Ton van Zutphen / first time ever trip traveling / walking the Eastern part of SICILY, Italy (2015) / including Etna and Stromboli volcanoes / Oct. 31 – Nov. 6

Ton van Zutphen / first time ever trip traveling / walking the Eastern part of  SICILY,  Italy (2015) / including Etna and Stromboli volcanoes / Oct. 31 – Nov. 6   

How to start…Italy and certainly Sicily, has a name and fame…for beauty, weather, its charm, the food…the Italian way of doing and moving. These days one has to look for it…certainly in Sicily, which has become an island where tourism beats all drums; significant economic activity is hard to observe. Still lots of small traders around which conveys a pleasant feeling.  Obviously I had to ply the tourist spots but then…even in the normal towns like Catania and Milazzo, I found it difficult to find simple, straightforward old fashioned authenticity.  I had trouble finding the good restaurants where the locals go…. although my Italian is good enough.

There is a daily flight from Istanbul to Catania and upon arrival I decided to walk into town. Always good to sniff the air…along the derelict industrial area and the port. Two thoughts came up:

1 in my development/humanitarian work donors always talk about sustainability…long term expected results…well the EU/State supported industrialisation of Sicily has led to a vast, barren and non-operational area for hundreds of hectares between the airport and the town of Catania…Could it be like this all over Sicily? I trust not but yes I saw quite a bit of it later from the train rides I took;
2. Suddenly I started to compare the yachting port of Coconut Grove in Miami with its neatly stacked freshly painted boats, to the leisure port in Catania….unfortunately worlds and decennia’s apart.
The Southern part of Italy I learned at my university classes was called the Mezzagiorno (meaning the ‘afternoon’)…a region where life goes on but not too fast and where the climate and culture were dominating the life and work ethics. It is clearly still there. Indeed it has its charm. On the other hand, poverty resulted as early as 1850 that thousands of Sicilians left for greener pastures, some of them becoming quite successful in the US / famous like Frankie ‘boy’ Sinatra's family…others notorious like Al Capone in Chicago.

I checked into the Agathae hotel on the Via Etnea 229 a central location in Catania  (I found out later that I was often welcomed as the guest who had the pleasure to find the last room available…and then never saw any other guests around…haha). Had a Bangladeshi meal of dal, bhat, curry and my Dhaka days came back. Washed it down with half a litre of dark Sicilian red ‘Nero d’Avola’ in a trattoria just off the main street where the weekly weekend market takes place with mostly (illegal) immigrants selling things that I am surprised will find a large clientele. Anyway that is Italy for you: a lot of street life and selling stuff all over.

By the way…the dark ‘black-nero’ red Avola wine was suggested so precious in the past it was called in the Netherlands the ‘tears of Christ’.

The next morning on All Saints Day I went to the cathedral and loved the quietness of this vast Baroch style building. Mass was said for about 40 devotees. It had started to rain and that is why I decided to travel to Ragusa and Noto first. Also in Ragusa a few hours later the ‘John the Baptist’ cathedral was impressive with mass ongoing until 13 hours. 
The whole day upto 15 hours in Ragusa…the only people on the street seemed to be coming from church or those buying cigarettes from the vending machines. It was eerie to be in such a large town without people. I found the secluded ‘Trattoria Tinchita’, managed by young people on the Via Sant’Anna and had the best Campari soda in my life! Sitting outside in the coolness under a veranda I enjoyed the simple and good home cooked food while the rain continued...the few passers-by must have considered me mentally deranged…or alcoholic! Who knows, perhaps both. I was immensely enjoying myself. In the end there was no bus nor train to take me out of town so I checked into the anonymous Best Western (which wasn’t a B.W. anymore…but to attract customers they had kept the signs…). The once beautiful bridge over the river Santa Benedicta has been totally spoilt by an ugly iron railing to keep the jumpers off. Incredible…how burocracy can kill beauty.

On ‘All Souls Day’, very early I boarded the commuter train to Noto. Painted all over with graffiti… even the windows inside…A very quiet ride of over two hours through tunnels and valleys fielding the typical Mediterranean landscape (olive trees, orchards with millions of oranges, and bush). Now here is a pretty town: Noto is not to miss! I wandered a few hours through this beautiful Baroque town with its churches, some of them huge!, with scores of ill kept monasteries and palaces and everywhere 18^th century built houses to admire. A real treat for the eye. Featuring a piazza and market where the old (male) city dwellers talk, drink coffee and ‘aperitivos’, amidst clouds of cigarette smoke. Just imagine to have been borne here and return upon retirement and meet the old family and friends again. And settle in this unique town until heaven calls you. Bought a large chunk of mortadella, bread and black olives for lunch and sat munching in a park. Then late afternoon moved on with the bus to Catania and switched onto another bus to Nicolosi Sud. Interestingly the privatisation of the public bus system in Sicily has led to a plethora of bus companies, some of them without parking places…it is really go and look for which company goes where at what time. The bus stopped at 19 hours and I checked into the only hotel…again anonymous…something like Pin Ain…again I was the only customer in this non eventful place. Although I did purchase the famous and high quality per barba and pre barba ProRaso shaving soap and creme at very favorable prices....definitely good stuff!   www.proraso.com. 

