Thessaloniki, Greece

Well, where should I start?  Oh, Greece… definitely different than I expected. I think I had this image of Greece being like the scenes in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and there would be a donkey waiting at the airport to pick me up and take me to my luxury hostel that costs only 12 Euros per night. Well, it was a little different.

We got off the plane, exhausted after not sleeping all night at the Milan airport. We thought we had to get our passports stamped, but there was nowhere to do it. So we are wandering around looking for customs and asking people if they speak English and where we should go to get our passports checked. We do that for a while, and eventually come to the conclusion that we’re good to go. Hope we can get out of the country on Wednesday! Then, we try to figure out which bus we need to get on to go toward the city center. Everything is written in Greek symbols, and we have no idea what to do. We’re literally wandering around, but we eventually find the bus line that Rachel had written down. We get on the bus, and can’t figure out how to pay, because the ticket machine is out of order. So we just don’t pay, and stand near the door at the front of the bus, hoping no one checks for tickets. It worked out- free ride! Eventually we get off at a random stop, and just start walking toward this huge castle thing that we see in the distance.

We were all hungry, and hadn’t really eaten since lunch the day before. So we stop in at this cute little café that had pretty cheap food and free wi-fi. I got a spinach salad with cranberries and feta cheese, and it was so delicious! My body has been craving vegetables because all we eat is cheap food off the streets. Then, we were sitting outside eating our food, when one of the workers came out and handed us three cookies! “From us to you,” she said with a smile. Sometimes the little things make the biggest difference. I counted the free cookie as my Easter basket. (Yes I realize it’s a little different, whatever I loved it).

After we finished eating, and were in good spirits from the free cookies, it’s time to start the search for our hostel. We snipe a map from a tour bus company, and try to find the street that our hostel is on. We walk for forever and a half, and are in a not-so-nice part of town. The homes are extremely run down. Some of the doors were made of blankets tied to the top of the door frame, and the roofs were patched together. There were cats everywhere. On we went. We passed this creepy dude and decided not to ask him for help. But we were getting desperate.

Then we passed this couple making out on their porch.  We debated it, but then decided to go ahead and interrupt their make out session to ask for help. The guy hardly speaks English, so we play our usual game of charades, trying to figure out the name of the street we are on and trying to ask if he knows where “Hostel Arabas” is. We weren’t getting very far, so Rachel showed him the piece of paper with the info on it. It had a phone number, so he called it. He was speaking Greek, so we had no idea what he was saying. When he got off the phone, he told us to follow him. Then, he put on a blue shiny helmet, and he and his girlfriend got on his motorcycle! So they’re riding, and we’re running/walking behind them with our backpacks bouncing on our backs as we try to keep up. They wait for us at the street corners, and we feel like the baby ducklings running in line behind this motorcycle. Up and down hills we go, turning around a few times, and hoping that he is taking us to the right place! Eventually, we see a spray paint on the wall that says “Hostel Arabas” with an arrow pointing left. Sweet sign! We follow it, and sure enough we make it to our super sketchy hostel! We walk into this run down building, and meet Ike. He shows us to our room, which we were sharing with some Italian dude.

We were all exhausted, so we decided to take a short little nap… psych! We wake up a few hours later, and the afternoon is gone. Madison and Rachel were still sleeping, but I see that our hostel has a stove. So I rationalize that it would be a good idea to walk alone to try to find a market and buy some pasta, and make it for the three of us. Plan is going well so far, and I buy cheap noodles and some tomato sauce and make it back to the hostel without getting lost. (Yes, be proud). I get back inside, and go to turn on the stove, when Ike tells me that it costs 2 Euros to cook food there, and 3,20 to clean up. So if I want to make the pasta, it will be 5,20! That’s more than I paid for the meal! I was so mad. Seriously, you’re gonna charge me 3,20 to clean my own pot? Fine then, I’ll leave the pot dirty! So I tried to explain to Ike that all I needed was to boil the noodles with water, and that I wouldn’t even put the sauce into the pot. I boiled the water in the broiler rather than on the stove, and sneakily cooked the noodles. He saw me doing it, but I hardly used anything and put everything back exactly where I found it. I never paid him, so I hope he doesn’t charge me! The pasta wasn’t very good, but it was food, and the three of us finished it. I talked to a few people back home on the internet, and started to get a little homesick. It was Easter Sunday, and I didn’t go to church or eat a chocolate bunny. I was stuck in a sketchy hostel that I didn’t really feel safe in, and I was in a country where I couldn’t understand anyone, read the language, or be understood. But I spent some intimate time with God, and read the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. No matter where you are, or what you’re doing, His resurrection is worth celebrating!  Jesus defeated death, and His death brings me life!

