Cycling through Greece

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/12/2019 (1827 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SPETSES, Greece — Nikos Kontaratos knew a good idea when he heard it.

Back from a tour of duty in the Greek navy, Kontaratos met a visiting hotel director from Colorado who introduced him to the idea of renting Trek bikes on the island for a more active tourism clientele. In his late-twenties and looking for a post-naval career, Kontaratos took a chance and went to London to buy 10 bikes.

As I sit and chat with the now 56-year-old Spetses native, his current shop that sits on the village’s picturesque waterside boardwalk is full of hundreds of bikes — road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid bikes and the increasingly more popular e-bikes. If you are inclined to get on a saddle, Kontaratsos has a bike for you.

After first bringing bikes to Spetses in 1990, Kontaratsos spent the next decade or so working with a couple from Germany doing bike tours around Greece. A niche market back then is now more the norm, says Kontaratsos.

Hopping on a bike while visiting a Greek island is not the first thing that comes to mind right, but the times they are a changing.

“The people who want to hire bicycles are people who have experience and who are adventurous, more active,” he says. “There are so many more of those tourists now than when I first brought bikes here.

“Spetses is a cosmopolitan island and this is good for my business. People with knowledge and demands of this kind. Educated in what they want.”

 

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You have to park your vehicle and take a ferry to get to Spetses. A unique aspect of the island is no private automobiles are allowed within the town limits. The most common mode of transport is walking, bicycles, mopeds, motorbikes, and the occasional horse-drawn carriage. Only taxis and delivery vehicles are allowed in the downtown area.

Following a three-hour drive from Athens, I arrive at Porto Heli in Kosta, a town in the Peloponnese. The 15-minute ferry ride across the sea to Spetses is a site to behold — a beautiful view of land meeting water that leaves you brimming with anticipation.

Spetses is an island of about 4,000 people that boasts a long naval tradition and is famous for its significant contribution to the 1821 War of Independence. It was here that the revolution flag was raised on April 3, 1821. The island has managed to retain its traditional character thanks to its well-preserved mansions, still bearing eloquent witness to the island’s glorious past.

The yachts in the harbor as your approach the port affirm its reputation as also being an affluent island that’s known as a getaway for wealthy Athenians.

After disembarking on land, I stroll down the island’s beautiful seaside promenade and wind my way through gorgeous village streets to arrive at my home for two nights — the Orloff Resort. The tranquil boutique hotel is hidden within the stone-walled grounds of a 19th century family mansion and owned and operated by on of the oldest families on the island. You can arrange for pick up at the port if you wish. The walk from the port was about 20 minutes. Tip: If you’re only staying a night or three, leave most of your luggage in your car at Kosta and take a small day pack for your trek to Spetses.

I have come to Spetses for one primary reason — to circumnavigate the island by bike.

The previous evening, I visited with Nikos Kontaratos and he has a fairly new Trek 700C hybrid bike waiting for me when I arrive to his shop on a relatively cool, but thankfully clear September Saturday morning. The previous night, the island received its first significant rainfall of the season. Yep, it rains on Greek islands occasionally haha.

My full day biking excursion mostly followed the well-paved, 26-km coastal road that gives you an almost 360 degree view of the island’s coastline as well as commanding vistas of the entire Argosaronic Gulf. The ride is not particularly difficult if you have some experience biking and some fitness under your belt. For those who want to make easier on themselves, you can also rent a moped or motorbike at many shops in Spetes — and Nikos has lots of e-bikes, which seem to be the most commonly used by visiting tourists.

Touring the island by bicycle is a great way to experience the lush nature which led to the island being known as Pytousa, meaning pine-filled, in ancient times. The charming combination of pine trees and sea, especially in the island’s southwest area, is best enjoyed by bike.

A number of off-road trails of varying difficulty are also available, weaving their way into the heart of Spetses. One of these tracks runs along the highest point of the island, offering unobstructed views of the setting sun. Others will lead you down to beautiful beach stops. I highly recommend taking a swimsuit along on your ride and stopping to take a dip. Reachable by a wonderful bike path through a pine forest, the beach Zogeria is one of the island’s prettiest and sandiest.

The final leg of my bike ride takes me over to the Old Harbour, where I have a late lunch/early dinner at a local meeting spot called Tarsanas.

Spetses has dozens of excellent restaurants that cater to all tastes and budgets. In the central town square and surrounding streets there are many fast food restaurants where you can find skewers, crepes, pizzas, etc. There are several traditional taverns where you can taste Greek and Mediterranean recipes at affordable prices. Then there are the city’s fish taverns — like Tarsanas — that offer fresh fish with great views.

With their own boats, the folks at Tarsanas fish every day to supply their restaurants along with their own central fish market.

My meal on this day included: a tomato salad with mint and goat cheese from their own goats; the most delicious taramasalata (a meze dip made from white fish roe); locally caught squid with tomatoes, onion and basil; and a homemade Tira Misu like ice cream what was well earned by the steep climbs on the day.

 

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I’ve been fortunate to visit a number of places in Greece. All were gorgeous. I’m betting that’s a common refrain when it comes to describing the Greek landscape — it’s pretty pretty pretty folks.

The Peloponnese is a peninsula in the southern part of the country that many claim is the most picturesque part of the country and one of the most beautiful towns in the area is Nafplio — a seaport town on the Saronic Gulf that was the first capital of the newly born Greek state between 1823 and 1834.

It’s a charming city with a spectacular waterfront, marbled streets in the pedestrian shopping plazas, historic buildings, and crowned by a fortress that looks over another fort in the middle of the harbor.

According to mythology, the town was founded by Nafplios, the son of god Poseidon and the daughter of Danaus (Danaida) Anymone. The town’s history traces back to the prehistoric era when soldiers from the area participated in the Argonautic expedition and the Trojan War alike.

My three-day stay in September included a day trip to a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the freshest and most delicious plate of dolma and moussaka I’d ever had the pleasure to taste; and by far my most challenging and rewarding bike ride.

● The Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus was a health retreat, dating back 2500 years. Ancient Greeks would come here to be treated and recover from illness and in it’s often referred to as the birthplace of modern medicine. The site has a series of monuments spread over two terraces and is surrounded by lush and well preserved natural landscape. The site’s theatre is the star attraction: built of limestone, yet one of the best-preserved Ancient Greek structures in existence, the late-4th-century-BC theatre, which seats up to 14,000 people, is renowned for its amazing acoustics. It’s said that a coin dropped in the theatre’s centre can be heard from the highest seat (I can’t personally vouch for this, but I watched many visitors test the theory and all seemed satisfied with the results). The theatre is still in use, primarily showing ancient Greek comedies and tragedies in July and August each year.

● Full disclosure: if i could only eat one kind of food it would be Greek, so a big part of my recent trip to the country was finding some of my favorite dishes. I couldn’t possibly list all the great food I ate, but the best meal I had was easily at the Mentor Bar and Grill in Nafplio’s Syntagma Square. An appetizer of freshly made dolma (stuffed grape leaves), followed by a generous helping of moussaka that was served straight out of the oven was a lunch I will never forget.

● The bike ride from Nafplio to Astros is about 70 kms return with a maximum elevation change of approximately 650 metres. The paved road passes through orange orchards, wetlands and picturesque villages. The majority of it is along a magnificent coastline — blue waters to one side of you and pine trees on the other. It’s an incredibly tranquil trip, but other times arduous: breathtaking you might say.