Morning 3^rd November I continued with the bus to the foot of the ETNA, active volcano, rode the cable car upto 2500 metres and then walked for about 90 minutes to 2920 metres to enjoy the world famous ETNA crater and all its beauty in the snow. Yes, again this was worthwhile: snow, lava rocks, lava sands and ash and a nice hilly climb and descent; air pure again with astonishing vistas and the cloud patterns changing all the time! The full climb to the summit at 3329 metres is doable without great exercise throughout the summer. Not this time for me without a guide nor winter gear. Nevertheless…it is a barren volcano, unlike the STROMBOLI where one walks more through the clover and bushes. Tourists were ferried to the 2900 metres viewpoint in large IVECO Unimog type trucks. Impressive. When I came down I had to wait for 4 hours to catch the return bus so I started walking and got a ride from some Germans who took me to Catania where I had my first and best ‘Arancini’ in a local trattoria. Very tasteful and it reminded me of the Dutch/Indonesian ‘nasi-bal’ that you only find in the Netherlands. I never looked for the other typical Sicilian snack ‘Cannoli’, anticipating it to fatty, sugary and sweet for my taste.

ETNA volcano at 2920 metres

On to Messina with a very slow train and then change to Milazzo, the port, where I walked from the railway station into town and checked into a B&B and had roast chicken and potatoes / and a good sleep in the best room of the house at 50 euros. Breakfast was so disgusting I never ate it…cakes and Nescafe without milk…yeek…not for me.

Then the fast boat to Stromboli island the morning anchoring briefly at the islands of Volcano, Lipara, Panarea and finally Stromboli's main port. Now inhabited in November by let’s guess max. 2.000 people. In the summer I guess tripling that number. In the old days of the Bergmann/Rossellini movie making couple, this trip must have taken upto six hours with old steamboats…1949…was the time…with technology used that pre dates the 2^nd World War. Must have been indeed a very isolated place to live…only fishermen catching tuna, and a few shepherds in those days and all young males gone off to Napoli, Messina, Palermo or the USA. The two fell in love while the movie ‘Stromboli, terra di Dio’’ was made (a raw ‘naturalist style’ movie showing a real eruption, though small, of the volcano!).  Ingrid and Roberto, although both married, had a child, divorced their spouses and then married each other…it created a scandal in the USA…even in Hollywood! I passed the house, nicely painted sandy-rose colour…where it all happened.  

Stromboli volcano from San Bertolo village

I checked into a pension ‘La Pergola’; good enough and the nice thing is that it is all walking on the island. Streets are too narrow for cars…only the short 300 metres coastal road at the harbour is fit for vehicles…the usual Vespa scooters and Aprilia tricycles run the race here with a lot of noise. In the afternoon at around three o’clock we walked up the volcano for about 3 hours with a guide called Antonio and a group of 28 participants each of which was charged 28 euros. Antonio made a nice income for himself that day…tax free as well I suppose; no bills, no receipts: cash in his hands. He did not explain anything just was busy in a nice and professional manner to keep the group together…only one Italian called Andrea  in the group by the way…many Germans, Belgians, French this time. Several had to go back because they were not fit. Nice climb / hilly not difficult; really worth it and then the peak of the mountain at 926 metres was astonishing: we arrived in the dark and had an hour to look/film the eruptions of the volcano…more like hiccups every 7 minutes…with lava and ash spouting in the air at a distance of less than 80 metres as the crow flies. By ANY standards this is impressive, colourful and something to experience. It was also pretty cold and windy. Going down was different and reminded me of the Kilimanjaro…shuffling through the loose lava sands at high speed; this time in the dark although we all had torches.  ‘Look out Ton…here is where you fall and break a leg’.  A sweaty rundown…all the way to the village in 2 hours…must have lost 2 litres of water. Very tiring for me …and afterwards that ‘sweet pain feeling’ of accomplishment feeling your muscles all over. Walked over to the pension and showered, then slept like a log.

 STROMBOLI: image of the kind of eruption I witnessed...what I saw was smaller though but the fire/colours were there!

Good breakfast next morning and a stroll across the coast and village of san Bartolo; most houses empty; went to church and bought some bread/mortadella again. Then the long boat trip back to Milazzo; bus to Messina and slow train again to Giardini Naxos where I arrived around 6pm; dark again. I decided to walk up the hill to Taormina (the big touristic attraction along Sicily’s eastern coast…I wonder really why…) and nearly had myself driven over by the local ‘Schuhmachers’ that race up and down the large Via Crocefisso that is unlit! But the reward was nice…suddenly I ended up in the centre of the old medieval city where the rich tourists from all over the world think they can do bargain shopping. Factually one restaurant, one shop selling high-end fashion accessories, one ristorante, one shop and so on. I managed to book a room outside the city walls, in the very very nice Hotel Natalina where the owner and his daughter Eva welcomed me with a Sicilian red. Bottle came complementary. Grazie mille! A perfect drink to start the evening.  I followed Eva’s advice and really dined well at ‘Trattoria da Nino’ just up the hill toward the bus station… marinated mussels this time.

