Three-day Driving Tour of Mainland Greece
Jul 28 '04
The Bottom Line Pros
Great scenery, diversity in towns, food, and interesting people.
Cons
Hairpin curves in the dark.
Recommended
Yes
Having skipped breakfast to get an early start, we welcomed the chance to buy some Koulouria, or big, round, soft pretzels covered with sesame seeds at the toll booth on Highway 1 Superhighway going north out of Athens. They held us over until a lunch stop along the waterfront of Raches, where the sun was warm enough to remove our jackets as we sat outside at the only restaurant left open in November. Two young boys were in the water - one swimming and splashing up a storm, and the other wading and watching him.
Around the table were many hungry cats, meowing and begging, so we shooed them away while trying to enjoy our Greek salads, cabbage salads, warm garlic bread with cucumber-yogurt-garlic spread, and huge steak-sized hamburgers, made by mixing cheese and tomatoes in with the meat before grilling. They were delicious, so we didn't mind sacrificing the french fries to the cats to keep them quiet. (We threw a whole plateful over the fence into the neighboring yard)! When the leftovers followed the french fries, the cats ate every bit. One cat took a whole big piece of garlic bread in his mouth and ran under the neighbor's car to escape. Enjoying the activity, we sat and soaked up the scenery - water, mountains across the way, and small fishing and rowboats anchored near shore in the bay.
The way to Volos was full of beautiful mountain scenery and breathtaking views of the sea, and some stops were made for photo-taking as we rounded the bend and saw the International shipping docks down below. At the other end of town the road wound up the mountain to Milies, and one had to be careful because it was narrow and curvy, with drop-offs on one side.
Milies was tiny, and after going through, we found a hotel, Georgopoulos Adonios, tucked away in the trees with an arbor and tables and chairs in the courtyard. A shepherdess or goat-herdess rounded up some animals and shooed them right past us and on up the mountain behind the hotel. It was all so quaint! We thought we'd stepped back a hundred years in time.
The rooms were nice and modern with campcot-sized beds, private baths, and hot water-type heaters, but the best part was the view from the balconies. It looked down the mountain (Mt. Pellion) to Volos and the sea, with the mountains of the island of Evvia across the water. When the sun set the sight was spectacular!
Feeling the need for exercise we set out walking up the mountain, and came across the strangest brown prickly things on the ground, which turned out to be wild chestnuts, and not good to eat. Wild boar and jackals were in the area, and we heard someone shooting in the dusk of evening, trying to catch some dinner. He later whizzed by on his motorscooter, just inches from my shoulder, with his shotgun strapped onto the back.
Turning around and continuing down into town past a herd of grazing goats, we came upon the bell tower in the square with flagstone walks and nice big trees shading some park benches. There was also an old church with an open door, so we walked in, only to find that we were in the part behind the altar reserved only for priests, so we high-tailed it out of there!
Back at the hotel a fire was roaring in the dining room fireplace, inviting patrons in for a bite to eat. We enjoyed salads, cheese pies and spinach pies as appetizers before the main course of noodle and rice casserole with beef chunks and tomato sauce, and some local wine (which was very young and not very good). All that eating called for another walk in the moonlight, where it was so bright one could see every detail around, and the stars seemed close enough to touch!
In the morning we experienced a long walk up the mountain to the next town for breakfast to work up an appetite. Along the way we encountered an elderly man and woman coaxing a very stubborn donkey, two older ladies with their grocery bags, hitching a ride with a pickup truck into town, and four women sitting and sorting apples, with men standing around, ready to pack the crates for shipping to wholesalers, via ships in Volos.
Vizitsa literally sat at the end of the road. It's homes were larger and newly refurbished, having been the residences of local gentry (important people)at one time. They were impressive! A cozy restaurant (hardly the word because it looked like a home) was inviting, and it's owner was outside sweeping the dust off the flagstone patio with a crudely made broom. Inside, every inch was covered with finely detailed chestnut wood, carved into different designs. It covered the ceilings, and bar area, and chairs were also intricately carved. On the bar sat a huge bottle of wine with a spigot! The fireplace was blue and white, and there were probably only four small tables.
The best part was the breakfast. We had eggs in egg cups, bread with cheese and meat, cakes, hot chocolate, and a special juice mixed by the proprietress from fresh oranges and apples. It was foamy and delicious!
