasta and local cheeses. Along with these were outdoor shops selling ski and mountain equipment.
We had trouble finding the Generalis Guesthouse - so much so that I had to phone up to ask directions and got through to George, who luckily spoke good English. We needed to park where we could find space along the busy main street and George came up to meet us and collect our luggage on his quad bike - the only vehicle big enough to fit into the narrow alley way where the guest house was tucked away. We followed on foot, taking the steps by the church. The old building was full of character and all the rooms were themed. Our room was called “snow” with the corner fireplace, bedcovers and pictures, all depicting snow scenes. The wooden shutters opened onto a balcony with views down over the rooftops and to the surrounding hills. Luckily the snow theme didn’t stretch as far as the temperature, as the room had central heating - something new and novel to us in Greece but needed during the next week!
There were quite a few restaurants in town, many didn’t have a menu outside and if they did, they were mainly in Greek. There were few people eating, so the first night we opted to try one on the main street that we like the look of and had one other couple eating, so we at least knew they were serving. They did have an English menu translation but this proved to be more of a list of possibilities and we were show the sub-section of dishes that were actually available. We had starters of local grilled cheese and long stuffed sweet peppers, filled with a spicy soft cheese mixture, followed by mains of tender oven lamb and pork in lemon sauce, all tasty and with drinks it came to around 39 euros.
Oct 8th, 2008, 06:15 AM
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Delphi
We awoke to a decent buffet breakfast of wonderful thick Greek yoghurt and honey, fruit, rolls with bread, cheese, ham or jam, croissants, coffee and juice. It was then a 10 minute drive from Arachova back down to Delphi, on a dry but cloudy morning. We parked along the road and set off to explore the site, beautifully situated in the mountains. We were there by about 10am but the coaches had already started to arrive. Fortunately the site is large enough to be able to avoid the tour groups and most of them did not make it to the stadium at the top of the site. As with many Greek sites, it lacks much in the way of onsite interpretation. A good guide book is useful, if (like us), you do not like guided tours.
Delphi is not so much a place where people lived, a town or a palace but a place of pilgrimage, show and entertainment, with treasure houses, a theatre and a sports stadium to enhance the visit to the Oracle to learn your fate. A visit to the museum with its exhibits of jewellery, ornate votive items, statues and fragments of painted architecture shows how ornate if not downright gaudy it all must have looked in its hey-day over 2000 years ago. The large hillside site took some time to explore and also invites some close inspection. While marveling at the large, closely fitting stones of a Cyclopean wall, we noticed that each stone was totally covered in lettering, around half an inch high. A similar stone in the museum showed marks between the texts that were a form of early musical notation - these were some sort of songs or hymns. The main site and modern museum are above the road, the gymnasium and Temple of Apollo below and slightly further along the road. Many of the coach tours were in and out within a couple of hours but to fully explore the site, we spent most of the day there, stopping for lunch at the small café at the museum.
We had a short walk around modern Delphi with all its tourist trappings before it started to rain. By the time we got back to Arachova, it was pouring down and the cloud descending, so we never got a proper look round the town as we had intended. As it was raining heavily, we opted to eat at a small restaurant in the alleyway, a short stroll from the guest house. This was a lovely place with a roaring fire and we had more wonderful stuffed peppers, with a different cheese filling, aubergines topped with a savoury tomato sauce and yoghurt and simple but tasty chicken souvlaki, wrapped in bacon. With drinks it came to 33 euros
We awoke to a decent buffet breakfast of wonderful thick Greek yoghurt and honey, fruit, rolls with bread, cheese, ham or jam, croissants, coffee and juice. It was then a 10 minute drive from Arachova back down to Delphi, on a dry but cloudy morning. We parked along the road and set off to explore the site, beautifully situated in the mountains. We were there by about 10am but the coaches had already started to arrive. Fortunately the site is large enough to be able to avoid the tour groups and most of them did not make it to the stadium at the top of the site. As with many Greek sites, it lacks much in the way of onsite interpretation. A good guide book is useful, if (like us), you do not like guided tours.
