Profitis Ilias to Giannitsa – July 21st
Distance: 26.0 km – Elevation +120 m -110 m
Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 31 degrees
I slept well and woke in good time for the taxi. I had arranged with the taxi driver who had taken me to Profitis Ilias yesterday, to pick me up from the hotel at 6.30 am this morning. So I was in Profitis Ilias at 7.00 am ready for the day’s walk. Like yesterday I had missed breakfast at the hotel and was in need of sustenance before my onward journey, I noticed the owner of the village cafe was preparing to open, using a hose to wash down the outside seating area. I went over and remembering me from yesterday she stopped whilst she prepared a small breakfast for me.
Duly nourished I set off, initially following the Via Egnatia trail to the village of Kali. The route suggested walking along irrigation canals to reach the village of Arawissos and then south to Giannitsa. Walking along canals at this time of year with high summer temperatures attracts flies, midges and mosquitoes so I decided to keep to the quiet country roads and tracks by taking a more southerly route to Giannitsa.
It was flat walking all the way and so different from yesterday’s walk. Still much fruit growing including apples and pears but mostĺy peaches and some arable farming too. A fairly uneventful but beautiful day’s walking with clear blue skies and a backdrop of distant mountains. I met no one at all and the roads were mostly empty of traffic. I reached Giannitsa at 2.00 pm just in time to enjoy lunch in the town centre. After lunch, there was a steep climb to the Hotel Pella, a family run hotel.
