5/30/19-5/31/19 Puglia: Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca

Thursday, 30 May 2019

Biked 29 miles to Otranto, 200 feet of climb
Lecce to Otranto Bike Route
Accommodations: Attico Acquaviva vicino Centro Storico, Acquaviva, 1. Hosts Orlando, his daughter Francesca, and his son-in-law. Booked through Airbnb. Small new apartment on the edge of the historic center, spotless and shiny, with two small patios, on the fourth floor (with an elevator!). Francesca and her husband met us at the apartment and were very helpful and friendly.

Another day of mostly flat riding. We started out on small farm access roads with almost no traffic, but ended on small coastal highways with fast-moving cars and usually no shoulders. We loved the farm access roads but not so much the highways. When we got to the coast, we looked for a seaside restaurant for lunch. We finally found an open restaurant and had a great lunch. Our hostess said the unseasonably chilly weather is keeping visitors away from the coast--a late start for their season.

After showers in the apartment, we toured the beautifully maintained castle ruins with towers and walls added over many centuries, as well as the cathedral with frescoes from the 1500s and restored crypt. And we ate!

Round stone buildings dot the fields all over Puglia. They are made of dry stacked stone, like similar structures in Ireland. The ones we saw in this area of were either filled in with stones and dirt, or had small doorways and appeared to be used as storage sheds.

When we hit the coast, we found this site with ruins of a fortified community. Crumbled walls, towers, and steps extended around a small bay and quite a way up the coast.

The historic center of Otranto is built within the walls of a castle. We bought a lobster roll from a small fish restaurant and ate it on a bench along the wall--then went back and shared a fried seafood dinner at the same restaurant. We were hungrier than we thought!

The chapel within the castle did not hold up well in a large earthquake in the 18th century, but one wall with part of a small altar remain.

The cathedral is typical of the region.

16th-century frescoes in the restored crypt of the cathedral.

Ken took this photo from one of the small altar areas inside the cathedral. The skeletons were left as they were found when discovered during restoration.

Friday, 31 May 2019

Biked 35 miles to Santa Maria di Leuca, 800 feet of climb
Accommodations: B&B Santa Maria Di Leuca; hosts Evangelista, Ferdinando, and their mother. Booked through Airbnb. Spacious room with private bath in a guesthouse with shared living room, kitchenette, and two enclosed patios, one with outdoor shower and laundry facilities. The mother was a wonderful host, showing us everything, explaining everything, and serving a beautiful, large homemade breakfast with local breads, cakes, fruit, juices, jams, jellies, eggs, and bottomless cups of cappuccino.

We biked the coast roads most of the way, stopping to buy oranges in one small port town and coffees in Castro. The weather continues to be cool, and we are not really seeing swimming beaches along the coast--but we are also not looking for them. The coast is beautiful, especially between Otranto and Castro.

Santa Maria di Leuca is the very end of the peninsula, the turning point for the heel of Italy. For the first time in our trip, we were seeing lots of bikers, most going in the opposite direction. I noted that we would probably not be seeing a lot going in the same direction, but we were a little curious...

Small coastal highways.

We were staying across the bay from this monument, and ended up walking several miles to find out what it is and climb to the top. It is a monument built in 1939 to celebrate the construction of the Apulian Aquaduct and also marks the location where the Ionian Sea and Adriatic Sea meet. 

View from the top of the monument. At the top of the stairs is a plaza with the basilica and lighthouse.

5/27/19-5/29/19 Puglia, Italy: Brindisi and Lecce

Ken had a rough plan for an 8- to 10-day route around the coast of Puglia. We made it to Italy a week early, so we have plenty of time to stretch that out and relax. Looking forward to sunny days and white sand beaches!

Monday, 27 May 2019

Biked 3 miles from ferry port to B&B in Brindisi (disembarked with the semitrucks and rode out of the port with them; that was interesting!)
Accommodations: B&B Handy, hosts Luca and Francesca Manos, Via Cristoforo Colombo, 87. Booked through Airbnb. Very nice hosts. Stored our bikes in their own garage nearby. Small but very nice, newly renovated room on noisy, busy street at edge of old town.

Brindisi is an old port city. We had time to walk around and visit some of the historic sites, switch my phone to a new Italy SIM card, eat pizza, and plan our route to Lecce for the next day. It was chilly and rained lightly on and off during the day.

We found some interesting old architecture.

War memorial.

