It was off to Greece today! It is only about an 1 1/2 hour drive to Thessaloniki, Greece from Demir Kapija. We were off and had a great drive to the boarder, but hit what some might call a discouraging amount of trafic at the boarder controls. Today was a Macedonian holiday so it was a popular weekend for people to get away since it is a 4 day weekend. We sat at the Macedonian boarder for about 20 min, but the boarder into Greece was horrible, people cutting and swerving into lines... and we sat there for an hour. My guess is during some of that time the boarder patrol agents had a break because there was a good amount of time that we did not move. Past the boarder it was clear and easy driving.
I had heard horror stories about driving in Greece, but I can confidently say that it is not that bad. Drivers seem to be considerate and aware. We also took the route that took us directly to the water's edge and found parking. We walked along the Adriatic to find some food. We got very lucky and found a spot just off the main road to eat with very reasonable prices. The service was exceptional and we had a wonderful start to our time in Thessaloniki.
When lunch was done we began our self created walking tour of Thessaloniki. First stop was the White Tower along the shore line. The White Tower was bathed in blood in 1826 when the Ottoman Sultan ordered a massacre of janissaries (troops made up of Islamicised Christian boys) that had been deemed disloyal. In 1913 the tower was white washed to expunge the memories from that tragic time. The white washing has since been removed but the name has stuck.
The next two stops were the Arch of Galerius and the Galerius Rotunda. The arch was built as a celebration of the victory over the Persians in the Persian War in 303 AD. The Galerius Rotunda was first built to be Galerius's future mausoleum, however he died in what is now Serbia so he was never buried there.
Lesson: Patients comes in great handy at border crossings!
I had heard horror stories about driving in Greece, but I can confidently say that it is not that bad. Drivers seem to be considerate and aware. We also took the route that took us directly to the water's edge and found parking. We walked along the Adriatic to find some food. We got very lucky and found a spot just off the main road to eat with very reasonable prices. The service was exceptional and we had a wonderful start to our time in Thessaloniki.
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| The sea side view |
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| Yeah, we are there! |
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| Birdsall ladies in Thessaloniki |
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| At lunch! |
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| Greek salad and Tzatziki dip and bread |
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| baked feta and baked chips |
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| Chicken burger |
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| Dessert on the house, with honey and nuts |
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| Dad and Cass along the shore with the White Tower |
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| Cass and I at the White Tower |
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| Arch of Galerius |
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| Detail on the Arch of Galerius |
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| Galerius Rotunda |
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| Galerius Palace |
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| Enjoying a coffee along the Adriatic |
We made it back to Popovo Kula for another amazing dinner and time together. I also took some more pictures of the scenery.
Lesson: Patients comes in great handy at border crossings!
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