I had chosen Dheskati for a stopover because it was close to Meteora, where I planned to spend a day visiting the monasteries balanced on rock pinnacles. Meteora being famous for being ' suspended in the air', I was expecting yet more climbing and so left myself only about 50km. Amazingly, it turned out to be downhill almost all the way. Well, I definitely earned it yesterday.
Leaving Dheskati I moved into a different landscape again. Less steep hillsides, small fields ploughed by tractors that seem tiny by UK standards. The soil is a deep, rich orange-brown colour, enhanced by rows of yellowing beech trees (saplings rather than hedges).
These orange colours are complemented by a bruise-blue sky that promises heavy rain. In fact, it is clearly already raining not far away, swathes of blue reaching to the ground. The whole landscape is gentler and more colourful than the teal mountains, but it still has grandeur.
The grumbling weather makes me press on, passing inviting picnic spots beside a very Welsh-looking river. In less than two hours I am within 10 k of my destination. I have decided to stay in Kalambaka, the modern town, so I can walk to the station and check out options for heading towards Delphi by train.
As ever, that last 10 km becomes 18 and I keep worrying that I have missed a turning. I am clearly circling round the columns of rock and can even see the cliff-top monasteries...drifting away to my left...
The left turn eventually appears of course and before I know it I'm heading up to the central square. It is a shock to be surrounded by so many people after days of peace in the hills. As I pedal slowly up towards the Alsos Hotel, at a quieter end of town, I pass a bizarrely cluttered shop front that spills onto the pavement. It is adorned with sparrows, which are clinging to birdcages to steal the food from captive finches. The chirruping of sparrows and finches is delightful, but when I later walk past I can only feel grief for the goldfinches, 8 or 12 to a cage. The finches are more intent on pecking the bars of the cage than on eating their seed. Nearby canaries are singing away but the goldfinches, which have a beautiful song, for now do little more than chirp, mocked by the ebullient and uncaged sparrows.
The hotel is welcoming, the shower hot, and the view splendid. By 4 pm I head into town refreshed. The train station is a little disappointing. There is a direct train to Livadhia, twice a day at 5.30 am and 5.40 pm. I can take a bike but if the train is full I cannot board and I waste my ticket. The ticket office have no idea if the train tends to be full, all I can do is turn up, buy a ticket and hope. Not ideal. As I leave they decide I cannot take the morning train because I would have to change. This is a pain as it means I would not be able to press straight on to Delphi after the four and a half hour train journey. Not sure of the best choice here...
A dinner of four types of Greek salad makes a change from my usual takeaway souvlaki (which are delicious, with tomatoes and tzatziki, hold the chips...). Then back up the hill for a good (and early) night's sleep.
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