I snuck two pictures at the beginning, thinking they probably weren't allowed, and then I found out I was right, so I don't have any photos of the coolest things, but the facade of one of the tombs was excavated and the museum was built around it, which was incredible. There were also several gold crowns made of tiny leaves and acorns and they were probably the most beautiful things I've ever seen.
The museum was also jam packed with school groups, which was entertaining. Unfortunately none of their guides spoke English, or I would have just followed them around. When we left the museum, there were about 100 middle or high schoolers coming in. I'm glad we weren't there at the same time haha.
We headed back to the bus and drove to Thessaloniki, which is the second-largest city in Greece. It's in the northeast part of the country, and the downtown is right on the sea, which was stunning. We had perfect weather all weekend: all sun and no clouds, and it was nice and warm, but not too hot. Since everyone was planning on staying there for the weekend, we looked ridiculous as our group of 26 walked a few blocks away with all our stuff to a restaurant. Like normal, we had a ton of delicious food. Then, after we were all really full, they brought us out some small pastry and mousse-like desserts, which were yummy. Nicos, one of our teachers, helped us find our hotel, and then we wandered around the city for the rest of the afternoon. One of the major roads in the city is right next to the waterfront, and there is a wide sidewalk which we probably walked up and down at least two times every day because being by the water was so pleasant (although the water did not look very clean right next to the shore).
I was happy that there was also a bike lane and people out biking and running (unlike Ioannnina). There were many people with collections of fake Ray Bans. I bought a pair of white ones and he wanted to charge me 10 euros. He pointed out the brand and Marilena said "Alex, they're real". He said, "Well, no, not real, but good." I don't know if they're good either, but I got them for 8 euros and that's a lot better than quality $100+ to me. We found a Starbucks, which felt and looked exactly like our Starbucks at home. Then, a few of us went on a half an hour boat ride around the bay, which was really nice. Since it was only about 5pm, the boat wasn't full by any means, but we enjoyed the tour a lot. Then we wandered around for a long time looking for somewhere to eat. Eventually we found a gyro place and had excellent gyros (pita, meat, tzatziki, fries, tomatoes) and slovaki (chicken on a skewer). We were exhausted so we headed back to the hotel. Showering was an experience; our bathroom was pretty tiny and the shower was a raised tile square on the floor and a shower head on a hose, but no shower curtain, so it was a challenge to not soak the entire bathroom. (We failed.)
The next morning, we woke up and went on a beach adventure. Although Thessaloniki is on the water, there's no beach for quite a while. The really helpful man at the front desk told us the appropriate bus sequence and end destination, and we caught the first bus right outside of the hotel. The buses all have cool ticket dispensers on them; some have buttons and some have touch screens. We bought all-day passes for 3 euros and rode until the end of the line which was at IKEA. They didn't even refer to that location as "__ Bus Terminal", just "IKEA". We talked with a man on the bus who was headed the same direction as we were, so he showed us where to catch the next bus. Since this was May 1, which is traditionally a labor rights day, there was a massive strike in the city (and possibly the whole country), so basically everything but cafes and restaurants was closed. The buses were running, but no one was sure when they would come. We got lucky and only had to wait about 10 minutes. We rode for a while through some smaller towns and eventually some other helpful folks told us when to get off. We got some snacks and water at a bakery and walked down to the water. The beach was really long, pretty empty, and absolutely beautiful. We parked it a little ways away from the restaurant and just laid out for four hours, which was so pleasant. We swam a bit, but the water was freezing so I preferred being out. The temperature was perfect; I was never cold but I didn't get overheated either. It was nice to be on a beach again, I hadn't realized how much I missed it since Ecuador and Hawaii. I also made good progress on my tan; I was loosing it a little but not anymore! Before we left, we walked out on the pier and asked the old man who was out there to take our picture. He seemed pretty drunk but very friendly. He asked me what my name was, and when I answered, he looked very excited and said "Me too!". I knew that Alexander meant protector of mankind, but he said that the name originates from some Greek words (Insert wikipdia here, since my Greek isn't very good: ἀλέξω (alexō) "protector of men", "to push back", "to hold off" and ἀνδρός (andros), genitive of ἀνήρ (anēr) "man"). That was neat.
We got lucky with the bus and only waited about 5 minutes, and had a fast ride back to IKEA. Unfortunately it was closed due to the strike as well, or I would have got for some Swedish meatballs :) We then had to wait about 45 minutes for the next bus, but we had fun waiting. We were all talking loudly and a kid came up and we found out he's here for a semester with U Conn. We are jealous that they get to live in Thessaloniki; it would be more interesting than Ioannina. The bus came eventually and we headed right back to the hotel and passed out. It's amazing how tired laying down all day can make you. After a nice nap, we went back to the boat and rode around again, but there were lots more people and the city was really pretty at night. We made friends with Igor, a "20 year old" guy from Serbia. We think he is at least 35, but everyone always finds out that we're all about 20, so they are too! Such a coincidence!
On Sunday, we packed up all our stuff and the hotel let us keep it in a storage room for a few hours while we walked around (aka made our default loop down by the water). Since it was Sunday, nothing was open but cafes and resaturants, but we got some Spanakopita and other pastries. Here, spanakopita isn't an entree, it's a 2 euro pastry that every bakery has. It's SO good though! Katlynn, Serina and I also wandered around and took pictures of the arcitecture (we're the people who are always lagging at the back of the group since we've stopped to take so many pictures). The city itself is filled with tall neautral-colored buildings that have stores on the bottom floor and are apartments/condos above, but there are also a ton of old churches and ruins in between modern buildings. I didn't see any signs or historical explanations, but they were all beautiful.
We all met back at the hotel and had the usual difficulties of coordinating more than 20 people, but we all made it to the bus station, where we bought tickets for 22 euros with a student discount. Not like Ecuador, but the bus station and buses are nicer. There was a very pleasant cafe/bakery were we waited for a while, and then we went the GIANT building with the buses. The bus was normal-sized, but there were only maybe 8 people on it besides us, so we had plenty of room to spread out. Ioanna, the program coordinator, made us reservations, so I don't know if they added an extra bus or if they're always that empty.
The ride was beautiful; I'd been asleep the entire time on the way to Thessaloniki but I was awake for the way back, and I enjoyed the view. The area was very mountainous and green: different than what I normally would expect for Greece, but I'm glad I got to see that side of the country as well.
The bus approached Ioannina from the University side, and we literally drove past the University before driving really far around the city to avoid traffic, presumably. Then we had to pay for cabs to go back to the University, but we made it. Overall, sort of a crazy weekend, but super fun.
Love Alex
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