Arrival at the Tower in the Water – Edessa

My time in Florina came to an end way too soon. It was time to move on to the next destination.

It’s a shame that I wasn’t able to explore further than Florina town. In this blog, I try to show that you can travel almost anywhere in Greece using public transport. A car may get you to places that a bus can’t but there is something a bit more intrepid about putting yourself in the hands of the KTEL bus service. I haven’t been let down by it yet. (she says touching wood and signing a few Hail Marys!). It’s fair to say we live in a car-centric society and this is particularly true of Greece. You’ve only got to look at the pavements to appreciate that. A pavement in Greece is better known as a place to park cars and motorbikes. The pavement may only be 18 inches wide but the Greek municipalities think it’s the best place to locate a lampost or plant a tree. It’s definitely not for pedestrians! Anyway, what damage I do to the environment in airmiles I hopefully offset by using the bus when I’m here.

The two places that I’d hoped to visit whilst in Florina were the Prespa Lake and the village of Nymphaio. There are no public transport links to the Prespa Lakes. I spoke to a taxi driver who told me he would charge 100€ to take me there, show me a few points of interest and bring me back. I was tempted but on my last day it was raining so I decided against it. To get to Nymphaio, there are 4 buses a day to Amyntaio. Once in Amyntaio, you would need to find a taxi to take you the 21 kilometres to Nymphaio. I was advised that you should book a return journey with the same taxi driver as you won’t find one in Nymphaio. Anyway, another time maybe.

There are two ways to get from Florina to Edessa using public transport – bus or train. The bus station is a 10 minute walk from my accommodation whilst the train station is around 20 minutes on foot so the former was the logical option. The bus ticket to Edessa was 9€ and there are departures around 5 times a day between Thessaloniki and Florina. https://ktel-florinas.gr/dromologia/

It was a pleasant journey as we gradually dropped down into the flat rural plains of the wine-producing town of Amyntaio with its vast expanses of vineyards. Although the vine stems were still bare, workers were already busy preparing them for the oncoming season. We also passed huge swathes of bare-stemmed cherry orchards. The region of Pella and Edessa in particular are renowned for their cherry production along with apples, peaches, pears and apricots.

I’d arrived in Florina at night so hadn’t had the opportunity to see this landscape and it surprised me. The area is on a flat plateau surrounded by low-lying hills and further in the distance the high peaks of the mountains. This is how the magic comes together to create a unique microclimate to grow such an array of produce – except oranges – they definitely come from elsewhere in Greece.

The bus ran almost parallel to the narrow gauge train track and at times crossed it. Road signs with a picture of a bear and a wild boar warned drivers to reduce their speed because of the danger of animals crossing.

An hour and a half later we are on the approach to Edessa town. The place where I’m staying is just around the corner from the bus station. My host Maria had given me clear instructions on how to find the apartment and I’d messaged her to let her know my arrival was imminent. As I turned the corner she was waiting for me outside.

Maria showed me to a ground-floor apartment (thank heavens) and gave me lots of useful information including the best places to eat and she also offered the use of her washing machine should I need it. This will be useful as hand washing and drying clothes in this damp climate is challenging.

The property is called Central & Riverfront Room 1 – and yes it is very central for everything and one of the river’s tributaries runs past the front of the building. The room is very modern and immaculately clean. Maria has left lots of extras in the fridge and a bowl with biscuits and fruit on the table. There are tea and coffee-making facilities and plenty of wardrobe space. Outside there is a small patio with a table and chairs for my use only. It will be perfect for my 5 nights here.

Here is a little scene setting before I begin my explorations. Edessa is the capital of the regional unit of Pella and in the administrative region of Central Macedonia. It lies around 60km south of the border with North Macedonia and 90 km from Thessaloniki. The name Edessa mean ‘tower in the water’ but was previously known by the Slavic name of Vodinu meaning water.

Water is what defines the town. Rushing through its centre with ferocity is the fast-flowing River Edessaios whose source begins between the mountains of Kaimaktsalan on the border with North Macedonia and Vermio. At 2524m and 2065m respectively these are some of Greece’s highest mountains. As it comes into the town it splits into 7 tributaries close to the Kioupri Bridge. The main river continues until it splits again and spews over the cliff-top as waterfalls.

The waterfalls were formed in the 14th century after a geological event (possibly an earthquake) which diverted water from a basin west of the city in the form of a river through the town. There used to be 12 waterfalls but now only 3 of them are clearly visible. The largest of the falls called Karanos is the largest in the Balkans falling 70 metres over the cliff. The other is the double waterfall known as Diplos. The tributaries form small waterfalls and multiple channels of water that crisscross the town. These are traversed by over 70 bridges.

During the 19th century, the force of the water was harnessed to power the Sesame Mill and a Flour Mill along with a number of factories. This gave the area the nickname of ‘Manchester of the East’.

During my initial recce, I was told about the Edessa card which costs 5€ and would give me access to several of the mills and other attractions in the town. The card is valid for 24 hours though technically, the attractions open at 10am and close at 4pm. First thing in the morning I will buy the card and begin my explorations of Edessa.