A day in Lesbos island

Around this time last year I got the chance to visit the greek island of Mytilene, or Lesbos as it is most widely known. This is a short video from our second day there, when we visited the village of Agiasos, nestled in the slopes of mount Olympus (not the famous one) and then continued to the village of Plomari, at the deep south of the island.

Thanks for watching! (hoping to upload more material soon)

Paros in 10 pictures

This is the backyard. I stumbled upon it during the last days of my stay in the Anatoli appartments in Ambelas, which also include my bff's summer house.
It is early dusk and the wind is calm. Last day's Vardaris has now given its place to a gentle breeze. The stinging silence is interrupted by the clucking of the hens. I reminisce of the omelette I ate that morning for breakfast, cooked with eggs by those same chickens. I feel an inexplicable sense of hope and for a few more moments I know that life is so unpretentiously beautiful.

Those guys have managed in a week to become something for me that others have been trying to be for years. A family. All coupled up, I enjoy watching them discovering each other's soft spots and limits. Love is in the air and in me too.

Naousa, either experienced by day or by night, has a distinct vibe that mesmerizes you from the very first moment. I will not tell you the nature of that vibe because I do not want to set limits to your imagination. I can only assure you that once you get a hold of it, you will never forget it. This photo is taken in a late evening, half an hour before sunset. At night the same spot comes to life, the waves crashing wild and free and the defeaning music from Linardo transports you somewhere mystical. I cannont tell you where that is though... You will have to experience it by yourself.

Secret alleyways of Naousa. You never know what to expect.

That smile.-

When your best friend completes you in every imaginable and unimaginable way.

Salt shining like an electrifying diamond.

Pizzarella - our stamping ground.

Cute cat in Tao's Center.

Chasing Sunrises

"Hurry up, we're going to miss it!", I almost screamed to Katerina as she was pulling up at the parking of her house in Ampelas. It was 6.05 a.m. and we had just returned from an impromptu dip in the chilly sea, while the sun was rising. I run to my room and grabbed my DSLR. Katerina was waiting for me on the terrace and together we walked a little cape by the side of the road, overlooking Ampelas beach, the Aegean sea and the west side of Naxos island. The sun has just started to make its appearance from the horizon. 

At first it was a little shiny dot. In 2 minutes it gradually formed into a gleaming half-disc, spreading the first morning light. The sky went from deep purple to light pink and then to an intense red. As the time passed the sun was cutting its way through the dark clouds of the night that has just waved the world goodbye.  Each second that passed welcomed a new ray of light. The silence was deafening. It seemed that the nature was in total stillness out of respect for this new day's beginning. Katerina and I stood breathless. In moments like this you just sit and marvel.

I suddenly realize that I've forgotten my camera. Instead of bringing it with me I just put on my jeans to battle the morning chill. For just a nanosecond I feel disappointed for not documenting this unrepeatable moment. But just then say to myself that really, it doesn't matter. That this twinkle is mine to keep and that my mind is the only camera I ever need. I take a deep breath and exhale. I haven't exchanged a word with my friend for over 10 minutes. At that point I blurt out: "A new day has come!". She turns to me smiling surprisingly. We stare at each others eyes and then sing ferociously "A NEW DAY HAAAAAS COME!!!", the well-known chorus by Celine Dion. Katerina plays it on YouTube and we start singing and dancing around, doing the "welcome of the sun" yoga position, wide-eyed and smiling. 

At that moment I felt lucky for having witnessed that day's commencement, for being with my best friend and for sharing this intangible experience. 

(Photo of a similar sunset at the exact same place as the one described above, a few days before. You can sense the magic!)

Monasteries of Mount Parnon

As the exams period came close to an end, I was in a constant need of change of scenery to clear my head from all the law-related stuff. This urge led to an impromptu visit to Mount Parnon, last Saturday. Our mission? Just to drive along the seaside route to Astros, then take the mountainous road to Aghios Andreas village, and maybe visit a couple of monasteries along the way. I personally am not that obsessed with Christianity but I love the ambiance of the dark little chapels, tucked away on mountainous slopes. Plus, it was a great opportunity to take photos!

A little bit about geography: Mount Parnon, or Parnonas, is a massif located of the southeastern side of Peloponnese, in Greece. It divides Laconia from Arcadia, both counties of eastern Peloponnese. It has great views to the sea in almost every corner of it, offering vistas to the Myrtoan and Laconian Gulfs. We mainly focused on the province of Kynouria, having already visited its seaside village of Leonidion last summer. Starting from Athens, we drove to Korinthos and then took the provincial road to Argos, continuing on the seaside road to reach Astros. Our trip continued with a quick mountainous route up to Astrokostas Monastery. 

It is really weird the fact that there is no information whatsoever about this monastery on the web. We learned about its existence from some friends, and with their help, we managed to find it. Astrokostas monastery used to be an important spot for the organization of the Greek revolution of 1821. Back then the monks used to help the combatants in their battle for independence, since they maintained good relations with the Ottomans and had a lot of wealth. Unfortunately, the monasteries of Peloponnese did not escape the ineffable slaughter of Ibrahim Pasha, losing all their power and being left to decline. For the following centuries the monastery was partly deserted. In the recent history, only two nuns were inhabiting it back in 2006. Both of them found a tragic death, when two robbers emptied the monastery of its valuables and killed them in their sleep. 

Today the monastery is empty, and is open to public by appointment. We were lucky enough to find it open when we arrived, so we roamed around a little bit, took photos, marveled the place and its sad history, discussed a bit with the monks that kept it open and continued our journey.

