My mother is still in town – and we decided to take a ‘city road-trip’ on Saturday. We left the house around 9:00am, stopped at our local Grigoris for a coffee for the road, and went on our way…

We headed out of the city on the Attiki Odos and made our way towards Marathon. Our first stop was Nea Makri and the Monastery of St. Ephraim, a ‘controversial’ saint who lived in the 14th century. It is a small monastery, where you can see the mulberry tree where he is believed to have been hanged by the Ottomans.

We left Nea Makri and headed towards Leoforos Souniou, eventually turning towards Vouliagmeni. What a great day to be at the beach… We stopped in for a bite of lunch at En Plo in Vouliagmeni – nice menu, sea-side views - well worth it if you’ve never been…

Later on, we jumped back in the car and drove across the city on the Paraliaki (beach road) and ended up in Piraeus! A pit-stop in Mikrolimano and a quick look at the cool-looking seafood restaurants around the little harbor, put Mikrolimano firmly back on my ‘to do’ list…

With the gas tank quickly heading towards empty, we headed back north on the Ethniki highway and made Kifissia our final destination. A coffee on the perfect little patio at Casa was the last stop on our city road-trip – one of my favourite corners of the city…

How’s that for a full day on the road?? We loved it.

Until next week,

Jack

En Plo
www.en-plo.gr/en

Casa
www.estiatoria.gr/estiatorio/767/casa_restaurant

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…

In agriculture, potato farms (dominant in central and north-central Arcadia), mixed farming, olive groves, and pasture dominate the plains of Arcadia, especially in the area around Megalopolis and between Tripoli and Levidi.

Towns & Sights

Tripoli, the capital of the prefecture, is built at a height of 665m. It is the commercial and cultural center of Arkadia. Modern Tripolis was created in 1770 near the ruins of the ancient cities of Pallantron, Tegea, and Mantinea, hence its name 'Tripolis' = 'three cities', presumably chosen to explain the medieval name. Before the Greek Revolution, it had a large Muslim and Jewish population, but also served as the central point for Ottoman occupation and rule over Greece. Today it is the seat of the recently founded University of the Peloponnese with two departments of the Sciences and Technology School and one department of the Economics and Administration School.
 
Astros is a breathtaking town by the sea built upon a hill called the " To Nissi " An open theater is operating there during the summer months. There is also a sailing school for adults and children and the harbor full of little sailing boats is a sight to behold.
The town is also home to the Astros Archaeological Museum, founded in 1985. The museum contains mostly ceramics from cemeteries dating back to the Hellenistic period, architectural parts of the villa of Herodes Atticus at Eva Dolianon, and small coins, inscriptions and pieces from Kynouria.

Dimitsana has been characterized as a traditional village with its tall stone houses and churches. Dimitsana stands at an altitude of 960-1080m on the ruins of the ancient town of Tefthis. Don 't forget to visit the six gunpowder mills, the houses of Patriarch Grigorios the 5th and Bishop Palaion Patron Germanou, as well as the Museum of “hydrokinetic”.

Vytina is situated on the firry Mount Menalo (44km from Tripoli) and on an altitude of 1033m. It is a place with a majestic view and healthy climate that gathers many vacationers and visitors throughout the year. Much of the houses were stone built until the 1960s. Electricity arrived in the same year. Vehicles arrived in the 1970s, the pavement of the main road and television arrived in the 1980s and computer and internet are rarely known in the beginning of the 21st century and up to date technology is not seen.

In the wintertime, snow-covered Vytina offers a unique and astonishing sight.

Lagkadia is a very picturesque Arcadian town. Situated on a mountainous august landscape with fresh water springs, it offers an imposing sight to every visitor. The two and three storey stone houses that are amphitheatrically built on a steep slope create the impression of a stone-built work of art. The Central Square of the village stands on the edge of a deep ravine rich in walnut trees, plane trees and fresh water streams. At this point Thoa canyon begins and stretches crossing a big part of Gortynia and eventually ending up at river Ladona. Lagkadia is also known for its developed local weaving mill handicraft.

Megalopoli is a town in the western part of the prefecture of Arcadia. It is located in the same site as ancient Megalopolis. "Megalopolis" is a Greek word for Great city. When it was founded, in 371 BC, it was the first urbanization in rustic and primitive Arcadia. Megalopolis is famous for its ancient ruins situated northwest, which include an ancient theatre that used to hold up to 20,000 people and was 30 m tall. Other landmarks include the Thersileon with 67 pillars and a temple.

Stemnitsa is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Arcadia. The village's name comes from a Slavic word meaning "a thick forest shaded with trees". It has a folklore museum which includes various exhibitions regarding the traditional way of Stemnitsa life in the past including how candles were made, a jeweler's workshop, a shoe repair shop and a copper tinning representation. It also houses an extensive selection of Byzantine icons, old costumes, copper- ware, guns and jewelry.
Seven kilometers from Stemnitsa, down by the ravine of the river Lousios one can find the monastery of St. John the Forerunner (Prodromos) built, according to some sources, around 1167, on the side of the mountain rock. It served as a center of faith and education for the enslaved Greeks during the Ottoman rule.

Source: Peloponnesetravel.com

I got a little inarticulate when confronted with this Greek mac and cheese. All I could say to myself was: Looks good. Looks really, really good. Um, do I have any feta? This recipe puts a spin on mac and cheese. In some ways it's straightforward: there is a béchamel sauce of cheese, milk, and flour, and the pasta is familiar macaroni.

There’s a part of Athens that had always eluded me.  I had never been able to find it!  Anafiotika is the neighbourhood, located under the northeastern side of the Acropolis Hill, part of historical Plaka.

History

The neighbourhood came into being in the reign of Otto of Greece – the Bavarian prince who in 1832, became the first modern King of Greece.  Construction workers were needed to work on the King’s Palace, and they came from the island of Anafi, a tiny island in the Cyclades chain and with a population in 2011 of 271.

Up until 1922, inhabitants of Anafiotika were from Anafi island, then this tiny neighbourhood saw immigrants from Asia Minor start to arrive.

For archeological reasons, in 1950 many of the little houses were destroyed, and in 1970 the Greek state started to buy them.

Modern times

Today there are only 45 houses remaining. However, wandering through the alleyways and seeing this unique neighbourhood – planned so that it resembled a Greek island – really does make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time.  Away from the noise and hustle bustle, I loved it there – and am glad I finally found it!

"Up, keep walking up"

I was instructed.  Yes, more than once locals would wave their arm in a vague motion that is so typical to the Greeks, in the direction of the Acropolis Hill.  This time – my third attempt I might add – I did just that, I found ways to keep walking ‘up.’  Not knowing if I should be walking through certain streets, I stumbled across more street art.

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By Rebecca Hall