-Where are you thinking of walking this weekend? I ask Kyriakos Papageorgiou on the phone. Of course, I had no doubt in my mind that he had planned to walk somewhere. After all, a few days before we had been walking together along the paths of Meteora, the old cobblestone paths, which for so many centuries had hosted the reverent footsteps of pilgrims and monks. For our friend, walking has been, for decades now, the best antidote to the urban lifestyle, to the spiritual and mental torment that a lawyer receives every day.

–I am going to go near here, to Platanistos in Karystos, Kyriakos replies.

–

–Hey, yes. It’s not even 400 km from Volos. And not even 600 from Thessaloniki. Nothing for a true traveller.

This last sentence, in the way it was said, contained a clear implication, which did not go unnoticed.

–And what is so important in Platanistos?

–Nothing shocking. Some hidden and inaccessible beaches among the most beautiful in the country. And a trail, which I don’t know, but information tells me it’s mild and idyllic. It starts on the mainland and ends on the coast. Karystos, of course, you know it well.

Yes, we knew the state of Karystos well. With the beautiful beach and the harbour, the neoclassical houses and the castle, the ouzeri with the snacks and the fish. Calm, friendly and family-oriented on weekdays, crowded, noisy and cosmopolitan on weekends and during the summer holidays. Athens is nearby, a permanent feeder of a large number of visitors.

It is almost 11 years since our first visit to the place of Karystos. An unforgettable visit, indelibly marked by our thrilling journey, both on the slopes of the Ochis with its colossal marble columns and on its summit with the legendary and incomprehensible construction art “Drakospitos“. It was a trek that had gained added excitement and value with the company and valuable knowledge of that amazing man, and later friend, Antonis Katanos.

In the years that followed, we went back and forth to Karystos. The last time it was our base for a brief acquaintance with the southernmost tip of the Euboean land. This desolate and rugged place with wild beauty and some of the most fascinating beaches in the country. Which, due to lack of time, we had only glimpsed from the roadside…

THE CHARM OF ANTICIPATION

Our friend was not wrong after all. The odometer from Thessaloniki to Karystos did not show 600 km, it stopped at 580. A long route, which due to the low average speeds on the road network of Evia, is hardly covered in less than 6 hours. So, at the end of the short winter afternoon, we find again, after two years, our old acquaintance, beautiful and hospitable as always. Karystos welcomes us with a cool sea breeze that resinifies the waters and makes fishing boats and caiques sway gently.

The tension from the long hours of driving is slowly leaving us. We regain our biorhythms with a quiet walk along the spacious waterfront. It is perhaps the sweetest hour of the day. Calm pedestrians, little traffic, two or three fishermen with fishing rods in the harbour. The lights in the beach shops are already on, inviting us for a coffee. The tsipouros can wait a little longer, until the arrival of our friend from Volos.

The fall of the night finds us all sitting at the tables of the cafe – Ouzeri “PHILIPPOS”, in a central point of the beach. Nice local tsipouro, lots of delicious snacks. Old photos on the walls, glass windows overlooking the harbour. A part of the shop is occupied by shelves with the magazine and daily press. All this paper, the colourful covers, give the place a special atmosphere, reminiscent of a reading room. There are also a number of regulars who, along with their snacks, take a few glances at the newspapers they are holding. We open a detailed map and draw up the programme for tomorrow’s excursion to the south of Karystos. Priority is given to locating the trail and crossing the valley to its end at the coast. We already have a plan and good information, both from our host Nikos Lagoniko at the hotel “ZEUS“, and from our friend Thanos Mamas, who organizes cruises and hikes on land with his boat “ISIDOROS”. The only imponderable factor is the weather. Late at night we gaze at the starry sky from the balcony of our hotel. We have every reason to be optimistic.

ON THE ROUTE TO PLATANISTOS AND PANOCHORI

The last day of January dawns with a pale sun, which, however, finds its way through clouds, not particularly threatening. It’s not windy and the temperature is good. The weather looks ideal for walking. But also for a coffee on the balcony. To the south we look out over the town and the sea, while to the north we see the imposing castle of Karystos, at the foot of the Ohi. The hotel “ZEUS” is in a quiet and advantageous location at the entrance of the town. It has 18 fully equipped apartments and a large courtyard with swimming pool, olive trees and flowers.

