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A big, fat Greek wedding and off the beaten path in Austria and Slovenia
Finally able to gather the energy to start posting my trip report after our 20 day trip to Europe! Thank you to everyone that helped me make some of my plans. My husband and I planned a trip to a Greece for his nephew’s wedding, followed by a trip to Austria to follow my father's footsteps from his birthplace in Slovenia and his time in Graz, Austria after WW2 until he came to this country at the end of 1949. Overall, a very nice trip excluding the extremely hot weather and a medical mishap for my husband. But we’ll talk about that later.
We left on Tuesday, June 14 for a 2 flight trip to Thessaloniki. We flew there because it was much closer to where the wedding took place. First leg was uneventful but we almost missed our connecting flight to Greece. They kept us on the plane on the tarmac until buses came to take us to the terminal. Then it was a really looong walk to get to security. I guess I wasn’t thinking when I booked the flights because I had a short amt of time till the next flight and I never expected a hold up at security, they were literally pulling every second or third bag out of X-ray to inspect more thoroughly. That including emptying ALL the contacts into trays, placing some items in an additional scanner and using a wand to inspect every inch and seam of the carryon. There weren’t enough agents and people were complaining left and right that they were going to miss their flights. We were the last to board ours. We arrived safely in Greece but my suitcase lost its brightly colored strap around the center so it took longer to find. Then off to find our car rental pickup. We used a local company, Golden Rent, with no problems. I bought all the insurance they offered because I didn’t want any problems in case of an accident. Luckily, we had a safe trip with the car. However, the local drivers drive like maniacs, a stop sign is only a suggestion, and we almost had 2 accidents within 5 minutes in the city the next day. Also, the Greeks park anywhere they find space, up the curve, all the way to the corner, double parking everywhere. Thank goodness my husband doesn’t mind the narrow streets! I booked a little hotel called Blue Bottle Boutique Hotel, not far from the port and near the popular restaurant area of Ladadika. It was simple but clean and included breakfast, which I am always grateful for. Parking was extra. We needed a car because we would be traveling to several cities during our time in Greece and the train system is not very good. I don’t think there is even a train that goes from Thessaloniki to Kozani, where the wedding was. J We found the least expensive lodging and food to be in Greece. Stay tuned for pictures! |
Sorry, tried to edit for paragraphs and it wouldn’t let me. Should also be listed as trip report and countries of Greece, Austria, Slovenia and Germany
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Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece and has its share of ruins, churches and even has nice beaches close by. The Three fingers under the city is an area called Halkidiki, where they are located.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a9e4635b5.jpeg around the city https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...68355e206.jpeg The port of Thessaloniki, with the White Tower, the symbol of the city, on the upper left next to the apartments around the city https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1f582d5b9.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e39b1833a.jpeg Window shopping https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e82f09fe3.jpeg |
A nice dinner at a restaurant in the Ladadika area of the city, suggested by the hotel called Full tou Meze. Food was very good and it was the busiest restaurant in the area. My husband had the grilled octopus, which he said was delicious and I had a nice Greek salad, some pork and an order of Halloumi cheese, which is a cheese from Crete. Delicious!
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e5d228ca6.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4e8406409.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d7314a41e.jpeg |
Debbielynn,
My parents met and married in Graz in the years after WW2. I'll be interested in hearing about that portion of your trip. |
How to you tell someone you’re in Greece without telling them?
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...324cbfe87.jpeg A little church going by! https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...95d3c025b.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e73b3a23d.jpeg Their parking! |
Graz is a beautiful city!
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Enjoying.
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Very interesting! I've heard of Thessaloniki, but I've never seen photos of it and don't know anything about it. I didn't realize it's on the water. Are those beets in the Greek salad?
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KarenWoo, those are red peppers. In Greece the salads don’t usually come with lettuce.
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Thessaloniki has an ancient Roman forum. It was discovered in the 1960s when they were digging to build the municipal court.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...89e44a6af.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c0e697b1b.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0ca0f0c4f.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...315e2f28f.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8110b2756.jpeg Archeologist at work. I would never have the patience for that job! https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...543a067cb.jpeg The contrast of ancient and modern https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b1504e50c.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b502aa57e.jpeg |
Originally Posted by Debbielynn
(Post 17380950)
….an order of Halloumi cheese, which is a cheese from Crete. Delicious!
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Sorry, Balthy. You are so right!
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Keep posting! Greece is fascinating both visually, culturally and historically
thanks for sharing. |
Lovely photos, Debbielynn. I love the picture of the church on the truck's flatbed!
