After several days exploring different beaches on Karpathos, plus one day out to see Agia Fotini, we were ready for Olympos. This mountain village in the north of the island took some preparation, especially getting up early. The drive from Arkasa to Olympos took a while, and we followed the instructions of the car rental agency and stayed on the main road through the mountains.
somewhere on the way @Karpathos
The inhabitants of this village fled pirates during the Middle Ages and moved from the beach to the mountains. For the longest time, the village could only be reached by donkey. Thankfully, those days are over. But it still takes a good hour to cover the 40 km to get there. Since the drive was already scenic, it was an enjoyable journey, and I loved looking down at the sea over all those mountains.
great view on the sea @Karpathos
What this achieved, though, was that the village kept its own history and traditions intact, without outside influence. The women still wear their traditional costumes to this day, and it is not only for show. The first glimpse of Olympos was therefore breathtaking.
first glance on Olympos @Karpathos
Once at Olympos, we left the car at the main car park and started walking up the main street. At the entrance to the village, three Doric columns watch over it. They were commissioned in 2011 and represent tradition. The woman who represents the third column is carrying her baby in a bundle, as was done in former times.
the three Doric columns @Olympos
Olympos has one main street, which leads up to the church and then on the other side to some windmills. Along the way are lots of shops and many restaurants.
Olympos @Karpathos
We walked all the way up to the church on top of the hill and then a little further to the windmills. The church really stands above the village. At the end of the road, there were some more steps to climb to get to it.
village church @Olympos
It is beautiful inside, with a richly decorated altar area and old murals, some of them damaged by soot and candles.
inside Olymbos church @Olympos
The first windmill I saw was rather disappointing, and I was not sure what all the hype was about. It looked rather unappealing and had none of the charm of the Cycladic windmills.
decrepit windmill @Olympos
But it turned out that we just needed to round the corner, so to speak, and suddenly there were a lot more windmills to behold.
more decrepit windmills @Olympos
I did like the houses in Olympos much better than the windmills, though. Most houses had some ornaments and looked quite different from the usual ones with their plain white facades.
styled house next to the church @Olympos
detail from a house @Olympos
Eventually, we walked back down to Zefiros for coffee. Unfortunately, it was too windy to enjoy the terrace, and the place inside was dirty.
the terrace of Zefiros @Olympos
So instead, we looked for another place for a late lunch, and meanwhile, we got a little shopping done. Olympos sold some original pasta, makarounes, that we had tried somewhere else, as well as lots of herbs and ceramics. I might have gone a little overboard with the shopping, but never mind.
shopping street @Olympos
We eventually sat down at Ovelistirio Benenzi, a place that displays its food in a window along the main street. Thankfully, we decided against it and ended up at I Drosia. But that is another story. Yours, Pollybert
window display of Ovelistirio Benenzi @Olympos
