While trying to organize some older photos including “tagging,” I came across several from a day in September, 2020. We had driven from Nea Ionia out to Artemida (where there is a beach locally known as “Loutsa Beach”) and through Rafina. This area is located on the east shore of the Attica Prefecture, looking out across the Petalioi Gulf of the Aegean. In the distance, looking eastward, you can see Evia, the second largest island – yet it is hard to realize it is an island. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow straight and there are two bridges near Chalkida that you can easily walk across (but most drive).
Rafina and Artemida are further south and the distance to Evia is much greater than at Chalkida. Our first little to stop to explore was the Port of Rafino. It’s a lovely little place to spend some hours, and you can also catch a ferry here to many other Greek islands.
The PANTOVASILISSA Fishing Vessel, Rafina
While walking through the port area, we came across a fishing vessel named the Pantovasilissa (ΠΑΝΤΟΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΑ in Greek, and pronounced like “Padovasilissa”). One of the things that struck me right away were fisherman’s clothes hanging to dry on the bow of the ship:
It was mostly likely one or all of the owners’ of the clothes who were working nearby; two of them on the deck and the other beside the vessel doing something with fishing nets. They were friendly enough, smiling and waving at me as I watched them work but I wasn’t able to communicate with them and ask if they were getting ready to depart or had just arrived in the port. They were docked in front of another larger vessel, which I unfortunately did not get the name of:
I did take a photo of the Pantovasilissa with almost all of it’s Port side from the bow looking back toward the stern:
The other day, I happened to try to locate The Pantovasilissa on “VesselFinder,” and after a few attempts working back and forth between Greek and English letters, I was able to locate her listing there. Interestingly to me, the Pantovasilissa was in Lavrio Port just a couple of weeks ago – which is just a 10 minute drive from me. I’ll have to keep an eye out for this fishing boat when I’m around Lavrio.
After a couple of hours wandering around the port area of Rafina, we headed northward a short distance, along the coast, and just north of Loutsa Beach.
Some Artemida Coast Line
When we were in the area, we were somewhat interested in looking possible opportunities to purchase a house here. It was interesting the contrasts – from new, big, and modern and old and abandoned – although the abandoned house was probably a nice place to live in, at one time. The new one was not right on the coast – but its freshly painted or whitewashed exterior and shape contrasted with the dry, brown, and rough soil:
Contrast that with this old abandoned stone house, right on a rugged section of the coast. How much would you offer to purchase this? Likely, it’s not available – its possible the present owners can’t be found, or children of the original owners are fighting over what price to ask, and as a result, it’s been left to slowly disintegrate. This is own of the reasons why “investing” in Greek real estate is never a sure thing; there are already many abandoned houses and buildings and while the City of Athens seems over-populated, there is not a huge demand for land and properties that can be purchased and refurbished. But I don’t really know the full story behind this house:
Walking down past the house lead to some other interesting and nice views including this wee “inlet” where some found a small “escape” to enjoy the sea and sunshine – a little small “Paradise Below The Street”:
I continued walking along the coast, above the little inlet pictured above, and on the other side, came across this interesting geological formation of rock and earth, with the a path that went through and down to the sea:
After walking through it and back to the shoreline, this was my view as I looked back towards the general direction I had started from:
September 26, 2020 was a great day for some scenic views in Greece – but then, you can find wonderful views almost anywhere you go in this country. While some like city-scapes, I prefer the mountains and seascape views that Greece offers.
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