DHIAVA - The Autumn journey
Watch the documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcSdxOUifzs
A documentary we filmed in 1995 in the mountains of northern Pindos and aired on ERT1 in 2001.
Tim Salmon, the English mountaineer who, together with Michael Cullen, carved out the hiking trail The Peloponnese and Pindos Way (https://thepindosway.com) accompanies his friends, the Anthoulaioi from Samarina, who descend from the peaks of Smolika to their winter quarters in the Thessalian plain.
"This movement is called Diava and takes place twice a year, in spring and autumn. The spring migration is now done by truck, while the autumn migration is still done on foot, as always. We pass through rough terrain—rocks and ravines, long and narrow paths—following the eternal Vlach trail. We sleep outside with the animals. At night we sleep close to the fire with the animals sleeping around us. Sleep is scarce. We have to keep our eyes open at night so that the wolves don`t take any of our sheep..."
In his book The Unwritten Places, Tim Salmon describes what he saw and heard during the years when the last remnants of traditional life in the Greek mountains were slowly disappearing.