Tuesday, 28 May 2019

Biked 32 miles to Lecce, 263 feet of climb
Brindisi to Lecce along Coast Bike Route
Accommodations: House with garden, host Antonella, Vico degli Albanesi 4. Booked through Airbnb. Spacious old 1-bedroom apartment with full kitchen, washer, and private back garden, tucked behind a small church in old town. It seemed like the kind of place that might have been in the family for years--maybe a grandmother's apartment. Very quiet and cool.

Biking to Lecce was completely different from riding in Greece. First of all, it was FLAT! We started out on a small road that led through farm fields and became a dirt road, turned onto a larger tar road that wound around a closed coal plant and made its way to the seacoast, and finished on a small highway with a lot of traffic leading into Lecce.

Lecce is known as the Florence of the South because of its ornate Baroque architecture, twisty stone alleyways, and busy little piazzas. It is noisy and touristy during the day and in the main piazzas, but quiet and pleasant at night and in the residential alleys.

We spent the evening wandering around the old part of the city, eating, and exploring the cathedral, the basilica, and the old Roman coliseum.

Wartime bunkers were hiding in the grass near the small farm road outside Brindisi.

The small farm road turned into a dirt road. Our bikes handled the gravel well. Note: There are no mountains in sight!

Old Roman coliseum in Lecce.

Ken relaxing in the living room of our Lecce apartment. Most of our accommodations have been small rooms in hotels and guest houses. It was nice to stretch out in this three-room apartment with garden.

Wednesday, 29 May 2019

No biking, lots of walking
Accommodations: House with garden, night 2 of 2.

We scheduled two nights here to give ourselves a full day to do laundry and plan the rest of our time in Puglia. Our main need was to figure out how to get from Puglia (the southern tip of Italy) to Munich, with our bikes, by 16 June. Based on research before the trip, we thought we could take a train from Bari to Venice, spend a few days in Venice, and then take another train from Venice to Munich. When we tried to make the bookings, we discovered that we could not take the bikes on any train that crossed regional borders in Italy unless we boxed the bikes. Boxing the bikes means taking them apart, finding boxes, hauling the bikes around in the boxes to make connections within train stations, and booking minivan transfers between train stations and accommodations. After several hours of trying to find bike boxes, direct trains, accommodations in Venice, and minivan transfers, we were exhausted and frustrated--and we found that we couldn't actually book the tickets online and were not able to get through to an English-speaking agent to book on the phone. We explored renting a car--we could do it, but it would cost 1500 euros because of picking up in Italy and dropping off in Germany.

So we decided to take a walk and find gelato.

On the way to gelato, I spotted Crusi Viago, a travel agency. We don't usually work with travel agents because we actually like the process of planning and booking ourselves, but the agency in Meteora had given us such a nice solution to our transfer from Greece to Italy that we decided to try for some help with our new dilemma.

We asked the young agent to help us book trains for ourselves and our bikes to Munich. "Is not possible," he said. "Okay. How can we get to Munich, with our bikes, on 16 June?" we asked. "You fly. One flight a day. It leaves Brindisi at 8:40 am and arrives in Munich at 10:35 am. You want me to book it for 16 June?" he said. "Yes!" we said. Another 6-8 days of hard travel with bikes replaced by 2 hours of an easy transfer--this time by air.

Europe is not quite the same as it was 47-48 years ago. Trains and buses are being replaced by cars and planes. We can adapt!

Ken walking past a cafe near our apartment.

Cathedral in Lecce.

Inside courtyard of a museum in the cathedral complex.

5/21/19-5/26/19 Meteora

After Ross and Sally left, Ken and I made the big trek across the rolling agricultural plains to Meteora, site of hermitages and monasteries built into the rocks. It took us three days to get there, and we spent three days exploring the area.

Tuesday, 21 May 2019

Biked 30 miles to Nea Anchialos
Accommodations: Pyrassos Hotel, Kasneti 36, Nea Anchialos 378400, +30 242 807 6256. Family-run hotel on the beach.

We biked through Volos and around the coast to Nea Anchialos, a smallish beach town near the air force installation. It was still very early in the season and a little chilly, with only a few people in the hotels and resorts and many restaurants and beaches not yet open. The hotel owner told us the town is not doing well because it relies on Greek tourists, who are going to Turkey because it is much less expensive. We visited one of the town's several archaeological sites.

Site of a 16th-century church now in ruins.

The public beaches of Nea Anchialos were waiting for warmer weather and more tourists.

