So, today I decided to take another nature walk to take a vacation from my vacation from my vacation. Got in the car and headed up to the mountains again. Along the way, I saw the sign for Chrisospilliotissa church. Everybody together now Chri-so-spi-LIO-ti-ssa - much better class... So, Chriso-spillia means golden-cave. So this is the church of the Virgin Mary of the Golden Cave. And yes, it's pretty much a cave turned into a very small church. Here are some pictures.
Looking up at the church - it's in a cave after all, eh? The stairs are a new construction. As I remember the old ones were rickety.
Looking down from the stairs
Inside the cave - connecting corridors.
Wanted a picture of the altar, and caught this guy praying. I feel bad about the intrusion, but I didn't know when he was going to finish.
After the brief detour, I headed back up to Lagoudera to see the Panagia to Araka church (name translates to Virgin Mary of Arakas - told you god is big here). This is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was constructed in the 12th century and has some phenomenal frescoes. I believe the wooden enclosure is there to protect the frescoes. Pictures are not allowed inside, so here are some I was allowed to take outside.
Click to enlarge. A better description than I am able to provide
Zee Germans were also there...
I don't know what this bush is, but the flowers smelled great - outside the church on the hillside. Stood around sniffing for a few minutes...
Culturally fulfilled, I headed up to the main village to find something to eat before heading to the trail. I happened up on a cafe, ordered a sandwich and wondered around. These are the views from the outdoor dining area.
The far off trees are grapevines
Ate 1/2 the sandwich on the way to the trail, grabbed a bottle of water and my walking stick (upgraded to an aluminum pole with an actual handle today). Views from the trail.
This trail was much more demanding than the one from a few days ago. I did about 45 minutes and headed back. Felt the legs burning much more quickly. Lots of demanding climbs...
After finishing, I headed to Agros to buy some more Thyme honey. These are some pictures of the trip to Agros from the dam. Small excursions into the hillside were made, but the bulk are from the main road.
Grapevines everywhere!
Honey bees! As usual, they're moved around to take advantage of the best flowering plants.
Came home for the obligatory nap, cleaned up and had dinner with Revekka (K) and her family - Christoulla, Haritini + SO, Andreas, Yiannis + SO, etc. As per usual, dinner was excellent and conversation outstanding, warm and funny.
That's all for now... Stay tuned...
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