Delphi is not so much a place where people lived, a town or a palace but a place of pilgrimage, show and entertainment, with treasure houses, a theatre and a sports stadium to enhance the visit to the Oracle to learn your fate. A visit to the museum with its exhibits of jewellery, ornate votive items, statues and fragments of painted architecture shows how ornate if not downright gaudy it all must have looked in its hey-day over 2000 years ago. The large hillside site took some time to explore and also invites some close inspection. While marveling at the large, closely fitting stones of a Cyclopean wall, we noticed that each stone was totally covered in lettering, around half an inch high. A similar stone in the museum showed marks between the texts that were a form of early musical notation - these were some sort of songs or hymns. The main site and modern museum are above the road, the gymnasium and Temple of Apollo below and slightly further along the road. Many of the coach tours were in and out within a couple of hours but to fully explore the site, we spent most of the day there, stopping for lunch at the small café at the museum.
We had a short walk around modern Delphi with all its tourist trappings before it started to rain. By the time we got back to Arachova, it was pouring down and the cloud descending, so we never got a proper look round the town as we had intended. As it was raining heavily, we opted to eat at a small restaurant in the alleyway, a short stroll from the guest house. This was a lovely place with a roaring fire and we had more wonderful stuffed peppers, with a different cheese filling, aubergines topped with a savoury tomato sauce and yoghurt and simple but tasty chicken souvlaki, wrapped in bacon. With drinks it came to 33 euros
Oct 9th, 2008, 04:55 AM
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Meteora
When we left Arachova, the day was clear and sunny, so we decided to set off north on the high level road via the Parnassos ski area. The road headed uphill, passing through a small plateau with scatterings of accommodation, shops, tavernas, etc, aimed at the ski market and then wound up higher through pine forest. As we came up above the forest we saw the bare slopes of the 8000 foot mountain top with it winter ski runs. We stopped for a while to take in the beautiful views of the limestone mountains and pine forests before heading down the other side. Our route followed several hilly ridges with flat plains in between, before a last huge, flat plain, patch-worked with fields growing various crops. At the side of the road, what I first took to be litter, turned out to be cotton. Many of the fields were growing cotton plants and the harvest was in full swing. All sorts of vehicles were on the move, from strange harvesting machines with huge, comb like devices on the front, to trucks filled with cotton bales. I hadn’t actually realised that cotton grew in Greece.
We crossed the plain and eventually the mountains came into view ahead. As the road left the town of Trikala, we got our first sight of the Meteora rocks, looming up ahead of us. We followed the road through bustling Kalambaka and into smaller Kastraki and managed to find the hotel Archontika Mesohori, nestling under the towering rocks at the top of the village. All the rooms in this small hotel were individually finished, comfortable suites, with a bedroom, bathroom and a living room containing a bed-settee and a tiny kitchen area. Our room (Athena) also had a small balcony, with views back over Kastraki and of the towering rocks to the sides. A simple buffet breakfast was included and served in the dining room.
It was late afternoon, warm and sunny when we arrived and we’d been driving for around 4 and a half hours, so we set off on foot to explore the locality. We followed a lane up to the top of the village, leading to a path up steps, through the woods and past a couple of small churches. We passed a tortoise, wandering through the trees and came to the top of a ridge, between the towering rocks. Here the path split, some smaller tracks (with big drops) looked like they were just climbers tracks, and we weren’t sure where the path would end up, so we headed back, stopping to watch 2 climbers abseiling from one of the huge rocky towers and wondering how on earth they got up there. My stomach churned, just watching them.
We wandered back down into the centre of Kastraki, a small place with a couple of shops and a handful of tavernas near the church. Everywhere looked very quiet and sleepy. When we headed down later to eat, we were surprised to find quite a few people around and one taverna (Gardenia?) in particular looked quite busy. Efficient looking waiters were rushing back and forth with good looking plates of food, so we decided to grab an empty table and give it a try. We had a simple but good meal of tzatziki and Greek salad followed by moussaka and were given a plate of apple slices dusted with cinnamon, ”on the house”. With the usual drinks (a beer, half a litre of local red wine and a large bottle of water), we were pleasantly surprised by the bill of 26 euros.