On our way walking back down to Milies and our hotel, the ladies sorting apples gave us a bag of them to take along, after stopping to chat awhile.
The morning was special because of the views, exercise and very fresh air! Some other mountain villages worth exploring on Mt. Pellion were Portaria, where lots of canned goods were preserved in glass jars in beautiful displays, as well as ceramics. Makrinitsa is a no-motor- vehicle town, so you park at one end and walk to the central square past lots of small souvenir shops and booths selling herbs with which to make tea. Signs next to the various herbs tell what they are supposedly good for curing. Spices were also sold there in small plastic bags. All the way into town there was a huge plane tree, hollowed out so you could walk inside and see up to the top - a squirrel's view!
The ride to Meteora was uneventful, but became impressive the closer we came to it, because of the monasteries perched on top of massive rocks, which had caves in their sides. I'm sure it was a phenomenon found nowhere else on earth. Driving around each bend, the sight was more impressive that the one before. Apparently the monasteries were built when the river was very high, but when the riverbed dried up, the monasteries were left high and dry, like Noah's arc on Mt. Arararat.
Metamorphosis Grand Meteoron was open for touring, with its graphic frescoes showing saints being tortured, and an inlaid ivory pedestal for the bishop, a room full of skulls and bones of monks, who used to live in the monastery, a room full of keys for wine, and a very old Singer sewing machine. The connecting museum contained lots of illustrated manuscripts and carved wooden crosses - some with jewels on, as well. Skirts or long pants are a must, and if you don't have any, a monk will provide long skirts for you!
Hurrying along to Aghia Trias Monestary, we walked all the way to the entrance down a very steep walk, only to find out it was closed. Many long looks later, because that was where "For your Eyes Only" was filmed, we hid behind some rocks and changed out of our skirts, out of sight to all but any monks who may have been looking out the windows.
Having heard that Metsovo was a unique village in the mountains, which was famous for sheep and goat rugs, colorful handwoven rugs, cheese and wooden items, we ventured on. Well, it became a long ride up so many mountains with hairpin curves every few meters, and being stuck behind a long line of semi trucks, made it slow-going. There were few signs and lots of reflector stakes at least 8 feet high, as well as some snowplow stations, like truck stops with restaurants. At one point we reached the top of the world where we could see down both sides of the Pindus Mountain Range. There was a full moon, and it was truly gorgeous!
Finally the village of Metsovo twinkled into sight, and we drove down its cobbled streets to the city center, where lots of old people were milling about, near two buses in the park, probably taking a tour break. After asking a local person for a hotel recommendation, we found very nice rooms at Egnatia Hotel, cozy with knotty pine paneling, a fire in the fireplace, hand-woven cloth seats on benches all around the lobby/lounge, a T.V. in each room, as well as a bath for only $21.00/night.
Hunger pains set in by then, having only had breakfast, and a taverna seemed welcome. Lamb stew, grilled lamb and Greek salad hit the spot, as we ate amidst a bright, cheery room full of family and friends around the fireplace. An altitude reaction set in by then with a splitting headache, and my friend argued that we were at sea level! It was fun to walk through the cobbled streets of town off the main drag, where one could see pretty lace curtains and doors of the carved, wooden variety, and smell wood-burning fireplaces.
Early in the morning, a man on a mule was leading a team of mules with saddles, out of town and into the mountainsides to gather wood. Several older women were wearing native dresses with embroidered aprons and shawls. An old man was wearing his native dress as well, consisting of a skirt, blousy shirt, and wooden shoes with tassels. (I later saw a picture of him in the "Travel Age" magazine with the caption, the "World's Oldest Travel Agent"). People there spoke a language which was part Greek, part Italian, and part Albanian, and their dress was certainly unique!
Breakfast at the hotel was the best ever, and warm from the oven. Yogurt with honey was a special treat! The hotel had a gift shop with lots of silver items, many hand-hammered, and in the city center, a craft shop carried hand-woven pillow covers, rugs, and wooden items.
As we rode back over the mountain in daylight, we could see that Metsovo was indeed in the mountains and not at the seashore! The ride back down to Meteora only took one and 1/2 hours, and was much easier in daylight. From there we headed straight back to Athens hitting some mountain hairpins, as well as seaside roads, making it an interesting ride.
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Epinions.com ID:
signeann
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Member: Signe Buchholz
Location: Verona, WI
Reviews written: 199
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