Posted 1:49 AM by MelanieandSteve
THESSALONIKI, LITOHORO, AND OLYMPUS, GREECE: 11-16 Sept (written 23 Sept)

WHO COULD STAY AWAY?: We already did Greece last year. But there were two things we regretted missing last time due to time constraints. Delphi (missed that again unfortunately) and Mt. Olympus. After having just climbed in the Everest region, and after peaking Mt. Fuji in Japan, we had to fit this remarkable climb into our itinerary - especially since Olympus was not far out of our way. We also welcomed as much exposure to altitude as possible before we go to Africa.

MAKEDONIA, LITOHORO: We headed to the land of the Macedonian empire and headed for the hills. After an overnight train from Bulgaria, we found ourselves in Thessaloniki, caught a bus through Katarini to the tiny mountain town of Litohoro, and were met by Alexandra - a very friendly German speaking woman with a super sweet house to rent us - much friendlier than any common hotel.

--LITOHORO, A BASE TOWN: Altitude 300 m (984 feet), population 7000. This tiny town by the Enipea river at the base of Mt. Olympus is usually used as the base for hikers. It had all the charm of a mountain town mixed with the antiquity of a European old town. Cafes and shops lined the streets, a fountain danced in the central square next to the really old stone church and the terrace overlooking the hills. The curvey roads were steep and the walk up to our little accommodations reminded us of an amalgam between Switzerland's Zermatt and Czek Republic's Cesky Krumlov.

--SMALL TOWN CULTURE: Everyone knew each other. After being in the town for three nights, we were beginning to feel like we, too, knew everyone. Melanie would stop to say hi to the men and women working in the stores. Ginger, who worked in a curio shop lent her a book to read. John, in the convenience store, bumped into us on the mountain hiking on the same day us. Melanie often saw workers in shops being visited by their friends who'd pull up a chair to enjoy daily conversation or gossip.

--MENS NIGHTS OUT: Bars and cafes often had shelves full of back gammon and chess boards. At night, older men filled these establishments to play the games or kibitz. We saw this throughout Eastern Europe also. The women were never with them. We figured they were at home continuing their conversations started earlier in the day in the shops.

--BETTER THAN CALIFORNIA'S CLAIM TO FAME: Cali's often like to brag that we have it all - beach, mountains, cities all in a short distance from each other. Greece has it even better. We were at the very base of the country's highest mountain - from where we would begin our hike to the top. Yet we were only 5km (3mi) from the ocean water.

MISSED THE OLYMPICS, MADE THE OLYMPUS: Many of you asked if we made it to the Olympics. We almost did but aborted the mission when the flight we could afford sold out right before our fingertips (keyboards). But we did make it to Olympus - in the nosebleed section.

THE MYTHIC VOYAGE: It was time to peak the mountain of myths. Olympus consists of several peaks. Three are most significant, and ironically, none of them are named Olympus. There was Skolio (2913 m), the second highest peak but least dramatic. There was Stefani (2912m), once considered the "Throne of Zeus" from where he oversaw the meetings of twelve gods that took place on the highest peak, Myticas (2918m or 9571 ft).

--THE 4 BASIC WAYS UP: We wanted to peak the mighty Myticas. There were a couple basic ways to do it.: 1) Drive 18 km (10.8 m) to a parking lot at Prionia and hike the last 3 hours if we'd had a car. 2) Drive 14 km to a different trail head and take a different, even longer trail around the back of the mountain. 3) Just start hiking right from Litohoro for about a 10 or 11 hour hike. Overnight refuges were available near the top. 4) The route around back of the mountain in the cold, and shade, with great risks of rock falls. Guides recommended. (Cold being the operative word, we skipped this option.)

--OUR ROUTE: We didn't have a car, and we did have a sense of adventure, so we conquered the whole hike from Litohoro (#3). It was the perfect choice for us. We didn't see many (or any) other people do this complete route. They missed out. The first six hours were the most beautiful. The route followed along the Enipia river. We passed monasteries, enjoyed numerous waterfalls and picturesque bridges. Higher up, the trail no longer followed the river. The terrain got steeper and more arid, and eventually passed the tree line. The drawback was, when most people who drove up got started, they were fresh, and we were already exhausted.

--LAST LEG TO THE REFUGE: After stopping for a much needed break and lunch in Prionia (where the parking lot was) we started our jaunt towards the overnight refuge. We ran into George, an Aussie living in Greece working with the Olympics. He was planning to hike in Africa in a week, so we had a lot to talk about. We ended up sharing a room that night.

