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Pelion tour
Delphi, Meteora, Volos,
Tour of Pelion
Day
1:
Starting
from Athens in the morning
,drive through the fertile plain of Beotia, crossing the town
of
Thebes
connected with the tragedy of king Oedipus. Proceed
to
Levadia, a lively town, an important junction in the road network
and an industrial centre, the textile mills treat the cotton
grown in the Copais valley.
The upper town is graced by white
houses with jutting wooden balconies dating from 18c. We'll
stop for a drink by the beautiful river Krya. Over the
spot where the water springs out, lies the Municipal Cafe "XENIA". During the ancient times, Krya is said to be the
location of the Oracle of Trofonios Zeus which included the
springs of Mnemosyne
(Remembrance) and the spring of
Lethe (oblivion). The
oracle was used as a stage before visiting the oracle of Delphi
and as such, through the times, it acquired great power and
riches.
Overnight
in Delphi or Arachova (Hotel with a swimming pool ) one of the most traditional villages in Greece.
A winter resort for skiers, built on the south slopes
of Parnassus (940m/3084ft). The main narrow street winds
its way between taverns and workshops. In the taverns one can
savour a dish of soft fried cheese (formaela)
The workshops sell shoulder bags, carpets and long haired rugs (flokati)
in bright colours.
Day 2 Delphi, visit Castalia Spring and the Sanctuary of
Athena Pronaea.
Depart for
Meteora from the east side of Mount Parnassus, through Heracles'
road - this is a superb mountain road running between Bralos and
Iraklia (21km/13mi about 1 hr) with an impressive landscape and
extensive views. The road descends into Lamia,
passing through typical towns and
numerous picturesque mountain villages of Central Greece we'll
arrive in Meteora.
Visit
Meteora,
North of Kalambaka in the northwest corner of the Thessaly plain
a group of fantastic grey rocks rises up out of the trees in the
Pinions Valley. Perched on the top of these huge and precipitous
columns of rock, (there are some 60 of these columns of rock, a
favorite haunt for climbers) are the famous coenobitic monasteries known as
the Meteora which means "in the air" where you can see
exquisite specimens of Byzantine Art. Of the 24
monasteries that grew up between the 13th and
16th centuries only six are still inhabited: The
Great Meteoron,
Agia Triada, Agios Nikolaos
and
Varlaam by monks:
Agios
Stephanos and
Roussanou by nuns.
Day 3 Leave before noon for Volos and Pelion. Tour of Pelion. Anakassia,
in the village, which lies to the left of the road, is the
Theophilos Museum. The museum is installed in the "house of
Kondos", a beautiful building decorated with frescoes by the
great primitive painter, Theophilos (1873-1934), a native of
Lesbos who spent part of his life in Volos. The road continuous
to climb towards Portaria with a view over Volos Bay.
Portaria, 650m/2133ft. A pleasant resort in summer, cool
and fresh, with a view up to Makrinitsa and down over Volos Bay,
beautiful village square with superb plane trees (cafes,
restaurants) and characteristic houses. From Portaria will take
the road (panoramic view) to Makrinitsa (overnight).
Makrinitsa
700m/1297ft. The village occupies a magnificent site on a
verdant slope facing Volos Bay, it is pleasant to stroll through
the steep and narrow streets among the splendid old houses, some
of them are quite large and have been well preserved and
restored. The main square (platia) is especially
attractive with its fountain and its plane trees.
Day 4 Return to Portaria and continue to climb. Agriolefkes (Hania
Pass) 1200m/3937ft. Winter sports resort (ski lift), set
in beech and chestnut woods, there is a road from here to the
summit of Mount Pelion. The road descends towards the Aegean
through beech and chestnut woods before reaching the level of
the orchards 13km/8mi from the pass bear left to Zagora
(overnight in traditional mansion Zagora, this was an important centre of Greek
culture under the Turks when the Pelion region enjoyed a certain
autonomy. Zagora is a little town of houses set in orchards and
gardens watered by many fountains. It was also a centre for
hand-woven cloth which was exported by boat from the port at Horefto. From Zagora a side road plunges downhill to Horefto,
a fishing village with a long beach of fine sand.
Day 5 Return towards Hania Pass, take the narrow but picturesque road
to Tsagarada (overnight)after visiting Agios Ioannis
(very white beach at the foot of green hills).
Tsagarada
500m/640ft. Peaceful resort where the houses are dispersed among
the trees, the village boasts one of the oldest and largest
plane trees (15m/49ft circumference) in Greece. Nearby is
Milopotamos which has two beaches flanked by rocks.
Day 6
Continue for Millies and Vizitsa with many typical
old mansions (overnight). Millies, this is a
pleasant resort, which was a centre for Greek culture under the
Turks and possesses a history library containing some rare
volumes. The road back to Volos follows the line of the famous
Pelion railway along the shore of the bay.
Day 7
Return to Athens via
Thermopile (where in 480 B.C. a battle between the
ancient Greeks and Persians took place - visit Leonida's Monument)
and Kammena Vourla (last stop for coffee break
or lunch
by the sea). Arrive in Athens in
the evening.
All the
information & photos on this website is updated
continuously. I myself visit all sites at least once the
month.
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DEPARTURE |
PRICE |
HIGHLIGHTS |
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Daily:
All year round. However high periods such as Christmas,
New Years Day, Easter and the middle of August are
extremely busy and are best avoided.
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