Evrotas Gorge: quest for a new european pole of heat (1/3)

Intro: Ancient and hardy

Laconia represents the southern portion of the Peloponnese peninsula, which itself is laying in southern Greece. Mostly remembered in association with the warrior state of Sparta (old name Lacedaemon) the region is situated at the same latitude as Andalusia in Spain, known as the hottest area of Europe. Both are stretching below the 37th northern latitude, thus slightly overreaching even some portions of the African continent. At 36.23 N, Cape Tenaro of the Mani peninsula is the second southernmost point of continental Europe, closely following cape Tarifa at the strait of Gibraltar.

*Landscape in the Mani peninsula* *near Gerolimenas*

The Eurotas (Evrotas) valley represented the core of the ancient kingdom, which between the 8-5th century BC was one of the strongest in the entire Mediterranean basin. Though there are also more fertile areas with lots of olive and citrus fruit plantations, in many parts the landscape resembles the harsh character and lifestyle of its old inhabitants. Generally, as you are moving towards the south, the more barren and rugged the terrain became, the Mani peninsula almost bordering the semi-desert. Unsurprisingly, the present residents of this remote corner, the “maniots”, pride themselves to be the descendants of the ancient spartans.

Choosing the target

Beside the historical significance, for modern greeks the Eurotas valley is also known for its sweltering summer weather. The southern setting combined with the föhn effect generated by the two bordering mountain ranges (Taygetus in the west, Parnon in the east) is responsible for this peculiarity, hence often being the hottest region of the country. In the summer the winds are generally blowing from the north (local name is meltemi), bringing sunny, hot and dry weather for many days, or even weeks.

*Relief map of the Peloponnese peninsula with the chosen spot (red dot)*

The city of Sparta is situated in the middle section of the valley around 200 meters elevation, quit far from the moderating effect of the sea (around 30 km). Depending on the sources and the measuring period it has an average July maximum temperature of 35-36 degrees Celsius, the highest in Greece and approaching the hottest weather stations in Andalusia like Cordoba or Sevilla.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Sparta is 45.7 degrees Celsius (August 2021), but according to Wikipedia another station nearby measured then above 47 degrees Celsius. In that same year and month Syracuse in Sicily, Italy registered 48.8 degrees Celsius, dethroning the old European heat record of Elefsina, Greece from July 1977. There is some controversy regarding the context of the values, as some weather stations have passive, while others fan aspirated solar radiation shields. We will discuss this in details in the 3rd part of the blog.

*Satellite image with the location of the research (red dot) inside the Evrotas Gorge*

Closer to the Evrotas river’s mouth there is a topographical feature named Vrontamas Gorge, where – as the name suggest it – the valley changes from flatter to a more rugged landscape. I chose this narrowing to be the place of my research, considering that the barren, steep walls could give a little extra to the already hot general ambience, while the sheltered, sinuous shape of the gorge can delay the onset of a hypothetical breeze.

Brief summary of the research

Originally this journey wasn’t planned to be part of the classical extreme climate research series, but the promising forecast made me to decide packing the weather installation too.

My plane landed in Athens in the evening of 15th July from where the next day I moved to Sparta by bus. Reaching Krokees settlement by taxi, on 17th July I hiked to the chosen location, first along the road, then following the course of a tributary of the Evrotas river. This latter sector was more difficult than expected, in some parts my progress being seriously limited by the combination of rugged topography (big boulders) and dense vegetation.

I started the journey by foot before 9 AM and reached the research area around 11:30 AM (between 9-10 km in all, from this 6 km in the wilderness). The sky was completely clear and already hot in the morning hours, exceeding the human body temperature well before noon. Except a single small puddle inside a cavity there was no water in the valley.

Finding a proper sheltered spot (even slightly endorheic) in the dry riverbed flanked by tall limestone cliffs in the east, the data logger was mounted on the tripod. I secured the installation attaching a sack filled with rocks to can handle also the windier conditions. The exact coordinates are 36.89839 N, 22.62521 E, the elevation 29 meters above the sea level. Shortly after 12 PM the mini weather station started its operation. First reading: 37.7 degrees Celsius.

*The weather station in the dried riverbed*

I stayed near the installation to monitor the temperature rise during the hottest part of the day live, waiting in the shade of the trees and shrubs. The maximum reached 41.1 degrees Celsius at 3:13 PM.

Before 5 PM I left the research area and returned to collect the equipment 4 days later. During this intermediate period I travelled to the Mani peninsula in the extreme south of the Peloponnesos, experiencing constant sunny and hot weather every day and observing some convective clouds only above the higher part of the Taygetus.

