A Walk on the Wild Side

Are you interested in a more in depth tour of Arkadia? Come join us for a “Walk on the Wild Side” of the most picturesque mountain villages in Arkadia. As an added bonus, we will tour Athens, Tripoli, and Olympia. Sit back, get your camera ready. We will look, walk, talk, take pictures, and eat!

We will see the Acropolis, the New Acropolis Museum, Lycabettus Hill, Philopapus Hill, the Presidential Palace, the Plaka, National Archeological Museum, and the Benaki Museum. The new Acropolis Museum is one of the most acclaimed museums in the world. After seeing the Acropolis, we will go and see the National Kalimarmaro Stadium that was originally built in 330 BC is made out of marble and is the only existing marble stadium in the world today. The Marathon of the 2004 Olympics ended in this stadium. Of course, while touring, we will see some monuments such as the Academy, the University and our National Library. Another important monument we will see is the “Marathon man” which is made of fiber glass and is located across from the Hilton hotel. It was built in dedication to the Greek soldier Phidippides who in 490 BC ran from the town of Marathon to Athens (about 26 miles) to announce that the Persians had been defeated. He shouted “nenikikamen!” which means “We won!” in ancient Greek and collapsed of exhaustion and died.

Continuing our tour, we will see the changing of the guards which takes place in front of the Presidential Palace. This is also one of the most expensive real estate areas in Athens (Herodou Atticou). Across from the Greek Parliament is the National Gardens where Athenians take a walk and relax during hot summer days. In front of the Presidential Palace is a unique show with fifty-two national guards (in their white uniforms) every Sunday and accompanied by a band (once a month on a Sunday), march down the street for a Change of the Guard Ceremony which ends in front of the Unknown Soldier monument. This is a wonderful event to witness!

Spend Saturday evening at the Grande Bretagne Hotel in a deluxe room and view across the street to the Presidential Palace on a Sunday morning. Shoot a video as you will hear the band quite well. This is the Soho area of Athens. The Athenians gather in Kolonaki Square to have Greek coffee and chat at the cafes nearby. Here you will see the real Greek culture. Kolonaki also has some of the best shopping stores of known fashion designers. We drive up through the narrow streets of Kolonaki to Lycabettus hill which is the tallest hill in Athens (its height reaches 277meters). We then head to the Plaka area which owes its name to a large stone slab found in the area of the church of St. George of Alexandria. We will have a wonderful lunch and then, we will head towards Tripoli.

Did you know that Tripoli is a large, metropolitan city of about 15, 000 inhabitants in the central part of the Peloponnese, in Greece? It is the capital of Arcadia. It was founded in the 14th century by settlers from Albania. It then became the seat of the Parsha of the Morea (ruler of Turkey). It was captured by Kolokotrinis in 1821, but it was eventually destroyed by Ibrahim Pasha in 1828. Trípoli is in the center of the surrounding agricultural region. Must seas are the sanctuary of Alea Athena and the Tegea Archaeological Museum. The temple is dated back the first half of the 4th century B.C.

The Archeological Museum of Tegea is newer construction from the 20th century. Professor Konstantinos Romaios was the first curator of the museum. The museum collections include early antiquities (sculptures, inscriptions, clay and metal artifacts, and architectural parts). We will spend one night at the Mainalon Resort Hotel which has been newly renovated. We also recommend the Cellar restaurant is located in the Kendriki Platia which is called Agios Vasilios. The restaurant has a street level. You must walk down into the restaurant level where the food is displayed and you order what is in season.

The following day, we begin our tour of the mountain villages which includes Agios Petros, Doliana, Vasta, Megalopoli, Koutroufa, Sitaina, Platanos, Kastanitsa, Lagadia, Kerasia, Tsakonia, Demitsana and Stemnitsa.

We will purchase cheese, at the local cheese store called Agiopetriko in Agios Petros. Agios Petros is mainly visited by pilgrims going to the Holy Monastery of Malevi. It has approximately 1, 000 inhabitants. In the village, there is a hotel, tavernas with local specialties, general stores, bakeries and delicious local sweets. Agios Petros is at an altitude of 900 m. It belongs to the Municipality of Northern Kinouria and it is 37 kilometers from Tripoli.

We will stop for lunch at Doliana at Peorgios. Doliana is a distance of 26 kilometers from Tripoli with an elevation of 920 meters. It is known since antiquity, but also later, because it produced marble of excellent quality. Doliana defeated the Turks on May 18, 1821.

Then, we will experience the tale of St. Theodora. You will enjoy this experience also! St. Theodora lived during the tenth century on the Peloponnesus in Greece, near the border between the regions of Messenia and Arcadia in a town called Vasta. When the area was raided by bandits, Theodora was determined to help defend her village, but, women were not permitted to do so. Even though, it was prohibited, Theodora secretly disguised herself as a male soldier in order to join the defense. Ultimately, Theodora did not survive.

