So we drove to the seaside village of Mezzapos, found somewhere amongst the narrow streets where we figured Max would be safe, and set off to do some exploring.
Because we got up at 6:30am, we managed to get on the road by 9:30am!
Scenery along the way.
Leaving the bay where we had been parked Wednesday night.
Arrived at Mezzapos.
Beautiful day!
We came across this little chapel, and the door was unlocked.
Inside.
There were no lights, and this was taken with flash.
Pretty wildflowers.
Little cove at Mezzapos.
Not many people seem to actually live in these little villages. We think they are mostly summer places, and rental properties with some boutique hotels thrown in, which are mostly closed up at this time of year.
We originally thought about hiking out to the end of that peninsula that looks like an island.
Looking back at the village.
We came across this old chapel.
Inside.
They like to build walls.
There are walls everywhere.
We are headed up there!
We could have actually driven there.
But then, we wouldn't have got any exercise and fresh air!
View looking back at Mezzapos.
Ruth.
It was only about another 1.5 kms to the end of that peninsula, but the only route was downhill and then we would have had to climb all the way back up to this viewpoint again to return to Max. It was already close to noon, so we decided to head back to Max from there. We still did an 8 km (5 mile) hike roundtrip, so not bad.
Sea cave far off in the distance.
Tower houses.
This is an historical type of housing in the area. Many of them date back to medieval times, but the recent craze is to buy one and restore it. In fact, even some new construction replicates this building style. You can buy your own fixer upper tower home (in livable condition, but needing constant repair and maintenance) for about €75,000 ($108,000 CAD, $85,000 USD).
Back at Max, we hit the road right away. There was a neat looking overnight spot I wanted to get to, and I wanted to get there before anybody else did. Yes, there are other van and motorhome people who vie for the good spots, and it's first come first serve!
Medieval walls are everywhere. Even ones like this that don't make any sense.
Scenery along the way.
We are headed up there!
The fortified settlement of Vathia.
Unfortunately, we got there and someone else had beat us to it.
It's an unused basketball court with a fantastic view overlooking the fortified settlement of Vathia. There is only one level spot that faces the view, and of course that's where they were parked. Oh well, like I said it's first come first serve in the wild camping business!
There is room for 4 or 5 vans. But, it took a bit of work to get level. Maybe that's why this basketball court in the middle of nowhere didn't work out... it's not very level!!
Fantastic view.
Max, parked at GPS 36.4529, 22.4683
The fortified settlement of Vathia.
By the time the sun set, two more vans had pulled in. They all have Polish plates, and seemed to know each other. So now, this beautiful overnight spot was more like a parking lot, but it turned out to be a totally peaceful, quiet night anyhow.
Sunset at Vathia.
This morning, we will go explore Vathia. Then, we will head... north!
Yes, this is as far south as we are going in Greece. We now begin the trek north towards Thessaloniki, and then east towards Turkey.
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Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a beautiful area that we are driving through right now, we are loving this scenery. :-)
DeleteThe adventure continues! Great photos as always. A (probably) spam ad from "Best Buy" took over my screen trying to give me a free cell phone in a "you have been selected" scam. It took me a while to get back from that. I know you use Adsense but this was annoying.
ReplyDeleteHi Croft! I actually stopped using Adsense quite a few years ago. This is Ezoic advertising and while there are quite a few blocks of advertising on our site, there should not be any pop ups or anything else obtrusive because I have all of that stuff turned off. (Except for the banner at the bottom of the page because it's a big money maker.) Let me know if it happens again and I'll contact them.
DeleteI will Kevin, thanks. It did not seem like anything a legitimate ad company would put up so it may have come from somewhere else.Thanks for the reply.
DeleteWow! A lot going on with the picture "inside" the chapel. The mural is incredible not to mention the items sitting just inside the doorway. The mural of the man on the right has a lot going on in his face, complexion and attitude. That would be worth investigating. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYes, there certainly is a lot going on in that little chapel! We have found that to be the case in other little chapels that are sort of out of the way. It seems that people bring religious items to leave behind when they visit.
DeleteI see frescoes like that in these little churches and wonder how long they have been there.
Hi Kevin and Ruth really enjoying your travels went to library to pick up world atlas to track you Doesn’t have a lot of small towns but did pick up were you are going in Turkey
ReplyDeleteYou know that when Kevin posts the maps on our blog you can zoom in and out but hitting on the + or - signs on the map, so that you can see where we are in relation to Greece, Europe and even the world. If you zoom in you can see more of the small towns and villages. He didn't put the map in on this post but he did put one in the next post.
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