The next day was cloudy as we set off to explore the area. The rocks themselves form a fantastic geological feature but the monasteries topping them make the place quite amazing. At its height, there were 24 monasteries, now 6 remain open. We had seen 3 of them on our last visit to Meteora some years ago – Great Meteoran, Varlaam and Rousanou, so decided to visit the ones we hadn’t seen to start. They each cost 2 euros to enter and appropriate dress is required, i.e. no trousers for women, no shorts or sleeveless tops for either men or women. Wrap around skirts are provided for those not suitably dressed, though I’d remembered to wear my own. We started by visiting firstly, St Nicholas, one of the smallest, then the nunnery of St Stephanos, next Agios Triada and lastly Great Meteoran.
Great Meteoran is the largest and also the one that attracts the most visitors. The car park was a chaotic queue of coaches vying for space and we saw tourists of many nationalities and car number plates from all over Europe. It is probably the most interesting and has the most to see, including workshops, wine cellars, the monk’s refectory and several museum rooms as well as the church. It is also possible to peer through a door to see the all the previous occupants – the bones and grinning skulls of the long gone monks. The walls inside the church are completely covered in frescoes, depicting the saints with their halos, various biblical scenes including judgment day, showing the horrors that will befall the sinners and many gruesome scenes of the fates of martyrs. We saw the remnants of the net and rope pulley once used to haul in goods and visitors alike. There are now steep steps cut into the rocks for visitors and a small cable car - well more of an open box running on wires - which is the only way for goods coming in and rubbish going out of the monastery.
Each of the monasteries has their own character but similar features such as the frescoes, rope pulleys, etc. St Stephens is largely rebuilt and the frescoes have been repainted but in the same style. It has some nice small gardens kept by stern looking, black clad nuns. It would be possible to visit them all in a day, if your legs can survive all the steps up and down but by the time we had seen Great Meteoran, the rain had set in and to be honest, we’d seen enough monasteries to last us for a while.
That evening it was still raining, so we took the car down the hill to the village centre, instead of the 10 minute walk. We returned to the same taverna as the night before, this time sitting well inside, rather than on the verandah by the street. We had another simple but good meal of fried courgettes, grilled peppers and tzatziki followed by tasty pork souvlaki, with more free apple and again reasonably priced at 28 euros.
When we left Arachova, the day was clear and sunny, so we decided to set off north on the high level road via the Parnassos ski area. The road headed uphill, passing through a small plateau with scatterings of accommodation, shops, tavernas, etc, aimed at the ski market and then wound up higher through pine forest. As we came up above the forest we saw the bare slopes of the 8000 foot mountain top with it winter ski runs. We stopped for a while to take in the beautiful views of the limestone mountains and pine forests before heading down the other side. Our route followed several hilly ridges with flat plains in between, before a last huge, flat plain, patch-worked with fields growing various crops. At the side of the road, what I first took to be litter, turned out to be cotton. Many of the fields were growing cotton plants and the harvest was in full swing. All sorts of vehicles were on the move, from strange harvesting machines with huge, comb like devices on the front, to trucks filled with cotton bales. I hadn’t actually realised that cotton grew in Greece.
We crossed the plain and eventually the mountains came into view ahead. As the road left the town of Trikala, we got our first sight of the Meteora rocks, looming up ahead of us. We followed the road through bustling Kalambaka and into smaller Kastraki and managed to find the hotel Archontika Mesohori, nestling under the towering rocks at the top of the village. All the rooms in this small hotel were individually finished, comfortable suites, with a bedroom, bathroom and a living room containing a bed-settee and a tiny kitchen area. Our room (Athena) also had a small balcony, with views back over Kastraki and of the towering rocks to the sides. A simple buffet breakfast was included and served in the dining room.
It was late afternoon, warm and sunny when we arrived and we’d been driving for around 4 and a half hours, so we set off on foot to explore the locality. We followed a lane up to the top of the village, leading to a path up steps, through the woods and past a couple of small churches. We passed a tortoise, wandering through the trees and came to the top of a ridge, between the towering rocks. Here the path split, some smaller tracks (with big drops) looked like they were just climbers tracks, and we weren’t sure where the path would end up, so we headed back, stopping to watch 2 climbers abseiling from one of the huge rocky towers and wondering how on earth they got up there. My stomach churned, just watching them.
