Cyprus - back to peaceful Pissouri

We felt like we were on the go in Athens and both of us suffered from the smog (Rick most with his left over Covid cough) so we were very happy to get back to Pissouri and after our early flight just spent the day reading in the sun. More energy the next day...

I had investigated the start of the trail at the west side of Pissouri Bay in 2020 but too intimidated to do it alone so Rick and I set out from the parking lot beyond the Columbia Hotel.

 

This is officially a walking trail between the Bay and the Village Square, a little over 7km, straight up hill from here.

It was sunny, about 20 degrees and still. The sea below was crystal clear.

The cliff side is barren, lots of rock slides,

and the path is sometimes narrow with shear drops on one side.

We did some clambering

but the path down into the next bay I would have had to do sitting down and I wasn't sure that I could get back up it. So we turned around having decided that it was not a trail that I could offer to either of the walking groups.

Returning, this is one of the rock slide areas

and at this point, a rope to hold on to.

A paddle boarder taking advantage of the unusually calm water.

A group camping in the parking area - 2 van conversions and a tent on a car roof.

We sat on the beach, finding the stones surprisingly comfortable,

then into the water, initially cold but then OK, and paddled along the beach, skimming stones.

If the weather keeps warming up like this I will swim.

Then to the Captains Table for lunch.

I had Caprese Salad and Calamari, Rick had Prawns in garlic and a Jacket Potato.

Greece - Cape Sounion and Posiedon's Temple sunset.

 After lunch, Rick and I waited at the Hop-on-hop-of bus stop, in Omonia Square, for our bus. There we chatted with a young man, selling tickets for the HOHO bus, who had walked from Afghanistan to live in Greece. He said he loved it except he did not yet have a car or a girlfriend. We were picked up by a large bus and stopped at two other places to pick up other passengers and the guide.

We drove along the coast with the audio guide and the driver outlining points of interest.

For quite a while we drove along a very urban coast with a 6 lane highway and "summer homes", mostly low rise apartment buildings, shopping, restaurants and marinas. Gradually these thinned out to developments in bays with small beaches.

The bus pulled off the highway and we piled out for a brief look at this salt water lake,

Fed by the sea but warmer, there were people swimming.

Lots of islands just off the coast and evidence of commercial shipping and ferries.

Sea Bass farming.

The drive took about an hour and a half. First sight of Cape Sounion.

The bus parked a little way up the hill, by the restaurant and we were told that sunset was at 6:12 and to meet back at the bus at 6:15.

We bought our tickets and walked up the hill, looking down at the little beach that we later learned was the harbour the ancient Greeks used when coming to the Temple.

We had a couple of hours so could walk around at a leisurely pace.

The temple sits at the peak of the hill

with a steep cliff on the sea side. The location was chosen as it overlooks the channel to enter Piraeus (Athens harbour). A good place to keep watch from and for returning sailors to see.

There were a few information boards scattered around.

 The original temple was destroyed by the Persians and, just like on the Acropolis, the rubble and remains were buried to be excavated recently. The main Temple is to Poseidon and there was a smaller one, lower down, to Athena. Parts of the columns were taken back to England at some point and the National Museum in London has some.

There is another small rise on this promontory, with the restaurant between the 2.

The land here, at the southern most point of Attica, is hilly and sparsely populated.

Walking around the temple didn't take long so we followed a path down towards the sea.

There was evidence of ancient buildings along the original entrance road from the harbour.

While following the fortification walls back and

Rick spotted Grape Hyacinth growing wild.

While Rick waited, unsuccessfully, to be served a beer at the restaurant

I walked up the other little hill and took pictures back towards the temple.

A half hour before sunset we went back up

to try and figure out

where to stand to get the temple and the sunset.

We settled on this angle and then I set my camera to "sunset mode" as that gives me the best photos when pointing into the sun.

It was getting cool, so played with some shots

to keep my mind off that.

Earlier than predicted the sun sank behind a bank of cloud and smog

and then

it was gone.

Back to the bus. Hour and a half drive back. Picked up pizza and had it back at the apartment and packed for an early return to Cyprus the next day.