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The Carnival Weekend 19km Challenge

By: Debbie10 Comments

The Carnival Weekend Hiking Challenge

Here in Greece the start of Lent is preceded by ten days of carnival festivities, starting with ‘Smokey Thursday’ and ending with a big carnival weekend. Clean Monday is the equivalent of Pancake day, but a little different and a big holiday.

Not being carnival people we wanted to come up with something fun to mark the weekend… I would love to go and enjoy the carnival (some of the floats are great) to take some photos to share with you, but just the thought of all those people makes me shudder. We did it many a time (BC – before camera) when the children were young and I just can’t face it anymore.

And So The Hiking Challenge Was Born…

What better time to take on a hiking challenge than over a carnival weekend? Join us through my lens...
Taking advantage of the long carnival weekend, a few of us pulled on our walking boots and set off on a 20km hike across #Zakynthos #Greece #photos Click To Tweet

As some of you know Sunday’s are the day a group of us don our walking boots, grab our backpacks and sling a dog or two in the boot of the car to go hiking around Zakynthos.

Thinking that most people would be heading to the carnival it was suggested that the few of us who weren’t interested could do a nice long hike… And so The Carnival Weekend Hiking Challenge was born!

Twenty of us turned out at the meeting point at 6.30 am on the morning of the carnival. Now that’s dedication for you… The walk was advertised as 19km with a 7km hill involved. It turned out the walk was actually 20km with 10km of that being uphill. It was a challenge, but we honestly had a fantastic time and saw Zakynthos from all angles.

Would you care to join me on our hike?… Come on then, follow me…

The Carnival Weekend Challenge – Through My Lens

The Carnival weekend challenge on Zakynthos started just as the sun began to rise.
The 20km carnival weekend challenge started just as the sun began to rise.
The carnival weekend challenge on Zakynthos saw us having an early start. I loved the way the early morning sunlight caught this tree.
I loved the way the early morning sunlight caught the tree.
Let the challenge begin! It was a really fun thing to do as a group and the views we saw of Zakynthos were amazing.
And the hiking starts.
It wasn't long before the carnival weekend challenge had us seeing views across Zakynthos. We just had to get around this mountain.
Just around the bend and the views started.
This was the first of many WOW! moments on the hike. Here we are looking across towards Alykes & Alykanas.
Some of us in the walking group enjoy the views more than others. I'm not sure what the rush was here, we had the whole day ahead of us.
So some of us hung back to enjoy the views more than others. It was a long hike, so why the rush?
Zakynthos was slightly hazy that morning, but I think it added to the photo.
Zakynthos was slightly hazy, but I think it added to the photo.
And another early morning photo of the view across the middle of Zakynthos.
It was such a peaceful and pretty time of day.
Zakynthos may not be such a big island, but there are so many different types of terrain.
The hike took us down lovely green trails.
It's such a shame to see beautiful old houses like this left to go to ruin. The views across the island are spectacular from this one.
And past creepy old houses. It has to be haunted, don’t you think?
Time for a breakfast stop, don't you think? And just check out that view!
Time for a breakfast stop.
These photos are in order, but the angle of the sun made the view towards Skopos look darker.
These photos are in order, but the angle of the sun made the view towards Skopos look darker.
The salt flats of Alykes were created after the 2nd world war and produced salt until the 1980’s when the Greek government decided it was no longer a viable business. The flats are still there, pretty much untouched.
It's amzing how much the position of the sun can effect the way we see things. In this photo we can see Skopos on the right and the mountains in the center are the backdrop to Zante Town.
It just goes to show how the position of the sun effects what we see. Skopos is the mountain on the right and the mountains in the middle are the backdrop of Zante town.
A zoomed in photograph of the salt flats at Alykes.
A zoomed-in photo of the salt flats in Alykes.

And The Uphill Begins…

As we climbed above Katastari, the cloud cover was a welcome blessing
The cloud cover as we climbed the mini mountains above Katastari was a blessing, although we didn’t really want to be caught in the rain. It was a deceptively warm day.
The mini mountain range runs from Katastari towards Keri.
Looking along the mini mountain range from Katastari towards Keri and Lagana.
Taking regular stops to have a nibble and a drink kept our energy levels topped up.
A quick pit stop.
Some of the four legged walkers on the Carnival weekend challenge found the going tough, but it gave us a chance to take in the views.
Some of the four-legged walkers weren’t so impressed with the distance, but it was a good excuse to look back and take in the views.
Zakynthos is a very green island. Sadly much of it gets damaged by wild fires during the summer. This area above Katastari is still recovering from fires.
Zakynthos is a very green Greek island considering the temperatures we get during the summer.
This neat meadow was a strange sight among the rough.
I’m not sure what area this is, but this neat meadow was a strange sight among the rough.
Kefalonia rising above the clouds in the distance. It really is a majestic sight.
Kefalonia (the island neighbouring Zakynthos) rising above the clouds. It’s quite a majestic view.
Many a true word said in jest. We joked about having to walk to the top of the mountain on the left... And we did!
We joked about having to walk to the top of the mountain on the left – many a true word said in jest! You can just about see the trail we followed to the top.