*The maximum (41.1 degrees) was reached at 3:13 PM*

Arriving from the southern, easier path (via Skala) in the afternoon of 21th July I found the instrument in its place and functional with all data recorded correctly. The absolute maximum reached 42.2 degrees Celsius on 18th July, surpassing the previous day’s record by 1.1 degrees. Four out of five days the temperature went above 41 degrees, while the latter one was much less hot, remaining below 36 degrees Celsius. The lowest value was registered during the last night when the temperature dropped to 21.7 degrees Celsius. I spotted clouds (cumulonimbus this time) only above the main ridge of the Taygetus again.

During both my hikes I didn’t saw any animals outside some birds and small lizards, encountering a few goats only closer to the village beside the orange plantations, where I crossed my path also with a few cars.

The instruments used in the field

-One LogTag UTRED30-16 data logger with the measuring range between -40 and +99 degrees Celsius, an accuracy of 0.5 degrees Celsius and a resolution of 0.1 degrees Celsius

-One Greisinger G1710 thermometer with the measuring range between -70 and +250 degrees Celsius, an accuracy and resolution of 0.1 degrees, used for instant hand measurements

-One photo camera tripod serving as the support for the instruments

-One helical solar radiation shield from Barani Design Technologies: https://www.baranidesign.com/

*The Barani helical radiation shield efficiently protects the thermometer’s sensor*

To be continued…

Evrotas Gorge: quest for a new european pole of heat (2/3)

Journey photo album

The statue of Leonidas, hero of the Battle of Thermopylae in Sparta. Arriving in Athens in the late evening, the next morning I already continued the journey to the Peloponnese by bus. It was around midday when I left my luggage at the accommodation and went out to experience my first dose of mediterranean heat.

*At 2 PM – purposefully of course – at the ancient ruins (no payment, it’s free)*

The main ridge of the Taygetus with strong mythological connotations is located south-west of the city. It is said that the “inapt” newborns were dropped in a chasm somewhere in these mountains and only the more sturdy ones were kept alive. While according to the actual opinions this is a fictional exaggeration, it certainly have its roots in the strict nature of the old inhabitants’s ethics.

*Beside the more robust and older Greek and Roman constructions there are also a few medieval Byzantine structures*

*A little off the path, remnant of an old wall, likely also Byzantine*

Around 3 PM it’s time for the first temperature check in the shade of an olive tree (notice the sensor above). IS THIS SPARTAAA?! Of course it is. The area has about the same summer highs as Andalusia in Spain, thus is one of the hottest places in entire Europe.

*The sunbaked olive trees maybe have some recollection of the times when this gentle prominence was an active ceremonial center*

The next morning: sunrise above the Taygetus with the pyramid of Profitis Ilias (2405 m) in the left. Today is an important day as I have to reach the chosen spot in the Evrotas gorge to place the meteorological equipment. The easiest (but not the cheapest) way is to take a taxi to Krokees village and start the hike from there. As I don’t have any time (nor energy for that matter) to waste, this is what I’ve done.

*At the periphery of Krokees around 9 AM: it’s already hot from the start, not a single cloud on the sky. The first few kilometers are on a rural road with little traffic (a few tractors).*

Agios Georgios church (according to Google Earth): leaving the asphalt I switched soon to “freestyle mode”, starting with a short-cut through the olive plantations. A valley, tributary to the Eurotas is only a few hundreds of meters away, my plan is to follow it until the confluence from where my target is close

Unsurprisingly, the valley has no water at all. In Greece, especially the Peloponnese, this is very common during the summer, the river revives only in the wetter period of the year (autumn-winter), when often becomes dangerous, flooding the surrounding plantations. But now the citrus fruits have a different enemy: drought. And I am at its mercy too.

Leonidas lost his shield: suspecting that this part will likely not be a walk in the park, I am prepared with sufficient water (6 liters) to can handle carrying the heavy luggage in the heat. The work is even harder than I thought, the combination between the rugged terrain and dense vegetation sometimes seriously limits my progress. I had to return to collect the mosquito tent (green circle in the picture) as it was often pulled out of its anchorage.

Fighting the boulder labyrinth. No idea how difficult could became later, but at this time already crossed my mind that maybe I will have to reconsider the plan to the target. The southern access through Skala village is certainly much easier. We’ll see. I like challenges, thus a return is only for an emergency situation.

I haven’t checked my GPS in the tributary valley at all. Knowing that the direction is good, I’m somehow not curious regarding the distances, but my intuition is generally positive. Though, not as much as the temperatures are…

This is the single puddle of water I came across in the entire gorge. Definitely not for drinking but very welcoming to cool off a little. There were lots of wasps around, but nobody was killed in the territorial conflict. And I am bigger.

