(...from the middle of the earth)
Close your eyes and let me take you back to Greece!!! Blue waters, sunny days and more history all around you. In just two days you can do so much. Today I’ll share with you our last day spent in Galaxidi this last summer. In one day we managed to visit four places, including a tour, a hike, a small town in the mountains and a beach, and just before leaving, a nice dinner by the water. Yes, sitting at the beach anywhere in Greece and lounging your day away is a most acceptable way to spend your time in Greece; but if you find yourself surrounded by historical sights, why not take advantage and enjoy both! By the end of this journey, we'll be back in Athens.
It’s our last morning at the bed & breakfast, so we get up and enjoy breakfast while planning the rest of our day. By the end of this day we’ll end up back home in Athens so lets make the best of it and take in all we can while we are here. First up is a trip thru the mountains and into a cave of sorts. We are headed to Vagonetto, a mining park open for tours into the mines. This mine takes you deep into the middle of the earth where you learn all about the process of mining Bauxite. What is bauxite you ask, it is a sedimentary rock with relatively high aluminum content.
The tour was very interesting as they showed us the process of the mining of aluminum, but given we were down in the depths of the earth there was so much more in these caves to see. Before heading down into the earth we are told we should wear something to keep us warm as it can be rather cold in the caves. Given the weather is rather warm outside, I did not plan ahead for this and did not have a sweater or anything with me. In any case, I tend to run warmer than others and once we did get down in the caves, the cool temperature was a slight relief from the hot sun. It felt even better upon our return to the surface. Before leaving, the last part of the tour included both a small museum and a couple of videos. The videos told of the history of the mine, and miners as well. One of the coolest things I did learn is that once the mine has been used and all bauxite has been mined, rather than just leave a hole in the land and move on to the next spot, the miners would close up the mine and replant whatever plants and trees were growing there before. So prior to digging into the earth they would collect the seeds and plants that are cultivated in that area and upon completion of their work they would recultivate the land and set the land back to the way it was prior to mining. I don’t know much about mining to be honest, so I am not one to confirm if this is a common practice or not. I can confirm however that the Greeks do take pride in everything around them, including land, family, and historical sites, so learning this was a nice takeaway, but falls in line with the culture itself.
Onto the next adventure….. Delfi!! Nothing like spending an afternoon under the hot scorching sun. I should mention when you arrive at the site, you have a climb ahead of you. The historical site is situated on the side of a mountain heading up and down, depending on what part of the site you want to see. Of course most people choose to see the most important part of the historical site, and with that they head up towards the scorching sun. Upon arriving, parking and making our way to the entrance, we suddenly hear the crashing of rocks, only to look up and see some pretty large pieces of the mountain heading down. Good thing the mountain is surrounded by netting, so no falling object came anywhere near us. That sure was a sight to see, felt like a full on welcome to the area. Now it was time to go find the Oracle.
Delphi was an ancient religious sanctuary dedicated to the Greek god Apollo. This sanctuary was home to the Oracle of Delphi and the priestess Pythia, who was famed throughout the ancient world for divining the future and was consulted before all major undertakings.
In addition to the Oracle, it was also home of the Pythian Games, the second most important games in Greece after the Olympics. All around us was such beautiful scenery, especially the structures remaining in such good condition for having been around for so many centuries. It was a truly amazing experience. To get the full experience I would suggest to set aside a good portion of your day, and if you are visiting during the summer months, go earlier in the day or early afternoon.
Once we finished our trek up the mountain and back down, it was time to head on to our next stop. I left the destinations up to my cousin who was driving and had a better idea of where to stop. Before heading back directly to Athens, we had a stop in a small town, one more beach excursion. The next town we stopped in was Arachova. It’s a small town in the mountains, and more popular in the winter months as a ski town. As we started to walk in the town, it reminded me so much of a ski resort area in Lake Tahoe California.
We walked around the town a bit; especially after a long afternoon under the hot sun in Delfi. Thankfully much of the town was hidden from the sun, so it was also a relief to walk around and not get overheated. Along our walk we came by a small pastry shop and the owner sat out on the stoop of the shop. As we passed this shop I stopped to take a moment to look at the lovely sweets in the window. What I found were these lovely ring looking sweets. The direct translation for these sweets was Traditional Rosies. I asked if they sold them individually, alas they were only available by the box. Before leaving to head back to the car, I decided I would take a chance and buy these sweets as I had never seen them anywhere else and didn’t see myself coming back to this town anytime soon. Moreover I had asked what the ingredients were and they sounded familiar enough that it was likely I would like them. They are made of almonds, sugar, vanilla, orange juice and mastiha. When you put these ingredients together, you get almond paste. This was a vegan version of almond paste. Finally before leaving we stop in a local cheese shop and I make sure to buy a small position of cheese that this town is known for. Formaela that is. It is a hard cheese that is exclusively produced in Arachova Greece. In fact, it has been registered in the EU as a protected designation of origin since 1996. Once more, I bought some of this so that I could share it with my family upon returning to the city, because when will I again be in a ski resort town in Greece.
On our way down from the mountain we found one last beach to stop and relax and refresh ourselves in. Just a little bit more or relaxation before we end this weekend back home in the city. We swam and relaxed a bit and then stopped for a bite to eat at a local taverna right on the water. We spent this entire day with no schedules of where to be when, we merely enjoyed our time in each destination and arrived back in Athens around 9 in the evening.
The best times spent are enjoying where you are without a minute by minute plan. This is how we spent two days in and around Galaxidi. No schedules, we spent as much time as we wanted where we wanted. This is how I vacation.
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