A travel to the Classical Greece and Meteora in winter

Greece 2010-2011
Short Itinerary: Patras, Olympia, Napflio, Epidaurus, Mycenae, Corinth, Athens, Delphi, Kastraki (Meteora), Ioannina, Igoumenitsa.
Country: GREECE (GR)

Number of days (to and from Rome): 12

Fascinating journey by car from Italy to the discovery of classical Greece and Meteora in winter.
Total 2603 km route from Rome (Greece 1758).
The quality of the roads in Greece is not particularly good. If you exclude any highway in the vicinity of large cities (especially Athens), most of the routes takes place on roads, some of which climb the dense mountains of the interior. Often deserted streets, never busy, with the exception of the road network of Athens. Basically our Tom Tom maps of Greece!

Greece is fairly inexpensive, this season, especially with regard to restaurants and hotels (this is obviously a period of low season). Less cheap, in proportion, bars and clubs in general. In many places and in many hotels in Greece is available wi-fi.

Guides used: Lonely Planet Travel Guides for good, for its restaurants and clubs, for the less tourist routes because it is now in its tenth edition and translation of the original Italian into English and Touring Club of June 2010, excellent but for visits to sites and museums. The schedule of sites and museums are often wrong on both rails. Almost all sites and museums in this period closed at 15.00.

Do not trust the hours of archaeological sites and museums on the tracks. During the winter most of the sites close to 15.00
The hotels we have booked from Italy via the Internet. The best: The Athens Gate Hotel in Athens, well decorated (renovated in 2007), clean, great breakfast in the Roof Garden with Acropolis views. Also excellent is the Best Western Europa in Olympia.

What we would do, being able to go back?
Definitely do not get on the site of Epidaurus to find it closed now (grr ...), maybe instead of sleeping in Kalambaka Kastraki, certainly did not for an entire day at the Archaeological Museum of Athens, and perhaps not use the Endeavor Lines as company for the return .
Although the itineraries of tour operators rarely go beyond the seven-day program, having had time we would definitely spend at least two weeks to travel to enjoy a little more slowly than the face 'of the Greek mainland less touristy season.

 

Day 1 - December 27: Rome - Bari (456 km - 4h30)

We decide to leave Dec. 27 to arrive by car from Rome to Bari to Patras in the evening and embark. The company selected is the first leg, Superfast ship discreet, the small but comfortable cabin.
We arrive at the pier to depart at 18.00 to 20.00. Despite the heavy sea we can sleep all night.

Day 2 - December 28: Patras - Olympia (130 km - 2h15 ')

We landed at 13.00 in Patras. We set up our Tom Tom's address and begin the great adventure Olympia Greek. The choice is not the coastal road, but a pretty deserted rural road inland, interrupted, occasionally, from villages of old houses are often not finished and left to block. We decide to make a stop at an interior of a small town, where a group of local men drank ouzo. We ask two coffees and we realize now that their two means two coffee milkshakes. We smoke a cigarette, surprised that in almost all the local Greek you can smoke and chat with the group of men sitting at the table who insist to offer us a drink. Thank surprised and get on the path to Olympia. We come to the Best Western Europa Hotel **** (1 Drouvas - Ancient Olympia - Tel: +30-26240-23850), a great hotel with spacious rooms, clean and a good breakfast. The hotel is located close enough to the site of Olympia, but it is better to have the car. We decide to take a walk to Olympia and after a few minutes we realize that it is almost the only tourists in town. A few shops and a few places open. After a stop in a room back at the hotel to rest a while '. It is not easy to choose the restaurant for dinner since it is a low season, but we are lucky and manage to have dinner in a lovely Taverna recommended by the Lonely: Thea (Floki - phone 2624023264), not far from the hotel. With a great Greek dinner and the first in a long series of ouzo with ice conclude this first full day Greek.

Day 3 - December 29: Olympia - Nafplio (174 km - 3:15 a.m. ')

Great breakfast at the hotel 10.00 am appointment with the guidance that we had booked from Italy (Cleopatra - tel: 0030 693 7317110) to visit the archaeological site of Olympia, where we dive for two hours in the atmosphere of the Olympic Games of ancient Greece . There pleasantly strikes the presence of a few tourists at the site.
We leave the hotel and depart for Nafplion, Argolis the perfect base for exploring. The 174 km that separate the two cities are walks in more than 3 hours, since these are the streets of high hills and mountains. We get to retirement Marianna, located in the upper part of the city (9 Potamianou Str - Tel +30 2752 024 256), very pretty with a great view of the gulf of Argolis and Napflio. The owner very friendly and helpful. Recommended especially in the summer for many terraces with views and tables. We go down to take a walk through the alleys, mostly pedestrian, the romantic city full of life that takes place in the period saw numerous bars and cafes. We dine in the restaurant in the center Alaloum, very touristy, not advice.

