Haifa – Olympus – Haifa

There is no doubt that autumn is a good season for traveling, along with welcoming weather, there are spectacular fall colors, sites are slowly emptying of tourists and prices are becoming reasonable again. But the real added value we, the residents of the north, receive at our small and efficient airport, Haifa Airport. The time it usually takes from home to Athens is about five hours.

The destination – autumn colors

The itinerary this time was not pre-defined, but rather a list of sites: Delphi, Meteora, Olympus, the Pelion Peninsula. A lovely tour of almost northern Greece. The flight was purchased in advance, the car was rented, and the hotels were determined on the spot, each day for the day after, spontaneous and according to the weather, which this time showed itself anew every day.

I don't know what made the monks climb the cliffs and make their home there, some say persecution, some say closeness to God, and some think they were tired of the company of humans on earth. It doesn't matter, it's impressive. The six monasteries that have survived, on top of cliffs, some more accessible, some less, are a testament to the miraculous power of determination and hard work. It's hard to stand before them and not contemplate the power of the human spirit.

The mission – Fall

The main mission, besides the ancient antiquities and monasteries, was the snowfall. A few hours from Haifa and a real North American snowfall (the writer previously lived in Canada) yellow, orange and red, dotting the mountains, alongside the fresh green of clean air. Far from the haze and dusty green we are used to. The eye is insatiable and the camera lens has difficulty containing the subtones.

Tourist trap

What does a small village do, at the end of a winding road that leads nowhere? How does it attract tourists and visitors? So in one they opened galleries, mostly in front of a spectacular view, and in the other they painted everything possible, a bench, a stone, a wall, in a variety of shapes and colors, creating points of interest.

antiquities

The land of Israel is full of remains, everyone has passed through here throughout history, so antiquities are not new to us. Walking in Delphi is no different from walking in Caesarea (except for the fact that the city builders were different), and yet there is something different. Maybe it's the clean air, maybe the smells of autumn, maybe the cleanliness, and probably the combination.

Discussion Photo: Avi Elbaum

So what about Olympus?

Olympus is an impressive mountain, 2,900 and a bit meters high (slightly higher than Mount Hermon), full of hiking trails, some of which are part of the E4 trail network that crosses Europe, and in this season, autumn, it provides soul-expanding sights, alongside hikes along oxygen-rich forest trails.

Final recommendation

Greece in the fall, taking off and landing from Haifa and being spontaneous.