Tag: Arcadia

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It is an old festival of 15th of August, close to Tripolis, lasting a week. Its origins can be found in the times of the Frankish rule, many centuries ago, and it is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It is a vast bazaar in which one can literally find anything; from clothes and pots to jewelry and toys. It is also an endless grill shop (and crematorium) of female pork, called “gournopoula”, as well as a sweetshop. The noisy funfair also, a place of gathering for young children, is of a particular interest and fun. In the older years, the festival would be chaotic and exotic, full of dust and noise, with a Round of Death, voluptuous singers, drums and clarinets; nowadays one could say it is rather modernized and has lost most its special charm.

In 1942, during the Occupation of the Germans and the Italians, a 13-year-old boy in Tripolis saved the bones of Theodoros Kolokotronis, the revolutionary leader of 1821 against the Ottomans, putting his life at immense risk. After 77 years, this man tells us this breathtaking story.

When looking from above, from the village of Kandalos, it looks like a blue hole in the dark brown fields of Tegea. It consists of a central artificial reservoir of water that floods around it from the waters of endless rains of winter. The Tripolis plateau is a haven of wildlife and archaic beauty, which in the winter is plagued by the merciless cold. When the north wind blows, the atmosphere is clear as glass and nature is crystallized and silent.

"On the 29th of August we go to Limpovissi, for the celebration of St. Ioannis church outside the house of the Greek hero Theodoros Kolokotronis. At six o' clock in the morning we are very proud to put on our costumes and go to the church and have our arms blessed by the priest. Then we bring around the icon and have a memorial service at Kolokotronis's house. And then what? We begin to sing about Kolokotronis and the echo of the gorges gets really creepy".

The place where the Gunpowder Mills of the 1821 Revolution (against the Ottoman Turks) were hidden and the birthplace of Patriarch Gregory V, who was hanged by the Turks in Constantinople. The village’s library has thousands of rare books -and it would have had many more if Theodore Kolokotronis’ men had not shredded the paper, with tears in their eyes, in order to make bandoliers for their Carlo E. Figli riffles (known in Greece simply as Kariofili riffles). Dimitsana does not only stir up emotions of national pride for Greeks but also satisfies the senses. Wherever one stands, he or she can see wild mountains and running water. In the morning, visitors are awoken by sheep bells and the sound of axes splitting wood in half. In the tavernas, one can eat omelet with salted pork and coq au vin with a side of hylopites, a type of Greek noodles. It is an amazing winter resort!

When we left Dimitsana, a village in the municipality of Gortynia, on the road for Stemnitsa, we saw the village's football field. There was a football match taking place between two amateur teams “Athletic Union” of Dimitsana (red shirts) and “Glory” of Tripolis.

Winter is harsh in the villages of Arcadian Mount Mainalon. The dense forests of firs sigh by the weight of the snow and the sceneries are alpic. These villages during almost all winter are covered by deep clouds. (In order of appearance: 1. Davies, 2. Piana, 3. Chrysovitsi, 4. Stemnitsa, 5. Dimitsana, 6. Alonistena, 7. Arkoudorema, 8. Kardaras, 9. Mainalon Mountain, 10. Arkoudorema)

A historical village of Gortynia with traditional houses made of stone, surrounded by the fir forest of Mount Mainalon, in Arcadia. Gortynia is where the 1821 Revolution against the Turks began. The village has an amazing folklore museum, one of the best in Greece. Villagers produce local, homemade dairy products, pasta and jams. It is an ideal location for winter and summer vacation.

The ski resort Ostrakina is located on a plateau of the highest peak of Mount Mainalon, which has an altitude of 1,981 meters. There is a mountain lodge and four ski runs, starting ranging from an altitude of 1,650 to 1,850 meters. Mainalon has over 50 peaks and has been praised by Goethe for its unequaled beauty. It was also was the cradle of the 1821 Revolution against the Ottoman Turks. According to ancient Greek mythology there lived the goat-footed god Pan.

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"We created our rescue team in 2001, intending to help people in danger. Our first mission was a winter night patrol on Maenalus Mountain. We were driving slowly in the mountain's snowy streets with one of our fellows' car, looking for people trapped in the snow".

Tricorpha is a range of mountains in the east section of Maenalus, where the rebellious Greeks used to entrench themselves. The rebels' barricades are saved until today at the tops of two mounds and thrill all the visitors. It takes more than half an hour of uphill trek on a really rugged terrain to go to each one of them.

"My father is passionate about mountains and snow. Since I was a forty day-old baby he used to carry me on his shoulders and take me to the highest tops of the mountains. My mother didn't agree with that, but she had patience, she couldn't do otherwise. So I have the same passion. Even my wife was tested before I married her, she had to love the snow and learn how to ski".

"I studied economics and my dream was to work with agricultural associations, but I ended up being an accountant in a plumbing association. I didn't like this job, I didn't like Athens either, and I was always looking for a chance to leave. I couldn't feel free in this city, I couldn't assimilate the images and the messages, and I was totally lost. When I became 28 years old I realised that I had been walking the wrong way and decided to reset my odometer. I was done with education and I was done with the jobs that didn't offer any meaning to my life".