Pan's Arcadia

There is a beautiful stretch of road that runs through the villages of Skotini, Vitini, Dhimitsana, and Stemnitsa. It is the most mountainous section of Arcadia. In ancient times, while the rest of Greece was warring with itself and everyone else, this region remained blissfully isolated. Giddy with brooks, lush forests, and steep mountains, the Arcadians stacked their beautiful stone houses against the hills. Around the hearth in these homes, they spun tales of Pan and Heracles. As you pedal down the road taking it all in, it is easy to feel as though you might still catch a glimpse of Pan chasing a wood nymph through the forest beside you.

Ode to Oats

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Oatmeal is really just a vehicle for honey. Soak oats overnight and you have one cheap, tasty, and seriously sustaining breakfast to carry you up many mountains before your body puts out the call for more sustenance. I like mine with apricots and almonds.

Berikoka

I would like to take a moment to praise Greek apricots. I've never thought much of fresh apricots, but wow! When you have an apricot from these lands you won't be forgetting it anytime soon. I read somewhere once that there is a village in Pakistan that attributes the longevity of its residents to the apricot. Now, there's a remedy for maintaining youth that I can handle! Add a little honey and some almonds and some beautiful rich Greek yogurt...know what I'm saying?

Mycenean Gold

Archaeological sites in Greece are either heavily protected or entirely abandoned. We were quite disappointed when Mycenea closed up shop at 3pm not allowing us time to visit the Treasury of Atreus where the Mask of Agamemnon was uncovered along with heaps of other incredible gold pieces. The treasury is a 'tholos' style tomb dating back to the 16th century BC. What the heck is a 'tholos' style tomb you ask? Exactly! I wanted to know too. We picniked in front of the gate and contemplated jumping over the fence, but decided against it. I didn't want to see Basil sold into Greek military service.

Well, wouldn't you know it if the next morning, while filling up our water bottles at one of those lovely public fountains, one of the villagers mentions the 'tholos' style tombs a kilometer up the hill. Huh? I'd never read about the tombs of Aidhonia. Aidhonia wasn't in my guide book. The man assured us that most of the Mycenaean gold came from these tombs. So, there it was, 7 or 8 tombs cut into the side of the hill completely open - no fences. It was as if the archaeologists had walked away just yesterday.

Sixteenth century BC, think about that. It is very unsettling to stand in a room surrounded by open 16th century BC graves. I'm always sad to think about ancient people's bones all numbered and laying in a box in a museum somewhere. Part of me wonders if maybe the bones should be put back into their graves and the tombs resealed.

Down the road, we slept in our own 'tholos' style tomb wedged rather narrowly between a tiny church and a stone wall above the village of Skotini.

Xiropigado

A small village of 700 or so clings to a steep hillside of the Argolian coast in a place known as Xiropigado. The beach is of pebbles, the water is every shade of blue, and existance is very sleepy. Many eek out an living renting domatia to Athenian weekenders and stray foreigners. Some grow olive or citrus trees. Others seem to earn a living cruising the village's two or three streets on their noisy motorbikes. I am passing my time swimming and torturing the locals with pantomime peppered with the ocassional poorly pronounced greek word. Basil will return soon and our adventure will continue.

Steep Curves

The grades are continuous and steep in Greece (14% - yikes!). Sometimes you might wonder just how old the village is that your headed to, and just when it was that they invented switchbacks. But this is what brings the curves and the exhilarating views that motivate you over the next mountain. It's also what justifies your impressive appetite.

Free and Tasty

There is something wonderful about riding in to town to find icy cold clean water flowing freely for all to use. Years of cycling in Mexico has given me a certain anxiety about drinking untreated water, but I quickly came to look forward to these delicious stops.

Counting goats

Goats are sassy and unpredictable, and, when in the Peloponnese, they are all around you. At any given time you can hear hundreds of tiny bells jingling in the distance. One night, we slept (Basil not so well) to the constant jingling of thousands of bells. What a treat it was to awake to a parade of anxious goats making their way past the front door of our tent and into the corral behind us to be milked.