I'm intrigued by seeing Thessaloniki. I had planned a trip there, pre-Covid, and am still toying with the plans I originally made. I'm especially interested in seeing where else you went in Greece. |
Little churches everywhere and a trip to one of the markets, Kapani market. There we found souvenirs, clothing and further along, lots of food! I always like to visit the markets when we are in European cities.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ff61b8c35.jpeg Expect graffiti everywhere https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bd8f5252c.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c66b4bbef.jpeg Market https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1b26289e0.jpeg Olives galore https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d4f6f03ba.jpeg Many body parts https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e628991b7.jpeg This booth had a lot of spices, some packaged with a mixing spoon. I planned to come back to buy presents here on Thursday before we left Greece. But that never happened. Lesson learned- always buy when you see something! https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2af81c6fe.jpeg Eggs anyone? https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f934e0ebc.jpeg Lots of fish |
Thank you Progol and kleeblatt. I didn’t know if anyone had interest in this part of Greece. I do believe that the Europeans come to the Thessaloniki area for the beaches. As I said, the main purpose of this trip was to go to a long-awaited family wedding and to visit my husband’s birthplace and childhood city. He was 23 when he came to the States.
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Originally Posted by Debbielynn
(Post 17381217)
I didn’t know if anyone had interest in this part of Greece. I do believe that the Europeans come to the Thessaloniki area for the beaches.
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Just some observations about Greece and it’s people. Not meant to insult anyone. The Greeks seem to have a carefree life. They enjoy family, friends, going out. There are always people at the cafes drinking coffee and frappe. Food and lodging are inexpensive, relative to New York and also the upcoming countries we will be visiting on the second half of our trip. It seems like many people are out of work or only working part time and their salaries seem very small, in comparison to us. Greece had the most expensive gas in all the countries we visited. It was about 2,44 euros a letter which , when I did the math, was about $9.60 a gallon!
A lot of stores close down after lunch and depending on the day of the week, they will reopen in the early evening or not again until the next day. People rest in the afternoon. I guess that’s why they have the energy to go out late. Plan accordingly. This might not hold true for the really big cities but where the relatives lived, it was the norm. There are NO rules for driving and parking! A stop sign is just a suggestion! Cars are parked everywhere, up on the curb, at the very end of the corners. Motorcycles are everywhere and they drive everywhere, even on the sidewalk. They are much stricter with alcohol limits here. Be aware you prob will only be able to have one drink if you were driving. If they pull you over, they will test you. If you are over the limit, they will wait a half an hour and retest. If it is still elevated, they will take you to the hospital for a blood test. As in many other cities I have visited over the years, use caution when walking, especially if you have any kind of handicap. Sidewalks are uneven, there are unexpected steps into some of the bathrooms in hotel and in restaurants, the bathrooms are often not on the the main floor. I find that with the older generation, it is still a male dominated society. They wanted to talk to my husband about the rental car, even though I am the person making all the arrangements. Men congregate in cafes, nary a woman in site. Of course, the younger generation is more modern. They take their hand sanitizing very seriously with Covid. It is a law that all the tables in the restaurants have to have a container of sanitizer. As a germaphobe, I found that very reassuring! Hotels were clean and sanitized. People were friendly and helpful. Food was delicious and we found the smaller places sometimes had the best food! I had the best meatballs I ever had in a little town up in the mountains in central Greece. The sauce was utterly delicious. |
Yes, Balthy. I agree. I did not have the time to fully explore Thessaloniki. I missed many of the ruins and churches on the eastern side of the city. We returned to the city the evening before we flew to Munich but because we changed our plans and stayed a day at the beach, we only got in late to the city and only checked into our hotel and ate dinner. I also had wanted to visited the older part of the city, called Ana Poli, which survived the fire of 1917, and has older buildings. But we will be back. Stay tuned for the rest of the trip . We visit the beach of Platamonas and the foothills of Mt Olympus, with a quick stop in the town of Litochoro.
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Next we were off to Kozani. It is a city in northern Greece. There are mountains in the area and the walking in the city was up and down the hills. My nephew in law booked us in one of the local hotels and it was the only place that we stayed that I didn’t care for. The staff was friendly, breakfast was included but the beds felt like we were sleeping on cardboard. And we were there for 3 nights. They had a nice outside patio in front and family would stop by to see us and have coffee. The weather was blistering hot the 9 days we were in Greece, they were having a heat wave. We had 2 nice dinners out with the future bride and groom, in local restaurants, and the food w as very good but I didn’t take any pictures of the dinner or remember the name of the restaurants. 🤦♀️ The center of the town had nice stores and restaurants.Here is a link to info about the city.
