Tuesday, 14 May 2019
Biked from Kissos to Lampinou to Neochori20 miles, 1,903 feet of climb
Kissos to Lampinou to Neochori Bike Route
The fog continued but the rain went away and we went on down the peninsula. Neochori is a small village with only walking access to a large lower square and small upper square with a couple of tavernas. We had a quiet night in a large apartment.
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| We cycled beautiful roads through forests and in and out of gorges up to Neochori, the top of the pass we would take to get back to the southern side of the peninsula. |
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| Sunset from the upper square in Neochori, looking over the roof of one of the churches and down to the sea on the southern side of the peninsula. |
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| Narrow street ending in a small parking lot near the steps offering access to the pedestrian squares of the village. |
Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Biked from Neochori to Milies to Afissos to Lefokastro15 miles, 920 feet climb
Neochori to Milies to Afissos to Lefokastro Bike Route
Months ago, early in the Minnesota winter of 2018-2019, Ken discovered a stone cottage perched above the sea in Lefokastro--far down the southern coast of the Pelion Peninsula. We thought it looked like the perfect place to rest and relax and enjoy the Greek coastline. So we rented it for three days and invited my brother, Ross, and his wife, Sally, to join us. We have been looking forward to that so much!
Well. The 2-bedroom cottage is way up a cliff outside a fishing village that has only one small taverna and no market or other business, a dog tied up at the entryway lunged and bit Ken (he is fine), the cottage has just the 2 bedrooms with no common space and a minimal kitchenette. Luckily, Ken and I were there a day ahead of Ross and Sally, who are on a 10-day vacation. Since we had made the arrangements, we were feeling a bit of pressure to provide a good experience for them. We hopped online and located a very nice actual 2-bedroom apartment with full kitchen, living room, entry room, garden, and more, 2 kilometers away in Afissos, a larger village with several tavernas, two minimarts, a bakery, some coffee shops--all the things you need on vacation. Whew.
Ken and I did end up staying in an apartment in Lefokastro Wednesday night, then moved to Afissos the next day. Things did not work out as planned, but we really enjoyed our time on the peninsula with the Miller-Johnsons.
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| Lefokastro is remote and quite. This view from our apartment balcony shows the only business in town--a small taverna at the far right of the shot (you can barely make out the sign at the entry). |
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| Afissos is only 2 kilometers from Lefokastro, but the "road" between the two villages is a challenge. In two places it becomes part of a beach. At one point the pavement becomes old cobblestones laid on edge to help the donkeys get their footing: the pitch is 31 percent. Yes, we both walked our bikes on that--even Ken couldn't/wouldn't cruise it. We made this trek 4 times. It was pretty! |