Still in Taormina next day I descended the Via Madonna delle Grazie (one dangerous passage with loose rocks) and walked all the way to the resort town of Giardino Naxos to buy a cable for my I-phone. In the church I found a small exposition about the ‘sindona’, Christ’s burial garment…with reference to Edessa…now Urfa in Turkey where I travel regularly. Coincidence…perhaps. Then continued to the Isola Bella where people were still swimming and walked up again the hill to Taormina; finished my bottle of red and had a good siesta. Really not much to see/do in Taormina other than watching shops and people…and the Greek theatre which was closed when I arrived at 4pm. Aggrh! I walked again around town had a sandwich, went to bed early and took the first bus out of town to Catania and was  there in time to see the famous fish market in operation. Good! Very good products; fresh and a lot of hullaballoo…just like a market should be. Unfortunately I choose again the wrong restaurant…food was ok but the horse steak not juicy nor tender. Around noon I started to walk to the airport and flew back to Istanbul in time.

 Here is a pic from a stop over in Istanbul / famous Pudding shop in Sultanahmet quartier

                                                          visited in 1973 / visited again in 2015
                                                                             RICE pudding  

Then back to Gaziantep and home. Really a good time; could have been much better with MSF by myside. Alone is alone. I did meet quite a lot of travelers but we all are individuals…the itinerary has been planned and very few travelers these days…(only these days?) opt for joining a fellow traveller.

Back to work for the last haul..with travels to various parts in Turkey (Mardin, Istanbul, Ankara) and Iraq (Erbil and Dohuk). Change of employer as of January 2016…..coming up soon!

This Sicily parcours I managed by bus, train, ship, hitchhiking and walking: Catania-Ragusa-Noto-Avola-Nicolosi Sud-Etna-Catania-Milazzo-Stromboli-Milazzo-Messina-Giardini Naxos-Taormina-Catania and its airport.

Always shouldered my 35 litres Vaude backpack bought in 2009 / with 9kgs in it

Walking sticks Leki titanium
Total of 148.543 steps = about 104 kms in 7 days…is 15 kms daily average; actually walked really only a couple of hours a day…lots of sitting in trains/buses
Sicily has no substantial long distance trekking routes.

Walking along the MOSEL river in Germany (Ton van Zutphen, September 2015)

A   beauty trip in Germany : walking along the river Mosel  from Cochem to Koblenz (Ton van Zutphen 13-14 September 2015).

 

Everybody sees Father Rhine as ‘la grande fleuve’ in Germany…and true this is. (Note that in German the rivers are masculine, in French feminine…warum denn?). The Rhine is majestic with its busy shipping, and its crossing of Germany from South to North before entering the Netherlands. The Rhine with its 1233 kms is not as long as the Danube with 2855 kms but the latter one only runs for a few hundred kms through the Southern part of Germany toward Austria. Twice I spent  a few months along the Rhine: once in Neuwied am Rhein in 1978 and as of November 2013 some four months in Bonn. The sights that the Rhine offers are pretty, especially from the Drachenfels Mountain in Koenigswinter; though these sights are nowhere near the beauty that offers the Ahr River and the Mosel River. Walking along these two small meandering rivers in Rhine-Westphalia is a treat.  (See my previous blog on the Ahr valley walk).

The ‘Mosel’, ‘la Moselle’ or in Dutch ‘de Moezel’ is known for its picturesque villages all along from the source of this river in France. Everywhere it is simply pretty and cosy, all the way until the Mosel joins the Rhine in the town of Koblenz.  There is the predominantly white Mosel wine already known to the Roman battalions that entered the area close to 200 years BCE. Some ruins and artefacts commemorating that ‘adoring Bacchus’ was an important pastime, do prove this. Somewhere along my walk I saw an inscription that said: Wine is the noblest drink in Germany (Richard von Weissaecker, former President). Although I believe indeed that there are a couple of regions in Germany where wine is very popular (and relatively good!) I would be willing to argue that 95% of Germans would disagree:  BEER is King in Germany…and will always be!  (See my previous blog on Koelsch tasting).