Day 4 - December 30: - Nafplion - Mycenae (19.8 km - 30 ') - Corinth (39 km - 40') Epidaurus

Good breakfast in the hotel and departure to visit the site of Mycenae. We stop along the road from one of the many fruit vendors and buy 5 kg of mandarins who will accompany us throughout the journey to Rome. We reach the ancient Mycenae, stopping at the majestic tomb of Agamemnon, also called Treasury of Atreus. After visiting the museum, through the imposing Lion Gate, we come to the citadel of Mycenae and visit the Palace of Agamemnon, the tank and the tombs, including that of Aegisthus and Clytemnestra to. In the morning we continue the journey to the Ancient Corinth, with a visit to the ruins which are located in the center of the modern city. We capture the attention of the Temple of Apollo, a Doric building at the foot of which lies the vast agora.
In the afternoon we drive to Epidaurus, where we arrive around 15.30 Noting with deep regret, to say the least, that the times of the site on the guides are wrong. The site closes at 15.00 and not at all informed as 17 and two guides. Dall'inconveniente Annoyed, we decided to return to Nafplio and console ourselves with an aperitif on the terrace of our hotel, among other things, kindly offered by the owner. Dinner at a decent restaurant in Nafplio (To Koutouki - Olgas 44), where we eat grilled meat and a good mousaka the sound of the typical Greek kithara.

Day 5 - December 31: - Nafplio - Epidavros (36km - 50 ') Corinth (58 km - 1h) - Athens (82 km - 1h)

Breakfast and departure to Epidaurus with a stop at the supermarket to buy champagne to toast the new year and Vassilopita, the typical greek dessert that is eaten on the evening of New Year. Visit the wonderful Theatre of Epidaurus, one of the best preserved classical structures in Greece, famous for its remarkable acoustics. We continue our visit to the site, with the exception of the Temple of Asclepius that during our visit had been covered with earth by archaeologists.
Leave for Corinth, with inevitable and somewhat 'disappointing stop on the channel and continue to Athens, visited the New Year's Eve. The hotel chosen for Athens is the Athens Gate Hotel **** (10, Syngrou Avenue, Koukaki - Tel 210 9238302), in a wonderful location under the Acropolis, which has a magnificent view from the Roof Garden in where breakfast is served. The hotel is very nice, the rooms clean and well furnished. We go out for a walk at the foot of the Acropolis and to make sure the entrance to the site hours (all day until 15.00) and the New Acropolis Museum (open daily till 20.00 - Monday closed) .
We decide to eat at a restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet, in the Plaka district and go to celebrate midnight at Syntagma where there will be a concert and fireworks. The restaurant is the Mono (Paleologou Venizelou 4 - tel 2103226711), near the Cathedral. Contrary to the directions of the instructor who described a refined Greek cuisine, we find a typical Spanish menu. Dinner is still good. Around 23 we leave the room and walk the streets of the Plaka, and crowded with people, which lead us to Syntagma, the large square with the former Royal Palace, current seat of Parliament, where we also see the changing of the guard.
The concert we were waiting in truth is played by the band delivered on the steps of the square. The clock in the square indicates the 23:40 when in fact it is 23.50. When they start shooting the fireworks, we understand that it is midnight. Very sober New Year's Eve. In the square there are no Greeks, only immigrants, mostly men, and some tourists like us who has not yet made the move of the decade. A little 'disappointed, the square is empty and we head for the streets of the Plaka, which lead us to the hotel, where we expect the champagne, and midnight Vassipolita the Italian TV with satellite.

Day 6 - January 1: Athens

Wake up late and breakfast in front of the splendid view of the Acropolis. The sky is covered, even if it does not rain. We decide to rest a little 'in the hotel and explore the city to postpone the early afternoon. The city still seems sleepy, archaeological sites and museums are all closed. We decide to do the walk for the city recommended by the Lonely Planet which will prove to be not without surprises. Let's start by the Temple of Zeus, but we see only from outside, since it is closed, next to the Arch of Hadrian, who stands on the wide Leoforos Vasilissis Amalias. Continuing the Plaka, we are faced with the ruins of a Roman monument in the courtyard outside the Church of Agia Ekaterini, eleventh-twelfth century. Proceed to the Monument of Lysicrates choregos of 334 BC. A stairway leads us then to the Acropolis along to the Church of St. George of the Rock, which marks the entrance to the picturesque district of Anafiotika, a village of whitewashed houses that belonged to immigrants coming from the Cycladic island of Anafi. Continuing along the narrow path that winds through the houses, we pass the ancient University of Athens until you find a long stairway that leads us to the small Klepsidra Cafe. There we stop for a coffee in an atmosphere reminiscent of the Greek islands. A tour not to be missed.
We continue the walk to the ruins of the Agora Romana. From there we visit the Turkish Baths, the door of the seminary and the Muslim Mosque Fethiye. Agora pass by the Library of Hadrian and we are in Plateia Monastirakiou, where the flea market. We continue the walk to the Cathedral of Athens, in inaccessible because of the renovations. Next to it, however, lies the smaller but much more impressive Church of Agios Eleftherios, the twelfth century.
Dinner in a typical Greek Tavern, also recommended by the Lonely, Palia Taberna tou Psara (Erehtheos 16 - tel 2103218734). Good dinner ouzo with the inevitable end.