Wednesday, 22 May 2019

Biked 68 miles to Karditsa, 1970 feet of climb
Nea Anchialos to Karditsa Bike Route
Accommodations: Hotel Avra, Karaiskai 30, Karditsa, 43100, Greece +30 244 102 1523. Booking.com. Small hotel right downtown. Comfortable. Included breakfast.

Our first day on the agricultural plain in north-central Greece. We stopped for cold drinks at a minimarket in a small town and chatted with the young owner, his wife, and their 3-year-old son who showed us how he can ride the new bike he got for Easter. Karditsa is a busy college town, with 4 universities, crowds of college students, lively bars and restaurants, and almost as many bicycles as Amsterdam.

Thursday, 23 May 2019

Biked 40 miles to Kastraki, Meteora; 985 feet of climb
Karditsa to Kastraki Bike Route
Accommodations: Mama's Cozy Room 2, host Efi and her parents. Very nice apartment located between two bakeries on the main road about a block before the central square. Huge bathroom, homemade treats, garden. Very comfortable.
Restaurant: Batalogianni, on main road near center of Kastraki garden view in back, very good food. Local specialties: Meatballs piquant with rice, and Russian potato salad with cucumbers and carrots.

The rocks and caves of Meteora surround the village of Kastraki.

View from our dinner table.

Friday, 24 May 2019

Biked 14 miles to three monasteries: Megalo Meteoro, Vaarlam, and Roussanou
Accommodations: Mama's Cozy Room 2

Restaurant: Taverna Gardenia on main road near center of Kastraki. Mousaka and pork chops with french fries. Best Mousaka we’ve had. Our host was Efi’s dad. Excellent service, busy place with happy staff and guests. Our server said he likes working there--it is like a family.
We joined the crowds of tourists visiting three of the seven monasteries. The settings are amazing. The areas open to tourists include small chapels with incredible frescoes.

Megalo Meteoro

Vaarlam Monastery

Roussanaou Monastery (I think)

Monasteries, churches, and hermitage caves are everywhere in the rock formations.

 Saturday, 25 May 2019

Accommodations: Mama's Cozy House 2

We hiked to caves and explored churches built into the rocks in Meteora. Monks climbed into caves in the incredible rock formations and lived there for years--sometimes the rest of their life. In some cases, they built decks and ladders of wood. They lowered buckets for villagers to fill with food, clothing, blankets, and other necessities. Some caves were expanded into monasteries and churches, with steps carved into the stone.

Sunday, 26 May 2019

Accommodations: Ferry to Italy

Ken's birthday and our last day in Greece. We planned to spend the day doing anything Ken wanted--but I woke up with symptoms of a UTI and we started the day navigating the health care system in Kalambaka, a larger village 2 kilometers away. The clinic was open on Sunday, and I was able to make an appointment with an English-speaking doctor for 9 am. The clinic did not have any lab facilities, but the doctor prescribed antibiotics based on my symptoms and the pharmacy opened at 10 am. By 11:30 am we had the antibiotics and were hiking up the road to visit one more monastery. We are so glad we were able to make it to this one--the smallest of the seven. It was peaceful and quiet, with several terraces overlooking the valley and much smaller crowds.

We spent the afternoon eating lunch at Ken's choice of restaurant and relaxing in the garden of our apartment. At 5:30 pm we loaded our bikes in the back of a hired car. At 8:30 pm we unloaded our bikes at the ferry office in Igoumenitsa. At 10:30 pm we wheeled the bikes onto the ferry, and by 11:00 pm we were crawling into our bunks for the overnight sailing to Brindisi, Italy. Greece, done!

Note: Our original plan was to bike from Meteora to Igoumenitsa. We estimated it would take 6-8 days of hard biking on large highways through steep mountains. We were not looking forward to it. On our first day in Kastraki, we found Visit Meteora, a tour agency, near our apartment, and saw that they offered private transfers. They agreed to drive us and our bikes to Igoumenitsa, and even helped us book the ferry. What a difference--2.5 hours of riding in a car versus 6-8 days of hard biking!

The Monastery of Agios Nikolaos Anapafsas is the smallest of the seven monasteries and closest to the village of Kastraki.

Wooden ladders provided access to some parts of the monastery.

5/16/19-5/20/19 Ross and Sally Join Us

Thursday, 16 May 2019

Bike from Lefokastro to Afissos twice, Afissos to Lefokastro once

4.5 miles

Accommodation: Argonaut's House, booked on AirBnB; Nikos and his dad, Yannis. A refurbished 2-bedroom house with beautiful gardens, a big barbecue, and an old stone oven.

