Greece - Korina Miller [244]
Sleeping
Varosi ( 23810 21865; www.varosi.gr, in Greek; Arhiereos Meletiou; s/d incl breakfast €55/70; ) This atmospheric pension is tucked away in the eponymous old quarter. It’s a family-owned, restored traditional Macedonian wood-and-stone house, furnished with antique brass beds (though the mattresses can be rock-hard), fine linen and colourful embroidery. In winter, the lounge rooms are kept warm and cosy by log fires; in summer, there’s a flower-filled balcony for relaxing over coffee.
Hagiati ( 23810 51500; www.hagiati.gr, in Greek; s/d incl breakfast €60/70; ) This small guest house, around the corner before Varosi, has a lovely open courtyard and peaceful setting. Fixtures are somewhat more modern, but it’s still a nice choice.
Varosi Four Seasons ( 23810 51440; 6983187397 www.varosi.gr; Arhiereos Meletiou; d incl breakfast from €70; ) Wow! The enterprising daughters of Anastasia Salahora (owner of the Varosi, above) have created Edessa’s first boutique hotel – just down the road from mum. Of the 10 rooms, six have views of the great outstretched Edessa plain (as does the great outdoor verandah cafe). Rooms are pristine and sumptuously decorated, with a honeymoon feel, and service is friendly and attentive.
Eating
Raeti ( 23810 28769; 18 Oktovriou 20; mezedhes €3-5, mains €5.50-8) Try the well-prepared Macedonian fare, such as mezedhes and filling meat dishes, here.
Katarraktes Edessas ( 23810 27810; Kapetan Gareti-Perdika 1; mains €5-9) Publicly owned Katarraktes Edessas, before the falls, has both outdoor and indoor dining. The menu is standard but dependable.
Getting There & Around
From the bus station ( 23810 23511; Pavlou Mela 13) buses serve Thessaloniki (€7.50, two hours, hourly), Veria (€4.20, one hour, five daily) and Athens (€41.60, eight hours, three daily). Florina buses depart from another station ( 23810 29600), 30m away.
The train station ( 23810 23510; Leoforos Nikis) has trains to Thessaloniki (€3.70), Larisa (€6), Athens (€17), Kozani (€3) and Florina (€2.60).
Edessa is easily walkable; alternatively, take a taxi ( 23810 22904).
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FLORINA ΦΛΩΡΙΝΑ
pop 15,555
Nestled between mountains in a verdant valley, Florina (flo-rih-nah) is famous throughout Greece for its sweet red peppers. It’s also a small student town – visibly attested in the busy cafes on its central pedestrian street. In evenings, its river is a favourite place for leisurely strolls.
Florina is also the gateway to the Prespa Lakes to the west, and is about 40km south of Bitola, the first major city in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM); the two have certain resemblances. Also, a small ski resort, Vigla, is located 15km west of Florina on the Prespes road.
Despite having only three small museums, Florina is important historically. It was the northernmost town occupied and subsequently annexed by Greek troops during the Balkan Wars of 1912–13, and near the front in subsequent wars. The issue of a (Slavic) Macedonian minority in Greece, which the government denies outright, has always been sensitive in Florina and nearby villages, where a significant percentage of the ‘Greek’ population speak the Macedonian language. Heavy, though subtle, pressure from Greek society, media and government has suppressed it, but if you have sharp ears and local awareness, you will still hear Macedonian spoken in Florina and environs, though mostly by older people.
Orientation
Florina is divided by a river, and curves below a forested peak on its western edge. The central street, Pavlou Mela, leads to the main square (Plateia Georgiou Modi). Pavlou Mela’s western, pedestrianised half is lined with cafes.
From the bus station, head downhill on either of two roads hemming in the city park and cross Kastrisianaki to reach Pavlou Mela, or veer southwest onto Stefanou Dragoumi and after 300m find Plateia Georgiou Modi, marking the beginning of the pedestrianised half of Pavlou Mela. The river’s just south.
From the train station, Pavlou Mela