Greece 2014 Adventure Day 3 - The Lassi Peninsula Walk.
The Lassi Peninsula Walk:
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Today we woke up to the sun shining its rays across the electic blue ocean. The beetles were up too!! After another scrumptious breakfast and an awesome cappuccino we dashed back upstairs to put on our bathing costumes, towels, sunscreen and hats just to make sure that everyone would not miss the fact that we were tourists and headed for the Lassi Peninsula.
This is really a stunning and scenic route along Fanari road and we were in for a treat. We had not actually planned this walk and ended up walking for 6 km which was such a treat after been cooped up at airports and inside planes for the last two days. You will often find pamphlets and information brochures along the way and at most of the supermarkets, shops and places of accommodation.
We started our walk from the Dolphin Super Market (this is where we bought our daily supplies as Niko Studio's is self catering which worked out so much cheaper especially with our weak rand) and turned right onto Fanani Road.
We found this beach which later became our spot. It is breathtaking and we found out that it is called Kalamia Beach.
after we had oohed and aahed we continued along the road and found the most beautiful and ancient olive trees. There were rows and rows of the most in sandy soil with sparse patches of grass. You can see that most of the land is arid and not as green as I had expected. My hubby was soon joking each time he took a pic of me saying "Kim by the ancient olive tree"; "Kim by the sea", "Kim by the rock". I did not want to miss anything!
We passed several hotels, homes and studios. There were also a couple of really great looking restaurants.
The road takes you through a "forest" of pines and welcoming shaded areas.
In Between the trees the sun filters through and as the gently breeze started to blow the sound of rustling leaves added to that romantic island feeling!
every so often the trees would disappear to reveal yet another secrete cove of turquoise water inviting you in for a swim. The great thing about this particular walk is that you are able to do just that and we went in for a few dips along the way to cool off from the hot sun.
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We then came across the first of the two Italian Memorials.
These are dedicated to the memory of the Italian soldiers and
officers who served on the island in World War 2. A plaque marks the grave of
136 men of the Acqui Division who were executed here by the Germans in
September 1943. 
We then came up to the white lighthouse known as St Theodoros. The Ayii Theodori lighthouse on the Lassi peninsula was built in the space of two months in 1829 by the then Resident, Charles Napier (1822-1830), to a design by the the civil engineer J.P. Kennedy. Napier greatly improved the infrastructure with public works projects which included the roads, public buildings and light houses including this one, in and around Argostoli. He was also responsible for modernizing the town plan, draining the marshes of the Koutavos lagoon, building and improving De Bosset's bridge across the bay.
The dramatic backdrop of the blues of the sea, the white and grey of the rocks and the white paint of the columns of the light house are breathtaking.
Ok Ok I know so I did go a little overboard (pun intended) with all the photos but WOW this was really beautiful and I tried to capture its beauty! This lighthouse marks the entrance to the harbour with its elegant low rotunda with an outer colonnade of Doric columns. It was reconstircted after the 1953 earthquake to a less elaborate design.
After some more walking we then came across the geological phenomenon: Katavothres. This spot is situated just north of Lassi. The area contains the old sea mills that were powered by sea water.A derelict water-wheel still remains. We discovered close by are the sink holes (or swallow-holes) where sea water flows into. The water eventually surfaces in Melissani Lake on the other side of the island and is then deposited back into the sea at Karavomilos. This seawater just seems to disappear into large holes at various points along the shore. Where the water went from there remained an unsolved mystery until 1963 when a team of geologists poured a quantity of uranin, a fluorescent dyestuff into the swallow-holes. Two weeks later traces of uranin reappeared at several places near Sami: at the springs of Karavomilos, at Fridi, at Ayia Efimia and in the Melissani lake cave. The experiment proved that the water travels 15 km underground through rifts in the limestone. by the time it reaches the east coast and re-enters the sea it is brackish, because it mixed with the subterranean streams of fresh water along the way. The mill was build in the nineteenth century powered by the natural flow of the water. It was later adapted for the use as a small hydroelectric generating pant. The building has been restored since the earthquakes and it is now a coffee shop-house.
we then went for a swim in this very private little cove. It was the first time we had swam in the Aegean sea. the water was fantastic the beach had lots of pebbles which hurt the feet so slops were the order of the day.
After soaking up the sun and having our first swim at Lassi we made our way back to Niko Studio's to take a shower and get ready to go and meet the rest of the group for dinner! This walk was really a magical experience and we did it in slops!! it is not taxing at all - you just need to take comfortable shoes, bottled water and some money to buy some snacks for food along the way. As I mentioned their are a few restaurants along the road and you can drop in for lunch or something cold to drink!