The quantity and quality of locally produced Greek yogurt gives testimony to hard work of a tradition that is still very present in this region of Greece. I'm happy to say that there are young shepherds too, and even though the tradition has evolved, there is still a sense of ancient wisdom and respect for the land. Maybe the world needs more goats and sheep on the roads.

Retro Greece

Publish Post
Ancient Greece is far from dead. I have seen sandals like this walking the streets on modern every day women. Their husbands are not gladiators, just swarthy pot-bellied Greek guys who probably work in offices in tall cement buildings somewhere. It doesn't even turn heads. I want a pair. Would it be too much with lycra cycle wear?

Nemean Agiorgitiko

After dropping in at Agamemnon's place in Mycenea we decided to continue north to the region of Nemea. Our riding was very pleasant, thanks to Heracles for ridding the area of that pesky lion and other monsters. Greece is quite fond of the wine produced by Nemea's agiorgitiko grape and after a few tastings we were too. Basil even took to lacing his water bottles with it. Many nights of sound sleep followed our Nemea escapade.

Nafplio

Tucked into the Argolid Bay of the Peloponnese is the sparkling former venetian port of Nafplio. Nafplio is crowned with three fortresses and contains a myriad of twisting staircases, quiet tavernas, and tasteful shops. It is also a great place to do laundry and sleep. Did I mention that they make the best gyros in Greece!? God Bless you Farma gyro shop.

Slather me with Sweet Greece

Honey has always been a staple in our bike touring diet. Simple and healthy it is an interesting way to support local farmers and taste local flavours. I usually move quite slowly through my bottle of honey. A quarter litre can easily last a few months.

A few weeks ago Basil popped in and bought some honey from a bee keeper. I didn't think much of such a routine purchase. Until...I tasted it. Oh. My.

Whoever he or she might be, I'd like to take a quiet moment to say a little prayer to the god of greek honey. I don't know his or her name, but I know they're out there working damn hard.

Beeswax soaked in honey is delightful. Fir honey is out of this world.

Do you see that bottom picture!? Fir honey is so thick that it layers back on itself when it oozes from one container to another. It is so lovely that it's layers hold a much deserved opalescent sheen. My quarter litre lasted 4 days. Our food budget just got raised.

Greek Tragedy

We cycled past the first evidence of Greece's catastrophic 2007 forest fires. Rumour quite strongly suggests that they were intentionally set in order to clear the land for development. I've driven through countryside burned by fire many times, but the feeling that hung over these charred trees was truly morbid. There is something devastating about seeing human arrogance and greed so plainly displayed.

Epidavros, Epidavros

Excuse me, which way to Epidavros?

The nea, the palea, the epano, the ancient, or the theatre? Ummmm...

It gets a bit confusing. The Greeks are fond of their ancient places and they don't like to make up new names so, sometimes the same town name gets spread around to various places. Sometimes they are many kilometers apart and on completely different roads.

Eleusinian Mysteries

Our departure from Athens took us through Elefsina, a very industrial suburb of Athens. My eye caught a sign that rang back to my childhood love of mythology, "Sanctuary of Eleusis", and there it was - the very cave that Hades came up through to abduct the innocent and unsuspecting young Persephone. Could it be? Could I really be cycling through the site of one of the most famous religious festivals of the ancient Greeks? Surrounded by oil refineries and cargo shipyards it hardly seemed believable that I was cycling an ancient route that ran between the Acropolis in Athens and Eleusis the site of the Sanctuary of Demeter. For two thousand years, initiates of the Eleusinian Mysteries travelled this same route to celebrate mother earth, the return of spring, and to be initiated into a cult rumoured to bestow immortality . Today, this site that once venerated the power of mother earth, is surrounded by heavy industry and oil refineries as far as the eye can see.

Sorry, the bridge is down

Waiting for the bridge to come up was a surprising way to to start our morning.

the necessities

When you're travelling by bike it is wise to bring only the necessities. We're thinking maybe we only need an ice cream maker...one can dream, right?