Blogs from Central Macedonia, Greece, Europe - page 21

We attempted to get some sleep on the train but it was nearly impossible. We arrived in thessaloniki around 2am with the intention of sleeping in the train station. Turns out that the station was closing and they booted us out onto the street. We didnt have much of a plan so we started wandering down the street from the station looking for a cheap hotel to stay at. As we were walking we ran into a random girl who seemed to be in the same situation. She was from New York and had just left the local hostel due to almost naked old dudes and creepy guys hitting on her. She decided to join us to search for a place to sleep. First place we tried was too expensive so I found the cheapest place ... read more

url='/Videos/2501.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/2501.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;'Get it in the air!url='/Videos/2505.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/2505.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;'This should work... After having spent so much time in hectical capitals I chose a quiet place to sit down and get you a new update of what I am doing and of what's going on on my way to China. Currently I am sitting in a lovely small house in a mountain village (Peristera, with a remarkable church built in the 8th century) overlooking the bay of Thessaloniki in Greece. Belgrade kept me busy for another two days including a legendary haircut in a left over communist barber chain, where a fat female barber with bleached hair swang her ass to Roxette's "She's got the look!"....very weird, I can tell you. When I was leaving Belgrade I had a ... read more

So, Thessaloniki is my new favorite city in Greece, in other words it’s the only place I can imagine myself living for a good long time at some point in my life. We left on Thursday night from stathmos larissas in Athens and took the express train to Thessaloniki. It took about 4.5 hours, which wasn’t so bad. I’ll be honest, the train ride there wasn’t as comfortable as Amtrak, but it was a lot better than a bus. And, being that It was a class field trip, I didn’t have to pay for it, which makes it even nicer.. We arrived at about 12:30 AM and took a 20 minute walk from the station to our hotel in the center of town, amusingly enough it was called the Tourist Hotel. But, I can say for ... read more

One questionable component of Greek life and culture I will never be reconciled to is their understanding of driving, or lack thereof. Although, better than what I have encountered in Indonesia, the traffic here is pell-mell compared to American standards. One would think there was no state of stable cruising, just alternating attempts of acceleration and screeching stops. In one recent experience of mine I was not exactly frightened, just a little concerned that I was not wearing a seatbelt (no one seems to think them necessary). I was somewhat consoled though as with four in the backseat if not buckled at least we were too squished for jostling about. What really began to concern me was the actions of the driver. I had trained my eyes on her, desperately trying not to look at the ... read more

It has been a whirlwind since my plane first landed here. This last week has blown by. Literally, in one ferocious gust another one of my weeks in Greece is gone. I have met and made friends, ate new foods every night, moved into a new home, discovered a new city, toured all of the Peloponnese, spent 14 hours on train, started classes, learned how to say key phrases (thank you/ I'm sorry) in Greek, and watched the sun set on the Mediterranean. I’ve seen so much in the last two weeks that the memory has morphed into a conglomerate mass of marble. I have visited Athens, Delphi, Corinth, Nafpaktos, Nemea, Olympia, and Sparta all in 10 days, I have enjoyed all of it. The whole trip was marvelous, and when I have a little more ... read more