Greece - Thessaloniki, Mount Olympus, and Meteora

Greece!! It really is just as beautiful as movies and postcards say it is! Don't believe me? Look at these!

Again, rather than posting a bunch of pictures into the blog itself, take a look at our pictures when you have time and I'll do my best to update descriptions and locations. In case you didn't catch the link above, or it doesn't work for some reason, the pictures can be accessed by the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/ohara.emily/GreeceApril2009#

Now for a few stories to go along with the pictures. :)

We took a night train from Istanbul to Thessaloniki, one of the best sleeper trains I've been on yet! (I've been on 5 so far). Two to a room complete with sink/mirror, places to hang and store things; the train was amazingly up-to-date and clean! The only thing that interrupted our restful sleep was the middle-of-the-night border crossings... but that was to be expected.

Once in Thessaloniki, we easily found our hotel and I was delighted to finally take a full shower. Yes, three days in Istanbul had to bear a grubby woman, virtually undetectable through the sink-washed clean hair. It's so easy to fool people :) Once showered and everyone ready to explore, we set off to accomplish a short to-do list created by Nils' cousin Tyler who had spent last summer living in Thessaloniki. The most important item was to figure out how to get to the Meteora Monasteries. Tyler had included some important key words and places to help us find our way. So, after speaking briefly with the hotel desk-guy and getting a little more help as to the where and how, we started off to find the bus station. This proved a lot more difficult than we had anticipated. First there was a lot of construction on the road where the hotel desk-guy had directed us to go. Then, we couldn't get anyone to stop and help us. After wondering around some more in a slight circle, we asked someone who pointed us to the local bus station. Not quite what we were looking for. Finally we happened upon a station with various transportation vehicles which seemed to transport people OUT of the city. We went inside the small office and asked about Meteora. After a minute of locating someone who could speak English (sorry... it was all Greek to us!) we were told that the bus station we needed was actually in a completely different part of town. To get there we would need to walk down the street to catch bus number 1, go so many stops, look for this whatever, and cross over to the something and there you are! What? We were all a little too tired and confused by that point to process and follow those instructions.

So, we decided to take a break and complete another item on Tyler's to-do list. Pizza Hut's Cyprus Lover's pizza! Now we're talkin'! Making our way to Thessaloniki's center, we walked along the water's edge, leading up to the white tower enjoying the view and hoping to find Pizza Hut (we didn't know exactly where it was). Gorgeous city! I mean, you can't go wrong spending some quality time in Thessaloniki. We found Pizza Hut, felt extremely happy once we had eaten, and continued to explore. And then it rained. And I mean... RAINED. You'll notice great puddles in a few of the pictures. That was but a few minutes after the raining had stopped, and it only rained for a few minutes. We took shelter, waited a bit, the rain stopped and we proceeded to explore. We still weren't sure what we were looking for, or if we were headed in the right direction, but everyone seemed content to just wonder for a while.

Then Cynthia noticed we were in Thessaloniki's version of China Town. Cool! We stopped into a little shop and browsed through some of their imported goods. Cynthia chatted a bit in her amazing Chinese (I think it was Mandarin). We realized we might get some better directions to Meteora by asking these friendly people for help. Cynthia was such a good sport and did an excellent job communicating and translating for us. Imagine! We're in Greece, where none of us know the language (not even remotely) and Cynthia's language skills come to the rescue. We were told that the station was a 20-30 minute walk from where we were! Awesome. We started off and sure enough, found ourselves roughly 30 minutes later at the bus station. We found the signs to Meteora and asked the guy at the desk how much the tickets would cost. 37 Euro round trip per person, including a transfer and a long walk up the mountain. Sounds reasonable, but for some reason, I found myself trying to keep calm (37 euro per person!! That's 74 Euro just for me and Nils!! See... we were on a very small budget). So I lightly suggested that we find a seat and discuss it together. I did my best not to be a party pooper and just listen to everyone's thoughts and wishes while gathering my emotions. As I did the math in my head and figured just how much it would cost for the 4 of us to go by bus, besides the inconvenience, it suddenly dawned on me that we had another option to consider. Rent a car!!! This suggestion was well-received, and having noticed a car rental agency at the train station, we agreed to head to the train station and inquire about renting a car. Stroke of brilliance, if I do say so myself, for the whole thing worked out well and we had a car reserved within minutes.

