Thursday 31 May 2012

Weekend to Volos-Pelion Part E

I can't believe we are in part E of this weekend trip! Hubby says I am posting too many photos but I do take lots of them and love sharing them!
Anyway, after a good night's sleep we started our second day to Volos.
After a hearty breakfast(included in the price) we waited at the sea front for everyone to get ready!
Isn't it idylic?

I ate some red and white berries while waiting!
Our bus took us to the Ano Lehonia train station.There we took the picturesque train to Milies.

The views from the train were fantastic! Lots of green with olive trees and lots of little villages and views of the sea!
 We passed the DeKiriko bridge. He was the father of the painter. A wonderful bridge! You can enjoy a bit of our trip with the little train of Pelion in this video!


 At Ano Gatzea we did a short stop to see the view and visit the Olive oil Museum there.I would say we needed more time there.


At the Olive Oil Museum you could see how oil is produced and soap from it. It was beautiful but the time was really very little.

 We passed from bridges and tunnels.



 Oooops I am dizzy!!!!
No really it was a magical tour!


The last picture is where we arrived at the Milies village station.
The view there was as if you were in a magic forest and you would meet the fairies. I wish my camera could capture that wonderful view. How the sunrays came through the tall dark trees and in the sunrays I could see flower seed flakes dancing!I have never seen something similar before. I could only hear water running and birds singing and I thought time had stopped!
Then time started running again!
I saw an old building half demolished by the current with its balcony hanging in the air and water flowing underneath.


We then watched the turning of the train engine at the roundabout and left to reach the village.


 Some of our group had to help too. What an experience to turn a whole train engine!

Wednesday 30 May 2012

Weekend to Volos-Pelion Part D

I hope every one is not bored with the coninuation of my school trip. But I loved this trip so much, enjoyed all its different hues, tastes and experiences that I want to present the whole of it to you.
So as you have read so far we started early in the morning from Thessaloniki on May 19th, one bus, with students, parents and teachers and of course hubby and me. By early afternoon we had already had a guided tour of the Archaeological Museum of Volos, a walk on the mountainous paths of Makrinitsa, a picturesque Pelion mountain village, and a visit to the Museum of Art and History there.
You can read all about those visits and see lots of pictures in the three previous posts.
So after all that it was time for lunch.
Most parents had not accompanied us to the last museum and had coffee. Then they asked to have lunch all together at a restaurant.
Hubby and I decided to leave the group as we had no obligation to follow them and decided to have a quick tsipouro snack at a very traditional little cafe in Makrinitsa.
It is called Theophilos because of a huge fresco painting inside the cafe by the famous folk painter Theophilos.
The building was built in 1910.

 The fresco inside covers the whole of the wall and shows the hero of the Greek revolution Katsandonis.
 Drinking tsipouro with meze (appetiser or snack) means you drink a bit and accompany your drink with a little bit of food. Here is octopus, grilled red peppers, cucumber and tuna salad. Each little tsipouro bottle is accompanied by one little dish of appetiser.
 A doggy friend came near us while we were eating.
The sun shone through the leaves of the trees. It was cool and fresh.
 And more meze. Cheese salad with yoghurt and beans with little fish.
Then we walked a little bit around to get our heads clear of the tsipouro.
We drank some more fresh water from the mountain.
 And bought some of the traditionally made sweets of the area. Spoon sweets as they are called.
 Our walk had beautiful surprises all over Makrinitsa.
Waters....

 Butterflies....

 Flowers....

 Buildings....

 Ladybirds...


We were then taken to our hotel.
Here is the view from our window.
We settled in our rooms in Park Hotel, walked a bit along the beautiful Volos promenade by night and ended our evening with a couple of more tsipouro with meze!
And here ends (at last ) the first day of our school trip! I so much enjoyed it!