Saturday today and the traffic in the city is brisk. In front of City Hall, we’re resetting the odometer. We exit Karysto heading east and heading for Platanistos. Continuing along the coast, we reach 3.2 km at a fork in the road, which, on the right, follows the coastline, while on the left it climbs up towards the mainland. Those who have a map or are familiar with the area will not be troubled. But for the rest of the visitors, shouldn’t there be an information sign with some information? Both for the coast and the mainland, where there is even the famous “Drakospilito” on the top of Ohi? It is the minimum obligation of the local authorities to the visitors of the place, Greeks and foreigners alike.

Having as destination Platanistos, we ascend to the left. Repeated turns, view of the bay of Karystos and Tzia. We cross the small settlement Metochi, gaining altitude continuously. Barren place with lots of stone, thorny bushes, holly and oleander. Now and then some olive trees.

At 11.8 km. from Karystos we reach a neck. A concrete road, with no sign and no marking on the map (very recent probably) goes uphill to the left. Although it is out of our path, we follow it out of curiosity. In less than two kilometers the road ends at the top of the hill “Coucouilles“, at an altitude of 618 meters. The atmosphere is heavy and not particularly clear, the wind blows cold, but the views are excellent and rewarding for this detour. To the north, Ochi can be seen through the clouds, still retaining some concentrations of snow. The town and the bay of Karystos are visible in the panorama, while the large bulk of Andros, the smaller one of Tzia and the much smaller one of Mantilous are visible on the sea horizon.

Very satisfied by the overall spectacle, we return to the neck and continue towards Platanisto, leaving on our right two successive dirt roads, which descend towards Kastraki and Livadi. Small groups of goats forage among the holly and thorns. A few kilometres later the vegetation becomes enriched with bushes, heather and oleander. Some streams run with little water. We pass by a centuries-old olive grove with stunning and “very expressive” trunks, as Kyriakos comments.

About 20 km after Karystos we enter the first houses of Platanistos. The traffic so far is zero. For so long and for so many kilometers we have not answered a single car! The first people who appear in the village are inside the small canteen on the side of the road, with its plastic side rails. It is this patent, so controversial aesthetically but also so practical, that with very little money, utilizes and transforms a space from a summer house to a four-seasonal one. Always of course with the addition of the novel gas heaters, another clever patent. Our canteen, however, here in Platanisto, is decidedly more traditional, heated by a wood-burning stove. This is, after all, the fuel that the place offers in abundance.

–And why, you guys, would you walk to the Potami? (“Potami” is the local name, both for the small seaside settlement and for the cove of Platanistos.) There’s a good dirt road. In 10 minutes you’ll be there.

–Because we want to see the Artino bridge and walk the path along the river.

–You may miss it, the path may be closed. You may be inconvenienced without a local guide. But if you persevere, the trail begins at the downhill cement road ahead of you, 20 metres from the canteen.

We thank them for their interest, leave – reluctantly – the warmth of the wood stove and step out into the humid atmosphere of the village. An atmosphere that has changed noticeably in the last hour. No longer present, the sun has disappeared behind solid, leaden clouds. A chilly breeze brings sporadic raindrops to our faces.

–Before we start the trail, I suggest we take a look at Panochori, Kyriakos says.

The Panochori, as well as the opposite Mastrogiannaioi, are settlements of Platanistos. Cross the concrete bridge over the stream. Moist and full of life, it flows swiftly between the stones and trunks of large plane trees, whose branches are bare of leaves at this time of year. A beautiful waterfall with a height approaching 10 meters falls with a thunderous crash next to the bridge, further strengthening the flow of the river. A little further up, we meet the narrow dirt road on the left, which a kilometre later ends in Panochori.

We leave the car and continue on foot. Scattered a few houses over the road, two chimneys with smoke, dogs barking. A little lady in her backyard waves back in a strange way, raising her hand.

One may wonder what led us to this detour in the humble Panochori. We cross the village and in two minutes we find the answer on a sign. “GORGE, SPRINGS, WATER MILL 100 M”. So here are the sights of the village. Only it soon turns out that at 100 metres there are two more items, equally important, that the sign fails to mention. The first is an exceptional stone bridge over the stream. And the second is a cobblestone path.

With an arch span of about 6 metres and strong masonry, it is obvious that this bridge was once of strategic importance for the communications of the area. The cobbled cobblestone path was of equal importance. We meet the first section of it on the right of the cement road, descending steeply and narrowly from the mountain. Its continuation is on the opposite bank, after the bridge. With large slabs and planted stones in the ground, the cobblestone road winds uphill and enters a jungle with a wide variety of shrubs and trees. Its construction is heavy and sturdy, although not as sophisticated as the cobblestones in Pelion and Epirus. Next to the bridge the watermill is kept in very good condition.

