Igoumenitsa- Mestovo - Libati, 16th april 2017
Bari is now behind us and the horizon where the sea touches the sky meets the dark of the night on front of us. We are going to prepare the trip for tomorrow. In the ferry there are most of all truckers, a guy of Ancona is with us. He is going to Rodos for his saison work in a tourist village. His with its motobike. We are not the only one.
16th April 5.30 am Igoumenitsa.
The light of the night is shining with the moon and stars. The smells of the morning and the temperature is making me touching thoughts of what I forget at home and the cold body is slowly getting colder and colder. The light of the sunrise coming make around us a beautiful panorama of nature with its colors and sound. I stopped to make gymnastic and get some warm effect on me. a guy walking on the opposite of the Egnatia. My arm to say him hallo, his voice to say me hallo.
Riding 70 km in the cold was not a joke. I didn’t aspect this low temperature!
Finally arrived in Ioannina! I looked for a sunny place in its square on the lake. My face on the sun, my legs are slowly taking temperature .... fantastic gift of nature!
The Lake Pamvotis is on the feeds of Mitsekeli Mountain, 470 metres altitude.
From Ioannina the street to Metsovo with water source that has a holy name as in Greece is tradition. Religion and paganism are strictly connected.
The sun is giving its warmth and now the eyes start to connect on the environment around the street as a gift. The thinking is going to my children, to their reality so different from me but part of me. Now here in Greece a trip that start to be deeply connected on what vitality wants to mean and where this energies takes my in which direction.
The greek music in our stops in bars and tavernes, are witness of the standing this research of roots, can be better to be in this beauty and listen this rhythms as part of life and enjoying it. Talking, keep on and build relation is what I see in this trip. There are difficulties and serious, but with the humanity that's not forgotten, what I feel to be slowly disappearing in my life in the wonderful Rome.
Through the Mountains Chassia passing through camps of flowers, flowering trees and the inevitable goats that crossing the streets!
Malakasi village is welcome us with its vitality, people on the little traditional streets that we are passing through. Next stop Kalabaka where the Pineios the biggest river in Thessaly flows. with a total length of more than 200 km. It rises in the beautiful Pindos Range, crosses the Plain of Thessaly and the Valley of Tempi. What I see almost is a river that suffers and lacks of water...
Kalabaka and the river Pindos on the Horizon. View from the Byzantine Temple of Meteora.
From Kalabaka taking advantage of the sun and the strength to continue the journey, step towards Olympus!
Arrived to Libadi taking the mountains street crossing forest, with the air of the mountain I parked on front a bar asking where to go to sleep. Antoni there I go, the people celebrating the Eaters and me with a big desire to have dinner as I used to have in Greece with my family in Thessaloniki.
I'm starting to feel what really is this trip. Again in Greece and to look for roots and stories to understand myself again.