Kastoria - Prespes lakes (July 2022)
The last time I visited the city of Kastoria was in winter and it was by car... So, the time has come to tour it on my motorcycle! I booked a hotel for a weekend in July and as the D-Day has came, Maya and I found ourselves preparing our trip to Northern Greece! The motorcycle was always ready in all respects and it was just waiting for us to load the panniers and the first... ignition...
So, on the first of July, we got on the bike one after the other and headed north! We crossed the Charilaos Trikoupis bridge (Rio – Antirrio) and got the Ionia highway. We wanted to get to Kastoria as quickly as it was possible, just to have enough time to enjoy it, so the highway was the right choice! The first 200 kilometers until we met Egnatia Highway went by quite quickly Before the cross section of the two highways we made a stop for a coffee and to catch a breath... The sky was getting overcast and it seemed that we were not going to avoid the rain until we reached our destination. We departed again for our final destination and the weather started showing us its teeth! With the first drops we stopped safely in the parking lot of a tunnel and put on our rain gear. How much it breaks my heart to wear rain gear during a hot summer!!! The temperature is high, and you have to take a sauna from the inside, avoiding to get wet from the outside... How many of us haven't felt this???
When we reached the city of Grevena, the first drops began to fall from the rain curtains that we saw in front of us. In less than a kilometer, the rain became heavier!!! The rain drops were banging on the helmet with such a noise that you thought someone was hitting it with a hammer! Maya, even though it was the first time she faced such a situation, she was fearless and had a lot of fun! We exit from Egnatia highway following the signs pointing to the city of Kastoria, but also the voice of the lady from the GPS was giving me imperative orders to turn in 400 meters, in 200 meters etc...
So, before the city of Siatista I turned and took the road to Kastoria to cover the last 46 kilometers of the route. We entered Kastoria shortly before noon with the rain letting us enjoy the last kilometers to our destination. The nice lady who lives inside the GPS quickly directed us to our hotel, which was in the center of town. The Mansion of Venetoulas (our accommodation) is located in the old neighborhood of Doltso and is housed in a traditional neoclassical building that offers an excellent view of the lake. We got settled in our beautiful room and after freshening up we went out to explore the city and discover its beauties.
We started with a coffee in the picturesque square of Doltso, and then following the cobbled downhill streets we found ourselves on the shore of the lake. The setting was magical! We started walking towards the city center. We also had our notes (info) for the city on hand which said the following…
The city is built amphitheatrically on a narrow peninsula, reminiscent of an island, and impresses with its many majestic Macedonian mansions and dozens of Byzantine churches, which are reflected in the clear waters of the lake. Its hallmark is undoubtedly its famous lake, which impresses at first glance. Also known as Orestiada, after the mythical Orestes who took refuge in the area after the murder of his father Agamemnon, the lake seems like a real gem of which the locals are particularly proud and not unjustifiably. Its area covers 28 square kilometers, its depth reaches 10 m, while its coastline reaches 30 km.
The view of the lake is calming, especially from the hill of St. Thanasis, with the mountains that surround it - Vitsi and Grammos - being reflected in its clear waters. Designated as a "Monument of Natural Beauty", the lake is an important wetland - included in the European "Natura 2000" protection network - and more than 200 species of birds find refuge in its waters, such as silver pelicans, gray geese, larks, swans, ducks, herons, cormorants etc., while it is considered the second richest lake in catches in the country (grinds, pike, gourds, perches, butterflies etc.). Many birds nest in the surrounding area.
The history of the area goes back to the 6th millennium BC, where the finds of the prehistoric lake settlement, which came to light on the southern shore of the lake near the village of Dispilio (7 km SE of Kastoria), are dated. Among them is the so-called "Dispelion Tablet", which was dated precisely to 5260 BC, at the end of the middle Neolithic period, by the carbon-14 method and has not been deciphered to date.
Capital of the prefecture of the same name in Western Macedonia, and one of the most atmospheric cities in Greece, it is one of the few Greek capitals of prefectures whose beautiful landscape does not begin outside its borders but is a constituent element of their urban fabric. The magnificent mansions of the rich merchants are evidence of its prosperity and wealth, since it developed a strong economic and cultural identity thanks to the fur industry. Today stands quietly on the shores of the beautiful lake, among the peaceful mansions and apartment buildings, the historical weight of the precious Byzantine monuments – a whole open-air Byzantine Museum – and the largest exhibition of furs in the world. Byzantine churches next to apartment buildings, old mansions, cafes and alternative cafes, shops make up the image at its heart.
We enjoyed our walk by the shore of the lake and the old mansions that are built next to it, having for company the ducks that were frolicking in its waters and also fishes that made jumps on the surface of the water to escape from bigger ones that were chasing them. I spent some time on a bench by the lake trying to fly my drone to take some shots. There was a ban (no fly) in the area and I had to have a special permit. At last, and with the help of my son through the phone, I managed to get permission and take it off...