--NOTHING LIKE A HOT MEAL AND A SNUGGLY REFUGE: Greece's climate is warm but high altitude is almost always cold. By the time we reached the refuge, we were not only tired, but it was beginning to get very cold. We changed into snuggly clothes. Accidentally fell asleep for a bit almost missing dinner call, but then headed into the kitchen to have a good hot meal sitting by the fireplace. This was the way to do it.

--SUNRISE FROM HIGH IN THE SKY: We awoke in time for sunrise and enjoyed it from the terrace of the refuge. The sky gradually grew orange and brightened. The only draw back was that far below, there was a layer of smog or dust hanging over the ocean. It made the sunrise more orange, but it diminished our view of the sun itself. This layer remained through our entire hike, day and night. We could still see the valleys,towns and ocean below, but it was hazy. Aside from that, we were blessed with clear blue skies.

--CLEAN MOUNTAIN: We were impressed that the trails were so clean. There was no trash or debris. We did notice people near the monasteries volunteering their time picking up trash, but the trails were beautiful even far from monasteries. The gods would be pleased.

--SUMMIT DAY, 13 Sept: Olympus is not a very high mountain - at least to an American. As a point of reference, Colorado has 54 peaks over 14,000 feet. Olympus is not quite 10,000 feet. Since it was not a very high mountain, we expected the ascent to be an easy walk up. We were surprised to find it one of our more rigorous summits, verging on technical. The rocks got steep, requiring hands to climb for about 100m. There were pitons in the rocks for fixed climbing ropes, but we chose not to use ropes. Some people stopped when they saw the final ascent route and turned back due to fear of heights or steeps.

--PEACEFUL AT THE TOP: We reached the summit, celebrated, signed the log book with scintillating thoughts and ideas, and found a sunny spot behind a rock to protect us from the cold mountain wind. We enjoyed a picnic overlooking the valley below. We started our hike much later than many climbers that day, so by the time we settled down for the picnic, most climbers had left and we had the peak to ourselves.

--LONE MOUNTAIN OVER THE SEA: As we went higher and higher, the view got better and better. Unlike mountains in America surrounded by other hills, Olympus stood alone. Thus, the view from the top seemed larger and more dramatic. From the top we could see right down to the ocean.

--THE DOWNCLIMB: To many climbers this word, downclimb, is an evil word. Climbing down is always more difficult than up. To add to this, we decided to attempt an alternative route, much more steep. In climbing terms, this route would probably be called a 5.5, which means it was not that difficult. Most all handholds were "bomber" or very secure and foot holds were also good. What made it harrowing was looking down. The climb was bottomless, meaning if a rock fell, it would keep on falling. We took it slowly and carefully. At times it felt scary, but for the most part, we were confident. No wonder the first successful recorded summit of Olympus didn't happen until the 20th century. This adventure clinched our experience on the mountain of the gods. It also saved us about 3 hours. Other climbers descended the way we all came up and met us hours later at our second refuge to enjoy stories and talk over hot meals around the fire place.

--PROFITIS ILIAS: There was another important peak near our second refuge. We learned from Greek friends at the refuge, Fotis and Thanos, about the highest point that humans were allowed to go to during the days of Greek Mythology. Humans would make pilgrimage to Profitis Ilias twice a year to make sacrifices to the gods. Criminals would pilgrim there even more often to seek forgiveness. There used to be a temple of Zeus there and a stone alter for sacrifices. Then in 1495, a Christian monk replaced the temple with a monastery. The monastery still stands (though in 1995, the roof collapsed and has since been rebuilt), and the stone alter is inside of it. In the morning, after rising for sunrise, we trekked to the top and enjoyed its view of the greater peaks. We could understand how this became a place of spiritually honoring the gods.

--THE LONG WALK HOME: We decided to take a different mountain trail down. It was a longer trail, but part if it was via road. For this reason, we were overly optimistic in our time estimates. Steve thought we'd be home by noon. Melanie though maybe 4. Both of us were hopelessly wrong. We started at 8:30 am and got home at 6:30 pm, both with blistered feet.

HIGHS AND LOWS: We went to the highest part of Greece. So we had to go to the lowest. In the morning, we headed to sea level to relax and recuperate at Grichos beach.

