Greek Orthodox religious street shrine, Achiropitos Church, Thessaloniki, Greece
I liked Thessaloníki. It’s a mixture of dusty urban streets with shops selling beach umbrellas, interesting portals, attractive heritage sights, a glittering seafront, and varied cultural delights.
Captivating umbrella sculpture being used for community gathering
One minute I was standing surprised in front of a shop that seemed to be only selling beach umbrellas, the next I spotted a woman behind one on a far away balcony.
I stopped off here partly to break my journey to the north, but mainly to meet Shiatsu practitioners and teachers.
Evening drinks with Marie-Helene and a yummy lunch with Daphne were both really satisfying exchanges. The joy of meeting others in my own, rather niche profession and being able to talk shop, knowing they speak the same language (Shiatsu I mean! I spoke French with one and English with the other) was delightful.
I had a chirpy visitor as I sipped my fizzy mineral water, and gazed at the shining sea over the top of my laptop
Doorways
Beautiful doorways abound.
Copper bells outside a bar
I thought it was a church, but it turned out to be a night club! Thessaloniki, Greece
Someone’s front door – care and attention to detail make for everyday beauty hereA domestic front garden of contrasting coloursDoric columns adorn this frontage. Thessaloniki, Greece
Hostel accommodation
There was WiFi at the Studio Arabas hostel where I stayed for 2 nights, on Satchouri. I booked through Hostelworld. It is steeply uphill and I didn’t have time to explore the Old Town that it is in because I was meeting people in the part nearer the sea where most of the monuments are – that’s a good trek down and climb back up so be warned.
I left early to walk the hour to the bus station and caught the morning sunlight, Thessaloniki
The hostel was clean, but not in a squeaky clean sort of way. I got some advice from the lovely Charlotte while I was there. Although you can’t do this at her place…
Tip
… It is always worth booking a hostel by phone or in person because you often get money off or a free breakfast. They save money on the fees they have to pay to the third party, the booking website.
The book fair was on that day, Thessaloniki, Greece
Cafés
I was on my way to a meeting but needed a cup of tea. It was going to be an hour’s walk. Until, that is, I spied Vermilion.
Just my sort of place. Creative and friendly, good WiFi and recycled jewellery.
I was early and they were cleaning and preparing for the day, Vermilion, Thessaloníki, Greece
The menu was handwritten in the front of an exercise book
Nearby are other nice places – a bakery, cheese shop and more.
Recycled jewellery made by the owner
B caféCafé full of young people including women playing backgammon
Local people resting in the shade
I was fascinated to glimpse women sewing and men and women sharing a drink in the shade.
A group of men in the distance, taken with the zoom. They went back and forth through a door in the wall behind – I was so curious!
You can just about make out the women who had been keeping the church yard spic and span, taking a welcome break
She turned round and gave me a huge smile so I asked permission to snap
Churches
In Greece many people draw a cross on themselves when they see a church. A woman on the train did it as we whizzed past one. Later I saw a man walking a dog, doing the same thing .
The priest was just emerging as I crept around the lovely church near my hostel
Greek Orthodox Church, Thessaloniki, Greece
Columns
There are Classical Greek columns everywhere in Thessaloniki.
Ionic columns add finesse to the Cathedral, Thessaloniki, Greece
Ruins
City wallsArch of Galerius, Thessaloniki, Greece
This ancient monument was built in 305 AD following the final victory of Emperor Galerius against the Persians.
Carvings from the arch
I liked the apartment blocks cheek by jowl with the ancient stone
Gardens
The sunken garden of the Greek Orthodox Church of St Demetrios
Everywhere there was marble – walls, floors, and columns of course!
The marble basement of the B cafe at the Museum of Byzantine Culture
Other sights
Padlocks for peaceEnjoying the sunset togetherTrumpeter in silhouetteMuseum of Byzantine CultureGreek Archeological MuseumSarcophagus, part of the Field, House, Garden, Grave exhibition at the Archeological Museum
Church at nightGraffitiAlexander the Great. The spears are arranged in the formation from his best known battleWoman of Pindos, 1940An undressed version Emanuel Pappas (1772- 1821) and me with my clothes on. He was the leader of the Greek War of Independence.
