Meeting in Elafotopos

Ο Elafotopos, one of the 46 Zagorochoria - belongs to the central Zagori -, is built at an altitude of 1.100 meters on the slopes of the Tymfi mountain range (which, due to its shape, is also called Gamila). Its inhabitants, a flock of souls, live in a settlement that two centuries ago hosted around 1500 inhabitants. Its name is a translation of its old name Cervari which comes from the Latin word cerva (deer), which means that in ancient times many deer must have lived in the area.

As soon as you reach the parking lot at the entrance of the village and leave your car (the whole village has beautiful cobbled streets) you will see an inscription that gives you information about the Folklore Museum, which has been operating since 1996 and describes the old professions of the village. There he was waiting for us Euripides the young man we had heard was renovating the historic cafe in the village. Taking the left cobbled path and bypassing the central square with the huge old plane tree, we reach the cafe the Meeting. A tiny building, about 15 square meters the kitchenette, about as many as the main hall, and as many as the balcony with the view. A stalia place!

An old inscription "Cafe-Grocery the Meeting of Eur. A. Dinalexis" states the identity of the store and perhaps a part of its history, as the surname Dinalexis bears the name of Euripides' great-grandfather, Alexis, who in 1922 after the Asia Minor catastrophe - he was a soldier there - returned to the village and built the cafe. Then the cafe was taken over by Euripides' grandfather, Euripides and he, who ran it until 2010.

And Euripides Dinalexis the youngest 35 years old, resident of Ioannina, an engineer with experience in restoration of traditional buildings, decided to revive it. He changed the sunken roof and tried to save the colorful plasters, with layers of lime paint, the last one an impressive ocher. The walls full of documents with photos of parties reveal the solidity of the wooden floor that welcomed so many partygoers and instruments.

Euripides is excited to reopen it in the last days of the year (2015), remembers the old festivities and waits for the new beginning. His cafe and his life. And we are proud to be the first to publish the news exclusively!