https://www.greece.com/destinations/Macedonia/Kozani/ . https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...00d326484.jpeg This is the clock tower in the center of the city. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...72f7673ba.jpeg we drove back to Thesssaloniki on Friday to pick up my son and his girlfriend, who flew in for the wedding and were continuing to travel after the festivities. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f2f6d1af7.jpeg Delicious chicken souvlaki at a local restaurant I think this was the only time I had meat other than pork while I was in Greece. I think by the time I left , I had eaten an entire pig! Or at least a piglet! The day of the wedding, my husband and I drove to town. I hadn’t brought any stockings and they called for cold weather and rain that evening. The wedding reception was outside and I hadn’t brought any warmer clothes. As it turned out, the weather held up for most of the reception and I never needed them. We had lunch from a take out place that the nephew had recommended. My husband and I ate on one of the little tables there and shared an order of Moussaka and stuffed peppers. I think our bill came to about 8 Euros! We also brought some back for son and GF. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f53ca47ac.jpeg My mother’s kitchen https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e06fd1094.jpeg Delicious but very rich |
So excited to see a trip report from Thessloniki. I am going there next spring for two weeks to help my daughter with her archeological research. Your photos are fabulous- Thanks
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Thanks for your detailed report. It is so interesting to learn about this area of Greece. We will have to add it to our next visit there.
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You’re welcome uppsala30. What kind of project will she be working on? HappyTrvlr, there is a good chance we will be back in the area next year. My husband would like to spend a week just relaxing on the beach. Maybe we can also check out the beaches of Halkidiki.
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The big wedding day! The groom was at the church prior to the ceremony, with lots of family picture taking. There were refreshments set up on tables outside. The groom has the bouquet. He will give it to her when she arrives. The bride arrived, they were playing music from her area of Greece and she danced before she walked up the stairs to the church. There were sooo many people there.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...23d518fd9.jpeg The church https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...adfc4c3d4.jpeg Outside the church https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b94511749.jpeg Outside https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3885a7059.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...968db54ca.jpeg Pretty mosaics https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ec13696c0.jpeg Refreshments, much appreciated as it was so hot https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fb3c5e892.jpeg Sweets https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9152490cb.jpeg Groom and some family https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...43922493b.jpeg Inside the church https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...52a6471d6.jpeg My son and GF lighting a candle https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4ab6bc6ac.jpeg The bride and groom. I have some video but can’t upload on the forum The Greek wedding ceremony is very long and elaborate. At one point, a crown ( maybe a ring of metal with some flowers) are placed on both the bride and the groom, connected by a ribbon. Then they priest leads them around the altar 3 times. You can just about see the crown on their heads on the previous picture. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...74b2f5c19.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3fa7679f3.jpeg |
Wonderful wedding photos and lovely family photo of you, your husband, son and his GF!
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The reception took place near the city. It was planned for outside, under metal canopies. All week long the forecast was predicting rain but the gods were with us and the rain held out til about 10 pm. All the eating was done first, then the dancing began. Everyone had a very nice time.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c2ad26239.jpeg The happy wedding couple https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1a7b89ab1.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...193da0b37.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b9bec61f2.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...620fb0fca.jpeg |
On Sunday, we drove our son and GF back to Thessaloniki and then drove to Trikala. We sent our suitcases ahead with friends of the family as we would never had enough room for all our stuff and the son’s. Trikala is a city in the middle of Greece, about 2.5 hrs from Thessaloniki. It is considered one of the nicest cities in Greece. Lots of bicycles, cafes, restaurants. It is easy walking because the area is flat. It has an old town, a river running through it and it’s symbol is a clock tower. I’m sure it isn’t on the tourist trail but nearby is Meteora, in Kalabaka. This is a group of very old monasteries built hundreds of years ago by priests, high up on granite cliffs. It is a site to behold. We did not visit this time but have been there many times in years past.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6d830f2dd.jpeg Trikala-red dot Some info about Trikala |
Some info on Trikala
https://www.greece-is.com/5-great-things-about-trikala/ the clock tower in Trikala and some of the monasteries at Meteora. ( pictures from a previous trip) https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7d2565dd39.png https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a7a0ebb957.png Old town https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...670b9f7c77.png https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6390371943.png |
After leaving Thessaloniki, we headed south down the coast to Trikala. In the process, we stopped at Platamonas for lunch. My husband remembers going there as a teenager with school trips. It is so different now. It is a tourist/ resort town with small hotels, restaurants and shops. What is nice about some of the beaches in Greece is that the taverns and hotels are on one side of the street, there is a small road and opposite is the restaurant seating, lounge chair seating and the beach. No traipsing across parking lots and sand! There is a small public beach without umbrellas and chairs or, for the price of a snack, cold drink or coffee, you can sit all day in the lounge chairs under the umbrella at one of the local restaurants. Very relaxing. After having lunch here on a super hot day, we decided we would cut our stay with the sister-in-law by a day and come here for an overnight stay before heading back to the airport on Thursday for our flight Friday morning. In hindsight, we should have stayed here all 4 days! Very relaxing.
