Following the eastern coastline south along the Thermaic Golf, we were in for some real treats: secluded coves, lush vegetation, romantic campspots right by the ocean.
For almost a week, we would start and end our day with a bath in the ocean, often on beaches we had to ourselves.
Most foreign tourists seek the famous islands or the "3 fingers" of the Chalkidiki peninsulas for relaxation at the beaches. We were headed for the Pilion peninsula, little known outside Greece but supposedly quite popular with Greek vacationers. Just getting there ended up being quite an adventure as we decided to leave the main drag (a narrow country road by most US standards) and found the small road we were following dead-ending in a hamlet: suddenly, after coming around a bend, the road turned into a stone-paved footpath and led up some stairs.
After backing out of this cul-de-sac, a friendly elderly Greek gentleman offered his advice in Greek. We were to return 2 kilometers on the same road we came, then turn right, take the second dirt road to the left and keep going to Keramidi. At least that's what we gathered from his gestures and the few Greek fragments we knew (mostly having to do with directions). The route was spectacular - no soul around, fabulous views of the ocean and cozy coves accessible only from the sea, and the path leading through incredibly lush vegetation. Whatever stays put for a long enough time is soon enveloped by nature.
Like everywhere in Greece, once in a while we would pass a small shrine with a candle, several pictures of various saints, and a drink (for the passing wanderer? or for the saints?). An impressive ruin of what looked like an ancient temple turned out to be just a deserted building with reenforced concrete ceilings. Monstrous insects were buzzing around. This was not the kind of Greece pictured on every postcard. This reminded us more of the abundant vegetation of Hawaii!
Near the city of Volos we reached civilization again. Volos has a spectacular location,
and the views from the mountains we had to pass to cross over to the east coast again were phenomenal. Back at sea level, we enjoyed the crystal-clear water and pebble beaches, visited a 2000-year-old oak tree and then ventured on another off-road adventure, inspired by our positive experience further north. Not that this track was challenging, but finding our way around was. Our GPS had long given up on the non-existent roads, our map was just as useless, and the helpful advice of "keeping straight at each intersection" left us helpless at the first T-crossing. Each gravel road we tried out ended up being completely grown over, or dead-ended in a cliff, or looped around to connect with itself again… eventually, with the sun setting, we decided to call it a night and camped in a deserted olive grove. This was probably the least-touristy spot we could have found!
The next morning, with renewed spirits, our luck turned and eventually, we found pavement again, to be led soon after to our dream cove.
With tremendous views of the nearby islands of Skiathos and Skopelos, this bay offered everything we wanted: emerald ocean water, a freshwater pool to wash off the salt, few visitors, and two terrific restaurants tempting us with local fare. As we fell asleep to the sound of gently lapping waves, we realized that we had found paradise.
Unfortunately, even in paradise the clock keeps ticking, and so we had to move on at some point. We still wanted to explore the southern tip of this scenic peninsula! As we continued south, the small strip of land narrowed so that we would switch from views of the eastern to the western side with every bend in the road. Several islands dotted this bay, and the tiny fishing village at the very end of the peninsula (with its own shipwreck in the harbor)
had only one drivable road, barely wide enough to fit our Jeep - we had to maneuver around quite a bit when we hit oncoming traffic! Following the busier west coast up north, we were shocked to get stuck in a traffic jam of Volos inhabitants returning from a Sunday outing - we had not seen this many cars in a while!