Following on from my previous post, here's what we, as the IHA team, have been up to on our weekends (featuring a pre-adventure lemon porridge brekky).
Thessaloniki (Thess)
Thess is the second largest Greek , here's what we, as the IHA team, have been up to on our weekends (featuring a pre-adventure lemon porridge breakky).te Tower which has been a prison, Air Force department, laboratory, Sea Scout headquarters, and now an exhibition space. In the hills, you can visit the Vlatadon Monastery which has a beautiful church and a family of deer. From there, you should continue walking along the castle wall to get great views of the city.
Thasos
A beautiful island a 1.5 hour drive from Thess. We took the ferry over from Kavala, then hired a cheap car at the port. We camped right on the beach at a gorgeous campsite. As you drive around, you'll find many beaches to swim at, including Giola lagoon where there's a rock you can jump off. Thasos is definitely worth a visit if you have a car.
Sithonia
Halkidiki is the region south of Thess that has three fingers/legs. The 3rd one is home to Mt Athos where this is a monestry and is forbidden that women enter. We drove to the middle one, Sithonia, and went to Kriaritsi beach where we spent the day swimming and lounging on one of the free beach beds at Hawaii Beach Bar. The water water crystal clear and we had an amazing view of Mt Athos. We then drove around to the other side of the peninsula to watch the sunset.
Mt Olympus
Taking a break from the beach, we took a bus to Litochoro, then a €30 taxi to Prioria (although we discovered on the way down that it is easy to hitchhike) where were began our climb up Mt Olympus. It was a 3 hour hike up to Refuge A. Make sure you book in advance as we missed out on beds, but luckily recieved a discounted rate (from €18 to €8) to sleep on the dining room floor. They served us the biggest spag bol dinner I could have wish for. (Interestingly, mules are walked up and down every morning to bring up food and other supplies, you will see them if you walk at 7-8am.) The next morning, we trekked upwards to Skala where the path splits off for the two peaks, Mytikas, the highest, and Skolio, the second highest. The others in my group went left to Skolio, but I went to go right to Mytikas, home of the Gods. Thank goodness I had rented a helmet from the refuge as it was potentially lethal. It's considered a Class 3 Rock Scramble and while I was climbing upwards to an elevation of 2918m with loose rocks, I was back at Skala within 2 hours. I would consider it one of the most difficult hikes I've ever done, but helmet aside, I was in sneakers and a cotton t-shirt, so I wouldn't say you need to be experienced, only fit, just keep an eye out for the red circles marking the way. Overall, the hike was stunning; seeing the sun against the white rock and views of the ocean/Thess, Mt Olympus is well-worth the muscle ache.
Meteroa
Meteora is an amazing place. It's famous for its monasteries built atop mountains. Originally, the monks lived in caves from the year 1050, however, the monasteries became a more secure place to live as they could withdraw the ladders to protect themselves from the Turks during the 18th century. There used to be twenty-four monasteries (seen in the engraving from 1782), but today, only six are operational, four male, and two female. We parked along the windy road then walked up the path to the Great Meteoron Monastery, and the Varlaam Monastery, largest and second-largest, respectively. Considering the sheer size of the monasteries and the number of visitors they attract daily, I was surprised to find out that most of them can only hold up to ten monks/nuns. The largest one, currently has six monks, and Varlaam has eight, the ninth had passed away three months ago at age 76 years. The Great Meteoron Monastery is believed to have been built before the mid-14th century by a monk from Mt Athos. As for the Varlaam Monastery, after it fell into ruins, two monks spent 22 years transporting materials to rebuild it in 1517, and the construction took a mere 20 days!
The entrance fee is €3 per monastery. Make sure to pack clothes that cover the knees and shoulders as they are very strict on modesty.
We also climbed on top of one of the peculiar sandstone/conglomerate pillars to watch the sunset.
Overall, I've been very content with my time in northern Greece; aside from the dodgy drivers, the views are absolutely incredible.
Note:
- If you'd like to learn some Greek before you go, download the Language Transfer app. It's genius .
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