The Pink Route: Trekkers' Etiquette OR Alonissos Travelogue Part 13

The reader of this travelogue will by now be well-acquainted with the landscape and paths of Alonissos. Thus there are no surprises to begin this, the description of the third and penultimate of my walks on the island: the route from Patitiri to Steni Vala. This is particulary the case given the fact that the first leg of this walk is exactly the same as that of the white route, taking the walker from Patitiri to Mega Nero via a pleasant detour off the main road to the hora.

Indeed, after this stretch there is little else of note till at least half way to Steni Vala. Which is not to say that the initial stages of this route are dull or in any way unpleasant. It is rather that in comparison to what lies ahead, the route that takes one from Mega Nero to the half-way point on a quiet dirt road interspersed with short spells lopping off a bend or two via a quick jaunt through a glade of pines is simply a pleasant stroll...


Twin cypresses snapped on the dirt road through Rahes, stage 1 of the walk to Steni Vala

... the real work begins when this dirt road hits the main road at the northern edge of the region known as Rahes.

On connecting with the main road I knew I had a kilometre or so on the asphalt so I whacked on my ipod to enjoy Giannis Parios' Nisiotika in the kind of landscape that they were written for. I must have got through about 4 or 5 songs by the time I reached the beginning of the footpath to Steni Vala. Here at the right hand side of the road lay a sign beyond which a dirt path descended into a lush valley scarred by the grey stony vein of a dried up river bed. I had found my way to the middle of the island and the sea, though visible to my right was not yet my immediate destination. First I would have to follow the river bed for a whiles before ascending a table topped hill onto a rocky plateau. This was more like it I thought, unhooking my earphones and silencing my ipod.

Then it was off down into the ravine, hopping from one smoothe sun-bleached stone to the next and all the time looking out for the familiar red splotches of paint that would tell me when to leave this river bed and start ascending the dark bulk of the hill to my left. After a little whiles, the way-markers appeared and I cut sharply north, first through an olive grove, then over a low wall, and eventually into the thick shade of some deciduous trees where I started my ascent onto the plateau.

This was exactly the kind of challenge I needed after the Sunday stroll along the dirt road. The path was becoming steeper, composed now of exposed rock steps leading me, bouncing on the balls of my feet, with ever increasing levels of endorphines, ever upwards through a mosaic of sky and branches.

Hitting the top of the hill, I found myself, as the guide had described, skirting the perimeter fence of a stable stuffed with goats and surrounded by quacking ducks before entering out onto a dirt road... whereupon I came face to face with a lost Greek holiday couple in a car whom it pleased me to set off on the right path, with an appropriate wish I might add, in their own language.

And that is the thing about Greek: it seems to have a wish for every occasion. In our, in this case, impoverished tongue, we can only muster the following set responses for occasions of non-celebration:

Have a nice meal!
Have a nice trip!

And perhaps 'Have a nice walk!' and other wishy-washy combinations along the lines of:

'Have a _____!'

But in Greek one can, and indeed, at times, should, come up with one of the following on parting depending on the occasion:

Kali douleia! = Something like 'have a nice working day'.
Kalo dromo! = Something like 'have a nice trip' but for driving; or 'safe drive'
Kalo banio! = 'Have a nice swim'
Kali diaskedasi! = Literally 'good entertainment' but in my experience seems to be the kind of thing that is said when one needs an all purpose, non-specific wish as is the case with
Kali sineheia! = which means something like 'keep on keeping on'!

As is so often the case with exclamations, one can feel a little strange using them if they have no equivalent in your language -- no doubt because they lack an emotional connotation for the non-native speaker and are thus too close to empty gestures. In fact, although I have been speaking and living with Greeks for 8 years now, I still do not feel completely comfortable with them.

So it was that at the close of my conversation with the lost Greek couple, having shown them where they were on the map, I made them endure a pregnant pause as I, aware that a wish was required yet unsure which one would be appropriate, detained them a moment or two before releasing them with the utterance:

Kali Ekdromi! = 'Good excursion'

By the looks on their faces, it seemed that this would do and off they went, bound for Steni Vala, as was I... but by an considerably more scenic route.