Before 11:30 AM I’m outside the ravine and soon reached the confluence. Okay, I will say that this was “reasonably exhaustive”, satisfying my addiction of adventure, while properly preserving the energy levels at the same time.

*This must be the “Skala road”. It’s likely above the human body temperature now, we’ll see it soon.*

*Yep, the GPS is telling me that I arrived. It’s only slightly passed 11:30 AM, which considering the terrain I’ve crossed (around 6 km in the rough wilderness) is not bad at all.*

Choosing a ditch of the dried riverbed as the exact research spot, the logger was mounted soon on the tripod. Better than I imagined: the steep, barren eastern bank could add some reflected radiation to the general ambience during the afternoon.

Shortly after 12 PM the weather station started its operation. The first reading was 37.7 degrees Celsius, a decent start. The placard is in case if somebody will came across the installation, but pondering this possibility now from the spot, that looks very unlikely.

Before 2 PM the 40 degrees mark was exceeded. Already content that I packed the weather equipment in the luggage. Originally this trip was planned as a simple countryside traveling, but the optimistic forecast made me to change my mind in the last minutes. Sure, it will somehow limit my opportunities regarding the visited sights, but worth the sacrifice.

Around 3 PM, my favorite time of day in the summer: still very powerful solar radiation, while already close to the maximum thermal potential, meaning that the felt temperature is likely the highest possible. To be precise, the radiation is the strongest at noon (around 1:30 PM here) when the sun angle is at its highest (UV component = you will be sunburned), while the air itself usually will warm a little more (IR component = highest temperature in the shade) until the mid-afternoon hours (4-5 PM).

The limestone cliffs of the eastern side: changing the former resting place in the forest after the sun moved towards the west, I am waiting in the shade of a small mound covered with tall reeds, checking the temperature on the screen of the device from time to time. Still no clouds, sometimes there are a few wind gusts.

Sometime before 4 PM the temperature reached 41 degrees Celsius, I think this will remain today’s peak. Good value, tomorrow it could be even hotter. Before 5 PM I packed my luggage and left the research area. The original plan was to camp nearby, but I changed my mind to continue the hike to Skala village.

*The riverbed is covered in some kind of “weird veil”, which I suspect to be dried algae*

*Still very hot around 5 PM, but as I thought, the path is much easier here, thus my progress is good*

*Looking back: after a few km the valley broadens. I heard that during the winter rains the Evrotas can turn into a raging torrent, destroying the plantations on its banks. I can imagine that.*

*Some caves on the eastern side, soon I’m out of the gorge*. After a short, wilder portion in the beginning, the track followed a dirt road along the orange plantations. Except a few birds, small lizards and the noisy cicadas I didn’t observed any living creatures during my hike, spotting a few goats and 1-2 cars only closer to the village.

*With sufficient water reserves remaining, shortly after 6:30 PM I reached Skala*. *But I hope to drink something else, not the 40 degree bathwater in my backpack. That something else happened to be **Monster energy’s “the doctor”** version. And yes, it cured me.*

The beach between Skala and Gytheio. Long story short: after refueling in Skala, heartened by the less severe temperatures of the approaching evening, I decided to camp on the nearest shore, taking a bath in the sea after this long, hot day. While easily completing the additional 6-7 kilometers on the straight asphalt road, I observed after arriving that my tent is missing. No way! After successfully getting through the wild gorge, I lost it here on the highway? I can’t stay here for the night. The beer was good, the bath even better, but after sunset the attack of the mosquitoes was relentless. I have to return to Skala and sleep in a hotel. This is what I’ve done, unfortunately my headlamp couldn’t spot the lost article along the road. Good night.

The next day in Gytheio, the port of ancient Sparta (Profitis Ilias in the background). The picturesque coastal town (a little too crowded for my taste) is closely related to the story of the Trojan war, as it’s the place where Paris and Helen spent their first night before the departure to Troy. It was also famous in the antiquity because of the purple-dye snails (murex), the marine animal from which the expensive dye was extracted.

The lighthouse (don’t confuse it with the one at Cape Tenaro) sits at the end of a thin promontory. The surface of the rocks along the coast is very sharp, but of course this didn’t stopped me to enter the balmy waters. Soon I will continue the journey to Gerolimenas, which is the final station of the Laconian buses. Already very hot, I measured 37 degrees in the shade at the bus station.

The tranquil bay of Gerolimenas: I prefer it over the more touristic Gytheio. Buying some provisions in the supermarket (the last one in southern Mani) I continued my journey on the road by foot towards Kyparissos.

