Hoorayus Piraeus!

Pleased to discover how easy it is to take public transit from the airport all the way to the Port of Piraeus with two fully loaded bicycles, we decided to celebrate with a delicious gyro and a look around the Port of Piraeus. Piraeus gets a bad rap, but we both enjoy the ethnic diversity of the area and the many small shops stocking unusual food stuffs. I'm a personal fan of the American House Toast sign. It seems they might give degrees in hamburgers? I'll stick to working on my gyro diploma.

Magical Mountains

We continue to be amazed at how different the Greeks of the north are. They are simply more rugged people. We are thrilled when, each time we talk about our route, nobody in the room bats an eye -they get it some of them have even done such things. They don't instantly direct us to the major tollway. Instead they steer us well off the beaten track suggesting roads with spectacular views, loads of curves, and little traffic. I can safely say that I love the mountains of Northern Greece. So many treasures are tucked into her folds.

If you keep your eyes peeled when riding from Kastoria to Zahorogoria you might even score a handful of wild strawberries. Windinging our way between the Grammos and Pindos mountain ranges we pedalled away from Kastoria through Konitsa only to end our northern passage with 18 switchbacks on our way to Zahorogoria's Megalo Papigo. This is a must ride destination. Look at those switchbacks! I counted 18 on our ascent. At 3'oclock in the afternoon heat of a Greek summer this was nothing to sneer at. Thanks to the fuel provided by the amazing cookies from the bakery in Konitsa we are finally in the much talked about stone villages of the Zahorogoria.

Greek Indulgences

What a contrast it was to pedal away from struggling Albania into the sumptuous heart of Greece's most luxurious handicraft centre in Kastoria.Nestled on a peninsula jutting into the placid waters of Lake Orestiada the town of Kastoria has been designing and producing highly sought after top end furs for centuries. Dropping into Kastoria after riding along the wild edge of the Grammos mountains felt entirely unlike a return to Greece.


Having read that accommodations catered mainly to upscale weekenders and people in the fur business we had planned to camp somewhere outside of the area, but after a cruise through twisty back streets lined with traditional 17th and 18th century mansions built by Kastoria's fur-makers at the peak of the regions prosperity, curiosity got the better of us and we asked around for inexpensive lodging.

The deal was sealed over coffee and cake with three of the most effervescent sisters in all of Greece. It was impossible to resist their enthusiasm and their pride in their hometown, not to mention the promise of a second generous slice of homemade cake. Hearing that the Byzantine era had managed to tuck over 70 churches into the backroads of the hilly, but tiny northern end of the peninsula of Lake Orestiada, we set out to see what a town full of furrier's mansions and Byzantine churches was all about. Prettiest town in Northern Greece? Possibly. Prettiest town in Macedonia? Definitely. We stayed two nights.

Green, Green Epirus

Epirus is green, mountainous, and underpopulated. Distances between taps are longer than in the Pelponnese and opportunities for buying food are longer still. The people are also a good deal more amused to see us show up in their town. Many roads though this region follow river valleys which means grades are generally mild although one of the smaller roads between Agios Pandes and Kefalohori, had a mentionable and unexpected stretch of rough dirt road.

An unsettling sight for us was the overwhelming presence of police trucks and vans out rounding up Albanians entering the country illegally through the mountains. The police seem to think we should feel safer with their presence, but I can't help but feel uncomfortable about the mentality of a person who would choose such a line of work. I certainly fear them more than an Albanian looking to improve their future. I will however say that in conversation with the police, they didn't discourage us from cycling in Albania. So, after a long day, we settled into our sleeping bags above the town of Ktismata and we dreamt about what lay ahead of us in Albania. From our campsite's view the transition was surprising. Along the border we could see the mountains changing from thick with green to bare naked right where Albania began.

How to Get RICH in Greece

While Greek tavern meals are great they can run up the cost of our trip pretty fast, so one of our favourite ways to eat is to have a little picnic somewhere along the road, preferably with some delicious shade and/or a fantastic view. With such excellent bread, cheese, olives, nuts, fruit, veg, honey, tahini, and yogurt available everywhere it is an easy way to makeup for the shocking cost of the 43 Euro fish we shared at the tavern before our trip to the entrance to Hades. And, with that, I'd like to note that we have uncovered one of the craziest food scams in Greece.

