Travelling Slow

Florina to Vatochori: the Prespa Lakes

Years ago, I tried to hitchhike up to the Prespa Lakes, but was stopped at a military checkpoint not far from Kastoria. This was forbidden territory for decades, following the Greek Civil War from 1946-49. We listened to stories of that brutal time, met children who’d grown up in exile behind the Iron Curtain, and saw the memorials to both sides.

The area is still little touched by tourism, despite the spectacular scenery and rich wildlife. Squadrons of pelicans cruised over the lakes, and the mountain meadows sparkled with spring flowers. We found our hiking muscles, and pitched our little tent for the first time.

Route: Florina, Pisoderi, Aghios Georgios, Mikrolimni, Vatochori

Path through beech woods with trees arching over hikers — **Beechwoods above Florina**

Colourful wild flowers in the meadows among the Vitsi beech woods — **Vigla range, Florina to Pisoderi**

Beechwoods and alpine meadows Vitsi — **Meadows and beechwoods, Florina to Pisoderi**

Close up of blue and yellow wild pansies — **Wild pansies**

Remote rocky peaks of Trivouni as the mist comes down — **Trivouni peaks, Florina to Pisoderi**

Track to Vigla through meadows with scattered trees and horses — **Down towards Pisoderi**

Tiny Pisoderi hamlet surrounded by forest — **Pisoderi**

Ninety year old Kostas outside his hotel Eleni at Pisoderi — **Kostas, who joined the Resistance aged 16. Outside the Hotel Eleni, Pisoderi**

View of both Prespa lakes with causeway between, and storm clouds — **First view of Prespa Lakes**

Still blue waters of Little Prespa Lake with mountains behind — **Little Prespa**

Colourful Byzantine frescoes at Aghios Germanos church, above the Prespa Lakes — Aghios Georgios church

Around Lake Prespa

Priest in traditional black clothes with beard seated among ruins of Aghios Achilleos church — **On Aghios Achilleos**

Memorial stone for the fighters of the left wing Democratic Army

Honour and glory to the men and women who fought for the Democratic Army of Greece 1946 – 1949.

Old boat painted with mermaid among the rushes on Lake Prespa — Beside the lake

View of Lake Prespa from our tent with poppies in front and mountains behind — ***View from our tent, Mikrolimni***

Cafe at water's edge with view of Lake Prespa — ***Mikrolimni taverna, Lake Prespa***

Litatsi inlet on Lake Prespa with wooded hills behind — **Litatsi, heading inland from Lake Prespa**

Path to Sfika abandoned village through meadows and trees — Alan among the grass and wild flowers on the path to Sfika abandoned village

Forest as far as you can see in the Varnous range — **No waymarks and some tricky route finding from Sfika to Vatochor**i

Faint track hard to find across hillside through trees