*Just a little outside the settlement I got the first glimpse of the Tenaro lighthouse,* *my next main targe*t. The landscape of the Mani peninsula is more barren, resembling a semi-desert, only the blue sea is the constant reminder that you have some retreat options in case the sun is too harsh with you. But you will not have any available drinking source nearby, so careful with the planning.

*At ancient Kenipolis: this place was a colony of Tainaron (Taenarum). It’s time for another bath.*

*There are only a few accommodations in nearby Alika and Kyparissos and none of them is cheap. The sea is free.*

*Close to the water, because of the higher humidity, the same temperature feels hotter than more inland*

*Porto Mani suites. Because of its “strategic placement” on the way to the southern cape, I will spend the following night in this nice traditional complex. Forget the price, its a must.*

*While you can hear them almost everywhere, representing the constant background noise of the greek experience, you can rarely spot the cicadas*. *Must be kind of a “Pavlovian reflex”, as for me it’s closely associated with the heat and sunshine*.

*And why not a third bath at the private beach of the residency*

*Sunset from my balcony. It was another hot day and tomorrow could be the hottest one on the narrow peninsula*. *That means I have some homework to do, as the longer hike, including the trip to the cape was planned for 19th July.*

*Complete lack of clouds both day and night*, *entering fairytale level*

*You can observe this small rocky outcrop situated about 5 km from the shore, first to the south, then to the west, starting from Gerolimenas until passing Marmari beach (big zoom of course)*

*Ready? Hell yeah! Already above 35 degrees after 9 AM*

After a tasty breakfast at the accommodation I started to climb the serpentines towards the fortified village of Vathia. Excellent vibe in the atmosphere, the above average heat only intensifies the experience.

Cutting the last big curve on the road I approach the ghost-town on a secondary path. Founding the gate closed, I enter the area along the old walls, meandering and climbing between the dusty architectural elements.

*Time for hydration. New tempcheck in the shade of the marble monument*

Classical view of the fortification. The now abandoned settlement is one of the most known tourist attractions in Mani, which sits around 150 meters above the sea level. You can stop for a drink at the nearby taverna.

Spotless sky: this is the real face of Mani. If the visual component can’t satisfy you enough, there is also the olfactive one, as the air is filled with the emanations of the local aromatic herbs (salvia dominates)

*Though not too close to the coast, there are many boats of different sizes on the sea*

Sharp contrast between the arid, sunbaked land and the turquoise waters of the sea. The latter is very inviting, I feel a little seduced like Odysseus was when became the “hostage” of Calypso on the island of Ogygia. No, I have to continue.

*Next hydration stop at one of the very few shaded parts of the southern road*

*A lot of signs for a single person*. Yes, *I am approaching.*

*I took the road towards Mianes village (haven’t seen locals there) to do the last part of the hike along the ridge, thus above the classical track*

*Resting in the shade of some old walls. The heat started to affect me, until now the enthusiasm is already mixed with tiredness*

On the final ridge. Exposed on the rugged terrain in the phrygana, being at the mercy of Helios, the last section demanded my full attention. I can’t stop thinking about the dive I will take after reaching the target.

*Somewhere below me on the right is the mythological “Cave of Hades”, a gate to the Underworld, the shady place from where only a few (like Hercules, Theseus and Orpheus) returned alive*. *At the moment I feel some weird inclination to enter that shady place…*

*Kokkinogeia, the last inhabited place left behind on the left*

Shortly before 1 PM I reached the secluded building of Cape Tenaro. At 36.28 N, this is the second southernmost point of continental Europe (after cape Tarifa at the Strait of Gibraltar). Here I am slightly closer to the Equator than two African capitals: Tunis and Algiers. *Built in 1882 by the French, for a few decades the lighthouse is automated, thus uninhabited, adding to the feeling of isolation.*

*The tempcheck in the shade of the northern wall is a must before entering the tempting waters*. *The southern setting means that in the summer the sun angle is very high here and now it’s exactly around midday. I have to confess: it was premeditated again.*

*This is the exact spot where the last strip of land meets the mighty sea, from here the Lybian coast is closer than Mount Olympus*

*That was expectable. A little warmish, but definitely welcomed in these circumstances.*

The most enjoyable part was just simply floating on the surface with the face too submerged in the water, observing the shadow of my body on the bright turquoise background, while feeling the energy levels returning to normal. *Maybe Homer was wrong and the Underworld is somewhere else.*

*The Zobject has no zobjections as well*

I observed a single person on the trail returning from the pharos when I was high on the ridge, but spotted nobody after that. However, I saw a few smaller boats passing. One of them stopped pretty close, so we could conversate. They asked me if everything is fine and tried to tell me that there are some “underground dangers”, including sharks. Maybe this last one was only added to scare me as they couldn’t explain properly about the real problem, the currents, which can take you off the shore if you distance yourself enough. Sure, I don’t have plans to cover the 380 km to Cyrenaica.