Nearly At The Top…

Stopping to refuel is part of the fun of the longer hikes we do on Zakynthos. This time there was no shade to be found.
Time for another break. There was no shade to be found.
Alykes and Alykanas viewed from the mountains above Katastari.
Alykes and Alykanas viewed from the mountains above Katastari.
10km of the hike was uphill and the strain is starting to show in this photo.
10km of the walk was uphill. The strain was starting to show here.
Rubbish disposal has been a major problem in Zakynthos in recent years. There had been talk of a rubbish plant that dealt with both recyclable and non-recyclable waste and we found it! It was as immaculate as a rubbish dump could be. Recycling was on one side and the non-recyclable waste was contained on the other side. There was not a scrap of stray rubbish anywhere, but it was a little whiffy. It was good to see.
Regular fuel stops are essential on such long walks and they're not always comfy.
Time for another fuel stop. As you can see the clouds disappeared.
Just a pretty photo taken on a long walk on Zakynthos.
Just because I thought it looked pretty.
Coming to the end of our carnival weekend challenge, the cars are somewhere not too far away now.
The cars aren’t too far away at this point.
One of my favourite things about hiking on Zakynthos is how the terrain changes in a relatively short distance. walking through this wooded area was quite magical.
One of my favourite things about our hikes is how the terrain changes in a relatively short distance. Walking through this wooded area was quite magical.
It is a strange photograph to end on, but in all the excitement of finishing the hike I forgot to take an end photo.
This is an odd photograph to end on, but I forgot to take a photo of us arriving at the cars. I bet this old windmill has a tale or two to tell!
Hiking is what we enjoy, so hiking is what we do. #Zakynthos #Greece #photos Click To Tweet

A couple of days after the hike I noticed that it was my 50mm lens on the camera and not the 24mm as I had thought. I had wondered why I didn’t seem to be getting the wide angles but put it down to being up high… (??- sometimes it’s best not to ask!… The two lenses are very, very similar, that will teach me to put my glasses on when doing things like that. It also gives us an excuse for a repeat walk!

Did you enjoy the hike? Are you a carnival sort of person?

Deb's Random Writings

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About Debbie

Hello, Iโ€™m Debbie (also known as ChirpyDebs) and thank you for stopping by my little corner of the internet. Now the children are all grown up Iโ€™m happiest when Iโ€™m out with the dogs or hiking a trail with my camera in hand. My blog is where I like to share photographs showing the wild beauty of Zakynthos that most people donโ€™t get to see, recipes and other seemingly random things that come to mind.

Comments

  1. 8

    JOhn Adams says

    Well Debs, I'm glad you left that comment on my blog the other day because it prompted me to make a visit. I fear I have had a manic few months and not kept up with my favourite blogs. But I'm back now! Love these landscape shots. I would forego a carnival for such a marvellous walk. Quite amusing aboput the lenses though! Type of thing I would do.
    Reply
    • 9

      Debbie says

      Hi John, I'm so sorry it's taken so long for me to reply! I have fallen off the blogging wagon big time and am not sure where to start now! I opened up my dashboard and felt like I'm a newbie again! It was an amazing walk and one I hope we do again so I can capture it with a proper wide-angle lens! Thank you for stopping by! xx
      Reply
  2. 10

    Mary says

    That is quite a hike, Deb. I think I would have been out of breath long before getting to the hill. I really miss Greece after seeing your photos. They capture its beauty so well.
    Reply
    • 11

      Debbie says

      Hi Mary, I am so sorry it's taken me an age to reply, I seem to have fallen off the blogging wagon and feel like a beginner again! At the beginning of the winter, we are all pretty breathless on the harder walks, but as the winter passes, we do feel our fitness improve. It's part of the joy! Thank you for stopping by! xx
      Reply
  3. 12

    Christine says

    I like the idea of carnival but know I wouldnโ€™t enjoy the reality of too many people! Iโ€™d definitely opt for the hike - which looks amazing as always. However there does seem to be one thing missing on your hikes - cafes with cake!
    Reply
  7. 16

    Tamara says

    oh my goodness -so much culture to learn and love. I'm not sure if I'm a carnival person? My kids are! I think I like this better, though. I don't do well in crowds. I love how each photo has its own unique beauty. So many surprises around the bend.
    Reply

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