26th of March, 2022.
There is a paid phone just beside the bus stop. And it is working! Plus, it shows the right time. It is 9.27 a.m. and I have decided to stand here, instead of keep walking towards Thessaloniki, After all, my biggest changes are from the cars passing by here anyway, so they will just pass by me a bit ahead if I start to walk.
But soon after, I decide to walk. I remember about some beaches I have visited before, which are some 20 minutes walking from here, in direction of Thessaloniki, so perhaps, there are people leaving from there.
It is so warm today! And the sun it is strong. But there is also some nice wind. Many cars pass by but nobody is stopping. Not even to offer me a drive to Nikiti, the next village. I believe I walk for about one hour until somebody finally stops. It is a lovely elderly man, in a Fiat Uno, and he tells me he can only take me to Nikiti. I say it is great! And because he has a lady for his passenger, I get in the back.
In Nikiti, in a few minutes Dimitri stops and he tells me to be going half way to Thessaloniki. He is a street musician, who has lived abroad but after missing Greece too much, came back. He performs mostly in the Summer. Like me, he does not have family or kids, so he also like to go travelling around sometimes, playing his music here and there. Dimitri drops me in a great exit to Thessaloniki.
It surprises me how many cars (again) pass until somebody finally stops. Is that a Greek thing? My signs says “Thessaloniki → Malgara”, because there is a toll station there and absolutely no gas station on the highway going from Thessaloniki to Athens. What? Yeah.
A lovely and charming couple, Meropy and Christos, are going to the entrance of Thessaloniki but I am tired of waiting so I ask them if they can drop me in a gas station before Thessaloniki and they say yes. They are very sweet and me and Meropy chat all the way. Christos understands some English but don’t speak much. But he seems very kind too. Like me, he also has a dream of having a self-sustainable farm. Unfortunately, the gas station where they drop me it is not really at the highway. Perhaps it is a Greek thing.
I decide to take my chances and stand by the road. I think it is not a highway after all. Cars are passing fast but they still can easily see me and have a long space to park. There is also a road coming from the gas station and the cars come much slower from there. Two cars stop and offer to drive me to Thessaloniki. I refuse. For the ones who are not familiar with this town, it is long. But super long! It would take me forever to cross it. And I have no clue of how. And I have to get to Malgara.
Some more minutes and Panos, with a very kind and peaceful smile, stops for me. I ask him about Malgara and he only says “Come on in!”. He is a very sweet man and we talk about many things. He is very surprised about my travels and the way I am doing it. He tells me he would like to travel like me, in such special way, because I am also special. Owm! We agree that he will only drive me to the next village because to Malgara is about 20 KM and he cannot drive me all the way. But when I see we arrive! What? Yeah! He drives me all the way to Malgara toll station. And he also invites me to stay with him and his family on my way back, when I am going to Turkey and will pass Thessaloniki again.
As soon as I put my backpack down, an elderly man, with long beard, dread locks and two dogs, a huge one and a small puppy, stop his car. Dimitri is going to another town, before Larissa, so not so far, but he can drop me in another toll station.
His dogs are super cute and the puppy stays on my lap for the whole trip. He is also a street musician, but he only performs in the islands. He prefers. A lot of Brazilians like his music and come talk to him, he tells me. It surprises me though, when I tell him about my volunteer work, that he does not agree. He says I should get at least some small money, to buy some things. I try to explain to him that I don’t need / want to buy anything, I don’t like it. But he says he needs to buy some tabacco, coffee or something to drink. Funny thing is: by the way he looks, I would never guess that about him.
In the next toll station things are much different. It feels that it will take more time for people to stop. I don’t know why.
A guy from one of the buildings beside the toll station, comes and tells me I should stand a bit further, because some car in a high speed could come and hit me. Yeah, that could totally happen because the cars are not starting from 0 Km per hour after they pay the toll! And also because there is not a blocker in case they don’t stop and try to cross (?) without pay. Hey, Mr., because you are so interested on my security and life, don’t you also have something for me to eat? I am starving!
The police also pass by and tells me to stand in the other side of the road. Annoying! Then they start to stop all the vans. Were they looking for someone? They have might found it because they kept a man for several minutes, and talking on the phone too, and after give him some papers (perhaps a fee?), they let him go.
Right after that, a car with three guys and three bikes stop. They tell me to be going to Larissa and when I ask them if they can drop me outside the town, on the way to Meteora, they only say “come!”.
Panos, Tanasis and Kostas, are from Larissa but were cycling in Thessaloniki. Kostas does not speak any English but me, Panos and Tanasis talk all the way to Larissa. They are very nice and funny. We talk about Greek culture, my travels and their life. They actually have to cross by the road which leads to Kalika, the next town before Meteora, so they drop me in a great spot.
Kalika is about 58 Km away. At least that is what the sign by the road reads. A father and his son Peter stop for me. They are going to Kalika. From there, it is about 20 Km to Meteora, or to the town which lays on its bottom: Kalabaka. Young Peter speaks some English but his father no. But we manage to understand each other pretty well. Once we arrive in Kalika, the father actually offers to drive me to Kalabaka, but I tell him it is OK. The place where he drops me off is also great!
In a few minutes a van stops. They are going to Kalabaka. When I put my backpacks in the back of the van I am surprise how clean and tidy it is. I mean, they work with electric things, and have many tools, so mostly of the vans I see, from people who work in that area, are a complete mess. Well, not this one!
The driver speaks English and we talk all the way. He offers me a place to stay, but in Kalika, because he is just to drop his friend (and business partner) in Kalabaka, and to return to Kalika. But tomorrow morning he is driving back to Kalabaka. I kindly refuse saying that since I am already here, I should just carry on with my plan. They buy me some delicious food (which later I would figure to be the famous traditional Greek dish Gyros) and a coke. After we drop his friend off, we drive to a church.
I supposed to find a place to stay in the church but, because the church is only a few hundred metres from the driver’s niece house, he calls her and ask if she can help me. She is not home right now, so I sit by the church and eat my dinner while waiting for her.