After this hardship I went through (hahaha) we continued our walk in the city, and in the late afternoon we ended up, after a friend's recommendation, at the Gramophone restaurant (near the City Hall), a modern, picturesque bar-restaurant where we enjoyed tsipouro and wonderful appetizers.
After this culinary feast we walked uphill in the direction of our guest house. We walked for a few minutes, and it was very good in order to sleep better.
The next day dawned and after we had our breakfast, we prepared to go to a water paradise... in Prespes Lakes... We got on my motorcycle and after 60 beautiful kilometers we arrived at Agios Achillios. The weather had improved greatly and there was no chance of rain. What the heck? We were in the heart of summer!
I parked the motorcycle in the small parking lot near the pedestrian bridge. Agios Achillios is a small islet in Mikri Prespa Lake and is connected to the mainland by a 650-meter footbridge. First stop, the basilica of Agios Achillios. The temple was built in the last decades of the 10th century at the expense of the Bulgarian tsar Samuel by craftsmen from the city of Larisa. At this point you enjoy the natural wealth and feel the peace that the landscape generously offers you. You empty and fill at the same time. After we finished our tour I flew the drone to get some shots of this wonderful landscape. We walked back across the footbridge to the parking lot and stopped next to a boat that was aground with a rather large fish caught by the fisherman in the lake... How much this lake gives to the locals!!! Wonderful birds were flying quite high above our heads making various formations and we were enjoying the sight.
We left Mikri Prespa Lake behind us and with Megali Prespa Lake on our left we took the road to the village of Agios Germanos. We visited the traditional watermill of Agios Germanos which is the only one of the 20 watermills that existed in the area and has been fully restored. It is a stone building with a wooden roof that was built in 1930 and was used as a water mill (for grinding grain) and as a water mill (for washing cloth). This particular watermill won the European Union's prize for Cultural Heritage, the Europa Nostra Award 2016.
Then we visited the temple dedicated to the memory of the Patriarch Germanos of Constantinople. A temple of special architectural importance, it captivates you from the inside and from the outside you admire the four massive pillars that support the cylindrical dome. After that cultural exploration, we stopped at the small tavern located in the square and enjoyed a local snack... What could one of the dishes be? Giant beans, of course, baked in the oven! Could we not try them? How was? Perfect of course! What does Kastoria produce anyway? Beans and furs…
On our way back to Kastoria, we stopped and bought beans... We thought that winter is coming...
Entering Kastoria we saw from above the city curling lazily around the beautiful lake and the sight was very beautiful!!! We left the motorcycle and our stuff at our hotel and started walking again on the lakeside street of the city. We visited the Monastery of Panagia Mavriotissa, which is located at the eastern end of the peninsula that enters the lake. It is likely that it was built in the 11th century AD. and it was called Mavriotissa in the 17th century because the inhabitants of the village of Mavrovo took care of its maintenance.
We went back to the city and started wandering in Doltso as the oldest and most picturesque district in Kastoria is called. Untouched by time, it made us want to get lost among its narrow cobblestone streets! Beautiful, restored mansions - some neoclassical and others faithful to Macedonian architecture -, remarkable museums and cobbled cobblestones "conspire" to take us on a mental journey to another era, when the city was at its zenith.
It was getting late, and our stomachs started to complain loudly so we headed to the "En Kairó" restaurant and soothed our digestive concerns with delicious snacks and nice wine. Its prices were very good and in general I could say that the prices in general were quite moderate to the point where you could say they are cheap! Now, if you can call the reasonable prices cheap, this is where another discussion should start... However, I believe that Northern Greece has very good food and the prices are not related to those further south! Anyway, the evening went very nicely, and we slowly retired to our accommodation to get some rest!
The next morning, we started to pack our bags, and after having our breakfast, we got on the motorcycle and went down to the lake for a coffee before leaving.
For our way back home we chose the old Kastoria-Ioannina road, a wonderful route of 165 kilometers that crosses northern Pindos and moves along the outskirts of mountains Grammos, Smolikas and Tymfi (Gamila). We passed through Nestorio village and left behind Pefkophytos and Pyrsogianni to reach the heart of Epirus in the town of Konitsa. A beautiful town, with imposing mansions, arched bridges, cobbled streets and rivers. We had a coffee and continued our way to Patras making a stop in the capital of Epirus, Ioannina. We had our lunch in a nice taverna, we strolled a bit by the lake and after our eyes were filled with beauty, we got on the bike to cover the last 210 kilometers on the Ionia highway to Patras. The highway may be boring but it offers you safety and fast travel. So, after a couple of hours we found ourselves at our base full of images and beautiful feelings! A very beautiful weekend ended and our minds began to be flooded with ideas for the next trip...
I will close by saying... "How excited I am to drive on the country roads of N. Greece!!! The landscapes, the mountains, the lakes, the rivers, the bridges, the small villages, the delicious food and the beautiful and pure people make you not want to go back to your base!”
