It's Greek to Me!

I now get the meaning of that phrase. I've never seen words I knew less how to pronounce. But luckily for me, most people in Greece speak English also.

Monday our group of seven made it to our train. The 9:00 pm Dostluk/Filia "Friendship" Express from Istanbul to Thessaloniki. It was totally worth the 50 Euros, even if it had just taken us in a circle. The cabins were cozy, perfect for an overnight train ride. we even had a flip-open sink. From what I hear, the two WCs at the end of the car weren't too pleasant, but luckily I survived the ride without having to go. It was cool to see the outskirts of Istanbul diminish into empty land. With our little sink I was able to get ready for bed and even sleep!... Until we hit the border. Three knocks on our door in the middle of the night for leaving Turkey. Once to pick up our passports, once to hand them back with the 'exit' stamp, and once when we were visited by the customs man who demanded, "Where are you from?" After at 20+ minute stop we were on our way again and I was asleep again, until we hit Greece customs. The whole routine was repeated. I awoke feeling fairly well-rested with bright sun and a chilly cabin. Walker had the window down to take uninterrupted pictures of the Greek countryside. I washed up and got ready for the day but missed us coming into the city of Thessaloniki because I fell asleep again in the seat.






We got out of the train station clueless except for Jamie's friend's e-mailed guidance and a free map of the city. We found a nearby restaurant at which we refueled and pondered the map, figured out our bearings, and headed for the water. It was a beautiful scene. The water seemed to fade into nothingness. Through the fog you could barely seem some larger ships on the water.

The White Tower, a main landmark in Thessaloniki.

After relaxing by the water we went to find a decently-priced hotel. Thirty Euros for two people seemed to be the cheapest we would find for two people per room (and that's with sharing a shower and toilet with the others on the floor). Our room was the bare-minimum and our floor's toilet was quite gross (but it was okay because there were two other floors whose toilets were comparably cleaner). We did have a TV with news channels covering the inauguration. All of it was in Greek, but we got to hear some of Obama's speech through the news anchor's translations.




We split up for the day. It was hard to navigate even a group of seven through a large city (and I'm told Thessaloniki is the second largest in Greece). Walker and I ventured down the road our hotel is on, which seems to be a main thoroughfare. We found a great place for pizza and dessert, Eσtia (or something similar to that with Greek letters). It was well-priced too! Then we wandered around taking pictures of the ancient (well, really old at least) buildings/structures that were mixed in with the more modern-day buildings. Imagine walking down a street in NYC and all of a sudden you see this:

There were so many cats wandering around the grounds of this rotunda.

There was graffiti everywhere, on every building.

One street we went down was lined with orange trees.

The tower you see in the background is some modern building; it looked out-of-place to me.

While the others went to a fast-food type Greek restaurant, Walker and I dined on this delicious meal. We each had a salad with some of the best cucumbers and tomatoes I've ever had. Walker had veggies, wrapped in chicken, wrapped in bacon on kebabs, and I had grilled fish.



Although we weren't able to find Atatürk's birthplace (something I was looking forward too), we all agreed we'd seen all we knew to see in Thessaloniki. Cameron and Jamie found a 14 Euro train to Athens, so we planned to head there Wednesday.

Wednesday morning the rest of the group headed to get lunch while Walker and I were still in the showers. We were supposed to all meet at the train station, but somehow we missed each other. Walker and I waited there from about noon until three, never seeing the others. We eventually decided to book a hotel, spending another night in Thessaloniki, and catch a train out in the morning because any train we got at that point in the afternoon would spit us out in Athens after 10:00 pm to find a hotel/hostel. So, we are in Emπopikon hotel for 50 euros a night. It is worth it! Free breakfast, internet (that sometimes decides to work), bathroom in our room, and nice towels. Did I mention that the towels at the last hotel were stiff as a board? After checking in we did nothing. Walker said he was feeling achy and cold. It turned out he had a fever of 102 even after Advil. Maybe it's good we didn't travel to Athens yesterday. We went back to the excellent dessert shop last night and got some Powerade from a street vendor.

Walker still has a fever this morning (Thursday) but is feeling a bit better. We plan to take the seven-hour day train to Athens where the others are (they e-mailed) staying at the hostel: Athens' Backpacker.

I really like Thessaloniki. The people here seem very nice and tend to mind their own business. No street vendors or other salesmen shoving goods in your face or dragging you into their restaurant. I'm interested to see if Athens is as enjoyable.