Archive for 'Curiosities in Greece'

We have recently noted and written about the great natural beauty of Greece that often goes quite a bit beyond the typical coastal landscapes that are characterised by a specific kind of beach – with soft white sands and unreal blue waters – which people seem to conjure when thinking of the country. There is a lot more to Greece, beautiful as that kind of scenery can be, and a lot more to be discovered. One of these incredible and unique places is Cape Matapan, a small landmass located at the end of the Mani Peninsula, that is home to a legendary surprise.

An intriguingly suggestive and atmospheric beauty, the cape is characterised by rugged hillsides featuring tufted grasses and rolling slopes that curve down to meet the sea. This is also where you will find the Caves of Cape Matapan, which are legendary natural creations that are steeped in Greece’s myths. If you have found a vacation rental in Peloponnese and are exploring the area, come take in these pretty seaside peaks (particularly lovely during Golden Hour before sunset) and the mysterious caves that are hidden within them.

Greece is famously beautiful, though most conjure a particular image of only one type of charm the land boasts: pretty beaches, glittering water in rich azure and teal shades, and villages perched atop sheer, dramatic cliffs. However, there is a wealth of other landscapes and views to take in across the region that are far more unexpected to most travellers: from skiing resorts blanketed in snow to towering peaks in verdant valleys topped by monasteries like something from a fantasy novel to tall old forests filled with butterflies. Even amongst these utterly stunning gems, one of the most utterly picturesque spots in Greece, however, has to be Drakolimni. If you have found a vacation rental in Greece and are up for an adventure, then pencil in a visit to this incredibly beautiful place and see it with your own two eyes.

Drakolimni is the name given to a group of lakes in Greece’s Epirus region, though two are especially famous. One is located on Mount Tymfi and the other on Mount Smolikas, a few kilometres away. Steeped in legend and strikingly beautiful, these glassy lakes are located in panoramic spots atop these two mountains, set in stone and grassy surroundings. Bare and striking, they look almost manmade and futuristic.

The name of the lakes actually translates to “Dragon Lake” and is named for a local legend that says two dragons once warred in the area. One lived at the lake on Mount Tymfi and the other lived at the lake on Mount Smolikas. They threw stones at each other and it is said that this is why the shores of the Tymfi Lake are black with white stones and the shores of the Smolikas lake are white with black stones, having tainted each others’ homes.

Many of us dream of escaping the chaos of the holiday season and getting away to somewhere, not exactly warm but pleasant and certainly not very cold, over the last couple weeks of December. Crete is a great place to spend the holiday season with temperatures at a low of around 10 degrees Celsius and a high of around 17 degrees Celsius, a complete absence of the intense tourist crowds that can appear at other times of the year, and lots to still enjoy for those interested in a different experience of Greece. In addition, if you head to Chania around Christmas Day, you’ll be rewarded by the most extraordinary sight: the streets filled with Santa Clauses running around. Just find a vacation rental in Crete and experience it for yourself.

If you have been thinking about a mid-term break in Santorini, then you are probably expecting the leisurely pace of life, the pretty old main town with its whitewashed buildings and blue domes, the stunning sunsets over the sea that are taken in daily by wowed crowds of tourists, days spent by the sea and on boats, delicious local foods, cute little boutiques, and other such charms. However, if you find a vacation rental in Greece and head there in the next few weeks, you might be glad to find out that it has an appropriately spooky past that perfectly suits this time of year, in the run up to Hallowe’en.

Santorini actually once had the reputation of being the most vampire-infested place in the world and is steeped in legends of ghosts, ghouls, and other creepy creatures. The biggest concern among these shadowy figures was the dreaded Vrykolakas, or Vyrkolatios, a type of vampire. These creatures were said to have been born when babies were stillborn or people died without receiving their final rites, if a person was conceived or born on a Holy Day (which was considered a great blasphemy), if someone ate the meat of an animal that had been accidentally killed or not properly slaughtered, if a person didn’t have a proper burial, if someone died who had had a sinful life, if a body was passed over by an animal before burial, if a person was killed by a vampire, and in many other circumstances.

Called the “Fiore di Levante”, or the “Flower of the East” by the Venetians, the southernmost Ionian island of Zakynthos (sometimes known by its Italian name of Zante) is famously fertile and beautiful and is a destination for those looking to party and beach lovers. In fact, it boasts lots of excellent beaches, including Lagana, Tsilivi, Argassi, Kalamaki, Alykes, and Navagio beach, with its famous shipwreck on the shore. However, beyond the package holidays and party towns, there are lots of little gems to uncover and lots of reasons to find a vacation rental in Zakynthos and get planning a visit asap.

One of those incredible gems is the beach of Xigia. Firstly, upon arrival, don’t be too put off by the smell! That sulphur scent that fills the air is not necessarily pleasant but it is only because of the large concentration of sulphur in the waters here, which makes them rather special, indeed. Not only are they the same impossibly beautiful turquoise hue that the other beaches on the island boast but they also have the added bonus of amazing therapeutic properties that come from the minerals in the sulphurous waters at Xigia.