Train and Rail Travel in Macedonia Northern Greece Page 4 (see Greece train map)

Naoussa has around 25,000 inhabitatnts on the slopes of Mt. Vermion, is noted for its good red wine, with a grape variety grown since ancient times, which is possibly the ancestor of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. The famous Boutaris family Stenamachos winery is here, with tastings and slide shows, as well as the Chrisohoou, Markovitis, and Melitzanis family wineries. Naoussa sits between two tributaries of the Arapitsa River, and though a modern town is still delightful, with walking paths along the river that flows through its center, It is famous for its pre-Lenten festival (Greek 'Apokries', called 'Carnival' in other countries) with its masked dancers and elaborate costumes. There are nice walking possibilities in this shaded mountain area.

The rail line ascends Mt. Vermion after a stop in Lefkadhia, the latter town with Hellenistic ruins that have been excavated. Next are the request stops of Episkopi and Petria, and then the railway climbs to Skydra where it rejoins the Roman Via Egnatia. This town of around 5,000 inhabitants is a mountain resort and site of an abandoned 60cm gauge line that went to Ardea and Sosandra. The line keeps climbing through mountain country, through the village of Garefi, with beautiful views of the valley and villages to the north. And through a series of galleries, the last of which is 641meters long before it reaches the station at Edhessa with its stream courses running through the town that lead to the high waterfall that drops down a high bluff at its edge, onto the Macedonian plain below. From the western edge of the rail station in this beautiful town, the line passes over three bridges and seven tunnels into the rocky landscape that leads to the alpine Lake Vegoritidha at 558meters altitude. The lake is 19km11.78miles long with a maximum width of 8km/about 5miles and a depth of 49meters/161feet. The rail line goes around the lake, with two little villages on the way: the little fishing village of Armnissa, which has a Tuesday market and walking tours of the high villages of Mt. Kaimaktsalan, and Aghios Penelimonas (whose station is called Vegoritis). This second town has red tiled roofs, a little beach, and a campground. After the end of the big lake, the train passes the smaller Petro lake; and reaches the Amindeo junction (also known by its former name of Sorovits). This is also an important red wine-producing area , based on the same Xynomavro variety as in Naoussa (the name meaning 'acidic black', with a local wine co-op. The Boutari family produces the largest quantities of wine here.

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