I’m very behind on posting. We’ve seen a lot the last few days. Athens and Northern Greece were just as interesting and picturesque as the islands. We’re currently in Thessaloniki and depart for Istanbul tomorrow.
After Naxos, we went to Athens. It was a thrill to see all the sites I've read about all my life. In addition to doing touristy things, Chris found a rally burrito to eat in support of the Dodgers. Didn’t work though.
After Athens we drove to Meteora. The monastaries against the mountains were beautiful. I can't fathom the effort it took to build them.
The next day we drove to Mountain Olympus. With our limited time, we hiked to where the spring water gets funneled down to the city. I could live here for the water. Didn’t find any Ambrosia though.
The primary reason for coming to Northern Greece was to visit Thymiopoulos winery. We spent time with Apostolos, the wine maker and learned the story behind his wines. After sampling Xinomavoro, we soaked in the thermal baths at Pozar. We then had one of best meals on the trip.
Before dropping of the car, we shifted our focus from Zeus to Alexander the Great.
We visited the Nyphaeum of Mieza where Aristotle taught Alexander the Great and King Philip II (Alexander’s father) of Macedonia’s tomb. Alexander the Great was a figure in history I throughly enjoyed learning about. This tomb was one of the most exhilarating things I’ve ever seen in my life…it felt like I had 10 cups of coffee that morning. The exhibit located in the burial mound next to the tomb was immaculately put together and was one of my favorite historical sites in Greece.
Finally, we made it to Thessaloniki. The city’s Byzantine history radiated everywhere as we walked around. Tried Greek seaweed and roasted chestnuts. I'm a huge fan of roasted chestnuts and am looking forward to taking advantage of this street food the next couple months.
Comments