Two Greek guys in their early 20s, George Mathea and Perciles Stonailos, (see below wiht their truck) took me up into the mountains for an mostly all day four wheel drive trip on back roads on Samos Island.George drove and Perciles did most of the talking as his English was excellent. George also spekas English. If you go to Samos, whch I highly recommend, and you want to get off the beaten path and see the mountains and the interior you should contact George Matteau at: [email protected]. He is working on promoting alternative tourism on Samos and will take very good care of you.
We did some hiking and went to the top of one mountain. There was a small Greek church on the summit. George is a rock climber and on our walk he checked out a cliff for a possible route. We also visited the highest village, Platanos, and saw a lot of the islands mountainous interior and vineyards. There are vineyards everywhere. The large picture is from the summit. The day was in and out of clouds with some rain.
The more people travel, the more they become interested in getting off the beaten path, especially with guides who have good local knowledge and a perspective you might not hear from a commercial tour guide.
Posted by: Paul A. Tamburello, Jr. | April 27, 2012 at 11:00 AM