By John Thomsen
It was a perfect May Day in Macedonia, so I decided to head with friends to the Pozar Baths in Loutraki. I was a visitor in the area, however, and hadn’t a clue as to how many happy campers between 3 and 93 had the same brilliant idea and were already there soaking up the wonderfully warm, healing waters. The beauty of the place itself is therapy. Out came our iPhones and we all started snapping shot after shot of the cascading falls and lush vegetation that surrounded us. Next into our swimsuits and down a few steps before happily collapsing for some time into the warm, therapeutic waters of the Pozar.
Of course, being May Day, called Protomagia in Greece, someone in our group mentioned food. Eating is one of Greece’s most cherished national pastimes, so with the smell of lamb drifting tantalizingly through the air from spits of nearby campers it took absolutely no persuasion. Off we went to a taverna within walking distance that was already feeding dozens of loving, laughing families that had anticipated the onslaught of other hungry Greeks. Luckily after our momentary fears of being turned away from this packed house, we spotted the perfect table and ran for it before it disappeared. Awwwww…now to order a kilo of wine and five or six appetizers. The one I can never live without is tzatziki, made of strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and herbs! But of course, with four of us everyone has a favorite so…. skordalia, fava, tarama, etc.…all fabulous choices! Then the lamb, the beef, and the chicken were ordered. With hundreds of Greeks to feed the meat on the spit took some time to roast, but in the meantime, we had a wonderful time chatting, laughing and getting a little tipsy while drinking excellent Macedonian wine and enjoying our mezedes (appetizers) with lovely thick slices of freshly baked bread.
But we hadn’t had dessert yet….so off to Edessa, a nearby town, for generous bowls of ice cream and double cappuccinos! After sitting a bit, enjoying people watching, we crossed the street and entered Waterfall Park. I like to know the history of a place and I noticed an elderly lady on a bench feeding the birds. I introduced myself, and as I’d thought, she turned out to be not only delightful but since she had lived in Edessa her entire life, she was very knowledgeable. She shared with me some of the history of the falls including that she had met her husband to be next to one of them 65 years earlier. According to her the falls and other waterways within Edessa were formed about 700 years ago after a powerful earthquake had violently shaken much of the region of Pella, the region in which Edessa is located. Pella is the area where Alexander the Great was born approximately 2,400 years ago.
What a joy to see the power of nature in action. To be able to walk behind one of these thundering falls. And how special it is to be there on May Day when many women and young girls wear a “magiatikio Stefani “in their hair, a crown made of every beautiful wildflower that is blooming in early spring, including my favorite, brilliant red poppies. There were even two little girls wearing small, flowered ornaments in their hair as they rode proudly through the park on a pinto pony with their father.