When I was considering where to vacation this year, since the plan was to repeat the area of Thessaloniki and Perea, I searched for interesting places nearby that I could visit.
Last year I drove to the town of Nea Kalikratia and enjoyed the beach, but now I needed some action.
This year I thought I would find something more interesting. And last year I heard about the shore that should be visited, but I was not in the mood for adventure, I needed a rest.
This year I marked the municipality of Thermaikos and the Fanari beach on my map.
But I didn't do it just for the beach but also for one attraction that I will write about.
From the moment my eye caught sight of a sandy beach with the remains of a shipwreck lying near the shore, with Mount Olympus visible on the horizon, I have been thinking in which community to share this story.
It definitely has to be #worldmappin, in order to permanently mark this pin, for all those, with an adventurous spirit, who, if they happen to be passing through this region, would find this place easier.
It is not a hidden gem, because its shape, the point (which resembles a nose, so the locals call it "Miti") goes far into the sea and is visible from a great height, but it certainly is a gem, because it is an area under the protection of the state with a natural beach.
One morning, when clouds appeared in the sky, I headed towards this place.
After driving 35 km from Thessaloniki and passing through Epanomi, at the end of the asphalt road I reached Pitamos beach.
A large number of beach bars and a big crowd was not what I was interested in. I needed Fanari Beach. I looked at the map and saw that my goal was to the west, about two kilometers away.
Two kilometers of adventure..
Since I wasn't sure what the structure of the sand embankment on which the beaten road wound was, I missed an all-terrain vehicle in front of me and slowly moved behind it.
Although the surface is sandy, it is quite packed and hard, and since it rained during the night, there was not much dust.
I successfully overcame all the bumps and got my nose stuck in the sand.
After 15 minutes of slow driving and dodging potholes in the road, I reached the delq beach where I parked my car.
And still continued on foot. And then I saw the picture I was writing about.
In the distance, on the horizon rises Olympus, the highest mountain of Greece, a sandy beach with fine yellow sand, the turquoise color of the water and the remains of a rusted stranded shipwreck.
Screensaver image 🙂
But lest the sand, the sun and the beautiful sea are my motive for coming here... The shipwreck is what drew me to it. The wreck, around which there are various stories, and since there is no notice at the wreck site, there is no information board, I had to research... There is no shortage on this wild beach just an information board. On the coast next to the wreck, there are no facilities, no beach bars, hotels, restaurants, umbrellas and sunbeds... This is a protected area and none of the above is allowed. All that is on the shore is a small van, which acts as a canteen, where you can buy something to eat and drink, as well as a lot of small umbrellas brought by visitors. Just so you know, if you go this way, in addition to a good mood, bring something for refreshment.
And so here I am next to the Shipwreck Epanomi.
A ship that was used in the seventies of the twentieth century for digging sea sand and filling it on the surface of the sandbank, in order to provide more arable land.
As even at that time, such an act represented a threat to nature and the ecosystem of plant and animal life on the shore, there was a lot of opposition to that project. I guess that's why the people called the ship haunted (which destroys their shore).
One day, seventy-something, approaching the shore, the ship hit a shoal and got stuck there and ran aground. Pulling out the ship, which was full of sand, was probably an expensive action, and the owners of the ship decided to leave it there forever. The destruction of the nature of the sandbar has stopped and the decay of the ship has begun.
After fifty years, this is what is left of ship.
Honestly, this is not how I imagined the wreck when I looked at pictures on the Internet.
I entered the crystal clear water, my feet were covered with fine white sand and I reached the wreck without getting my hands and head wet.
I had brought a diving mask, but was not equipped with underwater filming equipment, and since you could only approach one side of the ship without swimming, you would be denied a view of the other side of the ship and a view of the submerged interior.
But that's why you can see pictures from all angles of this wreck from one side, for the part that is above the water.
It was very complicated to capture a shot in which you could not see the legs or buttocks of the visitors who were climbing the wreck, because they would jump from it into the water, so I apologize for the shots in which there are bathers.
They are mostly young, handsome people, so they don't spoil the image.
I love every single one of these photos.
The beautiful turquoise color of the water and as a perfect contrast the rusty metal parts of the ship are an excellent model for photography, they brought me fun that I completed a little later by swimming and drinking beer in the aforementioned canteen.
If any of you are passing through during the summer, all you need is a car that can drive on sand, an umbrella, a cooler with cold drinks, as well as equipment for diving and underwater filming.
And of course this pin, so you know where to go.
Thank you for stopping by my post and I hope you enjoyed the photos and the story I shared with you
All photos are my property, taken with a mobile phone