Serifos Hiking Adventure - The Road to Koutalas Bay

The ancient white tower ruin and the church at Aspros Pyrgos

West from the Petrias Trail and Pyrgos Trail crossroads, hikers may take the road to Koutalas Bay.

My journey was relaxing and filled with small entertainments.

One feature strongly noticable along the road was the presence of the Greek Orthodox Church.

When the Romans wanted to introduce the Christian faith, they selected Greek as the language to do it in. It has been my experience that friends and acquaintences with a Greek ethnicity or childhood ties to the church are very protective of the religion’s pride and traditions.

I enjoyed the “sugar cube” churches and prayer points along the way. One was on the south side of a livestock farm where a shepard was shouting to her flock in heavily accented English, “out, out!”

Another point along the roadside featured a handsome roadside box, containing an image of a Greek Orthodox leader along with incense and offerings which I assumed to be tributes for a deceased relative.

I crawled around a stone fortification just off the road constructed of gliting green shale. I spied an alternative route I might have traveled off the road through a property “for seize” the direct translation of the Greek word indicating a property is available.

If you are planning to trek off route in Greece, you should know how to recognize the Greek words indicating hazards or passing rights that can be found in many reputable travel manuals. I found “falling rock” and “no passing” signs to be fairly obvious in spite of the fact I do not speak the language with great depth.

The last portion of the trail included a brush by a sustainence farm replete with several birds curious at my presence and a barking dog.

I arrived at Aspros Pyrgos where I explored the relic of an white marble tower and an Greek Orthodox graveyard still in use. Some of the stones there indicated parishoners of the nearby chruch who had passed within the last ten years.

Koutalas Bay is a scenic inlet on the cusp of the Mirtoon and Aegean Seas with a cloverleaf shape.

The beaches the day I went were utterly uncrowded, though the only business in evidence was a boat rental shop, so it would be wise to bring sufficient food and water.

Road to Pyrgos Hiking Adventure Pics

Wild grapes above and below raisins drying on the vine. Delicious!

A look down the valley to the Mirtoon Sea.

Outside a copper shale ruin on the road to Pyrgos.

Some of the critters on the road: preying mantis, sheep, mule, butterfly.

The twin villages of Pyrgos and Gallani.

Wild fruit: white fig and cedar berries.

Serifos Hiking Adventure - The Road to Pyrgos

A pastoral view of Kythnos as seen from the road to Pyrgos on Serifos, Greece.

The Northern part of Serifos is a place of small-time agriculture. Sustenance farms, wild unpicked fruit, shepards and mule-packers.

At the beginning of my hike, I munched on some Greek dandelion roots and buds and wild raspberries. Suplimented with some oil crackers and water from my pack, they made a energy packed breakfast.

Greek dandelions have a delicate flower and soft crunchy root. The best specimines are picked between loose rock where there is not a lot of sediment. A bud or two about to open are best. As always, it is important to rinse anything you find on the trail and wash it down with plenty of water.

Located at the end of the Petrias trail, the Road to Pyrgos leads up a steep incline of thistles and spiny local folliage.

Of all my time on all the trails here, I have only communicated with two local hikers and I exchanged greetings with them on this walk.

Creon was sitting at the base of the first peak with his cane in brown pants and a brown shirt, missing his front teeth. He was very affable even though my Greek failed me. He managed to offer his name and that he was from Hora. I offered mine and said I was from California. I was wearing a very flashy t-shirt on which a stoned walrus was driving a 22 Fillmore bus out of which money was flying. I must have been quite a sight for him!

Once over the crest, I continued on the road as led to a handsome view of the island of Kythnos and the Mirtoon Sea.

It was here I found an outcropping of cedar berries. The flesh is loose with a sticky persimmon-like gel inside, the seed is astringent like pine sap. While the seed may be eaten, I discarded it since I was not familiar with this particular variety.

I also found a ripe white fig and got a surprise when I opened it and a small, albino bug was feasting on the inside. I left it on the trail to distract the many flies that were following me.

