We finally arrived in Thessaloniki after a grueling plane ride that left most of us complaining of stiff necks and declaring airline sleep as the worst kind of sleep..!!
But we made it!!
Our first adventure in Greece was deciding which of the two different baggage claims at the Thessaloniki airport would give us our luggage. We finally figured it out after going back and forth only 3 or 4 times. The good news is that everyone in the group received their luggage! Hooray!
Leaving the airport, we hopped on a city bus with our wonderful tour guide, Thanasis, and tested our "how fast can you lift your suitcase, weave through Greek people, & depart the bus" skills. Luckily, that skill kicked in for all the group members and we successfully made it off. After walking one million blocks with our luggage--Thanasis said it would only be about 6 blocks--we settled into our hotel, which is neatly tucked away between the shops of the city.
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Everyone was very cranky at this point; the lack of sleep, the rise in temperature, and the weight of our suitcases was catching up to us. Once we settled into our rooms, some of us took desperately needed showers, others slept, and a small group headed for a walk about the city.
We convened with Thanasis around 8pm, and he gave us an overview of our schedule for the next few days before taking us out for our first Greek meal! The outdoor cafe he took us to was only about a 5 minute walk from our hotel. We spent a good amount of time reviewing the one English menu the restaurant had before deciding to ask Thanasis to order us "whatever's good." He said a lot of things we didn't understand, and within minutes, the food began to arrive.
Food on food on food. It just kept coming! We were okay with that, though. We tried at least 7 different dishes and experienced another first at the end of the meal. I have three words for you: Authentic Greek dessert. We were stuffed from dinner, but managed to make plenty of room for that! Needless to say, we all can't wait to eat again. Is it breakfast time yet?!
We concluded the night early--by Greek standards--at 11pm after walking around the city, through the streets of lively cafes and near-empty bars. Thanasis explained that most Greeks don't finish dinner until about 11:30pm, which explained the lack of the bar scene.
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Tomorrow, we head to Lake Kerkini!
Καληνύχτα!! (Goodnight!!)
This post has been brought to you in part of snoring roommates and jet lag.
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