Wednesday, 11 February 2015

Greek To Me....

Back to warmer climes for a while, with a bit more about my holiday in Greece last Autumn.

The island of Evia is a walkers’ paradise, little known outside of Greece. Old stone paths connect quaint villages tucked away on the slopes of the mountains.  There are ancient ruins, old Roman marble quarries, tiny little hill top churches and beautiful, deserted beaches to be explored. After a hard day of hiking, it was back to our hotel in Karystos, where traditional tavernas along the harbour front vied for our custom, serving up delicious salads, fresh fish and moussaka.

We hiked below the peaks of Mount Ochi to Castello Rosso, a Fort of the 4th Crusade....

Castello Rosso seen from the aqueduct


View on the way up


Castello Rosso - read more about it here


View from Castello Rosso 


Little church





We climbed Mt Kliosi, to the ruins of the ancient Acropolis of Styra...

The evergreen valley of Styra











The ancient gate of Armenians' Castle - read more about it here


Top of the hill of St Nicolas


St Nicolas Church


View on the descent


We hiked higher up on the slopes of Mt Ochi, one of the sacred mountains in Greek mythology, where Olympic Zeus supposedly wedded goddess Hera.


View of the Mediterranean from Mount Ochi





Marble columns - abandoned at the end of the Roman Empire



Karystos harbour at sunset



Karystos harbour - twinkling lights of tavernas at twilight (say that three times fast!)

6 comments:

  1. Hello! Thank you for the lovely comment on my blog.
    We have never been to Greece but it's on the 'list' for one day!
    Those views and blue sky's just what we need on a grey February day in the UK.
    Xxx

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  2. Oh, my Nat!!! How wonderful it feels to visit you again! And this time, you take me along to GREECE!!! definitely on my list of places I want to visit - that picture of St Nicholas Church is so lovely - what a wonderful find along your hike. Hope February is bringing you lots of adventures and fun, my friend. Hugs to you!!!

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  3. Gah! I adore Greece although its been a few years since i last visited. You've made me want to start trawling the internet for cheap flight. xxx

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  4. Some day! The husband and I are tossing around a Mediterranean cruise - Greece being one of the ports. Your pictures are so lovely!

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  5. Okay, I love history. This area is chock full of it.
    There are no buildings, standing or ruined, that are 1000 years old, in my country. I would love to see these places.
    Fantastic post and amazing photos Nat.

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