Travelling around Greece is straightforward. On this, my second solo trip, I flew to Athens overnight with Air Baltic (on time, efficient) from Edinburgh; walked and took the metro in the capital; and then went to Thessaloniki, Komotini in the north, and the village of Proskinites by bus to see my friends’ new born baby. There I either walked or was driven in the jeep. I returned to Thessaloníki the same way, and then flew to Paris with Transavia for 39 euros.
Greek Orthodox Church, Proskinites, Greece
Travel around Athens
Crossing the road: Wherever you are, beware the motorised scooters – either being driven wildly with one or more people on them, or abandoned in the middle of pavements.
Looks tame sitting on its own like that I know, but add 1+ humans and it becomes lethal!
Like everywhere else in Europe, look left before crossing the road!
Museum antiquities exhibited in Acropolis Metro station
The Athens Metro
Metros are clean, cool in temperature, crowded at rush hour as anywhere in Europe, efficient, regular and all stations are announced in English as well as Greek. Ticket machines are quite easy to use and you can choose to view the screen in English. Tickets cost 2.70 euros for 2 tickets and go down in price if you buy more. You can use one anywhere within 90 minutes, which I didn’t realise and so wasted a second one on a bus connection. Make sure you register your ticket on the machine both in and out of the metro, and in (but not out) on the buses.
Reclining male nude – statue in Acropolis Metro station, Athens, Greece
Trains, buses and travel out of Athens
I took the Athens to Thessaloniki train, even though there is a lot of bad press to be found on the internet about trains in Greece. The service was clean and smooth (“better than the UK, like Italy” said my neighbour!) You can book online via the OSE website.
Athens mainline train station, Greece
Bus travel
For the rest of Greece, the bus is better, but finding information and booking by website is hard work if you don’t read Greek. The main page of the main Greek bus company website (ktelmacedonia.gr) comes up in English on my phone, but the list of places does not and anyway, even looking up the Greek spelling for the places didn’t mean that they appeared on the list although they do have buses which go there! On my laptop, the website was impossible for me to operate. If you are stuck, you could try asking a friendly waitress as they usually speak great English and can often be really helpful making calls for you.
Interesting juxtaposition of satellite tower and saw sculpture, Thessaloniki, Greece
I have discovered this since writing the above : Bus tickets pagebus website KTEL Macedonia – new e tickets available. I am leaving both sets of information so that you have 2 options. Please leave a comment if you find the best way and that will help others. Thank you.
You can also buy ferry tickets, and transport or store luggage through KTEL Macedonia (as above).
The police boarded the Komotini – Thessaloniki bus, looked at random people’s passports, and took 3 men off this morning who had no papers.
On the way to Thessaloniki by train
Which bus station?
It is therefore best to book at the bus station (KTEL has 2 bus stations in Athens: Kifissos and Liossion. Note that when it asks you which one you want to leave from, it also includes ‘Pireus, Athens’ which is actually half an hour away by car so you don’t want that unless you happen to be staying near there). Alternatively you can ring up: I got a very nice man on the phone who spoke manageable English and he took my name and gave me the information and advice I needed. ( When I got there a few days later and went to buy the ticket, he introduced himself to me saying it was he who I had spoken to – what service!) There is a 25 per cent discount in advance which is hard if you are making spontaneous decisions.
The Greek countryside between Athens and Thessaloniki
Other
There is no bla bla car (online car sharing in France, Spain etc) here in Greece. There are regular tolls along the motorways – between 3-13 euros depending on the distance. See below for other people’s blogs about travelling in Greece.
Bus Athens to Thessaloniki 39 euros one way, 59 euros return (note that the English translation says ‘refund’ instead of ‘return’!
The White Tower, Thessaloniki, Greece
23 euros bus Komotini to Thessaloniki (6 hours)
2 euros X1 bus Thessaloniki (dome) Macedonia bus station to airport. Every half hour. Buy ticket from kiosk by bus stop.Very crowded. 40 – 60 minutes.
I left early to walk the hour to the bus station and caught the morning sunlight, Thessaloniki
