From Halkidiki we headed eastward.
Somewhere on our way we left the region of Macedonia to enter into
the region of Thrace. This is a region that strechtes out in three
states, Greece in the west, Bulgaria in the north, and Turkey in the
east. It has always been the passage way between the Asian east and
the European west and thus a region where cultures met and mingled.
On our way east we gradually saw the influence of islam become
visible, more east means more mosques and more veiled women, also in
this part of Greece.
In ancient times Persian kings named
Darius and Xerxes passed through here on their way westward, and
later Alexander the Great left Makedonia through here on his conquers
towards the far east. About 120 BC the Roman consul Egnatia had the
route surfaced and turned into a real road, therefore the name: Via
Egnatia. And today the two of us use the same road on our venture to
the east. So we are certainly not the first travellers to pass
through here and use this pavement, we feel in good company (though
on different means of transport).
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