Day 7 - January 2: Athens

Wake up early. Today rain is expected to reconcile with the visit to the Acropolis. 9.30 to enter the Acropolis (the first Sunday of each month free admission!) Below the water. After entering the massive Propylaea stand above us in all their glory. We expect to meet and overcome the Temple of Athena Kike, but was dismantled, it appears for the third time in his long life. Impossible not to be charmed by the beauty of the Parthenon that we face! And 'the temple dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the largest ever built in the country and the only one made ??entirely of marble Pentelic. Finally the shrine, which is the Erechtheion, dedicated to the worship of Athena, Poseidon and Erichthonius (mythical king of Athens). The characteristic that makes him recognizable are the six female figures are larger than the actual supporting the southern portico, the Caryatids, (women from Karyai in Laconia). Copies replace the originals preserved in the new Acropolis Museum. Leaving the site, for shelter from the rain, we head to the new Acropolis Museum, which opened in 2009, ten times larger than the previous one, which houses the treasures of the Acropolis, including the first specimens kept in museums or in other stores, as well to pieces returned from foreign museums.
Let's go back to the hotel, we rest a bit 'and then we decide to explore the neighborhood Tissa, but this time using the metro stop which is a short walk away. Let's take a walk around the neighborhood, much less touristy Plaka, Acropolis overlooking a living room, full of cafes and bars frequented by the Athenians. We enter a room, we discover to be in Argentina, to take a drink. The dinner at one of the best restaurants we tried in Greece, always Tissa (Filistron - Apostolou Pavlou 23).

Day 8 - January 3: Athens - Delphi (182 km - 2h30) - Athens (182 km - 2h30)

Despite having booked the hotel in Delphi for the next night, we decide to make the trip to Delphi in the day, to avoid the snow is expected in Delphi (570 meters above sea level) to stay one more night in Athens.
The trip turns out to be shorter than anticipated and the warmer temperatures. When we get stops fortunately also raining, so we can enjoy this beautiful site perched on the edge of a cliff. Even here the presence of a few tourists make the atmosphere even more special. Having more time available this time we decide to visit the museum, not to be missed, where we can admire the magnificent sphinx of Naxos, the frieze of the treasury of Siphnians, the "twin of Argus" of the sixth century BC, the high column Acanto with the Dancers and the famous Charioteer of Delphi.
Let's go back to the hotel a little 'sorry to have to leave Athens the next day. We decide to celebrate the last evening with a dinner at a restaurant recommended by Lonely is that by the Touring Club, without a doubt the best place we ate (Tzitzikas & Mermingas - Mitropoleos 12-14 - 2103247607).
If you decide to sleep in the area we recommend the charming village of Arachova, near Delphi, to 970 m above sea level, has very beautiful views of the Greek mountains.

Day 9 - January 4: Athens - Kastraki (354 km - 4h30 ')

Before leaving Athens, after the usual breakfast view of the Parthenon, we grant even a walk to the Plaka, with a little 'shopping in the pedestrian mall (Ermou street) and for the first time we can see on a weekday.
We arrive in Kastraki (village of Kalambaka) in the late afternoon. We settle in the hotel (Doupiani House - Kastraki Meteora - Kalambaka - Tel 0030 24 320 75 326 24 320 77 555 &) located at the foot of Meteora. The hotel is nice, the room also, the bathroom a little 'less. The owners are pretty stingy with information, contrary to what was announced in the Lonely Planet guide. We leave early to enjoy the breathtaking views. It seems to be a science fiction movie. The area of Meteora (Meteora means "suspended in the air"), full of monasteries perched on pinnacles of smooth rock, is a plunge into the most deep rooted tradition of Eastern Orthodoxy. Kastraki is a very quiet small village close to the cliffs and 2 km from Kalambaka. Does not offer much for the evening, if an exception is made for a tavern and a couple of rooms and it is certainly fascinating. We decided then to keep the same in Kastraki, where we choose a Tavern awarded for the use of traditional ingredients, we eat great and still mousaka grilled meat. The evening concludes with the obligatory ouzo, sipped at a jazz bar, warmed by fireplaces, cozy and very unexpectedly busy (ABG Cafe - 2432075627) Kastraki. If you pass, stop for a moment.