So I took an evening train from Bonn to Cochem town where I could hardly find a hotel room. Checked finally into a very ancient hotel ‘Alte Thorschenke’, had a ‘Veltin’s beer and slept. The next morning I crossed the village of Cochem, still full of mainly Dutch and Belgian tourists sipping coffee, and started my walk with a steep ascent so I could have my first view of the old castle and the vineyards already at 9am. Weather was perfect and nobody on the go…just this Anton boy-man.   The special treat about walking along the Mosel is that in general one goes up the ‘Moselsteig path=hiker’s trail’ and descends every time the next village pops up. Good for the calves of your legs; less good for your knees. The trail guides say this is a difficult route…I do not think so; everybody with a normal pair of legs and lungs can do this; just consider a bit of sweat! The vineyards displayed themselves in abundance…wine ripening; maturing and in some villages the wine harvest parties were already announced (I missed these as most of these start as of mid-September). Villages came and went during the first day: Cochem, Klotten, Pommern, Karden, Moselkern. All of these beautiful…but without a life!!  What has happened in the past 30 years…..Let me tell you my opinion after talking to Heinz in the bar of the hotel ‘Zur Burg Elz’ in Moselkern, where I arrived around 6pm.  Heinz is in his eighties and was having a coffee (and a Schnapps which I offered him gladly)…retired wine farmer… loudly complaining about the lack of ‘stuff happening’ in his village of Moselkern. He said that 30 years ago there were 23 ‘Kneipen’ (local bars) and today only 2. All the younger Germans are leaving, not wanting to do the heavy work that wine growing requires…this is done by cheaper workers from Eastern Europe, who come and go and do not stay nor invest in this village. Then the tens of thousands of tourists that populate the campsites with their tents, caravans and campers (50% Dutch!!) do not buy in the villages nor go there for food/drink. No these guests, loaded with dough, bring all their stuff from the NL, B. or F. or purchase what they need in the large cash and carry markets like Lidl, Netto and Aldi, to name a few. Local businessmen are only few now. Houses are being purchased by ‘tourist immigrants’ that do not integrate….anyway this is an identical story as what happened to many rural areas in France as of the seventies. So..no fun anymore for travellers like me. Even the ‘Kneipe’ in which I met Heinz closed up before 10pm.

All what remains is walking…and oh Lord, the Mosel area really is a pretty sight! I could not understand why so many cyclists believe that their way of pedalling is so good…the cars that pass over the provincial road are in the thousands every hour….the exhaust….pffff. No Good at all. I was seeing all this while walking about 40-to-100 metres higher overlooking the road that follows the meandering of the Mosel. And again…surprise…no fellow walkers at all!

The next day took me through Hatzenport (very nice village with some life), Loef (see pic with vineyards…a dead village!), Kattenes, Lehmen to finally Kobern, where it started to rain so much that I quit and waited for the train to Koblenz…it was 13 hours and only 15 kms walk to Koblenz.  I decided to go for lunch in Koblenz where I had a thick Argentinian streak with a pint of Koenig’s Pilsener. Walk finished.  A bit tired but as MSF would say with ‘sweet pain in the legs and shoulders’. Then train back to Bonn Bad Godesberg.

 

Friends and readers, it is as simple as this: walking in Germany is always good; the scenery along these tested trails remains what it has been for over the 150 years that people walk them. Like me…you will find beer, sausage, sauerkraut somewhere…not everywhere anymore…but somewhere and in that  sense Germany does not change! And I finally tasted some good acrid white Mosel wine….had three big tumblers…and that was enough. I am a red wine drinker!

 Some stats:

1.       I walked on my Meindl’s GTZ with vibram soles

2.       Did 44.200 steps day 1 = about 33 kms (up and down but not too much)

3.       Did 26.700 steps day 2 = about 20 kms even less up and down than day 1

4.       I only had 1 Veltin’s, 2 Bitburg Pilsener's and 1 Koenig’s Pilsener and 3 big glasses of the best     Moselwine I could buy in the only bar I visited. No sweat next morning at 7am

5.       Food…not special…all tourist’s catering these days I am afraid

 Finally…and totally unrelated…although the town of Loef (pronounce Love)…is also exceptional / here is a pic I believe is something special. Anton aus Strijp, Eindhoven in Batman, die Tuerkei!

 

Ton van Zutphen on Mount Olympus in Greece / August 2015

Ton van Zutphen on Mount Olympus in Greece / August 2015

Ton van Zutphen and the Mount OLYMPUS range in Greece…up and away to its 2917 metres peak and summit Mytikas: August 2015  / how to do it the easy way!!!!

 

As part of a wider itinerary during this summer leave, MSF and I decided to walk up and get to the summit with an arduous climbing and clambering of close to one hour and a half, for the very very last stretch to the Greek blue and white flag that marks the highest point of the country.

Interestingly….we had expected that:
 

1. This major mountain ascent, apparently the most popular of all mountains in Greece would be full of mountaineers, backpackers, adventurers; ….nothing like that: even in August when the chance for bad, rainy weather is relatively small. In Litohoro town we saw only one mountain gear shop...and it was closed. No business coz' of the economic slump?

2. Contrary to what all these travel related booking sites want you to believe: there is place enough in all the refuges on the Mt. Olympus. In refuge ‘A’ (called Agapitos at 2060 meters altitude) we were one night the only visitors to use a sleeping hall with 18 bunk beds (only very cold water to shower…straight from the glacier).

