Florina (Border Crossing)

I got into Florina at about 10:00 pm and I started walking to the Macedonia border, 18 km away.  It was a nice evening, the temperature was cool, so I thought it good for walking.  I left town and it was just vast fields.  I was definitely alone with a few cars passing by.

I came to an abandoned gas station where a loose dog started barking aggressively at me.  So I backed away and figured I’d stop here, sleep, and wait until light to get by this dog.  I chose a spot by the side of the road that was hidden behind some bush.  It turned out to be a great spot, and I slept soundly.

I got up at 6:30am and packed up.  I got walking and passed the dog.  No problem this time.  I tried thumbing rides but nothing.  Assholes.  I had a long way to go.

I got to a small town, and realized I had walked about 10 km.  Pretty good.  My shoulders hurt like hell from the bag, and my back too.  I ate some bread and feta cheese I had picked up the day before.  Then walked some more.

Just outside the town, I got picked up at brought to the border.  That was a relief.  I got through passport control fine, then bought a duty-free water for 0.40 euro.  That’s cheap water!  Then I approached Macedonia.

On the other side of the border, I got picked up again and brought to Bitola.  The guy asked me if I had a girl.  No.  He couldn’t understand it.  He has 4.  Two on the Greek side, and two on the Macedonian side.  What’s with this?

Neos Marmaras

I went to Neos Marmaras in Sithonia, which is the middle finger of the three fingers of Chalkidiki in Macedonian Greece.  I got to the campground at sunset and it was beautiful.  I took a dip.

More beauty.

I slept modestly.

The beach was great.  Clear, dark blue waters.

But I got a little bored.  Time was passing really slowly.  I could still catch a bus back to Thessaloniki and then a train to Florina which is the town closest to the Greek border with Macedonia.  So I went.

Back in Thessaloniki, I had time before the train to have some souvlaki, a cheap meal, but really good.  It’s pork with fries, tomatoes, onion, ketchup, white sauce.  It was a good deal.

Thessaloniki

I made it to Thessaloniki and found a seedy hotel to spend the night.  15 euro.  This was well worth it.  I got a shower and a bed.

The next day I walked around Thessaloniki and tried to figure out where I would go next.  I was thinking Macedonia.  Thessaloniki is a really nice city though.  Better than Athens.  Historical sites are scattered throughout the city.  Old meets new.  White Tower meets Applebee’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill.

It’s a port city.

Arch of Galerius, and Aristotle.

The Rotunda of St. George, an old Byzantine church.

I found the tourist office and the people there were really helpful.  They told me I should go to the beach in Chalkidiki.  So I went.

Mt. Olympus

I got into Litohoro at 6am.  I walked 1 km to a bus stop that would take me into the town 5 km away.  I was waiting at the stop when a BMW wagon pulled up and the woman asked where I was going.  I told her Mt. Olympus and she told me to hop in, they were going there too.  Excellent.

It was a German family.  Dieter and Alexandra and their daughter, Sarah, and her boyfriend, Joshua.  They were friendly and nice.  I probably stunk of shit: I had slept outside Delphi, tried hitchhiking for 90 minutes in the sun, lugged my bag all across Delphi, sat on a 3 hour bus to Athens, lugged my bag around Athens, was on a sweaty, full night train to Litohoro.  And all without a shower.  Well, they didn’t complain even if they did smell a funk.  Nice Germans.  Polite Germans.

We got to the trailhead and I didn’t want to burden them with me, but I was pretty stuck.  I didn’t want to carry my huge pack all the way up.  They saw the problems, and said I could go with them, and leave my bag in their car.  Great!!  And companions on the climb.

The Germans really kept a great pace.  Wow!  I had to keep up and sweated through my shirt.  Dripping sweat on my back, underneath my backpack.  We made good time to the Refuge (2 hours), and I immediately changed my shirt.  Without much rest, we headed off for the steeper climb to the top.

It was a tough climb, but it was beautiful.  The sun was blazing down, but it actually got windy a cold at the top.

Mt. Olympus is the tallest mountain in Greece and was believed to be the residence of the gods.  We climbed to 2905 meters.  What an accomplishment!

After getting to the top, I wanted to get the hell down from there on a ski lift or something.  We spent another 4 or 5 hours getting down.  In the end, I think it took us 10 hours.

As we were getting back in the car, I pressed my luck and asked if they could take me to Thessaloniki, about an hour’s drive, since they would be heading through there.  Dieter agreed, but I don’t think they were all too happy about it.  We went into town first and we passed the bus station.  I ran up and asked about buses to Thessaloniki, only 6 euro.  Pretty good.  Then I asked about accomodation, 30 euro.  Not good.  So I told the Germans and they asked what time the bus would leave.  I hadn’t asked that piece of info.

So I found out the bus was leaving now!!  I ran back to the Germans at the cafe and told them.  They popped the trunk, I waved and shouted goodbyes as I hustled up about 50 yards back to the bus station, as I saw the bus pulling in.  I hurried to buy my ticket, threw my bags below, and hopped on the bus.  The people on the bus were with me, and knew my accomplishment as they saw me running back and forth.  I think they were proud of me.

I had forgotten to exchange email information with Joshua and Sarah, so I scribbled my email on a receipt and asked the driver if he could stop at the cafe down the street.  He agreed.  But then I saw Joshua running up towards the bus waving a piece of paper.  The bus driver opened the door and Joshua handed me his email, and I handed him mine.  Hahah, we had both realized that one forgotten thing!  Joshua ran off laughing at the whole situation, and I had a huge smile on my face, pumped that I caught the bus, also relieved, and very happy about how the day worked out with the Germans.  I sat back with happy thoughts.  It felt like the end scene in The Graduate.

