A fairly short day with fast progress on roads to Nymfasia, then a section of dirt track up to Vytina.
After a couple of days on rough, stony tracks the easy walking on quiet roads was a pleasant change. Much of the way to the village of Kamenitsa was on flat ground on a river plain. Although I passed fields of barley with scattered trees, one or two plots of potatoes and some small overgrown vineyards, I was surprised much of the land was not more intensively farmed given its apparent suitability. Much of it was either fallow, old fields of barley now with drifts of red poppies, or meadows full of flowers, maybe kept as pasture. I passed one herd of goats and sheep grazing watched over by a dog, lying in the shade of a small tree.
At Kamenitsa I stopped for a coffee sitting outside the cafe with a couple of white haired men with good Greek moustaches. One spoke English and like others was surprised I was walking alone.
It was then uphill to the village of Nymfasia. As it was a short day, less thna 20 kilometres, and fast walking conditions, I decided to stop for lunch in a taverna near the centre. While eating my baked feta (with just the right amount of chilli), chips and salad, two cats and a dog placed themselves around my table and ogled my food, the cats meowing piteously.
A little further up a dirt track and I reached Vytina, my destination for tonight. I approached the village to the sound of sweet music, played on some kind flute or pipe. Some sheep were grazing on the hill where the music was coming from, so I assumed a shepherd among the trees was responsible - all very pastoral.
Vytina is a tourist village unlike the sleepy settlements nearby. A few couples wandered past the shops lined with jars of honey and there were several tavernas and cafes to choose from, grouped around the central square and its church. I am staying at the Sinoi rooms at the edge of town.
Only 18.7 kilometres walked today on easy roads and tracks with a total ascent of 615 metres.
After a couple of days on rough, stony tracks the easy walking on quiet roads was a pleasant change. Much of the way to the village of Kamenitsa was on flat ground on a river plain. Although I passed fields of barley with scattered trees, one or two plots of potatoes and some small overgrown vineyards, I was surprised much of the land was not more intensively farmed given its apparent suitability. Much of it was either fallow, old fields of barley now with drifts of red poppies, or meadows full of flowers, maybe kept as pasture. I passed one herd of goats and sheep grazing watched over by a dog, lying in the shade of a small tree.
At Kamenitsa I stopped for a coffee sitting outside the cafe with a couple of white haired men with good Greek moustaches. One spoke English and like others was surprised I was walking alone.
It was then uphill to the village of Nymfasia. As it was a short day, less thna 20 kilometres, and fast walking conditions, I decided to stop for lunch in a taverna near the centre. While eating my baked feta (with just the right amount of chilli), chips and salad, two cats and a dog placed themselves around my table and ogled my food, the cats meowing piteously.
A little further up a dirt track and I reached Vytina, my destination for tonight. I approached the village to the sound of sweet music, played on some kind flute or pipe. Some sheep were grazing on the hill where the music was coming from, so I assumed a shepherd among the trees was responsible - all very pastoral.
Vytina is a tourist village unlike the sleepy settlements nearby. A few couples wandered past the shops lined with jars of honey and there were several tavernas and cafes to choose from, grouped around the central square and its church. I am staying at the Sinoi rooms at the edge of town.
Only 18.7 kilometres walked today on easy roads and tracks with a total ascent of 615 metres.
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| Field of poppies |
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| Sheep, and sheep dog, seeking shade under a tree |
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