Greece - Korina Miller [253]
TRAIN
Xanthi’s train station ( 25410 22581; Terma Kondyli) serves Komotini (€2, one hour, seven daily) and Alexandroupoli (€3.70, 1½ hours, seven daily). Other trains head west to Thessaloniki (€9, four hours, seven daily), with four of them continuing on to Athens (€30, 10 hours). Taxis to/from the train station cost €3 to €5.
Getting Around
No Olympic Air buses serve Hrysoupoli, only taxis (€35). Alternatively, take a Kavala-bound bus to Hrysoupoli, then a taxi 12km to the airport.
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AROUND XANTHI
North of Xanthi, the fascinating, off-the-beaten-track Pomakohoria (Pomak villages) area lies tucked into the gentle folds of the Rhodopi Mountains, which form the border with Bulgaria. These 25 or so villages host a unique population of Bulgarian-speaking Muslims, the Pomaks, who spill across the borders and whose ethnic identity is a subject of some uncertainty (even to themselves). In Greece, they speak Greek, Bulgarian and Turkish and, along with the more confidently Turkish Turks of the region, are officially classified as ‘Greek Muslims’ by the government. During the Cold War, this border area was kept off-limits and tourists today are still rare.
Along with their lovely and unspoiled natural setting, some Pomak villages offer unique activities, such as the hot mineral baths of Thermes, 43km north of Xanthi. The main bath, in a building opposite the village church, costs money to enter; however the other, outdoor, bath is free – from the tiny village shop-restaurant, it’s about 100m to the right-hand side and below the main road. The baths are relaxing and therapeutic (various medical ailments are treated by professionals at the indoor one), so enjoy, but don’t forget that since the Pomakohoria is a conservative area the baths are no place for debauchery, shouting or gleeful nudity.
Hill walking is wonderful here, though there are no marked trails. However, a 90-minute walk along the road to the remote hamlet of Kidaris, just across from Bulgaria, offers stunning mountain views and total serenity; indeed, since it’s is now essentially uninhabited, you’re unlikely to see anyone along the way.
Rustic country lunches of salad and spit-roasted goat or lamb (€7) are available in Thermes at the shop-restaurant, Kafe Psistaria O Kalemtzi. The owner, Kemal Kalemtzi, also provides simple rooms at Enikiazomena Domatia Kalemtzi Kemal ( 25540 22474, 6977597500; d €20) in an adjacent building. His son, Hassan, speaks English.
Getting There & Away
The Pomakohoria is accessible as a day trip from Xanthi, by car and even by bus (about 90 minutes). The bus for Thermes (€4.10 one way) leaves at 6.30am daily, and returns to Xanthi at 3.30pm. A later bus leaves Xanthi for Thermes at 2.10pm, but thus requires an overnight in Thermes.
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KOMOTINI ΚΟΜΟΤΗΝΗ
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Komotini (ko-mo-tih-nee), 52km east of Xanthi, is the Rhodopi prefecture’s provincial capital and central Thrace’s biggest town. Despite its backwater nature, Komotini boasts several intriguing museums and historic buildings, and its prominent university population gives the town some measure of nightlife. These students, hailing from all over Greece, fill the cafes in the main square (Plateia Irinis).
This student body also dilutes the visibility of Komotini’s Muslim presence; roughly half the population is Turkish – the largest percentage in any major Greek town. While Greeks and Turks cohabit the town amicably enough, they do generally live separate lives.
The main attractions of Komotini, built in the 4th century AD, stem from this mixed heritage, comprising Byzantine churches, Ottoman mosques and neoclassical mansions. So explore Komotini’s street markets and characteristic old quarters,