Our 43 euro fish (that's euros, right?) had us reeling, but considering the number of fish we see when we snorkel in the seas around here ,we reasoned, well, perhaps fish are so expensive because there aren't any. They should be expensive, right?

Yeah, right.

Some days before the "Hades Tavern 43 euro fish highway robbery escapade", we ordered ourselves grilled octopus with one of our meals. I've since learned that in Greece, an order like this is routinely one tentacle and costs at least 10 euros. It is quite standard. A few days after the 10 euro tentacle, I was standing by the harbour in one of the many towns we've passed through and I decided to do a little math (brace yourself for this is truly rare) I counted the number of octopi artfully hanging on the line across the street from a nearby tavern – sinisterly whetting the appetites of passersby. I counted 13 octopi with 8 legs each, that's 1040 euros, 1040 EUROS! artfully hanging out in the street unsupervised! Fishy? I was furious and determined to get to the bottom of this standardized greek thievery, so the next time we were in a market I took a closer look at the octopi. How much?
12 Euros for the whole critter.

Now, that is some mark up if you ask me. Wanna get rich quick? Open a seafood restaurant in Greece.

Life after the Peloponnese

Getting itchy to explore Epirus and Thessaly in the northwest of Greece. We made a beeline from Dhimitsana to the north of the Peloponnese. Passing through Klitoria and Kastria we arrive at Kalyvrita where, in 1943, the German army massacred every male above the age of 15 in retaliation for the resistance movement that was bubbling there. Today the town is a popular weekend ski getaway for wealthy Athenians and the end point for the Vouraikos Gorge which cleaves an impressive rift in the Peloponnese from Diakopto in the north to Kalyvrita at its southern point. Climbing 15km up the side of the gorge to be greeted by the view out over the Gulf of Corinth and beyond to Sterea Ellada is a very rewarding finish to so much time in the Peloponnese.



Reenergized about getting into a Greece unknown to us. I couldn't wait to hit the North to learn why it is that the folks from the Mani feel such kinship with the people from Epirus, but the whole of Sterea Ellada lay between us and it. So we found a pretty little church tucked well off the road with an excellent view over the gulf and on to Delphi and Sterea Ellada and we began to set up camp.


...I love those decision making moments that take you completely off your original intended course...

In passing, after we had finished our laundry and while Paul was preparing a delicious pasta dish for dinner, Basil mentioned that we could always take a ferry to the north of Greece. I had been reading for days and plotting a route through Sterea Ellada to Ioannina, Zagorohoria, and Meteora. We had also been entertaining the thought of popping in for a 'peek' at Albania. It was a favourite amongst Greeks for bad-mouthing, and Abner, a good friend of Basil's, had us intrigued about his family's home country for years. A ferry! Que va! I hadn't even considered such a short cut. A ferry would make Albania a sure thing and allow us a good amount of free time off the bike as well. I mulled this over all night and then the whole way down the gorge the next morning and I continued mulling ight into the early afternoon on the Egio ferry that carried us to Agios Nicholaos on the other side of the Gulf of Corinth. Finally the maps came out and court was held.

While undoubtedly the riding north through Sterea Ellada would have been phenomenal, we went for the ferry ride short cut, making misrepresented Albania a definite option. Fortunately for us, there was an overnight ferry out of Patra to Igoumenitsa the next night. Between now and then, lay an unexpected stay at untalked about city of Nafpaktos a lively little former Venetian holding across the gulf from Patra, and a ride back to the Peloponnese over Greek engineering point of pride the Rio-Andirio suspension bridge. And so that is how we came to land so quickly in the north of Greece. Whoo hoo! Happily back in Bougatsalandia.

Dhimitsana

The mountain towns of Arcadia Andritsena, Karitena, Stemnitsa, and Dhimitsana are spectacularly set little gemstones that hang above the southern half of the Peloponnese peninsula and ar home to quiet mountain getaways filled with tightly packed cobbled streets and lazy street side cafes. Whiling away a few days in Dhimitsana, I can't help but wonder what it is that the locals do for money. Surely they aren't all shepherds and bee keepers. It would be easy to think they are given the amount of honey being sold and the quantity of distant goat bells heard when cycling this route. Lined with yellow broom blossoms, the road from Karitena to Dhimitsana is easily the most civilized uphill grade in all the Peloponnese.