Closer to Pyrgos, I saw a good deal of livestock. A mule was very patiently and precariously vertical on a steep incline. There was a sheep herd drinking from a trough with a mother and her ewe admiring one another. In the valley, another woman was calling her sheep to follow her.

When I finally reached Pyrgos, I could see it’s sister city Gallani in the distance. Both are perched cliffside. I crawled up the steep stairs along with a mule packer and his dog for a better look. There is no visible tourist infrastructe here, but there is daily bus service in the am and pm.

On the road back, I saw some really cool bugs. I had my first taste of vine-dried raisins and then grapes, growing along the road back to Hora.

After picking them, I slipped and fell at the sound of a man singing, smooshing most of them and sustaining and injury to my elbow. (I'm healthy, just a little bruised up.) Had I not been convinced to leave my scissors at home, I might have had grapes and rasins even now!

Road to Petrias Hiking Adventure Pics

Hora as seen from the peak of Mount Livandera.

Lizards are in abundance on the Road to Petrias.

A sample of some of the flowers blooming on the trail.

The trail begins in earnest with a long granite path set into the side of Mount Petrias.

The windmills west of Hora are the jumping-off point for this adventure.

Road to Hora Hiking Adventure Pics

The Hora town square (with the requisite stray cat, left!)

Some of the intimidating steps on the road to Hora.

Hora is located on the tallest peak near the port city of Livandi. This is a view from port.

One of the many "sugar cube" churches tucked in the paths around Serifos.

The beautiful clear waters of Serifos' port city, Livandi.

Serifos Hiking Adventures - The Road to Petrias

Petrias Church with the peak of Mount Livadera in the background.

An hour driving in any direction from Hora, the hilltop town, leads to an entirely new Serifos adventure. Beach, hilltop, relic, mine, monestary.

One attraction you cannot access by car is the peak of granite giant Petrias and the wildlife rich road the leads to it.

This is a medium hike. It is short, but requires a careful, confident step and good balance.

The trail begins just west of the Hora windmills, where patches of dry grasses lead to a granite scramble path.

About 200 meters in, a stone path emerges, set into the side of the mountain. This is the road to Petrias.

If you spend some time on Serifos, you will find that the entire island is criss-crossed with granite walls. Some tail out in ruined fortifications, but most are property dividing lines that have the secondary purpose of securing the land below from erosion and rockfall.

What makes the road to Petrias different is it was clearly concieved as a muleback transit line between Hora and the outer reaches of the island.

The rock is thick with sea-green, rust colored, golden, and black lichen. There are flashes of calcedony and iron.

During my October hike, the mountain was just wet enough to spark beautiful pale pink hyacinth, purple strawflowers, a sagelike plant with white flowers, and honeycomb bushes of a thymelike plant with tiny hard red berries. Thistles and dandelions were in evidence, too.

The primary residents on the mountain you may never see: rabbits. Rabbit scat is everywhere, but apparently they have plenty of hiding places.

Rabbit poo looks nasty, but rabbits are vegetarians with robust livers. If you don’t like stepping around it, it’s entirely nutritious to snack the stuff out of your way!

Other critters include lizards (salamander and newt) and flocks of black carrion birds.

Where the road begins to give way to brush again, you will see a “sugar cube” church. This is the Greek Orthodox parish of Panagia, misleading since the village of Panagia, to the north, is serviced by a number of other closer and more handsome houses of worship.

This is a good jumping off point for ascending the peaks of Mount Livadera (south) or Mount Petrias (north).

Climbing either peak will certainly double the duration of an outing. Both peaks have a small amount of easy-hold climbing. The biggest dangers are loose rock when it is dry and slick stone when it rains. The views are great from both.

The formal trail ends at a helipad. Following the road in the opposite direction leads to potable water and a fork. The Panagia trail can be accessed here. One can head up the surfaced road to the Koutalas Bay trail or down the surfaced road back to Hora.

Serifos Hiking Adventures - The Road to Hora

The Greek Orthodox church at the topmost peak of Hora.

The first and most popular hike on the island is the one to Hora itself.

Accesing the town from Livandi port, one can take the once-and-hour bus (1.5 euro, ten minutes) or hop a mule. Human power, however, offers a cheap and leisurely opportunity to explore. I bought a 2 euro box of sour cherry juice from the portside grocery for hydration comfort.