We wandered back down into the centre of Kastraki, a small place with a couple of shops and a handful of tavernas near the church. Everywhere looked very quiet and sleepy. When we headed down later to eat, we were surprised to find quite a few people around and one taverna (Gardenia?) in particular looked quite busy. Efficient looking waiters were rushing back and forth with good looking plates of food, so we decided to grab an empty table and give it a try. We had a simple but good meal of tzatziki and Greek salad followed by moussaka and were given a plate of apple slices dusted with cinnamon, ”on the house”. With the usual drinks (a beer, half a litre of local red wine and a large bottle of water), we were pleasantly surprised by the bill of 26 euros.
The next day was cloudy as we set off to explore the area. The rocks themselves form a fantastic geological feature but the monasteries topping them make the place quite amazing. At its height, there were 24 monasteries, now 6 remain open. We had seen 3 of them on our last visit to Meteora some years ago – Great Meteoran, Varlaam and Rousanou, so decided to visit the ones we hadn’t seen to start. They each cost 2 euros to enter and appropriate dress is required, i.e. no trousers for women, no shorts or sleeveless tops for either men or women. Wrap around skirts are provided for those not suitably dressed, though I’d remembered to wear my own. We started by visiting firstly, St Nicholas, one of the smallest, then the nunnery of St Stephanos, next Agios Triada and lastly Great Meteoran.
Great Meteoran is the largest and also the one that attracts the most visitors. The car park was a chaotic queue of coaches vying for space and we saw tourists of many nationalities and car number plates from all over Europe. It is probably the most interesting and has the most to see, including workshops, wine cellars, the monk’s refectory and several museum rooms as well as the church. It is also possible to peer through a door to see the all the previous occupants – the bones and grinning skulls of the long gone monks. The walls inside the church are completely covered in frescoes, depicting the saints with their halos, various biblical scenes including judgment day, showing the horrors that will befall the sinners and many gruesome scenes of the fates of martyrs. We saw the remnants of the net and rope pulley once used to haul in goods and visitors alike. There are now steep steps cut into the rocks for visitors and a small cable car - well more of an open box running on wires - which is the only way for goods coming in and rubbish going out of the monastery.
Each of the monasteries has their own character but similar features such as the frescoes, rope pulleys, etc. St Stephens is largely rebuilt and the frescoes have been repainted but in the same style. It has some nice small gardens kept by stern looking, black clad nuns. It would be possible to visit them all in a day, if your legs can survive all the steps up and down but by the time we had seen Great Meteoran, the rain had set in and to be honest, we’d seen enough monasteries to last us for a while.
That evening it was still raining, so we took the car down the hill to the village centre, instead of the 10 minute walk. We returned to the same taverna as the night before, this time sitting well inside, rather than on the verandah by the street. We had another simple but good meal of fried courgettes, grilled peppers and tzatziki followed by tasty pork souvlaki, with more free apple and again reasonably priced at 28 euros.
Oct 12th, 2008, 07:51 AM
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Zagoria
The rain was still pouring down when we got up to leave Kastraki and outside the clouds were swirling round the Meteora rocks. We checked out, heading towards Ioannina, up through the Pindos Mountains, driving in and out of layers of clouds in the rain. Though there wasn’t too much traffic, a lot of what there was, seemed to consist of heavy trucks, difficult to pass safely with the twisting road and mist. I’m sure the views would have been great, if we could have seen anything at all.
The top of the pass is around 1700 metres and we passed snow plough stations and a ski resort before the road started to head back downhill. We started to come out of the cloud and rain as we approached the town of Metsovo, where we stopped for a while to explore and stretch our legs. We saw a temperature gauge indicating that it was a chilly 10C at around midday. The cobbled streets of the centre of the town had many traditional old buildings with rough grey stone roofs. There were shops selling wooden goods such as turned wooden bowls and walking sticks with animal head handles. Other shops sold local cheese and sausages and we saw several tavernas with whole goats or lambs cooking on spits. It looked quite a good place to stay, in better weather. We spent an hour or so looking round before continuing our journey.
The road headed steadily downhill now. Not far out of Metsovo we saw the unfinished new motorway as it scarred the landscape with many incomplete bridges and tunnels along the way. Passing the large lake at Ioannina to our left, we headed north and up into Zagoria - and back into mist and rain. We followed the twisting road as it zig-zagged it’s way to Papingo and after stopping to ask directions eventually found the hotel Papaevangelou up a narrow stone road at the top of the village.
