XXXpedition Greece

XXXpedition

Explorer
as some of you might have noticed, we have a lot of stuff going on right now.
we are trying to finish the truck before a big show in two weeks.
we have to prep a presentation for the show too.

AND right from the show we will leave for greece...
and of course you will all be able to follow us along again on our website xxxpedition.com and if we can we will also post small updates here.
 

XXXpedition

Explorer
update 090705

Well, we were not able to finish the truck before the show, but other than that it was fine.

So off we are towards Greece:

THE GREECE YOU DON'T KNOW...

We left the Abenteuer & Allrad show and went straight on our trip to Greece. We headed south through Austria to Italy and spent the night in Lazise at Lago di Garda. The next morning we pushed on to Viserba where we visited Magdalena's parents who were vacationing there. Then finally we reached Ancona, a nice port city from where we took the ferry to Igoumenitsa, Greece.
Ancona:
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It was pretty hot until the sun went down - but then we sat aft and watched the spectacular sunset right behind us. The camp-on-board proved to be pretty comfortable and we arrived at our destination in the early morning well rested.
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Our guidebook recommended a beach close by and we had breakfast right there looking back to the port.
And then our actual exploration began:
We headed northwest towards the Albanian border, past the little village of Sagiada and found the perfect cove to relax - after all our last few months had been pretty stressful. So we hung around the cobble beach with beautiful water and even a beach shower. After lunch the sun was getting a bit tough with temperatures of almost 100 degrees. We just came from a cold front in Germany and weren't used to that heat.
So we took a little trip to Sagiada to have a drink.
Sagiada:
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Then drove a loop through the amazing wetlands. We spent more time along another beach before returning to the first one for the night.
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We enjoyed the loneliness of the cove with only the sound of crickets and the waves slapping against the shore.
What a relaxing start into our adventure...
 
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XXXpedition

Explorer
As the beach started to become more populated, we left and started heading inland.
We were ready to explore some of the lesser known areas of Greece. Most everyone is familiar with pictures of sparkling coves dotted with white houses climbing up the cliff, or excavations of ancient sites. What many people don't know is that Greece is 80% mountains, and we were going to explore some of these areas off the beaten path.

What Greece has a lot off: churches - every little village has at least one and even in the middle of nowhere you will often find yourself facing a church when coming around a turn. Many churches belong to monasteries, sometimes no longer in use.
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We started by ascending the first mountain range and then followed a valley. We found a nice place below huge sycamores to stop for lunch. Although we were quite high up in the mountains, temperatures reached 30 degrees C (86 F), and we were glad to find a beautiful river which created inviting pools to take a dip in - the rather cold water reminded us that we were in mountain territory! Then we pushed on to Ioannina, a city picturesquely located alongside a large lake with a fort-like old town, an old mosque (Greece was long occupied by the Turks) and fancy bars and cafes shaded by gigantic trees along the lake. Just about 32 kms (twenty miles) south of here lies Dodona, an ancient site which originally housed the most famous oracle in Greece - people would come here to request answers to everyday questions, and the priests seated below a giant oak tree would read the responses from the leaves' rustling and the movement of the crows living in the oak. Later they also built an amphitheatre which seated 18.000 people. It is just about the same size as the famous theatre in Epidaurus.
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Just north of Ioannina we visited the cave of Perama which claims to have the largest variety of stalactites and stalagmites of all caves - but then every cave we have visited so far claims some sort of record. It was very impressive, although we didn't understand a word of the tour held exclusively in Greek.
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We continued north and pushed up higher into the mountains to visit Vikos Canyon, which has a Guiness Book of Records entry as the deepest canyon in the world BUT this is the depth in relation to the width - not sure how this relation is calculated.... Definitely it is a beautiful place, and just before sunset we had the dramatic lookout point right at the edge all to ourselves! We cherished the views, then turned into an amazing camping spot where we enjoyed a dramatic thunderstorm display before calling it a night.
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Well rested, we made it into the local village of Monodendrion after patiently waiting for our turn in a major traffic jam.
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Monodendrion is one of the "Zagora villages", thus named for this region, which are known for their unique stone architecture. Its main sight is the monastery Agia Paraskevi, perched right at the edge of the canyon and offering unique views. From here, we followed a narrow footpath carved into the mountainside, which locals used to seek shelter from marauding enemies. Halfway along this path, they built a stone wall from which they conveniently shot every unwelcome visitor. Even without this perspective, the walk alone along the steep drop was exciting enough!
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Continuing north, we passed countless bee yards - Greek honey is a world-renowned delicacy. After winding our way up 19 hairpin turns, we were ready for a dip in the amazing natural pools near Megalo Papingo.
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While the first one had attracted a few tourists, we followed the stream upwards and had our own litte waterfall all to ourselves! By now, the usual pattern had established itself: while it was very hot during the majority of the day, thunderstorms started to move in late afternoon, and although it hardly ever rained, it cooled off quite a bit. This was usually welcome, but here in this shady gorge, it made swimming in the fairly cool water rather uncomfortable. After enjoying this tranquil spot for a few hours, we continued along the winding mountain road for another hour and set up camp alongside a rushing river - we will be hard pressed to name our favorite campsite after this trip, competition is fierce!

The next day was overcast which made for a perfect day of cruising through the most mountainous part of this section - we even reached 1775 meters (5800 feet) and passed an extensive skiing resort! Our goal for this day: the famous Meteora monasteries!
 

Corey

OverCamping Specialist
Beautiful pictures, thank you for sharing.
When I retire I plan on doing some traveling, and these reports of lands abroad are an inspiration to me.
 

