Travels in Greece

Athenaze and Ariobarzanes

Athens is a city in which we have both spent a considerable amount of time. For us, it feels like a second home rather than a tourist destination. Our most recent visit came at the end of our hiking trip to Andros (detailed in our two earlier On The Road posts). We visited all of our favorite haunts, both ancient and modern. The effects of the pandemic were obvious: everyone was (mostly) masked in public settings, both indoor and outdoor, and although Greece had opened itself up to tourism, there were very few visitors at most of the main monuments relative to what we’ve seen in past years even in low season. Restaurants were open only for outdoor dining, which wasn’t really a problem since most restaurants have lots of outdoor seating already.

On The Road – Athenaze and Ariobarzanes – Greece 2021, Part III: AthensPost + Comments (16)

Athenaze and Ariobarzanes

Our last post focused mainly on Andros’ trail network. Our hike, of course, also took us to the island’s major towns as well as through lots of little villages. As we noted in the introduction to our last post, Andros feels decidedly less touristy than other islands, and instead showcases landscapes and places where people actually live and work (and have, in some cases, done so for centuries). Old and new often sit comfortably together.

On The Road – Athenaze and Ariobarzanes – Greece 2021, Part II: More Hiking in AndrosPost + Comments (11)

Athenaze and Ariobarzanes

In early June 2021, we decided to take our fully vaccinated selves on a trip to Greece. We spent a large portion of our trip hiking on the island of Andros. We have spent a lot of time in Greece, but mostly on the mainland. Neither one of us has spent a great amount of time in the islands, nor had we been to Andros.

Andros, the northernmost island of the Cyclades, is only a two-hour ferry ride from Athens’ secondary port, Rafina. In spite of its proximity to the capital, however, it does not host a lot of tourists, most of whom prefer to spend their time on better-known islands like Mykonos and Santorini. For that reason, it feels much more relaxed than some other islands. It feels like what it really is: a place where people actually live.

That said, Andros is now an excellent hiking destination thanks to the efforts Andros Routes (link), a volunteer organization dedicated to promoting sustainable tourism on the island. In recent years they have done a lot of work clearing, rehabilitating, and marking the island’s footpaths, many of which have been used for centuries to connect the villages of the island with one another. The trail network has recently by recognized by the European Ramblers’ Association. It is possible to link segments together into a through-hike, as we did; we walked for almost 100km over six days with the assistance of a local travel and adventure company that helped with route planning, hotel planning, and baggage transportation from one hotel to another.

On The Road – Athenaze and Ariobarzanes – Greece 2021, Part I: Hiking in AndrosPost + Comments (23)