Edessa to Profitis Ilias – July 20th
Distance: 16.5 km – Elevation +450 m -180 m
Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 29 degrees
Another day’s walk dictated by available accommodation. The Via Egnatia route would take me first to Profitis Ilias and from there to Giannitsa, a distance from Edessa of 45 kilometres, and with no available accommodation in between, I had a decision to make. Either to break the journey at Profitis Ilias and return to Edessa or attempt to complete the whole of the 45 kilometres needed to reach Giannitsa. I opted to stay in Edessa. So this morning I took a taxi to Profitis Ilias and walked back to Edessa ( tomorrow I will take a taxi to Profitis Ilias and walk on to Giannitsa).
The taxi arrived at 7.30 am and after a 20 minute drive I was in Profitis Ilias. I had missed breakfast at the hotel so I sat with a coffee and croissant in the village cafe and planned my route back to Edessa. It was a fine warm morning as I left the cafe. Guided by my GPS I found myself walking back through the village and across the Moglenitsas river and past orchards of apple trees with apples in abundance looking ripe and very tempting. As a boy, I grew up in Kent, the garden of England, with apple orchards galore! I recalled my boyhood activity of “scrumping” and further on there was a hedgerow full of blackberries which reminded me of my mum’s blackberry and apple pie. A reminder of how evocative our surroundings can be.
There were orchards of peaches and olive groves. It was beautiful. And then I lost the trail – my GPS was on the blink and not showing my correct location. Momentarily there were tracks in multiple directions. The first-time use of compass found a path – not the intended path but one that brought me back to Edessa. But what a wonderful walk along a high ridge with magnificent vistas on both sides. I passed shepherds with their flocks, saw several birds of prey and reached the highest point with extraordinary views in every direction. This was hunting country too I passed a rather worn sign referring to the “HUNTING FEDERATION MACEDONIA THRACE” and I also met a hunter out with his dog.
Following the trail across the ridge I arrived in the village of Samari Pella and later I passed a memorial to Edessa Airmen before arriving back in Edessa at 2.00 pm which left the afternoon to visit the Edessa waterfalls.
