Great Journey 🏍 Day 222
"Learn from nature's speed: its secret is patience."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Only when we immerse ourselves in nature do we realise how well we are doing here. The four of us hike down 400 metres in altitude (depth metres?) from the car park to the first small lakes that feed off the Polylimnio waterfalls. The water rushes through the gorge in a fantastic blue-green colour and makes the grasses, bushes and trees blossom and grow. Lizards, numerous species of birds and a host of small animals clearly feel at home here.
We climb along the edge of the river, meet other excursionists (because it's Sunday!), crawl through the undergrowth and jump gazelle-like from stone island to stone island. (Unfortunately there are no pictures of the gazelle-grace, well...) Higher and higher, towards the biggest waterfall.
Several times we cross aging wooden bridges, have to go over and over. At the actually most beautiful place, Kadoula Lake, the largest of the 15 lakes in the gorge, we chat briefly with other travellers and then immediately take the climb up a rather steep climbing path. Why don't we enjoy the lake? Why are we driven further?
As I said, we are not the only ones here. And not everyone enjoys it in the same way as we do: in peace. Here, the bass from a mobile box "mfta-mfta-mfta" drowns out the birdsong and Coke & Co flow unabashedly into the many plastic cups (which we hope will be taken home again).
So we set off, scrambling along the rock wall a bit at a time, Christian ahead, he has the belaying rope with him, we grope along behind him in shoes that are now wet. He secures us with hand and rope, we trust him. Always a look at him, another one when we pause, down into the gorge, at the water, at the play of colours. Because this kind of jungle experience is not so often found in Greece.
And as quickly and spontaneously as we started the hike, it ends quite suddenly on a gravel road. The circular route is called the jungle circuit. We thought. But well, so 1/2 jungle, 1/2 gravel road plus blazing sun and olive groves.
Back at the car park, we sit on the abandoned kiosk terrace, free our wet, shrivelled feet, hang our shoes and stockings in the sun and unpack the picnic pack we carried with us the whole hike. Hach - how beautiful!
#polilymnio #waterfall #wandergrüppli
