Peloponnese, Greece October 30 – November 9, 2017

The Arrival

After ten days in Athens, it was time to move on to our next Greek journey: the Peloponnese. We made our way by subway to the airport to pick up our rental car. Once all rental matters completed, we loaded the Ford Focus with our baggage and jetted for the highway. The ride from Athens airport to Tripoli was very easy, following a great system of toll highways – all toll stop locations and toll amounts researched days in advance, and small-denomination Euros gathered. The segment from Tripoli to Stemnitsa, our first destination, was less easy (more harrowing, in fact) as we climbed the Mainalo (a.k.a. Menalon) mountain range of Arcadia on narrow, winding country roads. The views would have been breathtaking had our eyes not been so focused on the thousand metre drops along the edge of the road – or, maybe it’s just another meaning to ‘breathtaking’. Once we got to the village, loosened our grips and resumed breathing, we called the owner of the inn to get directions. We were instructed to meet her at the town square, so we could follow her car to our home for two nights, the Mpelleiko traditional guesthouse.

Perfectly located on the slopes of the mountain, above picturesque Stemnitsa, the guesthouse oozed tradition and coziness. Our room had a clear view down to the village and came equipped with its own fireplace, very useful for the chilly nights. And, as if perfect location and true mountain ambiance wasn’t enough, Mpelleiko’s owner, Nena Grintzia, was the quintessential host. Within minutes of entering her guesthouse, Nena made us feel like friends – not just paying guests – as she got to know us and we got to know more about the village, Mainelo mountains and Nena herself; she gave us information, recommendations, tips and advice; fed us delicious homemade breads, pies and jams, and insisted we contact her, even after our departure, if we had any problems or questions during our trek. It is no wonder that the Guardian newspaper chose Nena as one of ten great B&B hosts from around the world.

The Trek

It was time for the pace of our journey to slow down; of course, we could only proverbially stop and smell the roses, as it was November at 1400m above sea level. Since we both like hiking, we booked a self-guided trek across the Menalon mountains. The Trekking Hellas seven-day, 75Km hike included our accommodations with luggage transfer, breakfasts and boxed lunches, and trail maps (digital GPS and printed). All we needed to do was to put one foot in front of the other and follow the trail markers. ‘Easy peasy lemon squeezy’, right? …

Tuesday, October 31. Pre-trek day – We started our day with a really delicious breakfast cooked by Nena, of course: omelette, fresh fruit salad and yogurt, served with homemade sour cherry juice, bread and jams made by Nena and her mom. Since this was not a trekking day, we decided to visit a nearby archaeological site: the Temple of Apollo Epikourios. Of course, we’re in Arcadia, so a 20 Km destination (as the crows fly) becomes a 60 Km, white-knuckled drive up and down mountains and back up again. On our way back to the guesthouse, we stopped to see a 13th century stone bridge with six arches spanning 50m, near Karytaina. We arrived back to Nena’s in time for our scheduled meeting with George from Trekking Hellas. He provided detailed materials of the trail and, along with Nena, gave us some pointers and suggestions at certain markers. We made it an early night; we had a long day coming up!

Wednesday, November 1. Stemnitsa to Dimitsana, distance: 12.5 Km; ascent: 825m; descent: 941m  – Our first day of hiking began with another delicious breakfast prepared by Nena. Before heading out, she gave us a large boxed lunch with all the fixings. It was drizzling and cold, not the best start to a five-day trek. We made our way to the Stemnitsa clock tower – the starting point of the trail – and walked along a fairly easy path down the side of the mountain. The path became much more difficult as we crossed the Lousios river gorge. But it was well worth the effort as we came upon the 16th century Prodromos Monastery, built into the cliff overhang of the gorge, where the monks offered us a cup of coffee and sweet loukoumi (a.k.a Turkish Delight). The view from the balconies was amazing! After another hour of hiking, and having crossed the gorge and ascended the other side, we entered the abandoned site of the Old Philosophou Monastery; only 15 minutes further, we arrived at Nea Moni Philosophou (the new one), where we were offered more loukoumia. After six hours of hiking, we arrived at our destination, Dimitsana. With more stairs and slopes to climb to get to our guesthouse, we were completely exhausted, but happy with our day.

Thursday, November 2. Dimitsana to Elati, distance: 19.1 Km; ascent: 909m; descent: 692m – We were feeling Wednesday’s hike: our leg muscles were tight and sore, and we desired more sleep. Time to take one of Nena’s excellent suggestions. We ordered a taxi and drove to the village of Zygovisti, cutting four kilometres from our hike. We still had 15 Km of mountain hiking to do, but it wasn’t 19 – well worth the nine Euro ride! Although the first part of the trail was a 500m ascent, the trails were wide and the slope was relatively gradual. And, it was sunny and warm; a good day to enjoy nature and the scenic vistas. After lunch, we started to descend. The trail became narrower and steeper… and ‘slipperier’, causing a few minor injuries along the way. We arrived in Elati 30 minutes before our pick-up time; there were no accommodations in Elati, so we were chauffeured to the Nymfasia Resort Hotel for the night.

