Travels in Greece After the Fires: The Good, Bad and Ugly

Travel Blog  •  Joanna Kakissis  •  10.03.07 | 11:29 AM ET

imageWhile Greeks living in parts of the Peloponnese and Evia scorched by this summer’s devastating fires are bracing themselves for massive floods this fall and the prospect that some forests will take at least two decades to grow back, tourists heading to Greece after the fires have remained remarkably bullish.

Toursim officials haven’t seen a drop in travelers—except in areas like the devastated Ilia prefecture in the western Peloponnese, where many would-be visitors canceled trips. (The site of Ancient Olympia, one of the most visited in Greece, is still expected to have a steady stream of visitors next year.)

The fires also haven’t changed the usual Greek itineraries: The Cyclades and Crete continue to draw the more hedonistic beach vogue crowd while Mount Olympus in Macedonia enjoys a steady stream of Zeus-obsessed hikers. (The package tourists, meanwhile, huddle close to the ruins, restaurants and Retsina.)

But if you decide to visit Greece anytime soon I would advise you to go to the damaged areas of the Peloponnese, torrential rain notwithstanding (unless you have an inflatable raft in your car). Though parts of Ilia and the Mani look positively apocalyptic, a drive through the area will give you a first-hand sense of what a combination of greed, poor environmental policy, carelessness and the ravages of climate change can do to places of wild beauty deified by Patrick Leigh Fermor.

Then drive southeast to Monemvasia and Mystras, enjoy some wine-simmered octopus and Malvasia wine, and pray to Demeter that the mortals have learned their lesson.

Related on World Hum:
* In Greece, Developers Eye Scorched Peloponnese
* Is Tourism Development Behind Fires in Greece?
* Where in the World Are You, Joanna Kakissis?

Photo of Monemvasia by Joanna Kakissis.

Tags: Europe, Greece

Joanna Kakissis's writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Washington Post, among other publications. A contributor to the World Hum blog, she's currently a Ted Scripps fellow in environmental journalism at the University of Colorado in Boulder.


1 Comment for Travels in Greece After the Fires: The Good, Bad and Ugly

Richard Pratt 04.03.08 | 12:52 PM ET

It is the 3rd April,2008 and I am looking out of the windowof our house in Proastio, which is just above Kardamyli and about 15 km south of Kalamata (we are, incidentally, a stone’s throw from Patrick Leigh Fermor). The views of the sea below and the mountains, still covered in snow behind, are quite beautiful. The countryside around us escaped the fires last summer, although there was considerable damage further to the north, south and east of us. I am pleased to report that in those areas, although the larger trees are still visibly carbonised, almost all lower vegetation has comletely recovered. The power of nature to recuperate is quite remarkable. In short,all areas are now visitable. It has been a relatively dry winter, although we are now getting a good soaking. Don’t let that put you off - if you are a walker or an orchid fanatic, this place is for you. Unbeatable.

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