While staying in Athens, we scheduled several day trips around the area, outlined below. Traveling around Greece is easy with updated highways. Most are toll roads that branch out from Athens and are accessible across the country to various sites. After that, the roads can become narrow in the countryside. Now, driving in Athens—I would not recommend driving, use the taxis, which require an app.
We had thought we could just hail a taxi but quickly learned that was not the case. After trying several times, we learned from the restaurant that we needed an app. We also learned that the fares are cheaper by using the app Freenow. Uber can be used; however, the cost is higher for the same size taxi and distance. If you get lucky and hail a taxi, you’re a tourist, and the taxi driver charges an additional 5-10 Euros for the same fare on the app.
SEMELI Winery
Founded in 1979, Semeli is a leading Greek winery and one of the country’s most significant wine-related developments. This winery uses a gravity-feed system from grapes being crushed to bottling.
The winery is located in a Nemea area dominated by ragged mountains with vineyards perched on hillslopes amidst age-old cypress trees and olive groves; Nemea offers one of
This area has a long history and provides the most stunning landscapes in the Peloponnese. It is located midway between the towns of Corinth and Argos.
In mythical times, its name was closely linked with Hercules, who performed his first feat, the slaying of the ferocious Nemean lion, in one of its mountain caves. The hero kept the beast’s pelt and, ever since that day, wore it like a suit of armor. Later, the region became known for its sanctuary of Zeus, the biennial athletic games held in his honor, and its Phliasian wine, which was famous throughout ancient Greece.
The winery is nice and has beautiful scenery. We did a wine tasting of their better wines, which were enjoyable, along with the cheese provided. We would recommend this winery for the wine and beautiful location in the Nemea area.
Fortress of Palamidi
Palamidi fortress commands an impressive view over the Argolic Gulf and protects the city of Nafplio and its harbor in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece. Nestled on the crest of a 216-metre (709 ft) high hill, the Venetians built the fortress during their second occupation of the area (1686–1715). The fortress is perched atop a mountain, 216 meters above sea level, providing a strategic advantage for its defenders. There are 913 steps in the winding stair from the town to the fortress. However, there are over one thousand to reach the top of the fortress.
The fortress was a very large and ambitious project, but it was finished within a relatively short period from 1711 until 1714. It is a typical baroque fortress based on the plans of Venetian engineer Antonio Giancix (Antun Jančić)[1] and built by French military engineer Pierre de la Salle. In 1715, the Ottomans captured it, and it remained under their control until the Greeks captured it in 1822.
The eight bastions of the fortress were originally named after the Venetians. Then, during Ottoman Empire rule, the bastions were given Turkish names. When the Greeks overthrew the Turks in 1822, the bastions were renamed after ancient Greek leaders and heroes (Epaminondas, Miltiades, Leonidas, Phocion, Achilles, Themistocles). The two remaining bastions were named after St. Andrew (Agios Andreas) and the French Philhellene Robert, who died in battle on the Acropolis of Athens.
The Cave of the Lakes Kastria
The Cave of the Lakes Kastria is a unique natural creation. It is divided into three levels connected to each other, with many corridors surrounded by strange stalactite formations. The cave is actually a long, subterranean river that forms many small lakes.
The cave is about 2,000m long, but you can walk only 500m. You cross narrow corridors and artificial bridges that pass over the lakes, and you see amazing stalactites and stalagmites formations. In winter, when the snow melts, natural waterfalls are formed. In summer, part of the cave dries and reveals new stalagmite formations. The natural entrance is right on the road, while there is another man-made entrance a few meters away.
According to the myth, some young girls would live in the area, Lyssippi, Ifinoy, and Ifianassa, who said that they were more beautiful than the goddess Hera. When Hera heard that, she got angry and took their sanity. Since then, the three girls believed they were cows, ran wild around the area, and persuaded the women to kill their children. Someday, they came to this cave and were cured by the god Melambodas, who resided there and lived in the nearby Loussoi village.
The cave was found in 1964 by some local shepherds. It is situated 20 km from Kalavryta and 9 km from Klitoria village.
The cave tour is a nice one. No pictures are allowed and it is approximately 30 minutes long. It is a nice stop while travelling through the mountainous area of Greece. The museum associated with the cave is updated and provides a nice overview. I recommend it.
The Diakopto – Kalavrita Rack Railway
The railway is a locals and tourists. It’s a train that can reach high altitudes and operate on steep grades, providing unique interest and spectacular views.
With an unparalleled journey that lasts for about one hour and starts from Diakopto, the rack railway runs through the gorge next to Vouraikos River that creates small and bigger waterfalls and natural pools. In fact, in the location Katarraktis the river plunges impetuously and almost vertically under the railway bridge. When you reach Kalavryta, you will realize the reason behind the town’s well chosen name, since “Kala Vryta” literally translates to “Good Waters”.
The train covers the 22-kilometer journey, traveling at a speed of 30-40km/h when moving along the regular rack and 6-15km/h when moving along the toothed racks. The railway network is toothed on steep gradients. The classification of the railway as “Rack” or “Cog” comes from the cog wheels these trains use that mesh in the rack rail, helping them to operate on steep grades. The train features special pinions inside the wheels, used when the steep gradient increases and latch on the rail, both during the ascent and the descent.
We had lunch in the village of Kalavryta which was nice. The village was site of Nazi massacre in December 10, 1943 where German forces rounded up all men and boys aged 12 and older and slaughter. In early December 1943, the German Army’s 117th Jäger Division began a mission named Operation Kalavryta, intending to encircle Greek Resistance guerrilla fighters in the mountainous area surrounding Kalavryta. During the operation, 78 German soldiers, who had been taken prisoner by the guerrillas in October, were executed. In response, the commander of the German division, General Karl von Le Suire personally ordered the “severest measures” – the killing of the male population of Kalavryta – on 10 December 1943. The movie Echoes of the Past (2021) was a fictional account of the holocaust that occurred in the Greek village of Kalavryta. The women and children were separated and witnessed the slaughter of their families as a measure to break the Greek renaissance in the area.
The story is sad, however the families have endured and lived to identify the horrors of war.
The train ride and village visit are a nice along with a tour of the Greek mountainside/countryside. If you travel via car after the train trip, you can encounter sheep wandering down mountainous roads and beautiful scenery.