But, as she lay dying she uttered the following words: "Let my body become a church, my hair a forest of trees, and my blood a spring to water them." The villagers were moved by her bravery and her untimely death, so they built a church at the site of her grave. A local river was re-routed to pass directly under the church. Eventually, trees sprouted from the roof of the church. I noticed that the roots of were not visible under the roof nor outside the church as they have not been visible for hundreds of years. In addition, this chapel (St. Theodora in Vasta) supports 17 large trees that emerge from the roof and the walls of the chapel. Each tree weighs close to a ton and stands over 20 meters high. Locals could not find a scientific explanation for this church. Many researchers have spent years studying this structure, even x-raying the walls, but have no explanation for the roots of the trees. This In 2003, a geophysical report was presented at the 4th Symposium of Archaeometry in Greece. The results of this investigation proved that the roots followed the gaps existing inside the stone wall of the chapel. It created repulsion stresses between the stones on the ground. This caused a spring to come out from underneath the chapel.

Did you know that Megalopoli is a town on the western part of Arkadia? It was founded in 371 BC. It is 30 kilometers from Tripoli. In Byzantine and Ottoman times, the city was known as Sinanou until the 19th century. It was the first urbanization in the primative Arkadia. It has quite an upscale caffineo which will be great for afternoon relaxation.

Then, we will drive to Sitaina which has an ancient Byzantine Church. Platanos is southeast of Tripoli, 71 kilometers away. Platanos is built on the slopes of Mount Pamon and is surrounded by fir, chestnut, pine and plane trees. It is a settlement with narrow stone-paved streets, whitewashed houses. We will have chestnuts and tea in a caffineou in Kastanitsa which is a complete mountain settlement and is at an elevation of 840 meters. The famous feast if the “Feast of the Chestnut” is held every year in the last week of October. Kastanitsa has wonderful quaint hotels. Lunch is in the oldest village of Tsakonia dating back from 1293 A.D. The cobblestone alleys are mixed with the very tall stone towers and the other castle-like houses. At the center of the village is the church of the Transfiguration of Our Savior which is magnificent as it was built 250 years ago! Around the village you can count 20 chapels. Most in the main town were recently renovated or new. I am sure that you will enjoy the evening also. You will wake up to beautiful mountain air as we did.

Then, our “Walk on the Wild Side” continues with Lagadia which is an elevation of 960 meters and on the road from Tripoli to Olympia; we saw the most picturesque principal village or town of Arcadia. Lagadia is also surrounded by fur trees and the traditional stone-built homes are perched on the slopes of the mountains. The stone houses with two-four stories were creations of the renowned Lagardian master workers. One of the greatest sites besides the Deligiannis House is the Metropolitan Church of Taxiahes. Kerasia is to the right of Tripoli. It is a lovely village which is part of the municipality of Skyritida.

The return trip was through sister villages of Demitsana and Stemnitsa. From Tripoli to Pygros and after Kambeas, we meet the settlement of Karkalos, then we turn right, and after 8 kilometers, we enter Demitsana. We take a tour of the two statues and houses of Patriarch Gregory V and Germanos, Bishop of Patra and the Ecclesiastical Museum, the library, and the folk life collection. We then see Stemnitsa which is the seat of the Municipality of Trikolana. It houses five hundred inhabitants, but it can reach 1000-2000 inhabitants during the summer months. It was chosen as the headquarters of the first Senate of the Peloponnese. Traffic is quite heavy, even during the off times.

To continue with our “Walk on the Wild Side,” will be Olympia. We travel to the west of the Peloponnese towards Ancient Olympia. When night falls, we will sleep at a very nice hotel in Ancient Olympia. The next day, we will visit the village of ancient Olympia where we will see the ancient stadium, the temple of Hera, the Palaestra, Phidias’ workshop, the Philippaeum, the Temple of Zeus, the Leonideum, and the Roman Baths. Did you know that the sanctuary of Olympia is in a lush region irrigated by two rivers, the Alpheus and the Cladeus? The sacred grove of Zeus was filled with plane trees and wild olives that were dedicated to him who was the father of all gods and mortals.

Approaching the archeological site before you reach the museum parking area, we will cross a bridge over the Cladeus River. The riverbed remains dry for most of the year now but in ancient times it was one of Olympia’s vital rivers. We will need to enter the sanctuary on the north side and proceed along the length of the Gymnasium. The southeast section of the site that contained the Hippodrome has been washed away by the waters of the Alpheus River. Did you know that excavations began at Olympia in the 19th century, but continue to this day? Important finds included sculptures from the Temple of Zeus, the Nike of Paeonius, the Hermes of Praxiteles and many bronzes. In total 14,000 objects were recorded. Did you also know that Hercules measured the length (600 feet) of the stadium at Olympia by pacing it out himself? It measures 600 feet. The Temple of Zeus was the largest Doric temple in the Peloponnese and it was built to house the gold and ivory statue of Zeus. The first major excavation of Olympia began in 1975 which was funded by the German government. At night, we will return to Athens from the west of the Peloponnese accompanied with the view of the Ionian Sea. Then, we can view the athletic facilities and visitor accommodations (guest houses baths etc).

We hope you enjoyed an “A Walk on the Wild Side”. We personally toured the mountain villages last winter and Olympia several years ago. Each village had it’s own special feeling. You walked in our paths from Athens, Tripoli, Olympia, Agios Petros, Doliana, Vasta, Megalopoli, Koutroufa, Sitaina, Platanos, Kastanitsa, Lagadia, Kerasia, Tsakonia, Demitsana, Stemnitsa, Olympia and Athens. Please say yassas (hello) as you pass the villagers. They certainly will respond with herete (welcome).

“A Walk on the Wild Side” is a 1956 novel by Nelson Algren and later, a 1972 song by Lou Reed.

Roberta Mark Engel