Ηigher

To celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of schools, a friend and I left the sea for a day and went up the mountains last Friday.

The Corinthian Gulf. Sterea Ellada is on the background. If only I could fly!

 We drove for a few hours and headed for Kalavryta for coffee and Planitero (a forest of platanus trees and a river that runs it),  which is my favourite place, for lunch.

Planitero is a forest where fairies live, I'm sure!

Ever wondered how a river is born?
In this case little water comes out of the ground and in just a few meters it turns into a river!
It sounds strange, but it's true!
I'm always in awe whenever I see it!

See what I mean? Isn't it impressive?

The scenery was so diverse that we had to make several stops to take photos despite the heat. There were bare rocky mountains, but also rivers, fir trees and summer flowers; small villages, almost deserted and Kalavryta filled with people on vacation. 

Mega Spilaion Monastery carved on the rocky mountains

Who used to live here? I wonder...

What stroke me most though was the contrast of the golden dry grass against the silver of the olive tree leaves.

If you put all these things along with some great music on the car's cd player and some great food by the river, then you have a special outing!

Our last stop was Agridi at 680 m.

Agridi lies  among the chestnut trees!

Goodbye

At the beginning of the summer I had hoped that I could manage to go on a short trip with a friend or two, maybe a short vacation to an island in Cyclades, but as time went by I saw that I couldn't afford a vacation. So, I had two options, either to be miserable and spend the summer as usual, repeating the same old routine, or make the most of the situation. I decided on the second.
So, I exploited every opportunity that came by: I went out a lot, even with people I hardly knew, I explored the nearby mountains and the sea, I spend nearly a month at my parents' seaside village to compensate for the unaffordable vacation, I went to a theatrical play and a music concert, I visited Delphi under the moonlight, I had a few lovely nights at the open air cinemas, spent time with my family and friends, crafted and took part in an exhibition,  and of course I swam a loooot! It turned out to be a full, lovely summer, can't complain at all. Mostly I'm happy, because I had such memorable times simply due to the change of mind of mine.

Pizza Margarita at the beach! I got stung by a bee because of it, but I forgot totally about the pain the moment I had a bite!

Homemade lemonade and fresh fruit after the swim

Today, the last day of my holidays was spent with my cousin by the seaside with good chatting and good food and a nice film to celebrate the end of the season of the open air cinema. The film was Monsieur Lazard and it kind of prepared me for tomorrow, as it referred to school.  

Tomorrow will be the first day at school. The pupils won't be in until the 11th. I can't say that I had ever been eager going back to work, but now, thinking about the unemployment in Greece, makes me really grateful that I have a job to go back to. 
So, for all these reasons, I can definitely say with content goodbye summer, hello fall!
And a happy week to you all!

Pilgrimage

Delphi under the full moon.

 

 

Apollo's Temple under the moonlight

 Walking barefoot the Sacred Way.

Shhhh…

PS. All archaeological sites are open to the public one night every year: on August's full moon. As Delphi is a major one and an hour drive from my parents', I just had to be there.

Breakfast

In August my favourite breakfast is figs.

 Freshly cut straight from the tree…

A stairway to heaven!

Sweet and savoury!

 What about you?

Fresh

I know that my postings have been revolving around the sea, but I can’t help it! I spend most of the day at the beach, even now that I’m visiting my parents, and I still can’t get enough! I just hope you are not bored, yet! 

The first outing with my mum was a swim at a nearby beach, which from above reminded me of the beaches I saw during my last visit to Mani (an area on the south of the Peloponnese) . The area is mountainous, so the waters are green as the plants are reflected in them and there is a lot to explore where the mountains meet the sea. 

So, we put on our goggles and ended up with some delicious findings in our bags: fresh urchins! We sat on the rocks under the sun and had the most delish seafood meal! Their subtle flavor stayed in our mouths for hours. 

What about you?

 Do you pick sea treasures to eat on the spot? 

Have you ever tasted urchins?

PS. As I don't have internet access (I'm posting at a cafe) here at the village, I'm afraid that I won't be able to keep a good track of your postings, as I can only spend a specific amount of time here. I promise that I'll do my best to pop in now and then to catch up with you and leave a comment, though.

Floating

When you're a child, it doesn't take much to make a day special...

Emptying...

...thoughts...

...and worries...

...on the pebbles.

Ηawaii?

Not. 

My beach. 

Today.

 Perfect!