First Winter Peripatetic Encounters, Land Beyond, 30.12.2015 - 02.01.2016
Five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year! We welcomed the New Year in Land Beyond, fourty five people adults and children, laughing, kissing and wishing each other a better, more peaceful and happy New Year! We all took part in the first Winter Peripatetic Encounters. On the 30th of December all arrivals concluded so that we had the welcome dinner at "Kanela and Garyfalo" restaurant.
Under the sunny last day of the year we walked the path from Vitsa to Dilofo; we entered the village of Dilofo singing the "kalanta" of New Year´s Eve, a traditional song of the day.
We went on to the Info Point of the National Park of Northern Pindos, where despite the day (when all civil servants work only until noon) Sofia and Artemis went through all info session answering all our questions or comments. We thank them for that.
At New Year´s Eve at the Land Beyond, Dioni Vardaka presented to us the history and activities of her organization "Panos&Cresida4Life"inviting us to support it.
We had a nice New Year´s Eve with traditional food and nice jazz music.
On the first day of 2016, we walked the distance between Zavrouchos (at Monodendri) and Ano Pedina with a stay at Aghia Paraskeui Monastery. We had lunch at "Dizaki" restaurant.
In the afternoon, Thanos Tzimeros introduced us to his speech "Challenges of 2016", followed by discussion, talkings and a friendly dinner.
What was most exquisite event though was the walk from Aristi to Klidonia, the same route that we do by boat when we do rafting down the river Voidomatis. It is a very nice path, recently restored with info signs, its changings reminding one of the Vikos Gorge crossing.
The spot in Aghioi Anargyroi Monastery is very interesting. It was a very refreshing moment.
Afterwards we had the chance to taste traditional dishes of Zagori, drinking "tsipouro" in "En Aristi" at the central place of Aristi village.
The departing ceremony took place in "Dyo Sternes" in Land Beyond; everyone had to close in one single word the meaning of the Encounter.
The next day it started raining and it did not cease until night. It was as if the weather waited the end of our activity, to turn bad. We were excited though to see the two cisternes (Dyo Sternes) filling with rain water after having been restored and used again after 75 years.
Indeed one can hardly think of a better kicking off for the New Year!
