Week 26 in Greece

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Week 26 Malcolm and Jacquie
Sunday 3rd May George comes to Perea around 9am and then goes with Michael to pick up Jacquie and Malcolm at the air port for their 10am arrival . Good to see them. Who would have thought 25 years ago that we would be all together on holidays in Greece!
Monday 4th May
Go into Salonika to the Byzantium Museum- free entry today for some reason. Then have lunch at the little Kafenion that we had lunch at with Bill and Janice. Went around the Salonika Fresh Food Market but it was closed, so had a hot chocolate in Aristotelos Square where people spend hours enjoying a coffee and watching the world go by.
Tues 5th May
Go by bus into Salonika train station and catch the 10 am train to Veria. This is the closest city to Vergina, the town with burial tomb of Phillip, Alexander the Great’s father. The train takes about 1 hour Then you catch a bus from the station to Veria central and then from KTEL, the inter city bus station, you take a bus to Vergina. The lady selling the tickets at KTEL yells out the waiting room window to a driver who was having a coffee at a local café and told him it was time to get on his bus; he wasn’t perturbed and laughed which got the retort from the lady not to laugh and to get on with it. So about 5 minutes later, he leaves to drive the bus. An example of flexible Greek time. We wait about 10 minutes for the next bus to Vergina,which is about 13 km away. The ticket seller wrote down the times the bus is supposed to return to Veria- about each hour. We have lunch first- one restaurant close to the Royal Tomb which had cooked food on offer which had just come out of the oven. You then say what dish you wanted. After wards we go to the Royal Tomb and it is free entrance again ( not sure why) Anyway Malcolm takes a flash photo and a lady yells at him ( asking him first if he is American) Anyway he calmed her down saying there was not any signs saying no photos and Michael spoke to her and when she found out we were Australians, it eased the situation. We gave her my email address as she wants to come over for the tennis in Melbourne in 2010 in January. Asking if having 2,000 Euro be adequate to have as spending money. We said it would. After half an hour after the designated time, the bus to Veria turns up at 2.30pm. This meant we had to catch the later train so we had time for a walk around Veria and after half an hour trying to find a coffee shop we had success. Seems most were closed for siesta or still not ready for the Summer tourist crowds. We get back to Salonika and ask about the train to Kalambaka the next day, but only train with seats available is at 6pm so Meteora will have to wait for another time for Jacquie and Malcolm. We have some yiro in Aristotelos Square and walk around Salonika before heading home around 8pm.
Wed 6th May
in the afternoon we catch the bus to Mihaniona and walk along the wharf and then have some lukomathes like small fried donuts then dipped in a honey syrup and finished with chopped walnuts. A hot chocolate drink finished off the specialty. There is a lovely church there which we have never visited before. I set the alarm for tomorrow at 5.15am, as Malcolm and Jacquie have to be at the Salonika airport at 6.55am at the latest to book in for their 7.55am flight to Athens and then they fly out to Melbourne around 4.40pm that afternoon.
Thursday 7th May
Get up at 5.10am, have a bit of breakfast and at 5.30am we ring the taxi to take Jackie and Malcolm to the airport and about 7am they text that they had got on an earlier flight and then at again at 9am said they were on bus going into Athens before their afternoon flight back to Australia.
Jacquie later emailed that their travel trip lasted 32 hours as technical delay in Dubai, so I think they would have needed to have a well deserved rest. We hope they enjoyed their time with us in Salonika.

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Photos

Fords at Perea
Having a meal on the verandah at Mama's house, Perea.
George, Mama and Michael there too.

Jacquie, the teacher
Under a cafe sign in Veria, called The Teacher
( O Dascalos)

Veria Railway Station
At Veria waiting for the train back to Salonika after our Vergina trip

Station Master
Veria Railway Statio Master. I loved the little red caps and the green OK sign he waved when the train

Malcolm in front of Mihaniona Church
This is a beautiful church which we had not visited before

Mihaniona Waterfront
Jacquie, Malcolm and Michael walking along Mihaniona Waterfront

Loukomathes at Mihaniona
Jacquie, Malcolm and Michael enjoying loukomathes at Mihaniona

Loukomathes Cooking
Loukomathes being cooked on the spot for us at Mihaniona

May Day Floral Garland
Jacquie used her artistic skills to make a floral garland for first May, using flowers from Mama's garden. You then hang the garland on the front gate

Floral Garland on Gate
Jacquie and Malcolm admiring the floral garland that Jacquie made.

Michael and the Fords
At Perea beach front, going for a walk in the evening.

Malcolm in Salonika
Agios Panteleimon church in Salonika was not opened, but we could still appreciate its architecture.

Fords having Coffee, Salonika
Engaging in a Greek favourite- having a coffee in Aristoteleos Square, Salonika

New Work Ute?
Malcolm and a small truck in Salonika. Downsizing is the go these days.