*To reach the sea at the very end you have to descend another vertical 30 meters between the huge boulders, my favorite sector*

*Phrygana vs thalassa: the view to the right (east) while returning*

*This time on the classical, old rusty trail, heading to Kokkinogeia. To its taverna to be precise.*

After two cold beers I visited the nearby sanctuary of Poseidon, the god of the sea venerated in ancient Taenarum from which the cape got its name. Beside the mythological aspects, in those times the place was famous also because of the precious green marble. *The present construction is actually a Christian church built in the Byzantine period from the rocks of the older Greek temple.*

*This small cave situated on the shore of a protected bay close to the temple is known as an old ritualistic place related to the mythology of Hades*. *The guardian monster, Cerberus wasn’t present, the entrance was protected by some tanned western pensioners.*

Around 6 PM it was time to leave the southernmost village. Today and tomorrow I will stay in a traditional maniot stone tower in Palyros, another barely populated hamlet located at the very end of the old continent.

*View of the teal-colored Vathi bay on the right of the road. Its name, which means “deep” in greek is very common in the Mani peninsula.*

*Arriving in Palyros, situated pretty high up on a hill about 150 meters above the sea*

*After a warm welcome and a tasty dinner (moussaka with tsatziki, what else), sitting on my balcony*. *In Mani the stone towers are a very common sight. Many are abandoned, some inhabited, while a few (like this one) can be rented by travelers.* *Built in the times when vendettas between rival families were common, now the general atmosphere is more peaceful.*

*I live in the room just above the entrance on the left, while the local family resides in the higher parts of the tower on the right. This picture will have some significance later on.*

*The next morning: view of the eastern “pseudo cape” – as I named it – with Kourelos, a neighboring hamlet above. My host, mr Panos told me that he grow up there.*

Some horses grazing near the sanctuary of Poseidon on the fringes of Kokkinogeia, with the “famous” southernmost parking lot on the right. Today I have a serious objective in my mind: finding the gates of Hades!

*I formerly identified this crack on Google Earth on the shores of the “pseudo cape” peninsula*

*Not Cerberus this time either, but still a little suspicious*

To reach the other cavity, the one which according to the locals is the actual Cave of Hades I have to return to the parking lot, then cross the ridge towards the west. It’s not far, just a little rugged and thorny.

*I think it is a little farther on the right*

Yep, this is the place. As here the surface of the rocks right at the sea is very sharp, I couldn’t enter the water with the camera to take photos from inside. But even beyond this obstacle the highlight of the experience would’ve been remained out of the reach: *there is a small chamber accessible through a narrow, short and low passage, what you can enter the easiest way by swimming underneath*. *The ceiling is not dangerously close during calmer waters like now, but can certainly became a threat when the sea is more turbulent.* *Inside there are two head-sized stalactite structures, one of them right above your shoulder so you can use it for stabilization while enjoying the view towards the stripe of light outside*. *Then you swim back underwater in the bright blue mass surrounded by small fishes.*

*Before Poseidon became the patron of the area, it is said that the sun god was venerated here. There is a reference to this in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, which recounts:*

“…and by the Laconian land they came to a sea-crowned city and the place of Helios who delights men, Tainaron, where the deep-fleeced sheep of lord Helios always graze and inhabit a delightful spot…”

*The so called “Star of Aria” dates from a later period (1st century AD) and it’s part of the mosaic floor of a former roman villa*.

*Sage (salvia officinalis) on the roadside, the “olfactive leitmotiv” of the maniot experience*

Porto Kagio, a tranquil resort with good tavernas. It sits just below Palyros, but you have to go round on the asphalt road as the thick phrygana vegetation will convince you to forget about a shortcut.

*After a relaxing swim followed by a tasty fish meal I am heading back to the stone tower*

My room is comfortable and quiet, but has a “dark secret” which I didn’t know beforehand: there is a single key which opens it and that key is the one I received at my arrival. No, I didn’t lost it, but left it on the inside and the air-blast slammed the door. Nobody can open it. Maybe we could enter it through my balcony, thus a ladder is brought. Bad luck, the balcony door is also closed. As it’s already dusk, the temperamental Panos is a little worried.

