Day 22 + 23 in Greece - 2023

Day 22


We desperately need a break, so we take the day off from adventures. We go to Abuelos for breakfast, go grocery shopping, and then spend the rest of the day in the apartment. It's extremely uneventful, which is exactly what we need. We get caught up on laundry, too, which is pretty important.


Jeremy books his flight home, which makes my heart hurt. I don't want him to leave. Since we had a successful egg harvest, I look at VRBOs to book in June. I don't want to stay in this same one - the bed is extremely uncomfortable. Otherwise, I love it, but my hips and back have been sore almost every single day.

The Start of Day 23


We wake up and decide today is the day to go to Mount Olympus. It was a destination that was added to our original list of sights to see before we ever even came to Greece, and it's only a few hours outside of Thessaloniki.

Mount Olympus National Park


I'm hoping there is a map to add to our National Park map collection, but there isn't, at least that we were made aware of. We drive all the way to the end of the road, which goes pretty high up - about 4,500 feet (1,371.6 meters). The road up is covered by trees, a beautiful canopy, almost like a natural and leafy tunnel. There's a parking lot at the end of the road, and the only thing to do from here is to hike. Perfect, that's what we planned on doing anyways. We start up the trail marked E4.


The first part of the hike involves going up these wide, stone steps. There is a wooden bridge at the top, from which you can see a few waterfalls. One waterfall is making its way down moss covered rocks, which I absolutely love. I take maybe six photographs when my SD card tells me it's full. Crap. I even emptied it before we left, but I didn't reformat it. Ugh. Guess what I don't have with me - a back up.


We keep going anyway. I just have to deal with cell phone pictures. The trail is pretty steep for the most part. We traverse a little over 1,000 feet (304.8 meters) in elevation in two kilometers (1.24 miles). We hike up a trail that is mostly steps made of tree roots and boulders. I love it.


We get to an area where there's a small family that has gone off trail. They are looking at a small waterfall, one that is clearly more mighty at other times of the year. From what I can find, it is part of the Titarisios River. It's at this point that we decide to turn around and return to the car. It's starting to sprinkle and get a bit dark, and we aren't comfortable staying on mountainside trails as it gets darker and slicker. It's a good decision, as when we return to the car it starts to pour. I notice there's a stray dog in the parking lot, just laying in the rain, and I go give him some pets. He seems to be fine, just enjoying the moisture, so I get back in the car where Jeremiah is waiting for me, and we drive back down.

Snow-capped mountain peaks rise above evergreen forests in a scenic alpine landscape.
A winding forest trail with moss-covered rocks and exposed tree roots winds through lush green woodland.
Panoramic mountain landscape with lush green forest and steep rocky cliffs under a bright summer sky.
A rustic wooden footbridge with handrails winds through a lush green forest setting along a mountain hiking trail.
A cascading waterfall flows down rocky cliffs surrounded by lush green forest in a moody natural setting.
A small cascading waterfall flows through moss-covered rocks in a lush green forest setting.
A steep dirt hiking trail winds upward through a lush green forest with moss-covered rocks and stone steps.
Mossy boulders scattered along a forested hillside covered in fallen autumn leaves.
A winding forest trail leads through lush green vegetation with moss-covered rocks and exposed tree roots.
A lush green forest with tall trees and sunlight filtering through the dense canopy creates a tranquil woodland scene.
A spotted salamander crawls across mossy rocks in a forest setting.
A wooden footbridge trail winds through lush green forest alongside rocky cliffs and mossy terrain.
A winding paved road curves through a lush green forest with dappled sunlight filtering through the tree canopy.
A spotted salamander with yellow dots rests on dark muddy ground among small rocks and debris.
Close-up view of rough textured rocky ground with scattered small stones and debris.

Katerini


We stop in a town called Katerini to have dinner, eating at a place called Σχάρα Λεμόνι (Lemon Grill). We look around the nearby shopping center, but don't see anything of interest. We drive back to the VRBO in Peraia, settling in for the night.