FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX: Mount Olympus

Mount Olympus, home of the 12 Gods of Greek mythology, and the highest mountain in Greece towering at over 2900m. How could we not hike it? Many hike all the way to the summit, with an overnight stay at the refuge on the way up before completing their hike the next day. We opted for the "cheat" version of the E4 hike, only doing the bottom 12km and hiking down the mountain rather than up. We were so glad we did because even then we were exhausted by the end of it!

Our hotel provided a nice spread for breakfast right on 0730. By 0800 we were in a taxi making our way up towards Prionia. The windy drive took about 30 minutes, with the friendly driver offering us tips for a shorter hike which we readily agreed to. Was it really that obvious that we were amateurs?! Perhaps our snack choice of mini croissants filled with chocolate bits gave us away. He dropped us off at the Monastery of St Dionysios rather than Prionia, which cut our hike short by about 1 hour. He gave us instructions to head right on the path for about 10 minutes to see Enipeas Falls before turning around and heading down the mountain. He advised us that the water of the Enipeas River is clean and good for drinking as it is the town's drinking water supply, and to remember to fill up our water bottles before the last river crossing as we will not be anywhere near the water after that.

And so, after briefly visiting the Monastery, we set off. The river crossings were beautiful, with crystal clear water, majestic peaks in the background and pretty wooden bridges. However, every crossing meant traversing down the gorge and then heading back up again. The constant elevation changes were a leg killer. When Jonah asked for a break, you know that it was hard work. Somehow...we managed to get down to Litochoro in just over 4 hours which towards the end felt more like 8! We sat down at the closest cafe with the least number of smokers to rest our weary legs. Were we glad we did it? The answer probably depended on when the question was asked! During the hike there were momentary judgements on the sanity and wisdom of doing the hike. But at the end, there was definitely a big sense of achievement...and we can say we hiked Mount Olympus!

Monastery of St Dionysios, being restored

The sign right outside the monastery. To the right is the little path that will connect you to the E4, at which were instructed to turn right towards the waterfall

This is the way

Enipeas Falls

The first wooden bridge crossing the Enipeas River at the bottom of the Enipeas Gorge

The Holy Cave

The amazingly clear waters of the Enipeas River

Bridge no 2

Fortunately most of the walk was under the shade of the forest

Despite going DOWN the mountain, all the uphill bits added up to 1800m!

Our first rest stop

Mount Olympus National Park is also rich in flora

Admiring the stunning views

Rest stop number 2

Obviously still not tired enough...

There were many steep sections both up and down

Finally the end! If you were to start in Litochoro and hike up, you'd take the path up on the left

We couldn't stop for long as we had to move on. Stopping by Pyli Bridge for a quick snap, we drove to Kalambaka. Our next challenge was to tackle the monasteries of Meteora. We attempted to get some sunset photos after dinner, however, the clouds didn't quite cooperate and neither did the hordes of people who arrived before us. Content with a few quick snaps, we checked into our apartment rental. Another long hike awaited us tomorrow...