We walk for about 200 meters along the concrete road. Here the stream bed widens, forming a pond with calm water. A few metres further up, in the stones, are the springs, from which the main volume of the water of the gully gushes out. I try to imagine this fairyland with the foliage of summer and the explosion of colour in autumn. The bare branches bring me back to winter, the leanest season of the year, but one that brings out the charm of lines, shapes and volumes more than any other.

As we return to the village, we meet an old man in the last few houses. He is Thodoris Tzenis, who has been over 80 for years. He lives here with his lady and has never left Panochori. His role was once important for the place, since he was the miller who ran the mill in the ravine.

–Where was he driving this cobbled road? Kyriakos asks him.

–In 3 hours he was going out in Karystos. But he also went to the area of Cavodoro. There was also a mountainous, shorter path. But in winter with the snow it was dangerous. So this one was used here.

–Goodbye uncle – Thodoris, in a more beautiful time for the village.

ON THE PATH OF PLATANISTOS

We got a little lost on the way and in Panochori, it was already 2 o’clock. We mustn’t waste a minute. The weather is dark and it’s getting worse all the time. It’s getting cold wind and rain.

15 meters after the canteen, from an altitude of 300 meters, we take the steeply downhill and rough concrete road that crosses the amphitheatrical settlement of Platanistos. Apart from two or three smoking chimneys, we find no other signs of life. In three minutes we reach the end of the cement road, meet a cobbled road and then a path, which in another three minutes brings us to the ravine. Here stands the famous bridge. Artisian style, built in 1880. About 10 metres high and with an arch span of at least 9 metres, it is one of the largest single-arch bridges found in the countryside of the country. Its elaborate construction is made of hewn stone and is sturdy to withstand the momentum of the river. The deck is cobbled, 2.5 metres wide and has a protective parapet of at least 1.5 metres. A marble inscription of a marble building is prominently placed.

Plane trees, lush vegetation, here and there bouquets of fragrant native hummingbirds. But also incessant rain. Very miserable weather to be in such an idyllic place. We’re already on a good dirt road, slightly uphill. We come across a deserted farmhouse, occasional century-old olive and oak trees. The settlement of Platanistos is becoming more and more remote behind us.

At 14:55′ (50 minutes after our departure) we reach one of the most characteristic points of the route. Here, a few dozen metres above the road, is the chapel of Agia Paraskevi. Several feet below the road, in a flat pasture, a charming stone silhouette can be seen. It is the ancient chapel of Agios Konstantinos. It is built with exquisite masonry of local stone, interspersed with large pieces of white chipped marble, the ancient origin of which is undeniable. Besides, we quickly realize the archaeological importance and the historicity of the place, which is known by the name “Hellenic“. A few tens of meters below the chapel stands a section of a cyclopean wall, built with chipped local stones of large dimensions. The masonry is of excellent construction and extremely solid, in some places exceeding 5 metres in height. The length of the surviving single section of the wall is at least 40 metres. The wall is then damaged and broken. It is completed a little further down, at the E-SE end, where a well-built corner of about 7 metres high is preserved.

But what was here in ancient times? According to Stamatis Papamichael (1) in a measurement made in 1907 by the then high school principal G. Papavasileiou, the meridian side of the building was 106.45 metres long and 1.10 to 2 metres wide. The surviving height was 3.80 to 6.85 metres. In his opinion, it was two buildings – fortresses for the unification of the garrison. The older one had been built before the Median wars, while the newer one was built by the Athenians.

On the other hand, Alexander Kalemis (2) states that “Platanistos is an ancient Druopian city built on the SE foothills of the Ohi. East of Platanistos, down in the valley, there are ruins of an ancient settlement, which bears the name “Hellenic”, while its ancient name is unknown. Near it is the small church of St. Koninos, built on the foundations of an earlier Christian church. Here there are ruins of an ancient building about 70 metres long, which are believed to belong to the Geraistian god Poseidon. According to more recent opinions of archaeologists, it seems that these are two different structures, one later than the other. These buildings were used as garrison headquarters. One was built before the Persian wars and the later one was built by the Athenians and other Greeks, after the harsh punishment of the Carthusians for their embezzlement“.

In the interior of the plateau there is an intermediate, lower masonry, as well as a threshing floor. A little further up there is a stable, an olive grove with large olive trees and a barn with ancient marbles perfectly carved into the masonry. We walk around the site under constant rain, with mud on the ground and sliding stones. A shepherd grazes his flock, unaffected by the rain. He gives us some useful information to continue our journey.

