Potami Waterfalls, Karlovasi, Samos

There's a mountain behind the beach at Potami and somewhere up on the high ground near the town of Leka you can find a fresh water spring, which feeds the small river that gives life to the Potami Waterfalls.

The walk up the valley to the start of the falls isn't exactly hard, but it certainly isn't suitable for anyone with limited mobility and here's a tip: wear clothing and footwear you're happy to get wet.

The pathway soon gives way to a dirt track and you'll have to negotiate tree roots and boulders as you go.

It's a green and leafy walk, the shade giving pleasant relief on a hot day, especially with the sound of the water making its way downstream.

You'll soon find yourself between steep-sided rocky cliffs and I was reminded of the last time I explored a river valley, the magnificent Almbachklamm in Bavaria; not an obvious comparison.

I was surprised at how small the river was in its lower reaches although bizarrely it becomes wider and deeper as you progress up the valley.

Don't be mislead when you come to the first of the small waterfalls, these are not the attraction!

You need to cross back and forth over the river several times. Wooden bridges are provided, although some of the crossmembers are not secured care must be taken unless you prefer to paddle through the stream.

I was amused by the pile of cut branches, are they there so visitors can make temporary repairs to the bridges?

Keep an eye open too for life in the river. There are plenty of small fish to look at, but also in some of the quieter pools you'll find these:

Fresh water crab

Something else you may notice are visitors who have been to the falls before removing outerwear and stashing bags of kit among the trees for retrieval on their return.

There's no doubting that swimwear and beach-shoes are the outfit of choice since once you reach the steps leading to Taverna Archontissa you'll have to wade up the river.

Rickety Steps

We were told the river water was ice-cold, but in fact I found it pleasingly cool. Also you're told the water is never more than waist deep, but that kind of depends on how tall you are!

Something else to note, the water is opaque and there are some hidden rocks you'll have to negotiate. They are smooth and slippery so watch your step.

I saw one chap miss his footing and take a dunking, I don't think it did his camera much good!

Don't be surprised if you find fish nibbling at any loose skin on your legs, especially if you have any scratches or open cuts.

One of the things to do is take a shower under the first fall. This chap said the water was freezing!

Not everyone agreed. This guy kept asking for the soap.

Sadly this was as far as we could go up the valley. To progress to the next waterfall you have to climb up and over the first one, which I was not prepared to do. There are three more waterfalls above this one and we were told you used to be able to access them by climbing the steps to Taverna Archontissa then taking the footpath down the cliff, but due to a landslip the pathway was now closed.

Thank goodness for memories

It's only been 18 days, but already this seems like half a lifetime ago...

Pythagorio harbour at night

Walking around the harbour at Pythagorio was such a fun thing to do...

A few of the waterside eateries

There are so many interesting places to stop for food and such a variety of cuisines to choose from.

Waterside watering-holes

And of course there are quite a number of bars where you can whet your whistle with anything from water to highly decorative alcoholic cocktails. I quite liked Barfly... they played my kind of music and served excellent freshly squeezed orange juice. 😀

I enjoyed Samos more than I expected to and sitting here now watching the miserable UK weather through the lounge window I rather wish I was back there!

Lunch on a line

I've just spent a very relaxing two weeks on the Aegean island of Samos, which as you may or may not know is famed for being the birthplace of the mathematician Pythagoras and the philosopher Epicurus. Samos is also famed for its production of the excellent sweet Muscat wine. But enough of the cultural stuff, let's talk about something very close to my heart... food!

Walking around the harbour side of Pythagoreio, yes that is where Pythagoras was born, on the first morning of our holiday I spotted this:

Octopus drying in the sun

Can you guess where I had my lunch? Bet you can't guess what I had though can you? 😄

The Cats of Greece - a new twist

As anyone who's ever been to a Greek island knows cats can be found everywhere. Local shopkeepers even sell tee-shirts and postcards featuring the Cats of Greece. Sadly of course with so many cats on the streets many of them are underfed, ill treated and unhealthy. Fortunately there are those who are striving to change that. The Greek Cat Welfare Society are doing good work, especially with regards to health and neutering and many local people and tourists help by feeding stray and feral cats. Just occasionally though you come across someone doing something a bit special... like this guy:

No idea what his name is, but this chap goes fishing every day and his catch is not for himself it all goes to the local cats of Psili Ammos.

It amazes me how patiently the cats wait for their daily fish dish. There's no squabbling and queueing doesn't appear to be a problem.

All I can say is, 'Well done that man!'

Looking for something out of the ordinary?

Tired of the same old package tours?

Fancy something completely different (possibly unique?) for your next holiday?

Want to get away in the UK, but don't want to stay in any of the usual holiday accommodations?

How about this...

The Cwm

This former RNLB (Royal National Lifeboat) boathouse, know as The Cwm, may be the answer to those questions asked above. Fancy holidaying in a disused boathouse? The master bedroom (window above the old boathouse doors) looks directly over the slipway and has an uninterrupted view of the sea...

Situated close to Newport, Pembrokeshire and right on the mouth of the Nevern Estuary The Cwm (Valley in English) is a small inlet with pebbles and sand making up a pleasant secluded beach. The Cwm is west of The Parrog and on the opposite side of the River to Traeth Mawr (Newport Sands).

The old lifeboat station at The Cwm had a very short life whilst in use and was abandoned in 1895 only eleven years after its construction. It is now a private residence and is available during some of the year as a holiday let.

I wonder if they include a boat of some kind in the rental price?

Home from home no more

My short  break in west Wales is at an end and it's time to pack up and go home. Being a lover of the British coastline I shall miss scenes like this:

Pembrokeshire Coastline near Newport

I'll also miss watching these guys grubbing around the cottage for bugs and worms:

Funny how quickly you get used to things... I am looking forward to getting back on my bike though and riding around the Monmouthshire countryside, so going home definitely has some benefits.

Back from foreign climes...

I arrived home from a trip to southern Bavaria yesterday morning where I spent a very enjoyable week taking photographs in the company of my good friend Antlady69. We stayed close to a town called Marktschellenberg in the district of Berchtesgadener Land and I must say it was stunningly beautiful.

Antlady69 collected me from Munich airport and we drove south to our destination, stopping en-route at Erding to stretch our legs and get a coffee. I loved the model of the town plan - so much nicer than displaying a map don't you think?

Street Plan of Erding

Isn't it cute? I so wish more cities/towns would do this:

Street Plan of Erding

A lot of the churches in this part of Germany have what I referred to as 'onion' towers, which reminded me somewhat of buildings in Russia. I don't think there's any connection, but it was worth taking a few photographs to illustrate the style. Here's one from Erding:

Church in Erding

After coffee we moved on to Seebruck beside the Chiemsee for a spot of lunch and a short stroll. The Chiemsee is an absolutely huge freshwater lake, which was formed around 10,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. The Chiemsee is also known as 'The Bavarian Sea'.

Lake Chiemsee with the Bavarian Alps in the background

I was fascinated by the drive through the Bavarian countryside, it proved to be quite different to what I had imagined. Just goes to show how wrong preconceptions can be! Of course I was aware there would be mountains, but I was quite unprepared for their beauty: I will be posting more about the landscape in the days to come.

We stayed in a very nice ferienwohnung (FeWo for short) with the family Fuchs. The property was called Steinlehen and is fairly typical of the area.

My room opened on the right-hand top balcony at the side of the house

Although it was dry on our arrival the skies were quite cloudy and unfortunately the view from my balcony was somewhat restricted, but of course I had to document it anyway!

The view from my balcony

As nice as the outlook was, on clearer days this view was quite spectacular as you will see at a later date!