Mythological Mount Olympus
By Helen Grubner. Filed in Uncategorized |
As we zigzagged around other motorists at speeds hitting 120km an hour, I’m not sure whether my taxi driver on Thursday night had a death wish, or if he was out to end my life! Fortunately, we made it in one piece to central Thessaloniki and I was able to catch a bus on Friday to Litochoro, located in the foothills of Mount Olympus.
A wise decision to take a taxi to find my Airbnb studio in the upper reaches of the town and certainly, well worth the journey. I’m here for a week and happy to say, this place feels more like home than anywhere else I have stayed on my travels this year. Everything is here including a washing machine and outside there is a lovely vine covered courtyard. My hosts live upstairs in this beautiful stone building and there is another studio downstairs where Mimi’s sister in law lives. The traditional Greek hospitality is second to none. I have been provided with a jar of amazing salt, a bottle of their own produced olive oil, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers from their garden and this morning they made me a Greek coffee.
There are 52 separate peaks in the area of the mythological home of the 12 Gods of Olympus… first and foremost the almighty Zeus. It was never my intention to attempt a climb to the summit of Mytikas, the highest peak of Mount Olympus at 2917m and the highest mountain in Greece, rather I wanted to walk some of the many trails in the surrounding National Park which has an incredible diversity of flora and fauna. Unfortunately, there are two obstacles standing in my way. Firstly, the weather… intermittent rain and thunderstorms – the Gods are not terribly welcoming. Secondly, I feel that most of the trails are too risky for me at the moment with my left hand still pretty much useless.
I did go on a lovely, easy walk yesterday to a waterfall on the Enipeas River. This river supplies the town water… you can drink from the tap which makes a change from buying bottled water everywhere you go. The little things you remember from these outings, like the squirrel in the foliage, scurrying away as I passed by. Grigori, the friendly Park Warden who if I wish to return one day after 3.00pm, he will escort me along one of the trails I feel uneasy to attempt alone.
So I am enjoying a well earned rest in the town of Litochoro, a settlement which dates back to the 14th Century. In complete contrast to the Cycladic architecture I had become used to of late, here the traditional Macedonian architecture prevails and of course, it snows here in the winter. The houses are interspersed with little parks, the environment is green. Locals and visitors alike are well catered for with some excellent cafes and restaurants. I enjoyed a great risotto on Friday evening at Meze Meze… pumpkin, prawns, parmesan, dill and poppy seeds.
If I can trust the weather forecast, tomorrow, Monday, should be a really nice day and if so, I hope to find somewhere I can walk in nature.
