Γειά σου from Thessaloniki, Greece! 

For the final destination with my sister, we chose this Greek port city on the Gulf of the Aegean Sea. The city is overlooked by Mount Olympus and faces the coast, thoroughly embedded with Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman history. We stayed at Zeus is Loose Hostel, a clean and lovely building with excellent AC, clean rooms, a big, open common room, and a rooftop bar (with an amazing view and discount for guests!) We stayed in a four-bed dorm at about $29/night including taxes for six nights. There were many different tours and group activities offered by the hostel, mostly involving walking tours and day trips outside the city.  

We took a more relaxed approach to this city, and due to the extremely hot weather and humidity (and limited AC), our walking explorations were shortened. Although on the coast, Thessaloniki does not have any beaches so on multiple days we took the waterbus from the main port (16 euros/$17.41 round trip) to Neoi Epivates and Peraia. Both were very beautiful, the mountains a breathtaking sight across the clear and cool water of the Thessaloniki Gulf. Peraia is more popular and more locals and tourists alike were gathered along the sand, where Neoi Epivates had a more private feel (we were two of maybe seven others on our side of the dock). There were shops and restaurants along both docks as well. 

All the food was delicious, and very reasonably priced. Coffee with breakfast, similar to lunch/dinner, was typically between 2-5 euros. Beer and wines were not expensive either, and cocktails ranged from 7-12 euros on average. Gyros are a popular Greek street food, and at many restaurants as well, many being customizable. Again there are many coffee shops with pastries and sandwiches, as well as open mini-mart stands on almost every street corner. Many cats were often seen slinking around the squares, but seemed bolder and would come sit by our feet while we ate and gave them small pieces of chicken. Something I did notice was that when entering stores/restaurants, we were not automatically greeted in English, whereas in previous countries it may have been more apparent we were tourists. The hospitality was incredible though, and the staff often started conversations after speaking to us in English, eagerly asking where we were from and how we liked Greece, even giving us recommendations around the area and free drinks/pastries.

Transportation was simple, and the bus was very cheap to and from the airport. We mainly walked around the city and saw a few sights including the Roman Forum and several churches and historical sights from above (many were blocked off for preservation). We also visited the Illusions Museum, a fun activity that took us about two hours to go through, complete puzzles, take pictures, and cool off for a bit. 

My favorite activity was our day trip to Mount Olympus. Through the hostel, we signed up and went with two other guests for a 1.5-hour drive to the mountain, where we hiked about an hour to a gorgeous waterfall. The water was cold but the sight was incredible, and the hike was relatively easy and smooth. We went back down and explored the information center with images and history of the trails, refuges, and wildlife on the mountain. The guide also provided lunch, consisting of fresh tomatoes and apricots from his garden, and baked spinach and cheese pastries. We drove again to the canyon where we went on another, shorter hike to a second waterfall, again an easy hike, but the water was so cold it was painful. The drive back took another 1.5 hours and the trip overall was 50 euros for the day. 

αντίο for now, as I make my way (now solo) to Germany!

xoxo,

Ang around the World 🙂