"Is it possible to get so much snow in Steni, Evia, our country's second largest island? At the center of usually sunny and warm Greece..
And what about "climate change"? I thought the planet was getting warmer and warmer? - even I, holding a degree in environmentalism, am getting stunned indeed.
This is unheard of, never happened before, unbelievable but true: Temperatures under -15 in Steni!
Let’s go see then!
In less than one and half hour and starting from Athens, we crossed the village of Steni heading towards Diaselo, the point where the path for the nearby Xirovouni starts. We took a first deep breath overlooking the Aegean Sea under the trees: this is a great starting point for hiking amidst endless tree trunks that grow too tall in a quest for light in the dense forest. Unique snowy point, the Portari Louki, the final naked landscape in the route to the top.
The next day we walked through the most beautiful neighbourhoods, the narrow streets of the square and the districts of Kukos and Alonaki. Generally the village is a residential blend, with every house telling its own story .. from when it was built to what the financial status of the owner is. We took the Elatias trail starting at the location named "The doctor’s tap." We filled flasks and left behind the plane trees to find a perennial chestnut, fir and cedar forest.
After the forest walk, so tired as we were, Steni looked even more welcoming and warm, with its few residents and visitors, all calm smiling people greeting us “kalispera” (good evening). We ended up in one of the new, beautiful hostels with the fireplace on and spent a pleasant cosy evening planning the next day’s hike.
We also tasted the first quality products of Steni at the traditional bazaar of village women selling local products such as Dirfys tea, trachana, noodles, honey, nuts, cheese, herbs and wild mushrooms, which are abundant in the forests of Dirfys when it is their time. We tested mushrooms from a nearby farm, beautifully cooked and flavored with herbs.
The next day it snowed like never before! A sight I thought I'd never live to see - so much snow in... Steni!!
This is one of the most picturesque villages of Evia, located on Dirfis, the tallest mountain in central Evia, 30 km. from Halkida. Simple and unadorned, with natural running waters, Steni Evia will take you to an unspoiled environment, ideal for relaxing and excursions to nature. Steni is one of the most mountainous villages of Greece with promising walks beside rivers, walks in canyons and downhills for lovers of mountain bikes.
The fountains flowing waters, the large trees spreading their shade over the small cafes and taverns, a beautiful paved square, the landscape being transformed according to the colors of the four seasons make Steni an ideal destination for all seasons.
In front of the fountain is the flea market where you can buy products of the village and Dirfys: Tea, oregano, cheese, honey, homemade pasta, etc.
The legend of the broken-hearted brideApart from the delicious food in its restaurants and the attractive scenery, Steni is known for something else: a legend persistent in the area for many years.
According to the legend there lived a girl in the 19th century who was desperate because her parents took her away from her great love and did not let them marry. Her sorrow for this unfair decision was unbearable so she committed suicide, by jumping down from the big rock facing the village entrance. After a while her parents died and today many people still maintain that some nights, they hear cries and screams coming from the point of suicide. When raising their eyes on the rock, they claim having faced the figure of a young lady wearing a white wedding dress, proceeding slowly on the rock, jibing for a while, then falling down the rock. So-called eyewitnesses say this is happening again and again and will so forever.
If you do not believe the story, go to the rock of Steni one night - perhaps you'll see the desperate ghost of the dead bride and maybe you will hear her lamenting, screaming out her eternal torments..
Photos and tour by Spiro Karnezis
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