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After leaving Thessaloniki, we headed south down the coast to Trikala. In the process, we stopped at Platamonas for lunch. My husband remembers going there as a teenager with school trips. It is so different now. It is a tourist/ resort town with small hotels, restaurants and shops. What is nice about some of the beaches in Greece is that the taverns and hotels are on one side of the street, there is a small road and opposite is the restaurant seating, lounge chair seating and the beach. No traipsing across parking lots and sand! There is a small public beach without umbrellas and chairs or, for the price of a snack, cold drink or coffee, you can sit all day in the lounge chairs under the umbrella at one of the local restaurants. Very relaxing. After having lunch here on a super hot day, we decided we would cut our stay with the sister-in-law by a day and come here for an overnight stay before heading back to the airport on Thursday for our flight Friday morning. In hindsight, we should have stayed here all 4 days! Very relaxing.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...100470aef.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7894ab2e7.jpeg Quintessential Greece https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...225d45846.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...883b33092.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...232e8d2a9.jpeg Octopus stew https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0d17b338f.jpeg |
Sorry about above, copied text twice
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We took a trip to Mesohora ( also spelled Mesochora), a little mountain village about 1.5 hrs from Trikala. My husband spent his summers there when he was a boy when it was too hot in his hometown. Everyone moved up to the mountains to cool off. He was also born in that area, but higher in the mountains where they had an even more rustic summer house. There is not much going on up there during the year but lots of people come to stay in August when they have vacation. The family owns a house up there. His niece is the only one in the family who likes to go there so she is making renovations to the house. It was a nice little ride through the mountains with many switchbacks but I just love the mountains! On the way home we stopped in a little town called Stournareika, where we had the most delicious meatballs with sauce and potatoes. The sauce was to die for! Apparently this area is popular in the winter for skiing so there are hotels and restaurants in the area.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ce2a1430f.jpeg Into the mountains https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7937bf019.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...724260290.jpeg Higher and higher https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...edd935a0d.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b3775f8e6.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3bdcae689.jpeg Fresh mountain water https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2ffcbce36.jpeg A little chapel https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c7078e828.jpeg No sheep today https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7154dc880.jpeg Picked some flowers https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6b137d0f7.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...32519947e.jpeg Restaurant https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0828b487f.jpeg And the view https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...eb8e05403.jpeg Heavenly meatballs |
I am enjoying learning about these “off the tourist radar” places in Greece, so beautiful. Thanks for sharing your trip!
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Weve been to Greece but not the places youve covered here - very interesting. Am looking forward to your Austria and Slovenia instalments, which are some our fondest memories.
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Thank you, Happy Travlr. I like to see the usual tourist sites when I travel but I also love to go “behind the scenes” and see everyday places and things. I want to see how things work and how the people of the country live. I like to go to local grocery store, the department stores, the pharmacies. I like to drive on the streets and highways. I like to compare our life here to others and see the good, the bad and the ugly. Figure out the local bus or trolley system.
For instance, in the pharmacies in Slovenia, (and I’m sure in the other countries as well), medications are already boxed by the manufacturer in different doses and are already on the shelves. The pharmacist pulls the ordered medication, puts a printed label on it and you are on your way. No pill counting and waiting for your prescription. Much faster than here. My thought for this may be due to the many, many different manufactures here and about money. In Greece, the pipes are very old and they don’t handle the toilet paper so it is customary to throw it in the waste basket by the toilet. I can’t tell you how many times I forgot while I was there. I also find it a bit uncomfortable coming from someplace that has sewers. The first time I ever saw a “Turkish” toilet was many years ago in Greece, basically just a hole in the ground, or porcelain fixture to put your feet. No toilet or seat. Many people are disturbed by that. I have gone to the bathroom in the most unusual places in my lifetime, outhouses, the mens room on the GrossGlockner mountain in Austria, amongst the goats in a field in Greece. As long as it is clean, has paper and soap, I am good to go! I also saw a bidet for the first time in Germany when I was 20, on my honeymoon. Because of the shape, I thought it was a place to wash your feet!! One thing I was uncomfortable with was that in some places, the mens and ladies room were just opposite each other and a lot of times the doors were open to both rooms and as you walked by you could see the men using the urinals. I thought that was strange but I know that in the US, we tend to be more prudish. It is more common to have topless beaches in Europe and I know in Germany, some people go in the sauna/ steam room naked with family members of the opposite sex. “To each his own said the woman as she kissed the cow” as a friend of mine used to say!! |
Austria and Slovenia will be coming up soon. I believe we have 2 more days in Greece.
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I am very similar to you in what I look for when traveling. We have been to Greece twice. Interested to read about Slovenia. A relative was there recently and raved about it.
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