Central Greece

Hello everyone 

After a couple of days chilling on the beach and taking a dip in the sea, we headed west along the coast. We had travelled along the modern A2 road – from here sections of the ancient Roman Road are visible and still in remarkably good condition.

 
 
We decided to visit Halkidhikí – our guide books suggested the beaches here were beautiful, so we headed down Sithonía (the middle leg) and camped at Sykia on the southern tip for a couple of days. There are numerous sandy coves with a narrow beach leading to the sea – beautifully clear and quickly deep enough for a dip.

The drive back up the western coast of this ‘leg’ was equally beautiful – thankfully not too crowded as we head towards the end of the season.

Skirting around Thessoloniki, we headed towards Ancient Vergína – an archaeological site from the 3^rd century BC, with a fantastic underground museum. In the 1970s, the burial tombs of King Philip II and Alexander IV (father and son of Alexander the Great) were discovered. The excavated tomb finds are displayed, which include beautiful gold caskets containing the bones of the deceased, gold head wreaths and ivory decorations – the tomb entrances have been re-sealed with their entrance facades on display buried under their tumuli. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed in here.

From here we headed south to Kalambáka and the site of Metéora – a strange landscape of large monolith rock formations which rise from the valley floor. Perched atop there are 6 remaining monasteries – built in the late 1300s and home to monks and nuns. We visited 2 (Varlaam with a beautiful small painted church, and Megálo Metéora which is the highest and largest), but the fascination lies in their position and how they were built in the first place.

We’re currently at Mesolonghi at the southern tip of the mainland – a pretty (and free) stopover at the harbour before we cross to the Peloponnese towards Ancient Olympia.

Will post again next week - love to all