Crossing Macedonia

Sunday May 24, 2015

We got in late last night, finally made it to our hotel, found a place to park, got in the room etc.   It was a great place--The Hotel Excelsior--check it out if you're ever in Thessaloniki ("Thess-a-low-knee-key" per the native speakers).   

Thessaloniki is a little gritty--it reminded us something of Baltimore--but we're glad we've seen it and it was a good point to jump off from.  It definitely isn't a conventional tourist town, and we always like that.

On the waterfront in Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki Garbage Scow

 HAGIOS DEMETRIOS

We stopped by the Greek Orthodox church dedicated to St. Demetrius.  It's a great example of the layers of history that you encounter in Thessaloniki and Greece in general.  The bottom of the building was originally a Roman Bath, later on it became a prison where Demetrius was martyred, during Byzantine times it became a church dedicated to his memory, it served a while as a mosque during the reign of the Ottoman Turks, later on reclaimed by the Greek Orthodox church....you get the idea.

Portion of the Roman Remnants from the Crypt 

More of the Original Roman Bath

Upstairs in the Basilica 

Sunday was some sort of "little girl dedication day."  The pink tents were up at a couple of churches around town.

White Mulberries growing behind the church.  Like regular mulberries without the stain (would you call them Albino Mulberries?).  Quite tasty.

THE REST OF THESSALONIKI

On our walk through town we encountered this vending machine that sold fresh milk.  You put in the bottle and tell it how much you want.  We sampled the whole and skim...!

"The White Tower."  Down by the waterfront.  A Byzantine leftover remodeled by the Ottoman Turks.

 BEREA

We wanted to head to Berea, just to say we did, but also because it was on the way to the Royal Tombs at Vergina.   The people there didn't seem any more noble than they did in Thessaloniki (ref Acts 17) but we weren't there long.   All the road signs have "Latin" spellings that are phonetic approximations.  Unfortunately the English approximations vary widely in spelling and we have learned that many alternative place name spellings also exist in Greek.  This can make GPS navigation something of a challenge but we managed to work though the kinks.

Berean Selfie

This Berean Gas Station was a standard size operation but had nine, count them nine, outside full-time attendants to pump your gas and wash your windshield.   None of us have a degree in economics but we think we may understand some of the reasons Greece's economy has some occasional difficulty...

Efficient Distribution of Labor in Action

Perhaps the Bereans were more noble because they lived so close to the Royal Tombs in nearby Vergina.  This burial place of the Macedonian Kings was where Alexander the Great buried his father, Phillip II, after his assassination.   Because of our aforementioned GPS difficulty, we weren't sure if we were going to find it, until we fortuitously spotted the mini-bus full of tourists!

Follow Those Tourists!

As unthinkable as it may seem, The Royal Tombs at Vergina were not unearthed until the late 1970s and were found completely intact.   Photos prohibited inside, but it was worth the short drive.  Especially the solid gold boxes and diadems--amazing detail work.

In the village of Vergina

The Museum is actually built in the burial mound around the tombs themselves.

The edifice for the tomb of Phillip II (who took that picture!)

Buying Local Cherries from Dealer out front

 ACROSS THE COUNTRYSIDE

We worked our way across the providence of Macedonia on the way to Litochoro at the base of Mt. Olympus.  Along the way we encountered some of the prettiest and most verdant countryside we've ever seen.  We were definitely off the beaten track, slowing down for sheep herds and the many loose dogs.

Every little village has a group of well-looked after strays that sleep wherever they want, sometimes in the middle of the street.  Someone's looking out for them; they are obviously fed.   We nicknamed them "community use dogs"--now that's our style of pet ownership!

We found these curious little roadside shrines all over.   We are uncertain as to their significance.  

Northern Greece Countryside

We had dinner in Litochoro.  The prices in Greece so far have been amazing.  For $9 Logan got a platter of Veal as big as his head.   Not realizing how far a Euro goes here, we got way to much food and were stuffed.  Scott tried the Octopus and decided later it does not agree with his GI tract.

Obligatory Food Pic #1:  The Veal

Obligatory Food Pic #2:  The Octopus

 Something was blooming in that beautiful countryside and we had a carful of sneezing, scratchy nose, snotty people.   But we seem to be recovering.

Davis after 50 mg of Benadryl.  "Trust me, I'm a doctor."

Boys playing an after dinner soccer game in the village of Litochoro.  Mount Olympus is in the background.  (You will note that Davis recovered just fine).

Tomorrow we are off to see how far up Mt. Olympus we can get.   It is one of those mountains designated a "ultra-peak" because of the striking change in elevation between the mountain and the surrounding topography, but you can drive half way up and the trail is supposed to be very doable.   There's still a little snow at the top and the weather's always a bit unpredictable and with this crew you can never tell who is going to be a weanie (but take it easy on him, he's almost 40 after all).  If we make the tree-line we can probably call it a success.
αντίο! (Good Night)