At 3:25′, after half an hour at Elliniko, we get back on the dirt road. At the fork ahead, we take the one going downhill to the right. 10 minutes later we head left towards a lonely house on the opposite slope. The information from the shepherd (which of course is not mentioned on the map we have) says that after the house we have to go down an imaginary straight line perpendicular to the ravine, which is already very close. “Only watch out for the wire fences, or you’ll be inconvenienced,” the shepherd had pointed out to us. As if he had told us to run into them! In our attempt to get home faster, we cut a shortcut through an olive grove, which ended up in fences under the house. We got over the wires relatively easily but began to struggle with mud and water, towering grasses, branches and abutments that made access to the ravine difficult.

A few minutes later, at exactly 3:45′, all difficulties have been overcome. We have the good fortune to be on the left (north) bank of the Platanistos stream. The path compensates us. It is flat, relaxing, well-marked and narrow, an authentic trail. Its course is parallel to the stream, sometimes next to it, giving us a sensational immediacy with the rushing water, and sometimes a few meters away, in meadows and on the borders of estates with various trees and olive groves. The predominant flower here is the continuous bouquets of these lovely native and fragrant field bulbs.

The rain is still falling, but we are so used to it that it has stopped bothering us. Besides, it seems to be an integral and perhaps necessary element of this winter atmosphere, of this wet river landscape. The ravine is covered with plane trees. Many of them are centuries old, with impressive trunks. For a moment I think of my much-loved Voidomatis Gorge. No comparisons can be made, of course, to either the unparalleled beauty or the size of the river or the overall wildness and grandeur of the landscape. Here the place is mild, serene, the stream almost humble. Yet it is so idyllic, so lonely and unknown, that we consider it a true stroke of luck to walk alongside it, to hear its chanting for a 40-minute period.

At 4:25′ we reach a concrete bridge. Veer left and meet the dirt road coming off the tarmac. Five minutes later (in almost two and a half hours and with stops of about 40 minutes) we are at the sandy cove of Platanistos, Potami. We are just above the narrow, now sandy and stone and plane tree-free riverbed, which channels its sweet, crystal clear water into the deep blue, turbulent waters of the Aegean.

But the most pleasant surprise in this beautiful place is the lonely little taverna and the smoke swirling from the spout of a burroi. How sweet, how desirable is the human presence in this wilderness! And even after two and a half hours in the cold and rain. Through the glass window we can see inside the shop a pile of yellow nets and a few human figures close to them. We open the door. A man, a woman and two children. Near the wood stove an old man.

–Have a seat and get warm, says the man, who, together with his son, is working with the nets. The weather has turned mild today. Cold, windy and rainy. Not for walks, neither at sea nor on land.

–Only the Platanistos path is beautiful at this time, says Kyriakos.

–Don’t tell me you went down the path from the village.

–Yes, it was a beautiful experience.

–That’s why you are so wet. Sit near the stove to warm yourself, to dry yourself, the woman says. And if you need anything, you can tell me.

The afternoon goes on. With the heavy clouds it will soon get dark. Apart from a frugal breakfast we have eaten nothing so far. Is this the best time of the day for a cigarette? With a view of the foaming sea and raindrops? Who could object? So feta cheese with olive oil crumbs, fries, cabbage salad and chopped carrots, with plenty of lemon from the family orchard, this local, thick-skinned variety, with an aroma and taste that is nothing like commercial lemons. The homemade tsipouro is wonderful and the zargos are amazing, fished by Panagiotis and grilled with special skill by his wife Katerina.

We drink to the family and we wish Panagiotis’ father, the likeable uncle – Strato, to be well over 100. (He is already 97 but he doesn’t look it at all).

Built with thick stone walls in 1908, it houses the family house on the first floor and the tavern on the ground floor, where uncle Stratos worked for years. An outgoing and good-natured man, he seems very happy.

–Well, I was born in there, he points to a room with his hand. And I still live here, after all these years.

Bless him. He lives in the place where he was born, where his memories are, in this beautiful place by the sea. He lives with his people, who seem to surround him with love and affection. What more can one miss!

ON THE BEACHES SOUTH OF KARYSTOS

The night sky is clear again. But who can trust him? None of us forgets the turning of the dryness into unceasing rain. Which was of course very romantic but hardly practical. As Sunday dawns, however, a bright sun rises in the cloudless sky. Everyone’s spirits are at a high. After the excellent experience in the Platanistos gully, the open horizons of the Aegean await us on a route little known.