Maybe through the bathroom window? Fingers crossed, hopefully I left it open. Bingo, we are saved! The enter itself demanded some contortionist skills, but it was my time to redeem the bad karma. Changing from front to back posture, using some accessories of the bathroom’s interior as grips, I safely landed inside.

The team (all one family) with Panos in the center. The attained luck continued to follow me the next day as my host traveled to Athens, thus could take me to Gytheio. From there I had to take a taxi to Skala again to start the hike towards the Evrotas gorge. Kostas, the driver didn’t speaks english, but he is good with numbers: after showing me 25 on the phone’s screen, he was more than happy with my 20+10 bill and didn’t want to understand my body language regarding the change: “No, no, no my friend, it’s enough-it’s enough, thank you very much!” Avoid Kostas at all costas, guys.

On the way to collect the meteorological equipment. Today is less hot than all the previous days, I felt it both near the coast and farther inland. Some less developed cumulonimbus clouds appeared above the Taygetus, otherwise still sunshine everywhere.

I reached the research area around 3:30 PM. Of course, nobody was here, the installation is intact. From this point you can observe the slightly endorheic nature of the ditch where the data logger stayed as I took this photo standing “downstream” from the tripod.

*Observing the milder temperatures, respectively the fact that has the tendency to did not rise farther more, I stopped the device after 4 PM*

Good result, it was worth the effort to take it with me. As I expected, the maximum was recorded on 18th July, while the minimum in the last night. Four out of five days the temperature raised above 41 degrees Celsius. Curious to compare it with the values registered at the nearby official stations.

*Due to the less hostile ambience, the return was less strenuous than in the day of the installation*

Bridge in the central park of Skala: time for another cold **Monster – the doctor**

Trying to avoid Kostas I went out to hitchhike, but it seems that everybody supports him and not me. The evening was approaching, thus after more than an hour on the roadside decided to accept again the taxi version. A helpful local waiter called for a cab and soon I was in Gytheio. It wasn’t Kostas and the price 25-2=23

*Profitis Ilias watching over the lively, romantic resort*. *Spending the night in a decent hotel right above the seaside promenade (a little noisy until the night, otherwise ideal for a solo traveler), the next day I had to return to Athens.*

Inside a church in Tripoli, central Peloponnese. In the morning I made a rapid itinerary change deciding to visit Argos. There are many buses from there to the capital, though not sure how many are that way. It turned out that there are only two every day, starting from Tripoli, the center of Laconia. Every region has its own company and the link between them is less frequented. The bus first went to Nafplio, the old greek capital, then another one continued to Argos.

I decided to get off at the ruins of ancient Tiryns, hometown of the mythological hero Heracles, also known as Hercules. The place seemed empty and closed (maybe renovation?), thus I made another change in the plan: crossing the fence.

*An intruder inside the cyclopean walls. Still waiting to spot other visitors, which would mean that the site is open but the entrance is on the other side*

*Nope, the former mycenaean complex is completely mine*

*Actually I was right, the entrance indeed is on the other side. But the placard showed that the closing time is 15:30, that was about 10-15 minutes before my arrival.* *Not my fault.*

From Tiryns I walked 9-10 km to Argos on the very flat and straight main road. My plan is to reach the castle of Larisa, which is high up on a hill. Locals told me there is no other way, you must go round along the asphalt. After the first 1-2 km I couldn’t resist the temptation to try a shortcut across the olive plantations. Though sweating more, it saved some time to *comfortable catch the last evening bus to Athens.*

View from the citadel towards the north. The construction dates from the Byzantine times (12th century), but there are also ruins from the antiquity on another smaller hill nearby. The two were connected at a certain time as the city has a very tumultuous history starting from the earliest periods. I heard that even in our times still exists some kind of rivalry between Argos and Sparta, *ironically including even the battle for the title of the hottest place in Greece as both have their maximum around 46 centigrade.*

*Descending under the Argive walls, looking towards Mycenae. How to finish it better?*

To be continued…

Evrotas Gorge: quest for a new european pole of heat (3/3)

Interpretation of the logger’s graph (using LogTag Analyzer 3 software)

*The temperature curve of the 5 days/ 4 nights research period. The device was registering a value every minute.*

First day (July 17)

Hiking under a sunny sky I reached the research area before noon. The weather station started its operation at 12:11 PM when the screen of the logger showed 37.7 degrees Celsius. As I set the device for 1 minute logging (short intervals) the curve has the typical “saw aspect” with many small ups and downs inside the general “big waves”.

