(Special guest post by Suzanne!)
Met the seasoned travellers in Athens on a gorgeous sunny day, Sunday May 7th. I only had a day there so they made sure I took in as much as possible! We walked around and up and down and it was a thrill to see the Acropolis! However my favourite part was walking through Anafiotika, the tiny hidden neighbourhood built on the slope bellow the Acropolis … twisty paths, tiny whitewashed houses, short staircases/paths everywhere, truly a unique site.
The next day we headed for Delphi and a visit to the Oracle. Although there are few actual remains, the museum there filled in a lot of details … but Henri’s already written about this.
On our second day in Delphi we decided to visit Arahova, a popular ski village! No lifts or snow in site but shops and ski rentals so I guess it really is a ski resort. It was a little strange for me as back home on Jeanne-Mance street I have the restaurant Arahova on one corner and Delphi depanneur on the other!
We walked back to Delphi, a good 15km along a mountain side, over fences, forced detours, sliding down on our bums and finally arriving back ‘home’ for a nice cold beer. I love that kind of adventure!
Meteora was next. I was blown away by the steep rock mountains with up to 14 monasteries perched on top where monks got themselves hauled up in baskets. How come I never knew about that! We of course walked up to Holy Trinity monastery (I wouldn’t have minded being pulled up in a basket as it was a killer climb!). The next day we visited 3 or 4 more monasteries (up by bus this time but down on foot) of which only a few are still inhabited with less that 10 monks (some with men others with women) in each. It was all very fascinating and exhausting but worth every minute.
Next was Thessaloniki for 3-4 days, a strange city in many ways. The overall downtown architecture is kind of dull (thanks to fires and earthquakes) and all looks pretty similar. Still, there are lots of ruins and some fun neighbourhoods. And guess what? We climbed to the top of the city to see a … monastery! The view over the city and Aegean was spectacular! Our last day was spent at the beach … heaven.
Off to Skopje, North Macedonia that has a very cool flag! We were blown away by the downtown core. Tons of oversized statues, plazas, pedestrian only streets, gorgeous bridges and NO CARS! When you got into the neighbourhoods though it was a little more run down with graffiti and some Soviet inspired architecture! The Muslim population is 30% so we checked out the bazaar area but it was pretty much empty with a good 90% of shops closed. Lots of walking around. I am so happy I chose to do this leg of their trip with them as I learn things everyday.
Ben’s 5 favourite things so far: grandmama arriving (bless his little heart), getting his worry beads, Elsies’s birthday, the walk from Arahova to Delphi and getting his Mythology book!
Our last stop before Tirana Albania and my flight home (sniff) is Ohrid in N. Macedonia, a gorgeous lake side resort town with troops of tourists! We visited the old town, and will head for the beach today. That’s it for me
Thanks SO MUCH to Claire, Patrick, Henri, Elsie and Ben for having me. I love you all so much. xxxxxxx
5 billets SVP 