A new walk through Limenaria, a small and common town on a beautiful island in Greece. Thassos Island.
The island of Thassos is one of the large islands of Greece, with a circumference of about 100 km. It is a mountainous island located only 8 km from mainland Greece, in the north of the Aegean Sea, it is very accessible to the countries of the Balkan Peninsula, so we were able to get there from Romania, further afield in northern Europe, about 600 km away. This distance allows us to come by car, my favorite way of travel.
There is no airport on the island, so for those who come from more distant countries there is the option to fly to Kavala and then by ferry to Limenas, the island's capital.
Thassos, also called the "Emerald Island" because of the clear and clean emerald waters that surround it, is also famous for its olive groves and pine forests. My favorite places to walk.
The island is surrounded by a coastal road and once in Limenas it is very simple and easy to get to any town and resort. From Limenas to Limenaria it "costs" me only half an hour to drive.
Finally Limenaria. The second largest city on the island is the place where I like to go, to stay at a small hotel, Hotel Karagiannis, with whose owners we became friends. We even promised that whenever we arrived on the island we would only stay at their hotel.
At the end of this road we reach Limenaria. This is the road that surrounds the island, narrow because there is not much space between the mountain and the sea.
The small town of Limenaria, behind hills covered by olive groves ...
... and on the other side the Aegean Sea and the Gulf of Limenaria.
I really like the localities located on the hill and mountain, where the streets and houses are placed in several planes and heights, often the houses seem to be placed on top of each other. Especially the seaside cities where everyone wants to see the sea, if they have a house in front of their house, they build their house in the highest part of the land and make it higher than the one in front. In the end, they look a bit like Limenaria.
Such a relief of the city determines the appearance of sloping streets and stairs, both imposts being to my liking.
Now let me confess a little about the way I behave in such trips, what I like to do and what I am looking to find. When I come to Greece, on the island and of course that means Limenaria, I like to walk and find the hidden places in the city, non-touristy, I like to see people's houses and try to imagine how they live.
I like to try to integrate in their daily life, to make them, that is, to buy from their stores, to eat in their taverns, that is, in those taverns where the locals eat, not only the tourists. The most sought after tavern in the city is not even on the beach, in the most touristy areas. On a hidden street I saw at first, in a walk in the middle of the day, several tables and chairs placed on the sidewalk and even on the street. We then learned from our hosts that it is a tavern where they also eat, the freshest, tastiest food and which is the very food that every Greek eats.
When I found out that the most common Greek food is eaten, without sophisticated presentations, only very fresh food and seafood, very tasty and even cheaper than in other more handsome taverns. I understood that this is the place I was looking for to better understand the way of life on the island. From that moment I only ate at this tavern. The tavern served food only in the evening, after 8 pm and until after midnight.
I ate at this tavern the tastiest Greek food and especially fish. The food is representative of the Mediterranean cuisine, one of the healthiest in the world, consisting of fish, olive oil and wine. I've eaten the best grilled fish of my life.
Of course, if you don't eat fish you have other offers, one would be schnitzel with french fries. The Greeks put olive oil and lemon juice on almost all foods and I found it very tasty so I have kept this habit ever since.
One of my goals in every trip is food. I like to eat the traditional food of the place, through this I actually understand better how people live, what their life is like.
I like the sea, of course. The main reason I make these trips. I like to see the sea, to feel the sea, to smell the sea. At first I try to see the sea through the eyes of the locals, to see how it looks from their houses. Obviously I can't enter their houses but I can see the sea from the streets of Limenaria.
I like to walk on the beach, to admire the sea, to breathe the breeze and not to stay too much in the sun, so not to sunbathe ... although I like those who sunbathe.
On the outskirts of the city there is a place very sought after by tourists, especially by women. A complex where they make jewelry, especially gold. Iris Gold! It is about two kilometers away from the city center and we decided to visit the place and then return to the hotel walking by the sea.
This complex consisting of shops and workshops where jewelry is made is housed in a very beautiful building, built on a hill by the sea.
Of course I had to visit the store, I was with two ladies eager to buy something. Something small but this need had to be met. I am not a fan of these purchases but I have to understand the needs and pleasures of my ladies.
The beautiful part and my reward came after I left the store. Immediately next to the store was a terrace, of course, the Greeks are very good traders and exploit any opportunity. A terrace with a beautiful sea view.
More than for any ring or earring, I enjoyed a cold beer on a hot day.
Of course, I liked the view the most. One of the supreme holiday pleasures, to be lazy on a terrace, to talk, to drink some wine, beer, coffee or fruit juice and to watch the sea.
Of course, a well-deserved rest for the recovery of forces, because now, on the way back to the hotel, there are two kilometers of walking on the beach, by the sea. Walking on the sand, it is known, is quite tiring but definitely healthy.
The beach is exactly as I like it more and specific to the Greek islands, that is wild, flooded by vegetation and almost deserted.
From place to place we meet groups of people who sunbathe, swim or play with children, in the shade of umbrellas.
Endless beaches, which at one point leave a small terrace and a few umbrellas and sunbeds near the sea. Freedom!
The sea that is master everywhere. I prefer it when it is without people and we meet many such areas in our walk.
God, how much is left to show, to tell. I have hundreds and hundreds of photos but I have to stop, I think it's already tiring. On the way to the hotel I meet a cat who seems to be arguing with me for ruining the peace of her place.
The island is full of cats and goats, but about that on another occasion.
We can talk about travel in many ways, I prefer to convey how I feel and what I like to see in the places I visit and I have the chance to stay a few days. I don't recommend anything, I don't try to beautify what I see, I only tell what I lived and what I liked. If someone has the same pleasures as me then maybe they will feel the desire to go to the same places or maybe they will only enjoy what I present here.