About an hour’s drive north of Delphi lay our next destnation: Iti National Park. I’d read up on it, opted for a hike to a waterfall and felt generally prepared. Flo did a quick stop at the bakery to buy pastries for lunch and we were all set to start.
And then the hike turned out to be much more involved than I had wanted. The kids and Flo loved it, while I fought vertigo and anxiety seeing my kids move over streams and tree trunks, up steep inclines and hanging from ropes.
In the end, the waterfall was absolutely stunning. It wasn’t the one I had chosen but it was beautiful and we had made it. Plus, when I finally made it there, we met about three classes of Greek pupils aged about 12 years old who did this hike as a field trip.
Driving to Sirka on the Pelion Peninsular afterwards meant another late arrival. But we did the best and opted for dinner in the taverna which was lovely.
Ypati was suggested by the Lonely Planet as a good starting point for hikes
So we started a 2,4km round trip to a waterfall. That’s what I signed up for.
The first “sight” along the way was this wind hole which was actually pretty cool
Next to the signpost telleing us to go left to see the wind hole, we had lunch.
Now it’s starting to look like a hike in a national park
Both kids loved finding the way markers
Then, we came to this dry river bed which was to be crossed. It was the first time I went “hm….”
Looking out over the dried up river bed
Next up, we had to cross a small stream. Luckily, there were enough stepping stones
Why are there metal steps? Why is it so steep?
Both kids and Flo LOVED the track while it wasn’t what I had signed up for….like at all
And then, you had to cross a freaking tiny trunk holding on to a steel cable!
Number 3 did it nearly without help
Yeah….this was not the hike I expected. It had so many climbing parts
And then we were at the waterfall. The sun came through the opening and I stopped complaining. 😉
Waterfall-gazing kids
Family with waterfall
In the shade, with the water spray, the Agent was cold all of a sudden. Cuddling helped
And now….at least for the last part, we had to retrace the track. Up the metal handholds and ropes
And down the steeep parts
Now there was even a bridge over the stream on the way out
For a bit, this dog accompanied us on the hike. I didn’t find out if his owner was around or if he was just living here
Sundown at Camping Sirka on the Pelion peninsular. After the hike, we had to drive for quite a while again to get to the next campground
So we opted for a late dinner in the campground taverna, right at the sea. Fresh fish was on the menu, as well as baked cheese with veggies
Our second
day at Quinta de Odelouca began. This time, I had opted for fresh bread rolls
which the camp ground offered as a breakfast option. Quite happy with the
choice, we started to pack the carrier backpack and my own small backpack:
Today, we’d see some of our surrounding!
The short
hike Flo picked was to get to San Marco de Sierra via the hill route, have
lunch there and then come back along the river. We started around 10am when the
sun was already up high but temperature-wise it was still okay. Then…we went
face first into the hills. 😉 To be fair, we first had to cross a small river
to get to the hill. There was no convenient bridge close by, just a railway
one, so we did it the old fashioned way. I, once more, was quite happy for my
hiking sandals because I just walked on through. Flo, carrying Number 3 in a
backpack, had opted for heavy hiking boots and thus needed to find a shallow
route. It wasn’t a problem either.
… and up! Not much shade
Then, we
went face first up the hill. I’m not sure if the pictures will do it any
justice. It was steep. Very steep. I was wondering if a 4WD drive could make
it. Probably yes…anyhow, have I mentioned that it was steep?
It was a very pretty hike though. Through fields of flowers, under cork oaks (which I hadn’t seen before) and by the stump of an old tower. Towards San Marco de Sierra which appeared as a lovely white city in the distance once we had crested the hill in between. Seeing the village was quite misleading though as the path wound its way on the crest to the tops of two more hills before descending again.
By around
11.30am we had made it. Half an hour to spare to meander through the village
before having lunch in a recommended eatery. Wait, is it closed?
Turned out,
it isn’t open Saturday at lunch time. Feeling rather hungry after our hike, we
checked the next eatery. It was 22 minutes by foot away. Back into walking
mode, we finally arrived at a place that was open. And buzzing. Geez, is that
because it’s Saturday? There was hardly a table available. And a whole pig
roasting on a spit in front of the eatery. No one spoke a lot of English so I
am not sure if it happens every Saturday or if it was a special occasion.
Anyway, we got food, even vegetarian things for me. The poor waitress made a
face once she understood that I wanted something vegetarian but then was quick
to suggest an omelette with cheese. Portions were enormous. Baby also dug into
the food. Seems like it’s true and kids just looooooooove chicken.
Flo
finished the whole affair with a coffee while Number 3 charmed everyone again.
Like a chiselled farm hand, looking serious and ordering a coffee and a shot
for lunch…suddenly cracked into a big smile and waved at baby because baby was
standing in his way, waving at him. Portugal turns out to be a very good
country to travel with kids.
Its breeding time – never seen so many storks
Filled to the
brim, we were ready to go once more. This time, we followed along the river for
a bit and crossed the river one last time. The way back seemed long now but
then, we could see the camp ground and were rather relieved. At least in my
case.
Flo still had energy left to jump into the pool with Number 3 before having a short stop over on the porch of the camp ground owners. They offer glasses of wine, port or soft drinks for a very reasonable price while you sit at the same table and chit chat. Unfortunately, most of the campers were Dutch and just could not be persuaded to speak English. Unable to follow the conversation (especially me), we cut our time there short and went to have dinner instead.
Fog in the morning made everything damp and slightly cooler
tiny bridge over a stream on the porperty
Wild roses I would guess?
still flat
crossing the Odelouca
nina through
A beautiful cork oak
going up …
.. and up …
… and up! Not much shade
San Marco de Sierra taunting us
great viewpoint
what a life
almost here
Number 3 checking the decorations at the town square
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