The hotel consisted of several grey stone buildings with thick stone roofs, apparently fairly modern but built in traditional local style. The reception area and dining room was in a separate single storey building in the courtyard but was all locked up and there was no-one to be seen. A small piece of paper was pinned on the door with 2 phone numbers. Phoning the first one, we heard a phone ringing inside. The second number went through to a mobile and the owner (another George) promised to be there in minutes. He apologised, greeted us warmly and showed us to our room. Once settled in, he made us coffee and delicious home-made apple cake and chatted to us like old friends. Our room was simply furnished with a fireplace and two double mattresses on a raised wooden base. There was a clean, decent bathroom and (when the mist and rain had cleared) we had beautiful views of the mountains.
There were apparently 5 or 6 tavernas in the small village but some were not that obvious. That night we decided to try Nikos taverna, which at least had a sign and looked open. The large stone room was decorated with old black and white photographs and had an exposed wooden beamed ceiling and a fireplace with a roaring log fire. I think there was one other couple eating and another came in while we ate but the place was far from full. We were not given a menu but told a list of what was available on the rather limited menu. We had “beef in red sauce” and “lamb in lemon sauce”, with a simple Greek salad and tzatziki to start. The meal was OK but not exceptional and cost 38 euros. We came to the conclusion that when eating at an almost empty place, it was better to choose something that would be cooked to order.
Breakfast next morning was served to our tables and included bread, cheese, homemade cake and also included many varieties of delicious homemade preserves and rice pudding, all made by George’s mother.
The rain was still pouring down when we got up to leave Kastraki and outside the clouds were swirling round the Meteora rocks. We checked out, heading towards Ioannina, up through the Pindos Mountains, driving in and out of layers of clouds in the rain. Though there wasn’t too much traffic, a lot of what there was, seemed to consist of heavy trucks, difficult to pass safely with the twisting road and mist. I’m sure the views would have been great, if we could have seen anything at all.
The top of the pass is around 1700 metres and we passed snow plough stations and a ski resort before the road started to head back downhill. We started to come out of the cloud and rain as we approached the town of Metsovo, where we stopped for a while to explore and stretch our legs. We saw a temperature gauge indicating that it was a chilly 10C at around midday. The cobbled streets of the centre of the town had many traditional old buildings with rough grey stone roofs. There were shops selling wooden goods such as turned wooden bowls and walking sticks with animal head handles. Other shops sold local cheese and sausages and we saw several tavernas with whole goats or lambs cooking on spits. It looked quite a good place to stay, in better weather. We spent an hour or so looking round before continuing our journey.
The road headed steadily downhill now. Not far out of Metsovo we saw the unfinished new motorway as it scarred the landscape with many incomplete bridges and tunnels along the way. Passing the large lake at Ioannina to our left, we headed north and up into Zagoria - and back into mist and rain. We followed the twisting road as it zig-zagged it’s way to Papingo and after stopping to ask directions eventually found the hotel Papaevangelou up a narrow stone road at the top of the village.
The hotel consisted of several grey stone buildings with thick stone roofs, apparently fairly modern but built in traditional local style. The reception area and dining room was in a separate single storey building in the courtyard but was all locked up and there was no-one to be seen. A small piece of paper was pinned on the door with 2 phone numbers. Phoning the first one, we heard a phone ringing inside. The second number went through to a mobile and the owner (another George) promised to be there in minutes. He apologised, greeted us warmly and showed us to our room. Once settled in, he made us coffee and delicious home-made apple cake and chatted to us like old friends. Our room was simply furnished with a fireplace and two double mattresses on a raised wooden base. There was a clean, decent bathroom and (when the mist and rain had cleared) we had beautiful views of the mountains.
There were apparently 5 or 6 tavernas in the small village but some were not that obvious. That night we decided to try Nikos taverna, which at least had a sign and looked open. The large stone room was decorated with old black and white photographs and had an exposed wooden beamed ceiling and a fireplace with a roaring log fire. I think there was one other couple eating and another came in while we ate but the place was far from full. We were not given a menu but told a list of what was available on the rather limited menu. We had “beef in red sauce” and “lamb in lemon sauce”, with a simple Greek salad and tzatziki to start. The meal was OK but not exceptional and cost 38 euros. We came to the conclusion that when eating at an almost empty place, it was better to choose something that would be cooked to order.