Until 1:53 PM the temperature climbed to 40.9 degrees, then at 3:13 PM reached the day’s maximum: 41.1 degrees Celsius. I left the installation before 5 PM when it was still slightly above 40 degrees and returned here only in the last day (21th July) to collect the equipment. During my staying the sky was completely clear with some short term wind speed intensifications.

*The temperature curve of the first day and the following night*

The graph shows that a more abrupt descent started at 7:15 PM in the evening when the temperature dropped from 37.2 C to 22.1 C until 5:02 AM. Afterwards there is an anomalous rise to 29.5 C until 6:20 AM, followed by a secondary morning drop to 23.8 C at 7:03 AM, certainly caused by wind.

Second day (July 18)

This was the hottest day. The temperature exceeded 40 degrees at 12:06 PM and continued to rise until 2:52 PM when the highest value of the 5 days research was recorded: 42.2 degrees Celsius. The 40+ heat was present until 6:30 PM and the more abrupt descent started at 7:51 PM when dropped from 37.8 C to 26.3 C until 10:55 PM.

*The temperature curve of the second day and the following night*

The next 20 minutes represents the biggest anomaly of the entire measuring period as until 11:18 PM the temperature rapidly climbed back to 34.5 degrees, maintaining the unusual warmth until 2:07 AM in the night when still were 32.6 degrees. Afterwards dropped to 26.6 C until 2:55 AM, but then raised again to 33.5 C at 5:31 in the dawn. Very chaotic night pattern for sure.

I was in the Mani peninsula at Kyparissos at that time and measured an unusually high 34 degrees around 7:30 in the morning. As I observed no clouds at all in all directions, there is no doubt that all these extreme fluctuations were caused by wind.

Third day (July 19)

Another very hot day. Reaching 40 degrees before 12:30 PM, the temperature was rising until 3:08 PM when 41.8 degrees Celsius, the day’s maximum and the second highest value of the research was registered. It remained above 40 degrees until 6:06 PM, while a more abrupt descent started after 8:30 in the evening when dropped from 35.3 C to 29.3 until 9:26 PM.

*The temperature curve of the third day and the following night*

Then a very similar to yesterday’s “out of the nowhere” kind of rise happened, thus in only a few minutes it warmed back to 33.8 C. Following another two sharp ups and downs during the night, it cooled down to 26.2 C until 1:20 AM, only to climb back again to 31.5 degrees at 6:37 in the early morning. I was in the cape Tenaro area during this time and experienced constant hot and sunny weather with mild to moderate wind.

Fourth day (July 20)

Generally, the temperature was steadily rising from the morning until 1:54 PM when the peak of the day, 41.2 degrees Celsius was registered. With a few drops between, this value was reached again at 2:29 PM. It went below 40 degrees after 4 PM and this time the night cooling has a more typical aspect, without the extreme fluctuations like in the case of the previous two.

*The temperature curve of the fourth day and the following night*

The minimum of the morning and also the lowest temperature of the research was 21.7 degrees Celsius, registered at 6:43 AM. Still in southernmost Mani, I measured below 25 C on the balcony of my room in Palyros village, definitely cooler than the previous morning when it was around 28 degrees. The sky remained completely clear day and night.

Fifth day (July 21)

Today I traveled back to collect the measuring equipment, reaching the area of the research around 3:30 PM. It was less hot than in the previous days, both in Gytheio and here in the Evrotas valley. I observed cumulonimbus clouds above the Taygetus mountains, but except that the sky remained completely clear.

*The temperature curve of the fifth (last) day*

The graph shows that after a peak of 35.8 degrees Celsius at 12:25 PM the temperature entered a slow descent phase reaching 33.8 C at 2:24 PM (probably sea breeze), then stabilizing more or less around 35 degrees. Observing the constancy of the milder conditions I stopped the data logger after 4 PM.

The average maximum temperature of the five days research period is 40.4 degrees Celsius, while the average minimum of the four nights between is 24.1 degrees Celsius, giving a mean daily amplitude of 16.3 degrees. The biggest daily fluctuation was 20.1 degrees and happened on the second day when the temperature raised from 22.1 to 42.2 degrees Celsius.

General conclusions

The sky is usually clear both day and night, convective clouds can appear mostly only above the taller mountains.
The temperature rise during the daytime is quit regular, typically reaching the maximum around 2-3 PM, but sometimes is affected by the sea breeze, which can stop the rise earlier.
The late evening and night hours can have a very chaotic course with significant fluctuations in very short periods of time due to local föhn winds, which easily disrupt the nocturnal cooling of the valley.
The daily amplitude is medium to high (14-20 degrees) facilitated by the subtropical latitude and very dry conditions, but limited by the earlier mentioned fönh winds.
The short time temperature fluctuations are much bigger during the dark hours, reaching 8 degrees in 20 minutes.