XXXpedition

Explorer
thanks for the compliments!
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to be honest, i didn't expect much regarding cool rigs in greece, but we did run across some interesting stuff (even though not all is 4x4...)
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mercedes??? it was actually a mobile tablesaw :) it had a huge band saw mounted to the back.
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more on our website... (also a couple of austrian military trucks - fire engine and troop carrier)
 

XXXpedition

Explorer
meteora monasteries

It was mid-afternoon when we rolled into Kalambaka, a small town at the foot of impressive rock pillars sticking up like fingers into the air. These rock formations were, according to prevailing scientific opinion, created when water carved its way through the surrounding softer ground about 60 million years ago.
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The scenery by itself would be well worth the visit, but what makes this area so special is that several monasteries are perched atop these pylons like crow's nests.
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Although no definite dates are known, it seems that as early as the 11th century, monks would retreat to this amazing area to meditate and pray. Initially, over 20 monasteries were built but today, only 6 are still inhabited and open to visitors.

Our first stop was the oldest monastery of Agios Stéfanos, the only monastery currently inhabited by nuns. We crossed the gap comfortably on a fairly wide bridge. How much different it must have been back when visitors were not that welcome, and monks had to be hauled up in ropes and nets!
(if you look closely you see a net hanging from the roof of the tower and a door on the bottom. the door was not there in the early days and people were pulled up in the net - 120 feet up)
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That would truly have been an uplifting experience! Like all other monasteries, Agios Stéfanos enforces a strict dress code, requesting long skirts (no pants) for ladies, and no bare knees or shoulders for either guys or gals. For those who missed this important piece of information, shirts and wrap-around skirts are provided at the entrance.

The monasteries are fairly small which does not come as a surprise given their foundation. What makes them a memorable place is the view! It is easy to see why the inhabitants feel closer to god in this environment.

We continued on to Metamórphosis, the largest monastery, just in time for official closure. This particular monastery once slept over 100 monks, but only about 10 permanent residents remain today. Many monks have left for Mount Athos, where visitors are severely restricted, as this place has become too touristy for them.

As the last tourist busses rolled down the hill, we sat on our own little promontory, taking in the scene under the setting sun. It was very peaceful until suddenly, bells and wooden calling boards sounded from all six monasteries, calling the monks and nuns to dinner and/or prayer. It was a truly magical moment. We stayed long to enjoy this absolute peace and tranquility.
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BIGdaddy

Expedition Leader
been reading and gawking at pics on my breaks at work, Sven.

what a great trip. My wife wants to go to Greece somethin' fierce. I'm sure this thread will just cement that trip onto her bucket list.
 

bobDog

Expedition Leader
Nice trip Sven' how much longer? Well I must say that if the rocks w/ monks on top were anywhere in the USA there would have been a Starbucks and a Hilton right at the base...hell Starbucks (selling monk made cookies) would have been on top a rock too. Maybe a Famous Jake's Monastery Burgers 'Every Burger Blessed' shop close by. :coffeedrink: Maybe you'll run into a set of tires this trip. :)
 

XXXpedition

Explorer
thanks, yes, it is a fabulous place and hardly any tourists where we were...
signs only in greek :)))
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Leaving the spiritual place of the Meteora Monasteries behind, we pointed our Jeep eastward. Following some winding minor country roads through rolling hills, we passed several dilapidated farmhouses. Every once in a while, we were fiercely attacked by watchful sheepdogs who came so close to the moving vehicle that we were afraid to run them over. Soon the road turned into gravel, albeit still in good shape. We kept following our map and the general direction of east until reaching an intersection where the trail split into two, both arms running almost parallel straight ahead of us.
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Which was our turn-off? We decided to stick closer to the river.
The sides of the road were lined with gigantic thistles and vegetation got thicker. Turning around a bend, we discovered two turtles, one animatedly in pursuit of the other, obviously inspired by the spring air…. After watching them for a while, we continued on until suddenly, we were on pavement again. Soon after, we stopped to ask a local farmer for a direct route to our next destination: the excavation site of Dion. He pointed in a direction and explained in rushing Greek, and we followed what we had understood as "continue along this unpaved trail, at each fork stay straight." It started to rain, and all of a sudden we found ourselves in lush, rainforest-like vegetation, crossing several smaller creeks and puddles. The trail split up continuously, and it wasn't always easy to define "straight" but we enjoyed this small adventure tremendously.
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Just as sudden as this wilderness had enclosed on us, we passed out of it again and reached a tiny village together with a major thunderstorm accompanied by a downpour so intense that we had to stop. We decided that this was a good time for a coffee break and were warmly received at the local bar where the owner made room for us on the only dry table on the patio to serve us the best "café ellinikó" we had tasted so far. When the sun was out again, we continued to the ancient site of Dion at the foot of Mount Olympus.
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Dion was once an important site to honor Zeus. Its first mention in historical records is of 424 BC! Alexander the Great celebrated his victories here. The excavation site is huge and includes an entire city, several temples, an amphitheatre and several supporting structures. Interestingly, although it was first identified as an important archeological site in the early 19th century, formal exploration didn't start until the 1940ies. As the site was long covered by a swamp, it was very well preserved.
We spent several hours walking through the impressive display. Some of the marble floors were well preserved.
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We could imagine how people lived and celebrated here. It was mindboggling to move around in this area with remains of structures way more than 2,000 years old!
Tired out from much history, walking and post-thunderstorm mugginess, we pulled up on a long sandy beach for the night. We had reached the east coast! We drove through the soft sand to a private little spot and nobody disturbed us for the evening or the following day as we relaxed and walked on this beautiful beach.
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The only visitors were several bright blue jellyfish, which, as we did not know their exact level of toxicity, spoiled our bathing pleasure. Time to move further south. We were ready for some serious beach and ocean fun!
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XXXpedition

Explorer
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.
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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.
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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.
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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,
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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.
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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)
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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!
 

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