We moved to Argonaut's House in Afissos. Ross and Sally joined us in the late afternoon, and we enjoyed lemonade and snacks in the shaded garden at the apartment before walking to a taverna on the seashore for dinner. So good to see the Miller-Johnsons and share stories of our adventures in Greece as well as chat about home, family, politics.

View from our dinner table on the seashore. 

Garden at Argonaut's House.

Friday, 17 May 2019

Ross drove a rental car while Ken navigated, and we explored villages on the Pelion Peninsula--some that Ken and I had visited on the way to Afissos, some that we had not been to. Beautiful, sunny day. We found roads that cars really don't belong on. We ended up hiking to a couple of remote beaches and had lunch at a taverna in one of the gorges.

Ken and Cheryl on the beach.

Ross and Sally on the beach.

Sally photographing an interesting rock.

The interesting rock.

Saturday, 18 May 2019

Accommodation: Spilios Agapitos Refuge/Hostel (Refuge A) on Mount Olympus

Ross drove the rental car to the Prionia Trailhead (elevation 3,580 feet) for Mount Olympus, while Ken and Sally navigated. After lunch at the cafe there, we hiked up to Refuge A (elevation 6,175 feet).

We lucked out at the refuge and were able to get our own room with three bunkbeds and 18 blankets. The blankets were important: the refuge was not heated, and it got really cold that night!

We had supper at the refuge--spaghetti and salad. Then we sort of played Yahtzee. The instructions were in eight languages, none of them English. Sally and I figured them out (we think). Ross won twice. Then we went outside and looked at the full moon above the mountain.

We were all pretty tired from the hike (and the Yahtzee), so we were in bed by 8:30. Did I mention there was no heat, and it was cold? We all wore our long johns, down jackets, hats, and mittens to bed, and we slept inside sleeping bag liners with a blanket underneath us and three blankets on top. (Ross had four blankets on top. Lucky we had plenty of blankets!) We did stay warm--as long as we stayed in bed.

Ross and Sally head up Mount Olympus.

There was snow on the mountain. And yes, we had to cross the snowfields on snow trails.

The summits at dusk. Another 2,900 feet above us.

Yahtzee!

Piling on the blankets in our room at the refuge. We had electricity until 10 pm, cold running water, and indoor toilets. And lots of blankets! All the necessities.

Sunday, 19 May 2019

Accommodation: Villa Pantheon Hotel, Litochoro

Sunday morning the plan was to start hiking to the summits at 6 am, but our host at the refuge suggested waiting until 8:30 to let the snow soften up. We took her advice.

There are three summits from Refuge A, each one a little higher. Ken and I were planning to make it to the first one, Ross and Sally hoped to make it to the first two. Ross and Sally were about a half-hour ahead of us. They made it to the first summit and started working their way to the second one; we could see them up above us. At that point, the wind was blowing so hard it blew me over--twice. The second time, Ken and I decided it was too dangerous and headed back down the mountain. (Actually, I said, "I'm not having fun anymore," and turned around.) We found out later that everyone ahead of us did the same thing, including Ross and Sally. But we were all happy just to have made it as far as we did.

We went on down to the refuge for lunch, and then all the way down to where we had parked the car. Altogether, we hiked about 6,000 feet up and 6,000 feet back down over the two days.

Between the four of us, we managed to navigate to the hotel in Litochoro, where we found two large suites, each with double bed, balcony, kitchenette, and hot shower. We revived enough to hobble to a taverna in the center of town for dinner, then back to the hotel for a warm night's sleep.

Checking the map before we started out from Refuge A to the summits.

The first summit was about 30 minutes ahead of Ken and me when we turned around.

Heading back down after the wind grew too strong near the summit.

We crossed several stretches of snow between the refuge and the summits.

Monday, 20 May 2019

Accommodation: Argonaut's House, Afissos

After a big breakfast in the hotel, we took a short hike to a waterfall on the edge of Litochoro, then relaxed with iced cappuccinos in the shade before heading back to Volos (the Miller-Johnsons) and Afissos (the Drivdahls). The next day, Ross and Sally will head to a marine sanctuary on some islands, and Ken and I will start our trek to Meteora.

Sally on hike to waterfall.

The dam forming the waterfall appears to control the water supply for the town. The path to the waterfall was above the aqueduct feeding the water to control stations.