Breakfast next morning was served to our tables and included bread, cheese, homemade cake and also included many varieties of delicious homemade preserves and rice pudding, all made by George’s mother.
Oct 13th, 2008, 05:16 AM
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Vikos Gorge
We had hoped to at least walk part of the Vikos Gorge, if at all possible. We had our doubts when we arrived in rain and thick mist but the next day was amazingly clear and bright and George assured us that the forecast was fine. The usual gorge route is to walk from the village of Monodendri to either Vikos or, slightly further to Papingo. The walk from Monodendri to Papingo is supposed to take about 7 hours. Partly because of the logistical problems of getting to the other end by road, partly because my knee had been playing up and also because I was slightly worried about the route (I don’t like heights), we decided to set off into the gorge from Papingo and see how far we got, returning the same way. That way I was confident that what I could get down, I could also get back up and we had no need of transport.
The path down was signposted just beyond the village and we set off, steadily down hill through the low trees and scrubby bushes. The morning air was cool enough to see our breath and this part of the route was still in shade. The bushes were still wet from the previous day’s rain, so every time we brushed past an overhanging branch, we got another cold shower. The path was pretty straightforward and well marked with red “03” markings and red daubs of paint to mark the route. It was a steady rather than steep descent, rising slightly to get out of the side gorge before turning into the main gorge and into the sunshine, then heading down to the valley bottom. It was a rough stone path, similar to any you might find in the Lake District and though a couple of points looked from a distance like they might be a bit scary, close up they were not a problem and did not feel exposed or dangerous.
It took us about 2 hours to descend to the bottom of the gorge with fantastic views between the trees to the huge cliffs towering above, with white fluffy clouds still swirling on the tops. Small flowers were growing on the slopes, tiny purple flowers, cyclamen amongst the trees, purple and golden yellow autumn crocuses, dotted the hillside in places. The river at the bottom was a dry bed of white boulders, partially shaded by trees. Our route crossed this and continued along a good stone path above and parallel to it. Tiny lizards scuttled and grasshoppers jumped out of our way as we walked. We continued for another three quarters of an hour or so, with the cliffs towering even higher above our heads before deciding that we really ought to return. We must have reached almost half way along the length of the gorge before turning back. The climb back uphill was hard work, now in the warm afternoon sun and we were glad of a long cool drink in one of the tavernas, back in the village. We didn’t see another person all day whilst walking. If we ever have the chance again, I would not be worried about walking the length of the gorge. We were however pretty stiff the next day!
That night we decided to try the restaurant at the next hotel down the lane, the Pantheon – a short walk for our now stiff legs. The restaurant was upstairs, over the bar area and was another large open stone room with a roaring fire and a beamed ceiling. We had a simple but good meal of tzatziki, soft local cheese, steak and lamb chops. To follow we were brought a large plate of tiny but honey sweet grapes, “on the house”. The stars were shining brightly, as we walked back up the hill to our hotel.
We had hoped to at least walk part of the Vikos Gorge, if at all possible. We had our doubts when we arrived in rain and thick mist but the next day was amazingly clear and bright and George assured us that the forecast was fine. The usual gorge route is to walk from the village of Monodendri to either Vikos or, slightly further to Papingo. The walk from Monodendri to Papingo is supposed to take about 7 hours. Partly because of the logistical problems of getting to the other end by road, partly because my knee had been playing up and also because I was slightly worried about the route (I don’t like heights), we decided to set off into the gorge from Papingo and see how far we got, returning the same way. That way I was confident that what I could get down, I could also get back up and we had no need of transport.
The path down was signposted just beyond the village and we set off, steadily down hill through the low trees and scrubby bushes. The morning air was cool enough to see our breath and this part of the route was still in shade. The bushes were still wet from the previous day’s rain, so every time we brushed past an overhanging branch, we got another cold shower. The path was pretty straightforward and well marked with red “03” markings and red daubs of paint to mark the route. It was a steady rather than steep descent, rising slightly to get out of the side gorge before turning into the main gorge and into the sunshine, then heading down to the valley bottom. It was a rough stone path, similar to any you might find in the Lake District and though a couple of points looked from a distance like they might be a bit scary, close up they were not a problem and did not feel exposed or dangerous.
