Country Walks around Karya Country Escapes
Back to the date where the words "car" and "asphalt" could not be found in many dictionaries, transportation was done through completely different means: walking or donkey riding! The locals had created a whole network of footpaths, which led them from the southernmost to the northernmost point of Skopelos or from an eastern to a western direction.
The time needed to cross these paths varied. It could take from 1-5 hrs, especially if they decided to stop along the way for a picnic and some wine. A leisurely walk could also include socialising between the locals that happened to meet along a winding path. This was a great way to find out about the happenings on the other end of the island or just gossip; remember, it was an era where the word "telephone" had not been added to the dictionaries yet.
The time needed to cross these paths varied. It could take from 1-5 hrs, especially if they decided to stop along the way for a picnic and some wine. A leisurely walk could also include socialising between the locals that happened to meet along a winding path. This was a great way to find out about the happenings on the other end of the island or just gossip; remember, it was an era where the word "telephone" had not been added to the dictionaries yet.
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The above mentioned era does not date back to hundreds of years, amazingly, the credits of this "documentary" roll up during the late 70's, beginning of 80's.
The first few cars appeared on Skopelos at the time, and the first paved car roads started to replace the foot paths leading to the main settlements of the island. Cars started replacing donkeys and asphalted roads replaced or intersected the paths. As a result, foot paths started to disappear due to the overgrowth and lack of volunteer work time needed. |
The few paths that survive today are still used extensively by the older generation of locals that refused to put an end to the traditional means of transportation. When walking through these paths, one can still hear the whispers and visualise the locals resting under the thick canopy of pine trees.
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