This is not the tidy road to the Acropolis. It’s raw and intimate. A series of shortcuts behind private residences, churchyards and schools makes short work of the road of main road.

A significant element of the journey: watching one’s step over the long stone staircases. The height and distance of the next step can be tough to judge in the wrinkling heat. One must dodge mule poo, too.

Locals are quick with a greeting. Ya-sas is the formal catch all phrase everyone has time for. Service people or folks who feel they will see you frequently may return your Ya-sas for Ya-sou, which is your permission to greet them with Ya-sou in the future.

Tourists say Kali-meh-ra to everyone before noon like it is going out of style, but locals will probably only give you a Kali-meh-ra If you are the first person they see in the morning.

Opportunities to get distracted along the way include a folklore musueum, an open air theater where plays are performed in the summer months, and a grand orange and ocean colored church.

Once up the stairs to Hora proper, keeping to the red trail markers is essential. Finding a specific location in the maze is frustrating. It took three people two hours to help me locate my digs after dark here my first night.

Even dayside, very patch of whitewashed homes, stone hovels, cactus plants, and stray cats appears identical. There are stairs to nowhere planted in alleys and corners. Most of the time, the way in is the way out.

The spacious village square has restaurants and gift shops open in the summer months. The commercial center lies just down the stairs.

The two vertigo inspiring things to see in Hora just up the street from here: the ruins of a castle turret from the times when Venetians ruled the island and the tippy topping Aghios Georgios.

Aegean Adventures

On the ferry to Serifos 9/28/10. “Verdia” is a carbonated green apple juice and green tea drink.

Hey Frequency Hopper Readers:

A few weeks back, an opportunity presented itself for me to journey to Greece.

I have focused on earning money for and coordinating this travel instead of working through the backlog of posts from my summer tour of the American South.

Frequency Hopper will be out of sequence for a while. I expect to keep posting once a week through at least January. I have tons of pictures and memories to share with you to inspire your vacations!

xxoo

Dale

Arrival on Serifos Adventure Pics

Welcome to Serifos! This is the home from where I will be jumping off for most of the next month.

The house has a lovely kitchen with a glassed-in cupboard, marble countertop and sink. I’ve been making use of the rough, locally made ceramic kitcheware.

View from the kitchen window looks over Livadi, a port city 2km below Hora where I am staying.

This is the living room area opposite the kitchen. The pillow on the left side is meant to ward off evil. The marble stairs lead up to a compact toilet/laundry room. Yes, this place is available for vacation rental. Email me for details!

The inside stairs are narrow but navigable. It is easiest to walk backward when descending. Long ago they likely replaced a much less steady ladder in this hatch. One can also access the second floor from the outdoors which is helpful.

I’m staying in the master bedroom which is far more spacious than this picture suggests, with a long row of white closets to the left of frame. You don't have to sleep on a sleeping bag here as there are sheets available, it's just that the last thing I want to do when I'm traveling is make the bed.

View of the lower section of Hora from a nearby walkway. The name Hora, can be confusing. Many of the islands in the Aegean have a town named Hora, densely built, high on a hillside with whitewashed stone and plaster homes. The difficult-to-navigate paths through them were originally meant to discourage invaders.

Arrival on Serifos Adventure

The view from the home I am staying in on the Greek island of Serifos

I arrived on the island of Serifos safely if not without challenge.

My ferry came in at 8pm by which point it was after dark. My contact left keys for me at a small excursion service near the pier.

Upon arrival, I introduced myself to the owner who made a big show of pretending he did not expect me. While I’m sure he had much work to do, he could not have been anticipating business to swoop in the door at 8pm on a Tuesday in the off-season.

He called around for a cab, but there is only one taxi driver left on the island, everyone had returned to Athens for the fall. The cab driver had turned his phone off.

The owner finally agreed to drive me himself. He took me up a long series of switchbacks to an unlit stone staircase across the street from a unassuming white building marked “restaurant” in hand painted letters.

I called my contact on the phone and she attempted to guide me to the house.

