Greece - Korina Miller [259]
Koukouli Inn ( 25540 22400; fax 25540 22441; Olorou 14; s/d incl breakfast €45/55), built in 1850 for harvesting and screening silkworm cocoons, offers atmospheric accommodation. It’s opposite town hall.
Soufli also has ATMs and services – and perhaps Greece’s smallest old-school bus station.
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DIDYMOTIHO ΔΙΔΥΜΟΤΕΙΧΟ
pop 8700
Rough-and-tumble Didymotiho (dih-dih-mo-tih-ho), a military outpost just beyond Soufli, has significant historical ruins. Aside from them, however, it’s fairly sleepy, as opposed to a place where you would want to sleep, thus making it better for a day trip or drive-by from Orestiada (below) than an overnight stay. Didymotiho has ATM-equipped banks, pharmacies and a small, central Tourism information centre ( 25530 22222).
The town’s name derives from its once-magnificent double walls (didymo ‘twin’, tihos ‘wall’), the remains of which stand proudly in its upper town. Founded in the late 8th century as a hinterland fort for Constantinople, Didymotiho became an important Byzantine town, and was the birthplace of numerous eminent figures. In 1341, Byzantine Emperor John Kantakouzenis was crowned here. When Turkish Sultan Murad I conquered in 1361, Didymotiho briefly became his capital, before being relocated in 1365 to Adrianople (modern Edirne, Turkey).
Didymotiho’s plateia is marked by a huge, pyramid-roofed mosque, ordained by Murad and finished in 1368 by his son Bayezit – thus, Bayezit’s Mosque. It was Europe’s first, and the biggest the Ottomans would build there. Today it lies in forlorn disrepair, its minaret topless, windows smashed and walls crumbling.
A steep walk from the main square passes Ottoman-style timber-framed houses and winds into the upper town. Near the Church of Agios Athanasios, well-preserved sections of Didymotiho’s Byzantine walls, and strange catacomb-like side structures remain.
If you’re thirsty, stop for lemonade at the iconic Café Samantha, which has impressive views over Didymotiho’s traditional roofs as far as the river. Kindly old Leftheris, the owner, can point out the symbol of Byzantine noble Tarhaniotis, engraved in the wall above his cafe’s garden.
Getting There & Away
From Didymotiho the main road continues 20km to Orestiada, Evros’ last major town. However, if you hug the river on the old road (or are travelling by train), it’s around 35km between them.
Buses run hourly from Orestiada (€1.70, 20 minutes).
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ORESTIADA ΟΡΕΣΤΙΑΔΑ
pop 25,000
Orestiada is the largest town beyond Alexandroupoli, with reasonable amounts of shopping, social life and services. It’s a good base for day trips to Didymotiho, plus totally unvisited villages and other historic sites. Orestiada’s also the jumping-off point for Bulgarian Thrace or nearby Edirne in Turkey. It’s also just south of Kastanies village, with its popular summer music festival.
Orestiada was built in 1923, during the population exchanges between Greece and Turkey. Unlike most of the ragged refugees, however, the dignified residents of the new Orestiada chose to leave their homes on the Turkish side of the river together and resettle in an organised way. Like other border towns, Orestiada has a robust military presence, though actual uniformed soldiers are less noticeable than are the suited businessmen on army-related contracts.
Orientation & Information
From Orestiada’s train station walk uphill on Vasileos Konstantinou; the intersection with Anthanasiou Pantazidou reaches the central square. Turn left on Pantazidou for the Hotel Elektra, cafes, restaurants and post office; turn right for the tourist information and Web internet cafe. ATM-equipped banks hug the main square. Shops are on Konstantinopoleos, parallel with Pantazidou opposite the square. The bus station’s also nearby; follow Vasileos Konstantinou for