"The Railroad Men's Path" - Asopos Gorge, September 2014.

It's 7.30 in the morning...the sun rises over Maliakos bay at Fthiotis. The first bird singings start and the early "workers" of nature "catch their jobs". Deep into the gorge and high over Asopos river from where Athens-Thessaloniki main line passes is a unique and gorgeous path, forgotten or even unknown to most people. The steep cliffs, the wind-sculptured rocks and the caves are some of the natural dacoration of the gorge. However, the human presence is also very well covered and assimilated with the environment. The stone bridges and the tunnels look like they were created as a part of the area. Moving further, we reach the the station of Asopos. The station is the official end of the path's first part. Although, there is no "sidewalk" next to the tracks the national hiking path continues till the metal bridge of Mandritsa, about 2km south of Asopos station - the bridge crosses a confluence river of Asopos - where the path is seperated from the line and "climbs" to the mountainous scenic village of Pavliani at the outstanding south slope of Mt. Ete (Ελληνικά: Όρος Οίτη). The Railroad men's path was "organised" as a path in 1905 for the construction of the rail line. However, the history of this place is much older that this as it takes as back at 5th centrury B.C. and the battle of Thermopylae. Efialtes - the traytor who lead the Persian elit troops in the rear of the Spartans - lived in Trachina (another famous rail pass in next to Asopos gorge). As an native, he knew all the ecret passages on the mountains and one of them was this dangerous and very tough path. In general, Asopos is a worth-going area, with beautiful landscapes and awesome structures. The railway is the only mean of transport be able to cross such places and offer to its passengers and viewers the plessure of its pass combining nature, beauty and human technology of another century.

Scenes Filmed and Edited by Alexander Sikalias

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