“Did you reach the fork in the path?”

“Yes, I reached the fork in the path.”

“Turn left.”

“But the path goes in three directions.”

“You want the path that runs parrallel to the street.”

That happened to be the path on the right.

My contact was being very helpful considering she 1) knew nothing about me 2) was directing me to a whitewashed building in a city of identical whitewashed buildings from memory 3) was giving the instructions in a second language.

She named the colors of the neighbors’ doors but I could not see any using only the ambient light from distant road below. I unpacked my flashlight, but the blue cast of the l.e.d.s made green doors and grey doors as blue as some of the blue doors.

After a ten minute, $30 phone call and then another where I attempted to follow her instructions from the road higher on the hill I gave up. I decided I would pull out my sleeping bag and flop somewhere along the path.

Then, my contact brilliantly arranged to call a local friend who knew the way to the house. I had to leave my luggage to the innumerable mewling stray cats and work my way back to the road. From there, I hiked the rest of the way to the top of Kano Hora where I asked and found Louis’ Bar.

A fit fiftysomething man named Stratos got up from his Ouzo to help me. We descended into the maze of the Hora and found the house 20 yards from where my intial instructions last left me.

It had been two and a half hours since I arrived. I walked back to Louis’ with Stratos and the locals conducted an inspection of me in Greek, which I only understood fragments of.

One woman in her seventies teased me about the fact I was drinking Coke instead of Ouzo and ate no meat. She called me her baby and began hand-feeding me some lovely vegetarian bites including a pancake of lightly fried cheese (which I have since been attempting to replicate.)

Later, she rubbed Ouzo on the teeth of an actual baby to much laughter. I told her she could be my yaya (grandmother) and she said she would rather be my girlfriend. She said if it wasn’t for my beard she’d ask me out for coffee.

I walked back, surprised I remembered the way. The cats, now familiar with my suitcases, followed me back to the house. I have been trying to shoo them from the front door ever since.

Nashville Voluntourism Adventure

Lisa Davis Purcell, the Director of External Affairs for HandsOn Nashville

When Nashville flooded earlier this year, many people put aside their summer plans to visit America’s country music capital. Faced with a similar decision, I chose to spend a portion of my time in central Tennessee volunteering.

My opportunity was arranged by HandsOn Nashville, part of the HandsOn Network of resource centers which match nonprofit organizations with community needs and local volunteers.

“I love the diversity of non profit service. We partner with over 400 service and nonprofit agencies.” said Director of External Affairs, Lisa Davis Purcell, “From hunger to homelessness to animal welfare.”

some of the materials donated to HandsOn Nashville after the spring flood

Hands On likes to note that they are responsible for connecting ten percent of all Nashville area volunteers, creating 23 million dollars of economic impact every year.

The possibilities for me to contribute were organized on an electronic calendar at the HandsOn Nashville website.

The day I was in town, two food pantries needed distribution help. One flood relief building project needed assistance loading a truck.

I registered online and when I clicked on the appointment time, a dialogue box opened offering to email a volunteer leader who would be supervising on location.

Many people don’t realize how dialed in HandsOn was when the flood came. They simply activated their flood response plan!

“We have memorandums of understanding with the city if there are emergencies,“ Lisa said. “When there is an emergency, our boss is there at the city’s emergency command center.”

There are a number of such roadmaps available which create timetables for such expected volunteer response activities as sandbagging and as unexpected ones as securing prophylactic medicines for survivors.

Josh and Kim giving the camera some Volunteer 'tude

For my part, I reported to Betsy at a storage site in an up-and-coming Nashville neighborhood called The Gulch. Kim and Josh were already loading up boxes of joint compound.

The supplies needed to be moved to a second storage area. There were towers of rolling trays, rubber gloves, nails, screws, and plenty of hammers too.

It took a while to get the hand of manipulating the dolly, a task at which Kim was expert. Josh and I ferried supplies to her and she found space for them inside the trailer.

Lisa had observed that Ford Motor, Nike, and others provided material support during the flood. During a break in moving some of the building supplies Lowes donated, Josh and I stopped to appreciate the contributions of Budweiser to the flood relief effort by drinking some of their name-brand potable drinking water.

