Once again, I got lost using the guide book, dead-ending at a gate on private land. I had to back-track twice, so it took me an hour and 45 minutes to get to my destination. The trails were peaceful and level, and the occasional smell of manure that I encountered was almost salubrious, bringing back childhood memories of riding horses. You can take the girl out of Tennessee....
Small Greek country cottages, or kalivis, lined both sides of the trail, as did low stone walls and olive groves. As always, there were numerous little churches along the way, many which were so small they seemed to have been built as private chapels for family farms. Just before I rejoined the main road, I passed an old underground spring which only had a trickle of water in it due to the time of year.
After walking down a long, steep grade, I finally arrived at Stafilos Beach around 8 p.m. I only had about 10 minutes to explore, take pictures and get my feet wet before I had to set off towards home to beat the darkness.
I returned to town along the main road. I made it back in about an hour, just before dark, passing some grazing sheep along the way. I also stopped at the Dia grocery store for a few light-weight items. Note the overhead signs, written in Greek and meaningless to me. Now I know where the phrase "it's all Greek to me" comes from.
I made sure to stock up on my favorite carbonated Greek lemonade. I have nothing to compare it to in the States, but it's SO refreshing! By my calculation, tonight's walk was about 6 miles, so I felt justified in ordering a big Greek salad ($5) for dinner. The simple, fresh ingredients were tomato, onion, cucumber, olives and a nice chunk of feta cheese, sprinkled with oregano, olive oil and lemon juice. I think I'll be making alot of these when I get back to NC!
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