3. Equally..no need to rush once you get to the scenic town of Litohoro…have a good sleep first at the hotel/auberge ‘Etinea’, overlooking the picturesque central square, and start walking the next morning; get going not later than 9am. Alternatively from Litohoro, you take a bus or hitchhike to Prionia (get out at the taverna site) and start walking before 4pm to refuge 'A'

4. Some routes indicate a suggested time…again according to travel books / but we took much longer although we walked without long rests / so be aware of positive marketing efforts. Our rhythm was 75 minutes walk and 5-10 minutes rest

 

Getting around and to the top…one walks through a National Park that was established in 1936! So take your water, there are no litterbins…one tries to have a zero eco print. All is kept clean; food and drink can be bought at reasonable prices at the refuges which are stocked up by mule trains. Last stop really during the summer to stock up safe and potable water is at the Prionia taverna...but bottled water can be bought in all the refuges.

 

A few weeks before this trip I consulted several websites but could not define exactly the most logical route to the top…nor exactly the time needed to walk/climb. Indeed there are several alternative ascents to get to the summit. We walked the one, many mountaineers use in case they start from the village of Litohoro. This route ‘for dummies’ as elaborated below can safely be assumed as the less dangerous one…and by the way seems also to be the most beautiful one!

So..why not start in Litohoro, a nice friendly town 10 kms from the sea; apparently with sandy beaches…that we did not visit. From the train station take a cab and/or walk a few kms to where the bus stops…regular buses into Litohoro town.

I recommend to stay in hotel ‘Etinea’ (same name as the river that originates on Mt. Olympus): good value for money, rooms with a view, nice family atmosphere; you can leave your luggage safely here.  Have a meal at ‘MezeMeze' in the village, where Costas the chef served us a very tasty liver dish with mustard sauce, accompanied by the day’s fresh sardines catch and Greek people’s wine ‘Retsina’. Go say hello to George who runs a small tourist shop across the street from the Greek Orthodox Church. George is always there, always helpful, knows everything and everybody; sells more than you would ever think of at bargain prices (he looked for Zorba the Greek, English edition…and could not find it in his shop..haha). Curiously, George like many city dwellers has only seen Mt. Olympus from afar…he has never been further than Prionia…that is ‘by car’ he told me. I am afraid you have to believe me when you want exact knowledge about how to go to the top. Even the staff in the tourist info centre had not done the climb.  MSF and I spent gorgeous time in this pretty and relaxing town. The Church is so well maintained and open throughout the day. The bell tower is impressive and children were playing around it. Couples hugging each other  on the benches under trees, while elderly Greek ladies dressed in black hurried into the Church. Remember it never hurts to pray before the climb!!

 Here is the preferred ASCENT with some comments to cheer you up:

A view of Litohoro and  part of the Mt. Olympus National Park 

Day 1: 

Litohoro-Prionia-Refuge 'A' / Agapitos

We took 6 hours to Prionia;  than a bit less than 4 hours to arrive at refuge 'A' (total over 20kms).

From Litohoro to Prionia start at the hotel ‘Etinea’ and keep going once you enter the National Park….feels good with some heavy walking…up and down; lots of forest but no restos …the 7 bridges one has to cross before arriving at the Prionia taverna…’took forever’. I was carrying a pack of 12 kgs and it was sort of warm, but not sticky and no insects. An array of beautiful mountain flower welcomed us...what a chance to see these as summer is the best season for blooming flowers on Mt. Olympus. Ahhh.. this refreshing fragrance of the pines....cleans the lungs! Nevertheless the track was challenging: up and down is not the natural habitat for a Dutchman ( we are good at running and cycling against the wind in the polders...haha). MSF did much better. A good meal with the obligatory Greek salad and a lovely cheer-up from  MSF at the taverna and we decided to continue and walk to refuge ‘A’….another 4 hours 90% of the path up and up and up….

That was a heavy day for both of us, although we are considered to be fit. The refuge had good food, drinks and it was great to wash the sweat off; with very cold water...definitely less than 10 degrees C.. from a piping system that was connected to the glacier 400 meters up the track. 

Day2:

Refuge 'A' –Skala peak and restpoint – Mytikas (confirmed to be the less dangerous ascent) / then back to Skala, on to the Skolia summit at 2911 metres) and back to refuge 'A'.

The ascent to Skala from the refuge is very scenic and took us well over 2 hours;  all upwards with a stone track less easy than day 1. We had splendid views with darting deer and a herd of wild horses; and  followed a Greek walker called Adonis in his tracks. I had left most of my luggage at the refuge and felt more confident……anyway at the sight of the Mytikas summit I was less assured…I have climbed a bit ‘on all fours’ but not for a very long time…and all around Mytikas summit there are NO safety facilities. Indeed if you slip..and fall…that’s it. You’ll be in heaven or hell earlier than any Greek rescue team will get to you! It took us climbing and clambering over 1 hour to get to the Mytikas top from the Skala restpoint. WOW, I felt pretty good! MSF carrying less weight than I, and not as tall and also more experienced…had a distinctive advantage; wonderful to have a guide to trust and follow! We made it and arrived around noon.  After the usual pics. the descent was also at times scary although the markings where to climb and descent (the latter on all fours again plus your bum!) are very visible and spot on! Back to Skala and then for an easy walk up to the Skolia summit just 8 meters lower than Mytikas but a straightforward path;  followed by a long slow descent back to refuge 'A', where we arrived around 5pm. The descent can be painful for the knees…walking sticks are one’s best friend!