The King of Potable Waters? Yours Truly and Josh find out.

Who else pitched in notably? Ke$ha donated a concert. Taylor Swift made a direct donation. “Nashville is the buckle of the Bible belt, and a lot of our volunteers are from faith-based organizations.” Presbyterians, The Mormon Church and Scientologists made up some of the core of faith-based response.

Looking at that list of contributors, some who have very publicly used their wealth to challenge the gay community, I thought it was cool that through HandsOn we could all equally receive some non-politicized face time.

LGBT folks like myself can get so involved in our own cause we fail to call attention to the need for broader community-mindedness. Also, We can be reluctant to contribute if we feel we can’t be ourselves and blend in at the same time. I certainly would stick out among a crowd of Mormon relief workers.

The good news: when you are driving a truck or hoisting a ladder and putting your body on the line, very few people assess your affectional preference.

Southern US Bus Adventure

A queue inside the Nashville Greyhound bus station

The five stops on my Southen United States journey were all served by airports. At least two of the destinations were connected by rail.

I chose to ride the bus.

Why? Inexpensive, no security checkpoints, no overpriced restaurants. I got to track my own luggage without so much as a metal detector. I got bathroom breaks, an open seat next to me and I got a view of the land.

If I had flown, I would have been obliged to drive two hours to St. Louis airport, arrive 90 minutes early, fly one hour to a second location, change planes, fly another hour and a half to Nashville, collect my bags, and wait for ground transit to take me 20 minutes into town. A total of eight hours.

By bus, Columbia, Missouri to Nashvlle, Tennessee took ten hours door-to-door. That included a two hour transfer in St. Louis.

Country music stars have, for decades, chartered coaches. Some of it is superstition: Major stars like Patsy Klein and Buddy Holly died on puddle jumpers that served their tour’s minor destinations. Some of it is economic: conveying their entourage by bus permits an act to give a bigger show in more venues.

Music fans following bands recognize these realities. They save wear-and-tear on their vehicles or even the inconvenience of obtaining a vehicle.

In Knoxville, I met a Swiss student who was looking for music venues. For about the price of a round trip cross-country plane ticket, he could use a 1 month bus pass to take in Nashville, Memphis, Chicago, Washington D.C. and New York. At our lodging, he met up with a cadre Widespread Panic enthusiasts.

The bus has it’s own culture. Folks are unhurried and respectful. Very few people consider traveling on a bus as a luxury, though for many of them it is.

Yours Truly with the pillow case of fame

On the first leg of my Nashville journey, I sat at the very back of the bus with a woman and her nephew.

She was on her cell phone. He was playing with a WWF action figure and kept losing parts of its costume on the floor. She would pick them up and say, “Don’t lose the cowboy hat! I paid $25 for your wrestling man.” Then he would drop them again and laugh. And she would stop her conversation, cell phone pressed to shoulder, and pick the tiny clothes up again.

As we were disembarking, I pulled my lunch bag from under the seat in front of me and it burst. A half-empty soda can had rolled to the back of the bus and spilled on the contents. “Nobody using this,” my neighbor said, handing me a blue pillow case with blue spirals on it.

It wasn’t until I got into the terminal that I noticed how many other people were carrying belongings in pillowcases. It was far more common than people carrying a matching backpack and suitcase combo. I felt more at ease with this small, unintended assimilation.

Missouri MKT Trail Adventure

With Odette and Scooter on the CoMO fork of the MKT

My Columbia, Missouri canine charges enjoy visits to the MKT trail. Because their little feet only go so far, we typically trace 1.5 miles from one of the parking lots and back. That’s plenty of exercise.

Ted Jones and the City of Columbia, MO opened the nine mile Columbia Spur of the MKT, or “Katy” Trail almost 30 years ago. By 1999, organizers had expanded the nine mile greenway by 200 miles.

The CoMO stretch is still considered the best of the nations’ rails-to-trails projects.

Contemporary guardians maintain it’s community function with informational stops and public art. I enjoy a display describing the variety of minerals and fossils found in the area.

