#greece

To all my wonderful followers,

I shall be away on a vacation to Greece from today for about two weeks. I will have zero internet access as the plan is to go off grid.

I have to use up my remaining vacation days left to me at work or lose it. It’s been a tough year of long punishing hours on the corporate treadmill - and that’s not even counting the toll of Covid that has affected all of us in varying degrees of discomfort and despair.  And so it’s a perfect opportunity to re-charge my batteries.

I’m going out to Greece with a couple of ex-army friends who, besides being extremely experienced and skilled mountaineers and hikers, are also good natured and fun loving company to be around.

We’re going to be climbing Mount Olympus which is the highest peak in Greece.

In Greek mythology, of course, it was the home of the Greek gods and the peak of Stefani was considered ‘Zeus’s Throne.’ Located in the Olympus Range between Thessaly and Macedonia, Mt. Olympus features 46 peaks exceeding 2,000 metres. The apex lies at Mytikas (2,917m), while ‘Zeus’s Throne,’ or Stefani (2,909m), is a notable summit for its role as the Greek God’s personal - you guessed it - throne. The second-highest peak, Skolio (2,911m), is a great place for rock climbing along its north face. We’ll be attempting over a few days to climb both peaks in under three days or less. It is estimated that roughly 5,000 climbers ascend Mt. Olympus each year, though the elusive top rock of Mytikas is never attained by all of them. Depending on which trail you choose it can be a moderately do-able climb to a tough hike. It’s classified as a Grade III climb near the summit and some routes require really experienced technical rock climbing skills.

Where would the fun be if we didn’t decide to undertake the toughest routes to the top, at well over 8 hours of climbing a day?

We’re also going on to do some serious trekking on hardcore trails.

One of which is over 75km. The Menalon Trail is a long-distance hiking route which runs from between Stemnitsa and Lagkadia, two mountain villages in Arcadia, on the Peloponnese peninsula, in the very south of Greece. It’s a route which is a lot more off the beaten track than a lot of hiking in Greece, and the 75km route is not only mountainous but also full of valleys, canyons, huge natural plateaus and bare peaks. It’s really a thing of beauty.

Other trails around Greece worth mentioning that we’re doing includes one to the Neda Waterfalls which is very much a untamed river trek off the beaten track. Neda is a river that passes through the Peloponnese region, in an area extremely well-known for its beautiful waterfalls. We’re also including a trek through the Vikos Gorge. It’s an insane gorge. The Guinness Book of World Records lists this gorge as the deepest in the world relative to its width. It lies on the slopes of Mount Tymfi and is half a kilometre at its deepest point. The hike is around 12km long, and the area is well known for stone bridges and old monasteries. Some of the pathways are narrow ledges on the sides of the gorge and so it’s considered dangerous in parts but that’s part of the adrenaline rush that we’re all fixated on.

I am going to spoil myself at the end by relaxing and seeing old friends in Athens. I have some Classicist friends who are doing fantastic research and excavation work in institutions based there.

All of which means I won’t be posting for the next two weeks on my blog. If you’ve sent me questions or mail to my inbox, please do forgive me if I don’t reply during this time. I will of course endeavour to reply as soon as I am able to.

I mean this sincerely when I say I am deeply appreciative of all of you who follow my blog. I wish I was more worthy of your support.

Meanwhile we would all do well to heed the words from my well worn copy of Herodotus that I’m taking with me:

Ει εθέλοι κατεσπουδάσθαι αιεί μηδέ ες παιγνίην το μέρος εωυτόν ανιέναι, λάθοι αν ήτοι μανείς ή ό γε απόπληκτος γενόμενος.

(If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.)

Stay frosty.

Black Swan Europa

After a stopover at cactus nurseries about a week ago, I was urged to visit the massive cactus greenhouse located at National Botanic Garden up on the mountain in Chiang Mai. Well I have heard and seen a lot of pictures taken from the place but never once visited, so it’s time hooray!

It was a pretty cloudy day, great for photos but the humidity was still killing me. Fortunately, I had my Ancient Greek Taygete White Leather Sandals on which I got from Designers Guild, super chic and comfy. I could enjoy the environment for hours. Leather, dessert, and cactuses :)

To be honest I’m not the kind who would dress up with sandals unless I’m just walking around my house or somewhere near the beach. I’m more of flats and canvas sneakers person, but this pair is just so chic for a day like this with cactuses! 

——————————————————————————————————————-

Ancient Greek Sandals are handmade locally by skilled craftsmen using traditional techniques that have existed for centuries. A raw, yet feminine aesthetic distinguishes this new sandal brand. The chemical free, natural tan leather ages beautifully with time and wear.

Christina and Nikolas’s love for Ancient Greece and its history, combined with their individual technical skills naturally led to the creation of ‘Ancient Greek Sandals’. The collection is inspired by ancient Greek Gods and myths, pottery, jewellery and sculpture.

cr.www.ancient-greek-sandals.com

Have a great week!

Nalinna.

Credit:

Instagram: @designersguild

Instagram: @ancientgreeksandals

Designers Guild Site: www.designersguild.com

Ancient Greek Sandals Site: www.ancient-greek-sandals.com

Contacts:
LINE: lynnalinnali
Email: [email protected]

Instagram: NALINNALI
Pinterest:www.pinterest.com/nalinnali
Facebook:www.facebook.com/the.forest.wanderer
Tumblr Blog: http://nalinnali.tumblr.com

Youtube Channel : www.youtube.com/nalinnali

2 years of learning Greek

It was only “I’ll learn the basics for my holiday” then when I did them I might as well keep going.

However I did have to stop for a bit because my brain wasn’t taking it in but I’m slowly getting back into it.

~ Ptolemaic Cameo.

Culture: Greek

Period: Hellenistic

Date: 278-269 B.C.

Medium: Ten-layered Arabic Onyx, dark brown and bluish white. Setting: gold ring, enamel, 4th quarter of the 16th century.