We follow again the same initial course after Karystos, but at the anonymous fork we do not turn left for Metochi but continue along the coast. Small, successive beaches, holiday homes and accommodation, a place of summer holidays with continuous – and perhaps excessive – development within a few kilometres of the town.

In the location “Bouros”, in a prominent position above the coast, stands the ghost of an abandoned, unsightly and huge hotel complex, which brutally offends the harmony and the overall aesthetics of the area. It has remained in this state for years, a monument to indifference, irresponsibility and lack of planning. At last, let it be used or demolished. But let it stop badmouthing the place to Greeks and foreigners.

9.5 km. after Karystos we abandon the asphalt network and conventional routes for good. The charm of the “barren line” begins, but also the barren land with its complete absence of tree vegetation. The only things that thrive here are low thorny bushes and rocks. Opposite us, however, is the Tzia, between Makronissos and Syros. Behind Tzia, Kythnos can be seen. The sun is still bright and warm, February enters perfectly spring-like.

Rocky, inaccessible coast. Successive coves with clear water but hardly friendly for the average swimmer. From above, we can observe the fascinating details of the coastline and seabed. Of course, we’re all alone in this wilderness.

12 km after Karystos, the small islet of Mantilou appears in front of us. Behind it, in the haze of the horizon, the heavy bulk of Andros is outlined. On the coast a bay is revealed, which penetrates long and narrow into the land. It ends up in a liliputian sandy beach no more than 20 metres wide. This secluded little beach is not completely deserted. Its inhabitants, however transient, are a couple who have pitched a tent. Their car, a LADA NIVA, is a few dozen metres higher up the road. So here are two people who have taken advantage of the lonely place in this peaceful season.

15 km after Karystos we are at the closest point to the islet of Mantilous. We observe with the binoculars the stone lighthouse on top of a conical hill of the island. Built in 1925 and with a tower height of 11 meters, the lighthouse dominates 85 meters above the surface of the Aegean Sea. (3) Immediately afterwards appears the small, seaside settlement of Agii, the first appearance of human settlement after so many kilometres of deserted coastline. Which slowly begins to reveal its hidden treasures. Until now the dirt road has been good but it is already becoming, for conventional cars, hostile. The rocky coastline, however, takes on a softer appearance with successive beautiful sandy beaches. One of them, about 300 metres long, is one of the most beautiful to be seen. The place is idyllic with olive trees, oleanders and wisteria. Many large myrtle trees beside the sand provide valuable shade for summer swimmers.

Then the outline of the stunning bay of Kastrios is outlined on the coastline, with the small seaside settlement. A large bay, with emerald waters of unimaginable beauty, an enclosed natural harbour, its narrow mouth exposed only to the SE and SE weather. A single boat is moored a few dozen metres from the shore.

The area of Kastri is a historical place, but there are no obvious signs of this past. Stamatis Papamichael writes about it.An excavation made a few years ago in a now padded field revealed columns and other marbles in a cut of only 5x6 metres, but there was no announcement“.

But Kastri is famous for another reason. This is where the ships that set out from Avlida for the Trojan campaign “fought”. Menelaus and Nestor and their companions also found shelter here on their return from Troy. The reference in the Odyssey (5) is characteristic:

“And we asked for a sign from God, and he shoots us, and shows us to open a line to Euboea, and we hung out in the night in Geraistos“.

From the centre of the settlement, a rough dirt road climbs uphill to the left and ends up on the asphalt road at the foot of the hill “Koukouvagies”. On a ridge under the asphalt there is an old wind farm with a dozen wind turbines, of which only 3-4 are in operation. We leave this internal road for the moment and continue parallel to the coast. There are some branches unclear, unmarked and the road surface is always rough, hostile. The coast, however, is adorned with lovely sandy beaches with clear water.

We reach a flat, extensive meadowland, covered with grass and reeds. Sheep and a few modest holiday homes, built here and there. The only visual dissonance is the industrial complex of the PPC substation on one side of the meadow. But nature has taken care to restore the beauty and harmony of this peaceful area in the best possible way. A few hundred meters after the substation, the Livadi Bay can be seen. It is the most imposing sandy beach we have seen in the 20 or so kilometres of coastline so far.

–It’s a miracle of nature, Kyriakos exclaims, as we reach the highest point of the road, above the coast. It’s definitely one of the most spectacular sandy beaches I’ve seen in this country. And I’ve seen more than a few on coastlines and islands.

