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Early Spring at the far north-western side of Greece on the shore of tri-national Megali Prespa Lake, a star over the gloriously blue green waters at the dazzlingly white snow-capped mountains that gird it in early spring in all three countries.
On the Greek side, tiny hermitages perch on rocky promontories, all reachable by motor boat from the little lake-side village of Psarades. Psarades, like most villages in the region, is a picturesque collection of sturdy squat stone houses with red-tiled rooves. The one hermitage is closest to Albania, hangs like an eagle’s aerie high up inside the vaulting canopy of a hollowed cliff face, reached by scores of steep stone steps from a pebbled beach mottled with yellow blooms.
They’re little more than small stone huts but their interiors are awash with golden-haloed saints in multicoloured garb.
Outside saggy-sacked pelicans are floating on the waters seeking to fill those yellow dewlaps of theirs with silver fish .
The surrounding juniper forests, the southernmost point in Europe for this species, are a favourite haunt of brown bears, who come down to the shore in spring to teach their cubs to swim, fish and climb rocks.
In the hillside village of Agios Germanos, about seven miles away, there’s an 11th century byzantine church – tiny, simple outside, full of golden icons within.
Just to the south of Psarades, amid equally superb scenery, lies Mikri (Little) Prespa Lake, once joined to Megali Prespa until silt built a narrow neck. Conversely Agios Ahillios (St. Achilles) Island was once a rocky promontory until the waters eroded its narrow neck, to be replaced by a series of pontoons.
Now it sits in Mikri Prespa’s deep green waters, surrounded by forested mountains and snow-capped peaks, topped by a little modern red-roofed church and girt with ruins of basilicas from long ago Byzantium.
It was from this island that Czar Samuel of Bulgaria ruled his mini-empire in the late 10th century, until Byzantium wrested it back, and the most impressive ruin is the concave shell of St. Achilles basilica which he built.
The others are fairly non-descript – a simple 16th century hut-like stone church by the half wall of the monastery of Panagia Porfira, a little tower at the 15th century Agios Giorgios Church, the ruined shell of 14th century Agios Demetrios.
Two gateways lead to the lake region. The one to the south, the pretty and lively town of Kastoria is easily accessible by bus or car, from Thessaloniki.
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