Alice in Wonderland @ Zagora, Greece

Continuing from my last post – As we drove into the hills, we were welcomed by arrays of apple trees spread over vast orchards on either side of the road intermittently interrupted by huge chestnut trees. If you haven’t had chestnuts so far, then you must! Both roasted and boiled chestnuts are delectable. Talking about apples, the apple produce from Zagora is distributed all over the world and is a unique much wanted brand. They are called Zagorin. I was quite lucky to be in Zagora during the picking season which was in September.

After the long and beautiful drive up the Mount Pelion all of us longed for a bite and some rest before we headed out in the evening. Besides it had started to rain. The spacious balcony of my friend’s vacation home overlooked an extensive garden with apple trees, grapes, strawberry, and kiwis besides flowers including few wild ones. I was told that most of the houses here had their own fruit gardens. My friend quickly tossed together a delicious Greek Salad called Dakos which we relished with Cypuro (a local drink stronger than Ouzo). However, I must admit that Cypuro was way too strong for me hence I had to limit my enjoyment to Dakos.

Unlike India, people all over Europe prefer having their dinners by early evening and then head out for partying. So that’s what we also did. However, we decided to visit the village of Pouri for a lavish Greek dinner at a small restaurant called Makis. We ordered grilled chops, stuffed pork intestine, pie with greens and spetzofai – which is basically sausages combined with green peppers. When you visit any of these restaurants you will find that most of them are decades old and mostly one man show with the owner running around from table to table chit chatting and even suggesting the specialties. However, please ensure that you are aware of the prices else you might just be taken for a fishy ride like we did when we visited another restaurant named Niki in Zagora for lunch the next day. A single fish meal costed us €30! However, don’t let that deter you from going to Nikis, as the pitas and sea weed salad are delectable and a must try here. Being a romantic destination, my friend had decided that Zagora is where she would take her wedding vows and Saint George church is where she will walk the aisle. So it was but obvious that I wanted to visit the Saint George church and visualize the future wedding with her. There are two other churches that you can visit in Zagora called Agia Paraskevi and Agia Kiriaki. Agios Gergiou or the St.George church dates back to the 17th century and looks quite plain from look of it; however the interiors are equally grand with its golden throne and pulpit, designed with intricate motifs inspired by nature.

Besides, the churches other places to visit are the Greek museum (Rigas) which is one of the oldest schools and famous for famous Greeks who passed out from here. Zagora also houses very old library with a collection of approximately 18,000 books including many rare editions. It’s simply amazing, how a small village as Zagora can be so self sufficient. They have the mountains, they have the sea, they have churches, bakery, restaurants, pubs…Oh yes! They have pubs and bars as well! I visited one of them called Anamela, where the owner knew all the guests on a first name basis! Do check to find out which days the pubs are open before making your plans; apparently they are opened on public demand and don’t have specific days of week when you expect them to open! You would have possibly got bored with my statement “The best way to explore a place is by walking” in almost all my travelogues! But, that’s a fact. Winding roads and cobbled by lanes constitutes the roadways and walkways of Zagora. You will notice houses with typical slanting stone roofs. These are traditional houses and are called Arhontika. The flora of this region mainly constitutes of Hydrangea and Gardenia. The greenery, the silence and the warmth of the smiling people around is worth the walk. And I also noticed a board with something written in Greek, one word somehow looked like my name! check it out!

There are about 24 villages dwelling on the Mount Pelion; Tsagarada is yet another village which has many cafes and interesting restaurants besides spring water fountains that you can visit. Here, at the square of Agia Paraskevi you will find a thousand year old tree, one branch of which is supported by a concrete pillar specially erected for this purpose!

A sparkling blue sea with a flawless white pebbled beach is yet another bonus to your travel kitty. Who could think of having the best of both worlds – hills & sea in one trip! Saint 40 is one of the beaches, a 10 minutes drive from Zagora. It is located at a seaside village called Agioi Saranta. With traces of rain and sun playing hide and seek, the dip in the sea was quite thrilling. As you walk across the beach, other things you might notice are professional anglers, a bar called Mamba – which according to the locals is very popular and quite rocking. You will also notice a statue of a woman with a child that was built in remembrance of a lady and her child who drowned in that very sea! Sad indeed!

The nearest city from where you can drive to Zagora is city of Volos in Thessaly, Greece. Zagora is about 47 kms away from the city of Volos. It is a lively town and from the port of Volos there are daily schedules to the islands of the Sporades: Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos. You can reach Volos also by air and railways. If you are looking for that perfect vacation where you commune with the nature and be in your restful mind, then Zagora is a place to visit. 🙂