Ipsala to Kesan – 23rd August
Distance: 30.5 km – Elevation +350 m -250 m
Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 33 degrees
The hotel last night on the outskirts of Ipsala was a bit iffy but it served its purpose and the food was good. Last night was the first time since leaving Rome that I had enjoyed a meal with another walker and also a good conversation in English. The French couple had taken a lift south from the border. Tom from the USA was taking a more northerly route to Istanbul so after walking together to the town centre we said our goodbyes over our first cup of Turkish coffee hoping to meet up in Istanbul in 10 days.
I was using the route of a group of English walķers who had walked to Istanbul before flying to the Holy land. It took me through quiet country roads and tracks passing paddy fields with white egrets and black and white herons. The main crop here is sunflowers, acre after acre for mile on mile. The track came close to a herd of goats and I was spotted by 4 large sheepdogs causing a bit of a standoff before they were called off by the shepherd. At that point of meeting the track was less well defined and the shepherd was able to indicate the path I should follow. The shepherd’s donkey was clearly well loved.
In the course of the morning I passed several more shepherds/herdsmen with cows, sheep and goats and each one came over to meet me and ask why and where I was going. It was a really beautiful morning walk and not too hot. After about 15 kilometres I came to a T-junction, the track I was following went left along a dirt road, and to the right was the village of Hidirkoy. I started to follow the dirt road when a farmer in a tractor stopped and indicated not to go that way, shaking his head and saying dogs and then imitating a biting action on his arm! So I turned and took the road through the village where it was lunchtime and all the local farm workers were having lunch around a long table and they invited me to join them. After much translation with Google translate, they eventually understood my reason for passing through their village. Another wonderful experience of contact with the local people.
After Hidirkoy the route followed the country road and then the main Istanbul road for about 10 kilometres before the final stretch into Kesan along a dirt road which ran through arable farm land with a multiple of crops. There had been more ups and downs today compared with the past two weeks and Kesan was built on top of a hill, so the last few kilometres were hard going.
I had difficulty in locating the hotel where I was staying and I had to ask for directions and one young man walked with me to the hotel.
Kesan has a population of around 50,000, most of whom are Bulgarian speaking moslems. There has been a human presence here since well before Hellenic times and it is mentioned by Klaudios Ptolemaios as the Thracian town on the Via Egnatia.
In the evening when I ventured out to eat I found everyone welcoming and friendly. No alcohol was available to be served with my meal – something I will have to get used to I think.
