This is the view of Mt Olympus from the stunning town of Litochoro in Pierria, northern Greece. Today, I am pleased to share about my recent visit there, where I wandered around Litochoro, admiring its stunning river and its lush park too. I also visited the monastery of St Dionysios of Olympus and I am sharing sunny pictures that I know you’ll enjoy! I am also sharing today about the charming Greek custom of the March bracelet that you can make at home very easily. Why, you may ask? Scroll all the way down to find out what it’s for 🙂
The monastery of St Dionysios of Olympus is situated in the perfecture of Pierria, 3 km from the town of Lithochoro.
I had the pleasure to visit the monastery twice in the recent months.
I first visited last December when I traveled to Edessa and Pozar baths (I will be sharing about those amazing places soon, by the way!) and my second visit was during my trip to Salonica (Thessaloniki) last January.
The monastery was very quiet, and I only got to see one monk in the whole place! I later discovered that there is a restricted area where the monks live and work, which is not accessible to visitors. So, I guess they were all busy at the time! Apparently, they have many talents. They create icons, woodcraft, incense, candles and also pass the time gardening, binding books, tending to bees and even making cheese!
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Litochoro was stunning… Beauty everywhere…
Hard to believe that a town so near Mt Olympus is also near the sea!
I never got to see its coast, but during my visits there I had a good wander around and encountered the beauty of nature in all its glory. Majestic snowcapped mountain peaks, tall forest trees, a river, and even a large reservoir awaited me there, all gleaming under the glorious sunlight.
At the main car park where our coach left us, there is a paved path that leads to lower ground.
It led us to Enipeas river, after just a couple minutes’ walk. At its bank, visitors can enjoy food and drink at two quaint cafes as well as a restaurant run by a coop of the local women of the town.
It was a beautiful place to walk around in and enjoy the beauty of nature.
But that wasn’t all. We also found a stunning park next to the town’s maritime museum, just a stone’s throw away from the car park…
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It’s March, time to wear the ‘Martis!’
My mother, Ioanna, was a seamstress. Every March 1st, when my sister and I were little, she would call us to where she sat at her sewing machine and hand us red and white thread for us to twirl them around each other and make our ‘Martis’. She would then put this crude bracelet around our wrists, tie it up, and say, ‘Here you go! Now the sun won’t burn you this coming summer!’
I presume this happened all over Greece at the time, as I recall many kids in school wearing the Martis in school and they all looked exactly the same. They are like the ones closest to my wrist in the picture – two basic Martis bracelets, actually, twirled loosely together into one.
Anyway, back in the 70s, marketing wasn’t what it is today, and it was unheard of to buy a Martis. You just had to make one yourself…
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Interested in Greek nature? Check out this post too:
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