We woke up today, and realized that it was almost noon! We were so mad that we’d slept so late, but I guess our bodies just needed it. It was cold and rainy out, and we were a little discouraged. We were going to go to some archaeological site, but it was too confusing to try to figure out the bus system to get there, and it was too late in the day. So we just went to explore Thesaloniki. We tried to find a new place to eat, and searched for about an hour without finding anything. We ended up going back to the same café we went to yesterday, and they gave us free dessert again! We couldn’t believe it! Today, they brought us two chocolate pastries and two raspberry pastries. Delicious! Their friendliness meant so much to us! The lady recognized us, and we talked a little bit. So nice!

Then, the three of us split up. Rachel wanted to walk around and explore “Old Town.” Madison needed to use the internet to download some things for a class. And I wanted to go for a run, since I hadn’t ran for two days. So we went to Starbucks, and I left my stuff with Madison, and went in the bathroom to change into shorts and running shoes. I thought I’d locked the door, and thought it was a good idea to change out by the sink rather than inside a stall. Of course, someone walks in when I don’t have any pants on, and I run into a stall holding my shorts in my hands and leaving my jeans and shoes on the floor out by the sinks. Embarrassing!  Shizaaa.

I went for a 10 mile run along the Aegean Sea, and it was beautiful! I passed through many fishing docks and rows of boats, and ran around a giant peninsula. I went about 5 miles along the sea, and then about 5 miles back. It felt so good!

Then, we sat in Starbucks for a while to use the internet. I wanted a chai tea latte, and went to buy one until I saw that they were 4 Euros, which is $5.20. I couldn’t bring myself to spend that on a drink, especially when my debit card won’t work at the ATM’s and I only have 18 Euro’s left. So I went back to my seat. Then, a few minutes later, Madison come around the corner and had bought me one! She handed it to me with a smile on her face, and it was the most delicious latte ever! It was seriously so nice of her. Then, I skyped with Mary, Amalie, and Michele for a little while. The internet connection was pretty horrible, and I could only understand what they were saying about half the time. I would try to make out the gist of what they were saying and kind of guess about the rest. Nevertheless, seeing their faces made me so happy! I am definitely a little homesick. As much as I love backpacking through Europe, I miss the comforts of my luxuries back home and I miss my friends and family. I miss feeling safe, and not having to sleep with my wallet next to my head. I miss being able to leave my computer at home when I leave the house and not worry about it being stolen. I miss being able to understand what people are saying around me, and being able to communicate with ease. I miss not being afraid of drinking the tap water. I miss knowing how to flush to toilets. I miss clean clothes and having more than two t-shirts with me. I miss having hot water to shower with, and a towel to dry off with. Taking a freezing cold shower and having to air dry/ use a tiny rag isn’t the most enjoyable time. But at the same time, all of these things are teaching me to live simply, and giving me a tiny glimpse of a different kind of lifestyle!

On the way home, we stopped at our favorite café again, and were going to buy the desserts this time. But when we went up to the check out line, the workers knew us, and gave us free desserts a third time! We couldn’t believe it! The person checking us out said that her worker told her that we are good customers and we are her friends, so to treat us! She made me this delicious sweet cream pastry with powdered sugar and cinnamon, and gave me a free chocolate pastry as well. They’re the best. So we left them a thank you note, with a tip of one of each Euro coin, and the only American money we had with us: a dime and a nickel. We’ll be back there tomorrow! It’s the best!

Now, we’re back at our hostel, and I’m about to hit the hay. We set our alarms for tomorrow morning, so we can get up and out the door early to see Mount Olympus. It’s about an hour away, but should be pretty cool if we can figure out the buses to get there! I’m excited! Ok, that’s all for now. Good night from Greece!