Good ol' greek reality check

• Canadianjulie's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Thessaloniki

Trip Start Sep 11, 2008 Previous
Entry Trip End Dec 12, 2008 Next
Entry

  Thessaloniki, Macedonia Region, Greece
Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Yesterday morning was an extremely wet one in Dublin, the rain pouring down on me as I waited for the airport express bus. My flight out of the city was slightly delayed, and the plane half empty, but we still got into London Gatwick around 3 pm. After locking up my backpack at the airport, I ran a few errands in the city and walked through Picadilly Circus for the first time - I had no idea how crazy it was, kind of like the British Times Square! Then, at 7:45 pm, met up with Shannon, Liam, Becky and Tina for dinner. I wasn't expecting to stop through London so often during this trip, but it's been nice to spend a little more time with friends. We ate at a delicious Thai restaurant near Clapham Common, the area around which they all live.

After our meal, I hopped back onto a train and returned to Gatwick around 11 pm. I now had 4.5 hours to kill before I could check-in to my flight, so I had a large coffee and read for an hour and a half. I passed more time after that by calling my dad and sisters, Kat/Conor/Lisa on speakerphone, and my mom. I sat in the nearly empty airport for another hour or so before I could go through security and eventually board my flight. I slept for most of the three hours it took to fly to Greece, but was still exhausted when we landed in Thessaloniki at 11 am - there's a 2-hour time difference from London (not one, as I had anticipated), so I'm now living 7 hours ahead of Montreal and Toronto, and 10 hours ahead of Las Vegas! We flew over beautiful mountain ranges and the Thermaikos Gulf on the way into the city.

'Our' Starbucks

As I passed customs and my passport received its Greek stamp, I couldn't help but smile when I realized where I now was!

I'm back in a city where people drive on the right, but aside from the driving and a handful of chain retail stores, absolutely nothing is familar here! As it dawned on me what it really means to travel to a foreign place by yourself, I was hit with a reality check. Since the beginning of this adventure, and during all my recent trips, I became accustomed to speaking English (or French), and took for granted how well I could understand everything (even the deep Irish accent!). It's completely disorienting to look around and not understand a single sign, or a single word spoken around you. I really hope I meet people during my next two weeks in Greece, or it will be rather lonely, especially since I can't even chat with the random salesperson or passerby.

Thessaloniki, the second city in Greece, is extremely busy. The city centre is crowded with buildings and people, and looks slightly worn down. There's a constant background noise coming from all the traffic and the hundreds of mopeds and motorcycles. The traffic pollution adds to the smell of the streets, as do all the smokers and the chestnuts being roasted on the sidewalk. It was 26 degrees today, yet the Greeks are wearing jeans, boots and jackets! I eventually found some more pleasant parts to the city, which include a street market and the boardwalk along the Gulf. The later is lined with cafés and restaurants, and even includes some signs translated into English! In parts, it almost reminds me of South Beach, Florida - minus the beach (but including the palm trees).

There are no hostels in this city, but I am sharing my room with someone I haven't yet met. I'm still extremely tired from yesterday's sleepless night, so I will try to plan out some of my Greek journey, but will when head to bed early.

And I've learned a few Greek words so far, but I unfortunately cannot say 'goodbye' to properly end this email. I can say 'yasas' (hello) and 'efharisto' (thank you). And as if this country wasn't hard enough to understand as it is, 'ne' means yes, and 'ohi' means no - good luck to me! haha! I've just got to add that times like these have made me love Starbucks - it's consistency has provided me with comforting familarity in otherwise foreign places!

(UPDATE, Nov. 8: pictures added!)

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Boardwalk along the coast	Cool Byzantine church	Delicious spanakopita	Kellie and I
Main square with restaurants	Roman archway	Roman rotunda	White Tower

Slideshow Print this entry Share

Previous Entry Next Entry