Set It Free!

Greece is littered with countless archaeological sites. On the roadsides we constantly see signs telling us of archaeological points of interests just off the road. There are so many of them that mostly we just ignore them for fear of getting nowhere. However, there are a few things one must stop for and the Temple of Apollo Epikourios on the beautiful meandering road between coastal Tholo and mountainous Karitena is described as one of them.

Built by Iktinos the architect of the Parthenon and the beautifully preserved Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, this temple had the promise of a remote mountain-top location to add to the impact. Being the second best preserved temple in Greece and coupled with an arduous mountain climb it sounded like a cycling must see.

The ride was terrific, the road from Tholos runs a gentle uphill course along the edge of the burn of the forest fires that devastated the region around Olympia 2 years ago. It gradually pulls away from this zone and sharply heads upward through intensely shepherded mountains to a stark mountain top where for several kilometers you watch a white circus tent growing as you approach your destination. The visual reward for all your hard work is disappointing. The temple, which has survived in terrific condition due to it's distance from any sizable population has been shrink wrapped to protect it from the elements. The effect is absurd and impossible to appreciate.

The brief write up at the sight extolling the usefulness of the protective tent points out that the impact is only aesthetic, which, to me, seems pretty damn important given that aesthetics was one of the main reasons for choosing an architect like Iktinos to design and build such an impressive temple in such a visually incredible place. In it's current state it is impossible to get any kind of feel for the feat that was accomplished here. I'm sad to say that the Greeks have really blundered on this one. Please free the Temple of Vasses!

The View From Nestor's Palace

4000 years ago Pylos was established and, under King Nestor, became one of the leading cities of the Mycenean Empire. Pylos' impressive natural harbour is a natural place to establish a kingdom and a visit to Nestor's Palace is a terrific way to appreciate how a King might rule such a place. Most impressive of all at this site is the 3300 year old terracotta tub that still sits in it's original position. Nestor, famed argonaut, and a battle advisor in the Trojan war lived to be quite an old man and so no doubt enjoyed many a soak in his beautiully painted tub. There is something strangely surreal in standing so close to the bathtub of such a legendary man.




The palace is an impressive size and was discovered with a staggering cache of pottery.



We pop in to visit a neighbouring tholos tomb before we wind our way back down to the coast through countless olive groves...

Olive dusting

And just when we thought our allergies can get no worse, we sleep in the thick of an aged olive grove. Irresistably beautiful, but equally torturous for all the ear, nose, and thoat rubbing deemed necessary by the billions of invasive bits of olive pollen that coat our gear and invade our bodies come morning. Ah, but it was every bit worth it for the tuscan-like views, the outdoor olive tree shower, and the charm of sleeping by a very old church in an olive grove.

achoo! sniffle sniffle

Spring in the Peloponnese is full of wild flowers. Everything is in bloom! A feast for the eyes, a nose full of aromathrapy

and allergens. Yikes! Everything is coated in a hazy dusting of gentle olive green and that'd be because olives have blossoms too - millions and millions of them. They tickle your nose and web up your eyes and could just about make you craaaazzy! Camping provides no refuge fom them especially because olives cover every cultivatable piece of land. Allergy sufferers: beware the olive stuffed state of Messinia home to the beloved Kalamata olive. Achoo! Achoo!

Tower Living

Leaving the Deep Mani the road winds up the Messinian Coast towards the port of Kalamata, but before we get there a few impressive climbs stand in our way. The town of Kardamyli also stands in our way at the base of the first 12km climb to Kambos. Last year we had some of our best swims in the warm Ionian sea that laps the shores of Kardamyli. So we take a break to relax a bit before our final climb away from stark and dramatic Mani. The last of the impressive tower settlements on our route has been nicely preserved here. Tourists can freely ramble around the grounds of the old Troupakides-Mourtzinoi tower complex imagining what life must have been like trapped in this self-sufficient fortress. I ponder Mani tower life and then go for a swim