A road trip in Greece led me to some holy footsteps, a christening, and a ride in a tow truck. Check out these driving travel adventures in Greece.
Driving in Greece
Let's set the scene. Monday 1st of June was to be a national holiday in Greece, so with a three day weekend, we planned a bit of a road trip.
The idea was to do some sight seeing, and go to a christening in the mountainous Evrytania region in Central Greece.
Like all good plans laid by mice and men though, a few unexpected things happened along the way!Travel Adventures in Greece
One of the first places we visited, was the monastery at Proussos, sometimes known by the name of House of the Virgin Mary.
This is due to a couple of different stories, one of which involves a shepherd discovering an icon of the Virgin Mary at the spot on which the monastery was built.
The other involves some mysterious ‘footsteps' which are attributed to the Virgin Mary. The monastery has a lot of history attached to it, and was certainly set in a stunning location.
It also caters for people who want to stay there overnight. We tried calling a few (actually more than 20!) times to see if we could stay there, but we never got through. Maybe you might have better luck.
Footsteps in Stone near Proussos
For me though, the most interesting part of this area, were the Footprints of the Virgin Mary. These are out on the road from the monastery near the junction to Karitsa.
There are seven marks in the rock which lead up a slope which allegedly have the shape of human footprints. Personally, I didn't think they looked like footprints, but obviously plenty of people did!
You can see from the video and photos that people have been using this as a shrine, leaving all sorts of personal offerings. To me, this didn't look entirely Christian, but what do I know!
Attending a Christening in Greece
Staying at Agia Triada, the christening we went to was at Domianoi, a small village high in the mountains. This was my first Greek christening, and so I wasn't really sure what to expect.
The christening took place in a monastery (yes, there are a lot of monasteries here!), and as the last christening I went to was my own (I guess I was 1 years old), I couldn't tell you how different it was to the ones in the UK.
I do know that rather than just sprinkle some water on the baby's head, they put them all the way in a bath of water, but that's about it. Oh, and olive oil is involved somewhere as well.
The meal after was amazing, with everything laid out on the village square. A DJ playing random songs, there was dancing, and plate after plate of meat. Yum! Obviously, I ended up with two monks sitting next to me. I was going to offer them a beer, but thought better of it.
Car Breakdown in Greece
And now on to the part of the road trip adventures in Greece we didn't plan! The next day after the christening, we got our stuff together, and got ready to leave.
Except, the car didn't want to leave with us. It turned over, but wouldn't fire up. Bugger.
So, a quick call to the breakdown service where they said we would need to wait for a couple of hours. Fine – there was a nice taverna we had been in the night before!
The guy eventually came with the truck, and he spent a good hour trying to get the car moving again before he decided it was best to tow it.
With the car on the back of the truck, we sat in the cab, and enjoyed the ride through the mountains! Being higher up, and moving at a slow speed meant we got to see more of the amazing views between Agia Triada and Karpenisi.
Once there, it took another guy about an hour to get the car working again. It turns out, an alarm hadn't been uninstalled properly, and it was preventing the engine from starting.
Related: Travelling by Car: Advantages and Disadvantages
By the time we got back to Athens, it was well past midnight, and we were tired, but happy. It was another great road trip out together, and we are looking forward to our next adventures in Greece! Check out the video summary below.
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Veronika Dalton says
You have an upbeat attitude about the car breakdown and going to the tavern while you waited! I know if I was in that situation, I would have been really frustrated with such a long wait time. I’m not a very patient person.
Christy says
That monastery looks amazing. I can see why you would want to stay there!
Leah says
Sounds like quite the adventure! How did you know about/happen upon this christening? Was it a family that you knew that invited you?
Dave Briggs says
yes, it was a friend’s kids christening… good fun to go to!
Stacey Valle says
Great adventure! Even though towing wasn’t part of the plan, I’m glad that you still stay positive and look forward for more adventures 🙂
Dave Briggs says
yeah, towing wasn’t part of the plan, but if the worst thing that happened was I had a beer in a taverna while i waited for the truck, it wasn’t all bad 😉
Lesley says
I had no idea the ‘footsteps’ were there. Great photo.
Ryan Biddulph says
Hi Dave,
Sounds like a fun, adventurous day!
LOL on the monks. One may have downed the brew, he looked pretty chill 😉
Ryan
Dave Briggs says
The older guy was pretty cool, but the younger guy was a bit miserable! They didn’t touch a drop though. Also, they didn’t eat meat as it is against their rules, so they had fish instead
Toni | 2 Aussie Travellers says
The mountains and monastery are really beautiful. Are those arrows spray painted on the cliff near the footprints or did you add those to the photo?
Dave Briggs says
The arrows are part of the ‘feature’ for want of a better word!
João Leitão says
Without a doubt that Greece can provide such adventurous trip. I love the way you described your trip and the way you finished it, getting your car towed totally closes up for the ultimate adventure and unexpected experience. haha The monastery at Proussos looks amazing. Happy travels, hug all the way from the Gates of Sahara – Ouarzazate.
Dave Briggs says
yeah, the car towing wasn’t part of the plan… but it was a fun ride, and it gave us some better views of the mountain as we rode down!
Jen says
We campervanned last year round Greece, it was fab, but we missed Proussos – will need to go back one day 🙂
Dave Briggs says
I’ve seen plenty of people campervan around Greece, and it really does get you to places other tourists can’t. It also makes you realise just how much there is to see! I could be here a lifetime and not see it all!
Will Bowie says
No good getting a tow! Looks like it was still a great time.
Dave Briggs says
It wasn’t exactly part of the plan… but we figured we saved a few euros in fuel 😀
Betsy Wuebker | PassingThru says
Your photo of the place where Mary’s footsteps are reminded me of Montserrat. I am always amazed at the amount of effort it must have taken to get these places built way back when. What a wonderful experience the christening celebration must have been!
Dave Briggs says
It’s certainly hard to imagine the effort and dedication needed to build some of these remote monasteries!