Greece - Korina Miller [519]
Marked by curving cobbled streets wreathed in flowers and colourful, crumbling traditional houses topped by terracotta roofs, Hora is perfect for ambling and enjoying a leisurely lunch or coffee. The great views and constant interplay of angles, shadows and colour make it fun for photographers, and in summer there’s subdued nightlife in Hora’s small streets and roof bars.
Orientation & Information
Buses and taxis stop in the square, below the village. Walk upwards along the main street, following the signs for the kastro (castle). Here are the OTE, Agricultural Bank and post office. The police station ( 25510 41203) is in Gattilusi’s castle. Cafes and tavernas are found higher on the street and, on the right, there’s a small fountain with fresh mountain spring water.
Sleeping
Hora has a few domatia. Midway up the main street, Kyra Despina ( 6974980263; s/d €45/60), who speaks some English, has fan-only, self-catering studios with sweeping views, sleeping up to four people.
Eating & Drinking
O Lefkos Pyrgos ( 25510 41601; desserts €4-6; 9am-3am Jul-Aug) The summer-only Lefkos Pyrgos is an excellent and inventive sweets shop run by master desserts inventor Georgios Stergiou and wife Dafni. Only all-natural ingredients are used, without preservatives or artificial flavourings. The lemonade sweetened with honey and cinnamon is very refreshing on a hot summer’s day, and some unique variations on traditional fare (like Greek yoghurt flavoured with bitter almond) are also on offer. Exotic teas, coffees and mixed drinks are also served, along with a variety of indulgent cakes and other desserts.
Café-Ouzeri 1900 ( 25510 41224; mains €5-9) This relaxing taverna set under a shady trellis left of the fountain offers friendly service and great views of the village’s red rooftops, castle and sea. Try the spetsofaï (stewed green peppers, tomatoes and sausage in an earthen pot), rice with seafood, or tzigerosarmades (goat flavoured with onion, dill and spearmint). The large, colourful menu, printed to look like a newspaper, is a take-home memento.
Meltemi ( 25510 41071; 8am-late) Higher up in Hora, the side street to the left, opposite the fountain, leads to this cool bar with great views and roof garden popular by night.
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SANCTUARY OF THE GREAT GODS ΤΟ ΙΕΡΟ ΤΩΝ ΜΕΓΑΛΩΝ ΘΕΩΝ
Some 6km northeast of Kamariotissa, the Sanctuary of the Great Gods (admission €3, free Sun 1 Nov-31 Mar & public holidays; 8.30am-4pm Tue-Sun), is one of Greece’s most important – and mysterious – archaeological sites. The Thracians built this temple to their Great Gods around 1000 BC. By the 5th century BC, the secret rites associated with the cult had attracted many famous ancient figures. Among the initiates were Egyptian Queen Arsinou and Philip II of Macedon. Remarkably, the Sanctuary operated until paganism was forbidden in the 4th century AD.
The principal deity, the Great Mother (Alceros Cybele), was a fertility goddess; when the original Thracian religion became integrated with the state religion, she was merged with the Olympian female deities Demeter, Aphrodite and Hecate. The last of these was a mysterious goddess associated with darkness, the underworld and witchcraft. Other deities worshipped here were the Great Mother’s consort, the virile young Kadmilos (god of the phallus), later integrated with the Olympian god Hermes, and the demonic Kabeiroi twins, Dardanos and Aeton, later integrated with Castor and Pollux (the Dioscuri), the twin sons of Zeus and Leda. These twins were invoked by mariners to protect them while at sea. Samothraki’s Great Gods were venerated for their immense power; in comparison, the bickering Olympian gods were considered frivolous, fickle and almost comic characters.
Little is known about what actually transpired here – no surprise, since initiates who revealed the