West Tzoumerka

In life we seek opportunities to express ourselves, to create, to visit a place. It was in such an instance that I seized the opportunity to go for a weekend in the mountains of West Greece and end up to West Tzoumerka.

Passing through Rio’s bridge you feel you are in another place. The green landscape of the mountains is interchanged with the blue on your way to Arta, from Aitoliko, the lakes Ozeros and Amvrakia until the Ambrakikos Bay.

After Arta’s bridge,I turned right to take the curvy road to West Tzoumerka. My destination was the villages Syrrako and Kalarrytes while staying in a village called Prosilio.

West Tzoumerka

Syrrako - Kalarrytes

The road was becoming narrower and the tarmac more ruined. I entered the area of Tzoumerka . Most of the bridges I came across were metal constructions and only one vehicle could pass. One can also see the different means the villagers used in the past to cross over the rivers. Once using baskets and strapes, other times built stones and later on metal. All made decades ago…still standing…

After about two hours I arrived to Prosilio

Leaving behind Arta, I stopped after a little while to gaze at the water on my right that would cover the whole area up to the mountains until where my eyes could see. That was the artificial lake of Pournari.

I continued going up to Rodavgi, Monolithi, Agnanta , Pramanta.

Somewhere among these villages I came across to the Plaka bridge, after its recent collapse though I was not in the mood to see it. I preferred to remember it as it was standing through the ages.

Before Pramanta there is a cave whose existence I did not know . It is the cave of Anemotrypa but I did n’t have the chance to visit it.

I was staying in a new hotel with every possible comfort which was named after the mountain. The owners welcomed me and made me feel like at home. My choice was a complete success.

Άφησα τα πράγματα μου και ξεκίνησα πρώτα για το χωριό Συρράκο.

I left my stuff and I went off to Syrrako Village.

It is not known to a lot of people that Syrrako and Kalarrytes are two villages where cars are not allowed. I was expecting to see stone made roads that would lead me to another era. The architecture is unaltered within the ages. Both villages are amphitheatrically build and they have exquisite view.

I parked my motorbike to the area for vehicles and I entered the village on foot. There was a steep downhill leading to a fountain with running cold water. The very few people I met in the village greeted me as if they knew me. This kind of interaction tends to disappear from the cities where we live.

I followed the signs to the house of poet K.Krystallis. I had been living in Athens (Vyronas) for many years on a street which had his name.

Krystalli’s house was well preserved and it has been turned into a museum now. A few meters away there is the church of Saint Nicolas where there is a golden plated tomb that was sent from Russia and shows images of Saints in three dimensions. The photos are forbidden inside the church.

Outside the church there is the central square of the village where there are two huge plane trees around 800years old as the residents told me. Unfortunately after the last renovation of the square one of the plane trees was contaminated and had to be cut down. Maybe the photos I took were the last to be published before they cut it down. It was disappointing.

I wandered about the small roads admiring the houses. The once primary school was now a very elegant hotel. It is the one we often admire in photos (we see online) taken of Syrrako at night.

I was walking thinking that these people were once great silversmiths , different kind of technicians and merchants that before the revolution of 1821 were famous. They moved to Ioannina after 1821 and thanks to them we now know of the great techniques of Ioannina jewels which come actually from Syrrako.

Having these thoughts I went up to take my motorbike to head to Kalarrytes.

After Prosilio there is a sign that leads to Kalarrytes. The two villages are very close and one can actually walk from one to the other via the path over Kalarrytiko river. It is not an easy thing to do. If one wants to go by car they have to make a distance of 12 km. Going up I met the Kipinas Monastery which is named after the gardens the monks had there. There is also a cave (one cannot visit it), that was a refugee place for the villagers and it was explored by the known Spileologist Anna Petroheilou.

The road to Kalarrytes had a lot of turns, curved in the rocks. The metal bridges were present here as well.

In front of me there was the village’s entrance. From that point on you weren’t able to see its beauty. At the end of autumn , Kalarrytes is more deserted than Syrrako.

Very few people were there. Wandering around during lunch time, I came across a place to eat which was in the central square of the village, by the sound of traditional music instruments.

The road back was what I needed to digest. The sun was setting down and night was coming. On the road to Prosilio, a badger accompanied me for some time, terrified by the motorbike’s lights and an owl came with me until I exited the village. The night sky full of stars above Tzoumerka was great.

It was a day full of turns , beautiful images filled my mind and heart and it was ending with a sweet night, driving in the breeze and starry sky.

There are wonderful landscapes and wonderful people in a Greece that is fading away and will never stop surprising us.

However, there were very few things I knew before I visited those parts of my country and I was very happy to have seen them.

There was a watermill in full function. There were traditional carpets lying under the sun. The mill was grinding seeds of corn and its owner, mr Kostas who was 90years old told me that when he passes away there would be nobody to continue his work.

From our discussion I earned the knowledge of the recipe for the traditional Greek “trahana”.

The next day found me eating a great breakfast in the hotel and taking back the road of return, through the Agrapha, the mountainous Argithea and other great landscapes.

Going down to the capital another surprise awaited me.