Running Wild in a Royal Reserve

The woods around Tatoi, once the summer home of the Greek royals, is an ideal place for dogs and their owners to unleash.

We all know that weekdays can be quite stressful. So having a getaway is a great way to relieve all that tension. My getaway is a mountain, which I can see from my parents’ house. When I’m there, it always beckons. My answer is always to grab my car keys and to tell my dogs that we are off for an adventure.

Mount Parnitha holds many secrets, with its tall trees, dense bushes, wild deer, grazing cattle and clear streams. As soon as I arrive in the Tatoi area of the mountain, where the Greek royal family once had a palace, I unleash my dogs and myself.

Upon our arrival, we start off along the main road through the area, anticipating the moment we would reach our favorite track. And we’re there. Now we have the chance to get dirty. We run through graceful trees and jump over high weeds, greet the cattle, which are not as excited to see us as we them, spring some more and pause for a while to catch our breath. Then we continue.

While walking uphill to the Royal Cemetery, we get to listen to birds chirping and see a scared snake hiding from us – although we’re probably more terrified by it – but we move along, pretending it is a butterfly. Now that we’ve reached our destination and spent some time gazing at the church, we can continue our path.

Dust and bugs accompany us downhill but we cherish these elements as they make us feel part of the environment. The rough terrain makes our way back somehow more exciting. I struggle not to fall on my face while running after my dogs, who just find it fun to race on all fours. I do a good job keeping up while keeping a massive smile on my face.

Leaving the forest, we reach the large opening to my favorite bare hillock. Somehow we feel rested. It must be the blue color of the sky and the sense of emptiness, which gives rise to a feeling of simplicity. We lie down on the grass and just stay still for a while. Looking up at the sky, we cherish our quiet time away from it all.

The time to head back to reality has come. We’ve already sensed that because the silence has become deafening. We make our way back to the car with a heavy heart. We have to leave the place where we bond, where we get to act at will. Reluctantly we go, our only consolation that we’ll be back.

Photos by Sofia Dimitriou