Florina to Vevi – July 17th
Distance: 20.5 km – Elevation +160 m -90 m
Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 25 degrees
It was still raining as I began to sleep last night and it was cold and I needed a blanket to keep warm. The Greek met office said the storm yesterday was very unseasonal, the weather conditions more associated with autumn. I slept well and left Florina just before 8.00 am.
My destination for today was Vevi. The route out of town took me through the town shopping areas but soon I found myself in the countryside and what a difference a day makes. It was a beautiful day for walking. I am told that sunflower cultivation here is relatively new and had started 7 to 8 years previously. Before the sunflowers it was all corn. The panoramic views of the surrounding mountains with the pale blue sky and the yellows of the sunflowers were extraordinary and beautiful.
At times the track was a wee bit muddy from yesterday’s rain. I met my first Greek shepherd who told me ” no problem ” pointing to his dogs. I arrived in the village of Sitaria close to midday and called into a local bar for a refreshing glass of beer and I sat watching elderly male residents of the village chatting and playing cards. On the other side of the village square I noticed a pizzeria opening for business and I decided to enjoy a pizza lunch break. The staff were very friendly but I had to wait a long time for the pizza to be served.
It is just my second day in Greece and after leaving Sitaria I passed the third roadside shrine I had seen since crossing the border. I have not seen them anywhere else and I guess they are memorials erected for those who lost their lives in road accidents.
Todays walking was across the Florina plain along a mixture of quiet country roads and deserted farm tracks. The terrain was mostly flat until the final section which involved a short climb into Vevi where I had pre booked a room in the “Small Hotel”. The hotel was closed when I arrived at 3.00 pm but a local resident was on hand to open the hotel and show me to my room. She told me the owner was working and would arrive later to check me into the hotel. It was a very good room with a balcony with delightful views looking out across the Florina plain. Later after resting I met the owner and we chatted over a drink in the hotel bar.
I took a stroll into the village and found a bar where I was able to eat. It appeared to be the haunt of all the elders of the village and seated at a nearby table was a Canadian from Toronto. He was enjoying a drink with friends from the village. He told me he had been born in Vevi and went to school in the village before his family emigrated to Canada 60 years ago when he was 15 years of age. He returns to Vevi every year for a holiday and told me the village once had a thriving population of 9000 – now it is just 900.
Before returning to the hotel I stopped in the village shop to buy food for my walk tomorrow.
