#hymettus

[kebriones]

Today's pictures from the mountain

We're having an african dust episode in athens which sucks, but my phone wasn't cooperating enough for me to show you how impressively hazy yellow everything was.

Fox!!! Next time I'm bringing food for the fox. She's always hanging around the same spot, today there was a photographer with very professional looking equipment there so we didn't stay long enough to take proper pics. The fox was extremely friendly with him.

Naked man orchids my beloveds!! Cute babies!!

Cool plants.

Other orchids (very impressive, but it was getting dark so my phone camera was having trouble)

[elladastinkardiamou]

Athens Walks: A Mountain Hike on Mt Ymittos

Our excursion begins at Aghios Ioannis Prodromos Kynigos, a former monastery and current nunnery named after Saint John the Baptist, in the suburb of Aghia Paraskevi in northeast Athens.

To get to the start of the trail by car, take Gravias Street to Anatolikis Mesogeiou Street and then head up the hill past the military base to reach an opening in front of the nunnery, which is also where you can park. A popular area for runners, cyclists and walkers, you’ll find a fair number of people here on most days.

There are several trails leading from this spot; our route is an easy trek, with stunning views. When the weather is clear, you can see the islands of the Saronic Gulf and the northern shore of the Peloponnese to the west, and Evia and some of the Cycladic islands to the east.

It is a pleasant hike that offers the satisfaction of conquering the relatively low peaks of Korakovouni (“Raven’s Hill”) and exploring the little-known yet impressive Leontari Cave. The only downside is that you never really feel alone with nature, as the city is visible from every part of the route.

[thunderstruck9]

Spyros Vassiliou (Greek, 1902-1984), View of Hymettus from the Terrace, 1975. Oil, silver and gold leaf on canvas, 89 x 130 cm.

[athensinapoem]

Urban Poetics in the Greek capital

Σηκώνω το κεφάλι στο μικρό τετράγωνο κομμάτι κομμένο σε μικρά τετράγωνα – στον ουρανό του φυλακισμένου

Έλλη Παππά, «Μάρτης 1956» [απόσπασμα], Δουλειά της Φυλακής, 1979.

[worldofpollux]

"Hymettus the Bassoonist": ink and watercolor piece. #bassoonist #bassoonlife #fagotista #illustration #watercolor #drawing #hymettus #acuarela

[procax]

meanwhile

[elladastinkardiamou]

A Walk to Ymittos: Where the Mountain Meets the City

It took me 20 years – and a pandemic – to realize that Mt Ymittos is only a 58-minute walk (watch in hand) from the door of my building.

High up on the mountain, what I saw was like an inversion of the metaphor of the sprawling concrete jungle. An initially narrow green strip that starts a few meters away from the Hilton Hotel (in the often overlooked park of Alsos Ilision) progressively expands in width, as it crosses the University of Athens’ Zografou Campus.

This stream of green cascades down from the mountain, reaching almost the very center of the city. Alsos Ilision is a five-minute walk from Vasilissis Sofias Avenue and from there, you need 50 minutes to reach the foothills of Mt Ymittos proper.

[elladastinkardiamou]

Athens. Hymettus

Photo by Stratos Achoulias