As a side, I had suggested to Nils renting a car when we were making our Italy/France trip plans. He didn't really trust the idea, thinking of all the hidden fees and extra costs that can go into renting a car. But, after this experience of actually renting a car and seeing the ease and economy of it, he is completely converted to the idea! I couldn't be prouder.

Perfect! We had a car ready for the morning to take us anywhere we wanted to go, so we finished off the evening by completing another item on the list; a lovely Greek restaurant. The day had started less than ideal, but ended with smiles and excitement.

Well, we didn't get up as early as we had hoped, but we made it to the train station to pick up the car rental at a relatively good time. Stopping to fill up on gas (well, we put in a little more than half a tank's worth) we headed off for Meteora. I took on the task of navigator and believe me, maps are hard enough to navigate without it being covered in Greek. Pete and Cynthia were actually quite a help as Pete referred to a little Greek/English book he'd purchased upon arrival. Things became more understandable and familiar as we practiced reading the Greek letters to each other. As we drove (Nils was the driver since I had left my license at home) along, noting the beautiful scenery and easy roads, Nils noticed a sign for Mount Olympus. Mount Olympus!! We simply had to stop. A perfect detour it turned out to be. The air so fresh and crisp, the mountain so lovely and green... Wow, you couldn't do that traveling by bus!

The Meteora Monasteries are situated at the top of these massive mountainous rocks. In a world of their own, these monasteries inspire meditation and reverence. We toured one of them, learning a lot about early Christian martyrs and miracles. I felt truly thankful to people who over the centuries had dedicated their lives to preserving and cherishing the history of Christianity.
As we left the monasteries there was a notable sense of satisfaction and calm. What a wonderful day!

Getting back was another story. We were all being rather thrifty at this point, figuring and estimating how much gas we would need to get back. We had given ourselves, to our best estimation, enough time to arrive at the train station well before our 9pm deadline. We put 8 more euros into the tank and I lead us through what turned out to be the "scenic route" back to the city. We drove along, enjoying a slight pause to let some goats cross the road, and kept watching the time. So far, so good. But, little by little, I started getting nervous. Finally we reached the main highway and made better speed and gas mileage. Whew... almost. Then the gas light went on. But there really wasn't a convenient place to stop. Then again, those gas lights tend to turn on when there's at least a few liters left in the tank, right? So we kept on going. Then we hit a toll booth. I seriously was so nervous, not because of paying the toll, but just thinking about how much more gas it took to slow down and speed back up. It took great effort to keep calm and relaxed. Finally we reached Thessaloniki's city limits and we hadn't run out of gas completely yet, the constant chant of prayer in my head being the only thing keeping me together. Then it hit me that I didn't know which exit to take! Before I could panic even more (if that was possible), Nils noticed a sign to the Centre and took that exit. I tried not to react and worry about it being the wrong one. As we made our way around the ramp exit, nothing looked familiar and there were no gas stations in sight. We kept going a little ways, made a right and suddenly found ourselves passing the bus station! Perfect! We knew exactly where we were. Nils, what a genius! The last thing we had to do before returning the car, we decided, was to put in a few more liters of gas. It was only right. No one should return a car COMPLETELY empty for the next person. As we drove down the main road, gas station after gas station showed dimmed lights and signs of being closed. I couldn't believe it! Closed at this early hour? It wasn't that late. Finally, when we were almost to the train station to make the drop off, we saw a still-lighted Shell station. We had to make a few turns to get on the right side of the road, my breath stopping at each stop and go, and we slid into the station around 8:45pm. I looked at the guy working, a rather cute guy, and he started making hand signals to say that they were closed. CLOSED?? Not possible. Not after making it this far. With nothing to lose, I made a pleading sign and showed the most pitiful face til he nodded and came over to let us buy some gas. Apparently they have to pump if for you (who knew?).

So we made it!... with 8 minutes to spare. Whew! Prayers answered and Nils' passport, we finished off the evening at a local restaurant before boarding the train for Sofia. Greece turned out to be a trip which opened our eyes to the beauties of the earth, and the adventures of cutting it close.