Today we woke up to the sun shining its rays across the electic blue ocean. The beetles were up too!! After another scrumptious breakfast and an awesome cappuccino we dashed back upstairs to put on our bathing costumes, towels, sunscreen and hats just to make sure that everyone would not miss the fact that we were tourists and headed for the Lassi Peninsula.This is really a stunning and scenic route along Fanari road and we were in for a treat. We had not actually planned this walk and ended up walking for 6 km which was such a treat after been cooped up at airports and inside planes for the last two days. You will often find pamphlets and information brochures along the way and at most of the supermarkets, shops and places of accommodation.
We started our walk from the Dolphin Super Market (this is where we bought our daily supplies as Niko Studio's is self catering which worked out so much cheaper especially with our weak rand) and turned right onto Fanani Road.
We found this beach which later became our spot. It is breathtaking and we found out that it is called Kalamia Beach.
after we had oohed and aahed we continued along the road and found the most beautiful and ancient olive trees. There were rows and rows of the most in sandy soil with sparse patches of grass. You can see that most of the land is arid and not as green as I had expected. My hubby was soon joking each time he took a pic of me saying "Kim by the ancient olive tree"; "Kim by the sea", "Kim by the rock". I did not want to miss anything!
We passed several hotels, homes and studios. There were also a couple of really great looking restaurants.
 |
| spotted a little sausage doggie! |
The road takes you through a "forest" of pines and welcoming shaded areas.
In Between the trees the sun filters through and as the gently breeze started to blow the sound of rustling leaves added to that romantic island feeling!
every so often the trees would disappear to reveal yet another secrete cove of turquoise water inviting you in for a swim. The great thing about this particular walk is that you are able to do just that and we went in for a few dips along the way to cool off from the hot sun.
We then came across the first of the two Italian Memorials.These are dedicated to the memory of the Italian soldiers and
officers who served on the island in World War 2. A plaque marks the grave of
136 men of the Acqui Division who were executed here by the Germans in
September 1943.
Shortly before the lighthouse you will find a signpost pointing the way to the Monument to the Fallen Italians (Monumento Caduti Italiani), which stands on a low hill. it was erected in memory of the ten thousand men of the Italian army's Acqui Division, based on Kefalonia, who lost their lives in the vicious fighting between the Germans and Italians on Kefalonia in 1943. The hill top offers stunning panoramic views. What saddened me was the state that we found these old ruins in.
It was really sobering to be walking in the footsteps of those brave soldiers who lost their lives. We spent a long time going through the ruins and reading the engraved writing on the walls, messages to loved ones, leaving their mark for years to come so that they would not be forgotten! It was a good time to sit down and reflect!
We then came up to the white lighthouse known as St Theodoros. The Ayii Theodori lighthouse on the Lassi peninsula was built in the space of two months in 1829 by the then Resident, Charles Napier (1822-1830), to a design by the the civil engineer J.P. Kennedy. Napier greatly improved the infrastructure with public works projects which included the roads, public buildings and light houses including this one, in and around Argostoli. He was also responsible for modernizing the town plan, draining the marshes of the Koutavos lagoon, building and improving De Bosset's bridge across the bay.The dramatic backdrop of the blues of the sea, the white and grey of the rocks and the white paint of the columns of the light house are breathtaking.
Ok Ok I know so I did go a little overboard (pun intended) with all the photos but WOW this was really beautiful and I tried to capture its beauty! This lighthouse marks the entrance to the harbour with its elegant low rotunda with an outer colonnade of Doric columns. It was reconstircted after the 1953 earthquake to a less elaborate design.
After some more walking we then came across the geological phenomenon: Katavothres. This spot is situated just north of Lassi. The area contains the old sea mills that were powered by sea water.A derelict water-wheel still remains. We discovered close by are the sink holes (or swallow-holes) where sea water flows into. The water eventually surfaces in Melissani Lake on the other side of the island and is then deposited back into the sea at Karavomilos. This seawater just seems to disappear into large holes at various points along the shore. Where the water went from there remained an unsolved mystery until 1963 when a team of geologists poured a quantity of uranin, a fluorescent dyestuff into the swallow-holes. Two weeks later traces of uranin reappeared at several places near Sami: at the springs of Karavomilos, at Fridi, at Ayia Efimia and in the Melissani lake cave. The experiment proved that the water travels 15 km underground through rifts in the limestone. by the time it reaches the east coast and re-enters the sea it is brackish, because it mixed with the subterranean streams of fresh water along the way. The mill was build in the nineteenth century powered by the natural flow of the water. It was later adapted for the use as a small hydroelectric generating pant. The building has been restored since the earthquakes and it is now a coffee shop-house.
we then went for a swim in this very private little cove. It was the first time we had swam in the Aegean sea. the water was fantastic the beach had lots of pebbles which hurt the feet so slops were the order of the day.
After soaking up the sun and having our first swim at Lassi we made our way back to Niko Studio's to take a shower and get ready to go and meet the rest of the group for dinner! This walk was really a magical experience and we did it in slops!! it is not taxing at all - you just need to take comfortable shoes, bottled water and some money to buy some snacks for food along the way. As I mentioned their are a few restaurants along the road and you can drop in for lunch or something cold to drink!
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