Greece: Ieropigi – Paralia – Posidi

After our forced drive through Montenegro and Albania, we found ourselves in a small village, right across the border. The first thing for the day was to get some breakfast and discuss the further options. We ended up in Posidi a few days later and what the three of us experienced will be compressed in the article.

Ieropigi – waking up and getting ready
As mentioned in the last travel report we did sleep basically beside the road since we could not find a perfect spot in the dark. The lesson for van-life here is: Look for a place when the sun is still out. Headlights alone will not give you awareness of your surroundings. Well, we found out that we parked a stone throw away from a sheet metal hut with loads of dogs. Since we wanted to get a coffee and some breakfast, as well as a toilet we quickly moved into our vans and off to the next village, were we stopped for a coffee. 
A local started chatting with us in German as he noticed we are from Austria. What a surprise that was. He recommended visiting Kastoria, which was about five to ten kilometers from the point we were at the time. He told us about the beauty of the peninsula and how beautiful a walk there would be. So we drove straight up to the place and rested our bodies as well as our minds there for a little while. 
Limni Kastorias Orestiada

The lake was entirely silent. Just a little bit of movement in the water resulting from the single fisherman with his boat and a few ducks. Otherwise, it would have been as flat as a mirror. The sun shining down on us, the silence around us and the full bellies and coffee infusions from earlier that day made us sit there in silence, enjoying the moment within the beauty of the place. 
Street around the Kastorian peninsula

What I did not know at the time was, that Kastoria itself would be worth a visit as well due to the beauty of the town. Unfortunately, I received the information too late, and we were heading towards the Sea already.

Paralia

Without any kind of specific location to reach we took the highway towards the Aegean Sea. I mainly wanted to save myself for another day driving local roads and was not sure if I would enjoy it after the last day’s drive. Progressing rather quickly there was still some landscape to admire.
As we arrived in Paralia, the first way was to the beach, and the relief as we came there was quite a thing. Driving up to the buildings, restaurants, and shops directly to the beach. We parked there and got out of our cars, feet in the sand, and the feeling of happiness and pure joy took over.
As we started to get hungry, we noticed that most of the restaurants, clubs, etc. had been closed already, which explained the almost empty beach. I might hasten to add that I prefer it this way rather than a full tourist circus all around me.
After having a delicious meal at a local restaurant we decided to scout the area with our bikes, so we drove up the coast, not directly on the beach since this is madness with regular mountain bikes but the closest road to it.

Beach, north of Paralia

We found a few right spots to stay overnight and headed back to our vans to get towards them with the sunlight left that day.
Well, so we thought, but it wouldn’t be me if I would not have a small catastrophe in the trip. Kilometers away from our vans we discovered I had a flat front tire. I’d like to add at this point that Toms tire was also punctuated, but the thorns of the local vegetation still stuck in the holes we discovered it just on the next day as we fixed mine.

Nevertheless, we made it to a right spot that day and decided to stay there two nights before moving on. My sister and Tom even went so far to collect all the garbage from the area around to have a more beautiful place to be. As you can imagine on a beach which is not used commercially, people throw stuff away you wouldn’t believe. To be honest with you I could write a whole article on this topic alone but that would set my mind to rage-mode, and it wouldn’t help even the slightest bit.

Our spot, north of Paralia

Posidi

After a few days, we moved on to Posidi. The reason for that was quite simple. I would pick up my best friend for a trip in Thessaloniki a few days later, and my sister wanted to get a ferry, a little bit to the east to get to some windsurfing spots on the islands in the Aegean Sea.
So the plan was to check out all the three peninsulas until my friend arrives and then split up. Well, that was the plan at least but little did we know that first: on the third peninsula (the one with the mountain Athos) no females are allowed. So scratch one peninsula. And you might see a pattern emerging here with my plans, little do you know about the f***s, life throws at me when I’m planning something. But that’s another story for another day.

We wanted to get to a Camping ground in Posidi, which was already closed, so we settled right next to the road was a resting area was full of beehives, some fisherman tried their luck, and we had a beautiful sunset to watch as we prepared food for the evening. And I know, “we” is not correct there since my sister does most of the cooking, but she enjoys it, and you can taste that in every single bite. So Tom and I do the minion work while she does her magic which is legendary within the friends who have seen her cook.
“You can have an almost empty fridge, freezer and a lot of biodegradable garbage in the house and she will still manage to prepare something out of it, you would be willing to pay for and tip the waiter afterward,” is a sentence I have heard quite often in my life.

Posidi beach

The next day we went down again to the beach of Posidi to explore the area. A local sanctuary of Poseidon has closed already. The Sign indicated due to maintenance work but we stayed at the beach for two days, and there was no activity whatsoever. Instead, we went to the beach to a lighthouse, a few hundred meters further and stumbled directly into a semi-abandoned military base. Which includes the lighthouse.

Semi-abandoned, Chris, are you drunk? No, nothing like that but let me explain.
There is a military campsite, fenced off towards the roads but on the beach, there are no limits, and we just walked up to the guy with the uniform who had a coffee outside the lighthouse. He explained that this place will be used during summer as a training camp and will be abandoned during the colder months. Talking colder months in Greece, I was there in T-shirt and shorts, and the shirt was soaked where my backpack was. Just to get your relations to “cold in Greece” right.

The empty military facilities

The beach itself was also almost empty, and I took a walk out to the tip of the promontory. The look back to the beach and the lighthouse, as well as the color of the water, were absolutely fantastic. The only thing that made me leave relatively quick was the exposure to wind out there. There was quite a breeze which is not the best thing when your clothes are wet since I get a cold quite quickly. The Lighthouse from the promontory

I think everyone will understand that we decided to stay here for a while. I for myself was just looking away from the ocean when I was working on the blog or reading my book, which I finished in two days partly credited to the book itself but let me take your mind on a journey right now. I know some of you enjoy to read, most of you do not read as much as you want. Me too but that’s related to the everyday life and the need to get your head silent while reading.

Our spot at the beach
So let’s start with a book you really want to read for a long time and a place like this. No, you are not on holidays, you live in the moment. Two people with you who are really close to you but are able to do their own thing. Feet in the sand, a freshly brewed coffee next to you, the setting sun lights the world in a smooth orange tone and the only sound you can hear is the ocean. Is there something better? I think not much.