We then drove to the Monastery of Panagia Malevi, which is one of the biggest and well-known monasteries of Arcadia. It is famous for its miraculous image of Panagia (the Greek name of the mother of Jesus, or simply Madonna), from which an essence flowed for a short period of time, believed to be sent from God. I personally am not sure if every little religious tale is true but I don't actually care. The church and the surroundings are just so beautiful!

After paying our homage to the place we ended up hungry to our original destination, the village of Aghios Petros in Kynouria. The village is located on the northern slopes of Parnon, at an altitude of 950 meters. It is surrounded by green chestnut woods, with a pinch of walnut and lots of ravines. The church of Aghios Petros is in the main square of the village, which is also its central spot. It was almost deserted, but we had a great traditional lunch at a restaurant named "Spartacus", and then roamed around to buy some local products. If you go there do not miss the local walnuts and herbs.

As a last remark I would like to point out that the Greek life, especially the one in the villages, is closely related to the orthodox religion. The Greeks tend to be very depended on the teachings of Christianity and their attendance to the church every Sunday and in special occasions and celebrations. Of course this doesn't apply to all! But in case you want to know more about the Greek way of life you should also examine the religion and the impact that it has on the social structures.

As for me, I had a great time in the little excursion and managed to power up for the rest of my exams period.

I hope you enjoyed the post and I would love to read what you think!

Lots of love,

Niki

Skyros in a nutshell

Last September I had the chance to visit the island of Skyros, in Greece. Skyros is the southern island in the complex of North Sporades. The island is known for its distinct natural beauty and traditional customs, which are still going strong since the ancient times. This combination made Skyros selective and qualitative tourist receiver, a fact that helped her maintain her traditional character.

Some of the numerous beautiful places of the island are the beach of Yalos (where, according to Homer's epics, Achilles was having his bath), the archaeological site of the Castle (the island's ancient acropolis) and the beaches of Pefko, Agios Fokas and Atsitsa. What really took me by surprise was how green the island was. Since its terrain is mostly mountainous don't miss the chance to hike to certain beaches and not take the car.

The southern, arid and rocky part of the island hides amazing sea caves and deserted islands that are accessible only by boat, and untouched beaches where you can only go by 4x4. Don't forget to visit the small island of Sarakiniko and swim in its crystal clear waters.

If you are looking for something traditional and special to buy, consider a Skyrian hand-crafted embroidery or pottery. You will find many organized folklore workshops full of wood carvings, pottery, basketry etc while strolling around Chora.

As for me, I had the time of my life at this islands. Now, I will let the pictures do the talking.

I really hope you enjoyed the post!

Happy first Monday of the year!!!

Bisous,

Niki

Green, Blue and Maroon in Pelion, Greece

Hello everyone!!

In this first post I will talk about one of my favorite places in Greece, Mount Pelion. Pelion is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly, in central Greece. Its shores are doused by the Pagasetic Gulf and the Aegean Sea, that’s why, at the ancient times, it was considered the summer residence of the Olympic gods. Mount Pelion was also believed to be the natural habitat of the Centaurs, especially Chiron, who was the tutor of Achilles, Heracles and many other mythological heroes. Its name derives from the mythical king Peleus, father of Heracles.

Today Mount Pelion is one of the most famous destinations in Greece, both winter and spring. Its culinary specialty is spentzofai (literally translated as “food with peppers”), a hearty stew made of sliced pork sausage cooked with green and red peppers. From Christmas until Easter the ski resort is open, so the place gets crammed with eager practitioners of that type of sports. The mountain slopes are thickly forested and there is an abundance of streams, gorges and springs. 

Pelion has many faces. Being a mountain that is so closely surrounded by sea, with high peaks and rich flora, it always has something to offer, even to the most demanding visitor. We only spent 4 days there, but –as you can also witness from the photos- we had the chance to get acquainted with various beautiful manifestations of Mother Nature.

There are twenty-four villages in Pelion, which maintain the traditional Pelian structure and architecture. Among the most popular are Makrinitsa, Portaria, Tsangarada and Zagora. We decided to stay in a village named Kissos, located on the eastern slopes of the mountain and visit the other villages by car.

The village of Kissos is built amphitheatrically at an altitude of 500 meters above sea level. It is located on the eastern slopes of the mountain, which offers views to the Aegean Sea (and what views, really!). Kissos (translated as “Ivy”) has the advantage of being one of the quietest villages of Pelion, hidden in a dense green forest of chestnut trees, cherry trees, vines, hydrangeas, apple trees and of course, countless ivy. In the main village, there are numerous cobbled roads in excellent condition, organized around the central square. There is also located one of the most historical churches of Pelion, that of Agia Marina, built in 1960, during the Ottoman occupation.

The atmosphere had something of a fairy tale. I can surely get used to reading on the balcony in mid evening surrounded by that light mist. 

The presence of water is undeniable in Pelion. Due to its high altitudes, the rain water creates streams and little rivers that pass through its rocky surface to end up in the sea. We stopped to marvel one of these on our first day of exploring. There was no one around and we had the whole place to ourselves. So serene! If you visit Pelion in spring don’t miss the chance to picnic at one of the numerous spots next to waterfalls and running water, in general.

I personally expected to have a snowy Christmas on the mountains, but that didn’t happen. The ski resort was closed and the slopes were bare of snow. I wasn’t too disappointed though, because I soon realized that Pelion’s unmatched beauty didn’t need to be highlighted with snow.

Even though it was Christmas time the weather was clear and the sun was shining. That resulted into beautiful blue days, full of sunshine. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip!

My visit to Pelion was definitely a magical and mind-opening experience for me. I really hope that you enjoyed the post and maybe be a little bit intrigued to know more about this awesome place!

Until next time,

Bisous!

Niki :)