Our friend is not exaggerating at all. Apart from the large opening and the perfect curvature of the bay, the width of the sandy beach, from the waves to the reeds of the meadow, is very impressive. We walk down the steep slope and wander from one end to the other, this incomparable coastline. Bay opening 500 metres, coarse sand and fine pebbles, maximum sandy beach width 70 metres or so, turquoise clear water, progressively deepening. In the southern part of the bay, exactly where the wave breaks, there are solid flat slabs, so smooth that they do not constitute an obstacle to access to the sea, for about 100 metres. At the southern end of the bay there is a side road where two caravans are permanently installed. Their owners must feel in paradise every summer.

We notice that the cables and poles of the PPC reach all the way to the coast. It is not by chance. It is from this substation that Andros gets its electricity by submarine cable. With rational utilization of wind energy, the big island would have been airtight in electricity.

We gaze for a while at the rocky NW coast of Andros. It looks so close. The channel, after all, between South Evia and Andros is no more than 7 nautical miles. It is the most frequently used passage for any ship heading from the Black Sea and the islands of the N and NE Aegean to the port of Piraeus. Already four large ships are currently sailing through the straits, a very short distance from Andros.

The road climbs, always rough, up to an altitude of 150 metres above the sea, continues flat for a while and then begins to lower. Then, for the first time, the panorama of the Bay of Platanistos is revealed, a few hundred metres away. It is a lovely bay too, blue and sparkling under the sun, so different from the dark and rainy one of yesterday afternoon.

–Today we don’t need the wood stove, we tell Katerina. We’ll eat outside in the breeze and sunshine.

They’re glad to see us again so soon. They lay us out on the roof, under the thatched roof. On the first day of February the alley is pleasantly cool. Omelette with eggs from Katerina’s hens, salads and lemons from the orchard, her own bread, fermented. We don’t need anything else.

EPILOGUE

In the afternoon our lawyer friend starts for Volos. For him the weekend is over, on Monday morning the courts are open.

–What are you preparing for next Saturday?I ask Kyriakos.

–I don’t know yet, it will start to bother me from Thursday afternoon. Don’t worry, you’ll have timely updates.

Evening on the beach of Karystos. On Kotsika Street, a perpendicular road to the beach, we discover the “Karistaki“, beautiful and authentic, with the sheet metal and pots open front to front, so the customer can see the interior, work up an appetite and decide. Not reading the lifeless menu and trying to imagine what each dish looks like.

We wander our eyes over the open pots and pans, as we once did in the old restaurants. Beef casserole, bean pasta and chickpeas, lemon goat, fricassee pork and baked eggplants, galley a la spetsiota… If only we could taste it all. My favor is won by the galleon and Anna’s by a fish soup with redfish. Excellent cooking by Lefteris Bournous and his son Dmitri. They contrast with Greek cuisine, perfectly traditional.

On Monday morning, before we take the long way back, we attempt an additional visit to the coastline that has impressed us so much. Our aim is to get an idea of the state of the road surface of the two vertical dirt roads leading from the asphalt road to Platanisto, the first one after 6.5 km to Kasti and the second one after 6.7 km to Livadi. Unfortunately, in many places the road surface is so deteriorated that it is totally unsuitable for conventional cars. Until the condition of the roads improves, the stunning sandy beaches of the southern tip of Evia will remain unseen and inaccessible to most people.

REFERENCES

(1). “Let’s get to know Karystos”

(2). “The Revelation of the natural and historical treasures of Evia”.

(3). Yannis Skoulas, “LIGHTS, BEAMS AND LIGHT”.

(4). “Let’s get to know Karystos”.

(5). OMIROS ODYSSEIA (c 173-174, 179), Translation by Georgios Psyhudakis, UNIVERSITY EDITION OF CRETE, HERAKLEIO 1996.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

-Stamatis Papamichael, “Let’s get to know Karystos”, KOSMOS, KARISTOS, 3rd ed. 2004

-Alexandros Kalemis, “THE DISCOVERY OF THE NATURAL AND HISTORICAL THESAURES OF EVBIA”, ed. KALEMI, ATHENS, 2ND ED. 2002

-Giannis Skoulas, “LIGHTS, BEAMS AND LIGHT”, ed. AMMOS, ATHENS 1997.

THANKS

We would like to thank Nikos Lagonikos for the hospitality at the ZEUS Hotel and for his valuable help in our work.

-We also thank Thanos Mamas for his willing information.

DISTANCES

KARYSTOS – CHALKIDA 130 KM

KARYSTOS – THESS/NIKI 580 KM