(Here is part 1 in case you missed it).
I could cycle for the rest of my life around Tatoi's ex Royal estate. I'm in the heart of it cycling South (watch this video @ 04:35 for that part) when the road leads me to this cute old thing which was where they made butter back in the day:
I deviate on the right to have a closer look and that leads me to a barn behind it where I find this:
That Mercedes truck is old enough to have wipers operated by hand (if I am not mistaken). Anything automotive can catch me eye so this made me stop in a heartbeat. (watch video @ 05:10)
The most interesting part automotive wise though was waiting for me only a few steps away where I see this:
That's two of the cars used by the royal family, both vandalised as you can see. Unfortunately I couldn't get any closer to them but this image alone says a lot about the luck of this place over the last decades. The same spot gives me another beautiful picture of the butter house from behind before I move on:
Next building is the winery, supported as you can see by this metal frame till the renovations bring it to the condition it deserves:
I manage to climb a wall and take a picture of those old barrels:
The cars you saw before are actually lying in its yard. I have no idea how they ended there but I guess they were not supposed to park there under normal conditions.
I'm heading back East where I find this stone building worth stopping for some pictures:
This one used to be a hotel aptly named "Tatoion" which opened its doors for the first time in the early 1890s. It closed for good in 1936 and later was repurposed various times.
Outside this ex hotel these fuel pumps really travel you back in time:
Back in the day you could also change engine oil there:
A poor old tractor I find nearby doesn't even have a cylinder head on its engine:
I also find a newer pump compared to the previous ones but still old enough:
I don't know the exact purpose of those huge Royal containers I'd love to see them exhibited with details when the renovations are complete:
I head down South and picture the old dairy farm that I find later:
I like it as well as this one which used to be the stud farm:
I like this view of hotel "Tatoion" that we saw before from here:
MY next mission is to make it up to the hill with the Royal graves so I get on my bike again and the road brings me to this lovely open space:
The way to the top of the hill leads me to a paved but relatively narrow way for cars which as a result of never being repaved today it looks like this:
This condition is also due to the weather as this area attracts a significant amount of snow on an annual basis even on years that the center of Athens might nos see a single snow flake (which is usually the case). You can see part of this ride @ 06:19 of this video .
I make it to the top of the hill which is a rather special spot full of trees like most of the rest estate. This is the first grave I see:
You wanna know who's grave is this? Well, this actually belong to Andreas, father of Prince Philip who died recently (Queen Elizabeth's husband) and (as a matter of fact) grandfather of Prince Carol. His grave is kinda isolated from the rest which are located in and around the royal cemetery. You can watch my walk around the cemetery @07:17 of the video and here's some pictures as well:
Also at the top of the hill is this Christian church "Anastaseos" (Easter Resurrection):
What's for sure is that we all die one day, trees included:
On my way downhill I take an alternative route via this narrower and tougher path:
The end of this path meets the main road and as I cross it to the other side I see this huge plane tree:
Hard to judge its size from an image but I'll place some here with my bike for comparison:
However, there's an even older and bigger one only a few steps away, unfortunately so old that it's torn in two:
I don't think I have seen an older/bigger one. These guys can host a whole village in their shade.
As I cycle to my car I meet one more turtle which is also starring in the end of the video I embed below:
Here's the video I made during the whole tour with location links in the description:
Conclusion:
I left this place unexpectedly rejoiced. The microclimate of this area does wonders. You breath pure clean air enhanced with the scent of the trees making your lungs thank you for the rest of your life while even on the hardest heatwave you can keep walking/cycling in the shade ignoring what the thermometer reads. It was so nice around there that my visit to IKEA later felt like trying to survive in a gas chamber. Imagine that Tatoi left such impressions to me even though the renovations have just started. Absolutely recommended without second thought.
Thanks for reading both parts,