October 31, 2015

High Mountains Greece

Usually Greece offers visitors sun, sand and sea, and that was true for our previous trips to Greece. Don't let all that fool you to think that is all Greece has to offer. On this visit we decided to venture up to the high mountains of Greece. We wanted to visit the birth place of Mr Notjustnat's ancestors in that area. In doing so, we took the opportunity to visit the surrounding villages in nearby areas. 

What we discovered was much more than we expected. The scenery was breathtaking. All villages were built using stones as were many famous old stone bridges. I took so many photos that I've put them into separate collages. We took the inland route on our return and that was interesting as well. I will add a caption for each photo so don't forget to check them out!

Autumn leaves started to turned. 

Typical stone houses.

Villages are built on the slopes of mountains.

First morning view from our hotel's window

Stone carving, gorgeous!

Old and rustic doors, my favourite!

Many stone paths with lines and textures

Old stone bridges; I walked on all of them!

Water fountains are a feature of the area

Greek amphora 

Unique door pulls

We took an inland rout on our returned. We stopped in some smaller towns one of which was Meteora where monasteries are perching on rocks.

St Stephen's Monastery perched on an outcrop

I found this working loom in Metsovo village

Metsovo Folk Museum

Below are my stitching old and new. The quilt below is a gift I gave to our cousin in 2001. The inspiration came from Narantza the family's summer house. 

Plants and flowers were grown in Narantza on the Peloponnese

Block #5 travel stitching 

Block #4 travel stitching

Block #3 travel stitching

A gift I made for my cousin.

We definitely  had a great visit to Greece. Mr Notjustnat filled in lots of gaps on his family tree. He reconnected with distant family members. We found some ruins where the family home used to be. Greece is going through rough times at the moment. From what I gathered they are trying to correct what went wrong in the past. Please don't give-up on them just yet. Greece is beautiful country and it needs our help to preserve it!

We left Greece almost a week ago. We are now in Amsterdam until tomorrow. Today is our 40th day into our trip. Are you tired yet, I was asked? I never get tired of travelling "travelling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer".

Until next time
Nat

6 comments:

Needled Mom said...

Greece sounds fascinating - especially the areas that you went to visit. What a thrill it must have been to reconnect with relatives!! I am so loving all of the photos you are sharing along the way.

Your traveling stitching projects are beautiful - true treasures from your trip! Enjoy the rest of your adventure.

susis quilts said...

dear nat,you are coming nearer now, and we are awaiting you,your travel stitchings are wonderful. have a nice time,we see you on wednesday,susi and anton

Penny said...

Looks absolutely beautiful.

baukje said...

Thanks for taking us with you on this fabulous trip. When you have time you could visit this shop in Amsterdam,
http://www.capsicum.nl/index.php?lg=EN
They sell beautiful things.

Nifty Quilts said...

It's fascinating to see all the stone structures, especially the bridges. It's also fun to see your past work with the new. Thank you for sharing the photos!!

Jillayne said...

Oh my - what a wondrous place! I love the doors too - my first trip to Europe I nearly spun my head off my neck for twisting and turning to see the doors. And of course, anything stone - this looks like such an amazing place... history, in every step a story...

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