1 week ago
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My birthplace was Thessaloniki, but Melbourne is the metropolis my household chose for its caller beginning. Here, among hundreds of thousands of chap Greeks, we recovered our 2nd homeland. We timidly built our lives, and often, when nostalgia gnawed astatine us, we’d unfastened our suitcase of memories and marque bid with our caller reality.
At this constituent successful my life, with three children and 5 grandchildren, I’m preparing to permission down a agelong and demanding career. I often worked two jobs astatine erstwhile conscionable to marque ends meet. I consciousness a heavy consciousness of gratitude and thanks toward this vast state that hosted us. I see Australia a generous onshore that shaped maine into a tenable person, rewarded my hard work, and provided to maine without reservation. For maine and my family, our emotion and appreciation for it will ever unrecorded on.
But what tin I bash astir the limitless emotion I besides consciousness for my birthplace, the spot I near so young and ever wanted to cognize up close?
I decided that October, with its gentle autumn airy and perfect temperatures, was the cleanable clip for a unique cycling escapade connected the Greek mainland. I worry when I spot our villages emptying out, our monuments marred by decay, and our autochthonal radical suffering. So, I decided to statesman this travel without hesitation. I’m unsocial connected a trip that will link the modern with the humanities within me. This pilgrimage isn’t conscionable a carnal situation oregon a tour of humanities sites; it’s a deep, idiosyncratic quest—an effort to get to cognize Greece again, the spot that bore me, but which I near down much than 50 years ago.
I emotion each corner, each alley, each mountain, each port, each river, each stone. With each turn of my bicycle’s pedals, I’ll beryllium 1 step person to reconnecting with a radical and a state I transportation within me, wherever I am. I person a strong tendency to beryllium photographed with the past monuments that whisper stories of millennia, to go 1 with the heroic Greek countryside that I retrieve faintly from my childhood. To consciousness the Aegean aerial buzzing successful my ears, to perceive the melodies of the Greek connection successful the places I walk through, to taste the flavours of my land, and to observe the imprint that clip has near connected this stunning, humanities landscape.
This cycling pilgrimage is my return—a hunt for the beauteous images of a mislaid time, acold from my vibrant homeland. It is simply a renewed clasp of our ancestors and of a spot that ever belonged to me, and to which I ever belonged. In essence, it’s a soul-uplifting journey, a span betwixt a past and a contiguous that are implicit 50 years isolated for me, and 1 that will bring maine person to my roots and ideals. It is the champion way to fulfill the ineffable standards of my inner, thirsty world for Greece. I’ve made up my mind; thing tin stop me.
I will start successful Thessaloniki, specifically from Sindos. Wherever I stop and to whomever I speak, I will bring a connection of support from the Greeks of Melbourne, the Thessaloniki Association, and the organizations supporting my effort. I person created a Whatsapp radical where anyone funny tin follow.
The intersection of Komninon and Megalou Alexandrou streets successful Sindos will beryllium my starting point. The roadworthy will take maine southwest, with my archetypal stop successful Chalastra, followed by Malgara, Kleidi, Platano, Prasinada, and Niselloudi. There, I’ll turn south towards Kypseli and anticipation to scope Agathoupoli oregon Methoni for the night. The adjacent day, I wish to transverse Kitros and scope the magnificent archaeological parkland of Pieria, the historical Dion, passing done Katerini and Nea Efeso.
On the third day, I’ll caput south for Litochoro, Leptokarya, aft which I’ll marque a turn southeast towards the Archaeological Site of Leivithra and try to scope the nationalist road to the east. Once I spot the nationalist hwy, I will travel it south without utilizing it, arsenic bicycles are prohibited connected it.
My adjacent stop will beryllium Platamonas, then Tempi via the aged Athens-Thessaloniki road. I anticipation to scope Sykourio for an overnight stay. Sykourio is to the near of the nationalist road, aft Tempi and Elateia, a small earlier Larissa. The region is astir 70 kilometres.
The adjacent day, I’ll start with the extremity of reaching Farsala for some halva. Immediately aft Sykourio and Ossa, is the Chapel of Saint Irene which I would similar to visit, adjacent though the uphill roads will marque it difficult. However, I will walk by the Chapel of the Transfiguration of the Savior aft Cheimadio. Then, Galini, Karyes, Zappeio, and Chalkiades. I will try to visit the Paipai mill where the celebrated Farsala halva is made, if I person time.
On the 5th day, the extremity is to scope the historical Gorgopotamos and the country where successful 1821, Athanasios Diakos fought Omer Vryonis, while successful 1942, the British, successful collaboration with EDES and ELAS, blew up the span to obstruct the Italian-German invading forces.
The sixth time of the cycling trip will astir apt beryllium the astir important. The extremity is to scope Delphi. However, the way won’t beryllium easy. This is due to the fact that I’ll person to dedicate clip to the heroic Gravia. I want to find the celebrated Inn and spot the country with my ain eyes, retrieve the battles of the revolutionaries successful May 1821 against Vryonis, and outcry with each my might, “Long unrecorded the 1821 Revolution!” and “Long unrecorded Greece!”
After Gravia, I’ll proceed south done gorges and mountains to scope the astir important stop of my trip, Delphi. I want to beryllium photographed adjacent to the Temple of Apollo, visit the Museum, and retrieve the Castalian Spring, which I judge still has moving water. What could beryllium much beauteous than to quench my thirst with the gurgling water that besides quenched the thirst of our past ancestors? Those whom we still exploit due to the fact that we can’t measurement up to them.
I indispensable scope this point; it’s a idiosyncratic vow. Whether by bike, connected foot, oregon by crawling if I person to, I will get there. This spot connected world has inspired millions of people, conscionable arsenic it has inspired me, and it will proceed to animate forever. This spot connected world is my heritage, it is yours, it is our children’s. This spot connected world symbolizes our progress, tradition, civilization, sciences, and culture. There should beryllium nary Greek who has not visited it.
If I americium well and person the indispensable courageousness aft this ride, I will continue. I want to proceed to Olympia, Epidaurus, and each the heroic villages of Mani. But time, nature, and circumstances ever person their ain agenda. At each stop, I committedness to nonstop photos to those who will travel me. And I thank those who will travel maine from the bottommost of my bosom now.
I’ll stop here, due to the fact that we tin write so much, but sometimes we bash so little. Let’s clasp the “Know Thyself” that I will mentally work astatine the entranceway of the Oracle of Delphi and take beingness arsenic it comes, with hope, with pridefulness for our origin, and ever with our heads held high.
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