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The great Greek summer at the North’s “out of the beaten path”

Γιωργος Μπαζμαδελης — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 10:11:00 +0000

Greece’s vast north is unmatched for geographical, cultural and even culinary diversity.

Here, great stretches of mountains, lakes, forest and coastline remain to be discovered.

With terrain stretching from the azure Ionian Sea across the rugged Epiros mountains to the Thracian plain and the Turkish border, the north offers something for everyone, from culture and urban sophistication to swimming, hiking and birdwatching.

Today, with the grand Egnatia Odos Hwy spanning the region completed, northern Greece is getting easier – and quicker – to navigate. It’s also becoming a pretty happening place. Thessaloniki, Greece’s second city, offers outstanding eateries, nightlife and culture, while the university town of Ioannina is a lively spot close to the magnificent Pindos Mountains and kastoria, a great place to relax and live in the nature. Even fairly provincial Thracian cities such as Xanthi, Komotini and Alexandroupoli offer a piece of the action. Northern Greece also boasts great beaches, both for those looking for summer nightlife and for others in search of more secluded spots.

However, the most spectacular sights are surely those of Western Macedonia and Epiros regions, places that will take your breath away. The lofty Vitsi, Gramos and Pindos mountain range, which comprises most of it, has for thousands of years been safeguarding civilisations and confounding invaders. The mountain of Vitsi and Gramos are standing above the lakes of kastoria and Prespes, filled with leafy forests and stone villages abandoned since the World War 2. Bisecting the Pindos is the stunning 12km-long Vikos Gorge (one of the world’s deepest), now a national park filled with waterfalls and ice-cold mountain lakes, and surrounded by immaculate traditional stone-and-slate villages of the Zagorohoria.

West Macedonia and Epirus, the most mountainous regions in Greece, are blessed with a lush and soaring landscape reminiscent of Scotland at its finest, mountain villages to rival the best of Provence, and that gloriously unspoilt Olympus mountain coral beaches and Ionian Sea coastline. Add to this a densely forested landscape, home to brown bears, wolves and jackals, lonely clifftop monasteries, soul-stirring mountain vistas, low-key seaside resorts and skies patrolled by birds including golden eagles, and it’s easy to see why the Greeks have been keeping this Northern part of Greece, a secret from the world for so long.

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Greece now allowing visitors from all nations and escape is not just a word

Γιωργος Μπαζμαδελης — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 12:29:22 +0000

As Greece imposed a lockdown early in its coronavirus outbreak, the move credited with limiting infections. The country had a total of 175 deaths and 2,915 confirmed cases as of this moment. No cases have been detected on the vast majority of the Greek islands, which are popular vacation spots and also none at the Northern parts of the mainland..

Greece has always prided itself on its sunny weather, beaches, islands and the impeccable beauty of the northern landscapes. Now Greeks are pride that have had this self-discipline, unity and solidarity against Covid-19 and the country is moving to a gradual easing of the previous restrictions.

They saw restrictions in place even before the virus reached the country and since then, the government has worked closely with the public and private sector, ensuring protocols and standards are in place that will not only see the country through to a fast recovery, it could be one of the first countries in Europe, if not the first, to welcome tourists back to its lands.

To get away from it all, to find a stretch of paradise untouched by another,, in the touristical places in Greece, is almost impossible. Most stones have been turned, and paths trodden. The next best thing, therefore, must be to escape to a remote destination where there might still exist the slim possibility of some peace and quiet and solitude.

I’m not looking for a wi-fi free zone or some far-flung corner of the globe without network coverage. I’m not trying to escape from my iPad, email, games or online shopping… No, I just want to escape other people. And there are plenty of gorgeous places at the North, where escape is not just a word, having the summer evening buzzing of the nearby coasts, an hour drive away.

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Christmas in Kastoria

vitsi_admin — Sat, 07 Dec 2019 18:53:33 +0000

During the Holidays the city of kastoria is at its best. Perhaps is the only city in Greece where Christmas colors are so much suited to its urban environment…. Snowy slopes, the snowy roofs of its mansions, the gray color of the ice in the sky and to the lake, the Christmas lights in the trees surrounding the lake, all together combined with the green color of the forests around, bring to your eyes the absolute combination of Christmas.

Glowing, white and green. Traditions and feasts, like everywhere in Greek, here though a little more fraudulent than 15 years ago. The great Christmas traditions, the carols on the streets, the Ragousaria Carnival, the street music bands that begin playing strolling around the neighborhoods right after the New Year’s Day. And above all the festive local gastronomy. The city’s economic prosperity is present in the contemporary macedonian cuisine of the city. Plates with dolmades, an honorary Christmas dish, cabbage in the brine, with its stuffed leaves, serviced with granulated pepper and egg-lemon sauce or red pepper, make Kastoria a unique place to be at Christmas.

Getting to know the festive Kastoria is a revelation, but with its lake, it’s a magic…. perhaps the only such “Christmas” town in Greece.

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Ragoutsaria. A Carnival in the City

vitsi_admin — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 18:58:39 +0000

At the beginning of each January, Kastoria welcomes the new year, in a very unique way. A celebration called Ragoutsaria, whose origins are lost in time. In most areas of the region, Ragoutsara is celebrating the first two days of the year. There is an exception at the city of Kastoria, where celebrations are lasting three days, from January 6 to January 8. The particular name Ragoutsaria is probably coming from the Latin rogatores which means a beggar and reminds the groups of masquerades who run from neighborhood to neighborhood seeking treats to drive away the evil spirits . Celebrations continued unceasingly through the centuries with music, dancing, singing and masquerading. Those who participated were courageous from the anonymity offered by the mask that hijacked passers-by. Today in the city, locals and visitors participate in groups, called “bouloukia”, with their own bands, at early afternoon of Theophants and do not leave before the first light of day. On the second day, Ai Gianniou, the rhythm rises. From noon onwards, the whole city is vibrant with music and dances all around. And the celebrations end on January 8th. The bouloukia and the people watching the parade end up in the old Byzantine square of Doltso, where the bands of the dancers compete with each other.

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The Lake in the Winter

vitsi_admin — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 18:56:06 +0000

It is not unlikely at all, we would say most likely, Kastoria Lake freeze from the top down in the middle of the winter and stay frozen and isolated for birds and humans for weeks or maybe months. The lake’s icy view creates unreal impressions to anyone who has never re-experienced it before. As a photographic shot the immovable waves of the Lake, frozen by the srrong and icy mountain winds, the swans, the pelicans and all kinds of birds looking for food and shelter and at the same time visitors and animals from the surrounding mountains, they find the unique opportunity to discover the lake by walking on the icy surface. Like a snow meadow, the only thing that reminds you that there is water underneath… the boats trapped in the ice.

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