Florina Day 1 – Not How I Planned it in my Head

Despite my exhaustion, sleep was very fractured. You know when people say obstreperous toddlers won’t sleep because they’re over-tired. I think this was me. According to my Fitbit, I did fall into some kind of deep sleep before dawn. At around 0930 I was rudely awakened by my phone ringing off the hook. It was my husband checking in on me to make sure I was still alive. That’s very considerate of him but I’d wish he’d left it a bit later!

I must say that the bed at Lucato Apartment was wonderful. It had a good quality mattress and crisp white cotton sheets – the perfect elements for a good night’s sleep – maybe next time! The apartment is in a handy location in the town and a quiet neighbourhood. The long balcony from the bedroom and living room looks out onto another block of apartments which is fine. Overall, it’s clean and spacious and will serve me well for my 5 nights here.

Florina is often described as the place “Where Greece begins”. Located in the northwestern corner of Macedonia, below North Macedonia and to the East of Albania, it is also known as the coldest place in Greece. I came prepared with several sweaters which takes up a surprisingly large amount of space in my case.

Florina is a market town known for its local produce, especially the famous Florina peppers along with beans and different varieties of grain. The microclimate formed by the mountains and the lakes makes this an ideal location for grape growing. Just south of Florina is the town of Amyntio, where the variety of grape Ximomavra is grown and used to make the famous sparkling and still rose wines.

If you watched the TV programme Greece with Simon Reeve you may have seen his visit to the Ptolemaida Florina coal mine which produces 49 million tons of lignite every year. This also brought wealth to the region though as one of the largest reserves of lignite in Europe, it has also left a gaping scar on the landscape.

Just 19km from Florina is the ski resort of Vigla which adds to the region’s tourist economy – though I won’t be heading to any ski slopes on this trip.

Florina is another of those regions with a turbulent and traumatic past living under various occupations including the Ottomans, Bulgarians and the French – all way too complex to outline here. It saw an economic boom during the late 1800’s when a railway connection with Thessaloniki was established making it easy to trade goods in Greece and across borders. This wealth is seen in the magnificent neo-classical architecture that lines the Sakoulevas River running through the centre of the town. The architecture is one of the main reasons that has brought me to Florina. I have a passion for architecture particularly 18th and 19th century Ottoman/Balkan architecture along with grand neo-classical mansions of the same era. I head out for a little exploration.

It’s a short walk from the apartment to the river which is lined with the gorgeous houses that I’d hoped to see. Although the weather today started bright it is now overcast providing a stark contrast to the brightly coloured buildings.

I started initially walking east along the river where I caught glimpses of the snow-capped mountains that towered above the town. The breeze certainly brings a chill down from the mountains but at this time of year no different to a British winter. Just weeks earlier the town had been covered in a thick blanket of snow.

Anybody who knows me will be aware that there is nothing I like better than a bit of architectural patina and decay and Florina has this by the bucket load. I traversed the river from one side to the other using some of the many bridges that span its length. This is a feast for the eyes! Warning – photo dump alert!

Running behind the houses along the north side of the river is a pine-covered hill upon which is the Florina Cross. This landmark is illuminated at night but even during the day its presence can be felt. I took a little diversion between the houses on this side of the river and was interested to stumble across a sign that told me to be aware of wild bears. There are currently around 450 – 500 brown bears in the whole of Greece predominantly living in the mountains of northern Greece. It’s the hibernation season and sightings of the bears in the villages are rare so it would be highly unlikely to see one here.

Whilst walking along the river I noticed how my breathing was beginning to feel laboured. I don’t think it was the thin mountain air but I’ve been here before. This time 2 years ago I’d arrived on Skyros for carnival. I’d left home fit and healthy but within a day or so of arriving in Greece, I’d come down with a lurgy probably picked up at the airport of one of the flights. By the time I’d arrived in Kalavryta, I knew something wasn’t right and ended up at the local hospital to have chest x-rays confirming that I’d developed a lung infection.

Attending a Greek hospital isn’t an easy option. I probably just need a course of antibiotics so I decided to call into a pharmacy to see if they could advise me on the best course of action. Using Google Translate to communicate, the upshot of the conversation was that I should go to the hospital on the other side of the town. Reluctantly I made my way there using Google Maps to guide me. (Thank God for Google!) It was up the hill and above the bus station. The uphill walking was quite a challenge for my lungs confirming that I was probably doing the right thing.

Inside the hospital entrance, it wasn’t clear where to go. A friendly lady cleaning the floor noticed my confusion and asked me something in Greek. When she realised that I didn’t understand she went and found a young man who worked at the hospital to help. He showed me to the waiting area for the pathologist and told me to sit and wait. People came and people went. Some people arrived on hospital trolleys and others arrived under their own steam. I translated the sign on the door which basically said people would be prioritised according to need which was fair enough. However, there was nobody there to assess what the need was. There was no form of triage and I just didn’t understand what was going on. Some people arrived and knocked on the door of the pathologist and saw themselves in. I know from my experience in Kalavryta that when you get to see the pathologist you’re not necessarily seen privately. Multiple people were in and out of the room whilst I was no nearer to being seen.

After 2.5 hours of waiting, I decided to give up. I was beginning to feel a bit ropey again and thought that this environment wasn’t the best place for me to be. Although I didn’t have an appetite I wondered if not eating for two days (except for a rock hard croissant) was part of the reason. I decided to find a restaurant where I could have something that may perk me up.

I walked down the hill into the town looking for something that took my fancy. Aposperitis restaurant looked nice and it wasn’t too busy. I ordered an orange salad for the vitamin C and a pork steak for the protein along with some sour cherry juice for added vitamin C and antioxidants.

Although I couldn’t eat it all, it was a start that I hoped would give me a bit of energy. The salad was made up of spinach leaves, slices of orange, walnuts and sultanas with a light vinaigrette dressing. The pork came in a pepper sauce with pureed butternut squash. There was also a complimentary dessert. It was a very nice meal and I made a note to come back here again and try the Florina peppers.

It was time to head back to that comfortable bed but before that, my day was about to get decidedly worse. I began to feel unwell. At first I couldn’t fathom where or why I felt ill. Nausea began to creep up on me and my stomach began to churn. All I knew was that I needed to get back to the apartment sharpish. Google Maps didn’t exactly take me the most efficient way back. Once inside the apartment building I called for the elevator but it decided to go up and not down. I took the 6 flights of stairs instead.

I’m not going to go into detail about what happened next to protect those who are of a delicate disposition – me being one of them. It was carnage. All I will say is that at one point I passed out in the gap between the WC and the wall. I came around with my left arm trapped underneath me and my head in the shower tray. Every time I lifted my head it felt like a horse on a merry-go-round. I thought it best to just lay there for a while using the shower tray as a pillow. I was able to reach the shower handle with my free hand and let a trickle of cold water run down my face until the blood returned to my head. I felt utterly miserable. What an absolute state I was in. I remember occasionally crying out “Why?” “Why?” as if this had been bestowed upon me by some otherworldly force.

I began to regret embarking on this trip. I couldn’t have foreseen this turn in circumstances but with so many horrors going on in the world, travelling seems such a frivolous thing to do. I wondered if there was a bit of karma out there intent on wreaking its revenge on me for some past misdemeanour. Jesus, I must have done something bad!

My body began shivering uncontrollably. I cranked up the air conditioning in the bedroom and pulled all the throws I could find over me. I lay there praying for a better day tomorrow. Funny that – an Athiest praying when they’re in need. I often extol the virtues of solo travel. There really is nothing like it. Except when you get sick. And then it’s shit