Another heavy day of more than 10 hours walking on Mt. Olympus! Lots of clouds, rain threatened a bit...with rumblings of thunder suggesting that Zeus was moving around with his entourage of gods, muses and Nike,...the goddess of victory. We were indeed treated with majestic vistas…throughout. This landscape has not changed  by the  human hand at all…pure nature. No wonder the ancient Greeks decided this was the place that was inhabited by Zeus and his gods and goddesses.

 

Here are a few do’s and don’ts for the last difficult / possibly dangerous stretch from Skala to Mytikas:

    
          Use good boots with a deep profile on the soles
          Strictly follow the markings : yellow with a red circle
          I had cyclists’ padded gloves on…very very useful
          Have your clothes and backpack fit tightly ; I would consider a pack of 4 kgs as the max.
          It can be hot, and/or cold…use sun cream continuously / plus cap / plus a windbreaker
          Take one litre of water per person plus some energy bars

           

         Don’t climb when the weather is bad…if it rains never go!
         The climb is full of loose stones and is slippery at times; don’t go fast; just go steady
         If you have a problem with heights…don’t do it
         Don’t take your walking sticks / leave them at Skala…many people leave baggage there
         If you are already tired…wait until you feel strong again / no adult beverages!

Sunglasses...yes or no...? I did not because it reduces the clarity of vision I needed.

Please note finally that ...climbing and using this route: anybody reasonably fit with a firm foot can do this. We saw children not older than 8 do it....admittedly they were born in the French Pyrenees.


                    

This still was taken at Kalakos refuge at 2710 meters, a lunch stop for us (with lentils soup!) on our descent to the Muses valley. Look at that yummy cracker of a summit called Mytikas in the back.   Looks inviting to the real 'pro' ; slightly threatening  to mountain kids like me.

The preferred DESCENT looks like this:

Day 3:

From Refuge 'A' to Refuge 'B' (Apostolides)  and/or 'C' (Kalakos) and then walk via the Muses valley to refuge ‘Petrosgourka'..a good walk of 7 hours plus…easy to do after day 1 and 2.  A bit up and up the first 2 hours...then descending gradually.....

One crosses a glacier and can have a good lunch at ‘Kalakos’ refuge  (name of the first Greek who ascended Mytikas with 2 Swiss mountaineers in 1928). Then a stroll through the Muses valley, where Zeus used to be entertained. More easy walking through pine forests and beech forests...greens all over now! Until arriving at the very wonderful refuge ‘Petrosgourka’ where Nectarios and Thomas made us a wonderful meal and breakfast. The Greek omelette was the best omelette I had this year...fresh eggs, onions, feta, olives, bread and the Greek Nescafe (to which I got totally used to).  

It was in this refuge we realised we had lived and really inhaled the atmosphere of the Mount Olympus area fully. Life in all its fullness. God was clement: our weather had been perfect and the walk/climb awesome. Vistas that remain in our minds. And…we managed the dangerous part very well.  A bit of beer and wine after that to celebrate.

 

Day 4:

Starting just after 9 in the morning from the Refuge a nearly 4 hours descent to the main road at Gortsia; we decided to hitchhike and car nr.  6 car stopped and took us to Litohoro village…in time for rest, laundry chores and general clean up. In the early evening dinner at Meze-Meze with a big jug of draft beer…!

 

So…..if you decide to climb Mount Olympus you could do what MSF and I did…it is a trip never to forget: good for the heart and soul, for the body and spirit; and for your health! Tiring yes, challenging, for some. True, the Gods on Mt. Olympus blessed this trip with fine weather, nature abound and feelings of being in the mountains that are never to forget. One can only accept the mountain; its beauty, its smells, its panoramas and its people. All those we met were positive travellers and workers. We felt that all of these had chosen to be on this particular mountain of Olympus. And so were we MSF and TVZ.

We recommend it!

Yours faithfully,

Anton/MSF      

 

 

Ton van Zutphen and 'the 4daagse van Nijmegen' 2015 / the Walk of the World

Ton van Zutphen and the Walk of the World / 4 daagse door het Rijk van Nijmegen / a Fast Walk with Fun

prestatiemars / Edition 99  / July 21-24,  2015, Nijmegen, the Netherlands / www.4daagse.nl

 

A first comment written during 1^st week in July: always the 3^rd week in July takes place 'the 4daagse' and indeed some training needs to be done for the daily 40 kms. That is what I have been doing over the past 5 days in Masal Park in Gaziantep, a cute picnic park where the Turks linger, eat, sip tea, ponder and walk around.  It is now the Holy Month of Ramadan so all is very quiet at 5.15 in the morning when I mingle with the city workers that spray the park and paths with their water cannons. My small training started 29^th June and today 5^th July I walked 8610 steps….about 7kms. One step for me is between 0,80 and 0,90 cms. depending on how fast I walk, amongst others.