It took us about 2 hours to descend to the bottom of the gorge with fantastic views between the trees to the huge cliffs towering above, with white fluffy clouds still swirling on the tops. Small flowers were growing on the slopes, tiny purple flowers, cyclamen amongst the trees, purple and golden yellow autumn crocuses, dotted the hillside in places. The river at the bottom was a dry bed of white boulders, partially shaded by trees. Our route crossed this and continued along a good stone path above and parallel to it. Tiny lizards scuttled and grasshoppers jumped out of our way as we walked. We continued for another three quarters of an hour or so, with the cliffs towering even higher above our heads before deciding that we really ought to return. We must have reached almost half way along the length of the gorge before turning back. The climb back uphill was hard work, now in the warm afternoon sun and we were glad of a long cool drink in one of the tavernas, back in the village. We didn’t see another person all day whilst walking. If we ever have the chance again, I would not be worried about walking the length of the gorge. We were however pretty stiff the next day!
That night we decided to try the restaurant at the next hotel down the lane, the Pantheon – a short walk for our now stiff legs. The restaurant was upstairs, over the bar area and was another large open stone room with a roaring fire and a beamed ceiling. We had a simple but good meal of tzatziki, soft local cheese, steak and lamb chops. To follow we were brought a large plate of tiny but honey sweet grapes, “on the house”. The stars were shining brightly, as we walked back up the hill to our hotel.
Oct 13th, 2008, 09:38 AM
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At last I've sorted out some pictures from our first week:
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/348714/index.html
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/348714/index.html
Oct 15th, 2008, 04:03 AM
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Zagorian villages
The next day was still sunny. We spent the morning walking up to Mikro Papingo to explore the upper village at the end of the road. No cars can get beyond the church, the alleyways are too steep and narrow, so it was a peaceful place, other than some building work going on here and there to rebuild and restore houses. There were a couple of small tavernas and we saw a sign for an “Eco-luxury” hotel, whatever one of those is but the small stone village shows little outward sign of tourism. Trekking paths into the mountains were signposted from the top of the village and we saw an little old lady, leading her goats up onto the hills. A short-cut on the way back to (Megalo) Papingo took us across a stream on a small traditional arched stone bridge.
In the afternoon we drove round the some of the other villages scattered about the hills. There were rooms to rent, tavernas to eat at and a lot of building work going on but most of the villages didn’t appear to have any shops. I did see a couple of tourist shops at Monodendri and some large and very grand looking stone buildings going up there, which looked like they must be hotels. It does look like the area is trying to gear up for tourists, though we saw few, if any, British visitors around.
We revisited the Oxia viewpoint, the road is signposted to “Vikos Gorge and the stone forest” (an area of limestone rock stacks) above Monodendri and is now a smooth new tarmac road, instead of the rutted dirt track of our visit 4 years ago. From the end of the road, a couple of minutes walk lead to a viewpoint over the dizzying heights of the Vikos gorge, at almost 3000 feet deep. This was the view that had inspired us to come back and stay in the region and attempt to walk in the gorge.
We went on to visit some of the old arched stone bridges that the area is also famous for, mostly off the road near the villages of Dilofo and Kipi. We stopped to view a couple of the bigger ones including a 3 arched bridge, before heading back to Papingo. We returned to the Pantheon Hotel for our last evening meal and were the only customers there.
Ioannina
We left Papingo in much better weather than when we arrived, retracing our route down the zig-zagging road from the village and on to Ioannina, where we wanted to stop to see the castle. We made our way the best we could through the busy streets and one-way systems of the city. The castle did not seem to be signposted – or at least we didn’t see any signs, so it was more a matter of guess-work finding our way to the lake side and castle area.
The castle walls are barely visible from along the lakeside, as they are surrounded by large plane trees. Boat trips head off across the lake and to the little island, which we did not get to visit - the monastery there apparently houses a museum with recreations of Ali Pasha’s living quarters. The huge castle walls enclose a large residential area, shops and tavernas, as well as various museums. We followed signs to the Municipal Museum, housed in a mosque, whose contents include works of folk art, costumes, weapons and swords. As it was a Sunday, entrance to this and the Byzantine Museum were free.