Day 10 - January 5: Kastraki - Meteora - Kalambaka

The day is dedicated to the visit of the monasteries. It is not easy to find the opening hours because they are not always respected. Each monastery is an autonomous entity and respects its precise times. In principle, all are open in the morning (but not every day). The afternoon schedule varies, but it never lasts beyond 17:00. To women without a long skirt, is provided at the entrance of the monasteries this garment to be put on any pants.
Let's start with the Monastery of Saint Nikolaou Anapafsa (tel 2432022375), the first cliff you come up from Kastraki that leaves no doubt an indelible impression. Situated on a narrow rocky outcrop, which is accessed by a long staircase, spread vertically, with the church and the refectory on the first floor, dominated by the monastic cells on the upper floor (Winter hours: Closed, it was actually open - Summer hours: 9:00 - 18:00).
We continue the route to the Monastery of Rossanou (tel 2432022649) which is accessed via a wooden bridge. The monastery church is a beautiful Byzantine-style building with a dome rather high. Both the main body of the hall are decorated with remarkable frescoes, most beautifully preserved, despite being older than four centuries. The monastery now houses 15 nuns. (Hours 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:30 to 18:00, except Wednesday - closed).
From Monastery to the convent Rossanou Varlaam (tel 2432022277), easily reachable in less than 200 steps, which date back to the twenties of the twentieth century. Large and well maintained, has a small museum, a basket of the original string (method to hoist supplies to the monks) and the late Byzantine frescoes beautiful. (Winter hours: 9:00 to 13:00 and 15: 00 - 17:00 - Summer hours: 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:30 - 18:00).
In the afternoon we visit the Monastery of Santo Stefano (2432022279), in the southern part of the Meteors. The rock on which it stands is connected to the opposite side of the hill with a bridge length 8 m, which once was mobile. Really fascinating little church of Santo Stefano, decorated with frescoes. The monastery is complete with guest house, the courtyard, the monks' cells and the refectory. (Winter hours: 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 17:00 - Summer hours: 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:30 - 18:00). The Monastery of the Great Meteora is closed, so we return visit the next morning.
We spend the afternoon at the hotel to rest and decide to spend our last night in Kalambaka Greece, which despite being a small town almost entirely modern, having been razed by the Nazis in World War II, she is pretty and full of life. We have dinner in the Taberna Panellion (2432024735), which is located on the main square. Traditional Greek dinner, made mostly of meat on the grill. We end the evening in front of a dismal holiday at the end of ouzo.

Day 11 - January 6: Kalambaka - Ioannina - Igoumenitsa (219 km - 2:51 a.m. ')

After breakfast, depart for a visit to the Great Meteora Monastery (tel. 2432022279), awestruck, located on the highest rock complex of Meteora (613 m). A series of dark corridors and small steps carved into the rock leading to the ancient tower with a winch, the oven and some cells. But the thing that strikes you most is the beautiful church inside the complex, from the end of '300 and it's all painted. (Winter hours: 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 17:00; Summer hours: 9:00 to 13:00 and 15: 30 - 18:00).
Let's go back to the hotel and we prepare for the departure. Next stop: Ioannina. We arrive at your destination in about an hour and dive on the last day, even in a world so different just a few kilometers, about 50, from the border with Albania. The vibrant, described by the guides, due to the presence of the university, has been perceived by many young people who are on the streets and clubs. The restaurant we chose for lunch (Mystagogia - 2651034571) is mostly frequented by college students. It 'very nice, spread over three floors with a large covered terrace and live music. Good and, unfortunately, plentiful dishes served.
After lunch we head toward the fortified citadel dominated between 1788 and 1821 by the controversial figure of Ali Pasha. We stroll through the streets and climb the ancient Mosque. Beautiful views of the lake, the minarets and the island of Nissi.
A coffee bar with one of the great elegant verandas that overlook the lake and then off again to Igoumenitsa, where we board the ferry from Endeavor Lines, quite below the standards (we slept without heat because it does not work, despite the fact we present ).

Day 12 - January 7: Igoumenitsa - Brindisi - Rome (569 km - 5:51 a.m. ')

For the return, the company has chosen Endeavor Lines, cheaper but pretty mediocre, so we slept without heating not working, despite the fact we present.
We landed in Brindisi an hour early and go to Rome.