Friday, November 3. Elati to Vytina to Nymfasia, distance: 12.1 Km; ascent: 469m; descent: 714m – With 27 Km already achieved, we decided to give our legs and feet a little break. Since the day’s trail was in two sections, we would choose one, the shortest: Vytina to Nymfasia. Despite protest from our driver – he really wanted us to do the other, more scenic section – we were dropped off in Vytina’s central square. Our walk that day began on wide paths, even some roads, followed by an ascent to the top of a limestone gorge; then, a quick descent along narrow rocky paths to a old stone bridge. After a short three hour hike, we arrived at the centre of Nymfasia, where we enjoyed our boxed lunch. Another kilometre further and, at only one o’clock in the afternoon, we entered our hotel room. It was nice to have an entire half-day to rest and to take in a welcomed sauna.

Saturday, November 4. Nymfasia to Magouliana to Valtesiniko, distance: 15.5 Km; ascent: 827m; descent: 665m – Feeling rested from the previous day’s short hike, we set off from Nymfasia toward Valtesiniko; another sectioned trail meant that we could always have a taxi ordered for us at Magouliana, if needed. Like the previous days, the sky was clear, despite showers in the forecast. We were duped again with wide paths and roads, and gentle slopes at the beginning. Oh, how things changed! And you’ve probably guessed, by now, of the coming descriptors: narrow, steep and slippery; another minor fall, resulting in scrapes and bruises (mostly to the ego). Just after noon, we arrived in Magouliana, a great time to take out the lunch bag. As we were eating our lunch, we felt the temperature fall, saw the dark clouds rolling over the mountain tops, and heard the rumblings of thunder. Decision time: do we find a taverna and get that taxi? Or do we just press on? It may have been the restful sleep from the previous night or the ego that needed ‘un-bruising’, but we decided to continue the hike all the way to our studio apartment in Valtesiniko. The temperature rose and the sky cleared as we entered the village. That evening, dinner meant another walk to the village and a hunt for a restaurant. We first passed the suggested taverna; but, it only had one patron inside: the village priest, and he looked dour. We moved on to the next taverna, up the hill; from a distance, it seemed to have more patrons and lively music. As we approached, it turned out that the lively taverna guests were having a private party or some kind of reception. After our third and final try, where our choice of food was ‘toast’ (a term used to mean toasted cheese or meat sandwiches – no, thanks!), we returned to the first spot, the priestly taverna. He had been joined by a few old-timers, who were setting up a game of cards near the large fireplace. As we walked in, we were greeted by the owner in her limited English – which was better than our non-existent Greek. She told us to take any seat; so, we opted for the close-to-the-fireplace-but-not-too-close-to-the-card-players table. We had barely settled into our warm, cozy seat, when, to our surprise, she waved us into the kitchen. She showed us all the dishes that had been prepared and described them as best she could. Our task was to choose and point to what we wanted; definitely an easier exercise, for all – smart thinking! We both opted for the stewed beef and side pasta, and a shared plate of roasted eggplant. Yum! After dinner, back at the studio, we sat in front of the fireplace and made it another early night.

Sunday, November 5. Valtesiniko to Lagkadia, distance: 13.9 Km; ascent: 596m; descent: 775m – This was our last day of hiking; well, that’s what was on the trekking agenda. We decided to buck the agenda and end our trekking in Valtesiniko. During breakfast, we asked our B&B host if she would call a taxi to take us back to Stemnitsa to collect our car. She returned a few minutes later to tell us her son would drive us for a fraction of the price (and the hassle of booking a taxi on a Sunday). When we arrived in Stemnitsa, we sought out Nena to let her know we were picking up our car a day early. She was happy to see us and wanted details of our trek; we were invited for coffee, but we wanted to press on. We arrived in Lagkadia (sometime spelled Langadia or Lagadia) in the early afternoon and checked into our hotel room. The mountain and valley views from most spots in Lagkadia, including our room, were breathtaking. As we felt more energetic and less rickety, this was a wonderful end to our trekking tour!

Overall, we had hiked more than 48 Km over four days, up and down the Mainalo mountain range. We walked through pine forests, climbed rocky outcrops, and descended gorges; we passed by and walked across clear springs and streams; we heard the sound of sheep bells, and sometime encountered the flocks. But, best of all, we experienced the genuine hospitality of our wonderful Arcadian hosts. Our bodies were feeling the effects of our multi-day hike, yet our spirits felt very exhilarated by our accomplishment.

The rest

As a reward for our effort, we booked three nights at the seaside Horizon Blu Resort in Kalamata. We spent those days relaxing by our mini private pool – the water too cold to get in – or walking on the beach and dipping our toes in the Agean – here, water was warm enough but the crashing waves and undertow were now the deterrents. With body and mind reenergized, it was time to leave Greece toward the next pin on our journey map.