Thursday 12th November – Philippi to Thermes

A nice hot shower and sunshine are a good way to start the day, as is a walk on the beach, directly in front of the campsite.  We were going to have a swim, but the water temperature is a little low these days.

Near to Kavala is Philippi.  We weren’t really sure what to expect there as all the Lonely Planet guide says is “...a Roman site where Christianity was first accepted in Europe...”. SPOT

We thought we would call in as it was only a few kilometres away and I’m glad we did.  As well as a fairly impressive theatre,

there was a hill top acropolis and extensive remains of the forum,

agora, temples,

and several early basilicas

including an octagonal church, the floor of which is covered by mosaics.

We escaped just as a Greek school party arrived - we get used to having sites to ourselves so it’s quite annoying when others turn up and spoil our peace and quiet.

Back on the motorway we travelled east to Xanthi before coming off to wind our way 40km up the Rhodopi Mountains to the north, on the border with Bulgaria.  The Pomak villages there are predominantly Muslim, so we saw minarets glittering in the afternoon sunshine and traditionally dressed ladies carry their bundles down the middle of the road.

We were heading to Thermes, the location of some free hot baths we wanted to try the next morning before returning to Xanthi.  There was some confusion as there are three Thermes marked on our map, so we carried on to the “largest” and pulled up in the village “square” outside what we thought was the Kalemtzi restaurant, which the Lonely Planet said has rooms to let in an adjacent building.

We were greeted by a bespectacled old man and his wife, neither of whom spoke any English (which isn’t really surprising), and through sign language they directed us left for accommodation.  We ventured a few doors down in search of a likely looking building, watched by two young lads who had been shooting sparrows with their air rifle as we entered the village.  After a few minutes we were beginning to wonder if we had the right place and returned to the restaurant (although it looked like it had been a while since any food had been served up, with bare Formica tables and empty display cabinets).  A long “conversation” ensued, and, before they tried to explain for the fifth time, Anne realised they were saying the spa and accommodation were 3km down the road, not three houses down the street.

Back in the Land Rover and in the twilight we negotiated the narrow streets and headed back to continue a little further down the main road, first spotting the hot bath by the right hand side of the road,

then the restaurant and row of chalets in a fourth Thermes.

Slightly relieved we got booked in and were shown what was cooking in the kitchen as they didn’t do menus - beef and lamb stews with potatoes followed on from feta and shredded cabbage and carrot mezedhes, all washed down with some ouzo (the latter being just for me as Anne’s off alcohol for some reason). SPOT