This coming week my work takes me to Mardin in Eastern Turkey and then into North Iraq…where training is difficult because of the heat and working hours.

Oeoehhhhh…on that Friday 18 July training around the village where my sister Ellie lives….and after too few stops and little drink…I waited for the ferry in Alem to cross the river Maas…and tried to stretch downward…lost my consciousness for a second or so and simply fell down…my blood must have been in my legs…..and my body could not cope….A signal?  Not really…during the 4days marches this happens to scores of people who walk too long….without stopping and then suddenly make unusual movements, like suddenly bending over.

Anyway, anyhow…all went well again.  The 4 Days Marches in Nijmegen 99th edition:

Day 1: started with rain between 5.30 and 6.30am…terrible…but the temp. was good with moving clouds and lots of people…> 42,000 people started at day 1.  My legs and feet kept going…did a good racewalk at times and it took me altogether 5 hours. So I came in at 10.15 hours

Racewalking is an Olympic sport since nearly 100 years...required is 1. always one leg completely straight and 2. always one foot/shoe on the ground while walking. So it is very different from powerwalking

Day 2: early start again…weather was better and actually I had no pit stop at all….legs and feet kept going and finished again in 5 hours

Day 3: wonderful weather…..enjoyed the hills between Breedeweg and Berg en Dal…another fast day

And with the old/forever young student colleagues from Brom Street 40…we had a few drinks at Café ‘De Kroon’ in the van ‘t Sandt Street, and hurled the walkers on to beat the finish time at 5 pm…every year as of 15 hours on the Thursday of the Nijmegen Walk of the World we meet here!

 

Left to right
Karin van Schipstal - Jan Konings, TvZ, Wilma Vollebergh, Antonet Adolfs-Boonman, Gerard Verstappen, Anne Ewals

 

Day 4: started at 6.15am…late start and walked on 6.30 hours….great atmosphere along the course! Never seen it so crowded….from Mook to the finish (about 8 kms.) people cheering on both sides of the road. The last 4 kms each of the remaining 40.000 walkers stepped onto the Via Gladiola and I was handed flowers left and right…NICE!.  This year was very crowded… the walk/race for me was ok…enjoyed the sights and small talks with Dutch walkers.  Get an idea of what’s cooking in the NL…not much I think.

At the finish shook hands with the mayor Cruls and mentioned to him I lived in the twin town of Nijmegen…which is Gaziantep. I did an interview with the regional press ‘The Gelderlander’ which was not printed …just mentioned my name with the number of steps I took…haha.

Here is a quote from the late Prince Claus von Amsberg, married to Queen Beatrix of the NL. Claus walked the 4daagse in, if I recall correctly 1975,…and later wrote ‘The medal I received from the 4daagse is the only one I believe I really earned’. 

Huge festivities with the cream of the Dutch artists/singers attract more than 1.5 million visitors during the week in a city of 170.000 inhabitants.

The organisation was handled well; I am always privileged because I can stay in an apartment with friend Antonet and her dog ‘Petit Ours/Beertje’ overlooking the town; just 10 minutes walk from the start.  

Stats and people I met:

The aim was to walk 250 kms. during the period 16-24 July with 'de facto' steps walked:

16 July                10.650                                                       17 July                48.200

18 July                 52.400                                                     19 July                25.200

20 July               23.800                                                       21 July: day1 = 40.0 kms = 44.400 steps

22 July: day2  = 39.7 kms = 42.400 steps                            23 July: day3 = 39.7 kms = 44.300 steps

24 July: day4  = 42.4 kms = 49.700 steps

All together 341.050, rounded off to 350.000 steps…..x 0.85cms for 1 step  =approx.. 297 kms. I am satisfied.

My body weight was 79.5 kgs before the training and dropped after day 2 of the Walk of the World to 76.5 kgs; after the festivities of Friday night it is back to 77.5 kgs.

Nijmeegse Vierdaagse / Walk of the World (4 days) / Netherlands / my participation

1972                                             50 kms  x 4 = 200 kms

1973                                             50 kms  x 4

2007                                             50 kms (walk cancelled after day 1 because of extreme heat;
                                                      walkers  hospitalised and one collapsed and died; I arrived early
                                                      at 13 hours)      

2009                                             40 kms x 4 = 160 kms

2012                                             40 kms x 4

2013                                             40 kms x 4

2014                                             40 kms x 4

2015                                            40 kms x 4  = 160 kms

 

I used (walked on)  2 pairs of BROOKS ST5 Racer running shoes / model 2010 which I can fully recommend. Bought myself finally a proper poncho (rain cape) and a pair of long overdue light shoe covers against the rain.

People I met: my sister Ellie in Lith, her friends Ida, Mieke and Ria; my nephew Henk van Zutphen and his better half Marijke, their grandchildren Anouk, Ruben and Koen, Mrs. Vollebergh-v.Leent, her son Jos. Jr., the Brom street students Jan, Wilma, Anne, Gerard. Had a great ‘walkers’ meal at ‘Café de Toekomst’ in Hernen on 17 July / brown bread with warm ‘kroketten=croquettes’ and mustard; a 1950’s fast food Dutch recipe! And not to forget Ms. De Bruyn (the burocalist)  who helped me big time after I misplaced my registration card/race nr.....lucky boy I am! And Jos Schenearts with whom I arrange the daily starting times and of course Antonet Adolfs who always hosts me during all these years.  

