Greece
From Alex-polis to Kileler
We make a traditional stop at the municipal campsite in Alexandroupolis. Then we take the highway to Larissa and on to the farming village of “Kileler”. But not without making a detour to Platamonas, by the sea.
Kileler
This small farming village is surrounded by extensive fields. Unfortunately, the train station is no longer in operation, but right next door is a monument to a farming hero who reorganized the agricultural economy in the area for the benefit of the farmers.
Volos
Volos is located on the Pagasitic Gulf, well protected from the open sea. Ferries to the Saronic islands depart from here.
Volos is not particularly attractive, but has a long promenade with many restaurants. We are also interested in the old railroad station, which used to be a disused railroad. Unfortunately, we are denied access to the old engine shed, which is guarded by two weighty security women.
Pelion Mountains
We drive on a narrow but good road with many hairpin bends up into the densely forested Pelion Mountains. The ever-changing views of the Pagasitic Gulf are incredible. The roads through the villages are narrow and the parking lots are full, so we decide to spend the night down by the sea. We find a nice spot at Kala Nera.
Birthday
Fluba.ch – Flurin and Barbara from Switzerland have found a spot near Millies with space for two vehicles. Together we climb up to the village of Millies, where we celebrate our birthday. The service is very personal and friendly, the food delicious, the company refreshing and the view once again magnificent. What more could you want?
Pilion Railway
The Pilion Railway, a narrow-gauge railroad with a track gauge of 60 cm, has been preserved and is used for tourist purposes. This is why trains only run at weekends and are fully booked well in advance. The locomotive is a diesel engine, disguised as a steam engine.
Construction of the 28 km long railroad line began in 1886 and was extended in stages to Millies, where it was completed in 1904.
Meteora Monasteries
Although we have been to Greece on vacation several times in the past, we have never visited the Meteora monasteries. We’re making up for that now.
The Metéora monasteries are located east of the Pindos Mountains, near the town of Kalambaka. The name Metéora is derived from the ancient Greek μετέωρος metéōros, meaning‘floating in the air’. This name describes the location of the monasteries, which were built on high sandstone cliffs and sometimes seem to float in the hazy air.
The entire complex consists of 24 individual monasteries and hermitages, only six of which are still inhabited today. The remaining eighteen monasteries are either too difficult to reach or have been abandoned due to the risk of collapse. The monasteries emerged from hermitages from the 10. / 11th century AD.
We try to drive comfortably along the road leading to the monasteries. However, this is impossible as the road is narrow and the traffic is dense. Fortunately, we find a parking space here and there to take a few pictures. After seeing the queues of visitors to the monastery, we decide not to visit the monastery – after all, you’re not allowed to take photos inside and we wouldn’t be able to show any pictures here either way. Nevertheless, the visit to the region is gigantic and makes a big impression on us.
Monastery of St. Nikolaos Anapavsas
Rousanou Monastery of St. Barbara
Varlaam Monastery
The great Meteora Monastery
St. Stephen’s Monastery
Zagori
Zagori is a municipality in the north-western Greek region of Epirus. The largest and least populous municipality in the region was founded on January 1, 2011. It takes its name from the historical area of the same name with the villages known as Zagorochoria or Zagoria. In 2023, Zagori was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its traditional villages and architecture adapted to the mountain landscape.
With a population density of 4 inhabitants/km², the area is very sparsely populated. The individual villages can be reached via narrow, winding roads and cobbled paths, with many stone bridges crossing streams and rivers. For most of the winter, the land is covered in snow and the villages are difficult to reach.
Here we particularly want to discover the beautiful old bridges.
Kapetan Arkouda Bridge
Kokkorou Bridge
Plakidas Bridge
Lazaridi Bridge
Skala Vradetou Bridge
Kapesovo
Kapesovo is one of these typical Zagori mountain villages. It was founded in the 16th century. In the In the 18th and 19th centuries, Kapesovo was known for its painters, known as mpogades, who worked in dozens of churches from Moskopole to Arta.
Kapesovo flourished until 1860, which is reflected in the large mansions with folk murals and the churches with paintings (hagiographies) inside. The church of Aghios Nikolaos, built in 1793, the cultural center and the folklore museum are some of the sights of the village.
Igoumenitsa
We drive comfortably along the old main road no. 6 over hill and dale through a wonderful landscape to Igoumenitsa. We spend another good, quiet night at a small forest church before getting ready for the ship in Igoumenitsa.
We check in late in the afternoon and are informed that our ship is delayed. This suits us, so we don’t have to get on the ship in the middle of the night, but simply get up a little earlier.
