Greece Part IV

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{A little background before I start this one. My Grandpa (Dad’s dad) is from northern Greece near Thessaloniki. Around 10 years ago we got a letter from one of his cousins trying to make contact with us. When I decided to go to Greece for spring break my parents dug out the letters and looked up the name to see if we could get a hold of them so I could meet them. After a few weeks we got an email back, and they wanted me to come and visit. Eleni is my dad’s cousin and she is married to George. Eleni is the youngest of the 5 children of my grandfather’s brother. So they are all my dad’s cousins. George and Eleni have two daughters, Katerina and Anastasia, who speak a little English. They were my lifesavers the entire time I was with the family because no one else knew any English.}
After a lot more confusion, we got off at the Thessaoniki stop in the middle of town. We got off the bus and it was raining and dark and we had no idea where we were. I finally figured out the pay phone and called the number that I had from Eleni’s daughter Katerina. I then had to get a guy working at the kiosk next to the phone to talk to her because she couldn’t understand me. Finally they said they would pick me up at the train station down the street.
John and I waited for about an hour and finally in walked Anastasia and George. We piled our stuff into their car and I was greeted with lots of hugs and rambling in Greek. We dropped John off at a hotel where he was meeting up with friends and went to their house. After talking through Anastasia with Eleni and George for a while I went and slept for 12 hours.
The next morning everyone was at work and school but they left me breakfast out. The apartment was a sight in itself (see pictures), then I went to the breakfast table and they had spread out 3 different breads, jams, honey, coffee, and my dad’s senior picture! George came back from work to get me and take me around the city. He is probably one of the smartest men I have ever met, even though I could hardly communicate with him. He is a professor at the religious school there and speaks 4 languages. Most of his work is done translating Ancient Greek manuscripts to Modern Greek. He showed me his dissertation and it is years worth of translations. That day we went around and he showed me all the churches in the city. It was exhausting because he would try to say a word in one of the four languages that he knew, French, Latin, German, and Greek, and I would try to search for the word I knew sounded most like it in either English or Spanish! We usually figured it out, and ended up having a wonderful day.
After getting back the girls were all home and we had lunch together. I can’t even being to explain the amount of food that I was given while there. And they don’t really take no for an answer. Later that evening I got to meet another cousin, Eleni’s oldest brother Costas. He was hilarious, even though I couldn’t understand a word he said. He brought me an entire chocolate cake and made sure I had at least two pieces. Within the first two days of being there I learned so much about my heritage and about an entire family I didn’t even know I had.

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Photos

Mural on the ceiling of the tomb
Can anyone see what symbol is hidden? Creepy