Comparison with the hottest areas of Greece and Europe

According to Ogimet, two greek weather stations exceeded the maximum recorded by my installation in the gorge of the Evrotas river. These are Serrai (Serres) and Kalamata. The former is situated in the north of the country and due to its more inland location it is indeed often very hot, likewise Demir Kapija and Gevgelija in nearby North Macedonia or Sandanski in south-western Bulgaria.

This summer’s heatwave was especially strong in the central and northern Balkans including the country I live, Romania. In these areas the thermal anomaly reached or exceeded 10 degrees sometimes, thus the usually hotter Peloponnese had a hard time keeping up with the northern neighbors sitting right under the center of the heat dome. More stations in Romania, including the capital București reached 40-41 degrees, while northern Macedonia exceeded even 42 degrees Celsius in this period. Albania, Serbia, Moldova and Ukraine also went above 40, breaking or approaching the older records.

*The maximum temperatures in Europe on 18th July*
*(the date on the image refers to the previous 24 hours)*

Kalamata (known for its tasty olives) is situated in a protected bay of the southern Peloponnese, which likely experiences the hottest weather during strong north-eastern föhn effect, when the wind is blowing across the Taygetus, annihilating the sea-breeze. I checked the Ogimet statistics (see the chart below) and yes, that was the case, during the hotter part of the day the wind was coming across the high mountain.

*The statistics of Kalamata HNMS weather station for 18th July (Ogimet)*

We have to mention here that Greece has two different weather monitoring networks: one of them is the HNMS (Hellenic National Meteorological Service), which uses passive solar radiation shields and the other is the NOA (National Observatory of Athens), which uses fan aspirated ones instead. The stations appearing in the Ogimet statistics are from the HNMS, thus the ones with classical multi-plate shields.

At the present moment it’s well documented that during strong solar radiation with little wind the passive shields can’t protect the thermometer’s sensor from overheating as efficiently as the fan aspirated versions and are outperformed also by the helical Barani shield, the one which I am using. More than that, I heard a local specialist mentioning that there is a huge discrepancy specifically between the two weather stations (HNMS vs NOA) of Serres city, the one using passive shield having a higher average maximum in the summer with up to 2 full degrees (!), which backs up my intuitive skepticism regarding the “sticking-out nature” of the related Ogimet statistics.

Note: This part will remain open for update in case of obtaining some valuable info regarding the measurements of the two hellenic weather networks. I am especially curious of the NOA statistics of the hottest stations during the 17-21 July interval. Until now I found a single one, which is that the messenian Skala village (north of Kalamata) measured the highest temperature in Greece and that’s 43.1 degrees Celsius. This is interesting as conflicts with the slightly higher value of Serres appearing on Ogimet. Let’s wait for the clarifications.

*Update on 5th September 2024:

Thanks to a local specialist I received complete monthly data sets, which are more than interesting in the context of my own measurements (see the charts below with the 5 related maximums inside the red rectangles):

And below are the extreme values recorded at my location:

What can we conclude from this?

In a nutshell: I have to correct my less optimist previous statement (read the last chapter) regarding the thermal advantage given by the small scale topography, as my location seems to be hotter with over 1 degree than both Sparti and laconian Skala settlements (which are pretty close to each other for that matter). The exception is the last day (21th July) when the breeze affected the lower course of the Evrotas but not the more inland located Sparti city.

More concretely: On 18th July (the hottest day at my weather station) the advantage was 1.8 C over Skala NOA, 1.6 C over Sparti NOA and 2 full degrees over Sparti HNMS meteorological station. The average advantage for the four hotter days is 1.4 degrees over both Skala NOA and Sparti NOA and 1.5 degrees over Sparti HNMS station. Taken into account the relatively small distances inside the same basin and the fact that my research spot is located between the two settlements we can assume that the obvious positive gap can’t be accidental.

-end of update-

Could the Evrotas gorge be the hottest place in Greece?

I think the correct answer to this question is possible with the mention that the general setting (southern placement, low elevation, sheltering mountains and some distance from the sea) is the main cause and the smaller scale topography (surrounding steep slopes) is much less relevant.

While far less impressive as in the case of a “cold trap” (known as frost hollow), where the simple law of gravity can create huge differences between the bottom and rim of a small closed basin, I think that a hypothetical “heat trap” with measurable enhancing properties could be possible with some specific topography, but due to the simple fact that the warmer air has the tendency to rise, not to sink as the colder one, it’s certainly much more difficult to “balance the ingredients” in the proper way to attain it. Maybe a future project.