Blue tile pillars, arranged in a spiral to honor Martin Luther King Jr. are a visual oasis near the trail’s 3 mile mark. Other tributes and sculptures are scattered throughout.

There are no fences or wire separating the path from the shoulder of the trail, providing easy access to prime marking spots for the pets. I appreciate the firm limestone paving that has been worked into the soil. It gives my step considerable spring.

Though the trail is level and well manicured, hikers may enjoy the many side trails that charge up a hillside or down a wooded ravine.

Betsy (middle) rejoins the dog pack after a vet visit

Wooden bridges provide a change of texture for the animal’s tired paws and a shady canopy keeps them from getting overheated.

Folks walking the path are friendly and curious, so expect to stop for conversation if you’re not running or biking. If you are lucky puppy, someone may be armed with a pocket full of liver treats!

Local flora includes poison ivy. I get a brush of it on my left arm and look like I have an extremely localized case of chicken pox for two weeks. Also, since deer frequent the area, I check all trail recreators for ticks once we’ve returned home.

Hannibal Road Trip Adventure with Dogs Photos

Outside the Hannibal, MO tourism office

Scooter, Betsy, and Odette with Your's Truly as we make a pit stop at the Madison Covered Bridge. Three ladies, originally from Hannibal, were there celebrating the life of their mother. They were eating all her favorites, corn Bugles, easy cheese, Chez-Its, Coca-cola and sherry. One of them was kind enough to snap this.

Placid Mark Twain lake

For a $10 donation to the Mark Twain house, visitors can scribble on the whitewashed fence.

The law office of Mark Twain's father, which inspired many episodes in Twain's literature

Mark Twain's boyhood home

This park is at the base of the climb to the lighthouse. If you make it all the way to the top, a souvenir shop next to this statue will provide you with a commemorative card verifying that you accomplished the feat. The statue is an artist's interpretation of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

Lover's Leap is pretty, but its beauty is marred by the fence I'm standing in front of in this pic. Hannibal needs to come up with a less intrusive solution.

View of Hannibal, Missouri from Lover's Leap. The cliffside can be seen foreground left.

Hannibal Road Trip Adventure with Dogs

Americans feel sentimental about Hannibal Missouri before we even set foot in town. Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Becky Thatcher, Injun Joe, and Jim are longtime fixtures in our imagination.

Right alongside them is their creator, Mark Twain, whose wit and wisdom took root in my homebase of San Francisco for a time.

All the sites in Hannibal are outdoor attractions. If you want to pop into the ice cream store for a scoop or see the Tom Sawyer Diaoramas, the experience is there for you. Most of your time, however, you will be hiking to the Lighthouse, exploring the caves, or strolling Main Street downtown.

Between Columbia and Hannibal, my dog charges enjoy a variety of rest stops.

Mark Twain Lake is tranquil and good for hearing your bark echo.

The covered bridge in Madison is recommended particularly if there are a trio of women celebrating the birthday of their deceased mother and they offer you cheese crackers.

In Hannibal, the statue of Tom Sawyer is beloved of Betsy, Odette and Scooter as is the marker for the old jail. Both have lots of shady trees to duck and play under.

Groomingdales on Main Street is the primary sniffing area. A broad variety of high end dog fashions, toys, and treats are available inside if your wallet is willing.

On the highway out of town, Lover’s Leap extends over the town’s canopy. The effect is diminished by an awkward fence. While Hannibal doesn’t deserve the liability of people jumping from that promontory, there has to be a more attractive solution.

The picnic area there was nice for a few laps of water. The dogs aren’t used to being up that high above anything other than the floor. Vertical excitement like that appeals to Betsy most.

Photos to follow in the next post.

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Lawn Cuisine Adventure Photos

Sage, Catnip, Oregano, and Marjoram are hung with twine inside the window to dry.

Sorrel, chrysanthemum flowers (which must be blanched), and blue cornflowers.

Oak chutes grow from fallen acorns buried and forgotten by squirrels.

The leaves can be eaten raw. Here they are soaked in saline water and dried at a low temperature.

The result is a thin, slightly nutty leaf with a texture like nori.

Separating dried clover flowers from their stems.