Big city lights

It still takes my breath away, that we can take 3 steps out of our little womblike capsule and be in the middle of a buzzing vibrant city. Its a bit like stepping out of your bathroom and being in the middle of Pitt Street. We are in Kevala, in Macedonia, on the Greek mainland.

The port of Kavala

Pavlov, lucky to find a berth in the middle of the inner port

Kevala is a large industrial port, with a commercial fishing fleet, numerous bulk carrier movements and a small fleet of charter yachts. We were very lucky to find the one vacant berth in the inner harbour, otherwise we would have been consigned to the outer wall to fight it out with bulk carriers and other big scary ships. Negotiating the jumble of floating lines and old mooring buoys while getting close enough to the 3m high wall to get a line through a ring is always a challenge, and we find few in Greece who are willing to take a line for us. Megan has become adept at enticing the locals; or if her charms fail, leaping perilous distances to get a line onto the dock.

Inner harbour dock, looking up to the old castle on the top of the hill

Kevala is a surprise. We were attracted here by the lure of shopping and a Lidl. Lidl is a chain of German discount supermarkets beloved by cruisers everywhere. Not only do they stock much cheaper bulk goods, but their beer and wine is half the price of elsewhere. We like to pay homage to Lidl when reprovisioning the boat, and Kevala has two Lidl's. We were unprepared then, for the more cultural assets of Kevala. Our first day ashore took us up the hill, past the most impressive aqueduct I've seen, built by the Turkish sultan, Suleiman the Great.

Turkish aqueduct 

Four different size arches comprise the structure

Interesting terracotta bird houses inlaid into the structure

The old town within the old city walls contains some stunning examples of Ottoman architecture.

An early Ottoman mosque

Timber lathe and plaster Ottoman house

Ottoman Romanesque architecture

Ottoman Pasha's house, a luxury residence

Another Ottoman facade

Old quarter Ottoman street frontages

Statue of an Ottoman conquerer

Derelict bones of an Ottoman house: Lathe and plaster construction

Kavala is also interesting historically in that it has overlay's of Greco-Roman temples, Ottoman mosques and Christian churches, more evidenced when we travelled down to Phillipi. Here's another example of a charming Greek Orthodox church built just after independence from Turkey.

Charming Ottoman church

with a stunning view of the Mediterranean

Early Greek Orthodox

Dome of the church

Candelabra

The old town is located on a rocky peninsula jutting out from the coast. The aqueduct was constructed to bring water to this barren outcrop. There were charming walks around the headland and panoramic views of the Aegean.

Staircase down to the headland

The headland itself.

A moslem madrassa (teaching mosque)

Walkways on the headland

View of the aqueduct from the headland.

We're enjoying a more modern Greece, without all the evident dysfunction of Athens and the Attiki district. Its good to see that not all is doom and gloom in this once glorious nation. The buses are sparkling new and plenty, the shops are vibrant and full of customers, the city has a glow of health missing from other mainland locations. It's also a very different vibe to the island; it feels as if we've stepped from the nineteenth into the twentieth century. All the more surprising since Thassos, only 10 km away and connected by hourly ferry, once ruled this region, and its council gave birth to the town of Kevala.

Thassos, seen from the headland.

A view of the headland and castle from across the inner port. Pavlov is to the left.

We've found a bus that will take us inland to Phillipi, home to some ancient Greek, Roman and early Christian ruins, so tomorrow, its off to look at more old stones. Till then....