Kavala to Akondisma to Chrysoupolis – August 14th
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 through Thrace.
I left the hotel shortly after 6.00 am and it was very quiet as I found my way out of Kavala via the harbour and then beneath the Aqueduct where a directional sign reminded me that I still have 460 kilometres to walk to reach Istanbul! It was another beautiful morning and as dawn broke the sunrise behind Thasos was glorious, and looking back at the old city and the aqueduct they were bathed in a wonderful golden glow. Just a couple of kilometres from the city centre I walked past the delightful Marina Perigialiou located in a small bay where I saw a few early risers on the sandy beach. I was hoping to find a cafe or bar open for breakfast but it was too early and they were all closed and it wasn’t until I arrived in Nea Kavali just before 10.00 am that I found a cafe open.
Nea Karvali was created in 1924 by refugees from the Cappadocian village of Kavali, who were forced to leave their homes in Turkey as a result of the League of Nations population exchange in 1923. They brought with them the relics of Saint Gregory the Theologian which had been kept in St.Gregory’s church in Cappadocia since AD390. The refugees set about building a new church which was completed in 1950 and this is now a centre for pilgrimage where pilgrims come to venerate the relics of Saint Gregory which are kept in a golden urn within the present day church.
On the outskirts of Nea Kavali I came to the village of Akontisma. There has been a village here since Hellenic times and during the Roman occupation it was an important station on the Via Egnatia. I climbed to the top of the hill above the village to the ruins of a castle where the earliest construction dates to the 4th century BC, and where there were commanding views across the surrounding countryside and out to the sea.
The village was completely destroyed by bombing during the first World War and was rebuilt by the Cappadocian Greeks from nearby Nea Kavali. The new village was completed in 2000 and includes an open-air amphitheater where an international festival of folk dances takes place every year. Also a white marble reproduction, built in white marble, of the temple dedicated to God, built in Nazianze, his birthplace, by the father of Saint Gregory. The octagonal temple in Akontisma is engraved with the names of the Greek Orthodox villages of Cappadocia and the names of the countries where the diaspora reside today.
From Akontisma I followed the Via Egnati tracks along a white stone track which ran parallel with a small river or canal but after a few kilometres it returned to the secondary road before indicating a later return to the stone track. I found the stone track too enclosed and hot with the white stone reflecting the heat of the sun, so I decided to stay on the secondary road.
l passed a Jerusalem Way sticker attached to a sign which told me I had arrived at the Pontolivado, at least I knew I was going in the right direction! There was a small kiosk in the village with a small bar attached. It was run by an Albanian man and his two young sons, a very happy family and the father, when realising I was from England, he asked if I could help find a girlfriend for his son.
After Pontolivado I passed an archaeology dig site where I was able to see the ruins of Ancient Pistyros. Pistyros was an ancient Greek polis that was founded as a colony of Thasos about 500-600 BC. In order to get to the ores in the hinterland and to sell their own goods to the passing traders. The excavation work is still in its infancy and only a few remains of the wall are visible.
Chrysoupolis was rather sleepy as I entered the town at 5.00 pm. I made my way to the Hotel Eirini, the only hotel in town. The owner was very friendly and spoke English and he told me another English man had stayed there in April on his way to Jerusalem. Later I went out in search of somewhere to eat and found several bars but only one eating place situated in the mìddle of the town square. There was a little girl’s first birthday celebration taking place with a machine that was blowing out bubbles everywhere. It was a joy to see such happiness from everyone present. I was the only one eating apart from the usual stray dog at my feet waiting for scraps and we were both well fed at the end!
