Pilgrim’s Blog
Distance: 9.26 km – Elevation +230 m -230 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 35 degrees I have walked 100 miles in the past five days and I have decided to take a day of rest and explore the history of Kavala. On the outskirts of the town I found the ĺongest stretch of the Via Egnatia, in its original form, on the whole journey so far. 1100 metres in total. I climbed to the top of
Distance: 33.0 km – Elevation +250 m -220 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 33 degrees I liked Ķavala – known as Neapolis when Paul landed here in AD 49-50 after he saw the vision of a Macedonian man pleading with him to visit Macedonia. Last evening in Kavala I met Andreas Woolff and his wife Susan for a drink. Andreas is a Via Egnatia group member and was able to provide information regarding the Via Egnatia
Distance: 18.1 km – Elevation +130 m -90 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 33 degrees I had decided on a short 12-mile walk for today which meant I could start a little later and enjoy the breakfast that comes with the room rate. Normally with early starts breakfast is missed. So after breakfast I left the hotel at 8.30 am. I could already feel the heat, it was going to be a very hot day, there
Distance: 25.6 km – Elevation +140 m -170 m Weather: Sunny. Overnight thunderstorms. Temperature: High 29 degrees I was woken from my sleep by a thunderstorm that raged most of the night with brilliant flashes of lightning, loud claps of thunder, and heavy rain. I left for my day’s walk at 6.00 am just as dawn was breaking. There were a lot of stray dogs as I left the village, most just ignored me but as
Distance: 39.7 km – Elevation +200 m -190 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 28 degrees There were no early buses so I caught a taxi to Vafeika where I finished walking yesterday. The cafe in the centre of the village was just opening and I was able to enjoy a tasty cup of coffee and croissant before commencing my walk. It was a delightful first 10 kilometres along a tree-lined track by the Kosynthos River with
Distance: 35.2 km – Elevation +430 m -270 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 29 degrees After yesterday’s marathon, I decided to leave later this morning and set off around 8.15 am after a good breakfast. My original plan was to walk in the direction of Alexandroupolì on the Sapi road, but after talking to the desk man at the hotel who said there was no accommodation on that road at all, and at his suggestion, I
Distance: 33.6 km – Elevation +340 m -530 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 32 degrees Maroneia now a village with a population of 7000 was once the largest Greek colony in Western Thrace. It was first built on the slopes of Mount Ismaros in the mid-7th century BC. Maroneia is associated with the ancient city of Ismaros mentioned by Homer in the Odyssey. In the story, Odysseus plunders the city and attacks its inhabitants, the Cicones.
Distance: 14.1 km – Elevation +100 m -100 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 32 degrees No early rise today. I woke naturally at 6.30 am and after preparing for the walk into Alexandroupoli I wandered along the seafront with its row upon row of sun loungers and fake palm umbrellas, looking out across the Thracian sea to the cloud covered Island of Samothraki. The sky was a perfect shade of pale blue and cloudless apart from
Distance: 29.1 km – Elevation +160 m -130 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 31 degrees I took the straight route out through the eastern suburbs of Alexandroupolì and it was so different from the western suburbs of yesterday. This is where the light industry, out of town shopping areas, car showrooms, and supermarkets had been hiding. The suburbs extended as far as the airport, ten kilometres out of town. After that, the road became quiet again.
Distance: 24.4 km – Elevation +110 m -150 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 28 degrees My accommodation last night was in the comfortable and clean Hotel Anthi. I had arranged yesterday to walk with Jean and Marie to the Turkish border and we started walking at 6.30 am just as dawn was breaking. The route out of Feres followed farm tracks which at first ran parallel with a railway track and later with an irrigation canal.