Debbielynn

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.

Debbielynn

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/



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This is the clock tower in the center of the city.


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.

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.



My mother’s kitchen

Delicious but very rich

uppsala30

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

HappyTrvlr

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.

Debbielynn

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.

Debbielynn

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.


The church

Outside the church

Outside






Pretty mosaics

Refreshments, much appreciated as it was so hot

Sweets

Groom and some family

Inside the church


My son and GF lighting a candle

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.

KarenWoo

Wonderful wedding photos and lovely family photo of you, your husband, son and his GF!

Debbielynn

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.


The happy wedding couple

Debbielynn

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.


Trikala-red dot

Some info about Trikala

Debbielynn

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)



Old town

Debbielynn

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.

Debbielynn

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.





Quintessential Greece



Octopus stew

Debbielynn

Sorry about above, copied text twice

Debbielynn

A little info about Platamonas

https://www.neiporihotel.com/

Debbielynn

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.


Into the mountains



Higher and higher






Fresh mountain water

A little chapel

No sheep today

Picked some flowers




Restaurant

And the view

Heavenly meatballs

HappyTrvlr

I am enjoying learning about these “off the tourist radar” places in Greece, so beautiful. Thanks for sharing your trip!

ANUJ

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.

Debbielynn

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!!

Debbielynn

Austria and Slovenia will be coming up soon. I believe we have 2 more days in Greece.

HappyTrvlr

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.