Greece - Korina Miller [248]
Rooms Arhondiko ( 23850 46260; s/d €35/50; ) Right on the lakefront, friendly owner Eleftheria offers clean, breezy rooms with balconies overlooking the water.
Five good tavernas line Psarades’ elevated waterfront. Along with lake fish, they serve the local fasoladha speciality. Akrolimnia ( 23850 46260; mains €5-9), run by the owners of Rooms Arhondiko, does tasty fried trout or carp and draught wine.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Rent a car in Florina or Kastoria; otherwise, three weekly buses go from Florina to Agios Germanos. Only the Wednesday bus continues to Psarades (€6); on the other days, take a taxi ( 23850 51247, 6942704496) from either Lemos or Agios Germanos. Approximate fares from Psarades are €20 to Lemos (to pick up the bus to Florina) and €50 direct to Florina or Kastoria.
Agios Ahillios Αγιος Αχλειος
Mikri Prespa’s island of Agios Ahillios may be small, but it has a big history. In the 10th century, it became the capital of Bulgarian Tsar Samuel, who had expanded his rule over much of the southern Balkans (much to the irritation of Constantinople). The grand, concave outer wall of his Basilica of Agios Ahillios stands on the island’s eastern shore, with some half-toppled walls and columns, and a grand stone floor in front.
For a breathtaking view of the basilica with the lake and mountains behind it, ascend the facing hill that runs across the island’s spine. Birdwatching is also good here, though devotees should explore the island’s more hidden corners.
The island’s name, Agios Ahillios, derives from that of the church, which itself derives from Samuel’s invasion of Thessaly; while conquering Larissa in 983, he (rather rudely) ‘borrowed’ the sacred relics of 4th-century Saint Ahillios, an avid opponent of heretics who had miraculously coaxed oil to ooze from a rock to make his theological point. To celebrate his conquest, Samuel dedicated the new church to the abducted saint.
To reach Agios Ahillios from Agios Germanos, drive across the connecting strip between the two lakes and then turn immediately left; or, from Psarades, just keep going straight south instead of turning onto the interlake strip. After parking, walk across a 1km-long floating pontoon bridge to the island.
Off the bridge, the signposted path going slightly left hugs the east coast and leads to the Basilica of Agios Ahillios and other church ruins.
Alternatively, coming off the bridge, turn right for the island’s only shop and taverna, which has rooms for rent from €25. Despite having been a medieval capital, Agios Ahillios is now sparsely inhabited, and it’s full of ruined old stone houses. A summer festival every August, here and in other Prespes locations, features a headlining concert, with a big-name Greek singer. The amphitheatric basilica is then magically transformed into a stage, with audiences of up to 5000 watching from the hill above it, sometimes clutching candles.
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KASTORIA ΚΑΣΤΟΡΙΑ
pop 16,218
Serene, wooded Kastoria (kah-sto-rih-ah) has an idyllic setting on the forested shores of placid Lake Orestiada, nestled between the mountains of Grammos and Vitsi. The town boasts more than 50 Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches, and several distinguished 17th- and 18th-century arhontika (mansions), once homes of the arhons – the town’s leading citizens, mostly rich fur merchants.
Kastoria’s erstwhile fur production trade, which made the town famous, ended when displaced Jewish furriers arrived; by the 19th century, the local kastori (beavers) were extinct. Nevertheless, the reputation remains, and Kastoria’s furriers now work with fur imported from North America and Scandinavia. Huge fur warehouses line the entry road, while most shops sell furs.
Orientation
The bus station is one block inland from the lake’s southern side, on Athanasiou Diakou, where a park, the main taxi rank and a pay car park stand. Most services are at Kastoria’s western end. The evocative old town with its arhontika