I'll be back

The end of the day has found us at Stemnitsa and suddenly everything made sense. The trip on the mountains of Arcadia, driving on narrow, sinuous roads, the landscape that gradually integrated us in its mountainous vibe and finally the destination.

We had a tight schedule in order to avoid driving in unknown, difficult roads at night but the minute I stepped foot on the village's square I knew that we were going to stay there longer than expected. And if we could spend a night (or many nights) there, we would!

But we only had a couple of hours and the sun was about to set :)

I have visited many villages all over Greece. I have seen popular ones flooded with tourists, I have seen abandoned ones sank into the oblivion, I have seen others that never lost there population but lost all their charm instead and every possible variation in between. But I rarely have the pleasure of seeing a village in such harmony. Its population has declined but it's not lost and it is showing signs of rebound, it is a popular tourist destination but the impacts are very mild and into logical proportions and its beauty and charm has been kept practically intact!

Walking on its streets feels like walking into history itself and its only the power poles that remind the actual era that we are living in. Climbing to a view point above the village to watch the sunset, the scenery became even more magical. The mountains all around, the bird's-eye view of the village and the sound of the river coming from the deep gorge below, all that as the sun was about to set, they were pure bliss.

I only wish we had more time to spend in this wonderful village that immediately felt like home but I made a promise before we leave that I intend to keep:

I'll be back!