Nymfopetra

In the geological park of Nymfopetra, you can find vertical formations of calcium carbonate with various impurities, known as travertines, which were formed in the waters of a lake when it was deeper. These strange formations have given rise to various folk myths, the most prevalent being that of a bridal procession that turned into stones.

As residents narrate, in the very old days there was a wedding in the villages of Halkidiki. When the wedding was over, the groom, who came from the basin of Langadas, took the bride with her dowry, and with a large escort they set out to go to the groom’s village. Suddenly the bride, who had taken almost all the things from her mother’s house, remembered that she had forgotten to take the spindle with the flywheel and called for it to be brought to her. When the mother heard her daughter’s order, she became angry about her greed and cursed her, causing the bride with all her entourage to petrify.

Another legend has it that a group of hunters encountered a group of forest nymphs bathing in the crystal-clear waters of a spring. The men were left staring at them in ecstasy but the goddess Artemis, who took notice of them, became angry with their disrespect and petrified them where they stood.