Thursday June 4
Yesterday we said goodbyes to Yianni and Ira and we left Laimos and drove to Naousa to stay for one night. We accidentally put our bags down at the wrong house and an old lady came out and had some not too happy words at us, and then we figured out where our actual house was. We arrived at our guesthouse and met our host Panayiotis. He was very kind and sweet, which was so nice after the old lady special treatment! We settled in and Caleb Mom and me did a quick grocery run. I was super hangry so we made a quick pita sandwich with hummus with tomato cucumber and feta with lemon juice and oil and it was perfect. Then I fell asleep and took a big long nap! When I woke up me and Caleb and Aba walked to the park, which had a great view of the town and the sea, and some cool historical statues and sculptures dedicated to heroes and liberation and freedom. Caleb and I stayed in the park while Aba went to go get the girlies in the car and we all went to Paradosiako Taverna for dinner, which was recommended by Panayiotis. We sat outside and it was a pretty casual spot but it had very nice food and special Naousa traditional dishes and wine. We shared a delicious salad with lemony mustard dressing, grilled mushrooms with mustard sauce, grilled local cheese, and Mantza, which is a local stew type dish with eggplant tomato and pepper. Caleb and Aba and I shared lamb chops and Sophie got chicken. Everything was super yummy and we walked through the park after dinner and saw the city lights twinkling at night.
In the morning we packed up and went to meet my Greek teacher Antigoni in Vergina to see the Tomb of King Phillip II, the father of Alexander the Great. We walked through a very dark tunnel and there were minimal lights on the exhibits to preserve them. We saw the outside of the tomb and some of the special items buried with him and some other important people who also had special tombs. We saw some of Phillip’s body armor, weapons, and shield that was found in the tomb to show that he was a great warrior and people believed the belongings he was buried with would go with him in the afterlife. One shield had very intricate designs, and we heard a tour group guide saying it took the archeologists 5 years to put the pieces of the shield together! After we saw the tomb we went out for coffee and lunch. Caleb and I got chicken pita sandwiches, Antigoni got a panini sandwich, Sophie got chicken fillet, and Aba got some tzatziki. Then we went to the Aigai museum which was stuff from the Greek Macedonia kingdom of Phillip II and Alexander the Great. We got to see some preserved pillars and outside of the palace, and read about how it was all designed with Platonic perfect ratios and very precise measurements. It was a political meeting hall for the people and the king was on the same level as the people to show that he wasn’t a tyrant king, but an equal with the rest of the people. There were lots of very beautiful statues and sculptures, pots and pans, weapons, jewelry, and building materials like nails and tools. Even with all the stuff we saw, the tour guide lady from the tombs and the plaques at the museum said that only 10% of the kingdom of Aigai has been discovered by the archeologists, so there is still so much more to be uncovered! One of the plaques at the museum also explained about the Mimallones, which was the name of Yianni and Ira’s hotel in Laimos. Apparently the Mimallones were a group of women, but an invader saw them from afar and thought they were men warriors, and so the invader got scared and retreated! It was great to meet Antigoni in real life and go see the cool museums together. After we said goodbyes we went to our very nice apartment in Litochoro, settled in, showered, and went to the Govetas’ house for dinner! It was so nice to see Ruth and Christo and meet Christo’s badass mother Eleni who sang with us, told us lots of stories about her life and gave us lots of blessings and kind words. Ruth made delicious greek salad, yemista (stuffed peppers and tomatos), tsatsiki, beets, and chicken. We drank local tsipouro with anise and it was so delicious! For dessert we ate watermelon and we brought the stuffed dates and figs that we got in Ioannina. After dinner we talked for a long time, and then we sang and jammed and it was so amazing! Eleni loves the old songs and she remembers all the words, even the songs she hasn’t heard in a long time are still locked in her mind somewhere! She was so happy to spend time together and share stories and music and laughs, and she kept saying she will remember us for the rest of her life! We will remember her too! 🙂
Friday June 5
Today Caleb and I woke up at 6am to watch the beautiful sunrise over the sea, then went back to sleep. Around 9 we packed up our stuff and went out for coffee and breakfast with Ruth and Christo. I got a spanikopita and a chocolate croissant, and Caleb ordered us freddo cappuccinos with medium sugar, but I think the coffee lady made us espressos with no sugar because it was super bitter so I added two sugar packets. After coffee and breakfast we took a short walk to a waterfall which provides water for the town of Litochoro, and then we drove about 40 minutes up Mount Olympus! We stopped at a cafe for lunch and I got greek salad and extra olives and feta cheese, Sophie got chicken, Mom got bean soup and Caleb and Aba got goat soup. Then we got back in the car and drove to Caravan hotel in Thessaloniki! We settled in and rested for a bit, and now we are on our way to Xoth-O Glentismata, a big music and dance festival party at Apollona Stadium in Kalamaria!