And cruised across the ‘Land of Maas and Waal’ the famous land between the wide Dutch rivers where many a battle was fought to conquer the Princes and Kings of the House Orange (the notorious Duke of Alva from Spain, and emperor Napoleon all gave up eventually…). Prayed and lighted candles at the Saint Victor’s church in Batenburg, a neo gothic pearl dating back to the mid-18th century and the St. Antonius church in Overasselt.           

And traversed the villages of Lith, Oijen, Megen, Appeltern, Batenburg, Hernen, Bergharen, Alphen, Wamel, Dreumel, Herewaarden, Rossum, Alem, Maren-Kessel, Oss, Malden, Lent, Bemmel, Elst, Oosterhout, Wychen, Beuningen, Weurt, Mook, Plasmolen, Molenhoek, Milsbeek, Breedeweg, Groesbeek, Berg en Dal, Overasselt, Linden, Beers, Cuyck, on the road to Nijmegen. 

In the  richer looking villages you get candy from the kids……the ‘don’t look so well-off villages’ hand out fruit and vegetables …my favourites are:  the cocktail tomatoes, cucumbers, wurst, and apples.

Al in all, another landmark and experience. Hope to be there again in 2016            

Ton van Zutphen on Syria and Greece: Stray Cats and Fat Cats

Ton van Zutphen about a non-sense comparison between SYRIA and GREECE…both countries going down the drain……STRAY CATS and FAT CATS

Here is some information…not all of it accurate in numbers but close and at least plausible. Followed by a few provocative and certainly debatable statements and conclusions. Get the picture? Is my note out of whack? Crazy stuff…..?  Please no hate-mail to me!

 What about Stray Cat  - SYRIA….

·       5 years of continuous war / over 275.000 Syrians killed

·       Everybody fighting the Assad regime and many armed opposition groups fight each other; most large cities turning into rubble; unique historical monuments destroyed

·       21 million people affected…the WHOLE country; everybody in it

·       5 million people chose to become a refugee and left the country

·       Implosion on all fronts: infrastructure, socio economic situation, productivity and services

·       Education of >80% of children and students has come to a standstill

·       Life expectation of the average Syrian has dropped by 20 years over the past 5 years

·       NO peace initiative whatsoever going on or being prepared

·       For 2015 the UN requests 4.5 billion USD in aid ….only 40% may materialise  by December

·       AND I could go on and on……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What about Fat Cat  - Greece….

·       Since it joined the EU in 1981 Greece built up a  track record of non-transparency on subsidies, and finance assistance

·       A regime of non-compliance on fiscal revenues and informal market economy; most farmers never paid any income tax

·       Generous pensioning off  employees at 60 years young

·       VAT levels have remained low and are non-existent on the tourist islands

·       Rumour says that the largest internal tax revenue for the government comes from the betting industry  

·       11 million people in Greece…and it contributes to perhaps 2% of the total gross productivity in the EU…it really is a micky mouse economy: small and irrelevant in the EU

·       For >5 years on a support infuse by the EU patrons in Brussels/Strasbourg

·       The man in the street lost track of how many hundreds of billion euros went to Greece

·       Debts are mostly rescheduled and in part ‘forgiven’; outstanding reimbursements are likely not to be paid back; Greece asks today for a new subsidy of over 70 billion euros

·       AND I could go on and on…

 

 

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Readers…..what does this tell us…first of all that I am biased because I am head over heels involved professionally in the Syria Crisis.

But when we all take a step back, think, even reflect deeply…. some of us are possibly realising that something is going astray here!

In terms of severity, size, numbers of people affected, future potential, violence, governance…etc…there is no comparison between the countries….but where is the priority for the world to turn to?

Is the Cause of Greece still correct after so many years of reduced subsidies coupled with continuing loans…that fair enough, caused moderate hardship for approx. 25%, perhaps now 35% of the population? Whatsoever this is nothing to compare with what the Syrians are going through!

Does apply what Abraham Lincoln rightly said ‘To Support a Cause that is Morally Wrong can Never be Politically Correct’?

Now do get me right…Greece needs some support; has in fact already and ALWAYS received it…but this dilly-dallying with the EU/IMF/ECB has to stop. Very few EU taxpayers and the average citizen without a face, nor voice, can agree with yet another injection of possible 70 billion euros….whereas in 2015 only a few billion euros will find their way to the needed inside Syria and the countries like Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt and Iraq (these host over 4.5 million Syrian refugees).

Grosso modo, two systems are failing…the UN with the world’s aid machinery and the EU with other financial institutions that keep propping up countries for partly political and institutional reasons.

Gaziantep, Anatolia, Turkey with kind regards from Ton / 11^th July 2015