The Byzantine museum is housed in the Inner Citadel (Its-Kale), a large area in one corner of the castle that seems to be used as a park and was full of locals, strolling, relaxing and playing with their children. The pleasant area contains various ruins, a café, the Byzantine art Museum, a museum of silver and the Ali Pasha Mausoleum. We spent a couple of hours exploring the castle, before continuing our journey to Lefkada for our second week of relaxation.
The next day was still sunny. We spent the morning walking up to Mikro Papingo to explore the upper village at the end of the road. No cars can get beyond the church, the alleyways are too steep and narrow, so it was a peaceful place, other than some building work going on here and there to rebuild and restore houses. There were a couple of small tavernas and we saw a sign for an “Eco-luxury” hotel, whatever one of those is but the small stone village shows little outward sign of tourism. Trekking paths into the mountains were signposted from the top of the village and we saw an little old lady, leading her goats up onto the hills. A short-cut on the way back to (Megalo) Papingo took us across a stream on a small traditional arched stone bridge.
In the afternoon we drove round the some of the other villages scattered about the hills. There were rooms to rent, tavernas to eat at and a lot of building work going on but most of the villages didn’t appear to have any shops. I did see a couple of tourist shops at Monodendri and some large and very grand looking stone buildings going up there, which looked like they must be hotels. It does look like the area is trying to gear up for tourists, though we saw few, if any, British visitors around.
We revisited the Oxia viewpoint, the road is signposted to “Vikos Gorge and the stone forest” (an area of limestone rock stacks) above Monodendri and is now a smooth new tarmac road, instead of the rutted dirt track of our visit 4 years ago. From the end of the road, a couple of minutes walk lead to a viewpoint over the dizzying heights of the Vikos gorge, at almost 3000 feet deep. This was the view that had inspired us to come back and stay in the region and attempt to walk in the gorge.
We went on to visit some of the old arched stone bridges that the area is also famous for, mostly off the road near the villages of Dilofo and Kipi. We stopped to view a couple of the bigger ones including a 3 arched bridge, before heading back to Papingo. We returned to the Pantheon Hotel for our last evening meal and were the only customers there.
Ioannina
We left Papingo in much better weather than when we arrived, retracing our route down the zig-zagging road from the village and on to Ioannina, where we wanted to stop to see the castle. We made our way the best we could through the busy streets and one-way systems of the city. The castle did not seem to be signposted – or at least we didn’t see any signs, so it was more a matter of guess-work finding our way to the lake side and castle area.
The castle walls are barely visible from along the lakeside, as they are surrounded by large plane trees. Boat trips head off across the lake and to the little island, which we did not get to visit - the monastery there apparently houses a museum with recreations of Ali Pasha’s living quarters. The huge castle walls enclose a large residential area, shops and tavernas, as well as various museums. We followed signs to the Municipal Museum, housed in a mosque, whose contents include works of folk art, costumes, weapons and swords. As it was a Sunday, entrance to this and the Byzantine Museum were free.
The Byzantine museum is housed in the Inner Citadel (Its-Kale), a large area in one corner of the castle that seems to be used as a park and was full of locals, strolling, relaxing and playing with their children. The pleasant area contains various ruins, a café, the Byzantine art Museum, a museum of silver and the Ali Pasha Mausoleum. We spent a couple of hours exploring the castle, before continuing our journey to Lefkada for our second week of relaxation.
Oct 20th, 2008, 08:52 AM
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Some pictures from my second week in Lefkada:
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/348861/index.html
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/348861/index.html
Aug 24th, 2010, 06:13 AM
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Hi Cherry, glad you enjoyed the report - It was 2 years ago now and just a good memory for me! Most of the roads are fine and usually pretty quiet but they can be steep, narrow and winding and you need to expect the unexpected such as herds of goats, etc. As they take delivery vans up them, I can't imagine it would be a problem for a camper van - much depends on your skills and confidence in driving it. You need to allow plenty of time, it isn't possible to go fast and anyway, the views are so good you will want to stop often. It is a lovely area, very different from other parts of Greece and I hope you get chance to visit.