TIME FLIES AND SO DO WE: It seemed to happen so quickly, but before we knew it we were flying to the land of papyrus and pyramids. We'll tell you about that next time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Brother John
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: to brother and sister Norm and Linda

Posted 9:19 AM by MelanieandSteve
VARNA, BULGARIA, 8-10 September (written 20 Sept)

8 AT THE GATE: We, 8 travelling fellows, caught a micro-bus from Mangalia, Romania to the coastal border of Bulgaria. This wasn't a common tourist gateway, and we were essentially alone. After the 'exit Romania passport check', we found ourselves walking through a desolate and unpopulated no-man's land to Bulgaria. The guards gave a good first impression of Bulgaria. They were quite gentle with a look on their face that appeared as if there were perpetually about to smile or laugh. With some of us guarding our huge pile of rucksacks in the streets, a few of us enterred the only governmental edifice, a small room for cash advances. To our disappointment, there was no cash exchange and it appeared we'd be stuck with wads of useless Romanian money - virtually unexchangeable outside the county.

GOOD MAN IN AN OLD VAN: In a van like the Magical Mystery van, sat our big friendly cab driver. He spoke only Bulgarian. What would we do now without Seb's language expertise? Along came Johnny with his Croatian heritage. He found Croatian was similar to Bulgarian and he worked us a deal. The driver alleviated all our concerns by agreeing 1) to fit all 8 of us and our big bags in one taxi, a fete we had assumed would be impossible, 2) agreeing to take us all the way to Varna for a very good price, and 3) agreeing to accept our remaining Romanina money (ironically the cost he asked was exactly, to the cent, the amount of Romanian money we had left.) Once on the road, we asked him how long it would take to get to Varna - his answer, "God Knows." We all laughed, but that was the right answer for a drive in this developing nation. He got us where we needed to go, pointed us in the direction of the beach, the train station, and living accomodations, and said farewell. Melanie liked this guy so much she gave him a kiss on the cheek. He said that was the first time an American ever gave him a kiss.

FIRST THING'S FIRST - THE BEACH: No place to stay, packs on our backs, we did what any accomodation-seeking traveller would do . . . head for the beach. There were pubs and cafes and we all picked up refreshments, sat on the blow up sofa chairs, and enjoyed a few moments of relaxing procrastination before returning to the grind of getting settled. The town looked good. A nice white sandy beach on the Black Sea with cafes, umbrellas, a water polo team working out in "sweet sweet striped spedo's", and a very relaxed atmosphere.

SLEEPING 8: Travelling together as a group was great fun. But it had its inconveniences. Fitting in transport. Fitting in accomodations. We wanted to be together. But there was no hotel, hostel, or private rental that could fit us all in (despite offers we made to sleep on the floors.) Until along came Ivan (the Great, or the Terrible, we're not so sure.) Ivan had two apartments near the beach to let for two nights, side by side and each with four beds. We took him up on it, and learned to regret it each time he threatened to kick us out just for talking during night hours. We regretted it more on our check-out morning when he showed up unexpectedly at 8 am sharp and ordered us to be out ... by 8 am sharp. No, he wouldn't even give us time to take showers.

DINNER OUT / DRACULA IN: cafes were cute and we found a spread perfect for us all for a leisurely dining night out before heading into our little appartment to keep going on our Dracula saga. (Bad news is, the group split up before we could finish the four thousand page [on Steve's computer] book.)

HIGH CLIFFS, PRETTY VIEWS, NICE PARK: What our apartment lacked in charm by being a multi-storey block-style Soviet era looking mega structure (though the inside was nice), it regained in locality. It was only a couple blocks from the water. Melanie explored the cliffs above the ocean where a green park spanned nearly five kilometers. Trails ran through the park and along the cliff side, by waterfalls, and to stairways down to the sand.

HAPPENING CITY CENTER: We all headed 5 km by bus for the city center and the beaches near it. The town was really happening. Streets and streets of cafes and fun shops, internet stalls, out door venders, and the bustle of many locals and travellers. We wished we'd stayed nearer this part of town as it would have been fun in the evenings as well as the day.

CHILLY BEACH: We joked that we might be jinxing ourselves when we left the perfect climate in Romania for for the popular beaches of Varna, Bulgaria. We forgot to knock on wood '(touch wood,' the English say) and we found cloudy, breezy cold days here. It was still beautiful, we just had to bundle up.

FAREWELL NIGHT: We'd grown kind of attached and we couldn't believe we'd reached our last night travelling together as a group of 8. We spent our last night staying up practically all night talking and playing. We were up late enough that some the group overslept and nearly missed the ride to the early morning train. (In retrospect, we would have never actually missed the train as Ivan the Terrible would have woken us all up and made sure we were out of his place before the cock crowed.)

6 DOWN, 2 TO GO - WHERE NEXT: Once the rest of the group left, we two had a little alone time to enoy the beach, do some internet, explore the town center a little more, and then in the afternoon, hop on our overnight transport to Greece. We had Hellenic Aspirations to reach Mythical Heights -- more on that next time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS TO: Niece Sara, and Friend Ian F.