Delphi

I took a bus to Delphi in the evening.  I wanted to see the Oracle.  I got in at 11pm or so, and walked 1.5 km to a camping site.  The guy wanted 8 euro to camp.  I left and camped by the side of the road.  As I took out my contacts, I realized I had lost my glasses!!  I left them in Athens.  The sleep was okay except that a dog wouldn’t stop barking and small flies kept trying to enter my ear.

I got up at first light (6:30am) and headed to the Oracle.  It is no wonder that the Greeks thought Delphi was the center of the universe.  It’s surrounded by beautiful mountains.

I was one of the first into the site, which was great.  Tourist buses would be loading in in a few hours.  I wandered around, trying to take it all in, and snap some photos.

I saw women scattered around the place, looking weird.  One was in the center of the amphitheatre looking like she was trying to summon some force, legs akimbo, hands in a prayer-like pose.  I wandered on and saw a women holding a copper wire, pointing it at the Temple of Apollo.  She heard me and hid the instrument.  I walked on and passed another woman with the same weird tool.  I stopped her and asked her about it.  She told me that it taps into “energy.”  This energy is everywhere, but is even greater at this site.  WOW!  I was really curious, and asked if I could hold it.  She told me to ask it a question.  I said “Where is the Temple of Apollo?”  It twirled in my hand and pointed to the Temple!!  Energy!!  She was very pleased.  Then I asked it where the Theatre is.  It didn’t do anything.  The woman looked a little disappointed.  She said “Oh, ask it where the Theatre in Delphi is?” — I needed to be more specific.  So I asked it, and it still didn’t do anything, but I made it twirl the right direction so I didn’t disappoint her.  Wow!!  She was very pleased with my curiosity, and I didn’t want to be rude, so I acted sincerely mystified and intrigued.  Wow!!

A copper wire with a “Stone of the Earth.”

Wiccan Eoin summoning the Energy

I saw the museum, then left for the bus station.  I got there, but got frustrated by the idea that I had to pay to backtrack to Athens to get my glasses.  I wasn’t even sure if they were at the hostel, but fairly sure.  I didn’t want to pay 2 euro to use the internet to get the hostel’s phone number and another few euro to use a phone.  And I didn’t want to pay for a bus to get back there.  13 euro.  So I decided I’d try to hitchhike.  It was still early, like 10:30.

I made it to the edge of town, and stood by the road to Athens.  Cars passed, lots of cars passed.  Some people gave me hand signals to say they were sorry, car was full.  Others just looked at me curiously.  I was pissed when empty cars sped by me.  Assholes.  No luck.  I stood out there in the blazing sun for about 90 minutes and nothing.  I think it was because it was a bunch of asshole tourists who were worried I might murder them.  I loaded my huge sack on my back, vowed to myself to pick up hitchhikers when I see them, and headed back across town to the bus station.  Defeated.

I got back to the hostel in Athens, and they had my glasses!!  So, my backtracking was not all in vain.  Thank god!!  I was still a sweaty mess and asked if I could take a shower.  It would be 3 euro, so I skipped it.  I am *that* strict about spending.  I headed out to the city to kill some time until my night train to Litohoro to climb Mt. Olympus.

I sat around in the square, reading, watching the Olympics when I could, watching people, thinking.  A lot of free activities, as Kathy might say.  At one point, I reached for my bag to turn it around so I could get my bottle of water out of it.  This African guy who was standing in front of me corrected me by saying, “Don’t worry.  I’m not going to steal your bag.”  What the hell?  This guy must go around perceiving everything anyone does is racist.

I got the train to Litohoro at midnight.

Athens

After 19 hours on two trains, I got into Athens.  I asked a guy outside the train station for directions.  This guy wanted to walk me to the street.  I think this guy was semi-retarded; really slow speech and walking.  Then he started trying to tell me something.  I didn’t understand so he grabbed my thigh and belt buckle.  A weird sexual hold, as he breathed some retarded words at me.  He kept grabbing me in different places.  But I finally understood what he was trying to tell me.  Be careful of thieves.  It was a pretty uncomfortable way of warning me.

I got a hostel for 19 euro.  No top sheet included.  Very Spartan.  I also had to deal with all these Americans who loved how they were going to go “Greek Island hopping.”  So obnoxious.  Rich WASPs who just graduated.  Celebrating by “laying out” on *different* expensive beaches all over Greece, and probably getting “tanked” while they’re at it.

I went to the Acropolis the next day.  This is *the* thing to do in Athens.  As everywhere else is a seedy mess.  I was told by many people to watch for thieves.  Anyway, it was an impressive site although it was jam-packed with tourists, and blisteringly hot.  Mid-August.

The Acropolis

The Parthenon

The Tourists

The Erectheion with the six Caryatids

Unsteady column and Temple of Olympian Zeus

There was a lot where you really had to use your imagination.  Rubble with a description, like “Roman Gymnasium,” or “Civic Offices.”  I mean, Ancient Greece is pretty old.  I just wish it was better preserved.

Civic Offices

“The Great Drain,” and one of the many areas collecting the ancient rubble.

My castaway shorts torn to pieces by my massive thighs.

There were a lot of dogs sleeping around Athens since it was so hot.  As the saying goes, “When in Athens, let sleeping dogs lie.”

So, I thought the Acropolis and the ruins of Ancient Greece was pretty interesting, but I don’t think it was worth the trip to see it.  Not really.  Athens the city was a pretty ugly place.