Blogs from Central Macedonia, Greece, Europe - page 19

Yesterday we left Delphi, heading north. The mountain roads were pretty spectacular before we dropped down to the Agean coast. We stopped north of Larissa, a small seaside place called Platamonas, It is overlooked by Mount Olympos, seems to cater to Greek tourists and day trippers from Larissa and Thessalonika. Finding a hotel was no problem. The trip itself was good, if hot. Jackets and helmets were not an attractive proposition. The first part, the pass, was spectacular though Ashley had to concentrate on the hairpin bends and other drivers. It was ten good roads (including some stretches of two lane highway with central reservation. This was fast but, in places, bumpy. Platamonas is a serious resort. It has bars and fish restaurants and snack bars. It has a very clean beach and... sandflies. There is ... read more

Well, another week without affordable internet resources, another week-long break between entries, and again I have a lot of catching up to do. SO, shortly after my last entry we boarded a ferry for Patmos and arrived late at night. We were picked up at the port by Theo, the owner of Yvonne's studios, the place where we'd reside for the next four nights. We were pleasantly surprised to find a kitchenette with a stovetop and sink and some counter space. We had a great view from our balcony; on our left the tourist-town of Skala, which is situated on the narrow waist of Patmos; so actually there was water on our far left and far right. Ahead of us was the other slope of the valley, covered with little houses and only a few half-finished ... read more

Here I am in Thessaloniki, Greece. The flight went well. I watched Charlie Wilson’s War (great film, despite starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. Tom Hanks is one of those actors though - you may not like him, but some of his films are fantastic) and Jumpers (very ordinary, which was not a surprise as it starred the young Darth Vader, whatever his name is) plus a whole bunch of doco’s. Tried to get some sleep, but just as I dozed off I seemed to always be awakened by someone walking past and kicking me, or the guy next to me elbowing me in the ribs. Good times. We landed in Athens 10 minutes late, and I had a limited amount of time to collect my bags and then check in for the flight to Thessaloniki. ... read more

{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 ... read more

For almost a year now I have been hopping the same fence almost daily, and not just the simple meaning of fence. I don’t mean the little white pickets which are conjured up in the brain at the mention of “fence.” I mean a cultural barrier. Every morning I have to shed my American ideologies and jump over into the Greek way of life. At first I though I would never be able to get over it, but as time has passed I realized that I have slowly made it over. Now it is second nature to hop into another world, and at times I wonder if I am stuck here, if I will ever go completely back to my original side. Things that were so foreign at first now are normal and I feel that ... read more